#we’ll see if this design finally sticks!

[pepperpixel]

I’m sick of the feeling that I always have to have enough pictures for a photoset to post anything. So. I’m rebelling against that stupid fuckin feeling and just posting this chara stand alone! There’ll probably be a frisk to go w it eventually! But! U’ll just have to wait lol

[7s3ven]

ATHENA’S GIRL. luke (pjo) / pt 2

trailer > part 1 > part 2

( masterlist )

IN WHICH… Chaos endures on the trio’s trip to Camp Half-Blood and Luke learns that Y/N isn’t as tough as she projects herself to be. Upon finally arriving at camp, Y/N is met with a pleasant surprise when Athena claims her on the spot.

“Have you forgotten to turn off your heart? This is not you. I see you changing from how I've designed you. Have you forgotten your purpose?"

Warning : LONG chapter

—

Athena had one goal in life; to create a dazzling warrior who would be worthy of calling themselves her golden child. She moulded her kids into the people she wanted them to be but they often strayed from her ideals, only disappointing her. Perhaps her biggest success in life was designing Y/N.

She was such a brilliantly bright teenager with a natural knack for fighting, using her prior learnt skills from numerous sports classes (all compulsory at her school). Athena liked to call Y/N her pride and joy. Or, she would’ve if she didn’t notice the fondness forming between Y/N and a certain Hermes son.

Y/N lay asleep on the train, resting her head in a pillow she had found in one of the compartments. Luke and Chris sat across from her, impatiently tapping their feet.

“Psst.” Luke whispered, nudging his friend, “You wanna check out the food cart?” Chris turned to stare at Luke, slight frowning.

“She told us to stick together.” He muttered back, gesturing over to Y/N who was quietly murmuring in her sleep.

“She’ll be fine. We’ll be quick anyway. By the time she wakes up, we’ll be back.” Luke reassured Chris, ushering him towards the door. The two Hermes boys silently shuffled out of the small room and walked down the hallway, following the smell of food.

Y/N turned on her side, resting her head against the back of the plush seat. She groaned, half conscious yet still half asleep. Everything was a blurred daze as she slipped back into an unconscious state, ending up in a barren desert.

The H/C-haired girl looked around, confused and a little shaken. She quickly pinched her arm and winced when she felt a twinge of pain. “Where am I?” She whispered to herself, yet her voice echoed.

The sand beneath her feet rumbled and twirled around her, forming a hurricane. Y/N panted in panic as grains of debris threatened to hit her eyes. She turned her head to shield her face until the sand finally dropped to the ground again, revealing a beautiful and grand hall.

The walls were pure white with delicate golden details. If Y/N didn’t know any better, she’d think this was what first class would have looked on the Titanic ship. Or what was portrayed in the movies, at least.

“Do you like it, my dear?”

Y/N spun around at the sound of a silky, feminine voice. A tall woman sat on a marble carved throne, resting her elbows on the sides. She smiled at Y/N. Her skin was pale, almost ghostly looking, and her brown eyes held warmth within them. She brushed a lock of long, shiny raven hair aside.

“I know how much you wanted to see the inside of the Titanic.” She spoke again, crossing one leg over the other. “Come closer, don’t be shy, my love.” She beckoned Y/N forward.

The H/C-nette slowly stepped towards the goddess. “Who… are you?” She asked when she finally stood not a meter away.

“I’m your mother, dear.”

The more Y/N looked at the woman, the more she saw their similarities. Although Y/N’s hair wasn’t as glossy as her’s, their sharp facial features still held the same stony gaze and their heights reflected one another.

“Why am I here?” Y/N carefully asked, her eyes darting around to stare the crystal chandelier.

“I’ve been watching you, my love. You’re a wonderfully talented girl gifted with such academic skill.” The deity let a small laugh slip past her red lips, “But I must warn you, do be careful on what you choose in life. Not everything is as it seems.”

Y/N sent her mother a confused look. She could decode complicated English written in her beloved books but she couldn’t understand what the goddess was telling her.

“You are still a young girl, Y/N.” Finally, Athena rose. She stood before Y/N in all her beautiful glory. “I understand that the topic of love may plague your mind and hide your true goals from you. But is it worth choosing a boy over high education and your academic studies?”

Y/N was slowly piecing everything together. “Is this…” She spoke softly as she trailed off, “Is this about Luke? Because I don’t like him. Not at all.”

“I didn’t mention a name, dear. You came up with that one on your own. Don’t let a boy cloud your judgment, especially not a Hermes son. They are as tricky as they are mischievous.”

Athena pulled Y/N into a sudden hug that seemed a little too tight to be friendly. Y/N struggled to breathe while Athena rested her chin on her daughter’s shoulder. “Don’t forget the lessons I’ve taught you.” She whispered, “I designed you to be perfect and I’ll be damned if I let a Hermes boy of all people ruin my greatest achievement.”

She spoke so gently but there was a dark edge to her voice; a twisted and wicked side to her beauty that Y/N had failed to notice before. “If you ever forget your purpose, I’ll be sure to remind you.”

Her voice faded as Y/N’s dream began to disappear. Her surroundings floated away like watercolour paint bleeding into thick paper until Y/N found herself sprawled on the couch and Luke and Chris nowhere to be seen.

She groaned as she sat up, her groggy eyes stinging from the bright sun. “Ugh, where did they go?” She muttered to herself as she peeked through the door. She yelped when something suddenly crashed. The floor shook and the train came to an abrupt halt.

“Attention passengers, we seem to be having a few problems with the engine. It’ll be up and running again in at least an hour.” The conductor chimed through the speaker.

Y/N cautiously opened the door, coming face to face with Luke. She frowned as she pulled the pair of demigods inside. “You can’t sneak off like that!” She hissed, “We’re not in vacation, you know that, right?”

“Relax, writer. We were just getting by food.” Luke handed her a squished sandwich, “Besides, I don’t think there’s any monsters on this train.”

“Yeah, but they’ll be close to catching up. We have to keep moving.” Y/N locked the door and closed the blinds, concealing what she was about to do next. She picked up her spear, which seemed to take the form of a weapon at the most convenient times, and smashed it into the window.

The plastic glass broke away in shards, falling to the ground. Luke and Chris gaped at her. “Let’s go.” She demanded, picking up all her stuff.

“Remind me never to mess with her.” Chris mumbled to Luke as they jumped out the window. They stayed low but everybody on the train was too busy gossiping about the engine to notice a trio of teens run into a forest.

“It feels like we’re walking in circles.” Luke groaned while Y/N huffed in annoyance.

“That’s because you are. You’ve been walking around that tree stump for the past ten minutes.” She snapped. The group had sat down to rest and Luke took it as his chance to get on Y/N’s nerves again. He chuckled.

"Camp shouldn't be too far." Chris said, looking around. Though, he wasn't too sure. He was merely saying that to calm Y/N's nerves.

"We should keep moving. Better safe than sorry." Y/N stood up, forcing Luke to finally stop circling around the stump.

"But I'm so tired." Luke complained, whining like a man child.

"Well, I guess you'll have to accept being a dragon's snack then." Y/N snapped, furrowing her brows in frustration. Luke and Chris shared a look.

"She's in charge." Chris exclaimed, not wanting to be the tiebreaker. Luke groaned but begrudgingly followed after Y/N.

“As long as we follow the train tracks, we should be fine.” Y/N piped up.

“That’s going to be hard then.” Luke pointed up ahead where the tracks mysteriously disappeared. All that was left was a singular stick of wood. “The monsters are becoming smarter.”

As if on a cue, a shrill laugh cut through the tense forest. Y/N’s head darted up to see a woman with large, eagle-like wings. Her sharp eyes landed on Y/N first. “Just who I’ve been looking for.” She uttered with a piercing voice. She dove below the trees, outstretching a clawed hand to grasp Y/N. Luke quickly stepped in front, swinging his sword at the harpy.

“Give me the girl and I’ll let you be on your way.” The harpy chittered, clumsily landing and circling around Y/N. Luke followed the actions of the monster, narrowing his eyes.

“Why her? If anything, I’m the most valuable member here.” Luke quickly replied. On the sidelines, Chris brandished his sharp sword, watching the harpy carefully.

“Oh, you don’t know what you have in your possession, my dear boy. She’s not merely a girl. She’s valuable.” An unsettled grin pulled at the harpy’s lips. “Just give her to me and I’ll”- The creature was cut off by Chris slicing one of her wings. Luke leapt forward as well, expertly cutting her in places he knew wouldn’t kill her solely to torture her.

“I’m finishing my quest so unfortunately, I can’t give you her.” Luke spat as the harpy tried to dodge his swift attacks.

“What if I told you Hermes would finally see you again?” Her words made Luke freeze. He stared at her in shock, lips parted like he wanted to say something.

Chris was shoving everything into his bag, getting ready to make a run for it as soon as Luke was snapped out of his trance. He grabbed Y/N. “We have to go.” He said but Y/N was stubborn.

“You want me?” She asked, stepping forward with only her glowing spear in hand. The harpy’s eyes flickered to her and she harshly pushed Luke aside.

“Your confidence will be your undoing, girl.” The harpy hissed. “Can you even use that weapon?”

Y/N mockingly shrugged, “I don’t know. I mean, I took down a dragon but maybe that was a lucky shot.” The harpy wasn’t able to react before the spear stabbed through her stomach. Realising she had made a terrible mistake of underestimating Y/N, all the monster could do was scream as she faded away.

“Are you okay?” Y/N asked Luke, who was still kneeled on the floor.

He scoffed. “I’m fine. I didn’t need you to save me.”

Y/N stared at him in disbelief, “What? I was trying to help!”

“Yeah? Well, stop showing off. For the record, I’m easily capable of taking down a dragon and harpy too. You aren’t special.” Luke glared into Y/N’s eyes and she returned his harsh gaze, “Don’t let your arrogance cloud your mind.” The Hermes boy was so close that Y/N could smell his fading cologne.

She was the first to look away in annoyance. “I never said you couldn’t slay those monsters.”

“Yeah, well you thought it then!” Luke exclaimed as Y/N walked off, getting a head start.

“Dude.” Chris finally spoke, “I thought you were like a chick magnet.”

“I believe in being nice to women but her even breathing air annoys me.” Luke grumbled before he jogged after Y/N.

“Haven’t we already passed that rock?” Y/N questioned after an hour of walking.

“I’ve never seen that rock in my life.” Luke snapped back. Somewhere along the dull trip, he had gotten to the front and was now leading the group.

“We passed it on the train.” Y/N uttered as Luke’s gaze began to wander and landed on a nearby building. “And if the train passed it, then that means”- Luke cut Y/N off.

“We’re going the wrong way.” Luke finished. Y/N took a deep breath to calm her agitation. “The harpy must’ve been sent to confuse us.” Luke quickly turned to Y/N.

“You went the wrong way!” They shouted in unison, pointing and pinning the blame on each other. Y/N scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“Don’t blame me!” She exclaimed, slapping his shoulder.

“This is your fault! You walked off first!”

“And you kept walking! You idiot!”

“Don’t call me an idiot! You… you… manipulative, psycho bitch!”

“Are you sure you’re yelling that at the right person?!”

“No! I got it off Gossip Girl! Percy watches it!”

“Who is Percy?!”

Chris pushed his way between Y/N and Luke, shoving them apart. “Guys! It’s only an hour setback! We can get back on the train!”

“The train tracks are missing, genius!” Y/N turned on him.

“We’ll take another train.” Chris replied.

“The next train is in an hour!” Luke added.

“You guys fight and back each other up like a married couple! Make up your mind!” When Chris was getting frustrated now. Y/N groaned to blow off some steam.

“Okay, here’s what we’re going to do.” She said once she calmed down, “We’re going to catch the next train and we stay low until it arrives. Once we’re on the train, we go to our compartment as quickly as possible and we don’t leave until the train stops. Got it?” Y/N sternly stared at the two boys. They silently nodded.

“Don’t make eye contact with anyone.” Y/N warned, fiddling with the tickets.

“You’re going to rip them. Give them here.” Luke snatched the tickets from her, safely shoving it into his pocket.

“So, what about food?” Chris questioned, “We have to eat something on the train.”

“I preordered our meals. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”

“And you didn’t ask us? What if we don’t like it?” It seemed like Luke’s goal in life was to frustrate Y/N. And it worked every time.

“Train food is better than plane food.” She grumbled, “If you don’t like it then suck it up, you big baby. Nobody cares about your opinion.”

“You wound me, writer.” Luke quietly chuckled to himself, clasping his hands together.

“Train’s in forty minutes. We shouldn’t be out in the open.” Y/N dragged the two boys back into the shade, away from the burning sun. “We wait here. Don’t move.” Luke tried to walk off but Y/N was quick to grab him.

“What if we need to go to the bathroom?”

“Then be quick. Obviously I’m not going to follow you into the bathroom.” Y/N exhaled in agitation before grabbing her bag, pulling out a book.

“Is this really a good time to read, writer?” Luke asked, peeking over her shoulder. Y/N didn’t reply, which only provoked Luke to annoy her further. Chris was wildly shaking his head but the brunette swordsman only grinned.

“Hey, writer.” He poked her, “Moby Dick is a stupid author.”

Finally, Y/N looked at him again, giving Luke the attention he so desperately craved. “Moby Dick was the whale. The author was Herman Melville.” Luke’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment but he tried to sheepishly play his mistake off.

“I know. I was just tryna get your attention.”

Y/N turned back to her book, silently flipping the page. Chris held back muffled laughs and Luke subtly flipped him off.

The minutes passed like slow hours and eventually, Chris walked off to find a bathroom. Luke was left sitting next to Y/N, his knee bumping her’s occasionally. He clicked his tongue to a random quiet beat to entertain himself.

“Stop that.” Y/N demanded.

“Stop what? I ain’t doing anything, writer.” Luke innocently played it off.

“Stop existing!”

“Woah, I don’t wanna kill myself. Otherwise the girls at camp would be doomed with my charming looks.”

“Yes, well they’d be fine without your so-called wits. You thought Moby Dick was the author. Ha! A whale writing. That’d be something, Castellan.” Y/N laughed, shaking her head in amusement.

“You’re really mean, do you know that?”

“And you’re insufferable. Though, I doubt you know what that word means. It means annoying.”

“I’m not dumb, writer.”

“Moby Dick was a whale.” Y/N tauntingly reminded him with a pointed look which had Luke’s cheeks turning red once more.

“Stop bringing up the whale!” Luke exclaimed, groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Y/N looked away, victoriously smirking.

���The train is ahead of time.” Chris uttered as soon as he returned from the bathroom, “It’ll be here in ten minutes. Let’s get ready to board.”

As Y/N stood on the platform, letting the scorching sun beat down on her, she could feel a pair of eyes stare daggers into her back. She slowly turned her head, locking eyes with a tall Russian man. Almost too tall to be human. He grinned at her, showing off his sharp and pointed teeth.

Luke took notice of the slender man as well. “They know we’re here.” He whispered, subconsciously stepping forward to block Y/N from the man’s view.

“Are we sure he’s a monster or just a little creepy looking?” Chris butted in.

“Let’s get into our compartment as soon as possible. I booked one near the end so it’d be easier for us to get out if anything goes wrong.” Y/N muttered as she stepped onto the steel stairs. She handed the conductor her ticket and he examined it before letting her pass.

“This one.” She mumbled to the two boys. She shoved the door open and once all of them were tucked safely inside, she slammed it shut and locked it.

Luke and Chris watched in confusion as she searched the wall for something they couldn’t see. “What are you doing?” Luke questioned, a little confused.

“Compartments like these often have a door leading to the next one.” Y/N exclaimed, “These doors are able to be locked and unlocked but I don’t doubt a monster’s ability on being able to acquire a key. Oh, and close the curtains, will you?”

Chris was quick to do as Y/N said, grasping onto the velvet fabric and yanking it to conceal the window.

“You seem to know what you’re doing. Are you sure you haven’t run away before?” Luke said that in a joking tone but Y/N’s frantic actions to find the lock paused.

“I… uh… tried running away when I was ten. The orphanage wasn’t exactly the best place to live. But after spending what little savings I had, I returned because there was nowhere else I could go.” Y/N cleared her throat and shook her head. “But that’s in the past. I don’t regret it because I was able to see parts of the world that nobody in the orphanage could. And it was beautiful.”

“So how’d you end up in that private school?” Luke pressed on further.

“The school has a deal with the orphanage. Every year, one child is picked to study at the school. It’s like a scholarship, if you will. All costs, even lunch, are covered. And I knew I wanted out because I couldn’t stand being in a cramped room any longer. So I worked harder than everybody else and I studied overtime because I don’t accept defeat. I get what I want and that scholarship was no different.”

Luke let out a low whistle. “Impressive, writer. But I didn’t expect anything less from you.”

“I found the lock.” Y/N announced, “Do either of you have a key or a pocket knife or anything I can jam in there?” Luke handed Y/N a small pocket knife and she slightly smiled before harshly shoving the blade into the lock. “That’ll hold it.”

She collapsed on a squeaky mattress, her legs dangling off the bed. Luke could hear the faint sound of her back clicking.

“How long will this train take?” He asked as he sat down across from Y/N. Chris had already dozed off, sleep-deprived and exhausted. Y/N subtly shrugged.

“Maybe a day? I want to get off as soon as possible because that man creeped me out. Check the other wall, will you?”

Luke had no choice but to stand again and search the smooth barrier for a lock, running his hands over the wall and furrowing his eyebrows.

“Nothing.” He concluded. Y/N hummed, seemingly pleased.

“Meals will be delivered to us. In the mean time, avoid making interaction with anyone.” She tilted her head back and closed her eyes. Luke hesitated for a moment before he spoke again.

“So… why’d you run away?” Luke was met with silence before he heard Y/N quietly sigh.

“The orphanage didn’t treat us as humans but rather as pests they had to get rid of. They were so happy to see me go to school because it meant they had to spend less time on keeping me in line. I was… a troubled kid. Now I know why. It’s the godly blood, isn’t it?” Y/N cracked open one eye to look at Luke, who nodded.

“You didn’t regret running away?” Luke questioned, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. He heard Y/N lightly laugh.

“I’ll never regret it because those were the best weeks of my life. I met people I had never seen before and I found comfort in knowing I’d never see them again. There was one girl who was like me, troubled and a little angry. We became best friends for the few nights we spent together until she had to move on.”

“What was she like?”

“Beautiful… and dangerous. She enjoyed starting fights. She was a little younger than me… with brown curled hair and pretty hazel eyes. Her name was…” Y/N trailed off, “Oh… well, I don’t remember now. That’s a shame.”

“Clarisse.” Luke piped up, “That was her name, right? Clarisse?”

Y/N stared at him with her lips parted. “Yes… that was her name. How do you know her?”

“She’s a demigod too. A daughter of Ares. She’s actually at camp as we speak, waiting for new kids to arrive so she can torment them.” Luke chuckled, turning his gaze to stare at the floor.

“You know, you aren’t as mean as you try to be.” He uttered after a full minute of awkward silence. Y/N’s eyes darted to look at him, an eyebrow raised in confusion. “I’ve met girls like you, writer. Girls who do everything to block people out because they don’t see themselves as someone a person could ever like. Those types of girls suffer a lot… don’t be like them, writer. Bring down your walls for even just a few hours.”

Y/N opened her mouth to reply but a shrill scream interrupted her.

“Hey! What happened to the rule of no one leaving?!” Luke shouted as Y/N rushed to the door.

“That doesn’t apply to this situation!” Y/N loudly retorted. Luke spared Chris a glance before he darted after the H/C-haired girl. She was already kneeled beside a woman, frantically shaking her and checking her pulse.

“What happened?” One of the train workers rushed over to see the commotion, his face paling at the sight of the woman’s blood staining the lush carpet below.

“She screamed and ran out of her cabin.” An onlooker explained.

“No pulse… she’s already dead.” Y/N whispered.

“Everyone, to your compartments. Do not move until we give the all clear!” The worker yelled, blowing his whistle harshly. Y/N fumbled around with something in the body’s pocket and Luke was quick to drag her away.

“Someone killed her, Castellan… a swift stab to her chest. Was it a monster?” Y/N breathed as Luke led her to a quiet corner. He shook his head.

“Monsters shouldn’t affect mortals. The mist covers them. This might be actually murder.”

Y/N shuddered. “Warn Chris.” She demanded while Luke furrowed his eyebrows.

“What are you going to do?” He questioned.

“I’m going to search for evidence.” Y/N up a large stolen key, “I wasn’t up until three in the morning solving true crime stories for nothing.”

•

Y/N carefully slipped into the woman’s cabin, her eyes searching for anything out of the ordinary. She crouched down, looking underneath the messy bed. Below the rickety wooden frame lay a single pipette. Y/N reached out her arm, grasping onto it.

“Why would someone need this? Unless this lady was an arts and craft kind of person.” Everywhere Y/N looked, all she found were scraps of paper and an occasional book. “Oh, you deserved to be stabbed for reading this. What a monstrosity.”

Y/N wrinkled up her face as she pulled out a copy of Lolita. She threw it aside but a quiet clang caught her attention. A small brooch had fallen out of the novel and rolled across the floor, hitting Y/N’s shoe.

She crouched down and examined it, running her thumb over the letter H that was engraved in the rusty metal.

“What was this woman’s name?” Y/N grabbed the bags, looking for any kind of name. “Mia… not starting with H. This was left behind… and this pipette… it’s used for cleaning smoking pipes but I see nothing. She wasn’t a smoker.” Y/N shoved the two items into her pocket and quickly exited the compartment, coming face to face with the unusually tall man from before.

“It’s not safe to be lurking around.” He grinned, which gave Y/N no comfort.

“I was just leaving.” She muttered, letting him brush past her. He tipped his hat.

“As you were, miss.” He slinked away and something white fell out of his pocket. Y/N was quick to rush over and pick it up. “A pipette…” The man didn’t smell like the strong scent of tobacco that always seemed to trail after smokers. Y/N narrowed her eyes.

“Where have you been?” Luke stood in front of the door like an angry mom waiting for her kid to arrive home. “The workers called a mandatory meeting. They didn’t know you were missing, luckily.”

“Was there anyone who smoked a pipe?” Y/N asked, ignoring Luke’s previous statement.

“Uh, yeah. A male doctor. Why?”

“Did you get his name?” Y/N was relentless with her inquires.

“The worker called the doctor Harvard Armstrong.”

“Harvard? Like the university? Who names their kid that? That’s just sad.” Y/N scoffed her herself. “But it works.”

“What works?” Luke was sick of being left out of whatever Y/N was planning. He could practically see the cogs turning in her head.

“I found these in the woman’s cabin. Her name’s Mia.” Y/N threw her sad evidence onto her bed, “A brooch with an H on it and a pipette. This pipette is specifically for cleaning pipe cigarettes and Harvard and H match up.”

Chris lifted his brows. “Are we seriously solving this murder crime right now?”

Y/N tuned out his words. “There’s not many people who use a pipe these days. It’s rare to come across. And it was a stupid clue to leave, even under a bed. Is it safe to walk around the train?”

“Yes, but it isn’t advised- Woah, where are you going?!” Luke grabbed Y/N’s arm before she could walk away again. “Look, you may be half god but you’re also half human. You can die just as easily! Don’t go off and risk your life for some Mia lady you didn’t even know!”

“Then come with me, Castellan. What’re you afraid of?” Y/N shoved him aside while Luke glanced at Chris for help.

“Just go, dude. I’ll lock the door. Knock three times when you come back.”

That’s how Luke ended up trailing after Y/N in the deserted corridor.

“I can assure you, Mister Norman, that we are doing everything in our power to catch the culprit.”

As Y/N walked around a corner, she spotted the same sharp-toothed man talking with another staff member.

“Bullshit.” Norman spat and scoffed.

“Are you sure you aren’t the culprit, Mister Norman?” Y/N spoke up. Luke glared at her, trying to shush her.

“Miss L/N, this is a private conversation.” The worker uttered, “You shouldn’t even be out.”

“You’re Russian, right?” Y/N stepped forward, much to Luke’s dismay. “H… I found it in a book written by a Russian author. Isn’t H in the Russian Alphabet pronounced as N? Harvard… Norman. That was a tricky one you left. And the pipette. Very cunning to try and blame someone else. But Harvard Armstrong, the man you tried accusing, was in the room next to us and he never left until after.”

“You’re a nosy girl.” Norman grumbled.

“Yeah… and I just don’t like your vibe altogether. This is your’s, right? Your next reaction will confirm it.” Y/N tossed the brooch high into the air and smiled as it neared the floor. Norman was quick to catch it, holding it close to his chest as if it were a sacred treasure.

Y/N winked, “Bingo.”

Norman quickly turned tail and tried to run but the train worker was faster, practically tackling him to the ground.

“You just solved a fucking murder crime in under an hour.” Luke said, astounded. “How did you know it was even him?"

“As I said, I didn’t like his vibe… and it was a gamble anyway. I took a lucky guess.”

•

“I can’t believe she solved a murder with only two pieces of evidence.” Chris whispered to Luke as they strolled through the woods towards camp.

“Again, I can hear you.” Y/N turned to glare at the boys, “I haven’t disappeared or suddenly gone deaf.”

“Dealing with a deaf you probably would’ve been easier.” Luke cheekily smiled as he spoke his mind.

“Ugh.” Y/N groaned, rolling her eyes. “I can’t stand you.”

“Then sit on my face.” Luke mumbled but it was loud enough for the other two to hear.

Chris choked on air while Y/N spun around bewilderment. "What?" She seethed in shock. Luke battered his lashes like he had done no wrong.

"What? I didn't say anything." He played along, much to Y/N's annoyance.

"You weirdo." She muttered, "How far is camp? It's getting dark and I don't really want to be a harpy's midnight snack."

Chris pointed at a tree on top of a hill that stood not too far away. “At least two more minutes.” He said. Y/N was relieved to finally step past the tree and into the temporary shade it gave her.

“It seems people are already waiting for you.” Luke mumbled under his breath as he spotted the small crowd of demigods standing behind Chiron, trying to catch a glimpse of the girl the oracle wanted Luke and Chris to retrieve.

“She doesn’t look like anything special.” A pretty blond with glossy lips whispered to the equally stunning group surrounding her.

A golden haze began to form the moment Y/N paused in front of Chiron. The golden mist swirled like the sand in Y/N’s dream, forming a majestic looking owl that loudly cooed and flew high into the sky. It dived back down, exploding into golden glitter that rained down on Y/N like heavy pieces of hail.

“Welcome Y/N, daughter of Athena, to Camp Half-Blood.”

PJO TAG LIST : @lostinhisworld @julielightwood @outerbanks-stuff @jennapancake @csifandom @evrybodydies1 @kkrenae @s0ulsniper @annispamz @justanotherkpopstanlol @soraya-09 @simpforeveyone @papichulo120627 @corpsebridenightamare @lilacspider @urmomsbananabread @ur-lacol-dsylexic @hottiewifeyyyy @kamiliora @be-bap @finnickodaddy @th0tblckgrl @shoyofroyoyoyo @uniquely-her @imafrkinsimp @syraxesrevenge @ahh-chickens @dracoslovergirl @midnightstar-90 @8812-342 @liv1104 @krkiiz @arialikestea @ch16rles @lizziesliz @maryclx01 @lukecastellandefender @yuminako @coryoskywalker @julielightwood @crybabysbakery @jsbabyyy @liviessun @p3pperm1nttea @angie-esc @purplerose291 @prettylilsimp @10ava01 @froggiesstalks @happy-jj @czennieszn @gisellesprettylies @loveyava @csifandom @mashiromochi @kamiliora @yorksyree @mqg125 @jamesmackreideswife @2hiigh2cry @user021099 @living-in-my-imagination88 @xx-all-purpose-nerd-xx @randomgurl2326 @niktwazny303 @inlovewithcarsthatrunreallyfast @luvvfromme @y0urm0m12 @mochi-lover26 @annispamz

[wolfjackle-creates]

Ghost!Robin Part 11

Time for another WIP Wednesday! I'm not sure if I'll have anything for next week. I'm working on a one shot right now as I can and wrapping up stuff for my final week of work which is taking a ton of time. Though I did get on a roll today and wrote a bit more than I'm posting, so maybe I'll have something.

Story Summary: Danny was invited to dinner at Wayne Manor to meet Jazz's boyfriend and his family for the first time. He worked hard to make sure no ghost business would interrupt the evening. But when he arrived, all he could focus on was the ghost of the dead Robin that seemed to haunt Jason. Looks like he was breaking his promise.

First, Previous

Word Count: 1.4k

----------

“Hn. What is the range on these devices?” asked Bruce.

Danny shrugged. “My stuff? From anywhere. I track through the Infinite Realms, not by Earth. GIW? Jason-Robin, they’ll be able to detect something from probably ten miles out of city limits, but they’d need to be within half a mile to get an accurate location. The Fentons? Mile or so. They get an exact location or nothing.”

Tim asked, “Is it likely the Fenton’s will come to Gotham?”

“Not sure,” admitted Danny. “But they sell commercially, so other ghost hunters might have their equipment. Jazz, pass the Fenton Finder?”

Damian couldn’t keep the incredulity out of his voice when he finally saw the blocky silver device with a circular, green screen on it and bits sticking up out of the front. “Why is there a light bulb attached to it?”

Even Robin looked at the device with a raised eyebrow and sent out a silent this real? his way.

“It flashes when a ghost is nearby,” Danny replied to both of them.

Tim hummed in interest. “Are the visible antennae necessary? Why are there multiple?”

“Most of my parents designs were cobbled together with whatever they could cannibalize from other household electronics and junk yards. Hence the less stream-lined appearance compared to the Guys in White’s stuff.”

He flicked the switch to turn it on and instantly the light bulb was flashing red, the radar screen turned on showing several dots in close vicinity to the center, and a robotic voice said, “You are surrounded by multiple ghosts. You’d have to be an idiot to not notice the ghosts all around you.”

Danny let it read out it’s warning again before flicking it back off. He had to laugh at the looks of complete bafflement on basically everyone’s faces. Even Bruce raised an eyebrow at it.

“Yeah, that’s my parents for you. FentonWorks designs are at least easy to spot. Not the the Guys in White’s stuff is much better. That horrible white on everything…” Danny shuddered. “I hate white.”

Bruce hummed. “Will you be able to provide us with some of these devices so we can study them on our own?”

Danny bit at his lower lip. “Probably. But it’ll have to wait until after I get you the information on how to safely work with ectoplasm. If Tim and Barbara are your big tech people, they’re not liminal at all and will have to be careful when handling it.”

Tim added, “We do have extensive experience working with toxic chemicals. Many of the Gotham rogues use chemical warfare.”

“Right. Yeah, I’ll have Tucker send you the safety sheets on it and we’ll see what devices I’ve got or can make duplicates of to get to you. I’ll be sure you get all three styles of hand-held trackers and their schematics. Maybe I’ll even be able to get you the schematics for a larger tracking system like what my parents have set up in Amity.”

Barbara nodded. “That would be great. What sort of set up do your parents have in your home town?”

“So they’ve set up sensors all over the city that detect ectoplasmic activity. The signal gets sent back to the computer in the ops center they built on top of their house, and they can pin the exact location of any ghost to within a foot or two anywhere within, like, five miles of the city limits. That data is also shared with the computer in their GAV.”

Jason bumped Jazz’s shoulder with his. “I know I’m gonna regret this, but what’s the ‘GAV’?”

Jazz sighed and answered. “It stands for Ghost Assault Vehicle. It’s a modified RV that’s basically a tank. Jack and Maddie simply have to press a button and a dozen ghost weapons will protrude from the vehicle and aim for any nearby ghost. And that’s without Maddie shoving her entire upper body out the window while holding a bazooka.”

“Yep. I regret asking. How badly am I gonna want to murder your parents by the time I’m done learning about them?”

“They are not my parents.” Jazz’s voice was hard.

At the same time, Danny answered, “Depends. How do you feel about genocidal mad scientists?”

Jason just let his head bang on the table. Robin flew over to him and patted him on the back. Jason seemed to subconsciously lean into the touch.

“Now,” said Danny. “I promised I’d show the rest of you these scanners up close.”

“That would be appreciated,” said Bruce. “We also have a few more questions about you and your parents.”

“And I need you to tell me more about these Lazarus pits because those sound like they’re a disaster.”

Alfred cleared his throat. “And I believe that will have to be the end of this meeting tonight. It is getting late and at least some of you will insist on going on patrol tonight still.”

A few people grumbled at Alfred’s words, but no one argued.

Danny made his way to the other side of the table and went over how to use the devices again. He pretended not to notice the way Jazz flinched when he turned on the Fenton Finder and it called out its warning again.

Jason did put an arm around her in response, though, so he figured she’d be all right.

“So that’s that,” he said once he turned off the last device. “I won’t be showing you any weapons until after we get you up to date on ghost biology and culture. If you run into issues in the meantime, you can call Jazz or me and we’ll take care of it.”

Bruce nodded. “We’ll be following up with our own experts as well.”

“Of course,” agreed Danny. “I figured. Now, you had some more questions?”

Tim asked, “You mentioned to me and Alfred that a member of Justice League Dark stopped by Amity. Can you tell us more about that?”

“I mean, there’s not much to tell,” said Danny. “It was John Constantine. And at the time I had no idea how famous he was. Would’ve asked for an autograph if I had, but oh well. This was shortly after I defeated Pariah Dark, the previous Ghost King. He came in, asked if I needed help. I told him I got it covered, he gave me a phone number, and that was that.”

Bruce hummed. “Yes, that sounds like Constantine. We will speak to him.”

“Why?” asked Danny. “It was exactly what I wanted. A check in to confirm I was okay and someone to reach out to on Earth if I got in over my head. It’s just by that time I started getting allies in the Realms. The big concern Earth-side was ghost hunters. And the worst of them were government sanctioned so I wasn’t sure if I should reach out to the Justice League since you guys also work with the US government.”

Jason let out a noise that Danny could only think of as a growl. “He should have spent enough time there to answer questions like that.”

Danny snorted. “Less than a week before he arrived, our entire town was removed from Earth and brought into the Infinite Realms for multiple days. Something would’ve been very wrong with him if he’d stuck around longer than it took to confirm it wasn’t likely to happen again.”

“I’m sorry,” asked Steph, “what is that about your entire town being transported off earth?”

“Don’t you know? My friends and I figured that’s why you sent Constantine to us.”

Barbara shook her head as she clicked around her computer. “There’s nothing in the Justice League files about it.”

“Huh. Well that’s how I became the Ghost King. The previous king was released by an idiot and lured to Amity. Ended up bringing the entire town into the Realms. His goal was to take over the town then the rest of earth. I defeated him in single combat while some other ghosts helped hold back his armies. No one bothered to tell me until later that that meant won his titles as well.”

Dick was frowning at him. “Why did you have to be the one to defeat him?”

Danny just blinked at him in confusion. “Who else was there? My accident is what activated the portal and started letting ghosts through. By making me half ghost, I had the powers necessary to contain the ones who caused problems. My parents were incompetent at best. So I just did what had to be done. Besides, if I hadn’t been an idiot, the portal never would’ve turned on in the first place. So it was my responsibility to fix it.”

----------

Next

And no one at the table liked that answer! The end of the dinner is finally in sight! I know I'm overlooking characters. I'll do some editing to make sure everyone gets a say before I eventually get around to posting this to AO3. (It's a good part of the reason I haven't started cross posting, tbh. That and I like to have stories fully finished before I start posting.)

Hope you all enjoy.

Tag List Part 1:

@addie-lover-of-stories, @justwannabecat, @gin2212, @amercurio, @regonold, @overtherose, @readerzj, @sjrose1216, @echoednonny, @deeterzz, @blu-lilac, @number-one-jew, @rowanaway-fromthisbs, @vythika96, @tired-yet-awaken, @themirrorghost, @emeraldcorpral, @all-mights-asscheeks, @darkhinauniverse, @blep-23, @phandomhyperfixationblog, @larkcoe1, @thegatorsgoose, @job-ross-the-second, @britcision, @lenacraft, @bubblemixer, @androgynouslordofescapism, @purefrickingspite, @leftmiraclechaos, @lizisipancardo, @starlight-sparks, @miraculousandmore, @gildedphoenix, @sometimesthingsfallapart, @letmesayfuxk, @phoenixcatch7, @skulld3mort-1fan, @abaowo, @dhampir-princess, @idkmrpianoman, @sarina-elais, @ballzfrog-blog, @undead-essence, @spookytragedyshark, @flyingpansaurus, @akintoabitch, @marivictal, @8-29pm, @justreadingthefanfics, @happybear135, @kisatamao, @spoopyspoony, @adorablechaos, @sara0055, @screamingtofillthevoid

[pinkpigtailsprincess]

౨ৎ ⁺ . Dolly n Honeys Collab .ᐟ 🎀🍯🐬

Hii Dolls!! im soo soo 2 do this collabs with one of my favorite blogs @honeytonedhottie !!! basically we’ll be talking about persistence and being limitless!!🧁🎀 Enjoy!!!

Honey 𝜗𝜚 ! 🍯🎀

HOW TO PERSIST ; persisting simply means reminding urself that u already have whatever it is that u want. when u persist, you decide what it is that u want and you STICK to it.

the oxford definition of persistence simply means to continue in an opinion or course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.

your 3d literally has no choice but to catch up and reflect the new thoughts that ur thinking in ur 4d so just KEEP GOING. if ur gonna whine or complain every step of the way and think thoughts like "persisting is hard" or "theres lots of resistance/difficulty with manifesting" then thats what ur going to experience.

manifesting is easy, effortless, and instant. when u catch urself thinking thoughts that perpetuate the old story, remind urself that no matter what, whatever u persist in will harden into reality simply because it HAS to. stop getting in your own way!!

Dolly ୨୧ ! 🎀🫧🍨🛼

Limitless > Imagination!! 🎀🧁

Limitless Definition; Possesing power of an immeasurable rate a perfect way to describe your power your literally the god of your reality and you know you might think thats silly or “delusional” its so true though like ever since birth people are conditioned to believe that being negative is the more “logical” and “realistic” way to think than positive whoch is such a stupid revelation because all throughout life you meant to believe that you have to bring yourself down to earth about achieving something and that you’ll never have “__” because of “__” but that makes no sense seeing all of the extraordinary achievements that humans have done like

- build rockets and do rocket science

- walk on the moon

- build the great wall of china

and so many others including the human body its self your cells in your body healing and protecting wounds and your organs being able to stay in the designated spot no matter what and you think “logic” actually matters? everything in the human mind is projected i mean everything you use on a daily basis started off in the mind it all stems from imagination i mean just think about how everything around you started put as an idea in someones head!!

Decisions!! 🎀🍨🫧

deciding is the final decision and the final outcome no matter what no questions asked like if you went too a sushi restaurant and ordered and decided that you want a shrimp tempura roll you will have the shrimp tempura roll no matter what

Concepts !! 🎀🧁🐬

“if the concept of something can exist then that can be achieved no matter” literally something i think about alot and a direct quote from yours truly like most people do think that you can have something because its quote “unrealistic” or it “doesn’t exist” but if that were really the case than why is the concept of it allowed to prosper like if those things really didn’t exist then the concept of Billionaires or Superpowers and Superheroes wouldn’t exist or even time travel everything single one of those things are a product of imagination!!! 💭🎀

[mrultra100]

Ultra’s Ramblings; The Deal with Glimmet and Glimmora

Are ya ready, kids?

Out of all the Pokemon in Scarlet and Violet that I love, a few do come to mind; Skeledirge, Tinkaton, Lokix, Clodsire, etc. However, there are a couple of these new ‘Mons that I simply obsess over, both being on the same level as such past favorites like Pincurchin. Who are they, you may ask? Well…

That’s right…I’m in love with the funny crystal flower-sponges

Coming in at #969 and #970 respectively on the National Pokedex, Glimmet and Glimmora are some of the most alien-looking of all Pokemon, which is why I love them to smithereens. The main goal of this post is to break down not only their design origins and inspirations, but also why I love them so much, and to the point of the whole line now being some of my favorite Pokemon in the entire franchise.

Imagine if you saw someone with one of these as a pet. Just walking their crystal flower monster down the street for a walk. That’d make one hell of a Sunday morning, I tell ya much

Starting off with in-game lore, both Glimmet and Glimmora are classified as the “Ore Pokemon''. While plenty of Glimmets are able to be found on the surface of Paldea, Area Zero is the only place in the entire region to find wild Glimmora. The main diet of Glimmet and Glimmora are minerals that they get from sticking themselves into the walls of caves. While Glimmet is able to float in place, Glimmora does so by moving, closing, and adjusting its six, glossy petals. Glimmet’s main line of defense is scattering poisonous powder from its petals, while Glimmora is able to fire beams of energy with not only its own petals, but also its glassy, cone-shaped face. Despite how their bodies resemble the Terastal phenomenon, there is currently no leading evidence to suggest that the line has anything to do with it.

Judging by the lore presented here, the Glimet line seems to be going into a role not unlike Carbink. Maybe they’re related to the unknown Pokemon at the very bottom of Area Zero, similar to how Carbink is to Diancie. We’ll just have to wait and see if the inevitable DLC covers that.

(Credit to u/sdrey on Reddit)

Now getting into the meat and potatoes of all of this, Glimmet and Glimmora have alot of inspirations with their design, maybe even more than first thought. As the picture above shows, not only are these Pokemon based on plants like the deadly nightshade and Passiflora caerulea, they’re also based on a toxic mineral known as Chalcanthte (Or simply copper(II) sulfate). Not only does the former explain the flowery shape of these Pokemon, the nightshade does help with the Poison type, as it’s poisonous itself. The relation to copper sulfate that these Pokemon share is how the mineral is not only blue, it’s also very toxic. These blue crystals are absolutely bad to be around, with it even leaving debris that is very dangerous to be around. That alone sounds very similar to the Glimmet line’s signature ability; Toxic Debris. If one of these Pokemon gets hit, they’ll leave out Toxic Spikes, making them threatening lead Pokemon to face in battle (Which is something that Geeta apparently never thought of when using her Glimmora).

Now, we’ve now covered the 2 main things that make Glimmet and Glimmora….well, Glimmet and Glimmora. However, what if I told you that wasn’t the end of it. Have you ever thought that these two weirdos kinda feel like they’d fit in within the deep sea? As it turns out, there’s a very, very good reason for that…

GlimmBob FlowerPants

That’s right! We’re finally at our first-ever sponge Pokemon! And it’s not even the reef sponges that so many people are familiar with. The Glimmet line is based on various deep-sea sponges belonging to the Cladorhizidae family. Unlike their more spongy-looking relatives in surface waters, these sponges take on more alien-looking shapes and lifestyles, with many of them even being active predators! Both the harp sponge and ping-pong sponge, two species that many deep-sea enthusiasts (Such as myself) are very familiar towards, come to mind when discussing this family, and many species even look like strange, ethereal, undersea flowers, just like Glimmet and Glimmora!

The Pokemon’s conical faces even look like they could be from a deep-sea environment, with Area Zero basically being a terrestrial counterpart to that. If I can be frank here, the faces are the biggest reason why I love these two. They just carry that strange, vague, alienness that few other Pokemon have, like the Ultra Beasts. And get this; sponges usually defend themselves with mineralized spicules made up of the same silica that sponges are made of. That drives home the Toxic Debris ability even more!

This is Pathocary. He’s my son, and I’m very proud of him

At the end of the day, Glimmora has taken the spot of my personal favorite Pocket Monster, an honor usually aimed towards the likes of Pincurchin and such. As much as I am a fan of Bogleech, I feel like these guys are to me as Trubbish and Garbodor are to him (And despite him not having to get around to these guys in his reviews yet, he’s said that he’s in love with Glimmora) As much as Geeta’s team sucked, I honestly hope that its inclusion in said team is what kick starts Glimmora’s rise to fame, alongside other Gen 9 ‘Mon like Tinkaton, Clodsire, and Maushold. If there was a spot for a Pokemon this alien to ride alongside the big boys, the funny crystal-flower-sponge things have a decent spot of earning that title.

[thesoftestirises]

devour

♡ pairing: marc x reader, steven x reader, jake x reader ♡ rating : 18+ ♡ word count : 2.8k ♡ warnings : nipple play, oral (f receiving), fingering, dirty talk, name calling   ♡ summary : steven decides to take you skinny dipping ♡ an : unbeta’d and adapted from an already existing wip - i decided to get something out while i’m still working on my jake/reader bet fic! please feel free to let me know if you see any mistakes

“Are we almost there?” 

“Almost, just a few more steps.”

You shook your head and smiled. You hadn’t known Steven, and by extension, Marc and Jake, for very long. Originally, they were your security detail, keeping you protected as you helped them decode your father’s notes. But in the short amount of time you had spent together, you were completely endeared to all of them. It was only natural that your relationship went from one of necessity to one of mutual love and admiration. 

“Is this part of an elaborate plan to kill  me and get rid of my body?” You joked. 

“I can’t answer that without a lawyer present,” he said, his tone full of mirth. “We’ve just got to get down this hill and then we’ll be there.”

The sky opened up overhead and provided enough light for you to finally be able to see your surroundings. At the bottom of the hill was a pond, surrounded by weeping willows and wildflowers. The water reflected the moon and the stars on a perfectly still surface. Only the calls of crickets and owls filled the air. Fireflies danced around the two of you as the crisp summer breeze blew. It was an image too beautiful to be recreated on canvas. 

“Do you like it?” Steven asked. 

“I love it,” you said, turning to look at him. “Thank you for bringing me here.” 

“No need to thank me just yet, you haven’t even gotten in,” he said. 

“Gotten in?” You repeated, knitting your brows together. “Steven, I’m wearing pajamas. And we’re supposed to be in hiding, in case you’ve forgotten.” 

“So you’ve said.” 

“Are you suggesting skinny dipping right now?”

“Well, I’m not suggesting you get in the water with your fuzzy pants.” 

“Steven!”

“Y/N,” he said, his tone playfully mocking as he pretended to frown at you. “Stay by the edge if you want, but I’m getting in.” 

He stripped off his shirt right in front of you with no shame. You tried to keep your eyes elsewhere but your curiosity was overwhelming. Your gaze moved down his body, admiring the line of his shoulders, his well defined abs, and the veins that disappeared down his low slung pants. Of course it wasn’t enough that he had a beautiful face and a charming personality. He just had to be built like a Greek God. Everything about Steven seemed to be designed to test you and you were failing miserably. 

You turned around before he could take off sweatpants and heard him chuckle behind you. Thankfully, he didn’t say anything. When you turned back, he was chest deep in the water. He closed his eyes and tilted his head back, his lips parting in a soundless sigh. Water droplets had collected along his shoulders and collarbones, leaving diamond like sparkles all across his skin that highlighted the Star of David around his neck. Like this, he looked even more ethereal. 

“Are you really not going to join me?” 

You sighed and stood up. “Turn around.” 

Steven grinned and did as you asked. You stripped off your shirt and glanced behind you, making sure that Steven wasn’t watching. When you were certain he wasn’t peeking, you finished taking off the rest and clumsily got into the warm water next to him. He smiled at you and came closer. 

“It’s nice, right?” 

“It’s weird,” you corrected. “We’re both naked.”

“It’s only weird if you make it weird. Remove that stick from your butt, spoilsport,” he said, splashing you in the face. 

You gaped in mock offense and splashed him back. “Who are you calling a spoilsport? I’m tons of fun!” 

“Yeah?” He said, flicking water at you. “I don’t think so.”

The two of you quickly descended into a playful water fight, splashing each other and trying to avoid the other’s attacks. It was dumb and immature, but it made you feel free. For a moment you forgot about all your problems and it was just you and Steven. He looked so happy, his eyes were filled with galaxies when he smiled. You wished you could freeze time and keep him like this forever. 

“Time out,” you gasped, giggling breathlessly. “I need a second.”

“There are no time outs. You’ve got to surrender,” he smirked. 

“Jesus. Fine. I surrender, your highness,” you said, rolling your eyes. “What do you want as your prize?”

“You.”

You laughed until you noticed his serious expression. “Steven?”

“Not quite, cariño.”

“Jake?” 

He didn’t respond, but you didn’t need him to. There was only one person who ever called you cariño.

He was close, so close. How did you not notice? Your legs were tangled together and his face was barely an inch from yours. You could practically count each of his eyelashes. For a moment, the world around you went silent and all you could hear was the sound of his breathing. He gently cupped your jaw and stared at your lips. You subconsciously licked them and watched the way his gaze followed your tongue. He moved closer until you could feel his warm breath over your lips and his skin on yours. 

You closed your eyes and pressed your lips to his hesitantly. The contact was like being struck by lightning. You instantly melted into his hold. How had you ever lived without him? The hand he had on your cheek moved to the back of your head while you wrapped your arms around his neck. You pressed in deeper and opened your mouth, letting him reacquaint his tongue with yours. You missed his taste so much, you couldn’t get enough and chased after his lips when he pulled back for air.

“So eager, cariño,” he chuckled, pressing a quick kiss to the corner of your mouth.

“You’re just as bad.”

He hummed and pulled you even closer until there wasn’t any space separating the two of you. He lifted one of your legs and wrapped it around his hips. You could feel the line of hard cock pressed up against your inner thigh. There was no barrier between the two of you. If he wanted to push himself into you, he could. Your mouth went dry at the concept.

“I’m worse,” he whispered, kissing your cheek. “I’m desperate for you. You’re all I can think about these days. You haunt my dreams and my fantasies. Even in church, all I can think about is fucking you.”

“Oh God,” you said, dropping your head against his shoulder. “Jake, please.”

“Patience, cariño,” he said, moving his hands to your breasts and toying with your nipples while you squirmed. “It’s not fun if I just devour you whole.” 

You lifted your head and sloppily slotted your lips together. When you pulled back, you were an inch away from his face, your nose pressed against his. “Hasn’t anyone told you not to play with your food?”

“I think the food seems to like being played with,” he said, tilting his head a faux innocent smile on his face. ”Can I eat you out?” 

“Would you?” You asked, eyes wide.

“Of course. Might be a little complicated like this, but I’ve got an idea.”

Jake pulled you out the water and settled the two of you down on a pile of your own clothes. You shivered in the cool air, your skin beginning to prickle up in goosebumps. Jake kissed down the line of your body and opened your legs with very little preamble. You squirmed as he shuffled down so his face was positioned right at the apex of your thighs. He examined your entrance with his fingers, spreading your folds open and toying with your clit. You could feel yourself getting wetter under his focused stare and grew embarrassed. 

“Why are you looking at it like that?” You whined, throwing your head back. 

“Because it’s pretty,” he said, licking a wide stripe over your inner folds. You gasped and lifted your hips, surprised by the sudden movement. Jake’s tongue was so warm over your sensitive skin, it felt like he was lighting you on fire. “Hold still, cariño. I can’t touch you if you’re going to thrash around like that.” 

You nodded and tossed your hands to the side, grabbing at the clothes Jake laid out as a makeshift blanket. He returned his attention back to your wetness, this time focusing on your clit. It took everything in you to not move. Even the lewd, wet noises Jake was creating between your legs was driving you wild. You bit down on your lower lip harshly, nearly drawing blood as he sucked the little bead into his mouth and circled it with his tongue. After a few minutes of torture, he pulled off and replaced his mouth with his thumb so he could look at you. 

“You can scream as much as you’d like. No one can hear you out here.”

“Fuck,” you moaned, arching your back. “Fuck, you’re going to kill me.”

“No, I’m going to ruin you,” he promised, kissing your inner thigh and biting into the soft flesh. “Look at you. You came to me so pure, angel. Now you’re spreading your legs in front of my face like a common whore. Beg for me.”

“Please, Jake,” you cried. “Please put your tongue on me.”

“You’re out of practice, Y/N. Come on, I want to hear you sound desperate.” 

“Jake, please. No one can touch me like you. You make me feel better than anyone,” you said, flushing with heat. 

“No one?”

“Not a soul, just you. Please, please, please. I need you so bad I feel like I’m going to pass out.”

Jake finally conceded and spread your folds wide to lick right over your hole. You moaned and threaded your fingers through his hair, pulling at his silk like strands to try and get him to push his tongue deeper into you. He traced along your opening and pulled back to spit at your entrance. He used a finger to nudge his saliva inside of you and lifted his hungry gaze to your face. “Are you close?” 

You nodded and wrenched your eyes shut. 

“Eyes on me. Use your words, cariño.”

You forced your exhausted body onto your elbows and looked at his face. His mouth and chin were glistening wet, but his eyes were focused and unaffected. You suddenly like a helpless animal between a handsome predator’s teeth. “I’m close.”

“Don’t look away. I want to watch you fall apart.” 

You nodded, desperate and dizzy with pleasure. He smiled at the glassy look in your eyes before returning his focus to bringing you over the edge. One harsh suck at your clit and you were tumbling into the void of his dark gaze, gasping as he held your overstimulated clit in his mouth and continued licking at you. 

“What-?”

“I want you to come for me again,” he told you, pressing an open mouthed kiss to your folds before pulling back and replacing his lips with his fingers. “You think you can handle that?”

You hurried to nod and whimpered as he tortured your sore clit with his thumb. He eventually moved his pointer finger to your entrance, teasing the rim before sinking inside. You moaned, toes curling at the pleasurable pain of Jake stroking along your hypersensitive walls. He continued kissing and biting at your thighs while you sighed at the featherlike brush of his lips against your most intimate areas. Jake managed to push a second finger in alongside the first when you seized up and came again, crying his name and thrashing in his hold. He relented and withdrew from your body, placing gentle kisses all along your stomach and thighs. 

“You were so good for me. My perfect little angel.”

You sighed and collapsed, closing your eyes. “I think I could fall asleep like this.” 

“Tempting, but I don’t think you’d be too happy with that choice in the morning. Come on, cariño,” he said, taking your hands into his and pulling you up and into his chest. 

You hummed and nuzzled into the crook of his neck, pressing your lips right against his pulse point. You were happily basking in his warmth when a thought occurred to you. “I didn’t get you off.”

He laughed and stroked your cheekbone with his thumb. “It’s okay, angel, you don’t need to reciprocate. I liked touching you.” 

“But you got me off twice! Let me suck your dick,” you insisted, lifting your head away from his shoulder and looking at him with a pout. 

“Next time, okay?” He said and kissed your lips.

You pulled away and winced at the bitter, musky flavor. “Ugh, is that what I taste like? That’s awful.”

Jake paused, closing his eyes. When he opened them next, his posture shifted minutely, becoming more rigid and proper in the way you generally associated with a different alter.

“Marc?” You asked, searching his face. 

“Hi, baby,” Marc said, a soft smile spreading across his lips. 

“Guessing you saw all of that?”

“Mhmm. And I heard what you said about your taste.”

“Right, I have no idea how you guys can stand that,” you said, laughing self deprecatingly. 

“You taste addictive to me. I could spend the rest of my life between your thighs.”

he told you, completely destroying the playful atmosphere and sending it plunging back into a dizzying, heady territory. 

He kissed you again and reached between your legs to return his fingers to your drenched folds. He gently rubbed your swollen and abused clit as he licked into your mouth and murmured dirty things against your lips. “This pussy is mine, isn’t it? Mine to touch and play with?”

��Yes, it’s yours. I’m yours.”

“Can I get you to come one more time, baby?” He asked, kissing the corner of your mouth. “I want to watch you fall apart in my arms.”

Your thighs were practically shaking and you were still exhausted from the previous orgasms he had given you. If you had an ounce of sense left in you, you would have politely declined. But as it was, you did not. You nodded your consent and allowed him to rearrange you so your back was pressed against his chest. He wrapped an arm securely around your stomach and returned his free hand to your entrance. 

“Look,” he whispered, kissing the shell of your ear. “See how pretty your pussy is?”

You watched his fingers stroke along your inner lips and gasped, the image so much more intense than the feeling. It was one thing to know you were wet, it was another thing to see yourself dripping all over someone else’s hand. You watched him sink a finger into you and squirmed as you began to feel him pressing along your inner walls. 

“It’s so small and delicate, isn’t?” he said, his voice low and quiet as pulled his finger out to the first knuckle before slowly pushing back in. “My cock could tear your poor little body in half.”

“Marc,” you moaned, reaching backwards and threading your hand into his hair.

“I love the way you say my name,” he whispered, slipping a second finger into you and holding you still as you twisted in his grip. He spread his fingers inside you, attempting to stretch out your entrance. “You’re still so fucking tight. I want to wreck you so bad, baby. Do you think you can take a third?” 

“Yes, fuck. Please.”

Marc kissed the top of your head and slowly traced his ring finger over your hole. Your breath caught in your throat as he sunk into you, his movements agonizingly slow. The breach of the third finger burned more than you thought it would. You bit back a scream once he was fully buried in you, tossing your head back and clamping your legs around Marc’s hand. 

“Are you doing alright, angel?”

“Yeah, just give me a second.” 

He nodded and pressed chaste kisses along your face while you adjusted to having a third finger inside of you. You sighed and shifted, releasing your death grip on his hair and moving your hands down to his knees. You slowly opened your legs back up and turned your head to look into Marc’s dark eyes. His gaze was soft and admiring, flitting around every feature of your face like he was desperately trying to commit this moment to his memory. 

Without a word he moved his fingers to your sweet spot, punching a gasp out of you. You fell forward and reconnected your lips, letting Marc swallow your noises until you were on the verge of coming. You broke the kiss and kept your eyes locked on his as he pushed you over the edge one last time, your mouth falling open to sigh his name. 

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, kissing your temple and pulling his fingers out of you as you collapsed into his chest breathlessly. “You took me so well, baby. No one can compare to you. Such a good girl. My good girl.”

You accepted his comforting kisses and caresses with a tiny smile on your face. “I’m going to be sore tomorrow, aren’t I?” 

“Probably,” he agreed, a smug grin on his lips.

thank you for reading  ♡  you can find my masterlist here  

[likecastle]

OK, this one's for @bus-ghoul, who said, "Robin and Nancy for whatever reason shop at the mall (that somehow didn’t burn down)." Thanks for this prompt! I love a girl-world shopping trip! I didn't wind up setting this at Starcourt, but there is shopping at the mall, so hopefully that works! I also, once again, made this kinda angsty. Whoops! All Feelings! No serious warnings on this one, though.

“Are you sure you girls don’t want me to drive you?” Nancy’s mom asks fretfully.

“Yes, Mom,” Nancy says, not for the first time. Somehow, Nancy’s impending departure for college has activated her mom’s protective streak way more than any of the nightmarish events of the past few years ever have. Nancy figures her going away to college probably feels real to her mom in a way that psychic children and extra-dimensional sinkholes never did.

“We’ll be fine, Mrs. Wheeler,” Robin pipes up, from where she’s standing by the passenger side door, just waiting to get in. “I promise. It’s not even an hour’s drive.”

Nancy’s mom still looks torn, but finally she sighs and takes a twenty dollar bill from her purse. “Why don't you get yourselves a nice lunch while you’re out shopping.”

Over the roof of the car, Nancy sees Robin’s eyes widen. And sure enough, once they’re finally on the road and Robin has finished fiddling with the radio, she says, “What does your mom think we're going to get for lunch? Caviar and champagne at Hotdog on a Stick?”

Nancy shakes her head, as if it’ll help her shake off her mom’s worry. “She just wants us to have a good time,” she says, feeling defensive now, even though she was irritated at her only a few minutes ago.

“I’m pretty sure it’s scientifically impossible to have a good time shopping for twin XL sheets and shower flip-flops.”

“Do you want me to drop you off at home?” Nancy threatens, without much heat. “Because I can still turn around.”

To their mutual surprise, they do actually have a good time. College Mall is doesn’t have quite the same selection as Starcourt did, but it’s also not backed by nefarious Russians. It shouldn’t be fun, shopping with someone who has objectively terrible taste, and who thinks Nancy has awful taste in turn, but it is.

“Seriously, Wheeler?” Robin asks, when Nancy picks up a perfectly nice set of sheets with pale pink roses on them.

“What? What’s wrong with these?”

Robin laughs. “Nothing, if you’re Laura Ashley!”

“Well," she says indignantly, "which ones would you pick?”

Robin gets a devilish look in her eye and leads Nancy across the bedding section, weaving between the displays. “Just look at these beauties!” she says, doing jazz hands in the direction of a set of sheets in an eye-searing geometric pattern, every angle somehow in startling disharmony with the next. Nancy actually feels a little dizzy looking at the fabric, something she hadn’t previously thought was even possible.

“They’re hideous,” Nancy says.

“I know,” Robin says, with barely-restrained glee. She holds the package up for Nancy to take a closer look, which only makes the design worse. “Isn’t it great?! It’s like someone vomited non-Euclidean geometry all over your bed. Imagine if a—if someone brought you back to their dorm and you start making out only to find that under their comforter. Instant hilarity.”

Nancy blinks at the mental image. “I guess it would be sort of a mood killer,” she admits, though her dating history’s been marred by some pretty lamentable bedroom décor, and that never stopped her.

Robin nods sagely. “Good for weeding out the faint of heart.”

“You should get them,” Nancy says firmly, though she doesn’t think the sheets are any less ugly now than she did a minute ago. But they make Robin laugh, and it's nice to see her toothy, sidelong grin.

Robin shrugs, setting the package of sheets back down on the shelf. “I’ll probably just bring some sheets from home,” she says, her voice carefully casual.

Nancy remembers too late Robin bemoaning the fact that her scholarship to IUB doesn’t cover room and board. It hasn’t escaped her notice that Robin’s got one shopping bag to Nancy’s three.

“D’you want to get some frozen custard?” Nancy asks abruptly. “My mom’s treat.”

“Yes, I absolutely do,” Robin says, with such seriousness that Nancy can’t help but laugh.

Nancy can’t help thinking about it, though, as they make their way to the food court and order their frozen custard, Robin shoving the remainder of the twenty dollars into the tip jar out of sympathy. She can’t help thinking how different their college experiences are going to be—Nancy almost a thousand miles away at Emerson, Robin here in Bloomington, not even an hour away from home. Nancy has a merit scholarship, too, but her parents are paying for everything it doesn’t cover without batting an eye, while Robin’s been talking about getting a part-time job on top of her work-study. Nancy’s not even sure when Robin will find time to take someone back to her dorm to make out.

That hasn’t escaped her notice, either, the little pronoun game Robin plays sometimes—when she talks about dating at all. Nancy’s never asked outright, because she’s afraid to shatter the tenuous friendship that’s developed between them since spring break. But between her vehement insistence that she and Steve are just friends and the way she looked at Susan Sarandon in The Hunger that one time they all tried to do movie night, Nancy’s reasonably certain that the someone Robin would be bringing home would be someone a little like Nancy herself. Probably not just like her. Someone cooler, with edgier taste in music. Someone who wouldn’t pick sheets with dainty little rosebuds on them. Someone with red hair, most likely, if Nancy’s not mistaken. But someone—at least in some particulars—not entirely unlike Nancy.

And Nancy doesn’t really know what to do with the way that knowledge sits inside her, the way she thinks about Robin leaning back on her elbows on her dorm room bed and feels a pang of jealousy for the girl who’ll get to push her down on the worn-soft sheets she brought from home. But it’s a moot point, because even if Robin’s interested in girls, it’s not like she’d attracted to girls like Nancy, and even if she were, in a few weeks they’ll be half a continent apart, and Nancy’s tried the long-distance thing and it didn’t work out great the last time, so what’s the point of even entertaining the possibility?

Even so, as she watches Robin sneak her spoon out to steal a taste of Nancy’s yogurt, she does think about it.

[comics-and-fanworks]

ML/DC Bio Mom (Starfire Part 2)

TW for swearing, mentions of suicide, bullying, minor violence

~~~~~~

Marinette’s soon-to-be former class watched in horror as she left with her bio parents. She wanted to leave Paris?? Why?! She was their Everyday Ladybug, they needed her! Who would plan their trips, run their fundraisers, help with their events, and so much more? They began talking amongst themselves, why did she want to leave, and what could they do to convince her to stay? The only two who didn’t look surprised about this development were Kim and Nino, Marinette’s only two allies left in the class. They new Lila was a liar, Marinette didn’t have a mean bone in her body, and they decided to stick by their childhood friend’s side even when it cost Nino his relationship with Alya and Kim his friendship with Alix and Max. They were currently texting Mari a play by play of their classmates’ plans, and soon their lack of shock was picked up on.

“What’s with you two? I thought you’d be more disappointed since Dupain-Cheng is your childhood friend,” Chloe snapped. Nino and Kim looked up from their phones, “Seriously? Why wouldn’t Marinette wanna leave? Our city is currently being held hostage by an emotional terrorist, and with all the shit you all have been putting her through-” “We haven’t done anything! MARINETTE is the one putting Lila through shit and you two took her side!” Alix shouted, cutting Kim off. Adrien could sense things were going south and tried to step in, “Guys come on now isn’t the time! I’m sure Mari-” “No dude, now’s the perfect time since we’re all here. Let’s start with the most recent examples shall we? Lila you said that Marinette’s parents never wanted to see her and that they gave her up because they hated her, then how do you explain the reunion we just saw? You also said she spent the summer doing sketchy things well why do Kim and I have texts from her all summer showing off the complete new wardrobe she had to make? How could she be doing illegal stuff when she was barricaded in her room making clothes?” Nino snapped. He had hit his limit, and so had Kim. Before Marinette asked them not to say anything, because she didn’t want their standing in the class to suffer any more, but they figured that since she was leaving, it was time. Marinette had also informed them about Adrien an his High Road advice, and Nino was almost akumatized. How could his best friend claim to care about Mari when he was fine watching her suffer? As Lila was attempting to think of a response, Juleka beat her to the punch.

“I just texted Luka... He told me that the time she wasn’t spending designing, she was hanging out with him, Kagami, Kim, and Nino. There’s no way she could’ve been doing anything illegal, she has an alibi.” Lila could tell her hold on the class was slipping, “But, but she sent me such awful texts! See! I have them here!” Lila showed her phone conversations between herself and a number, the class, save Nino and Kim, voiced their rage at Marinette. “She told me to kill myself,” Lila wailed, “And that the world would be a better place without me!” Alya shot Nino a nasty glare while going to comfort Lila, the turtle and monkey miraculous wielders were about to respond, when Sabrina piped up, “That’s not Marinette’s number Lila. Her number’s in the class group chat and it doesn’t match,” Lila froze, and so did her fake tears, “Oh... well maybe she has a second phone! That has to be it cause I can’t think of anyone else who’d say that stuff to me!” “We’ll find out,” Sabrina said as she hit the dial button on her phone. The whole table went quite as a phone in Lila’s bag started ringing, and before she could act, Kim swiped it and pulled out the backup phone. He declared triumphantly, “Looks like Marinette isn’t the one with two phones! The numbers match, which proves Marinette didn’t send those texts, you sent them to yourself and tried to frame her! You’re lying!” Finally it clicked for their classmates, if Lila had lied about Marinette’s parents, her summer activities, and her supposedly sending Lila awful texts, what else could she have been lying about? Adrien felt the need to step in, “Guys I’m sure it’s all just a big misunderstanding, there’s no need for any of this!”

“Really dude? We just proved Lila was lying about Marinette, and we have proof she was lying about other things Marinette supposedly did as well! Stealing an answer sheet? It went missing AFTER the test, and we had all seen her studying for weeks! Stealing the pendent? Her locker has no lock on it, and Alya has proven that it’s super easy to break into the lockers at school. Not to mention it was on top of all her things, if she really took it don’t you think Marinette would have hidden it better? And pushing Lila down the stairs? Well check this out,” At Nino’s cue Kim played the video on his phone, it clearly showed Lila walking down the stairs, sitting down, and wailing. “It’s amazing what a request for information can get you these days huh?” Kim laughed, before returning to a serious demeanor, “And that’s not even the worst of it. Adrien knew Lila was lying the whole time. He knew she was manipulating you all and hurting Marinette but instead of supporting Mari, he decided to try and gaslight her into staying quiet,” Adrien’s voice saying, “As long as you and I both know,” echoed around the now silent table. “And here I thought you were a decent person Adrien, if not a little sheltered and naïve,” Nino sighed, the lack of ‘dude’ drove home just how disappointed he was. 

As the class sat in shock processing everything they had just learned, Nino and Kim stood up to leave. Looking back Kim said, “I’m glad Mari’s getting the hell out of here. With all the shit you all have put her through, bullying her, destroying her things, and trying to ruin her reputation it’s amazing she hasn’t been akumatized yet! Come on Nino, let’s go help her pack,” With that the two boys left their classmates, who watched as they walked away, “We should give our evidence to Mari’s parents so they can go after the school,” was the last thing they heard from Nino as the two exited the cafe and headed towards the best bakery in Paris.

When they had arrived, Marinette, Tom, and Sabine had just finished explaining everything to Mari’s bio parents, including Hawkmoth and that their daughter was a superhero. While Koriand’r and Dick were both incredibly proud that their daughter was following in their footsteps, it pained them to hear what their baby had to go through. It pained Koriand’r the most to learn just how much Marinette had to repress her emotions. Tamaraneans were naturally in tune with their emotions, since that was the source of their power, and while they were very expressive in those emotions, they still learned to control them. To hear that her daughter had to repress her emotions to the point of barely feeling anything practically put her over the edge. The only thing keeping her grounded was the knowledge that if she lost control, she would be akumatized and would have to fight her daughter and husband. As they pulled their daughter into a hug, the bell over the door rang, and in walked two of her classmates. Dick remembered Marinette telling them about the two boys standing in the doorway, and that they were her only allies in the class. The taller one, Kim if he was remembering correctly, spoke first, “Hey Mari you may wanna put your phone on silent for a good while... Or change your number! We told them about Lila and Adrien, and well, Chloe never hid her bullying so they already knew about that! Our guess is in about five minutes once the shock wears off and they’re done yelling at Lila, Chloe, and Adrien they’re gonna try and message you to convince you to stay.” The two helped themselves to pastries Tom offered, and the boy with the red baseball cap, which Dick assumed was Nino, continued, “Anyways don’t let them effect your decision dudette, you’ve suffered enough, besides you won’t have to worry about Hawkmoth if you’re not in Paris! That doesn’t mean we want you gone dudette, we’re just worried what’ll happen if you stay.”

Marinette smiled, she was surrounded by people who loved her, and wouldn’t judge her for whatever decision she made, and while she’d love to stay with her adoptive parents and her friends, she knew that she needed to go with her bio parents for her own wellbeing. “I, I think it would be best if I went to Bludhaven. I’m really scared of what would happen if I stayed.” The group around her nodded, in complete understanding. “I still wanna come back and visit Maman and Papa though, and Nino, Kim, Kagami, and Luka too,” Marinette said. Starfire and Nightwing nodded, “Of course Baby Bird! You can visit whenever you want, and if you can’t make it to Paris, we’ll make sure they can make it to Bludhaven. We’ll cover flights and all that stuff, don’t you worry!” Dick hugged his daughter, even though he never wanted to leave his Baby Bird again, he would never keep her from Tom and Sabine. Sabine lit up with an idea, “Why don’t you have a sleepover with Luka, Kagami, Nino, and Kim? That way you could spend time with your friends before you head to America, and that would give the adults time to take care of things with the school. We need to beat some sense into that nasty woman who calls herself a teacher and your useless principal,” The other adults nodded in agreement, while the kids in the room cheered.  

Kagami and Luka arrived shortly after with their parents. Sabine and Tom had called and explained the situation. Much to their surprise, all of Marinette’s friends’ parents had agreed to let their children stay until she had to leave, their only request was to meet Mari’s bio parents so they would know who would be watching their kids when they went to visit Mari in America. As Mari and her friends ran upstairs to begin their sleepover, the parents got to talking. “So my name is Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne’s son, and this is my wife Koriand’r! It’s nice to meet you all!” “Hello! It’s nice to meet you! Your kids have been amazing friends to our daughter, and words cannot describe how much we appreciate it.” As the gathered parents were sharing similar sentiments, Anarka said what they all were thinking, “You two sound exactly like, and look like the heroes Starfire and Nightwing, ” The two in question paused, glanced at each other, and sighed, “Yeah. We are. The reason we asked Tom and Sabine to raise Mar’i is because my wife’s sister is not necessarily a good person, and threatened to kill Mar’i. We wanted to keep her safe, and we knew that she was safer with them than with us. After dealing with that, we had a few more threats we had to deal with, and by the time that was done Mar’i was already seven. We thought it would be cruel to take her away from everything she’s ever known, so we contacted Tom and Sabine and told them that we were ready whenever Mar’i decided she wanted to meet us. We were surprised to learn everything that’s been going on in Paris, with Hawkmoth, Lila, and her class bullying her.” The gathered parents nodded in understanding, and decided to focus on how to go after Principal Damocles and Miss Bustier. 

Meanwhile, up in her room, Marinette and her friends were discussing what to do about Hawkmoth. “We could take him out now, before I leave,” Marinette suggested. The heroes gathered in her room looked at each other and shook their heads. “No. You’re still in a vulnerable state. You need time to rest and allow your mental, physical, and emotional health to recover before we go after Hawkmoth. With your wounds still fresh we can’t risk you being akumatized,” Kagami said, much to the agreement of the others. They looked over at where they had buried Marinette’s phone under a pile of pillows. It was blowing up with her soon-to-be former classmates trying to apologize and demanding she talked to them. “What if you all kept your Miraculous, so that way if there’s an akuma, you all can stall for time until I can get to the fight,” Marinette suggested. The four heroes agreed, and their respective Kwamii shared the sentiment. “Now all that’s left to do is figure out what to do with Chat Noir. If he finds out Ladybug is leaving the same time I am, he might put two and two together.” The group thought about it for a minute before Luka perked up, “What if we tell him that Ladybug’s family is moving just outside of Paris? That way we can account for you not being here to patrol for a while, and why it’d take you longer to get to akumas. We could tell him that your family was tired of dealing with Hawkmoth and decided to get out of his range, but you convinced them to stay close enough for ‘work,’” The group glanced at Marinette’s door. They half expected the cat hero to show up at that moment. After settling on a plan and making sure everyone had their respective Miraculous, the group settled in to watch movies.

Two massive bowls of popcorn and one romcom later, the group was debating on whether to watch Howl’s Moving Castle or Spirited Away when they heard it: A knocking on Marinette’s balcony door. They froze, there was only one person that could be, and it would be no use claiming Marinette wasn’t home, you could hear noise coming from the room. Before she could react Mari found herself stuffed into her bathroom, “We’ll confront him,” Luka whispered, “You hide here.” From the bathroom, she could hear what was going on, “Why did you expose Lila? She could’ve gotten akumatized!” “And let her lie about our best friend? No way dude. What Lila was doing was wrong! She could’ve gotten Marinette akumatized!” “Marinette’s tough she would have been fine!” The conversation was interrupted by what sounded like a popcorn bowl hitting someone’s head. “Ow! Why did you-” “Just because Marinette is though doesn’t mean she has to suffer so someone else won’t face consequences!” Yep, a brilliant throw from Kagami and rock-solid logic as well. “Well, she- Anyways where is she? She said she was leaving, er, Adrien told me she was leaving and I need to show her that’s a bad idea.” “Why do you care anyways alley cat? Marinette’s just a civilian.” “Cause! She needs to fix the mess she made!” “The mess LILA made!” “Well now the class isn’t talking to Lila or Chloe or Adrien and she needs to come back and say everything’s fine so things can go back to normal! So get out of my way!” It sounded like Chat had pushed his way through her friends, and the next thing she knew, her bathroom door was gone. 

“Marinette! You can’t leave Paris! You have to apologize and fix everything!”  Before her stood a very angry Chat Noir, his belt-tail was swishing back and forth, just like an angry cat. Marinette looked around, she was trapped. The only way out of this would be if any of her friends got the jump on Chat, or she transformed, and she was not about to risk her identity being exposed. “NO! It’s not my fall Lila decided to lie! It’s not my fault Adrien decided to let my class treat me like shit! It’s-” “Adrien did nothing wrong!” “Why are you even taking his side in this?” “Cause he’s my friend and he’s right-” “So you think I should be akumatized? You think my stuff should be destroyed? You think I should be shoved, tripped, have things thrown at my head?” “IT WOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU HAD JUST TAKEN THE HIGH ROAD! YOU’RE COMING WITH ME AND FIXING THIS!” At that Chat grabbed her wrist and began to drag her towards the trap door. Luka, Kim, Kagami, and Nino tried to stop him, but there was little they could do without revealing their identities. Marinette struggled and tried to break free, wondering why the hell his timer wasn’t done yet. Chat threw open the balcony door and was about to pick Marinette up and leap away... but was met with a readied starbolt right in front of his face. Looking up Marinette saw her bio parents in all their glory. Her mother’s powers were activated, and she was floating just above the balcony. Her hair was literal fire, and she was glowing. Behind her on the railing was her father, batons ready, and looking like he was about to break Batman’s no killing rule. They were not in costume, since they rushed up as soon as they heard their daughter screaming and someone else yelling at her, and quickly put two and two together. Starfire spoke, her voice icy and cold despite the roaring wildfire of rage she felt, “Let go of our daughter. NOW!” Chat quickly dropped Marinette and leapt away, too afraid to fight two adult, trained heroes, and too afraid they’d take his ring. Marinette collapsed into her bio parent’s arms sobbing, while her friends gathered around. They kept watch, waiting to see if Chat would return. The other adults quickly ran upstairs, and Nino, Luka, Kagami, and Kim filled them in one what happened.

“If Chat Noir is bold enough to try and kidnap Marinette, then it’s not safe for her here,” Tom practically growled. What he wouldn’t give to be Weredad right now and pummel that mangy alley cat, but that was not what Marinette needed. Sabine nodded, “We’ll have to speed things up. If her classmates somehow convinced that cat to join them, then Marinette isn’t safe anywhere in Paris. We can’t afford to wait, if he comes back we might not be able to get to Marinette in time, there’s also a high chance she’ll be akumatized in the next few weeks. Her classmates will be hounding her, and now we have Chat Noir harassing her as well.” Dick picked up his phone and sent a few quick texts, “We can have the Wayne jet ready in thirty minutes, and we can leave for Gotham tonight. Bruce is taking care of everything, we’ll stay in Gotham for a bit, and then head to Bludhaven, If that’s alright with you, Tom, and Mar’i.” Sabine and Tom looked at each other and nodded. They hated to see their little girl go, but they knew it wasn’t safe for her in Paris. Marinette’s friends hugged her, and promised they’d come and visit. She also promised her friends and adoptive parents that once things were safe she’d come back and visit, and until then they could video call. She packed her things including the Miraculous box, and then tucked in her bio parent’s arms, she made her way onto the Wayne’s jet. Looking back at her family and friends waving to her (Noting each of her friends had their Miraculous) she waved back. Her bio parents assured her everything would be okay, and that they’d do everything they could to make sure she was comfortable in America. She would be going to a new school, a fresh start. All anyone would know is that she’s from Paris, it was a chance to recover and make new friends. For once she felt hopeful about where her future was headed, and as she thought about all the possibilities, she drifted off to sleep wrapped in her father’s jacket, with her mother stroking her hair.

[allthingsfangirl101]

Desperate First Kiss–Keys

Working for a video game company has pros and cons. Your job is always needed, but you sit in front of a computer all day long. You have great insurance, but you're surrounded by lonely guys who think they're God's gift to women.

You get fun nicknames, but they usually are based on something embarrassing. Not anyone else's nicknames though. Just mine.

I walked into work, instantly tucking my head and slumping my shoulders. I tightened my grip on my bag as I walked over to my nook. I've been working as a graphic designer for about two years, and I wonder every day if it's worth it.

"Hey, Y/N."

I looked up and smiled when I saw Keys walking over with a cup of coffee in his hands.

"Hi, Keys."

"Did you see that accident on your way in?"

"See it?" I scoffed. "Why do you think I'm 45 minutes late?"

He laughed as he started walking with me to my desk. "Don't worry. Antwan doesn't usually get here until 11. Besides, it's not like any of us are going to rat you out."

"Thanks," I laughed.

Keys was the only one in the entire company that doesn't call me by that embarrassing nickname. In fact, he tried to stop others from calling me it.

"Hey, KV," Mouser teased as he walked up to us.

"Come on," Keys sighed, slightly taking a step toward me.

"It's okay, Keys," I whispered. "KV?" I bit back my smirk as I turned toward Mouser. "KV? Really? You're too lazy to say the whole thing?"

"Do you prefer me to call you Kissing Virgin?"

"I prefer you to call me by my name," I scoffed. "It's shorter than that damn nickname."

"Where's the fun in that?" He laughed as he walked away. I took a shaky breath, trying to get rid of the lump that just formed in my throat.

"Y/N," Keys started.

"Wow," I laughed harshly. "I've been here not even ten minutes and already want to quit."

I started to walk away but Keys quickly grabbed my hand and pulled me back.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I really wish I could get them to stop calling you that. It's only Mouser and a few other guys."

"It's fine," I tried to shrug off. Keys shook his head, tightening his grip on my hand.

"Please don't lie to me, Y/N," he said under his breath.

"Keys," I sighed, "I have a lot of work to do before the New Year's Eve party tonight."

I finally pulled my hand out of his grip and walked back to my desk. The rest of the day, it felt like whenever I looked up, Keys was watching me. During lunch, I went and got a sandwich from across the street. When I got back, I kept my head down and finished my work.

Finally, it was time to go home and get ready for the party. I started to pack up and as I stood up, Keys was walking toward me. He fell in sync with me as I started to leave.

"Are you going tonight?" He asked.

"Maybe," I shrugged. "I probably won't stay the whole time."

"It won't be that bad," he said, trying to be optimistic. He saw the look on my face and laughed. "You're right. It's going to be horrible. Let's stick together."

"Sounds good."

                                * * * * *

I checked how I looked in my dress before leaving my apartment. The entire way back to Soonami Studios, I debated about turning around. I could ring in 2023 by myself in my apartment. It would be much better than ringing it in with a bunch of drunk coders and designers.

I walked into the building and headed upstairs. The thoughts of wanting to turn around continued the entire elevator ride up. The doors opened and I almost hit the Lobby button. The only thing that stopped me. . .

"Y/N!" Keys laughed. He grabbed two glasses of champagne and met me at the elevator.

"You look beautiful. I'm glad you decided to come," he smiled as he handed me one of the glasses.

"Still kinda on the fence," I sighed as I took a sip. I laughed when he reached out his free hand for me.

"We'll stick together."

Just like he promised, Keys stayed by my side the entire night. Whenever someone tried to call me by the nickname, he interrupted and corrected them.

It was ten minutes to midnight and I decided I didn't want to be here when that clock hit midnight.

"You okay?" Keys asked.

"I think. . . I think I'm gonna head home."

"Okay," he said, sounding slightly disappointed. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," I said shakily. Instead of telling him the truth, I said, "I don't want to be driving past midnight. That's when all the drunks come out."

"I can drive you," he suggested.

"It's alright," I said a little too quickly. "Have a good night, Keys."

"You too, Y/N."

Instead of going home, I walked into the employee lounge and grabbed a coffee.

"You leaving already, Kissing Virgin?"

I turned around, not hiding my anger anymore. "Mouser," I said slowly, "go to hell."

I dropped my coffee in the sink, not having even taken a sip. I tried to walk past him, but he stepped in front of me.

"Let me go," I said, my voice breaking.

"Y/N," he sighed.

"Don't," I cut him off. "You. . . You're the one who. . . You started it."

"It was just a. . ."

"A what?" I scoffed. "A joke? What kind of joke takes a girl's biggest insecurity and flaunts it in front of the entire company?!"

"I'm sorry," Mouser sighed. "Really. I'm sorry."

"Save it," I said, my voice getting caught in my throat.

"What if I said I could help you fix that insecurity?"

"How?"

                                * * * * *

I woke up the next morning, with a weird feeling in my stomach. I slowly got out of bed and made myself a cup of coffee. I grabbed my computer and sat on my couch, turning on a random show. I could hear my phone ringing in my room, but I didn't bother to get it as I started looking for a new job.

A few hours later, I had given up looking and applying for jobs. I was laying on the couch, falling asleep, when I heard a knock on the door. I sighed, forcing myself to get up. When I got to the door, I wasn't expecting him.

"What are you doing here, Keys?"

"I've been calling you all morning," he said, glancing me over.

"Sorry," I said, clearing my throat.

"You feeling okay?" He asked, stepping a little closer to me.

"I'm fine."

"Y/N. . ."

"I'm just hungover," I quickly lied.

"Y/N, you only had one glass of champagne last night," he sighed.

"How did you know that?" I asked, my voice breaking.

"I just. . . I did," he stuttered. He cleared his throat before asking, "Have you eaten anything?"

I wrapped my arms around myself and shook my head. Keys sighed as he grabbed one of my hands and led me into my kitchen. He had me sit down and started making me something to eat. With everything he did, I couldn't stop watching him. My conversation with Mouser before I left last night replayed in my head over and over again.

"How was the rest of the party?" I asked.

Keys sent me a look before letting out a small laugh. "To be honest," he said, handing me a plate with a sandwich on it, "I left about thirty seconds after midnight."

"No New Year Kiss?" I tried to sound light-hearted but it came out more forced.

"Who am I supposed to kiss?" Keys laughed. "Mouser?"

"I have to tell you something," I blurted out.

He looked up at me and studied me for a second. He finally walked over and sat next to me.

"You can tell me anything, Y/N. You know that."

"And you promise not to judge me?"

"Of course not," he said instantly. "I would never. . ."

"I let Mouser kiss me last night."

Keys didn't say anything for a few seconds. You could practically see the wheels turning as he figured it out.

"I'm sorry," Keys said slowly. "Wait, you let who kiss you?"

"I know it was dumb!" I jumped up. I started pacing around the room as I continued to mumble. "I'm tired of everyone making fun of me, calling me the Kissing Virgin. So I was desperate. Big deal. It's not like there was anyone else lining up to take that bullet."

"I would've."

We both froze.

I turned around to see Keys looking surprised. It was like even he didn't think he was going to say that.

"What do you mean?" I asked under my breath.

"Nothing," he stuttered.

"Keys," I said, his name getting stuck in my throat. "Please tell me. What did you mean when you said you would've taken that bullet?"

"You know what I meant," he whispered, slowly stepping closer to me. He reached forward, grabbing my hands in his. I instantly recognized how warm his hands felt.

"I'm not sure I do," I whispered. "I mean. . . I don't want to be wrong about. . ."

Keys leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine. My breath got stuck in my throat the second his lips touched mine. Even though this kiss was soft and a little hesitant, it felt way stronger. I slowly started kissing him back. When I did, he deepened the kiss. We broke apart when neither one of us could breathe.

"Wow," I whispered.

"Mouser was just practice," Keys said with a small smirk. "That was your real first kiss."

"Hopefully not the only one."

Keys was about to kiss me again, but I gently stopped him. "Is something wrong?" He asked, his voice soft.

"I need to confess something," I said with a small laugh.

"You kissed Antwan?" Keys joked.

"No," I smirked. "Close though."

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't kiss Mouser."

"I don't understand," he said slowly.

"Mouser and I didn't kiss last night," I explained. "He offered to help me with the nickname, but not by kissing me."

"Then how?"

"By telling me of someone he knew who wanted to kiss me but no because he wanted to win a workplace bet."

"He told you about the bet?" Keys asked.

"Yes," I laughed. "But that's not the point of what I just said."

"I know," he said with a small chuckle. "I just thought. . ."

I cut him off by standing on my toes and pressing my lips to his. Keys instantly deepened the kiss as he wrapped his arms around me. We laughed, breaking the kiss when we stumbled and almost fell.

"If you're no longer a kissing virgin," Keys whispered, "what do you think Mouser is going to change your nickname to?"

"He actually told me he had a few ideas."

"Oh yeah?" Keys laughed as he pulled me in closer. "And what ideas did he have?"

"His favorite is one I actually like too," I smirked.

"What's that?"

"Keys' Girl."

He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to my lips. He pulled away, his face inches from mine.

"I'm okay with that," he whispered.

"Me too."

He smiled at me as he reached up and tucked a piece of hair behind my ear. I felt my face burning as his hand lingered.

"Happy New Year, Y/N."

"Happy New Year, Keys."

[thefablefoxart]

REDACTED WORKS IN PROGRESS!!

I thought, since I have so many WIPs I may as well share them. I don’t know what it is about the end of summer but I always want to do everything and nothing when it come to the last week of the holidays.

Firstly, the Vega and Warden piece! I will finish this one…at some point…hopefully this weekend 😐 I think I’ve decided to go with Warden in their demon form but I guess we’ll see if that sticks…

Next is my initial design for Scorpius :D Looking back at it now I realise he kinda looks like my version of David…When I say initial design I mean, I literally drew this while listening to the audio for the first time. I need to go back and probably change some stuff but I definitely think Scorpius has sort of an intimidating vibe but he’s a real one for helping Elliott, love him for that

I believe in ‘Darlin’ and Lovely as besties’ supremacy 🧎‍♀️They’re having a sleepover and sending Vince and Sam photos!!! Lovely and Vincent strike me as the type of couple that don’t stop messaging each other whilst their apart. And Sam probably appreciates knowing their both safe and not out almost getting themselves killed 🙄 Can I just point out how FRICKING CUTE LOVELY LOOKS IN THIS OMG!!!!

Again Lovely looking fine af 😩 This is just a little snippet of something I’ll probably…maybe…finish. I want to have one big post with very short little bios for all of my listener OCs so I can pin it to my profile as a guide but it’s gonna take so long and I don’t really have the time 😢

Well…I started a comic based on a little headcanon I have that Milo had a teeny tiny little crush on Tank back when they first joined the pack (Milo definitely has a thing for strong and intimidating people, lets be real 🙄😏) The pink sketched are from the first draft and Milo’s little pout is so adorable 🥰 There are about 5 pages all together but like with the listener OC bios I just don’t have time to finish it right now…

And finally there’s the iconic D.AM.N squad game night drawing that everyone and their nan’s great uncle’s dog has done… I am so mad that i have to cover up Freelancer’s gorgeous loveheart sofa but the boys are worth it!

[theblueskyphoenix]

Been wanting to do this for awhile and finally today was the day. I've seen others do wardrobes for their OCs through out the series of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters and I really wanted to do that for Lotus. Especially with the Ghost AU in mind. Plus, doubles as her wardrobe for Our Game Now. So, win win for both timelines. Anyways, let's get onto details. ✪ Puzzle Guardian - Her outfit she would have throughout the entire series. For those not in the know, Lotus in the Ghost AU lives inside the Millennium Puzzle. She isn't trapped in their like Atem is and can leave as she pleases but usually is wandering around the rooms. She tends to the place and provides a secondary defense system for unwanted guests. She also is a voice of comfort and reason for Atem and Yugi. Helping them in their journey and keeping them on the right path. So when in there, she'll appear like this. She'll also be seen in this outfit as well outside the puzzle but not very often since it would stick out. ✪ Domino High School Uniform - Pretty self explanatory. In the Ghost AU she only wears this when she's at the school to stand out less. (XD Our Game Now she is actually a student.) ✪ Duelist Kingdom - Kind of a modern version of her Puzzle Guardian outfit to a degree. Or least the outfit has the same color palette. Very comfy and easy to move in. Especially with traveling around the island. Perfect for camping. ✪ Battle City - The outfit I usually draw her in for Our Game Now and her favorite outfit. In the Ghost AU Yugi helped her design the outfit by looking up clothes online for her to mimic. She does duel here and there but she stays out of the tournament. She's there to support Atem and Yugi after all. Not get in the way. ✪ Doma Arc - Probably her most simple outfit. Comfy for travel and keeping warm. (Also the color scheme is a nod to a certain dragon from that arc. ;) ) ✪ Kaiba Corp Grand Prix - Her most casual of the outfits since the whole time she actually got to relax for a bit. No world ending threats just a moment of normal and cheering on the boys. ✪ Millennium World - In the memory world she is returned to her clothes she used to wear back when she was alive during Atem's reign. Her guardian outfit would stand out too much so it was back to her old clothes as a means of not drawing attention to herself. (Especially from Zorc. She's been good about hiding herself up until this point and she did not want to blow it.) During the whole arc she does her best to be discreet and help the others and when the ceremonial duel comes to an end, she's there waiting for Atem on the other side of the door with everyone else to welcome him to the after life, happy to finally be reunited with her king foreverr. And that's about it. =) Very happy with how all this came out. I'd love to do something like this again with another character but we'll see. In the mean time I hope you enjoy. (And I'll see about posting an official bio for Lotus at some point with her Ghost AU version.)

[ridley-was-a-cat]

Winter 2023 Anime Roundup

Anime of the Season – Tsurune S2

I hadn’t watched season one, so I did not plan to watch this show this season, but all the gorgeous screenshots and gifs on Tumblr got to me, and I watched the entire series during the last week of the season. Hilarious, honestly, that the show I wasn’t even going to pick up ended up being my favorite of the season.

As good as the first season was, this was an upgrade on pretty much every front. All of the intersecting relationships between the characters at different schools made for more interesting and more grounded drama than the previous season. The art and animation both absolutely sparkled, and the sound design made you feel like you were watching in person. In particular, the spat between the two cousins/best friends on the team made for one of my favorite episodes this season. Something about how realistic their disagreement was, pushing each others’ buttons like only lifelong friends can do, and the way they resolved it by tiring themselves out in a tense archery duel that ended with a fit of the giggles, just thoroughly charmed me. I adored all of these characters, and I hope we’ll see more from the franchise. 9/10

First Runner-Up – Tomo-chan Is a Girl!

I had my doubts about this early in the series, with all the boob jokes and efforts to make Tomo girlier, but they were all gone by the end. It was just a solid romcom about a loveable group of lunatics that actively affirmed that Tomo was perfect the way she was. 8/10

Second Runner-Up – Buddy Daddies

The hitman content was not as good as the stuff about two single men in their twenties suddenly grappling with the minutia of parenting a five-year-old girl, but I was entertained week after week, and thought they did a good job sticking the landing. 8/10

IDOLiSH7 Third BEAT! Part 2 – Idol shows have a reputation for being harmless vehicles for hot guys/girls, but wherever that idea came from, it absolutely does not apply to this show, which repeatedly punched me in the gut and made me feel. Ryu is a top-ten hateable villain, for sure. 8/10

Play It Cool, Guys – I believe this was pretty popular in Japan, as it’s also getting a live-action drama, so I hope that means we can look forward to more relaxing, lightly amusing shows about cute guys doing cute things in the future. I just really enjoyed watching a handful of fairly normal dudes bumble around. 8/10

Don’t Toy with Me, Miss Nagatoro S2 – As much as this series is a comedy first and foremost, I just really love the relationship between Nagatoro and Senpai. Their dynamic is so playful, and they have great chemistry along with a genuine friendship. 8/10

The Vampire Dies in No Time S2 – Season 1 was a little uneven with the jokes, but this season was consistently funny, episode after episode. The character interactions hit better once you’re more acquainted with everyone, and the silly situations were just better this time around. 8/10

In/Spectre S2 – The end of season one dragged quite a bit with the Steel Lady Nanase arc, but this series was made up entirely of shorter, three-episode arcs that made the best use of the medium and the characters. Kotoko is the tiny, thirsty queen we need in these troubled times. 7/10

“Ippon” Again! – For years now, I’ve been wanting a serious girls sports anime that wasn’t an anodyne cute girls doing cute things show, and this pretty much gave me what I was looking for. The judo matches had a nice level of tension and excitement to them, and the girls were free to get intense, work hard, and not look particularly pretty while doing it. 7/10

Sugar Apple Fairy Tale – This sat at the top of the chart for me this season, until the final episode had me ready to take my earrings out and square up. The infuriating story decision isn’t necessarily irredeemable, so I will watch part two this summer to see what they do, but my expectations are low. 7/10

The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague – This was more of a vibe than it was a story, but I enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of a bunch of yokai who are otherwise bog-basic office workers interacting with their human coworkers. 7/10

Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun S3 – My love for Iruma and all his friends knows no bounds, and I’m really hoping for a season four, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say the harvest festival arc felt really padded and dragged out in this season. 7/10

My Hero Academia S6 – This season had some pretty epic fights and story developments, including a resolution of sorts for Todoroki’s family situation and a boiling point for Deku’s self-destructive selflessness, but it was a little uncomfortable to watch the angry citizens portrayed as ingrates. It had a whiff of “Blue Lives Matter” to it. 7/10

Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari – In many ways, this is just a basic off-brand action shounen with a blunt main character taking his anger out on everyone he fights on a quest for revenge, but I think the female lead and her retinue of tsukumogami adds enough novelty to keep things interesting. I look forward to watching part two. 7/10

Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte – I enjoyed the unusual approach to otome isekai in this, where two players in the real world became connected to the characters inside the game, who heard their voices as though the gods were speaking to them. It was nice to get a full adaptation of the source with multiple ships setting sail, but it started stronger than it finished. 7/10

Handyman Saitou in Another World – With the exception of two poorly paced episodes in the middle of the season that centered on a hideously animated monster in a group battle in the dungeon, this was a highly entertaining and refreshing take on isekai, with a cast of loveable characters. 7/10

Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? IV Part 2 – If you stripped out all of the titty harem business, or just focused on building a genuine romantic connection with Ryu, this would shoot to the top of my favorite action/adventures. All of the dungeon exploration and fighting is just fantastic, with high stakes that get your blood pumping. 7/10

UniteUp! – It was feast or famine with this show. The first episode was straight up the best premiere I watched, and there were several excellent episodes where characters struggled with their families or with adjusting to working as an idol, but there were multiple production delays, some of the voice acting was fairly wooden, and there were several episodes that were merely okay. I wanted more Kacchan content! 7/10

Revenger – I can’t really argue with the people pegging this as an edgy revenge story, but I thought the main character had an interesting internal conflict, the fights were creative, and the guys were all easy on the eyes. 7/10

Kaina of the Great Snow Sea – The 3D CG animation wasn’t fantastic, and the second half that focused on a war between two remaining kingdoms was a little blah, but the setting was imaginative, the backgrounds were gorgeous, and the two leads had great chemistry. 7/10

The Fire Hunter – On the one hand, I really love the world building and all the intersecting plots going on in this post-apocalyptic fantasy. On the other hand, a number of questionable artistic choices mingle with straight up sloppy work to make the visual presentation an extremely mixed bag. 7/10

By the Grace of the Gods S2 – This is one of those shows that I can’t quite bring myself to call “good”, because the animation and art are just meh and the story is barely a story, but the vibe is so chill and the characters are so nice that watching it every week felt healing. 6/10

Giant Beasts of Ars – This is one of those fantasy shows that entertained me while I was was watching it, but I will likely never think about again. It had some creative world building, I enjoyed the adventuring party that formed around the main characters, and the voice acting was solid. 6/10

Ningen Fushin: Adventurers Who Don’t Believe in Humanity Will Save the World – If they didn’t decide to tie one of the main characters’ backstories to a false accusation of sexual abuse by a spiteful child, I would have enjoyed this fantasy adventure series about a party united by their histories of being betrayed by those they trusted a lot more. 6/10

Trigun Stampede – Having enjoyed the original anime and everything else this studio has done, I expected to enjoy this. While I didn’t hate it, something about the story and characters just didn’t click with me, and I didn’t like how they animated the characters’ faces when they were talking. 6/10

Saving 80,000 Gold in Another World for My Retirement – I am sort of in awe of the author’s sheer audacity in taking the colonialist power fantasy subtext of modern isekai and making it bright, glowing, neon text. Not a good show, but an entertaining one. 6/10

The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady – I really wanted to love this one, but I thought the writing was a bit of a mess with inconsistent characterization, elements introduced then quickly forgotten about, and a underdeveloped romance that felt unearned. 6/10

[trainingdummyrabbit]

actually it was bothering me that i couldn't remember any of them so my favorites. i would like your thoughts on them

OUGHHG TWO OF THEM.... iwill try my best boss!! o7

[Fragments from Somewhere] SHE IS LITERALLY SO COOL YALL JUST DONT GET HER. OK.

Design- i love her design to Death ok. literally everything to me. the hooded cloak, the black and white scribbles, the pop of color. cute little ribbon and shadowed face like a black hole. the doinker is CHARMING yall are just COWARDS!!!!!!!! also Big Fuckig Spear. she looks straight out of a storybook and it means the entire world and more to me, especially considering how fragments is. id kill for a cool comfy cloak like that. yall dont UNDERSTAND.

Theme- listen. im always a sucker for not-quite-human things trying their fucking damndest to be understood and not quite getting there. the neurodivergent experience, or somethingk. fragments i love you so much. its about the inherent isolation, the desire to reach out, yet in trying only pushing them away even further. (only tangenially related to angela aswell, the decision that the best way to communicate when words wont do being settled as song... something as innocent as singing, to the mournful wail of the lonely. ok 👍)

this ones harder t split because of how it ties in both, but the fact that she is completely faceless without the use of something like a mask REALLY drives home that Alien-like feeling. the idea that shes something Incomprehensible, something that doesnt quite belong here. the scribbly image invoking the image of something like a childs drawing, looking not unlike some sort of knight or hero, yet contrasted by its gentle flowy look almost like a wanderer's cloak... grabs and SHAKES. the antenna adorned with a heart, chosen as an image ubiquitously known as a symbol of love and connection. casting that out into the forefront, literally sticking out like a sore thumb. im going to explode.

[Our Galaxy] girlie how r u so hugelarge.

Design- god she is so pretty but MAN she has so much going on. i ADORE the starry motif thats almost unbound to her physical form, the big ol cloak, hair spiraling out of the grasp of gravity. they really went all out with this one, but honestly i have very little to note about it! potion of Just Look At Her, Man. i wont pretend to understand what her little crown-halo dealie is, but its sick as hell. yuh 👍

Theme- honestly i hadnt thought about it much past simply what child of the galaxy's theming is, but the more i look at it the more i see it as pinned right at the end of the final days of lobcorp-- the loneliness, then carmen's meddling. the speaking of darkness, endings, the realization that she had truly been abandoned; "I can never let this be the end..." it takes the lead as that innocent hope that she could have another chance at it all. of course im threading this along as i go, but i really am thinking about it. "Draw the curtains to reveal the stars in the night sky, and we’ll count them together. Walk this night sky with me. The galaxy dotted with numerous hopes." in that context, it really does paint an image. even so, regardless, it brings forth the desire to share that future with anyone who would stay with her, which. has me thinking, yknow. but what really kills me is the line: "Stay with me forever. We’re… …s. Right?" the recall of one of child of the galaxy's lines, blotting out the word "friends"... ohhhh girlie you are SO fucked. (something about yearning for something you wont even allow yourself to hope for...... thinks real hard......)

in conclusion: wails. wails. wails. wails. w

[ingek73]

The Windsors are all about forgiving and forgetting – when it comes to Prince Andrew

Marina Hyde

Some royal rehabilitations are faster than others. The Duke of York’s jaunt with Kate and Wills must have set a new record

Tue 29 Aug 2023 14.44 BST

Do all “fusses” die down eventually, permitting the fussee to return to life largely as they knew it, while the public scratches its head and tries to recall precisely which scandal/multimillion dollar out-of-court settlement/Pizza Express branch it remembers them from? The question arises after the return of Prince Andrew to the royal tableau, driven last weekend by Prince William to church near Balmoral, where the Windsors are currently all gathered (with just the two notable exceptions). I must say I do think that William and Andrew missed a trick not doing carpool karaoke as they rocked up to Crathie Kirk, either to Take That’s Back for Good, or the Gary Puckett and the Union Gap’s jailbait classic Young Girl.

Even so, how fitting that this staged sighting should occur on the very weekend crowds of people descended on Scotland in the hope of spying the Loch Ness monster. You can imagine being there when the cry went up. Oh my God – there it is! Look – you can see its head and neck in the front seat, right next to Prince William! Quick, get a photo, even if “friends” will later claim it’s fake because its fingers aren’t chubby enough.

Anyhow: welcome back, Uncle Andy. Typically, royal rehab efforts move at a more glacial pace. For example, the plan to make the British public fall back in love with Prince Charles after his divorce from Princess Diana and her tragic death was slated by courtiers to take years of slow and painstaking image work. But the picture of Andrew being driven last Sunday by William and Kate, the family’s biggest current stars, comes merely one year after the Duke of York finally settled a civil claim against him by Virginia Giuffre. Giuffre was treated as a sex slave by Andrew’s friend, the late international paedo trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, and long alleged that she was sexually assaulted by Andrew three times when she was 17. The duke denies everything, and his reported $12m settlement did not contain an admission of guilt.

And there he was on Sunday, next to William up front, with Kate relegated to creasing her outfit on the back seat. As indicated, these royal stagings are so often wordless scenes, so we don’t know the full story behind this picture. I suppose it’s remotely possible that when the family were having breakfast that morning, Prince William clocked the presence of Prince Andrew and hissed: “You need to spend a very long time in church indeed. In fact, you know what? I’ll drive you there myself.” Possible, but vanishingly unlikely. Andrew was, after all, pictured exiting the church at the same time as the others, instead of lingering for two or three hundred years after.

So this is not some accident, some last-minute instance of Andrew calling shotgun, or of the Waleses suddenly sighing: “OK, fine, jump in the front and we’ll give you a lift.” Please remember that we are dealing with a family widely held to telegraph fantastically complex and significant messages merely by their choice of brooch or jacket colour, which the public is duly invited to parse for meaning. So sticking a disgraced dimwit in the front seat of your car is not just some random thing that happens of a Sunday morning. This is a planned and choreographed moment, with William as the designated driver.

Even so, doing Andrew’s reintegration at Balmoral does feel particularly on the nose. Attendance here connotes the most particular closeness to the royal family’s wellspring of ineffable majesty and authority – which is perhaps why Epstein himself jumped at an invitation to Balmoral back in 1999, when Andrew had him and Ghislaine Maxwell come and visit the castle. This is the version of staying somewhere at Her Majesty’s pleasure that doesn’t involve sewage in your cell or being allowed to take your own life because it would be better all round for your Famous Men WhatsApp group. (And yes, I do know that Jeffrey and Ghislaine were in New York jails so not technically Her Maj’s guests, but you get the point.)

There were probably 500 things Epstein would have objectively preferred doing than yomping round Balmoral, even if 499 of them were illegal. But the frisson of tightness with the royal family was worth journeying to the deck of the famously spartan log cabin on the estate, and posing with Maxwell on the same bench on which the late Queen Elizabeth II was frequently pictured (even if she wasn’t in residence at the castle at the time). Epstein kept the photo of him and Ghislaine at this cabin in his Manhattan mansion, which was eventually raided by police. Thereafter it was presented as evidence in Maxwell’s trial, as part of prosecutors’ attempts to show that she and Epstein were “partners in crime”.

The third wheel on that trip was Prince Andrew himself. Presumably he took the photo? That’s a typical question with those three, with the notorious picture of Andrew with his arm round the hip of the then 17-year-old Virginia Roberts – while Ghislaine smirks in the background – often believed to have been taken by Epstein himself. Quite why the Prince and Princess of Wales wish to form a new photo trio with Uncle Andy is a mystery. But it comes across as the clearest signal that Andrew’s “banishment” from the family is the type we could all live with: one where you get a free mansion, don’t have to work, and all your significant rellies appear to believe your side of the story and are happy enough to give you a helping hand. The comeback will be greater than the setback – or at least of commensurate size.

[wonyz02]

bubba~

you like kissing and jay finally gets to know what it feels like to kiss you. possibly a little more as well.

excessive bubba and baby calling, mentions of alcohol, and shower sex.

his eyes were glued to you the second you came out that door. feeling the pang in his heart as you giggled drunkly. wrapping your arms around heeseung one more time before giving him one last kiss.

jay cleared his throat, turning around when he noticed that you were making your way to him. pretending to be oblivious to the little make out session you had with his hyung. same with the last two.

“i’ll take that.” you smiled, snatching his full cup out of his hand. “why do you come to every party if you just stand there jay? loosen up.” you told him every time he was at parties.

“i can’t do that. i’m the designated driver.” he said lowly, pushing the cup you’d raised to his lips away. jay never really came to party. as much as it hurt, he came with you to see who you would kiss with next.

“we’ll uber! come on, jay.” your attempts always failed with jay. he’d shake his head and sit down in a corner. jay would have the most unreadable expression on his face but nonetheless, he let you party as long as you wanted.

you sighed, watching him so sit in the corner all alone. “fine.” so you finished the cup before making way to your other friends. occasionally turning around to see if jongseong was still there.

every time you looked, he’d be sitting there patiently. you felt bad at first but it was his choice.

your eyebrows furrowed when you turned around and saw him speaking to a girl. wanting to laugh at her obvious flirting and jay’s oblivious face. it wasn’t until jay began laughing with her that you had become a little upset.

“if you’re so jealous just go over there.” you heard sunoo say. turning around and scoffing. “i’m not jealous. if anything, good for him. he’s having fun.”

-

“jayyy~” you slurred, giggling as the older struggled to keep you on your feet. “jay-ah.” you called out to him over and over.

“come on, y/n. i need you to try and walk.” jay was, once again, bringing you home to his apartment. drunk you was a hassle but jay never complained. mostly because you were always so sweet to him when you were drunk.

“jayyy~. let’s go back! i wanna party.” you pouted, which most people would find annoying, but jay found it endearing. your arms were around his neck, trying to keep yourself on your feet.

“that’s enough for today. now we have to keep quiet okay? we can’t wake up the neighbors.” he held his index fingers up to his lips, insinuating that you should keep your voice down in the corridor.

“shhhh.” you nodded, whispering little complaints about how you missed your friends and the ‘amazing’ party.

-

“yes, y/n you can see jungwonnie again tomorrow.” jay has so much patience when it comes to you. taking off your heels as you began getting comfortable under his sheets.

”we’re gonna see our jungwonnie tomorrow.” you mumbled, falling asleep instantly. leaving jay alone in his thoughts. he sat down on the corner of his bed, watching you sleep.

”our?” he could only smile as a single tear rolled down his cheek. shaking his head as he removed his own shoes. laying down next to you after. he didn’t know how to feel…you had been kissing someone and now you’re laying on his bed. giving him false hope again.

-

the next time jay is awoken was at 5:37 am. you were puking in his bathroom. he was quick to be by your side, holding your hair and rubbing your back. “come on, let it all out y/n.”

who knows what you’d done in your past life to get someone as amazing as jay. you were grateful.

when you finished, you were panting. one of your hands had a light grip on jay’s shirt as he moved the hairs that were sticking to your sweaty forehead. “wait here. i’m gonna go get you some water, kay’?”

as much as you didn’t wanna let him go, you nodded. brushing your teeth as he went to get you the glass of water to quench your thirst. “here.” when you took the glass he watched you with concern.

”feel better?” he asked, sighing when you shook your head. “what do you need?” jay was so tired but of course you came first. though tonight wasn’t gonna be like he expected.

“jay-ah.” you wrapped your arms around his waist. laying your head on his shoulder. “i feel sticky…i wanna shower.” you whined, only to receive a small pat on the back.

”let me get you some clothes. hop in the shower and i’ll leave it on the counter.” jay said, about to open the door. until he felt you began to lift up his shirt. “y/n, what are you doing?”

”i wanna shower with you.” you were sober enough to know what you were doing. “can you unzip me, please?” it was as if this was a daily thing. you didn’t seem to care that you’d be showering with jay for the first time.

”no, i’ll shower in the morning.” but the older was already unzipping your dress enough for you to slip out of it. he didn’t expect you to drop the dress to the floor before he had the chance to exit the bathroom. eyes widening when he saw the purple undergarments you were wearing.

”please? i don’t wanna be alone.” those doe eyes you gave him always got you what you wanted. including now, watching jay nod slowly as he removed his shirt. his eyes were glued to the wall as he avoided your body.

you turned on the water before removing your last pieces of clothing, getting in first. “hurry, jayy~” you said, feeling your muscles relax under the water. when the older stepped in, he couldn’t help but feel shy at the way you eyed his body up and down.

jay really tried to pretend like he wasn’t affected by your naked frame either. tried. but his flushed face gave him away. stepping under the water as you began shampooing your hair.

”bend down a little.” you said, smiling at the way his eyes were shut but he listened to you either way. letting you wash his hair along with yours. the two of you stood under the water after you were finished showering. neither of you wanted to get away from each other yet.

you were the first to wrap your arms around him, hugging him as the warm water coated both of your naked bodies. nuzzling into him when he wrapped his arms around your shoulders.

jay was freaking out to say the least but he felt too relaxed to show it. it felt so nice having you in his arms under the warm water and steam. he didn’t give it much thought. both of your hands beginning to caress each other lightly.

”i’m sleepy.” you said, your voice soft as you looked up at jay. he looked so good with his hair wet. eyes landing on his lips. “we should get out then.” he hummed.

”not yet.” you said, taking a hold of his face before leaning up to place a small kiss on his lips. opening your eyes to him staring at you with that concerned expression he always wore. “i wanna kiss you instead.”

as much as jay wanted to tell you to stop and sleep on it (and he’d kiss you if you wanted when you were in the correct mindset). he nodded, he wanted to kiss you finally. for it to be his turn to finally feel your lips on his.

after his nod you pulled him down again, kissing him longer. the kiss remained soft but both your hands were exploring again. jays hands caressed your back and hips. yours interlaced themselves in his hair.

the sounds of your kissing was a little louder than the sound of the water hitting the floor. “jay.” you mumbled against his lips, feeling your core began to grow hot.

he knew what you were trying to tell him, hands grabbing the back of your thighs. “jump.” he said, pulling away as he placed your back against the wall. holding you up against it before beginning to kiss down your neck.

you let out small hums as he kissed any where he could reach. his hands busy holding you up. “jay, kiss me.” you were breathless, begging him to place his lips on yours again.

jay didn’t have to be told twice, smashing his lips against yours. your teeth clashing together for a second before the two of you found a pace you enjoyed. “bubba. please, i want you so bad.”

that pet name always made jay’s stomach fill with butterflies. you would call him that jokingly after he called it cute. but hearing you say it in this scenario was different.

”are you sure? sleep on it and if you want to when you wake up i-“

you hit him with the doe eyes again, “but i want you now, jay.” your legs wrapping themselves around his waist.

jay made eye contact with you as he lifted you up a little more to let you slid down on his length. he let out a shaky breath. watching your expression as he slid inside you. your eyes rolled to the back of your head and your mouth hanging open.

”baby…” the both of you took a second to take in how both of you felt. his forehead landing on yours. “can i move?” he asked, pecking your lips over and over.

you nodded slowly, holding onto him tightly. “bubba, the hot water is running out.” you said, your voice getting shaky. the two of you were beginning to let out low moans. his thrusts were slow and passionate at first.

”i know, baby. we’ll be quick.” he reassured you, his thrusts becoming a little faster. everything was becoming louder; your moans, the skin slapping, his panting…the sound of the water hitting the floor drowning out.

”ah. ah-“ you were bouncing on jay, breasts bouncing in front of jays face. he couldn’t help but take one of your nipples in between his lips. not knowing how sensitive they were. “jay! babe, please! please go faster.”

jay wanted your first time to be soft and slow but you were begging so nicely. his hips snapping quicker against yours. finally letting your nipple go, “baby, you can’t be so loud. it’s late.” he whispered in your ear.

”but it feels so good! fuck.” you were too loud for it to be six a.m. “y/n, please keep it down.” jay’s forehead laid against yours again. threatening to shut you up with his own lips.

”i can’t!” so jay, of course, had to take care of it before he got a noise complaint. once again, returning to kissing you. “close. i’m so close, jay.” your words were muffled but the scratching at his back and your clenching pussy let him know.

“cum, baby. it’s okay.” he said quickly, removing his lips for a second before returning to kiss you again. he felt your warm liquid coat his dick but he didn’t stop. instead, he set you down before turning you around. your red cheek smushed against the wet walls of the shower.

this position let jay hit a spot that you didn’t know could send you into a frenzy. “jay! fuck, please don’t stop.” thankfully jay was holding onto you because if he wasn’t you’d probably be on the floor right now. your legs were trembling.

”i’m coming, y/n.” jay knew he shouldn’t finish inside you without your permission so he pulled out quickly. holding you with one arm around your waist and the other leaning down to let you cum again.

jay’s panting and his grunt was what sent you over the edge. letting clear liquid coat his hand; you had squirted because of jay. your legs had completely given out on you, falling back onto his chest. “jay…”

”you’re okay, y/n.” he didn’t forget to wash the two of you off again. holding you and kissing the top of your head the whole time.

he was so focused on taking care of you that he hasn’t had the time to freak out. placing you on the bathroom counter after wrapping a towel around you. “close your eyes, baby.” hopefully you’d let him continue to call you that.

you listened, feeling him began to wash your face with his foam cleanser. he was so sweet. your arms wrapping themselves around his waist again. it was so quiet other than the sound of him washing your face.

the more quiet it got, the more jay wondered if all the other guys you’d kissed did this for you. or have wanted to continue with you like he did. but his thoughts were interrupted when you suddenly puckered your lips.

you kept your lips puckered as you waited for jay to kiss your bubble covered lips. letting a small giggle when he placed a shy peck on your lips. “so cute, jongseong.”

”stop playing around, y/n.” he said, feeling his face grow hot.

when the two of you finished getting dressed you laid besides each other. you had no shame as plopped yourself on top of him. “bubba…” you tested the waters, wanting to see his reaction. and you got what you wanted.

”hmm?” his eyes were closed as he rested his head on his arm. his free hand rubbing up and down your back.

”nothing, just wanted to see if you were sleeping…”

-

the two of you left it at that. you were awaken at almost three p.m with jay’s movement. “where are you going?” you asked, pouting when you felt his hands leave your waist.

”bathroom.” he smiled, watching you nod before returning to the position you were in. when he came out he found you sitting up. waiting for him with your arms open.

”i’m hungry.” you said, smiling when jay let himself fall on top of you. wrapping all your limbs around him.

he laughed when he heard your stomach rumble, looking down at you with those sparkly eyes of his. “what do you feel like eating, baby?” he asked. he figured if you were being so clingy it was because you wanted him to do that same(?).

”pancakes.” the reply was so quick that it made jay smile even wider. leaning down to kiss your forehead before standing up. leaving you spread out like a starfish on his bed. “then i’ll go make the princess her pancakes.”

you rolled your eyes, smiling. “one more.” you said, trailing behind him with your lips puckered. you seemed to like kissing(?) and so did jay. “there. no more for you~.” he teased after placing a long peck on your lips.

“you have to do with the princess says, bubba.” you winked, watching jay malfunction for a second. “yeah yeah…are you feeling better? cause you’re walking fine now.” he looked like he was on the verge of laughing at you but then his expression became concerned again.

”mhm. i feel good.” you were so clingly. backhugging him as he prepared the two of you breakfast. now that jay thought about it, today wasn’t that different from any other day…you know besides the kissing. you were always this sweet to him.

-end-

-extra-

“jayyy~ my oh so beautiful, handsome, pretty, sexy boyfriend. let’s do it.” you whined, your drunk giggles echoing in the lobby of the apartment complex. “please, i’ll be so good for you babe~.” you proposed, watching as jay apologized to the people in the lobby about your behavior.

”baby, you can’t say that stuff around people.” he nagged in the elevator. watching as you crossed your arms, “how about we go to bed and then if you want to do it tomorrow we can do it as long as you want?”

as much as jay adored you, he was not in the mood for sex after he watch jake throw up all over sunoo at the party. god the image was…nevermind.

”okay, deal!” you said, feeling jay throw you over his shoulder. “bubba, your butt is so big. i wanna bite-“ enough. drunk you was so unfiltered but jay found it amusing.

”if you go to bed right now then i’ll think about it.” he said, smiling as he laid you down on the bed. watching you send him a wink that let him know that you were in the mood. he shook his head, laughing. “come on, babe. go to bed.”

”i would be offended that you’re not feeling me right now but i’m sleepy.” you said, letting him take off your heels. you made space for him to lay next to you, cuddling up to him instantly.

”i’m always feeling you, baby.” jay’s flirting had become another level when the two of you began officially dating.

“i miss our jungwonnie. we’re adopting him jungwon.” your words were sudden and slurred as you laid your head on jay’s chest. feeling his chest rising up and down with light laughter.

“we’re not adopting jungwon, y/n.”

“why not?”

”we can’t.”

”watch me.”

[garunsdottir]

on 'aldhelm's wardrobe' & tlk costumes

[this post contains my opinion, and it might not align with yours. it is fine as long as we are respectful. keep that in mind, thank you]

[around 1.5k words]

as one can see, i’ve been posting a lot [and more to come lol] about Aldhelm’s wardrobe lately, and i want to clarify something: i post mainly because i enjoy the character, and i’m utterly stunned by Aldhelm having such a chokehold on me [yes, at some point you might say that i was simply gifing him, and you will be correct]. but i have to say: those posts are not an appreciation for the well-done costumes, because...well, i was genuinely disappointed by how poorly they were made. but why is it important? [NB: i'm not an expert; it was just details that i noted from the perspective of a person who likes this stuff].

part I: let’s focus on Aldhelm first [i promise, it’s about costume design and its influence on a character’s development!]

if you go through my tags for those posts, you can see that sometimes i leave notes of what i have noticed so far. the latest set was for one of the first fits that we encountered with Aldhelm. many didn’t like his blue ragged cloak, and so do i, because i don’t find it appealing or flattering.

but it makes sense: Aldhelm is still relatively young, probably isn’t that wealthy as later in the series, and he is dressed for the road and any occasions [robbery, scuffle, etc.] that might occur. so, i find this cloak rather suitable for a young man who is still making his way in a career as a warrior and advisor. that way, you can clearly see that his position within the hierarchy is lower, especially when he is side by side with Aethelred. later in the series [around s3], we’ll see him wearing another bluish cloak made from a sturdier fabric with a rolled edge [no doubt, a boy got a promotion]. even his court mercian outfit [that i haven’t gifed it yet] looks considerably less prominent than Aethelred’s, and that’s the point [though why Aldhelm’s is brighter i would never get]. it is a simple tunic with and a god-knows-what sleeveless garment [write me if you know what the hell it is] without any embroidery. again, later, the outfit changes, and Aldhelm is serving the look with that collar embroidered with golden leaves. the outfit underlines his status and signals to the viewers that the character has undergone some changes. above that, we are getting small details that reveal the character [examples: the length of his mail in comparison to Aethelred's, the short knife in addition to his sword, which is a common thing but again cannot be seen on Aethelred, and even if he has one, it’s unlikely to be used as anything but adornment].

thus, you can see my point: a costume is important.

but it’s not only about what it consists of but also how it was executed. spoiler—badly.

most of Aldhelm’s silhouettes are simply ill-suited for him, and he is painful to look at in this respect. his tunics are more than always way too short for him because of how tall and lanky this man is, and the brooch attached so high and in the middle creates a puffy look but makes him seem fettered and tighter in the shoulders, as if the garment is too small for him. the 2nd outfit [in order of appearance in the text] is clearly made out of cotton [which is not available at the set time period] and has the weirdest texture that again won’t be easily achievable. his chainmail? at a closer look, you can see how poorly, almost haphazardly, rings are connected to each other; moreover, it doesn’t even look like a proper sturdy iron or steel. the embroidery on his collar and the hems on the shoulders are made by machine [and that’s okay! not everything has to be made by hand in order to preserve accuracy, but leave small details for viewers to believe it was actually made by hand! a few sticking threads? amazing. uneven pattern on the embroidery? wonderful]. and where is his pouch? more complicated buckles, anyone? finally, the thing I hate the most: s5 and Aldhelm becoming yet another leather man. *cries in mercian*

if we follow the tendency of elaborating the outfit within the character’s development, then we would want to see in s5 that Aldhelm’s wardrobe to be more well-put, restrained, but bold in colours and high-status style that would be perfectly fitted for his age and position [think somewhat of lord Odda s1]. fitted my ass, we didn’t even get an updated version of the mercian look. ideally something like a long blue linen tunic with golden threads along the edge and a yellow wool wrap-over coat with decorated cuffs [the guy is loaded, he can afford it, come on]. but nope, just another leather waistcoat. yeah, yeah, there was that dirty-red-coloured cloak, but I won’t buy it, underneath it was something I cannot even come up with a name for.

phew, we get to the others. my leather-pretty boys!

part II: Let’s talk colours and materials.

why is this show so bloody dark? i am not only complaining as a gifmaker, but as a viewer: yes, i want to be able to see what is happening on the screen! i'm more than sure they use some sort of god-forbidden filter, and everything looks so dreary and bleak cause there is no sunshine in Wessex, you know.

the same goes for clothes’ colours. why is every item either black, or gray, or any other dirty-washed colour? people in the 9th century had natural dyes, garments had colours, especially if we are talking about someone wealthy. we have a lot of manuscripts and pictures that show it! bright yellow, deep blue, bold red, olive, and many others were available. why are even members of the royal family dressed mostly in gray? yes, we’ve seen Alfred rocking some red, but still, it was awfully plain.

speaking about rock, have you, guys, ever thought why heavy metal groups are popular in the North? It cause all Danes were wearing leather while pillaging and plundering Saxon villages. duh.

so, yeah, even if we want them to look super broody and cool, leather was not very common as an everyday material to wear. nor was it suitable for a battle as a whole garment. or are you going to tell me that it is so convenient to sweat the shit out of yourself in summer and freeze to hell in winter while wearing your trendy sleeveless vest [yes, i am looking at you, Sihtric]. don’t you want to protect your arms at all? not even a bit? i have a nice linen or wool shirt that you can wear underneath. no? okay. i'm more than sure that one can achieve a great look using the correct materials. but what do i know? [let’s ask king Constantine of Scots who wears this tartan picnic blanket that looks like a rug from Ikea. or Brida, her jacket from Zara, those awfully sewn squares of fur from s1].

and my, oh my, how ‘historical’ dramas are terrified of headgear. especially the female ones. i haven’t seen a veil, a headscarf, or anything else that would have been appropriate for the time, specifically for married women. other adornments or jewels? have you seen Aethelflaed’s crown? it’s supposed to be golden and decorated with precious stones, but it looks like an easily flexible piece of tin. and I’m so glad I wasn’t the only one who saw that Aelfwynn was wearing temple rings instead of the actual earrings [even though we have preserved examples of real earrings that were common in the period].

so, what do we have? awfully combed Vikings in leather with modern hairdos, inappropriate shapes and materials, and poorly made garments. is it really that important?

instead of a conclusion:

personally, i think yes. i'm a historical fashion enthusiast, and i do love great costumes that represent time periods correctly. to my mind, it is significant because most people would never search for real studies on the subject and would just believe things they saw on screen. and that’s the problem that will cause a lot of stereotypes and wrong perceptions of history and the people in it.

when we create something that is history-based [i am not talking about fantasy; play however you like with clothes there, i will only support] we have to remember that those were real people as well. they differed by status, but they still wanted to look good, ate well, didn’t like to get wet, quarrelled with their siblings while they were teenagers, and played with their dogs. they wanted to be warm, so they wore wool; they wanted to feel fresh while working in the field, so they used linen. they wanted to appeal to their potential partners, so they adorned themselves with embroidery, jewels, headpieces, and small accessories. they were humans that shouldn’t be looked upon as inferiors, but those [as they portrayed them to be] small details that were overlooked created truly Dark Ages.

so, yeah, costume design is important; characters speak through it.

thank you, if you've read this post.

[and stay tuned for more gifs of Aldhelm’s wardrobe].