#... anyway yeah woo hoo art!

[phoenixiancrystallist]

Month 3, day 18

Working on cleanup for the shirt design! Blocked out the letters with their background shapes and color so all the lines are nice and crisp and go where I want them to 🥰

[angstandhappiness]

CUTE

Nezha bing a big bro to MK and mei,/ the chaos duo actively being goofy loving siblings to nezha that force him to have fun time

Helping MK and mei talk threw there feeling of not being enough/not measuring up to there lineage.

You can't tell me he wouldn't be a good mentor, showing them proper stretch/warm up exercises. Helping them meditate

Also those two definitely would be dragging him along for sibling time. Arcade, movies, amusement parks ect, or going on nature hikes and other outdoor activities since nezha might enjoy that more.

i love their dynamic a lot i wish we had more chaos trio moments smh smh have some doodles 💛💛💛

[sweetteainthesummerx]

THE LOVE LASTS SO LONG (5)

In which ollie and aubrey text for the first time

series masterlist

★・・・・★・・・・ ★・・・・★

whitejadetigermovie posted

whitejadetigermovie our stars at the premiere!

WHITE JADE TIGER OUT IN THEATRES NEAR YOU

tagged: dallasliu, aubreyyang

liked by alexandrasaintmleux, walker.scobell and 882,007 others

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aubreyyang WOO HOO LET GO!!!

dallasliu so proud of everyone who helped make this happen

username1 wow they look so good

dior.n.goodjohn YES MY BABIES YOUVE SLAYED SO HARD

-- aubreyyang ILY DIOR

CNO MEDIA

NEWEST ARTICLES

White Jade Tiger, the newest historical drama premiered January 20th, 2025 at the TCL Chinese Theatre. The event was gorgeous with contemporary art featuring Asian artists. CNO media managed to snag a couple of interviews. View them down below.

Clip: An interviewer smiles at Aubrey, and she greets him with a wave and an excited grin.

I: Hey, it's great to see you!

A: Thanks! It's so nice to see everyone here to support the movie.

I: Speaking of the movie, are you surprised by the success?

A: Honestly, yeah. Very much, actually! Especially with a predominantly Asian cast, not a lot of movies like White Jade Tiger get so much traction. John, our director is an absolute genius. I learned so much from him.

I: Yeah, very true. Crazy Rich Asians was a complete hit. Anyways, congratulations! I just have a few questions for you.

A: Ooh, okay!

I: Alright. What is your favourite Asian snack?

A: Definitely boba. Does that count?

I: Haha, sure. What was your favourite scene to film?

A: Um, I think anything that was in the nature. I love B.C..

I: What was your go to entertainment on set?

A: (laughs, and flushes slightly) I watched a lot of Formula 1 and 2 on set. I got to go to the Monaco Grand Prix like what, four months ago? It was super fun.

I: Would you like to go again?

A: Well, yeah, of course! It's Formula 1, who wouldn't want to go? (smiles and shrugs)

I: Well, if anyone wants to sponsor her...

A: (looks and points at camera) You heard it here! (giggles)

I: Thanks for your time Aubrey, enjoy the night.

A: Thank you! I hope you like the movie. (waves and starts off towards the next press interview)

aubreyyang posted on their story

Caption: White Jade Tiger premiere! Go check it out in theatres near you 🐅

olliebearman replied to story

hey! congrats on the movie 😁

aubreyyang

hi and ty :)

olliebearman

it was really nice meeting you in monaco

aubreyyang

yeah! I had so much fun hopefully I can come to another race soon

olliebearman

let me know if your coming and we can get together w Charles and alex

aubreyyang

for sure ☺️

I need to head off to bed, but see u soon!

olliebearman

goodnight 😴

aubreyyang posted

aubreyyang coming soon...

liked by olliebearman, cnomedia and 662, 173 others

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user1 UAHEHKFN DIRECTOR ERA WHAT WHAT WHAT

dior.n.goodjohn can't wait 🤫

-- aubreyyang hehehe

alexandrasaintmleux text me rn!!

-- aubreyyang yes ma'am!!

-- smoothoperatorrr55 their friendship means everything to me MOTHERSSS

dallasliu working hard or hardly working

-- aubreyyang shouldn't u be on set rn go get that bag

-- user2 theyre so sibling coded

-- daubrey009 NOOO

-- f1girlypop sorry y'all after that vid w ollie theres no way

ACTORS NEW E-MAGAZINE

AUBREY YANG'S DIRECTING DEBUT

Aubrey Yang, Hollywood's sweetheart at age 18, announces her directing debut with short film Pelt, a coming-of-age story discovering the complexities of femininity and identity. Attending New York University as a film and classics student since age 16, the former of her majors is coming to use as this film started off as a finals project.

"It's so crazy," Yang tells us over coffee, "that my school project is being bought out and brought to Hollywood". The young actress turned director "loves acting with [her] whole heart" but working behind the camera certainly has intrigue.

Filming took place over the last five months, only weeks after her movie with up and coming star Dallas Liu premiered. Her success is astounding: she has won more awards before she can legally drink than most people in this industry do in their whole careers. Maybe another award is coming for this young star, only in the creative category.

dior.n.goodjohn posted

dior.n.goodjohn Pelt has been nominated for Best Short Film and Best Screenplay for London Film Week!

I am so honoured to work on my best friend's debut as a director and screen-writer. There are no words to describe seeing someone so passionate for something they do and be recognized for it. This film is our baby, so go watch it, out now on multiple platforms!

tagged: aubreyyang

liked by kimi.antonelli, londonfilmweek and 739,809 others

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aubreyyang when I asked you to play este in the film, I knew you would kill it. The insane vulnerability and dimension you brought to the character and screenplay is the only reason we're being nominated. you have exceeded my expectations for my finals project, and helped me bring my vision to life. London here we come baby ❣️

-- diorrrdear IM GOING TO CRY I JUST WATCHED IT AND ITS SO GUT WRENCHINGLY SAD AND ANGSTY

-- user1 "Hollywood never writes complicated female characters" UR WRONG BC AUBREY YANG IS HOLLYWOOD

dallasliu ate 🍽️

-- dior.n.goodjohn 4 + 4

user2 literally no one cares stop pushing this narrative of being a woman is hard like shut up u don't even deserve the nominations

-- aubrollielovess who?

-- user2 ?

-- aubrollielovess who tf asked u get outta here

olliebearman posted

olliebearman Home race this weekend, feeling like P1 🫡

tagged: scuderiaferrari

liked by kimi.antonelli, aubreyyang and 699,007 others

user1 photo 2 is so slutty he knows what hes doing

-- user2 he turned 20 got a f1 seat and is living the life I too would be a little slutty

scuderiaferrari sliverstone circuit you never disappoint ❤️

smoothoperatorrr55 MY PIPELINE AUBREY IS GOING TO BE IN LONDON

-- user3 stop ur embarrassing urself

kimi.antonelli 💪

user4 hes doing so well for his first year on the grid PROUD OF U BABY BEARMAN

★・・・・★・・・・ ★・・・・★

Taglist: @callsignwidow @honethatty12

© sweetteainthesummerx.tumblr. all rights reserved. unauthorized copying, translation, or claiming of my writing or any works as your own is strictly prohibited.

[lukedrawzstuff]

WOO HOO, hey hey murder drones fandom!

Sooo today was Def a BLAST! Hope y'all enjoyed the episode as much as I did! I hope y'all analized it frame by frame. Like I di- WHO SAID THAT!!! anyways I hope this fandom lasts for a LOOONG time and that we all can enjoy some nice good ol' happy ending for our favorite blorbos! Except Cyn, Tessa, Doll... Uuuh... Yeah sorry for us that loved them three...

BUT. I hope we as a fandom can still be up and active and that we can still post our art, fics, animations and stuff... This show has been A MASSIVE piece of my soul, so I want to thank glitch... Liam... The animation, writing, VA's, you name it!!! for ALL THE AMAZING JOB! see ya tomorrow and remember, that you look great but have y'all consider wearing a bow tho?

[ethicaltreatmentofcowplants]

Asylum Challenge: Day 13

Siri, play "Eye of the Tiger" 😆

This was the second of three days where Wicked Whims... kind of got out of hand until everyone figured out what they were into, I guess 🤔. Also I realised that I'd set the lot to the FLIRTY trait for one day and forgot about it which was... a chaotic combination to put it mildly.

So while nothing that explicit will be shown, just something to keep in mind, I guess? Warnings for WW woo-hoo.

That night, the Roswells stayed up late discussing the state of their marriage, and where they go from here now that they're played Sims. (The Watcher suggests maybe making use of the polycule update to see other people)

At nighttime, the Watcher activates the "self care" club to make sure that everyone sleeps, cleans up and repairs objects - and Vlad! What are you doing? Get out of there - the sun's about to come up.

Awww! Jacques woke up and autonomously went to take care of the garden. For someone who talks to himself and allegedly unalived his wife, he's been one of the most chill members of this household.

As the Roswells continued to discuss their marriage, Level 1 Handiness Lilac boldly went to repair the broken refrigerator - and managed not to get sparked in the process.

(Yeah, she's leaving it for someone else to take out the trash. She's a LAZY Sim, after all.)

"But what about relationship counselling?" asks Meredith.

"The Watcher's too cheap for that pack," reminded Ted. "And I don't think she has any intention of buying it - ever. Now let me perform an autonomous MEAN interaction because you're a GOOD Sim."

Lilac took pity on Vlad and allowed him to paint her like one of his Tartosan girls his hissing keeps on putting off, because... yeah.

Currently it's up on the wall but only so the Watcher can save this room and transport the art to wherever Lilac's adventures take her after this challenge. Really Vlad would have given it to her.

(Also I didn't warn for this because it's art 🫢. And less vivid than what you'd see in a museum anyway.)

Even though Rory has a pretty high level of programming, her encryptions for her freelance gig keep on crashing - seemingly at a faster rate than normal. Since I wanted to see if it was a bug, I took her and Lilac to Moonwood Mill where Lilac could continue the knitting grind and Rory could use the library computers.

Level Two: Thread Setter

✅ Achieve Level 4 of the Knitting Skill (4/4) ❌ Knit While Listening to Music ❌ Sell a Knitted Object on Plopsy

Lilac... then met Lou. And as some of you may have gathered by now, he may be a woof-woof, but he is essentially catnip to the Sims in my saves.

Just a night of innocent stargazing. What? For all you know, Greg could have left that jockstrap there.

As Rory finally completed her freelance gig, Lilac received some... personal training from Lou. While some 'lifting' was involved, I doubt that she acquired any fitness skill from it.

Once the birthday suits were about to come out, the Watcher made them 'conclude' things behind the Wildfangs trailer.

I... think this is fairly safe to show? Especially after I tried out my shiny new blurring effect from canva.

Honestly I just wanted to include this one to show how Lilac is blissfully ignoring the rat running around nearby - which absolutely sent me at the time.

Lilac only now getting TENSE moodlets from being around a transformed woof-woof 🫢

[umbruhcorpsez]

Hello tumblr……………..

After lurking here for the past two years and not posting anything, I’ve decided to return woo hoo! (maybe but actually yes.). Activity will vary if I remember to post stuff but yeah-

Anyways I’m dumping some old art here just to catch up on all the bullshitery that happened, starting with some pokemon stuff.

(Also find me on insta and twitter: @//umbruhcorpsez)))))

[gible-love-nibles-archive]

The Start of Team Soup (pt. 2)

Ough it's about time I posted this, I've had this ready for forever. Think the E.ternal D.iva fic gave me some burnout, despite how much fun that was to work on. Maybe posting some smaller stuff will get me back into doing bigger art and writing.

Word Count: 918

Taglist: @crickiss @heart-of-aspiration @halsdaisy @sosawl @fictional-bear-friend @jocelynships @imaginemyshipswithme [If you want to added or removed, tell me in a comment or tag!]

(Please reblog! I like reading tags :])

Clare slept in late the next day, possibly to see if all of yesterday was true. It was; she was still a Chikorita. After eating a couple berries left out in a bowl and drinking some water in a jar, she headed outside.

She wasn’t expecting to find Giovanni fast asleep right outside her door.

“Uh… wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey…?” She poked Giovanni’s shell a bit.

Suddenly, the Water-type sprung to consciousness into a battle pose. “Whoizit?! Who’s there?!”

“Giovanni, it’s me, Clare.”

“Oh.” With that realization, he relaxed. “Sorry, I was so excited to start rescue team work, I got up super early and came here! I guess I fell asleep. But anyway—“ He got Clare into a loose headlock. “Today, Rescue Team Soup starts its journey to become the best rescue team there is! WE GOT THIS, TEAM!”

“Woo-hoo, yeah,” Clare cheered less enthused, releasing herself. “So, how does this whole rescue team thing work?”

“Well, we need job offers! ...Which we don’t have yet.”

“That makes sense,” she thought. “We just started yesterday…”

“We can check the mailbox! Maybe there’ll be something!” The Squirtle raced over to the mailbox, the Chikorita tagging along behind. Clare hadn’t actually noticed there was a mailbox when she first saw the house; she guessed she was too busy with the complete dilapidation.

There was something inside: a big box with a strap. Giovanni’s eyes sparkled. “YES! A Rescue Team Starter Set! You always get one of these when you start a Rescue Team!” He started to dig around in the box and then tossed a round object to Clare. “Catch!”

Clare caught it with her big leaf. It looked like a badge with a pink center and wings on the sides.

“That’s your Rescue Badge. That shows you’re on a rescue team,” Giovanni explained while he pinned an identical badge onto his scarf. He then held out the box. “This Toolbox will let us hold things we find in dungeons.” He put the berries Butterfree had given them inside, and then pulled out a newspaper. “And then this is a copy of Pokémon News! It has useful info for rescuers.” He shoved the newspaper back into the mailbox. “You can read it later, though.”

“I guess you’re really into rescuers if you know all this off the top of your head.”

“Psh, since I was born! But is there anything else in here…?” A few moments of poking around determined the negative. The Water-type sighed. “Guess not… Rescue jobs usually get sent directly to rescuers, but since we’re so new, I guess—“

Giovanni stopped with the sound of flapping wings and the two turned to see what it was: a Pelipper.

It flew over their heads and landed on the mailbox. It shoved something into the slot with a thunk, and then the bird flew off again. It was Clare’s turn to check the mailbox.

Inside was a single letter.

“Is it a job request?! What’s it say?”

“Keep your shell on, I’m opening it.” Clare started to read the letter aloud.

“BZZ BZZ BZZ! (“Huh?” “That’s how it starts; don’t look at me like that.”) I HEARD ABOUT YOU FROM CATERPIE. PLEASE. WE NEED YOUR HELP. MAGNEMITE IS IN TROUBLE. (“Ohhhhhh, that makes way more sense.”) A STRANGE ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVE FLOWED THROUGH A DUNGEON AND IT STUCK TOGETHER MAGNEMITE AND MAGNEMITE. THAT ISN’T ENOUGH TO FORM A MAGNETON. IT’S NOT COMPLETE THE WAY IT IS NOW. PLEASE. WE NEED HELP. BZZ BZZ BZZ.

FROM MAGNEMITE’S FRIEND”

Included was a map of where to go. The two didn’t say a word. They just looked at each other… and took off to do the request.

…

Two Magnemite were outside a large rocky cave looking worriedly inside. Hearing approaching Pokémon, they turned.

“OH, YOU ARE HERE. BZBZBZZ!” One of them greeted the rookies. “MY FRIENDS ARE IN THIS CAVERN. THEY SHOULD ON THE SIXTH BASEMENT FLOOR. PLEASE HELP THEM!” After every sentence, electricity jumped between their magnets, making the buzzing sound.

And with that, off the two went.

Clare thought the dungeon wasn’t that bad, but maybe that was because she had a resistance to Electric-types… a luxury Giovanni did not have. Either way, after going through a lot more foes than the Tiny Woods and learning some new moves, they came to their destination. In a dead end were two Magnemites stuck together.

“That must be them. Let’s get them out.” Giovanni led the way out, mainly because he wanted to be as far away from the Electric-Steel types as possible.

~

The four Magmemite rejoiced once the two that had been stuck together separated.

“OUR BODIES SEPARATED. REJOICE!” One of them cried.

They all cheered, and Giovanni hid behind Clare in case a stray spark shot out.

“BE THANKFUL, YOU TWO.”

“YOU ARE OUR HEROES. THANK YOU.”

“It’s all in a day’s work,” Clare assured them.

The Magnemite shared with Team Soup 500 Poké, Reviver Seed, and a Big Apple, and then left. Giovanni finally relaxed.

“Man, that was so scary… But I’m glad it went so well, with this being our first real mission and all!”

But Clare wasn’t listening. It looked like from behind a rock, a black… thing was glaring at her. It looked lean and muscular, and it was too far away to make out many details.

“Hey Giovanni…” She turned to get his attention, but when she looked back, whatever it was was gone.

“What’s up?”

“...Nothing. Think I was just seeing things.”

[mokutone]

@greatcometdeservedbetter replied to a post: I know you mostly work with platonic buddies in mind but. Sometimes. You draw them and. I do want them to kiss.

ok, they can kiss

and then, for fun:

[necromite]

10 whole years!

[marciaillust]

Get a load of that boy 

[jlf23tumble]

hii!! how are you? happy holidays, i hope you’re doing ok!! i wanted to ask u for a fic rec, bc ur taste is!! so good! do u know any good hot larry girl fics? as in louis and harry are both girls? thank u!!

Oh my god, okay, so I started this last night, then the power cut, I lost it all, and now I’m doing it again, sigh, but rest assured, I have a TON of faves, there are so many greats, but I’ll try to keep it somewhat normal sized, ha, and put it under a cut. Hope you find some fics you love, quite a few are recent, but there is some old gold, too! Pouring one out for Phoenix’s OUTSTANDING genre-defining girl direction fics, and if you want those, she has them, you just have to contact her directly. Anyway, here we go! Girl direction ahoy, bb!

Let’s being with the larger places to start, no. 1 being @girldirectionsource, your place for fic, art, and everything else girl direction, especially if it’s recent--there’s an older fic rec source called @hlgirldirectionfics, but it hasn’t updated in a while. Two fic fests might help, too (and I want to say there were others, but I’ll be damned if I can think of/find them right now, so if anyone wants to send them my way, I can add on here): the Girl Direction Winter Fic Fest and the Girl Direction Fic Fest. @star55 is an amazingly prolific fic writer who writes hl girl direction exclusively, ao3 link here. 

There are other writers who have written multiple hl girl direction fics, so I’m going to group them with my two fave girl direction stories they’ve written, but definitely check out their other works, too (they’ve written tons of both hl girl and boy direction, fwiw):

momentofclarity/ @gaycousinlarry:

daydreams are made of this, 19k, series.  Mannnn, one of my fave writers, and god this series! Is! So! Good! The pining! Help!!! 

still feel the same around you, 13k. I’m addicted to the way Eli writes older larry, doesn’t matter if it’s f/f or m/m, gimme gimme!

disgruntledkittenface/ @disgruntledkittenface:

dream lover, 5k. Why aren’t there MORE reimaginings of Real Housewives in the girl direction universe? Sweet dreams are made of these, etc.!

pink like the paradise found, 18k. I’m always complete trash for the tag “louis tomlinson calls harry styles pet names,” but trust me on the rest of this fic, simply too much to love!

LoadedGunn:

Riding Comfortable, 8.9k. I’m always gonna side-eye a 25YO CEO, but yeah, LoadedGunn wrote girl direction back in the day, and yeah, nailed it!

Lips Won’t Let Me Go, 5.5k. Why does this read so real, regardless of whether it’s boy direction or girl direction?? (this being limo sex and award shows)

homosociallyyours/ @homosociallyyours:

Sour/Sharp/Salty/Sweet, 5.7k. Megan is such a POWERHOUSE writer, but the way Megan writes girl direction? Next level, way too hard to pick two, but c’mon, gotta go with the pubefest entry!

Don’t Have to Be Good to Be My Girl, 12k. HoooooBOY, this fic is so great, gotta love a good daddy kink and kink negotiation, exploration, and fallout.

Blake/ @newleafover: 

Something in the way she mooooooves, 11k. I’m gonna list three by Blake here because I can, god, I love 'em all so much! This one’s set in Davis, too, woo hoo!

Ballet Direction, 22k, series. JESUS, I love everything about this fic so much (so many easter eggs, true, but also the idea of this ballet class, disaster ballerina Harry, we love to see it).

Harriet and Louise, 28k. This one lived in my head rent free for a good long time, and it didn’t disappoint, the perfect Jane Austen story.

Okay, NOW let’s get into some one-off stories, and yes, the authors might have written other girl direction fics, but these are a great place to start...and yes, I know these don’t include EVERY single girl direction fic ever written, but these are some of my faves, most of ‘em recent:

Needy, SelinOriginal, 3.3k. This fic, just wow--give me some Princess Park, some daddy kink, some insecure period sex vibes, and some body worship, and I”m alllll set.

You Saw Me Standing Alone, yeah_alright, 4k. Why does this work so well? OF COURSE, this includes the pairing Harry Styles/the moon, but my god, it works.

Hoist the Colours High, @kerasines, 5.2k. The story Kim was born to write, I sooooo want to see at least 10k more, Pirates of the Caribbean AU.

all down your shoulders and back, eleadore, 5.3k. This focus on Harry’s hair and cutting it was so far ahead of its time, yet absolute canon? In 2014?? Yeah!

let me be yours, louhearted, 6.6k. Come for the daddy kink and Louis calling Harry baby, but stay for the overall softness and canon vibes of it all, yeah!

Got Me an Appetite, zedi, 8k. Honestly, everything in the gaybo fest is MUST READ, but this one fits into what you want to see in girl direction for sure (plus these tags, whew).

Make the Yuletide Gay, @flowercrownfemme, 9.7k. This is literally a Hallmark movie come to life, well, a Christmas in Connecticut AU come to life, but I adore the way Chloe made it come to life.

lend me your thoughts, HappyPrincess, 9.9k. I have (and will) read anything Nin writes, and this one, big WHEW vibes, me as all the comments (canon spanking and kink exploration and exhibitionism, ahoy!).

when half spent was the night, @juliusschmidt, 14k. This advent fic owned me when it came out, and I hold out eternal hope for a sequel (Louis’s pregnant, Harry’s the doula, and that doesn’t even BEGIN to express how much ground this one covers).

Tell Me This Is Paradise, QuickedWeen/ @becomeawendybird, 14k. If you read NOTHING else on this list, this series right here is the one you absolutely have to pick, every installment is hotter than the last, plus the characterization is just so good! But everything else? VER VER GOOD!

Lesbian!Alphas series, bottomlinsons, 20k. I’ll admit it’s been a while since I read this one, but I think the world of fic could use more lesbian alphas (Taylor Swift even sang about it, c’mon!) 

[freedom-shamrock]

Speaking on My Behalf

Also over on AO3

@saijspellhart allowed me to take this delightful idea and run with it, so here we are.  Go team!

Chapter One

"All right," Marinette said, handing Adrien the steaming mug. "One Cheng family, top secret laryngitis treatment. Careful, it's hot." She could smell the fresh lemon juice as it wafted in her face.

Adrien snorted ruefully, grasping the mug carefully before slumping back into the couch.

"He says, thank you," Plagg offered helpfully from his place sprawled in his holder's ultra messy bed head.

Adrien smiled and nodded in agreement.

"I'm just sorry I can't do more to help you," Marinette said, feeling bad. This was his first real illness since they'd decided it made more sense for Chat Noir and Ladybug to share an apartment. It would limit the risk of anyone else figuring out their identities the way they had.  The miraculous were excellent for preventing colds and illness, but apparently they didn't really impact allergies. The warm spring had been brutal on her partner and close friend. Tikki would point out that he was also Marinette's first and only love (or strongly imply it in her look and point it out once they were alone together), but she was asleep in her nest in Marinette's room.

Adrien shook his head and waved one hand as if to push her worry away.

"There's only so much even you can do, Buggy," Plagg offered. "He gets that."

Adrien vigorously nodded his agreement with his kwami.

"And to be fully honest," the black cat of destruction continued, "he wouldn't have gotten half this kind of treatment back at the mansion." His face squished up in a way that Marinette had come to learn was disgust. "His schedule would've been cleared, partly anyway, and he'd be abandoned in that compensation-chamber-of-shitty-parenting that his father called a bedroom."

Adrien frowned, looking petulant while he made indignant shushing noises at his kwami.

Marinette moved closer, scooping up the book and laptop from the ottoman near the couch, so she could take a seat there. She'd always felt Gabriel's cold nature ran into neglectful, if not full-on abusive, territory, but Adrien was quick to change the subject when things got too close to discussing his family life. "Nathalie doesn't have much of a bedside manner, huh?"

Adrien rolled his eyes. It was amazing just what he could express without his voice, and it was no wonder he was loving the acting classes he'd snuck into his schedule.

"Well you don't live there anymore, and we Dupain-Cheng folk do not believe in allowing those who are ill or uncomfortable suffer alone." She reached out to run her fingertips over his cheek, pleased when he closed his eyes and hummed happily. "I'll be checking on you regularly, and I won't be any farther away than the other room, so just send Plagg if you need anything, okay?"

His gorgeous green eyes fluttered open and he gazed softly at her.

"Yeah, yeah," Plagg agreed, his voice a jarring break in the gentle moment. "I'll come get you if he needs anything."

She'd brought work home from the La Fleur Fashions, the design house she'd joined before she even finished school. It was a small and highly exclusive house focused on women's evening wear, and while that was a bit limiting for her tastes, it paid well, and she enjoyed what she was doing. She'd made sure her contract allowed her to create her own  designs so long as they weren't competing for the same market, for her online boutique. Lucky Bug provided mostly one-of-a kind or commission pieces, including daywear and menswear. "Are you sure you don't want me to bring my work in here?" she asked for what had to be the fifth time.

Adrien's forehead scrunched up as he let out a huff.

"He would like to remind you that he's spent most of his twenty-three years coping on his own when he's ill," Plagg offered.

Adrien's eyes shot up as if he could see his kwami through his skull.

"He'll just feel guilty if you come out here," Plagg added. "No one has the whole guilt thing down like my kitten."

"Don't I know it," Marinette muttered, letting out a sigh and ignoring Adrien's indignant expression. "I promise, I'm happy to be here if it gives you any comfort, but I'm also not going to push. I definitely don't want you to feel more guilty about things that are basic human needs." That had been the first thing they'd had a serious talk about after moving in together.  He was constantly apologizing and trying to avoid being a nuisance.  "You are my best friend in the whole world," she insisted, brushing her thumb down his cheek.

"Ooooh," Plagg purred. "Better than Alya?"

"No contest," she replied, delighted by his response.

He closed his eyes and melted against her hand.

"I am always here for you," she promised. More than anything else in the world, he needed people who cared for him unconditionally, people who wouldn't turn their backs on him and leave him to languish in loneliness.

⁂

Adrien snapped his laptop closed. He was bored out of his mind and while he should have been happy to binge on Netflix, he was stupidly restless. The bright spots in his day had all involved Marinette, dear sweet Marinette, doting on him. He'd woken with a terrible sore throat from his allergies. He'd been able to easily identify it by the distinct characteristic that it felt like he'd tried to swallow a cactus (which he'd actually done once as Chat Noir, and would not recommend). His room mate, super partner, and all around best friend had been more kind to him in the first ten minutes than his father and Nathalie had been, combined, for all his sick days ever. His throat already felt better, but his voice would be gone for at least the rest of the day, but probably longer.

He clicked his tongue against his teeth and gently poked at Plagg, hoping to go for a run.

"No," Plagg grumbled. "We are not going out as Chat Noir today unless there's an akuma." His words were accompanied by tiny feet stomping on Adrien's head. "The Guardian wants you to rest."

Adrien's groan came out as more of a whine thanks to his irritated vocal cords.

"I get that you're fidgety, Kid," Plagg sounded a touch more compassionate. "But she's the boss, and she's right."

Adrien pouted. It was incredibly unfair that his kwami was so affectionate toward Marinette, yielding to her requests with no need of bribery. His frustration was disrupted by a delighted squeal from Marinette's room.

"Woo hoo!" She sounded giddy, and like she was trying to keep her enthusiasm toned down.

Adrien grinned. She was probably doing that full body wiggle that she did when she was super happy and excited. He opened his mouth to call to her, then remembered he couldn't.

"What are you celebrating in there, Pigtails?" Plagg called. He had almost as many nicknames for Marinette as Adrien did.

"This new dress is so awesome," Marinette replied. "I love it when I nail it on one of these. Monique is gonna love this one."

Adrien snorted. Monique loved pretty much all of Marinette's designs. It hadn't escaped his notice that the head designer and founder of La Fleur was asking more and more of her junior employee. She was clearly coming to Marinette when the stakes were highest, though being the humble person she was, Marinette hadn't noticed this herself.

Adrien waved his hand above his head, frantically trying to get Plagg's attention. He wanted to see that dress. He loved it when Marinette gave him his own private fashion shows. They were his own guilty pleasure, and admittedly featured strongly in his daydreams.

"Yeah, yeah," Plagg muttered. "Hold your horses, Kid." He raised his voice to reach Marinette. "We get to see it, right?"

Marinette's head popped out from the tiny hall toward her bedroom. "You really want to see it?"

She looked so happy, and Adrien felt blessed having her bright eyes so intensely focused on him. He vigorously nodded, cupping his hands together in silent plea.

"It would be rude to leave us hanging," Plagg added.

She disappeared with a giggle. "Okay.  Just a minute."

Adrien settled back into the couch, grinning like an idiot and vigorously rubbing his forearms to shed some of his excess energy. A new evening dress. He wondered if it would be cute or elegant, or something else entirely. Since they'd been living together he'd seen her create the gamut of evening dresses, from sweet things for teen starlets, to flirty numbers, to luxurious and sophisticated pieces sought by A-listers. And what color might it be? She'd done everything, though she preferred not to go with black unless it had accents because she felt there tended to be too much weight on basic black. The people wearing her works of art were guaranteed to stand out.

He tried not to pay attention to the sounds of zippers and the swishing of fabric. He was a model for goodness' sake. He could handle having a gorgeous woman change nearby without blowing a gasket.

"These shoes aren't quite right," Marinette cautioned, breaking him out of his little spiral.

"Yeah, yeah," Plagg replied. "It's all about the dress. We got it, Princess."

Adrien couldn't hold back the hiss when his kwami dared use his personal nickname for her.

Plagg merely snickered as he floated off Adrien's hair to land on the back of the couch.

Adrien scowled and batted Plagg off his perch. His death glare seemed to have no effect on the cackling little beast. He felt himself gathering for a pounce when the sound of heels on the wood floor announced Marinette's impending arrival. Freezing, he curled his lip one last time in warning before slowly and intentionally easing himself back into his reclined position.

Marinette sauntered into the room, treating it as her own personal runway. Sashay, sashay. Pause and pose. Quarter turn, pose. He could practically hear the drill he'd walked her through when he'd taught her runway basics. She may not have had real training, because his tutoring had hardly been anything, but she totally killed it, and Adrien was pretty sure his soul left his body the moment he got a good look at her.

The dress was a stunning sleeveless number in a magenta to midnight blue ombre with an overlay of tulle to give the fabric depth and movement without too much weight. The neckline dropped into a gorgeous V ending at her sternum. The skirting had a slit at the front that crept high enough to flash pretty much all over her amazingly toned leg.

She moved to her final pose, directly in front of him, a sultry little smirk on her lips. It was a good thing he was already sitting down, because the wink she threw him would have definitely killed him. She was so amazingly beautiful and talented. Even if his voice had been working, he would have had no words for her now.

After a moment, she relaxed her pose, giggling as she looked down at the dress. "I have to say, this is one of my best."

Adrien nodded vigorously in agreement..

She let out a happy sigh. "What do you think?"

Adrien opened his mouth for a moment, but found himself shutting it again with a little head shake. He still didn't have words, even ones he could silently mouth to her.

"NettieBug," Plagg said smoothly, darting up to float in front of her. "I can answer honestly for the Kid here when I tell you that you're hot as fuck."

⁂

I suspect this will need one more chapter to be truly satisfying.

Apologies for being so absent. I'm still herding kids and managing the household while we are all safe at home for a few more weeks (I can not wait for school to end!). I'm trying to fit in writing where I can, but often don't have the energy.

⁂

Check out Chapter Two >>>

[dirtgemini]

they got these developed at fantasy costco (and then taako magicked them lets be real)

(shoutout to @transbartsimpson for being inspiring with color and style for years)

[vgckwb]

ML: Are They Worthy? Chapter 30: Game Face!

After school on Friday before everyone left, Vlad quickly approached Max and asked “Hey, mind if I tell everyone about tonight?’

“Why?” Max asked.

“You know. Just to get a cheer squad” Vlad said. “So that everyone on the team knows they have people cheering them on.”

Max smiled and said “Sure.”

“Thanks” Vlad said. He then called out “Alright everyone, listen up!” The class turned their attention to Vlad. “As you may know, tonight the Paris Nighthawks are holding an exhibition match. As it just so happens, Max put together a team and they are aiming to take them down. Now, they would really appreciate it if they could get some support. If you have prior engagements, that’s fine, but to those who can make it, I would ask you to come. Tonight at Parc des Princes. Seeya there.” The class applauded Vlad and his efforts as well as the team, who was now standing side by side. After they were done, the class dispersed.

“I gotta get to fencing” Adrien said.

“I should go too. Alya said she wanted to take me somewhere before the match to get psyched” Nino said.

“Ondine said the same thing to me,” Kim said. The three headed out.

“Well, I should go too,” Max said. “I want to get in a few more practice rounds before tonight.” Max left.”

“So, where does that leave you?” Vlad asked.

“Well, I was hoping to do a check on your outfits for next week” Marinette said. “I might do a few little things here and there, if need be. Then after that, I think I’ll work in a few practice rounds as well.”

“Cool” Vlad said. “I’ve got a gig this afternoon, but I’ll be sure to be there tonight.”

“Great. Can’t wait” Marinette said. The two left. Marinette road in Adrien’s car as she had been doing for the past week. She was starting to get used to it.

In Gabriel’s office, Nathalie walked in and told Gabriel “I have that information you wanted.”

“Excellent” Gabriel said. He took the papers and skimmed them over. “I have a good feeling about tonight. Whether we win or lose, the Porter family is going down.”

“Sir, why not just inform the police now?” Nathalie said.

“I’m giving them the chance to do the right thing first. This also helps us work towards our goal” Gabriel said. “Besides, I want to give Adrien’s friend a chance to prove himself. It’s not everyday that someone gets to carry out their revenge.”

“Understood, sir” Nathalie said. She got a notification. “Marinette’s here.”

“Good” Gabriel said, handing the papers back to Nathalie. “I assume that you know what to do with these when the time comes.” He left to go greet Marinette.

Marinette walked in. “Hello again, Marinette” Gabriel said. “I thought you were focused on the match today.”

“I am, sir” Marinette said, nervously. “It’s just that I wanted to check on the outfits quick. You know, see if there’s anything I can fix up.”

“I understand” Gabriel said. “A good artist wants to look over everything before they make their art public. I know what that’s like.”

“Right” Marinette said. “But after that, I was thinking of heading home and practicing a bit before the match tonight.”

“I thought Adrien said you can use his set-up here,” Gabriel said. “Besides, we’re picking up Adrien after he gets done fencing. You can ride with us.”

“Well, that’s very nice of you, sir” Marinette said. “Wait...did you say ‘WE’ are picking Adrien up?”

“Yes. I have decided to make an appearance at this event” Gabriel said.

“Why?” Marinette asked.

“I’m sure you know this, but I have been a bit distant with my son. I mean to rectify that” Gabriel said. “I want to let him know that I support him.”

Marinette smiled. “Thanks, Mr. Agreste. It’ll mean the world to Adrien.” She went off and checked on her outfits, making slight adjustments as needed. Then she was off to Adrien’s room to practice.

“Marinette, it’s almost time to leave” Nathalie said, walking in.

“I’ll be there in a few” Marinette said. She was about to beat AXX3 again. Nathalie closed the door. Once Marinette secured her victory, she shouted “YEAH! WOO HOO! I’m the best!” She then did a dance celebrating her victory. After she was done, she left Adrien’s room and made her way downstairs.

Gabriel was waiting by the limo. “After you, Marinette” he said.

“I see the gentleman apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” Marinette said. Gabriel smiled. The two of them entered the limo. “Is Nathalie coming with us?”

“I’m afraid she has some clerical business to take care of” Gabriel said. “It’ll be fine. I can’t count the times that Nathalie has been there instead of me.”

“I guess” Marinette said. “But I’m sure he’d like it more if everyone were here.”

Gabriel said “I know.  But when you’re as busy as I am, it can be impossible to find the time.”

“Yeah” Marinette said.

Gabriel thought to himself Don’t worry Marinette. We will all join Adrien for every event in his life. Just as soon as I defeat Ladybug and Cat Noir and take their miraculouses.

Nathalie watched as they drove off. She then entered Gabriel’s office. She took the remote, pressed the button, retrieved the butterfly miraculous, and put it on. “Hello Nooroo” she said as he appeared. “Are you ready for tonight?”

“Yes Master” Nooroo said.

Adrien finished getting changed. He saw Kagami leaving and ran up to her. “Hey Kagami!” he called. Kagami looked at him. “Listen, I’m doing this thing tonight. I was wondering if you wanted to come along.”

Kagami was perplexed. “Um, sure? What is this thing?”

“Well, it’s an exhibition video game match” Adrien explained.

“Hm” Kagami said.

“Not interested?” Adrien aid.

“It’s just, I’ve never played video games before” Kagami said. “I never had the time.”

“I see” Adrien said. “Are you still interested?”

Kagami said “I guess… I don’t know.”

“Come on. It’ll be fun” Adrien said.

“Well… I guess I can come… if my mom is OK with it” Kagami said.

“Great. I’ll give my dad a call too” Adrien said. The teens called their respective parents.

“Hi mom. Adrien invited me to something tonight… Yes, I know the tournament is tomorrow… I’m just going to watch… I’ll be at my best tomorrow… Thank you” Kagami said. She hung up.

“Hey father. I was wondering if Kagami could come along as well” Adrien asked.

“Of course Adrien” Gabriel said. “In fact, your ride should be there any second. There’s a surprise waiting there for you.”

“Really? Thanks father!” Adrien said. He hung up. “My father gave me the OK.”

“As did my mother” Kagami said.

“Well then, shall we?” Adrien said, gesturing to the door. The two walked out to the limo to see Adrien’s bodyguard. He opened the door to reveal Marinette. “Marinette?” Adrien said. Kagami was perplexed. Adrien looked into the limo and saw Gabriel. “Father?”

“Hello Adrien” Gabriel said. “Kagami.” The two got in and the door closed. The limo took off.

“Um, what are you doing here father?” Adrien asked.

“I wanted to be there to show you my support” Gabriel said. “Even though I don’t know much about this stuff.”

“Kagami is in the same boat” Adrien said. Kagami smacked Adrien out of embarrassment. “Ow! What was that for?”

“Honestly Adrien, you should never reveal a lady’s secret” Gabriel said. “Didn’t I teach you anything?”

“You’re right father” Adrien said.

Kagami looked worried. “It’s OK Adrien…” she said. Adrien smiled.

The limo arrived at Parc des Princes. The group stepped out. “Over here” Max said.

“We have to get going” Adrien said. “You’re going to have to sit in the crowd.”

“It’s alright” Gabriel said. “I hope you do well.” Marinette and Adrien walked off to meet their team. Gabriel and Kagami walked over to the ticket booth. “Do you mind if I pay for your ticket, Kagami?”

Kagami looked up at Gabriel. “Sure…” she said. Gabriel handed over the money and got two tickets.

Adrien and Marinette met up with the rest of the team as well as Markov. “Hey guys. Ready to do this?” Adrien asked.

“I sure hope so” Nino said.

“I’m sure we’ve got this” Kim said.

“I admire your enthusiasm Kim” Max said. “Marinette? Your thoughts?”

Marinette got confident. “I’m sure we can win.”

Max smiled. “That’s what I like to hear.” The team and Markov walked into the area.

“And that’s game!” the announcer said. “The Paris Nighthawks have beaten another set of challengers!”

“Honestly, why bother with this?” Gerard said.

“Yeah, why do we gotta do this?” Laurence, the last member Max was familiar with said.

“It’s a show of strength” Terry said.

“Yeah. We gotta prove we’re the best every once in a while” Carter said. “Otherwise, how will the commoners know what to aim for? Isn’t that right?”

The fifth, who was in the shadows let out an unenthusiastic “Whatever.”

“That’s the spirit. Save it all for the match” Carter said. “Anyway, who’s next?”

“We are!” Max called out.

Carter was befuddled. “Well well, if it isn’t Kante-ke the heat” Carter said. “What brings you here?”

Max smiled confidently. “Your defeat!”

“Oh. I see you haven’t lost your edge” Carter said. “Who’d you bring with you?”

“My friends” Max said, with the team emerging.

Carter got a look at his competition. He also saw Markov. “What’s with the toy?”

“I am not a toy” Markov said. “I am Markov. And I am Max’s best friend.”

Carter chuckled. “Classic. You had to invent a best friend.”

“Markov might be a machine, but he has more heart that you ever will” Max called out.

“Max” Markov said.

Carter sighed. “Whatever. As long as he isn’t playing, you can keep him here.”

“That’s the idea” Max said. “Although after the thrashing you’ll get, you’re going to WISH you fought Markov!”

“Whatever. Just send your warriors up” Carter said. “We’re ready when you are.”

“Hold it!” Max said. “If we win, you’re going to get your dad to unblacklist me!”

Carter was surprised. “Alright then. But if we win, I want you back on our team. You’ve got nothing to lose. You’ll get unblacklisted anyway.”

“Very well” Max said. The team gasped.

“Max…” Markov said.

“It’s OK. I don’t plan on losing” Max said. “Besides, I do have something to lose. I’d lose spending time with all of you. So I’m going to be giving it my all.”

“Ugh. Let’s just get this over with” Carter said. He walked over to his team and gave Laurence a nod. Laurence nodded back.

Max looked at Nino and nodded. Nino nodded back. The two approached their stations. “Hey dude” Nino said. He looked at his opponent.

Laurence had red hair that spiked up to a point, a black Nighthawks shirt, red suspenders, red and black plaid pants, and black shoes. “Whatever. Let’s get the show rolling” he said. The grabbed their controllers. Nino chose WI2NY. Laurence chose IRON.

“Ready?! Begin!” the announcer said.

Nino and Laurence’s match was intense. Nino managed to get a few good hits in and always get Laurence to at least half health, but Nino could not pull a single win. Laurence was declared with winner. Nino turned to Laurence and held out his hand. “Good game.”

Laurence shook Nino’s hand but said “Yeah. Cause I won.” Nino was angry and walked back to his team. Laurence laughed his way back to his. “We’ll get Max back in no time!”

“Don’t get cocky” Carter said. “You saw that he got you down below half health both rounds, right?’

Laurece meekly said “Yeah, but-”

“No buts” Carter said. “This is going to be a battle. Max trained them. Of course they know what they’re doing. Still, we can win this. Terry. You’re up.” Terry ran out.

“Sorry about that” Nino said.

“It’s OK Nino” Adrien said.

“Yeah. You didn’t get as much practice as everyone else” Max said. “Still, you did well.”

“Thanks guys” Nino said.

Max saw Terry run out. “Kim, you’re up to bat.”

“Right” Kim said. He went to meet his opponent. Terry had long hair like Juleka’s, but his hair was black. He was wearing a black t-shirt and black jeans. “I bet I can guess your favorite color.”

“Har-dee-har” Terry said. “Let’s just get this over with.” Terry picked R2D3. Kim picked 2TO.

“And begin!” the announcer said.

The first round between them ended in a tie. Terry was caught off guard by this, while Kim maintained focus. He was used to focusing while swimming laps. He could focus on this as well. Terry eventually got back in it, but it was too little too late, because Kim eventually won, 2-1-1.

Kim went to shake Terry’s hand. “Good job.”

Terry begrudgingly shook his hand. “Whatever.” They both walked up to their respective teams.

“What happened out there? That’s not like you” Carter asked.

“I don’t know. That tie at the beginning threw me off. I don’t know how he managed to keep his head above water.” The fifth giggled. “Quite you.”

“Look, we can still take this thing. We just need to be careful” Carter said. “Just shake it off. Gerard. Bring your A game.”

“Got it, boss” Gerard said. He walked out.

“That was great Kim!” Marinette said.

“Thanks” Kim said.

Max saw Gerard. “Adrien, it looks like you’re up.”

“Great. See you when I’m done” Adrien said. He walked out to greet his opponent. Gerard was a heavy-set man with blonde hair similar to Adrien’s. He was wearing a white shirt, but had a black dress jacket and black pants. “Ready to go?”

“I’m ready to win” Gerard said. They selected their mains.

“And begin!” the announcer said. The first match between Adrien and Gerard was a bit rocky. No matter what happened, Gerard always had the upper hand. “The first round goes to Gerard!”

“Hey, pretty boy” Gerard said. “See that blue-haired girl on your team? Once I mop the floor with you, I think I’ll ask her out.”

“How do you know she’ll say yes?” Adrien asked.

“Trust me. She looks like she knows a winner when she sees on” Gerard said.

This made Adrien’s blood boil. “Well, we’ll see about that.” Adrien grew furious and got serious. Adrien would take that energy and win the next round and perfect Gerard in the following, giving him the victory.

“ADIREN!” Marinette cheered.

Gerard was confounded. “Well, I guess she does know a winner when she sees one” Adrien said, smugly. “Seeya.” He walked back to his team.

Carter met Gerard. “GERARD! What was that?!”

“I don’t know boss” Gerard said. “I was doing my thing. I told pretty boy that I’d ask the girl they have out once I beat him. Then he just went insane.”

Carter was furious. “Ready to give up, Carter?” Max called out.

“Not a chance” Carter responded. “Hey! You’re up!”

The Nighthawks’s fifth emerged from the shadows. Max was surprised. “You actually got a girl to join the team?” he said. “How did you do it?”

“Well, Katlyn here is pretty good at games” Carter said, condescending. “And she knows a good deal when she sees one. Unlike a certain someone I know.”

Max huffed. “Well, if that’s the case, I’ll have the honor of facing her.”

“And here I thought you wanted to face me,” Carter said.

“As much fun as that would be, I’d taking winning any day,” Max said.

Carter growled. “Katelyn, take him down a peg.”

Max Approached Katelyn. Katelyn had short, dark red hair, black glasses, a black hoodie with black stripes, a black skirt, black and green striped knee-high socks, and a pair of black Mary Janes. “So, you’re Max” she said.

“Yes” Max replied.

“Let’s get started” Katelyn said.

They both picked MX-01. “Well, this is awkward,” Max said.

“And begin!” the announcer said.

The first round was evenly matched for the most part. Whenever one got a hit in, the other got a hit in as well. Eventually though, that back and forth lead to Max taking the first round. “I thought you used to play for the Nighthawks” Katelyn said, confused.

“Correct. I USED to play for them” Max said. Katelyn smiled. The next round began, and Katelyn appeared to have stepped up her game. She was out predicting and out maneuvering Max at every movement, which lead her to win the next two rounds.

“And the Nighthawks take their second victory!” the announcer said.

Katelyn reached out her hand. “Thanks. That was the most fun I’ve had since joining the team.”

Max reciprocated. “You’re welcome” he said. They walked back to their teams.

“Now THAT’S what I’m talking about” Carter said. “I knew choosing you was a good decision.”

Katelyn, fed up with Carter’s attitude, said “Whatever. Just go and do your part.”

“Will do” Carter said. He walked out.

“Sorry about your loss Max” Marinette said.

“It’s OK Marinette” Max said. “At least this way, you can put Carter in his place once and for all.”

“Yeah, I get the sense that they don’t respect women too much” Adrien said.

“They don’t” Max said. “Well, more so, Carter doesn’t, and the rest of the team falls in line out of fear.”

“Well, I’ll be sure to give them a beacon of light to drown out that fear” Marinette said.

“I’d expect nothing less” Max said.

Marinette walked out. “So, your secret weapon is this little lady right here?!” Carter said. “And things had just gotten interesting.”

Marinette smiled and calmly said “Don’t count your nighthawk chicks before they hatch.”

“Well, aren’t you confident” Carter said.

“I’m so confident, I’ll even let you choose AXX3” Marinette said.

“Woah! There’s bravery, and then there’s sheer stupidity” Carter said. “However, since I am such a gentleman, I’ll go easy on you. Heck, I’ll even give you the first hit.” They chose their fighters.

“And begin!” the announcer said.

Marinette took advantage of Carter’s “generous offer” and proceeded to perfect him in round one. Carter was dumbfounded. “See, you might talk a big game, but I let my actions speak for me” Marinette said. Carter grew angry. This time he went to strike first, but Marinette dodged it. She was in completely control, as Carter was losing it. Marinette perfected him again, giving the overall win to her team. “Well, this was fun” Marinette said. “You don’t have to shake my hand. Just remember your promise to Max.” She walked back to her team.

Carter fell to his knees. “Bro, what happened?” Laurence said.

“You did the worst out of all of us!” Terry said.

“We were counting on you. And you let us down” Gerard said.

“You said it yourself, this was a battle. And you gave the opponents an advantage, which they took” Katelyn said.

“Maybe we don’t need to listen to you as much anymore,” Laurence said.

“Yeah, maybe we don’t need to do every little thing you say” Terry said.

“Maybe I should be the one at the top,” Gerard said.

“Nah, if we learned anything tonight, it’s that I should. You know, girl power” Katelyn said.

“Well, you and I were the only ones who won their match” Laurence said.

“It makes sense” Terry said.

“All in favor of making Katelyn our new captain?” Gerard said.

Carter couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His team blamed HIM for their loss? They wanted a NEW leader? How is this happening? How did I lose control? He looked at Max’s team. Max… It’s all his fault!

At that moment, Nathalie Hawk Moth emerged into the lair. Her Hawk Moth outfit looked like her Catalyst outfit, except with Hawk Moth’s mask instead of Catalyst’s helmet. “I can feel it. A heart crying out because they’ve lost control of everything in their life. All in one moment. How pitiful” she said. She prepared an Akuma. “Fly away, little Akuma. Give this heart what it seeks.”

The Akuma flew to the park and fused with the controller still in Carter’s hand. “Nighthawk. I am Hawk Moth. Worried that nothing is in your grasp anymore? To rectify that, I’m giving you the power to control people. All I want in return is Ladybug and Cat Noir’s Miraculous.”

“At your command, Hawk Moth” Carter said. The purple-black aura swallowed him, and the entire stage. Everyone was afraid. The stage was replaced with a giant sphere. Inside the sphere, Nighthawk’s eyes opened. “Let’s play!”

[nautiscarader]

Wendip Week day 3: We got each other now

(Ao3)

Tyrone Pines is an ongoing character in my older!Wendip stories, and he’s from @elentori-art‘s drawing.

- Well, we have each other now, son.

Saying this with a somber tone, Dipper put his arm around his son's shoulder, bringing him closer. He knew he wasn't gonna cry, he was far, far braver than he looked like. But still, something has been rising up in his chest, and the boy looked up at his father, looking for some wisdom in this difficult time.

- You know that means, right? - Yeah.

And suddenly, their sad faces wer filled with wide smiles as they exclaimed at the same time.

- We've got house to ourselves! Woo-hoo!

The two high-fived each other before Dipper prompted his son to turn around.

- Come on, wave mom goodbye one more time. - Bye, mommy!

The SUV honked again, before it disappeared behind the row of trees that hid Wendy and Dipper's house from the road.

- Don't forget to tell her that her hair looks nice after she comes back. - Dipper spoke to is son. - Why? - Well... I think women like when you mention that if they change the hair style. - Dipper pondered for a moment - I don't remember Wendy ever changing hers, though, but I always say it when she comes back from Mabel's day off at the spa anyway. - So, what should we do now? - Tyrone asked his father. - Well, let's think... What would mom not let us do if she was there?

The two men stood in place for a good minute, both scratching their chins in a near-identical, mirrored way. The truth was, Wendy wasn't a particularly strict mother, and living in woods of Gravity Falls meant Tyrone was both taught to follow rules, as well as to know when to break them.

At some point, Dipper shrugged.

- Okay, let's think what Wendy would not let us do if she wasn't letting us do stuff anyway... - Eat ice cream for breakfast! - Tyrone replied at once. - Good idea, champ.

A moment later, the two stormed for the kitchen, pushing themselves on the way, and it was Dipper who got to the freezer first. He took the large box, turned around and proudly opened it to his son's widening eyes.

- Oh, fudge! - Hey, language, son   - No, it is fudge!

Dipper looked at the box he took out.

- Oh, fudge, you're right! - Better take some strawberry-filled waffles with it. - Good idea.

Dipper took his son into his arms and let him take the package of waffles from one of the upper shelves.

- Think about that, Tyrone, we've got a whole day to ourselves! We can do whatever we want. So, what do you want to do first?

His son pondered a while, and at the same time as Dipper, their faces curled into a wide grin.

"The history of tortoise polo is a long and rich one, dating back to 1845, when sir Roderick Pflummington The Fourth rode his tortoise Bobby in a military parade in front of the King, and had to dodge a kettle the Queen herself threw at him after the third hour, displaying lack of amusement..."

The monotone, drowsy voice of Bert Kurns narrating his miniseries slowly put the two men into a state of slumber, as they stared at the TV in their living room, consuming spoon after spoon of the fudge ice-cream. It was already 4 P.M.

- You've got to give it to him, he can make boring things interesting. - Yeah, I think so. - Dipper mumbled.

He flailed his hand, trying to take another scoop of the dessert, but found himself whacking on a plastic, no matter the angle. Gathering the strength, he turned to the side, and found the box near-empty.

- Well, ice cream is gone. - What? No, I only have half the stomach ache! - Tyrone protested. - Hang on, I think we have more in the freezer in the basement. - Right next to bear repellent and portable internet? - Tyrone asked. - That's right. Gotta be prepared for apocalypse, like mom says.

The two looked at each other, and at the same time, they launched their fist s at each other. Dipper's was rock, Tyrone chose scissors.

- Aww, man. - Tyrone groaned and reluctantly got up from the sofa to go downstairs.

The basement of their house was quite spacious, and the act of venturing underground always gave little Tyrone a bit of a thrill he could experience in their home. It was naturally cooler, just enough dark to make a few hairs on his neck to stand up, but it was still cozy enough to make him feel safe. Of course aside the pantry he was trying to reach, the most important part was the vault.

It was the only part of the basement that stood out, thanks to steel, clean, almost alien-looking, black door, heavily guarded by both magic and technology. He knew his parents kept treasures there, though he only was allowed a peek or two in his whole life, and he always wondered if it was possible to somehow outsmart his parents and get inside.

Tyrone walked to the spare fridge, opened the freezer and, much to his delight, found not one, but five spare packages of fudge ice cream. He grabbed two, and was about to rush upstairs, when he felt a sudden gust of chilly wind on his back. Thinking the door to the fridge opened again, he turned around, but as he did so, a new image made him open his eyes wide, and drop the packages of ice cream to the floor.

- Dad! Come quickly!

The voice of his son alerted Dipper at once, and much faster than he thought he'd be able to, he sprinted downstairs, fearing the worst.

What he saw wasn't the worst, but it was quite high on the scale.

In the wall opposite the backups, there was a hole, not a neatly cut one, but evidently torn by some animal, as splinters of wooden planks lie everywhere underneath it, and only the partial darkness obscured the mess. Dipper grabbed his son and pushed him gently aside.

- Careful, we don't know what's inside. Go upstairs, I'm gonna call Ford and Stan, we gotta see what caused the damage. And Wendy too, she should know. - Can't I help? - No, Tyrone, and beside, if it can rip through concrete and wood, I don't think you are safe here. - But Dad... - Do as I say, Tyrone.

The boy ran to the stairs, and he was half-way up, when he realised he should be hearing his father making the call. He turned around, cautiously walked back, and saw the basement empty, and his father nowhere in sight.

- Dad?

Swallowing loudly, Tyrone walked into the tunnel, making sure not to cut himself on the sharp, broken planks, and took out his phone to shine the light on the walls. The tunnel went down, and it was getting wider, though that didn't exactly make his journey down easier. Whatever creature lived there, didn't require rails or handles to secure itself while crawling.

There was however, a sound. A terrifying, paralysing sound of scratching and clicking that simultaneously made Tyrone freeze in place and push himself to go further.

His father was there, and he had to do something.

He realised he didn't need his phone anymore to shine light; the walls were covered with glowing mushrooms and purple crystals, emitting eerie, cold light. And then, amongst the unnatural noises, he heard something worse. His father's gurgled voice.

- Get... off... me...!

If he ever had any hesitation, it was gone once and for all. Tyrone peeked out of the corner and saw a monstrous, lobster-like creature with several, elephantine tentacles or trunks, holding his father. The dark, pupil-less eyes stared at him, with evidently one intention.

The next moment, the cavern was filled with a scream, but not of the monster, nor Dipper, who found it more and more difficult to breathe, but a new one.

- FUDGE YOU!

The creature turned its head towards the intruder, only to have his vision blocked by something gooey, cold, and rather tasty. The monster dropped Dipper to the ground, and it took him a while to get up, horrified by the sight of his son crawling further down.

- Ty...Tyrone!

Dipper desperately moved his arms and legs to climb up, but more importantly to push his son to the exit first.  

- I got you, dad!

He reached his hand and with more than few problems pulled his father up, just in time for another loud noise to fill the cave.

- Run!

Dipper grabbed Tyrone and rushed to the exit, hoping he would be able to give his son more time to escape. The light of their basement was already on the horizon, getting closer with each second, but so was the noise of the pincers and claws behind them. Heart beat faster and faster, and only when Dipper and Tyrone crossed the boundary between the tunnel and their house Tyrone and Dipper allowed themselves a breather.

But the very next moment a loud crash behind them reminded them of the monster, who evidently couldn't get through the wall the first time, but found enough strength to do so now. Tyrone shrieked, but his vision was obscured by his father shielding him from the tentacles.

- Close your eyes!

Tyrone followed his father's command, and he did so, knowing what was gonna happen. Last thing he saw was his dad grabbing the bear repellent and aiming the nozzle straight at the monster's eyes. The basement was once again filled with its shriek, and Tyrone knew his father has done it.

And then, Tyrone felt something dripping on his face.

A single drop fell to his lips, and he realised he was tasting blood.

He opened his eyes, just in time to see his father fall to the floor beside him, and Tyrone quickly grabbed him to see if he was hurt, though he mentally tried to not notice the tentacle around his shoulder. But as he examined him, Tyrone realised it was the monster's appendage that was bleeding, an odd, violet thick substance, exactly where it has been cut.

- Get out, you oversized shrimp! You belong to the hors d'oeuvre table!

A familiar, loud voice brought a wide smile to Tyrone's face, when he saw his mother swinging a huge shining axe back and forth, chopping one appendage at a time, much to the creature's distress. But Wendy didn't want to harm the animal, she wanted to kill it once and for all. With a final swing, she bashed the creature's head, splitting it in half and covering herself with the same stinking, thick substance that was dripping from the floor.

Only when the lifeless body of the creature slid down the cave, Wendy allowed herself to turn back.

- Tyrone! Dip!

She dropped her axe and rushed to her family, and brought them into a tight hug. Tears flew down her cheeks, mixing with the odd substance that covered her, her husband and their son.

- Are you guys okay? - Ca-Careful, I-I might have a rib or two broken... - Dipper wheezed, and his eyes bulged when he felt Wendy's arms around him. - Oh, sorry, honey! We're gonna rush to the hospital soon. - Uhm...

Tyrone opened his mouth.

- Your hair look... uh, nice, mom?

With most of her strands dishevelled and soaked in the monster's blood, that was a blatant lie, but it didn't stop Wendy from bursting into a deep laughter while tears of happiness continued to trickle down her face. Even Dipper managed to let out a chuckle, though his tears were a bit more of pain.

"And thus, we conclude our 75-part miniseries about tortoise polo, its origins, and intense and violent history that continues till present day. In the next series, we will dive into the history of manatee surfing, a fascinating sport that originated in ancient Mesopotamia..."

Five hours later, three boxes of fudge ice cream lay open, one for each member of the Pines family. Dipper was worried the extra calories might rip the bandages he had around his torso off, but he also felt that each spoon improved his health significantly. For Wendy, no amount of sweets would produce a better taste than the one of safety, as she looked at the two men most dear to her life.

From time to time, she ruffled her son's hair, sneaking kisses on his forehead, much to his simultaneous delight and protest.  

- Mo-om! - Shush, Tyrone. If you were to rescue your kid, you'd be giving them kisses all the time, just to make sure they're fine. - And me?

Dipper puckered his lips, but received only another portion of ice cream to his lips.

- You're getting nothing for going after that thing alone. - Hey, I told you! - Dipper protested - I tried to call Ford, Stand and you, but that thing got me first. I would never go into a dark tunnel alone.

He turned to his son.

- I said, I'd never go into a horrible, dark, monster-infested tunnel alone! - And if I didn't, you'd be its dinner. - Tyrone blew him a raspberry.

He yawned and cuddled up to sleep between his parents who quickly placed a blanket over him. A moment later, first snore filled the living room, when Tyrone fell asleep, tired after the day full of fudge and mortal peril.

- We trained our kid well. - Wendy cooed. - I agree. And sorry for ruining your day at spa with Mabel. - What? - Wendy looked up, confused - Oh, nah, that's alright. You guys are more important.

She leaned over their son and kissed Dipper, tasting the sweet, chocolate-y flavour on his lips.

- And don't worry, Dipper, I'll make sure to be very careful tonight.

Her voice suddenly turned into a low and smoky one, and even if Wendy didn't drag her finger gently across the bandaged side of his chest, Dipper's skin would be full of goosebumps.

- My combatant deserves it.

She then took her phone and replied Mabel the message that she meant to send five hours ago: that next time they play paint-ball, they will have to remove Waddles from her team, because he's too good.

[cromulentbookreview]

Ambergris!

Amberlough, Armistice, Amnesty...Ambergris? That could be a potential title for a 4th book, right? I mean, Ambergris is basically whale poo that makes perfume, but hey, it’d be a cool title. It’s also the basis of an awesome Bob’s Burgers episode.

I couldn’t find a gif from the actual episode, so...I picked this one.

And by all of that, I mean: Amnesty, book three of the Amberlough Dossier by Lara Elena Donnelly!

Hoo boy. 

So there are two things I really, really love in a story: old timey spycraft (there’s a reason why one of my favorite ever TV series is TURN: Washington’s Spies. You don’t get more crafty than 18th century spycrafting!) and Art Deco. I love Art Deco. I love the style that emerged in the 1920s and 30s - when fashion, especially for women, took a massive heel-face-turn, when electricity was only just becoming mainstream, cars were phasing out horse-drawn transport, radio was becoming a thing and everybody smoked like chimneys and drank like fish, and figured it probably wasn’t bad for you. Seriously, you go from the 1910s, where women’s skirts were floor-length and heaven forbid someone see your ankles, to dresses with hemlines above the knee. We’re talking knee-exposure, people! That is a DEFCON-1 sartorial situation, people! Edwardian matrons are having heart attacks at the sight of their granddaughters’ knees. The 20s and 30s it seems combine the sort of fun, old-timey lawlessness of Ye Olden Days with just a enough modernity so things are fun. I mean, come on, it’s like Boardwalk Empire or The Untouchables, or Jeeves and Wooster or Caberet. Or the planet Sigma Iotia II from the Star Trek episode A Piece of the Action. 

OK, so my love of the 20s and 30s and old timey spycraft has been well-established, right? Yeah, those are both things I very much enjoy. I love John Le Carre’s George Smiley books because that’s back when spying involved handwritten notes taped to the backs of benches and dead-drops in train station lockers. I’m sure modern spycraft still uses some of these old-school methods - you can’t hack a piece of paper, after all - but old timey spycraft just sounds, I dunno, more fun than modern spycraft. At least, it’s more fun for me to read about.

Anyway! This brings me around to Lara Elena Donnelly’s Amberlough Dossier series.

The Amberlough Dossier is technically a fantasy series because it takes place in a world that doesn’t exist. Though that world seems extremely familiar - it’s basically Sigma Iotia II from A Piece of the Action, or Berlin of Christopher Isherwood’s 1930s - a world of decadence, caberet, free-flowing booze and cigarettes...that is slowly rotting from the inside out. 1930s Germany is a fascinating place - and by “fascinating” I mean “pants-pissing-levels of terrifying.” As someone who spent many, many, many, some would say “too many” years spent learning German, a language I almost never, ever use in my daily life (like, ever), I also spent a lot of time learning about German history. The way the rise of the Nazis also saw the rise of the Kabarett. Anyway, Amberlough City is very much like a mix of New York, London, and Berlin of the 30s. You’ve got all the fun of the 30s, mixed with the rise of a Fascist party called the One State Party, or OSP, frequently referred to as “Ospies.”

Now, if you haven’t read Amberlough and Armistice, you should. You really should. In fact, why don’t you do that. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Did you read them? Aren’t they fantastic? OK. So, on to the grand finale: Amnesty!

Just as Armistice begins with a three-year time jump after the events of Amberlough, Amnesty does the same, only this time, it’s five years after the events of Armistice, eight years after everything that went down during Amberlough. I’m not always a fan of time jumps - more often than not they make me angry, because I want to know absolutely everything that happens all the time always. Only, in the case of Amnesty, as with Armistice, I got over it pretty quick. Donnelly knows how to smooth over a time jump, filling us in with the events that happened in-between, and it does make sense that, for the most part, most major events of interest don’t always take place in perfect, chronological order. Anyway, we’re at five years after Armistice - Aristide and Daoud failed in their efforts to find Cyril in the Lisoan jungle, and they ended up setting up their own half-legit import/export business instead. Things are going pretty well - then Aristide gets a phone call from Prince Asiyah. They’ve found Cyril. Gasp!!

Meanwhile, in Amberlough, the Ospies have fallen. The revolution is over. If you were hoping for a whole book dedicated to guerilla warfare between Spotlight and the Ospies, well...sorry, you’ll be disappointed. Instead, we skip immediately to the interim government, trying to rebuild Amberlough from scratch. Lillian DePaul, with her husband Jinadh Addas and their son Stephen, now 13, have relocated back to the DePaul family home in Amberlough. The houses (a country estate and a town house) didn’t fare too well during Ospie rule, nor did the DePaul family’s assets. Plus, there’s also Cyril’s reputation is traitor to the nation to deal with. So Lillian, practically broke, has to contend with two crumbling houses that she can’t afford to staff properly, a husband who is not 100% happy with life in Amberlough, and a 13-year-old boy who acts like, well, a 13-year-old boy. Namely: moody, pissy and generally insufferable.

Then she gets a call out of nowhere from her old kind-of-sort-of-friend, Aristide Makricosta, with the news that her brother Cyril is still alive, and heading back to come stay with her. Yay?

Poor Cyril. Things were not great for him during the 8 years between the end of Amberlough and the start of Amnesty. He’d spent most of that time running dangerous ops for the Lisoan government in the jungle, with little regard for his own life. So when he finally emerges back to civilization he’s...well, different. There’s definitely a strong combination of PTSD and extreme guilt there. Plus a bit of survivalist kleptomania (hey, if you don’t know when you’re going to eat next, you’d squirrel away bits of food, too). Cyril is basically a man with a death wish, not giving a fuck about much of anything, preferring instead to retreat behind the mask of his work identities. Now he’s back - reunited with his old lover, Aristide, and his sister, Lillian. Plus, he gets to finally meet his nephew, Stephen.

But Cyril’s return to Amberlough isn’t exactly the best idea: once word gets out that he’s back, one of the politicians running for president of the new Amberlough decides to use Cyril as a political platform, namely that he should be arrested and put to death for treason. Cyril is like “sure, OK,” to that, but Lillian and Aristide? Yeah, they definitely don’t like that idea, and now they have to scramble to save not just Cyril, but themselves as well.

OK, so I fricking love this series. I tore through Amberlough and Armistice in just a couple of days, and I’m a slow reader, so that’s saying something. Amnesty is a completely satisfying end to the series, though I will still want more details about Cyril’s SuperHappyFun Jungle Adventures, or Aristide’s adventures in Porachis Bollywood or Coredlia’s rise as the leader of the resistance. Having those time gaps between books means we get to imagine all the adventures that happened in between. Which means: fanfiction! Woo! Or possible future short stories of novellas. (Cough cough hint hint Ms. Donnelly). If you’re not fond of big time gaps, then you might find this series frustrating, but still, Amnesty is an absolutely satisfying conclusion to the series.

My biggest complaint is, however, most definitely a spoiler, so I will be as vague as possible: one of the characters is killed off between Armistice and Amnesty. At first, I was pissed - it’s like when a character is killed off between seasons of a TV show because the actor got fired or left for a different job. You’re like, “noooo!” but, going directly from Armistice to Amnesty, the death of this particular character does make sense, and it’s not like their death is dismissed with a hand wave. It’s a huge part of the story. I’d already forgiven the off-screen death by the time I’d gotten halfway through the book. So if you’re tempted to throw the book across the room when you learn that [character] died between books, don’t. Keep going. You’d be cheating yourself otherwise.

My second biggest complaint is that we never get a map that includes the exact locations of Liso and Porachis. I want to know where everything is, damn it!

In all, you need to read this series. If you want a fantastic LGBTQ romance, a story that spans nearly a decade, old-timey Le Carre-level spycraft, political infighting, scheming, and a 1930s-esque world, then you need to read the entire Amberlough Dossier. Go on. You know you want to.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Fans of worlds inspired by the 20s and 30s, John Le Carre fans, anyone in need for a LGBTQ romance with spycraft elements.

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR: Anybody not interested in reading about the minutiae of politics of a world that doesn’t exist. I love that sort of thing but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea.

OVERALL SERIES RATING: 5/5

AMNESTY RATING: 4.5/5

AMNESTY RELEASE DATE: April 16, 2019

ANTICIPATION LEVEL FOR ANOTHER BOOK / NOVELLA / SHORT STORY / ANYTHING: Olympus Mons