#I WENT A LIL HAM WITH THIS STARTER..

[weavewithin]

Before chatting with the people sharing the cargo ship with her, she'd known but rumors, quilts of voices in varying locations in the past, of what the country of Piltover is like.

Divided, depraved, dangerous. But Taliyah remained ever hopeful, refusing to let the words of others to stitch her path for her. The dark accounts were easy to toss into the salty wind, as she stared, wide eyed, at the approaching silhouette of the city-- dark, spindly shapes contrasted with the glowing white beyond them.

She never tore her eyes from the buildings, now so close that the taller ones shadowed the docking ship. It had been easier to admire the view, than to listen to the hollow, vast absence of earth beneath her feet.

Somewhere along the way, the deep blue water had taken on an almost black color, and for the first time, the air carried a strange, dull waft. This was, supposedly, a dock situated in the area where Piltover blended into Zaun. She recalled the warnings of the other travelers on the ship-- and as if on cue, there was a sudden impact that caused the ship to bob, smoke pluming from its side.

A choked sort of sound squeezed Taliyah's throat as she assessed the situation. She was deathly afraid of the water, but she might be able to bridge her way with the earth of the dock, the ship being so close, but not close enough to jump over.

Starter @shimmerbeasts

[szilverer]

Reisz lives for the thrill. Turns out you get a LOT of thrill when you clash with other living beings in a violent manner. So yes, they can handle themself in a fight. It's become one of their favourite things to do ever since winning a sparring match against the Armoured Veteran (after dozens and dozens of losses). It's part of who they are.

It's music they love singing and dancing to.

putting this under a cut bc it ended up SUUUUUPER long LOL i think about them fighting and possible neathy battle mechanics very often! TL;DR in red yknow the drill

Shall we?

For starters, I actually wrote about this before :3c post-ambition, pre-Evolution, around 120~150 Dangerous and very little advanced skills.

there's a lil more info on that post abt their past neurological damage from LF. they've recently "healed" from it for reasons the ghostie themself doesn't know - regardless, the habits & skills acquired from that period of their life remained.

Do they have a preferred fighting style? Weapon?

They are going to be breathing down your neck as much as they can. From the very start, Reisz got accustomed to learning things solo through their own blood and sweat, so they've always had their own singular style from observing tigers and other big predators, nightmares, wrestling and boxing matches, and even rugby. yeah I know, this mf is a jock LOL

Reisz took a long time to learn how to wield weapons due to their past fine motor control issues. Nowadays they know how to get by with rifles, knifes, canes and similarly shaped tools/utensils. Regardless, their preferred weapon will always be their own body.

Special mention to the meat hook, tho. More on it later

What strategies do they use to avoid or escape from fights?

why would they do that.

if it is an emergency bolting away is always effective. They run around their marsh lair often, they have quite the endurance for a parkour escape montage.

What weaknesses do they look for in an enemy?

This depends on how lethal they need/are allowed to be.

People/humanoids/etc : They can tackle most out there by either their own size alone or proper technique (shout out to Southwark my homie who Rei trampled bc i only did that part of Dangerous MYN post LF & during Evo). People that don't know them tend to assume they're much slower than they actually are, so overwhelming their foes with speed and a good hit is usually enough. Nowadays things are over pretty quickly so they don't quite deviate from that formula.

Honestly, they don't really bother looking for weaknesses per se. they go for the standard weaknesses most working bodies have: breath, pressure points, tendons/muscles to damage, painful spots/organs to hit. (they dream of the day someone is gonna Shapeling Art their organs out of their way and they can play whack-a-mole tbh.)

(Bonus!) Nightmares: The fun part about slaying those is that no two foes are the same. How real is this thing? What is its core feeling from? Does it have sentience I can trick or use somehow? Is it based on something from the Is? These are the main points they assess before going to town.

Since they are an Oneirotect specialized in stabilizing dream-fabric and making things less affected by dream randomness more permanent; I kind of imagine Rei as using Glasswork for some sort of negation of the Is-Not properties of things around them. Example: a nightmare beast that would brush away a stab by randomly becoming rubber and making the knife go boing-oing-oing becomes a lot more fleshy and vulnerable to bleeding out. And then they kill it like any other living thing.

What strategies do they use for fighting?

i went so ham over this i drew a bunch of bullshit. behold.

i think they might develop a phase 3 by the time i do Firmament. stay tuned (?)

> Oh, so they're a close-range fighter then! Their weakness surely must be being kept at a distance!

yknow they can just shoot you, right? anyway,

Enter the Honest Butcher's Tool, courtesy of Mr Heartsy's Game:

think gogo yubari from kill bill with a meteor hammer, this guy with a rope dart, etc

A hook is not the best end piece for moves like this but Reisz doesn't care, they're developing a style with it more for dance-y spinny fun than anything else. Also pulling you close. So yeah. They still mess up with it a lot but it might or might not still be poisoned, so they only need to nick the average joe anyway.

They could do all sorts of more effective things such as whistling/fingerdrawing some Correspondence, ofc, but this is more fun. When you are overcapping on Dangerous AND as adrenalin-battle-brained as they are you start giving yourself handicaps.

Hold on. Does this killing machine have no weaknesses? Preposterous...

In a way, FLPCs are kinda broken power level wise. Reisz is even more so on account of being a [spoiler] and getting a bunch of metabolic endurance haxx from it. This gave them bad habits.

Simply put, Rei's most glaring weakness is themself. They enjoy the fight, the struggle, the violence even. This means that they don't always choose the most efficient options and deliberately ignore smarter decisions for fun's sake. Not taking things seriously is something that can be exploited by a enemy that's more of the strategist type.

For example, Reisz is susceptible to baiting in the sense that they See your bait, they Know it's bait, and yet they walk right into it because they either think they can tank it or simply bc they're curious enough. You say BET? they go BET!!!

They might also overestimate how much damage their own body can take and waste precious seconds/reaction time handling it.

Since their style is more of an one-on-one kinda deal, they would also have more trouble with a number of well-coordinated enemies.

Against other FLPC-level opponents (access to Advanced Skills etc), Reisz is much more on-guard. Neathy skills add a lot of extra possibilities and they are very aware of their lack of experience in this field! Which, well, is a weakness in itself. They need to Stop And Think when it comes to foes they can't simply tackle, punch or shoot. Timing and reflexes is everything in combat so this slight delay can add up and be used against them as well.

Their usage of Correspondence is very corporal, very instinctual, so I think they could have trouble reading and counteracting sygils thrown at them in the heat of the moment. If Correspondence is code, they're the kinda programmer that memorised key text and can frankenstein stuff together on the fly, but would need extra time to read anyone else's code or build a whole proper thing from scratch.

In any case, surprising them somehow is a great strategy. The more the merrier. And they're gonna enjoy it too! Which stimulates Feral Brain, who gets in the way of Smart Brain. This is the key to defeating the Reisz.

Lastly, winning is the goal of course but losing isn't the end of the world as long as it is a good learning experience! So anyone's free to attempt pummeling them – because they're honestly, genuinely, happily eager to see you try!

tehehehe <3

if you made it all the way here thanks for reading LMAO this was super fun to conceptualize and put in text. i love my fucked up weirdo adrenaline junkie

#13

Can your character handle themself in a fight? What strategies do they use for fighting? What strategies do they use to avoid or escape from fights? Do they have a preferred fighting style? Weapon? What weaknesses do they look for in an enemy?

[herbalremedied]

THE mist reached infinite, a path paved in monochrome grey seemingly stretching endless. Footsteps persevered, carrying the doctor toward a destination of nowhere—to someplace that wasn't here, that only showed itself in the distant, echoed sounds of the ocean, chattering of merchants, the croon of cranes at the shoreline. His body weighed heavy, each step like moving lead, but something kept him moving; the itch of one's brain as it tried to recall why it had walked into a room. Another foot forward brought buildings climbing into view. They reached skyward from the ground itself, his vision suddenly thrown into the orange and reds of the Harbor at sunset—and Baizhu recognized the path he was on. This was the route he'd take back to the pharmacy after returning from a house call to Hongdou's residence. The visit sat fresh in his mind as though it had only just happened. Little Hongdou lay bedridden, her mother perched woefully at her side. Doctor Baizhu came bearing medicine for the girl, medicine he had tirelessly spent the night adjusting upon hearing of the worsening of her condition. Medicine Hongdou had not wanted to take, for no amount of Sweet Flowers could bury its astringent taste. But he had smiled, tempting her with the promise that were she to take it she could sooner be at play again. And Hongdou finally smiled back, fond of the thought of no longer being bound to her bed, and complied as she always did after her protests. Baizhu stayed 'til she stabilized and fell asleep, checking her vitals before setting off into a sundown sky. Exhaustion made the trip back a blur. He would blink, and he was climbing up the grand stretch of stairs of the pharmacy, holding poise with every bone in his body. Another, and he was in the lobby, walking past Herbalist Gui as he spoke words Baizhu did not parse. The next he was standing over his mortar and pestle, cold with sweat and lungs ablaze. Hongdou's medicine would need adjustments to continue keeping her symptoms at bay. If only he could do the same for his own... It was growing much harder to stay upright.

______

❝ You're here to see Doctor Baizhu? ❞ Asks the young man the at counter, his dark robes to his ankles, hair cut choppy and short. His expression is uncertain as he looks to the area beyond the front desk, where the boss of the pharmacy had disappeared not a moment before.

The man has a tentative quality about him as he gives this unknown visitor an inquiring glance, as though aware of some fact he assumed the other was not.

❝ Are you an acquaintance of his? Doctor Baizhu isn't seeing any more patients for the evening... That said, if you're a visitor I can pass the word of your arrival to him. ❞ @originskey —— mistified.

[decayent]

open.

𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐧 seemed inconspicuous to alec holland. sure, on surface level some could argue it was a town just like any other-- give or take the stories he’d heard, but he liked to consider himself a practical man. he believed there had to be a 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫, logical explanation behind it. . .  and behind his place there. he remembered working in marais, spending months researching in the swamp, like it had been only yesterday, but his existence alone made him wonder if it had been nothing but a dream. how else could he explain how he got to twinrivers? nothing seemed wrong, but his gut instinct told him otherwise.

that’s why he’d made such a point to ask around town-- he wanted to know anything that could clue him in, regardless of the 𝐦𝐚𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐧 it had made him out to be. “you don’t think anything seems. . . off about this place?” he turned to question the nearest person, his intrigue clear in spite of the constant feeling like he was hanging onto a thread. “seriously, think about it.”

[comrade-shrimp]

do you have any tips for starter-cosplayers?

Ofc bb! This may be a lil long so strap in!

1. The first thing to do is remember you're a starter, you're a beginner, you're not a professional! It's okay if your cosplay isn't 1:1 accurate! Don't compare yourself to other cosplayers who have been doing this stuff for YEARS, because it's unfair to you! Just like any other form of art, you improve your skills and you'll soon learn how to style a wig or do your makeup or sew!

2. Speaking of other peoples cosplays, DO take notes from the cosplays you like! You ARE allowed to take inspiration and ideas from other cosplayers, ESPECIALLY if they do tutorials or drop the websites where they buy their stuff! You like how that cosplayer styled their wig? Well then style your wig like that! Its okay! You don't have do your own thing all the time (I've ripped ideas from so many cosplayers before skdjakd, I'm actually buying the exact same wig and horns for my schlatt cosplay that another cosplayer uses, because they actually dropped the list and websites and product names for us to use! It isnt cheating!)

3. It's totally okay if you don't make any of your stuff and buy everything instead, like, it isnt a big deal and it DOESNT make you any less of a cosplayer! I cannot make props to save my life, so most of my props are bought and I just repaint them, its 100% okay and don't stress yourself out over it, cosplay is about having fun and sometimes it's more fun to dress like the character than to actually make the props and clothes yourself

4. Similarly, thrift stores and those stores like goodwill are a GODSEND!! People actually will donate their old cosplays to goodwill so sometimes you can find stuff there that's actually FOR cosplay! Why spend 50$ on a shirt for a cosplay when you can find something similar at goodwill and just modify it it a bit. (Just be conscious while you're buying things from thrift shops and other cheap stores, a lot of people who are really tight on money depend on those types of stores to get the things they need, so dont go buying out the entire store ok?)

5. Something I wish someone had assured me when I began was it's okay if your cosplay isnt 100% accurate to canon. You're allowed to add things, remove things, etc. The most common cosplay I see where people go ham with their design is Junko from Dr, people literally add so many accessories to their cosplays of her I love it omg, they add kandi and crowns and makeup and just so many fun details her canon design doesnt have! If you think something would look cool with the cosplay, then do it!

6. If something is dangerous, for the love of god please dont do it for a cosplay. Do NOT dye your skin grey, do NOT put your contacts inside your eyelids for that cool color transition on tiktok, do NOT wear ballet shoes to walk around in, do NOT pose with REAL weapons, do NOT take photos in dangerous/inappropriate places (like those hetalia cosplayers who went to a holocaust death camp memorial in cosplay, or cosplayers who take photos on REAL graves) keep yourself safe and dont be disrespectful please omg

7. Do research when you're buying stuff!! Always check the reviews on products you're thinking of buying! Like for instance, if you're buying contacts for a cosplay, research what people have said about the company you're buying from, and if there are MULTIPLE accounts of peoples corneas being torn out of their eye while removing the contacts, maybe consider another company to buy from (cough cough), research is always good to not only get a good looking product, but also a SAFE product

8. Try to accept real criticism! Assuming people are being respectful and kind about something, you should listen to them and maybe try out their suggestions! Obviously you're not obligated to ACTUALLY take their advice and change things about your cosplay if you're happy with it, but sometimes it can be super helpful! (When I did homestuck cosplays people would actually give me advice at cons, and then theyd actually offer to do my makeup for FREE, I regret not getting their insta names because they were so sweet and literally taught me how to do gamzee makeup that looked cool and scary 😭 if I ever cosplay gamzee again I already know how to do his makeup and their advice really helped! Especially since i was still a baby cosplayer back then)

9. Have fun and always ask advice from senior cosplayers! Most cosplayers are willing to help you out! And will actually be flattered that someone likes their cosplay enough to wanna replicate parts of it! Try to always be nice and respectful towards other people and dont put yourself down if you messed something up! It's okay! Just have fun and remember we're only human!

If you want tips of something specific lemme know and I can try my best to help out! :)

[is0gild]

Ice Cream and Fire Oven Pizza - Chapter 13

Pairing: Elsa x Lea/Axel || Side Pairing: Riku x OC

Summary: Modern AU. She's an introvert ball of nerves who works at Ice Palace, a mall food court ice cream shop. He's the outgoing, sassy goofball who works at the Pizza Planet across the way. Hilarity, snark, and fluffy romcom hijinks ensue.

Word Count: 4,108

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

Credit for super friggin’ cute and super friggin’ amazing cover art goes to the super friggin’ talented ky-jane here on tumblr!

"Why are you stuffing the freezers full of Sven plushies?"

My arm stopped mid-motion and I blinked owlishly up at Frozone from where I was kneeled down on the Ice Palace floor in front of said freezers.

...I wasn't, was I?

Looking down at my hand and, more specifically, what was in it, I winced.

Yes. Yes, I was.

Fudge.

Hastily scooping them all off the stacks of ice cream bars and back out onto the tiled ground beneath me, I shot up to my feet, hiding one behind my back with a tiny, awkward laugh . "Oh! That! Yes, uh… I was just… trying to give them a… nice… frosty sheen! To, erm, make them more… authentic? Yeah, you know, since reindeer are from the frozen north, or, ah… somewhere… like that, heh!"

His eyelids drooped. "I… see."

"Oh yeah, chilled plushies are the new 'It' thing." Really? This was the hill I was choosing to die on? Apparently it was. I shoved the little caribou I was still holding into his face now, showing off the icy glaze to its fur coat as I pressed on, "They're all the rage in, er… Norway."

"Norway. Right," Frozone deadpanned as he gingerly took the proffered doll by one of its antlers. Don't think he was quite convinced. Just a wild guess here. "Call me old fashioned but for now, let's just keep all the plushes at room temperature, shall we? And please, run any other... innovations you might have by me first," he flashed me a thousand watt smile, "sound good?"

I returned it with a shaky one of my own, "A-absolutely!" He nodded and as soon as he turned his back on me, my grin faded into a grimace and I buried my face in my hands.

This hadn't been the first of my little "innovations" since starting my shift today.

Other winners included almost dumping used popsicle sticks instead of ice cream into the soft serve/milkshake machine, trying to pile scoops onto straws instead of cones, and giving taste spoons out as change for payment.

Yeah, that particular customer hadn't been exactly thrilled by the last one. Apparently the world just wasn't ready for my groundbreaking and avant-gard new form of currency.

But really, I just wasn't paying attention. I couldn't help it! I was too distracted and completely unable to focus. Hadn't been able to since the study session had ended yesterday. I'd hadn't even gotten a wink of sleep last night, merely tossed and turned while my thoughts had kept running round and round in endless circles.

I just… still couldn't get over it.

Me.

Having a crush.

My brain wouldn't wrap around it. I quite simply did not grok.

For starters, was I forgetting the six year relationship I had just been in? The fiancé I'd left at the altar a few short weeks ago? What was he, chopped liver? How could I just start having… feelings or whatever for someone else so quickly? I mean, okay sure, I hadn't been in love with the guy, but still… wasn't this breaking the rules or something? Committing some sort of romantic faux pas? Spurning basic etiquette in matters of the heart?

Perhaps I should take a step back and look at this all more objectively. Maybe I was just confused and didn't really know what it was I was actually feeling. Just what were these emotions exactly, anyway? I'd definitely never felt them before, and certainly not for my ex. But just because these sentiments were new and I was experiencing them only in the presence of a certain boy, didn't necessarily mean they were, um… affectionate in nature, right?

Yeah, this didn't have to be a crush. I was only jumping to conclusions! Lea was a great guy, absolutely, and I liked him, you know, as a person, but that didn't mean that I, like… like-liked him! I barely even knew him, for crying out loud! Granted, I did know he was kind, sweet, caring, funny, clever, made me feel comfortable around him (that in itself was kind of a miracle), and was a cutie-patootie to boot, but that didn't-

Wait.

Back up.

What was that word I'd just used?

...cutie...patootie?

Bleh, where had that even come from?

That's the thing about crushes, boo. You don't have to really know the person, just think they're a total cutie-patootie!

I shuddered as my roomie's earlier words came back to haunt me.

Thanks, Ghost of Rayne Past, this was exactly what I didn't need right now.

Okay, fine, so maybe it was a crush. I don't know! This was new territory for me! And even it was, so what? It's not like it mattered. Lea wasn't dating at the moment. Girls were a distraction, he was focusing on his school work, yada yada, that whole thing. And say, for the sake of argument, that weren't the case. It's not like I'd ever have the guts to…

...what?

Ask him out?

Pffft, me? Elsa, Queen of the Chickens?

Please!

And even if I went all the way to the magical land of Oz to ask the great wizard himself for some courage so I could so much as even begin to consider acting on these alleged feelings I may or may not have, Lea didn't see me like that. He'd made that abundantly clear. When he'd finally ended his self-imposed exile to the bathroom yesterday, the sheer amount of awkward that had filled the room after that had been enough to suffocate. And even when we did eventually manage to fall into a comfortable study rhythm once more, it didn't slip my notice that he'd always seemed to try and keep the table between the two of us for the rest of the evening.

So really, it was all moot. Lea wasn't interested. Which was okay, because I wasn't interested in him either! ...or maybe I was, but that was beside the point! The point was that this crush, if that's even really what it was, was a non-entity. Nothing that was ever going to be acted on. Nothing worth losing my head over like this, getting all-

"Elsa?" A throat cleared nearby and I glanced over my shoulder to see Frozone, back once more, now complete with a deadpan look. He held up a metal scoop. "...try this maybe?"

I stared blankly from it to him.

...crud, had I done it again?

I looked down at my hands and immediately got my answer.

Indeed I had. I'd zoned out for the umpteenth time and gone on auto-pilot. And my auto-pilot? Sucked. Big time.

Last I'd checked before I'd gone all space cadet, I'd been cleaning up the pile of Svens off the floor and hanging them back up on their hooks. Now that I was tuning back in, it seemed I'd wrapped up that task and had since moved on to assisting a customer. That customer had requested scooped ice cream on a cone - or so the hope would be, given I had a cone in hand (good start) and had opened the glass display to the refrigerated tubs. However, I'd apparently been about to start scooping… with nothing but my bare friggin' fingers.

I looked back at Frozone, plastering on a smile. "Oh, this? This is just, ah… well you know, studies have linked the use of traditional ice cream scoops back to, er… male… pattern baldness!" Ugh, just stop already, mouth, you're not helping! Do you not remember how bad at lying we are?! "Something about the way the, um, the metal... alloy interacts with the sugar is just… just yeah, bad juju or something." What I wouldn't give for a muzzle right now. What even were the words coming out of my mouth anymore? "Nine out of ten experts agree that, ah, scooping with just your hands is the safest, healthiest option, so… there you go! A great lil tip there for you, so yeah… you're welcome!"

"...I think I'll take my chances," he said, tone flat. Then he was pulling me to one side, out of earshot of the patron, "Okay, girl, you clearly got a lot going on up in there at the moment," he tapped me on the forehead a couple times, "so tell you what. I'll finish helping this customer while you gather the rest of the scoops, take them to the back for a rinse and use that minute to clear your head. Alright?"

Straightening up slightly, I gave a quick nod. "Yes sir."

"Atta girl." A quick pat on my shoulder from him, then he was moving off to greet the customer.

Giving myself a small shake, I then quickly set to work collecting the steel utensils. Focus. Focus! This wasn't the time to be twisting myself up in knots over something so inane. There'd be plenty of time for such self-indulgent stupidity once I got back home later tonight. For now, think ice cream. That's it, pure and simple. Ice cream. Live it, breathe it, bleed it. Ice cream. Nothing else existed. Nope, not a thing. Most definitely not-

My gaze chose that second to flick up, glancing towards the other side of the food court. Yup, you guessed it. A certain redhead was currently on shift at a certain pizzeria across the way. Lea was back at it with the pizza dough sorcery, spinning and tossing one on each hand. By chance, our eyes met and to my surprise, gone was any trace of lingering weirdness from yesterday. In fact, his face brightened as he flung one disc up into the air, freeing up that hand to give me an energetic wave.

There was a tiny spasm in my chest and I spun on my heel, turning my back to him.

We've been hit by friendly fire, captain! Status report.

Eyes? Wide and unblinking.

Hands? Strangling metal scoops while simultaneously pressing them against my hammering chest.

Face? Roasting like a honey-glazed ham on Christmas Eve.

...hold up… gah, what the heck was I doing?! Why was I freaking out? Weren't we past all this already, Elsa? Hadn't we left that awkward stage of your friendship with Lea in the dust behind us long ago? So what if you maybe, kind of, sort of had a teensy-weensy crush on him now? This wasn't grade school, you were a damn grown-up! So start acting like one, turn your butt around and wave back at him already!

So I did. I squared my shoulders, put on my best smile, did another about-face and waved back.

...and in my enthusiasm in said wave, I managed to smack myself in the face with the handful of metal scoops I was still holding.

Nailed it.

"I saw that," I heard Frozone's dry voice behind me and I whipped around to discover him all done with the customer and now standing there, arms crossed. "Don't tell me, let me guess. Whatever hang-up is going on with you has to do with that pizza boy." Pause to quirk an eyebrow. "Again."

I gulped, eyes darting to the left. "Heh… pizza what? Boy who?" Crickets. "I'm-going-to-go-wash-these-now-okay-bye!" I blurted out like it was all one word and bolted through the door to the back.

Whew! Dodged that bullet like Neo!

A few minutes later I was walking back out to the storefront, freshly cleaned utensils in hand and hoping Frozone wasn't going to feel like picking up exactly where we'd left off in that conversation. Seemed I was in luck, for all he said was, "I'm gonna go on my lunch break now. Should be slow since the rush just died down." He gave me a pointed look, "I trust you're all good now and can handle things on your own for a bit?"

Relieved, I gave a nod as I started putting the scoops back in their spots. "You can count on me."

"That's what I like to hear," he grinned, holding his fist out for a bump and I only hesitated for a second before lightly tapping my knuckles to his. "Alright, be back soon!"

I watched him go, then finished returning all the utensils before taking up position behind the cash register. Okay, you can do this. Don't let your mind wander. Stay in the here and now. Look around and pick something to concentrate on, keep you grounded. Like that plastic spork underneath that one table out there, dropped and forgotten, yet to be swept up by a roaming janitor. Or… that grey tabby at the Lucky Cat Café, what was his name again... Chirithy? Yeah, that sounded right. Or at Anna over there, bursting through the double doors, running straight for me as if her life depended on it and-

...wait, what?

Anna?

What was she doing here?

And why did she look so frantic and horrified?

When she got close enough, I began, "Anna, why are you-"

"Sis!" she shouted, stumbling to a stop in front of me and slamming both her hands down next to the register. "Shush! Listen!" She looked like she'd just ran a marathon and was out of breath, her every word punctuated with a pant or a wheeze. "Back… Back at- Overheard... Talking... Yelling… Mall ice cream! Mad, so… so friggin' mad! Drove… drove here! Quick as I- Right behind me! Just barely got here before… before-" She suddenly hissed in pain and pulled one knee up to her chest, grabbing her foot in both hands and bouncing up and down on the other. "Frick! Owie, charley horse! Charley horse!"

Figures her super human power to babble would fail her in the hour of her greatest need.

At a loss, I reached out across the counter to rest a hand on her arm, "Anna, slow down. Breathe. I can't understand you, you're missing some nouns there. What are you trying to tell me? Why-"

Using the countertop for support now, she grabbed me by the shirt and yanked me closer, bringing us nose to nose. "He's here! He knows!"

My blood ran cold.

I swallowed hard. "H-he? He w-who?"

Please, please, please don't say-

"The Duke!"

...oh.

Then it wasn't-

Well that's a relief!

Wait… Oh… Oh dear god, no… no, it most definitely was not!

Those food court's doors banged open a second time now and in he marched, proud and regal in all his big-nosed, bad combover, bushy mustachioed glory.

Weselton "The Duke" Fryse.

Aka my great uncle.

He and I weren't exactly on the best of terms, and that was even before I went all AWOL on my wedding day. Me being the eldest and heir to his nephew's fortune, he'd never quite forgiven me for not being born male. But I mean, come on pal, that was over twenty-two years ago - let it go already! The man was the very definition of dotty old coot and insufferable windbag. And for someone who talks so much, he surprisingly says very little. Mostly antiquated opinions and unsolicited advice, every last bit of it wrong and holier-than-thou. For all his ramblings over the decades, we had yet to even hear the story of where his nickname had even come from. Did it have to do with the esteemed university? Had the Queen of England herself actually honored him with the title? Did he have a reputation back in his day of settling matters by "duking" it out? Who knew? And honestly, who really cared?

But none of that mattered at the moment. What mattered was that he was here. That he knew. And if he knew, that meant mother and father knew. And if they knew… he probably knew as well. You know. Him. My ex.

It was official.

This was it.

The Worst Day Ever.

My chest seized. I couldn't breathe. Couldn't move. All I could do was watch in abject terror as the Duke drew ever nearer, head held high and stern, bespectacled glare burning holes into me. In fact, I think those glasses were even magnifying the sheer, seething rage contained within that scowl of his and turning it into a straight up death ray.

So this was how I was going to die, huh? Funny. I'd always thought clowns would be the ones to do me in. Well… this was the Duke after all, so… close enough.

How had he even found out? Anna never would have told him. How on earth…?

He at last came to a halt before me, hands folding behind his back. He spared a brief, unamused glance out of the corner of his eyes towards Anna, gracing her with a sniff of disdain. She merely glowered back at him. Then his full attention was on me. "Well, well, young lady," he intoned coldly, staring down his nose at me, "just what do you have to say for yourself?"

Okay, Elsa, easy there. You're going to get through this. Put away the shaky knees and sweaty palms. You're calm. You're collected. Just rationally and eloquently explain yourself to him so he sees your side of it and he'll understand and be on his way.

Clenching and unclenching my hands, took a deep breath and opened my mouth.

Calm. Rational. Eloquent.

Here we go.

"I, um… hm… guh… nhg?"

Well done.

"...quite." His mustache twitched dangerously from side to side. "Please then, allow me. You ran out on your wedding. Wasted your father's valuable time and munny. Broke your poor mother's heart. Embarrassed your whole family. Disrespected your betrothed's family. Disappeared with nary a trace, not so much as one word from you for a month, worrying us all sick... All for what? This?" His narrowed gaze gave the Ice Palace in its entirety a once over and, clearly, found it wanting. "...a ramshackle ice cream booth in a mall. A mall of all places!" he roared and I flinched, but said nothing.

I couldn't. Words had abandoned me. Panic had paralyzed me. All I could do was shrink more and more in on myself, wishing for the ground to swallow me up as his lecture turned into a full on tirade now.

"Working like some lowly, middle-class plebeian! Living heaven only knows where! Fraternizing with commoners! Have you no shame, child?! You little ingrate, you… you little monster! I always knew you'd be the downfall of this family! Of all the selfish, witless, deplorable, irresponsible, contemptible, impudent-"

"Cram it, Weaseltown!" Anna spat out, putting herself between me and him.

Oh great. Now here my baby sister came to fight my battles for me while I cowered behind her. My humiliation was complete.

He took a step back, nostrils flaring and mustache flapping violently as he huffed and puffed. "It's Weselton! The Duke to you, you spoiled brat! I always said your father should've used a firmer hand with you! You've grown wild! You're a disgrace! The both of you are! Why, if your father were here right this second, he'd-"

"Yeah, well he's not!" Anna got in his face now, staring him down as she stabbed a finger into his chest, "You are! Why is that, I wonder? Where is Daddy Dearest anyway?"

Talk! Say something, damn it! Please, just stop standing here doing nothing like a total idiot!

"Such impudence!" he slapped her hand away. "He's back at home, tending to your grief-stricken mother who is inconsolable, simply inconsolable upon learning the truth! Neither of them could bring themselves to come down here and bear the wretched sight of their eldest! So I took it upon myself after breaking the dreadful news to-"

She stamped her foot and snarled, "So it was you! Oh I bet you just couldn't wait to go and tattle to our parents as soon as you knew! Bet you were just positively giddy. How'd you do it? How'd you find out, you big weasel?!"

Their shouting match was causing a scene. People were beginning to stare. Including… I reluctantly dragged my gaze over towards the Pizza Planet… yup. There Lea was with a frown and one eyebrow cocked as he set the dough aside to watch this bit of drama unfold.

For the love of all that is good and mortifying, just end me. End me now. Please.

The Duke stiffened, face blotchy with barely restrained fury. "Hold your vile tongue, you snot-nosed whelp! I'll have you know the information was as good as mine the minute you told us she'd texted you. I knew if I hired a man to follow you, you'd lead us straight to her."

Anna gaped, "You had someone friggin' spying on me?!"

"And rightly so!" he harrumphed, puffing out his chest. "The scandals he reported back to me, why, I nearly died from disgrace! Carousing in a seedy, two-bit pub! Mingling with the filthy yokels! Prancing about on some stage, making an utter mockery out of yourself! Not to mention naught but days later, rendezvousing in secret at some mongrel's hovel and holing up in there with him for hours, you, you, you trollop!"

My stomach fell further and further, my face paler and paler with every word. Dear lord, he knew about all of that?! And what was he even talking about, holing up with- wait, was he talking when I'd helped Lea study? There'd been someone there, some sort of, what… private investigator or something, watching me the whole time? Might still be watching me, even now?

Oh crud, now Lea was over his counter and heading this way. Turn back, you kind, brave, naive fool! You know not the powers you seek to tangle with! Back! Back, I say! Back to the craft of pizza and outer space from whence thou came!

"So the frick what?!" my sister gave a scoff. "Elsa can do whatever with whoever she wants! As far as I'm concerned, what she does with her life is none of your business, you old fart!"

"I make it my business when her actions ruin this family's good name! Now enough of this charade, this, this absolute farce!" The Duke looked past Anna to point at me, "You have a duty to perform, young lady! A responsibility to uphold! You will come home this instant and marry-"

Shoving his arm away, Anna snapped, "She will not! Don't you understand? She doesn't love him, she wasn't happy!"

This was getting out of hand. Somehow, someway, whatever spell that kept me frozen abruptly broke. My feet were suddenly on the move and I was running out from behind the counter. I had to do something. Get between them, break this up, I don't know… just something.

The Duke sneered, "As if love and happiness matter in a marriage, bah!"

"They do when it's… it's…" she frowned in thought for a split second, then her face broke out into a triumphant grin. "When it's true love!"

A huff of a derisive laugh. "True love? Now you're just spouting off nonsense, pure hogwash!"

"Nu uh! In fact," there was now a sly gleam to her eye, "Elsa's already met her true love."

"She's what?!"

I've what?

At her words, I staggered and tripped, nearly colliding into my sister. Anna grabbed my shoulders, keeping me upright. Then she gave me a wink, grin twitching wider before looking back at our great uncle, "What'd you think? That that 'secret rendezvous' as you put it was... what? Just a fling? A one night stand? A booty call? Ha! Well jokes on you, Weaseltown, cuz that was her boyfriend!"

"Her what?!"

My what?

"That's right!" she cackled now as the Duke spluttered and wheeze, his hand going to his chest. "They're in love! Have been for a while now! She… oh! She ran away from her wedding to just be with him! Yeah!"

Anna, what are you doing? Anna, please stop!

"Hey, what seems to be the problem here?" Lea stepped up to join us just then.

Turn back! Back, I say!

"Well if it isn't the man of the hour!" Anna beamed at him, to which he just merely blinked and tipped his head to one side. "Weaseltown, allow me to introduce you to," she shoved me at Lea who caught me as I crashed into his chest, both eyebrows shooting up his forehead in confusion, "Elsa's one and only… her beau, her lover, her boyfriend and one true love! They make just the cutest couple, don'tcha think?"

"Wha- huh?!" Lea's grip on me tightened, his eyes widened and his face flushed bright red.

As for the Duke? Well, I suppose he handled it about as well as could be expected.

He fainted.

Author's Note: Anna, hon, no… Anna why? The way that girl's mind works sometimes, I swear… Lol! You might be able to guess where this is going, dear readers xD But if not, don't worry, it's gonna be spelled out for you reeeeeal soon xP Also, yay, a cameo from The Duke in all his huffy, stuffy, blustering glory! Just what we needed to mix things up, and boy, did things EVER get mixed up!

Next chapter, how will Elsa react to her sister's lil "announcement"? Not to mention, how will LEA react? Will Elsa ever be able to sort through her tangled feelings about this thing that may or may not be a crush? Is Elsa ACTUALLY onto something there with the frozen plushies idea? Is the Duke just straight up DEAD?! …probably not, but it was a fun question to ask xD Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading, I super duper appreciate it! And an extra BIG thank you to those of you who’ve liked, reblogged, and followed so far, seeing those lil notifications always brings the biggest, goofiest smile to my face!

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

[oflopez-blog1]

counselor olympics → task 002

total questions answered: 150

1. if they were a candle, what scent would they be?

strawberry & candy cane !

2. what female celebrity do they wish was their sister?

1000% lauren jauregui

3. what male celebrity do they wish was their brother?

ooooooooo probably jordan fisher

4. how old do they think they’ll be when they get married?

she hopes around 25 / 26 but she won’t be upset if it takes longer

5. how many countries have they been to?

only the one she currently lives in !

6. what would they name their daughter if they had one?

either sofia or isabella / bella

7. what would they name their son if they had one?

diego !!

8. what was their favorite tv show as a child?

she was only really allowed to watch one show & she picked Spongebob 

9. what language, besides their native language, would they like to be fluent in?

her native language is spanish but she’s also very fluent in english

10. would they ever change their name? if so, to what?

she really loves her name because it’s also her grandmother’s name. I honestly don’t think she’d change it

11. what was the last compliment they got?

“you look so good in yellow”

12. what is their favorite flavor of tea?

CHERRY & ALMOND !

13. how did they find out that santa and the easter bunny weren’t real?

she never really had the chance to believe in them in the first place ? val never celebrated easter & her mom gave her money to buy things for herself during christmas

14. what is their hogwarts house? (recommended: take pottermore quiz)

hufflepuff !!

15. what tarot card are they?

the sun card

16. are they more of a marvel or dc fan?

neither ! she never got the chance to watch them

17. who is their favorite superhero?

probably wonder woman

18. everyone has a song that deeply reminds them of their childhood. what is theirs?

skyscraper by demi lovato

19. what are the meanings of their first, middle, and last name?

valeria  = “to be strong”

rae = ?? ( I couldn’t find the meaning )

lopez = “son of lope”

20. have they ever stolen a street sign before?

nooooooo never

21. what is their biggest pet peeve?

people touching her / walking slow in front of her

22. if they were a month, what month would they be?

I think she’d be the month of May

23. what is their least favorite movie?

friday the 13th

24. what five movies would they bring with them if they were stuck on a deserted island?

a basket of lil snacks

paper + pencils

her anxiety pills

bathing suit

fire starter kit

25. out of all of the late night talk show hosts, who is their favorite?

she doesn’t know any of them !

26. what are three things they are afraid of?

confronting her mother

snakes

super deep water

27. what was the first concert they went to?

she’s never been to one

28. is there a nickname that only their family calls them?

val !

29. what side of the bed do they sleep on?

she has a small bed so she sleeps in the middle

30. what is their favorite comfort food?

definitely bread pudding

31. what award shows do they watch?

her mother used to watch the grammy’s and val would listen in so probably the grammy’s

32. do they have any weird body skills (example: being double jointed)?

she can do that flower thing with her tongue

33. if they drink coffee, what is their coffee order?

she love macchiatos

34. what social media platforms do they have?

all of them but she uses instagram the most

35. are they a cat or dog person?

dogs 10000000000%

36. if they were a supernatural creature, what would they be?

either an elf or a nymph

37. what show are they currently watching on netflix/hulu?

mainly bob’s burgers & the hollow

38. what is their favorite disney movie?

lilo & stitch all the way

39. do they wear any perfume or cologne? 

she wears a pretty citrus-y body mist 

40. what genres of music do they listen to?

mostly pop + acoustic

41. have they ever seen the bee movie?

nO

42. what are their favorite memes?

you died memes

43. what celebrities do they share a birthday with?

brendon urie, saoirse ronan & jennifer morrison

44. what is their moon (zodiac) sign?

cancer

45. which of the seven cardinal sins do they embody the most?

of the 7, she’s probably most like envy because she didn’t experience a childhood worth being happy about & she gets envious of people who did

46. do they watch sports on television? if so what ones?

even if she was allowed to, I don’t think she’d watch sports tbh

47. what do they put on their typical sandwich?

tomatoes, ham and mustard

48. what was the name of their first significant other?

his name was dwight

49. do they care if people think badly of them?

it depends on the day tbh but for the most part, she doesn’t care 

50. what was the last thing that made them cry?

one of the kids told her she was least fun of all the counselors because she was so quiet

51. are they an iphone or samsung user?

iphone ( rose gold with this case )

52. what type of computer do they use (example: apple)?

a mac computer

53. what is one of their nervous habits?

bites the side of her tongue

54. out of all reality shows, which one would they have a chance winning?

big brother 

55. would they ever go bungee jumping or skydiving?

n O omg she’d be way too scared

56. what do they call their grandparents?

abuela + abuelo

57. what do they do when they can’t sleep?

read or scroll through social media or use her ouija board

58. what time do they normally go to bed?

usually around 10pm

59. if they have instagram, what was the last picture that they posted?

this captioned with “lunch is my favourite time of day”

60. if they have twittter, what was the last thing that they tweeted?

“does anyone know where I left my sunscreen?? or can I please borrow someones”

61. who is their otp?

kara + luther from detroit become human

62. do they like sweet, salty, or sour?

sour !!

63. did they play any sports in the past?

she tried to get involved + play soccer but it didn’t end up working out

64. what is their favorite cheesy pick up line?

did the sun come out or did you just smile at me?

65. what tv show or movie is their guilty pleasure?

she loves to watch Nailed It

66. if they were a fruit, what fruit would they be?

honeydew

67. do they sing in the shower?

YES ! she performs

68. what is their favorite type of chips?

sweet chili heat doritos

69. do they drink juice? if so, what is their favorite kind?

she l o v e s fruit punch

70. what is more important to them: power, money, friends, family, love, or fame?

friends + love

71. what does their handwriting look like?

72. do they have reoccurring dreams? if not, what is their most memorable dream?

she doesn’t usually remember her dreams but one that she has never been able to forget is she was sitting at the dinner table during dinner and her father walked in and they had dinner as a family and then a big tornado came and he sacrificed himself for her and he kept saying how much he loved her. she woke up crying

73. if they were a taste, what would it be?

salted caramel 

74. what is one random fun fact about them?

she doesn’t have good memory

75. what is their lucky number?

12 and 34

76. do they have any pets?

no but she really wants to adopt one

77. do they believe in the paranormal or the supernatural?

YES!!!! she does

78. have they ever had any paranormal experiences?

yes, she’s surprisingly had a lot??

79. can they sing or dance?

she’s a great dancer

80. who is the first person they call/text when something exciting happens?

usually theo

81. what is their social media handle?

littlelopez

82. what swear word do they use/like the most?

“shit”

83. what is their ideal first date?

sitting on the beach, watching the sunset + having a nice picnic

84. if they were a type of weather, what would they be?

stormy

85. what is their least favorite holiday?

valentine’s day

86. what is the first thing that they do in the morning?

put on her slippers

87. who is their ultimate celebrity crush?

JESSE WILLIAMS

88. do they usually pay with cash or card?

with cash unless she absolutely has to use her card

89. what was the last thing that they bought?

a new pair of sunglasses

90. are they a good or bad driver?

she’s a decent driver. not the best but not the worst

91. if they could meet one person (from history or currently alive), who would it be?

probably marilyn monroe

92. have they ever gotten into a physical fight?

yes but she didn’t fight back

93. do they prefer pepsi or coke?

she doesn’t like either

94. do they prefer the city or the suburbs?

suburbs 1000000%

95. do they have any special or odd talents?

she........ can eyebrow dance

96. when they were little, what did they want to be when they grew up?

she knew she wanted to help people so either a social worker or a therapist

97. do they have any favorite smells?

she loves the smell of cookies, caramel, vanilla, lavender + green tea

98. if they could visit any place in the world, where would they go?

either italy or france

99. do they wear jewelry?

yes. her father’s old necklace, she never takes it off

100. who is the last person they talked to on the phone?

her grandpa. he wanted to check up on her

101. do they prefer ‘would you rather’ or ‘truth or dare’?

would you rather. truth or dare just makes her ... nervous

102. what has been their favorite halloween costume yet?

when she dressed up as Belle ( from beauty and the beast )

103. do they like horror movies?

she HA T E S them

104. what is their typical breakfast like?

cereal and toast with honey on it

105. are they a netflix or hulu person?

netflix. she probably doesn’t even know what hulu is lMAO

106. do they like to gossip?

not at all. she stays as far away from it as possible

107. if they were a song, what one would they be?

hold on just a little while longer ( idk who originally sings it )

108. what was their best subject in school?

math!!

109. what was their worst subject in school?

she wasn’t very good at gym, mainly due to shyness

110. have they ever met anyone famous?

not yet but she wants to

111. who was their childhood hero?

her grandma :)

112. were any tv shows or movies that they weren’t allowed to watch as a child?

anything horror or that had sexual innuendos or gore

113. what is the strangest thing they have ever eaten?

celery, peanut butter + raisins

114. do they prefer friends or family?

friends, for sure

115. how do they feel about pineapple on pizza?

she doesn’t like pizza so she doesn’t really care for it

116. do they put the milk or cereal in the bowl first?

milk first & then cereal

117. how do they think dogs would wear pants?

option #2. she thinks it would be too hard for dogs to walk if pants were on all 4 of their legs

118. do they believe in luck or fate?

she definitely does

119. do they use emojis when they text?

y e s, all the time

120. who was their favorite character on friends?

she never got the chance to watch it :(

121. what character on friends are they most like?

probably phoebe 

122. would they rather read the books or watch the movies?

read the books 10000%

123. what is their favorite time of day?

evening

124. did they watch the teletubbies as a child? if so, who was their favorite?

as a young kiddo, yes. her favourite was laa-laa

125. do they check the rating (like a rotten tomatoes rating) of a movie before they go and see one?

it doesn’t cross her mind to, especially if she’s excited about the movie

126. do they have any favorite old hollywood movie stars?

umMmM , not really tbh?

127. if they had to live in any other decade, which would they choose?

1950s for sure

128. if they could only listen to five music albums for the rest of their life, which ones would they choose?

confident > demi lovato

red > taylor swift

+ > ed sheeran

you > dodie clark

get weird > little mix

129. do they believe in heaven/hell or reincarnation?

she believes in reincarnation 

130. do they like chewing gum?

she does indeed

131. do they like to go see musicals or plays?

though she has never seen them, she would love to see both of them

132. were they apart of any clubs or teams in high school or college?

she was in a book club for a lot of high school and also the soccer team but she quit shortly after being accepted into the team

133. what was their high school superlative?

math surprisingly

134. are they good at cooking or baking?

she’s super good at baking & decent at cooking

135. could they beat bobby flay?

probably not tbh she’s more of a baker than a cooker

136. do they watch actual television? if so, what channels do they watch?

only cartoons tbh

137. have they ever seen rupaul’s drag race?

no :( she definitely wouldn’t have been allowed to

138. do they prefer pink or yellow lemonade?

definitely pink > yellow

139. could they lip sync for their life?

if she was really passionate about it, Y E S. she would SLAY the house down

140. is their room messy or clean?

clean AF

141. if they were a body part, which one would they be?

hands; she likes hand holding

142. if they were an emotion, what would they be?

anxiety

143. if they were a planet, which one would they be?

pluto :)

144. how would they describe their clothing style?

cute & simple

145. do they shower in the morning or at night?

usually at night. but if she forgot the night before, than she will in the morning

146. do they order regular fries, onion rings, sweet potato fries, or tater tots?

T A T E R  T O T S

147. do they normally wear socks?

yes, she likes wearing mismatched socks

148. do they fear natural disasters?

not really, no !

149. can they ice/roller skate?

she likes to ice skate even though she isn’t very good

150. are they good at video games? 

surprisingly .. yes !! 

[mod-by-reb]

Day 3

I DID SO GOOD!!

Ok so for starters I actually just weighed in - I thought I was around 63/64kg but apparently I was wrong :D In reality I’m just over 67kg which changes my goal a lil. So I’ve around 13kg to lose via 6-8 months of healthy habits <3

I’ve managed to pull off an all-nighter again, need to get my sleep fixed up asap

Started with a HUUUUUGE breakfast of blueberry cottage cheese. Mixed in wayyyyy too much sour cream, so it ended up being over 700 calories. Didn’t feel “stuffed” though, just right- so it was the right call :) 

For dinner I had 1 chicken thigh again (550) and uhhh promptly felt sick/got stabbing pains in my stomach. Besides I was only up for 3 hours when I had this so it didn’t feel much like dinner and “breakfast” was at 3pm xd Staying up until like 5/6am the day before did so much harm, but I’m fixing it by getting up in 3/4 hours :) I didn’t exercise AGAIN but I went for a 2 hour skating session, and once I got back I started snacking a lot, so let’s see...

Had 200g of parma ham (500), 2 tomatoes (50), 2 carrots (40), plenty of tea, some juice concentrate (15) and uhhh I think something else??? I can’t remember

I did so darn well to resist everything (but parma :D) including croissants, kinder buenos, hazelnut chocolate and caramel bars. Sugar only urges more cravings (but dang did I want something sweet). Really wanted a banana, but someone ate the remaining 5 today :)))) and that someone also ate the rest of my cottage cheese that I was saving for a later snacc :))))))  And why?? Bc I told the someone I don’t wanna cook them steak because I always give in and eat a piece myself and feel sick every. siNGLE. DARN. TIME. But hey, I’m so so happy because even though I kept snacking, I didn’t eventually give into the cravings. 

Overall that’s like what, just under 1900? Means today I’ve managed to make around a 500 calorie deficit c: 

I’m surprised I’ve had it in me to consciously resist the urge to eat more than I need for a few days in a row. I’ve literally had to talk myself out of overconsuming with “you just want more because it’s so yummy and you are a 10/10 cook, not because you’re hungry”. 

I want to learn to savour the taste, which I have today!! Including the parma ham!! Even after the 100g I was pretty much done, but thought I might as well keep going to fill up the calories and not get into a too big of a deficit/decrease chance I might eat something else instead

All in all I’m so proud of myself!! Now all that’s left to do is do this every day forever :) I’m so excited to make a habit of eating healthy portions