#I haven’t finalized the second twins design

[kimaisalloren]

Not me thinking about making a blog just for kurari so I can like more easily isolate her stuff and find it

Anyways some doodle of some ocs from my little future au. Featuring one of the Saiko twins Saiko Kumiko, saiki Kurari, and saiki Kumaruru

[doodledrawsthings]

Opinions on the Sols from Nine Sols immediately. Please. Your au is delish.

Keep in mind these are my very off-the-top-of-my-head, surface level impressions of them after having recently beaten the game on story mode once, while streaming. I won’t be giving any deep analysis or anything lol so the tone will be pretty jokey and unserious.

MAJOR major Nine Sols spoilers under the cut. Please do not read if you haven’t finished the game.

Kuafu: second favorite character. I love him so much. He’s such a pal, everybody likes him. Hou Yi left him as the final sun standing after shooting down the other nine cuz he’s just a stand up guy. The fact that he’s the one who pled keep Abacus around and set his settings to High Sympathy and kept coming in to talk to him out of guilt over what happened to Yi kills me. Smart, silly, handsome, the last remaining Solarian in existence and he can never go home for the remainder of his life. He’s my ride or die bestie, he’s one of my several husbands who babysit my little brother while I go off on a revenge murder spree and I’m kissing him on the mouth.

Goumang: I like her design and concepts and think she’s a fun character. She was the first boss I fought and i thought she was pretty fun, though I didn’t find the fight as memorable as others. I wish she had more presence throughout the game, I heard from a friend she had some more stuff that was cut apparently? Curious about her rivalry with Yi and relationship with Eigong. And since Yi technically never killled her I’ve considered including her in the Dont Worry About It AU.

Yanlao: Grampa!! I think he and Yi’s back and forth throughout the warehouse area was pretty funny. I was so ready to kick his ass the entire time, especially after the segment where he’s shooting at you as you navigate a maze. Loved his bossfight, first fight of the first three i started with where I really felt the parry/dodge/attack rhythm for the first time. Rip gramps.

Jiequan: BASTARD!! (Half-affectionate but only half) he’s giving Fruity Disney Villain Who Flirts With You As He Stabs You In The Chest. He sucks <3 but he’s such a FUN character, what a great antagonist. His fake out fight is so intense, the prison scene is so intense, his boss fight kicked my ass and his theme goes hard. He’s a war criminal, he’s a freak, he looks like All Might MHA and he regularly irradiates himself as part of his body building routine. “Heroes are forged in agony!” 10/10 Disney villain, very stylish. Defeating him was so satisfying especially after the Kanghui fight in the prison and learning what happened with THAT horror show.

Lady Ethereal: I LOVE HER!! SO MUCH!!! UGH!!! she makes me so sad! But everything about her is SO cool! Her fate! Her backstory!! Her design! Her boss fight! Her entire platforming area!!! Just!!! Aah! I won’t say too much but it’s just so good she had my favorite fight in the game, the dance for that one is so much fun. I was streaming the game on discord for my partner and another friend and when we first went into the cortex, she was like “oh you should keep going left and see what’s over there ;)” and then I did and just!!! So cool that Red Candle started off making horror games, it’s really great. Love it. Awesome character, awesome boss, awesome theme.

Fuxi and Nuwa: Rich asshole twins!! These two suck lol but I do think they’re fun characters. The entire empyrean district is experiencing a resident evil style zombie infection and Nuwa is throwing a rager at the club for the rich cryosleepers only. It’s really eerie over there though, I love the vibe of the east side and the discovery of the mutants and destruction of the west half is spooky as hell. And then I got to the area where you get Fuxi’s sol seal and didn’t even notice he was sitting there until my partner pointed him out. I thought he was furniture lol. She’s really puppeting around her brother’s pustule-riddled zombie corpse Weekend at Bernie’s style cuz she’s that much in denial. Also absolutely horrifying that the district supposedly once held 100,000 sleeping solarians that is whittled down to 300 after the mutated virus wreaks havoc through the area. Personally, I’m mixed on their bossfight, the first half with just Fuxi was fun once I got the rhythm but the 2nd half when Nuwa comes in with her attacks gets a bit too chaotic for me. Their boss theme, however, is probably my favorite in the game. I love the opera samples, it’s so cool.

Ji: I think about them a lot. Like, wow what a guy. I think a lot about his immortality, and that if he had not left Penglai with the council he would have been stuck there, alone for eternity. I think about the fact that because they will never get Tianhuo, there would be no need for them to be in cryosleep, which probably means that in the 502 years that Yi was recovering, he was probably up and about the entire time, probably wandering around new Kunlun mostly alone. I wonder if they ever hung out with the dusk guardians, or if they just stayed in the grotto for the most part. Their boss fight felt the most like a dance to me, or like friends sparring. Do you think they thought of Lear as you attacked them with the moves he taught you in the spiritual realm? He makes me sad, but he is very stylish!

Eigong: FUCK HER! SHES SO COOL, BUT FUCK HER!!! EVIL GRANDMA! this games story is like peeling back an onion of horrors where each layer you peel back brings new, mortifying understanding of the situation at large until it ALL. COMES BACK. TO HER! AND HER FRUITLESS PURSUIT OF IMMORTALITY! Her boss fight KICKED MY ASS. I was streaming my first playthrough, so I was already prone to doing worse than I probably would without an audience (emphasis on probably) but in my first attempt I was fighting her for like 6 HOURS STRAIGHT. And for the true ending too, which meant three boss phases. I just could not get her pattern down and my hands were cramping but i really wanted to finish the game that weekend so I could finally talk about it so I ended up turning up the accessibility options to one punch man her. I did eventually go back and do her fight by myself with the story mode settings and MAN what a fun boss battle once you get the dance down (I’m still so bad at unbound counter), and it is SO satisfying to beat. Incredible character, we love fictional old women who commit atrocities in the name of science.

Yi: and finally we have the man, the myth, the legend. I could probably write a whole separate post about him and Heng and his relationships with the other characters but to keep it short- I LOVE HIM SO MUCH! BUT IM ALSO BITING HIM AND PUTTING HIM IN A BLENDER AND RUNNING HIM THROUGH THE DISHWASHER AND HANGING HIM UP TO DRY. Just UGH! It’s not common for the main character of a thing to be my favorite character but Yi is my favorite character. It’s the fact that he is his own character, and we, the player, must gradually find out things that HE already knows. And his budding and flowering relationships with the other characters, especially those who set up shop in the pavillion which leads into his character development is just AUGH. AND THE ENDINGS. YOU ALREADY KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT GHE ENDINGS. THEYRE GOOD BUT AUGH. I love him, I’m rotating him in my mind on a skewer, he’s my little manlet, my poor little “I’m not a good person” shadow the hedgehog energy meow meow cat boy. I love him so much, I’m so distraught over his terrible life choices. Incredible character.

Ok hope that was entertaining to read, bye.

[marokra]

Oh, I never created a LMK OC until recently (and even then, I'm still need to make art for the two of them), but sure, let's chat a bit about OC'S!

Hmmm, how'd you come up with the idea of Purple?

:3

>:3

if im being honest it’s pretty hard to remember since i first thought her up 2 years ago, but i think it stemmed from the concept of “what if red son sibling” and i went from there eheh

for the backstory stuff i was like “oh but if i give her fire powers that would be too predictable and the same as red son :(” and then “OH WAIT WHAT IF THEY WERE TWINS” i said, with malicious intent

design timeline under the cut bc i got really off topic

i wasn’t able to find the original message when i was starting to plan her out (curse you discord search function!!!) but this was her first iteration! the backstory bits stayed pretty much the same throughout her entire existence, it’s just the design that changed. you can kinda see the horn shape change gradually over time as well (ignore how awful my art was)

and then this is her second iteration, which i made after an event in a discord rp server w/ my friends! she’s kept this outfit since

and then there’s also what i like to refer to as “the dark ages” when i de-curled her hair like an idiot. it started off with ease for screenshot editing but then it started to leak into my actual art. i recently fixed this tho when my lmk hyperfix came back a few months ago (THANK GOD)

something i find especially interesting is how her outfit slowly started to get less and less detailed as i drew her more and got more comfortable with her character. many of the constants of her design stayed, and compared to my other lmk ocs (cough cough Beng whom i have not posted to tumblr bc i still haven’t finalized the redesign cough cough) she’s stayed pretty much the same.

her current design has a few small changes when compared to the design before! i mostly just fixed her hair, added a horn ring, added details to the jacket & accessories, and gave her hooves. the hooves stemmed from a heated conversation i had w/ my irl friend about how red son doesn’t have any bull features despite his dad being a literal anthropomorphic bull

also along with that it took me a WHILE to solidify her personality. same with her relationships and her views on the canon cast!

tbh i’ve been considering adding another small design change as well, mainly just making the ears more bull-like bc the ones she has kinda looks like a sheep or something

anyways yeah i got really off topic, anyways!!!!! when i create ocs i usually start with a concept and then build up their theming, backstory stuff, etc. and then do their designs! afterwards i work on characterization, usually by throwing them through an interdimensional wormhole (the rp i mentioned earlier)

in conclusion i fucked around and found out and that’s how ourple came to be :3

[neojayink]

Sketch Dump + Splatoon Neo Artist Updates

I’m nearly finished the complete plot of sneo hero story. Currently planning on how all my ideas will coincide with each other.

Hero: “Cross Contamination” - A sub plot that introduces Toxic Octolings and shows the failures of a scientist attempting to create genetically modified Octolings. Much like sanitized Octolings, the toxic octos have been contaminated and now show off zombie-like behaviors.

“Hero Team Up” - A pair of heroes on their night shift protecting the city. The left hero is physically exhausted from the mission. Neon Octolings shown carrying the new “Dauber Glove” weapons.

“Part time environmentalist” - Sketches for a story in which the main character works at a water plant facility. Currently scrapped idea as it introduced a convoluted storyline. Reworked into the Hero Night Shifts. (Protecting the Microbiome) “Water jug ink hammer” and “stream shot” seen as weapons. May be explored in the future.

“Tree Octoling Trio” - First concept for the Tree Octoling in the story. The hero will arrive to a zoo-like Forrest enclosure in search of a hidden treasure. The tree Octoling is protecting it, and has never seen an outsider before. Their natural instinct to protect their turf kicks in and a battle starts. Tree octopuses do not exist, but this one has been created in irony of that fact. They represent a successful genetic modification experiment by the scientist.

“Hype Mode” - A new mechanic that lets the player trade their heart for stat boosts. More details coming in the sneo mechanics updates.

Edit: this mechanic will be reworked into what we will call “flow state”

“Lock Jaws” - Splatoon Neo’s second official special. Will be seen after the “Supersize: Streamshot Deluxe” is shown off. The user summons a ghostly koinobori (carp/koi fish streamer ‘kite’.) The lock jaws which is made of holo ink swims through the air and surfaces to latch onto its target. Holo ink allows inklings to cast 3D projections of ink. It’s seen in many specials, but in this case, holo ink casts into a koi fish. Once locked, the enemy player will lose access to its special, sub weapon, and given negative effects such as dizziness and dillution. (Dillution makes you take more damage and deal less damage when affected)

“Turf Board” - New weapon class of surfboard + hoverboard weapons. It will be a usable method of transportation in battles. Comes with its own ink tank to let you “hover” from its fountain mechanism. Ink saver main will be your friend with this wpn as the hover mode will burn through ink. I haven’t finished the mechanics and balancing but I could see this letting you hover for at least 5 seconds. As a turfing weapon it can shoot out two streams of ink. The win animation will definitely look like how people dance with sign advertisements. Vehicles will show up in the “raceway” stage as obstacles you can drive around with ink like the turf board.

And finally,

“Neon Lotus” - Album cover concept 1. The twins have their final designs pretty much complete and they have a few songs in the works already. Their album vibe is inspired by old school sonic graphics. Surprisingly it’s harder for me to create songs for the twins vs ultramarine. It’s about 4 to 6 in difference. I’m definitely a perfectionist to neon lotus but I’m sure they’ll come out great. Over time I’ll be sharing more audio clips for both bands songs.

(This post sat in my drafts for months 😅just now checking drafts)

[sunny-clover]

OH RIGHT MY ITERATION

Okay so these are just the concept info pages I made and these are not the final designs though, I’ve updated some designs A TON already

OKAY this iteration is called

TMNT 2032

and these pages are in order of when I made them so there’s no rhyme or reason.

This is Cassius Casey (Kirby) Jones, he’s the first person I designed for the AU and his design does not look like this at all anymore. He’s got Japanese heritage from one side of the fam and Mexican on the other. No real reason except I wanna push my Spanglish onto him. Also he’s gay.

This is April O’Neil, she’s the second person I designed but I never really thought her I through. She I guess has a possessed softball bat cause she’s a lesbian and the bat is a reference to Rise April. Her mother’s family is Indian and her dad’s is either Indian-American or African American. Like I said before, I haven’t thought her through much.

She handles the supplies for the Homatos and that’s really all I have, I should probly think her through more 😬

This is Raph, originally he was going to be a snapping turtle but I decided he’s actually going to be biologically related to his brothers with the turtle DNA. I haven’t thought too much about him but he does have romantic feelings for Mona Lisa when he meets her but I still need his personality-

Okay so here’s Mikey and he’s the one that I’ve HEAVILY changed—DRASTICALLY, if you will. I wasn’t even really in the right mindset to design him here so I am not at all proud of this design 😬

Yeah so he’s technically not the youngest I guess and also the drawing I did here was horrendous so uhhhhh let’s ignore this and we’ll have better content on him later.

Here’s Kassandra Karai Jones, I had SO MUCH fun designing her. She’s a super badass lesbian Foot clan royalty soldier. Also she’s Casey’s twin hehehehe I love that so much. I can’t wait to write her arcs and stuff but I’ll have you know right now that the girl is a DISASTER around attractive women.

This is Donnie!!!! He’s DEFINITELY up there with the Jones twins as one of the most fun characters to design, he’s so awesome I love drawing himmmm eeeeeeeeeeek!!!!

Okay so I made a mistake saying he has dual Bo-staffs, I just liked the way it looked with his design, but that’s incredibly impractical so that’s one of the first things I changed.

He’s the one character that I have his WHOLE personality fleshed out because I loved designing so much and he’s either a silly gay or a silly bisexual. I can’t tell you everything about him right now bc he’s still in the making and I wanna leave some room for content but he’s so much fun to draw and write!!!!

This is Jennikka! Did I mention she’s in here? Hehehehehehhehehehehhe well now I did. i am not getting involved into the making of the turtles because I spent DAYS working on that but I love it so much but ANYWAYS she’s here and she’s sapphic.

This is Venus!!! She’s so cuuteee eeeeeeek I love her she’s aroace and she’s also here. She has a deep connection with spritual energy and stuff much like Mikey from Rottmnt or I think the 2003 Venus as well? I haven’t gotten that far in the 2k3 show yet so I don’t know much abt her but I heard she has strong mystic connections or smth. I absolutely love her design and I hope you do too.

LEEOOOOOO!!!! I really have to show you guys the concept doodles of him sometime cause I love it so much.

I don’t have too much on him atm cause I finally got his design down like 4 days ago or smth like that, but I’ve decided he can’t stand up straight for the life of him and Donnie always yells at him for it. He’s a bit like Rise Leo I guess but just more smooth and more serious on his training like every other Leo. I had him down as a tattle-tale at firs but then I decided nah. Oh also he’s the medic

——

Oh and I don’t think I mentioned but Donnie starts out as the leader cause he’s the oldest but eventually the title just moves liquidly through them until it lands on Leo. I had a little headcannon that I’ll never write down on paper but I keep up here that they be wingmen for each other when someone’s tryna impress a love interest they “hold” the leader title. See: Raph gets to be leader when they meet Mona Lisa.

——

I have a few other designs down but not on info sheets, just on doodle pages and I’m not ready to reveal how much time I waste on this lmfao.

I have Splinter, Mona, most other Mutants and almost Draxum’s concept designs on paper. I’ll post info on the creation some other time but maybe not. Maybe I’ll keep it to myself.

All I’ll say abt it for now is that the turtle’s creations were all at the fault of Splinter being an absolute disaster of a bisexual.

(I do accept asks on this iteration and I really do wanna answer questions abt it pls ask me questions)

Omg it’s 12:30 in the morning I needa sleep 💀

[mrultra100]

If I can be real for a moment…

I feel like my involvement with Johnny Test as a franchise is basically over at this point. For those who’ve been with me for a long time now, this might come as a surprise that I’m finally letting go of what people have been referring to as Dexter’s Lab, but with whipcracks after all of these years, but there’s a lot that I wanna get off my chest about the state of the franchise, along with how things will go with my side of the situation going forth.

At this point, I’ve come to accept that Johnny Test, as a franchise, is likely going to stay dead in the water for real this time, especially with how the second season of the Netflix revival not only silently came out with barely any fanfare, but also became the final season, likely for good. I know a big chunk of the JT-related stuff was back when I was obsessed with the Vampire Twins to request art featuring them from multiple artists (Which is something that I deeply cringe at now, and fully regret for how stupid and childish that was. I apologize to everyone for that era), but in the last few years, I’ve been slowly making them more and more into their own thing, distant from what they were originally.

The Ultraverse V-Twins have changed a lot, with things like aging them up and changing their designs to reflect that, giving them more fleshed-out abilities and personalities, and overall just making them my own characters at this point. Don’t get me wrong, they still fit with my Primal Eternity idea, as that’s the one aspect of my JT stuff that I wanna keep around to somewhat of a degree. As for that project’s future? I could think of more ideas for characters and doodle them out, like I have before, or maybe I could take a small break from that project for a while. Im not sure. Regarding the bigger picture, I feel like/hoping to get some more work for it done after this break, before the franchise turns 20 next fall. We’ll just have to wait and see on what happens next. As for now, the V-Twins, while having a small connection to their origin franchise, will be their own thing going forward. Since they’re basically my own character after the series that they were based on is likely going to stay dead for good (which blows, but that’s just how it is), it’s the least I can do for them. In the meantime, Maryanna, now that she’s my mascot, is probably gonna be the hero of her own adventure. Time will tell on how her story will play out.

Regarding other things related to JT, I wanna give a quick shoutout to @rominadrawsart16 and @arti-squid. While they’re more active in the small JT fandom than I am, I love how they use character from the show to further their own skills as artists, similar to what I’ve been doing with Maryanna recently. If you haven’t already, please give them a visit.

And to give my thoughts on JT being dead and buried, I have a few conflicting thoughts. One part of me wishes WildBrain did more with the IP when making the Netflix revival, as alright as that was. Another feels like they should’ve go for a complete reboot to the franchise to start with a clean slate, and another feels like the series didn’t needed a revival in the first place, as shocking as they might sound. Unless the two seasons commissioned by Netflix were all that were planned, Johnny Test wasn’t really a show that needed to be brought back in the first place. After everything that had happened to it (The CW merger that caused the show to suffer budget cuts after Season 1, the infamy it got during the 2010’s due to how it became generic slop, etc), it feels like the show was basically doomed from the start. As much as I wanna go more into that with greater detail, that’ll be saved for another day.

So basically the short of what I’m trying to say is this; Johnny Test, as a franchise, is probably over for real this time, my involvement with it, outside of JTPE and supporting my friends, is (mostly) done, and the Ultraverse V-Twins (especially Maryanna) are here to stay.

See you, Space Whipcrack…

[rebelcharmings]

💖🤮❤️💜🃏?

💖 favourite character?

huge shocker - it’s lizzie🥰🥰🥰. i said this in my previous ask on which character i’m most like, and again it’s bc i find her relatable in a way. but other than that i just . idk love her character sm. i love how she tries to act all tough and like her mother but she’s actually just a sweetheart that wants friends and she just misses her mother and her homeland :(. that being said i love her character in the book just a little bit more than the show bc she feels more unhinged and i love it. and u can also properly see her development from wanting to be this isolated powerful queen to finally opening up to others. in the show i feel like it’s such a jump from her screaming Off With Your Head to everything and then spring unsprung she’s suddenly a sweetie that wants to design clothes for her friends. which isn’t necessarily a criticism bc i get that briar helped her realise she doesn’t have to follow her mother exactly, i just prefer how it’s portrayed in the book more. also am obsessed with her character design it’s just . so good.

🤮 least favourite character?

i’m sorry but.. crystal. just the way she acted was sooo ughhh i’m sorry ik that was the point the fact she’s a spoiled princess but it still annoyed me. like wdym “my pixies always help me when i’m in trouble” GIRL WHO CARES YOURE TWO SECONDS AWAY FROM FALLING TO YOUR DEATH JUST JUMP!!!! and i’ll admit i don’t know much of her original fairytale so i also thought the whole spoiled princess storyline w would’ve felt more satisfying with a character we’ve known for longer.. unless like i said it ties into her story somehow. but yea sorry crystal enjoyers she just ain’t for me

❤️ top 3 royals?

1. lizzie again obviously

2. dexter even tho it doesn’t make sense for him to be a royal but apparently he’s still technically one so . yes him. he’s just a silly guy who wants to prove himself and is also massively down bad for raven. when i read the books, anytime he spoke or was described i was just thinking “Aww i want to squish him”. i especially love his short story of before his legacy year i thought that was cool. wish we could’ve seen more of him being brave or proving himself somehow in the show. also fellow swiftie🤝

3. daring or apple… bc i love analysing both and defending them with my heart bc the show does them soo dirty. daring more so bc apple being a main character means she gets more focus on her motivations and development etc but daring doesn’t . the most ppl see of him in depth is….. epic winters…… if they don’t read the books they don’t get he’s actually a Good Man a bit self obsessed and a himbo but a Good Man who LIKES helping people and does it without hesitation. ppl just Don’t understand daring like i do……. i also love his and apple’s friendship dynamic . peak mlm and wlw solidarity.

💜 top 3 rebels?

1. raven!!! my other fellow swiftie🤝she’s just a cool girl idk what else to say, just love how she’s so unrelenting in her beliefs. even when she wants to sign the book her beliefs don’t change she just doesn’t want anything bad to happen to her friends. and same again when she Does sign the real book. but she’s still just a inherently sweet and nice girl despite it all i love her

2. darling. the charming twins both being my second favs is funny but yea she’s also cool and she is so badass in her book. but also a very considerate person especially when it comes to her brother . love her

3. maddie!! the silliest of girls. the show doesn’t expand on her more than the comic relief best friend but she is soo cool in the book especially when she has to take over for the narrator. that was a fun time. she’s just so cutesy and i love her

🃏 top 3 wonderlandians?

i’m being redundant now but. lizzie, maddie, kitty. there’s not much i haven’t already said for lizzie and maddie, but kitty has always been in my top list of fav eah characters bc i liked her mischievousness and as a kid i thought her powers were so cool too?? i also just like the mischievous cat characters i remember thinking torelai from mh was so cool too

[dorothydalmati1]

Obscure Animation Subject #35: Yin Yang Yo!

Originally posted on Twitter on March 14, 2023.

Created by Bob Boyle, who also created Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! and developed PPG 2016, its an American-Canadian co-production by Jetix Animation Concepts, the last show by a joint venture of Disney Television Animation and Jetix Europe.

The series airs on Toon Disney via the Jetix programming block, later merged into Disney XD by the end of the show’s run. It premiered as a sneak peek on August 26, 2006, then officially on September 4, 2006. The final episode aired on April 18, 2009, and reruns aired until 2010.

In Canada, it premiered on Family Channel on March 25, 2007. Most writers and animators involved with the show previously worked on The Fairly OddParents, 6teen, Clone High, Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! and Danny Phantom. This includes Bob Boyle, creator of both this show and Wubbzy.

Bob Boyle has also worked on both The Fairly OddParents and Danny Phantom as a producer and art director for both. For the earlier show, he also was an executive producer, storyboard artist and layout designer. Head writer Steve Marmel also worked on OddParents and DP.

Marmel took inspiration from anime like FLCL and anime-influenced shows like Teen Titans. Considering he’s an anime fan, you can see the influences in his style of writing. This show’s and Wubbzy’s art style are similar to each other, but this show has a more detailed edge.

This show is about two twin rabbits named Yin and Yang, and their sensei-like panda figure named Yo, a master of fictional mystical martial arts called Woo Foo. The twins learn about the sacred art of Woo Foo, a special type of martial arts that involves both might and magic.

They must work together to defeat evil villains and forces movitivated on destroying, corrupt or dominate society. For the first season, the primary goal was to defeat the Night Master, a powerful enemy, but by the second season we got more storylines making room for more lore.

The show, having to last for two seasons with 65 half-hours of 104 segments had positive reception thoughout its run, thanks to the animation, comedy, action and lore. It gained a fandom who grew-up with the show very fondly is often compared to Wubbzy, Boyle’s other work.

I even grew-up with it when it was airing and thought it was good. Rewatching it, it still holds up very well, its considered timeless. I definitely recommend checking this show out if you haven’t seen it, it’s fun, action-packed, hilarious and has great continuity.

[the-lore-and-art-cave-go-brrrrr]

So as I sit here actually finally feeling relaxed enough to work on the Pokemon protag designs for the stories I have, I’ve decided to share the head canons I will 100% be putting into place (some of which are my own, others of which are simply ones I’ve seen and decided I liked) as well as some origins for characters so it’s not just the same thing for each one.

Part one! I’ve seen this so often, but I’ve always kinda liked the concept of the protags for each game being like… chosen by a legendary/mythical? So I’m going with that. Like in Rai’s case, he’s Lunala’s chosen, Saffron would be like a weird case because the whole fusing with Pokemon thing was a wish granted by Jirachi so maybe he’s the outlier in this, but also like he’s the one who caught Miraidon and that’s the box legend… and also she catches Ogrepon which is a legendary so maybe it’s Ogrepon (if you couldn’t tell, Saffron is weird as shit and I’m still trying to figure it out), Rosa is also kinda weird, but I’ve jokingly said to my sibling that maybe she’s the chosen of Terapagos (although I am going to have Kieran catch it here because you know what, he deserved too so I don’t know) so maybe that- but also jokingly I have said Pecharunt could have done something (because I’m all here for Rosa being just a little fucked up). Honestly the Paldea protags are weird as hell and I don’t even know what I’m doing with them-

But basically I have a list for everyone but the Kanto protags (because I haven’t decided officially for those two) and the Paldea protags (who I can’t decide on), and I’m going to write down this list now.

Himari (Kanto): Undecided

Akane (Kanto): Undecided

Sakura (Sinnoh): Palkia or possibly Girantina (I can’t spellllll)

Rento (Sinnoh/Hisui): Dialga or Arceus (probably the latter because of the whole reason he ends up in Hisui)

Kaede (Hoenn): I’ve actually been debating having her be the chosen of both box legendaries for the games just so I can mess with the plot

Shion (Hoenn): possibly Rayquaza? If not probably Kyogre, while Kaede would be Groudon’s (this will be officially decided on when I sketch them)

Buttercup (Unova, first games): Reshiram (you best believe I will pit the twins against each other just to be a jerk)

Clover (Unova, first games): Zekrom (same reasoning as Buttercup)

Clemantis (Unova, second games): Kyurem (trios are fun, and who would I be if I didn’t make the three protags for Unova fit into the trio)

Reine (Kalos): Yveltal (So this one is specifically because Y was the first of these games I owned, and I played as the female protagonist the first time I played, so we ball)

Saule (Kalos): Xerneas (once again, this is specifically because X was the second game I got of these two, and that was when I actually started to play as Male protags, so that’s why)

Alani (Alola): Solgaleo (this directly will influence her unique ability)

Rai (Alola): Lunala (although I almost made it Necrozma for maximum trauma. I may be making him the chosen for both because yes)

Meadow (Galar): Zacian (she catches it)

Fern (Galar): Eternatus (again, she catches it)

Cyanus (Galar): I damn well might make it Calyrex and have him be the protag who does most of the dlc stuff.

Saffron (Paldea): Either Jirachi, Miraidon, or Ogrepon. This is still undecided

Rosa: Terapagos or Pecharunt, but still undecided.

Also these specifically influence both the unique ability I will be giving these guys (which may help me decide on Saffron and Rosa), as well as a specific accessory I give them (for example, I’m currently sketching Alani, and I gave her a hair accessory that looks like the symbol Solagaleo gets on its… forehead? When it uses its Z-move).

This is very long, so I will just make another post later with more of the headcanons after I’ve sketched more of these guys.

[nebulardrip]

34 and 37

34. Do you have any twin characters?

I do, actually. They’re all pretty minor though, and one set I abandoned because I ended up abandoning the story concept as a whole. A second set of twins is just background family for Sigrun from SSSS (just because she’s an only child doesn’t mean she can’t have cousins lol), and the third set of twins is great-grandparents for my SSSS OCs (Elsine and her family. Those two hate each other’s guts.

I think it’d be fun to design a set of twins that have cool designs/themes someday though.

37. Introduce an OC who is not quite human.

🤔 hmmmm well without going into anthro ocs, I do have a few elf characters for the elder scrolls universe. I have an altmer (high elf), a dunmer (dark elf), and a bosmer (wood elf).

Gilaanowe is the middle daughter to a wealthy family, and her parents suck. She convinces them to let her go to Skyrim to study at the College of Winterhold, and a lot of her story ties into the game’s questline for the college. I’m considering rethinking her backstory a bit to maybe fit elder scrolls canon a little more, but I also haven’t thought too deeply about these OCs in a long time. She’s got emotional baggage for days.

Malyne Odaren is a dunmer also studying at the college, and she and Gilaanowe don’t get along (altmer are stereotypically pompous and think of themselves as better than everyone lol) at first. Then they gradually warm up to each other and become best friends. (Nothing says friendship like going to a long dungeon and fighting a bone dragon yippee 🎉)

And finally Thernevin is a bosmer, and he’s a pretty chill, happy-go-lucky guy. No tragic backstory (well Malyne also doesn’t have a tragic backstory either) to speak of, good parents, sweet little sister. He’s also an assassin. Honestly, I didn’t have any deep reasons for why he became one when I came up with him because I was like 17 when I made him and kinda just went down the list of elder scrolls races like “oh wouldn’t it be cool if I had a character for this race?” He sees Gilaanowe and falls pretty hard for her and constantly flirts with her but in a very respectful manner. He can sense she’s got walls up, so he doesn’t push too hard when interacting with her.

[erin-bo-berin]

I’ve had an idea - a gender reveal party for Steve and the single mom series (I was alive in the 80’s so I know they weren’t a thing back then, just baby showers) but the idea just came to me - Robin or Nancy would know the sex if the baby (thinking boy) and they would arrange the party. Totally understand if you think it’s a silly idea! (Congrats on almost 5000 followers btw!)

Thank you!

I really love this idea. Let’s just ignore the fact that gender reveal parties weren’t a thing yet and say they were for the sake of this cuteness! Funny you say a boy because…baby #3 as I’ve written in another fic, the one daydream they had (so I’m gonna write it like that) is going to turn out to be baby 3 AND 4. It’s twins!

Robin is definitely the head of this party, she would have an absolute BLAST planning it. Especially when she knows it’s twins (because they haven’t found out yet).

Imagine this is Steve when he finds out cause he’s SURE she’s fucking with them lol

Part of the Dad Steve x SingleTeenMom!Reader ‘verse

Dad Steve x SingleTeenMom!Reader Series masterlist

“Daddy, auntie Robin won’t tell me if the baby a boy or a girl!”

Abbie ran up to Steve, looking frustrated, her hands on her little hips. It made him chuckle cause damnit if she wasn’t a spitting image of him when he was frustrated.

He held Arabella on his hip while she was busy eating the snack that you’d given her earlier. So far today, she’d been wanting to cling to daddy, much to your relief. Your back was hurting enough between carrying a baby both inside you and on your hip.

“Abbie, that’s the point of the party,” he smiled, “We’re finding out if the baby is a boy or a girl. That’s why auntie Robin planned this party.”

“How we gonna find out?” she asked, confused.

“Well,” he said, shifting Arabella to his other hip, “You see the pretty cake over there?”

He pointed to the table where a bakery designed cake sat with other finger foods and refreshments. Robin had really outdone herself and had been so excited to plan this party. It wasn’t something Steve was familiar with, but Robin claimed gender reveal parties were the newest “thing”.

“Yes,” she nodded, “We’ll get to eat it, right?”

“Of course honey,” he smiled, “But that cake is important. Mommy will cut it open and the color of the inside will reveal the surprise of if it’s a boy or a girl.”

“So if it’s pink it means I’m right in thinking it’s a baby sister?” she asked.

“Mhm. Blue for a boy like mommy thinks.”

She scrunched up her nose.

“I don’t want a baby brother. Boys are icky.”

“Hey,” he mock pouted, “I’m a boy. You don’t like daddy?”

She sighed dramatically.

“That’s different daddy. You the only boy that’s not icky.”

“Let’s hope she still has the same attitude in about ten years,” Steve muttered as you passed by, catching the tail end of the conversation.

You snorted, giving him a look.

“If she’s as boy crazy as her mommy then you stand no chance of that, Steve,” you smirked.

He groaned, already dreading it.

“Stay four forever for me, sweetheart, okay?”

“Sure daddy!” she smiled, “So when do we eat cake?”

•

Robin was practically bouncing on the balls of her feet, she was so excited.

“Do you have any idea how hard it’s been to keep this secret? I’m dying already, cut the cake!”

Everyone had finally arrived and they all chuckled and smiled, agreeing to her sentiment. They were all eager to find out just as much as you and Steve were.

“Okay, okay,” you chuckled, grabbing the knife off the table.

Steve was at one side of you, baby free for a change. She was happily snuggling Joyce—no shock there. Abbie was on the other side of you, watching the cake intently like it would give her clues before you even cut it.

“Go for it, babe,” Steve said.

You made the first cut, pulling the knife out to see if you could spot any colored crumbs. All you spotted was the white icing that coated the outside and most likely the inside too. You made a second cut on the opposite side then slid the blade under the slice, pulling it out.

You blinked at it, not sure what you were seeing.

You heard one of your friends gasp.

“Holy shit.”

That had come from Joyce.

“I don’t get it, mommy,” Abbie said, looking up at you.

“Oh my god,” Steve huffed a disbelieving laugh.

It was a simple two layer cake, but instead of being solid pink or solid blue, the top layer was pink and the bottom was blue.

“It’s twins!” Robin squealed.

You had no memory of depositing the slice of cake onto a plate and setting down the knife because the next thing you knew, you were flinging yourself into his arms.

Steve had wanted another girl, you had been hoping for a boy. Turns out, you were getting both.

“Twins,” you mumbled, dazed, “Can you believe that?”

The hoots and hollers were drowned out when a beaming Steve leaned down to kiss you.

“I can’t wait,” he smiled.

You heard a huff of annoyance from behind you—coming from your eldest daughter.

“Now can we eat the cake?”

[allaboardtheblankship]

Aftermath of a confession

Summary: After Ingo confesses his feelings for his twin, Emmet has a rough time handling the news and goes to seek out Elesa’s company. (2K words)

“Oh wow, you look like shit.” 

“I am Emmet and I haven’t slept in two days. Let me in.” 

“Oh yeah, sure. Make yourself at home.”

Elesa opened the door to her complex, her emolga slippers ruffling on the floor as she stepped back. She was still in her pajamas despite the hour. 

“You look like a child. It’s nostalgic.” 

“It’s one of those mornings” Depending on the day, she could get dressed incredibly fast, or not at all.

“Where’s Ingo?” She looked in the corridor for a sign of the twin. Emmet flinched behind her. 

“Busy.” 

“Huh-huh” 

She was not buying that. For all the years they had known each other, the twins Always did Everything and went Everywhere together, even when only one was invited somewhere. 

“Say Emmet, is the reason you’re here at all related to the multi line being canceled for today?”

He flinched again, but this time Elesa caught it.

“No way…. Did you two have a fight?” 

That was surprising if true. Sure, they often argued over petty little things, but it had become much less frequent now that they were adults. An apology, a hug, and everything was resolved by the end of the day.

Emmet stayed silent and immobile for a moment. 

“…..no.” He finally muttered. It was half hearted, not the usual genuine and blunt tone. 

That was… worrying. Maybe more than if he had said yes. 

“Then why are you here?”

“…”

“I want to sleep on your couch for a few days.”

“WHA—”

Before she could finish, the subway boss had already face-planted on her designer couch. Head buried in a pillow, he groaned in approval of the couch.

“Emmet sweetie, first off, I have a guest room—”

“Couch is good.” His voice was muffled. 

“— and second, WHY do you want to do that? Are you avoiding your brother?”

“…”

“…yes…”

“Oh…”

She sat down next to him. 

“Sweetie, you can tell me if something is bothering you.” After all, she often vented her frustration to the twins, they were good listeners. It’s only fair she did the same. 

“Uuurgh” Emmet groaned again, this time in frustration, and flipped over. Now laying on his back, he fixed Elesa with his silver eyes. 

“It’s complicated.” and personal. Would she understand? Can he even say it or would that betray Ingo’s trust? He wasn’t the best at lying. Blunt and direct, says what he means, means what he says. Always the same. 

“Ingo told me something and I got upset. I can’t talk to him.” 

“Things won’t get better until you do hun.”

“I know. But I can’t talk to him.”

“Why not?”

“Because of what he said.”

“Was it that bad?”

Emmet fell into silence, staring at the ceiling. He was remembering their conversation. Ingo had planned it carefully, now that Emmet looked back on it. It was a place they didn’t usually go to, so Emmet wouldn’t have to see it again. They were alone and able to have a private conversation, but there were many ways for Emmet to leave if he wanted to. He did leave. 

What Ingo had said…. He groaned, pressing his hands on his head, to hide his embarrassment and shame. What was he supposed to do?

“…. Elesa.”

“Yes?” 

“You’re my friend. And you’re Ingo’s.”

“Well yeah, we established that a few times already.”

“I trust you. We trust you. So if I tell you something serious, promise you’ll keep it for you.”

Emmet was really starting to worry her. She put a hand on his shoulder. 

“I promise.”

He took her words as the green light, and dropped the bombshell. 

“Ingo said he loved me.”

Silence. 

Elesa.exe has stopped working. 

“Not like that though. He said it with more fancy words. But the final station is the same one.”

She shook her head, trying to clear her mind. That wasn’t what she expected. She had so many questions. 

“You mean romantically? He said that he likes likes you?” 

“Yup. Romantically. He loves me romantically.”

“Ingo?? Your twin??”

“Yup. My twin brother Ingo. He loves me. Romantically.”

“I… what… I’m just…”

That was about how Emmet reacted himself. So that means he reacted in the normal way. Probably. Elesa was the most normal of the three of them. 

“…so… what did you say to that??”

“Nothing. I left. We haven’t spoken since. It hasn’t been fun.”

“And Ingo…” 

It was killing her to even think about it, but she had to be sure. 

“…before, has he ever tried… forced you to —”

Emmet interrupted her before she could finish that phrase. 

“No. Don’t board that train. We’re talking about Ingo. He is the same Ingo you know.”

“Right, sorry… it’s just… A lot to process.”

Emmet nodded. 

“Elesa, don’t let it change your view of Ingo. He is the same as before. Nothing changed.”

“… maybe for me, but what about you?”

“That’s why I’m here. I don’t know.”

A weighted silence fell on them like a blanket. It felt crushing. 

Elesa couldn’t help but think back to all the instances where Emmet and Ingo’s relationship seemed just a bit too close. She was an only child, she assumed it was normal for siblings. Maybe it wasn’t. Should she have said something? Done something? They wouldn’t have listened to her anyway. 

Emmet was replaying the moment Ingo confessed his feelings on loop in his head. Each word from that declaration was engraved in his mind. If Elesa asked him to, he could reenact the whole speech, minus the tone and facial expression. Ingo had never seemed so vulnerable. Emmet probably broke his heart, like all the others. He couldn’t face his twin. How could he, after he hurt him? 

And yet, the thought of being separated… 

“So what do you want to do…?” 

She could let him stay over as long as he needed, that wasn’t a problem. But ignoring Ingo wouldn't solve anything.

“...”

“I don’t want to lose Ingo. But I don’t want to hurt him either. He’s been acting like nothing happened….”

Ingo had been greeting him, trying to chit-chat, bringing him lunch, just as he usually would. And each time, he was ignored and disregarded. 

“...but I can see how much he hurts.”

Emmet was observant, and he knew his twin better than anyone else. He could see the guilt in his eyes, the pain in his smiles. It made his own heart twist and turn in agony. The memory of his brother’s face from that morning made his eyes sting. He gripped at the couch, clenching his fists until the nails started to dig into his palm. Elesa was attempting to comfort him wordlessly, her fingers brushing his hair gently. He tried to focus on that sensation instead. 

“Elesa, you know what it’s like to be in love. I don’t. Can you explain it?” 

“That’s—” 

That wasn’t the first time he asked. It was a regular question of his, one that he never got a satisfying answer to. Elesa had tried, over and over again, to explain it. Others had tried. Emmet never liked the answers, and hated how everyone around him seemed to understand them. It frustrated him. After a while, they had concluded that Emmet didn’t feel romantic attraction, just like Ingo didn’t feel sexual attraction. He liked that explanation. 

Elesa closed her eyes, trying to come up with the best way to explain love to her friend. 

“Love is this dazzling feeling that sweeps you off your feet. It’s actually more than a feeling, it’s passion. You start caring so much for someone that you would do anything to spend time with them. Sometimes it even hurts to be apart. There’s something very tender about touching them and having them close to you… I know I compare a lot of things to electricity, but love really feels like electricity sometimes. It can power you, or hurt you, it’s fickle and sudden, and it can be very high intensity.”

“...”

“Was that a satisfying explanation, sweetie?” 

“I guess. Is that what Ingo feels for me?” 

“Hah—” She had almost forgotten what this was about. 

“Maybe, people all experience love differently.” 

She wished she could say he was just confusing his affection for his twin for love, but they were adults, Ingo has had partners before, and it was too serious of a topic for him not to have already considered the option. He had to mean it. 

“What if I also love him? Romantically?”

Her fingers stopped moving through his hair.  

“What… do you mean?” 

“What you said about love. It’s close to what I feel for Ingo. Every time you explain love, I think about Ingo. He’s the only one I’ve felt that way for. I’ve been told it can’t be love because he’s my twin. Maybe it’s love, if Ingo also loves me.” 

“I— I guess that’s a possibility.” 

Elesa was out of words. What was she even supposed to say to that? She wanted to be supportive of her friends, but this? She didn’t know what to think. It was their personal business after all, she had no right to judge. 

“You’re making a face.” 

Emmet was staring at her. 

“Sorry, it’s just—” 

He got up and sat properly on the couch, startling Elesa. 

“Do you think it’s wrong?” 

Blunt as always. He put her on the spot. He looked at her expectantly, like a sad lillipup. 

“I— I don’t— There’s nothing wrong with it, not inherently.”

She was looking for the right words.

“I think, if both of you are happy about this, if it’s consensual and reciprocated, then I have nothing to say against it. I’m your friend, I want what’s best for you. I’ve been told I was wrong for being who I am and loving who I love all my life, I won’t do the same to you.”

His smile changed into a genuine one as she talked, and he looked relieved. 

“But—”

The corners of his mouth drooped down once again. 

“Not everyone will think that way. Society isn’t kind, especially to public figures like us. I don’t want you to be hurt.” 

Emmet crossed his arms.

“Society is stupid.”

“Hah, it sure is.”

“I don’t understand what it would change. If he loved me from the beginning, and I loved him as well, then our formation is still the same as before. We’re the same two-car train, with an added qualifier.” 

“I don’t think most people would see it that way, sweetie.”

“I’m not most people. I am Emmet! I’m a subway boss together with Ingo! And I LOVE INGO!” 

“Ow! I love the enthusiasm, sweetie, but please. I’m not wearing my headphones.” 

“sorry. This is exciting! I think. I’ve never been in love. Am I jumping on the wagon too fast? Maybe it’s not love. Why does putting a word on it change everything?”

She smiled fondly. 

“You’re doing just fine Emmet. You’ll just have to talk with Ingo about what this means for the both of you.” 

Maybe it won’t mean much. They’ll be the same as they’ve always been, with one more label. They were already so close, it sounded impossible for them to be even closer, even if they started calling each other ‘lover’ instead of ‘brother’. 

“Ingo! I’ve left him alone today. I need to talk to him. I need to—”

When trying to get up, Emmet wobbled on his feet and fell backwards, barely caught by Elesa. 

“Are you okay??”

“...I forgot my safety checks.” 

He looked so tired. Right. The whole ‘I haven’t slept in two days’ thing. That wouldn’t do. She sighed. 

“Stay right here, and try to sleep. I won’t let you leave until you get some shut-eye.” 

“Nooooo, I don’t want to nap, I need to talk to Ingo!” 

“I will tell him to come pick you up, alright?” And have a word with him. She trusted Ingo, she really did, but… No, no, that was silly. They were adults, they didn't need her mingling.

Emmet pouted, but eventually recognized that she was right.

“You win this battle. Can I take out Eelektross?” 

“Sure, knock yourself out!” Her whole apartment was electric-type-proofed anyway. 

Emmet knocked off his shoes, folded his coat and took out a pokeball. A giant eel came out of it in a flash, and proceeded to wrap itself around Emmet. It gave him an affectionate munch on his head. The subway boss laid down, and his pokemon, recognising it meant nap time, snuggled against him. The pressure and coldness of Eelektross' body soothed him, and quickly lulled him to sleep. 

In another room, Elesa asked subway boss Ingo to meet her at home.

And that’s the end of it! Who knows if I’ll continue, but it was really fun. I have shamelessly put in Emmet my own experience of being aro and struggling with the concept of love :P

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #296: Nemo

today on Fate and Phantasms we’re building Captain Nemo! we’re making them a Storm Sorcerer so they can have absolute control over their ship, as well as a Battle Smith Artificer so even if you’re not playing Ghosts of Saltmarsh, you’ll have something you can ride around on. also, so you and all your nemos can have a skill check ready for just about anything

check out their build breakdown below the cut, or their character sheet over here!

next up: the endangered clown breeding program’s newest member

Race and Background

Nemo is part water god, so they’re also a small-sized Water Genasi. or. a couple Water Genasi. whatever. That gives them +2 Dexterity and +1 Intelligence, as well as Darkvision for those stormy nights, a Swimming Speed and Water Breathing if those stormy nights get the better of you, and finally some acid resistance. I don’t know why acid resistance, but it’s a damage resistance, so I’m not complaining. you can also use your Call to the Wave to cast Acid Splash whenever you want, or you can Create or Destroy Water once a day at third level, and/or Water Walk at level 5. you can cast those spells more often if you use spell slots, but you get one freebie a day

I admit I haven’t read 10,000 leagues under the sea, but I think the main Nemo is some kind of prince, in which case he’d definitely be a Noble. that’ll give you proficiency in History and Persuasion

Ability Scores

you design your own ship (or a part of you does, anyway) so your highest score should be Intelligence. after that is Charisma to help you lead your crew when they aren’t all you. after that is Constitution. say what you will about the captain, but he’s a hard nut to crack. your Wisdom is also decently high to avoid any ice bergs or krakens in your path. this does mean your Dexterity is a bit lower than I’d like, even with the racial bonus, but your best line of defense is being in a boat, so hopefully that won’t be too much of an issue. that means you’re dumping Strength. any heavy parts of a boat get lifted by crane, or one of the other Nemos. don’t think about that too hard.

Class Levels

1. Sorcerer 1: Starting off at level one launches you into the whole “triton bloodline” thing right away when they become a Storm Sorcerer. that gives them proficiency in Constitution and Charisma saves, as well as two skills like Arcana and Religion. annoyingly, getting sea vehicle proficiency is really fucking hard if it’s not part of your background. thankfully we’re making you pretty good at literally anything anyway, so it’s not too much of a problem

more specific to storm sorcerers, you become a Wind Speaker, letting you read and write Primordial. it’s a language! you can also use Tempestuous Magic to fly up to 10’ whenever you cast a 1st level or higher spell without provoking any reactions. it’s a fun little way to embark and disembark without spending half your movement

speaking of, you can now cast Spells using your Charisma to power them. pick up Blade Ward and Mending to keep your ship shape ship-shape once you get her, as well as Fire Bolt and Catapult for some basic cannons. then, pick up Mage Hand for a small part of an extra Nemo, as well as Mage Armor to Not Die. that part’s really important

2. Sorcerer 2: second level sorcerers get a Font of Magic, which right now is just an extra spell slot. that’ll change next level though, so keep those Sorcery Points in mind- you’ll only get a few per long rest, but they can be pretty dang spicy! you also pick up some more guns for your ship with Magic Missile!

3. Sorcerer 3: third level sorcerers can spice up their spells with some Metamagic, giving you extra options for your spells if you’re willing to spend some sorcery points. since there’s supposed to be a lot more of you, grab Twinned spells to double your single-target attacks, and then grab Transmuted spells to turn one kind of elemental damage into another. that’ll be very important later, I promise.

speaking of extra yous, Mirror Image will make just that! you get three copies of yourself that hang out in your same spot. enemies attacking you have to pick one at random, and each copy lasts until an attack lands or up to a minute

now, you have no idea how much I wanted to keep going to level 6 to get Storm Guide, but sadly there’s something even cooler we need at level 17 of artificer, you’re just going to have to trust me on that

4. Artificer 1: as you can guess, getting to level 17 of artificer means we gotta start with level 1. that means you learn Magical Tinkering, which lets you add minor magical effects to tiny items. you also get another round of Spells, and this time you cast them with your Intelligence! first up, your cantrips- grab Guidance to make all your voyages a little smoother, and Message to pass comms on to other Nemos below deck

artificers can prepare their spells each day, grabbing up to their intelligence modifier plus half their level per long rest. that works out great for us, since it lets you make your Nautilus as you see fit- though I definitely recommend picking up Longstrider for some nitrous. that being said, there’s not much else we need from level 1 spells outside of possibly Absorb Elements to add a little water to your weapons when you can

5. Artificer 2: the big draw of artificer comes when you can Infuse Items with magical effects. at level two you get four blueprints, though you can only use two at a time. If you want plenty of water, it’s hard to beat the Alchemy Jug, you can pour up to 8 gallons of fresh water or 12 gallons of salt water each day. You can even make beer or wine if you’re so inclined. If you’re sick of pointing at people you want to talk with, Sending Stones make for wonderful walkie-talkies. Grab a Repeating Shot to turn a regular old crossbow into a proper gun (once we get to level 3 since you can only use light crossbows rn), and the Mind Sharpener to help you maintain concentration. pilots get knocked around a lot in anime, and your spells keep people from drowning, so it’s not a good idea to drop those

6. Artificer 3: at third level you become a Battle Smith, which makes you Battle Ready. this gives you proficiency with martial weapons, and you can use intelligence for your attack and damage rolls made with magical weapons! you also gain proficiency with smith’s tools to repair your ship, and you get your ship! a little bit of a ship, at least. your Steel Defender is a construct buddy you can choose the appearance of, and this is the second time now we’ve taken great advantage of that fact. it takes its turn right after you, but you need to use your bonus action to make it do anything other than dodge. you can use mending to heal it, or use a spell slot to bring it back to life. it comes with a lot of cool stats, but unfortunately that does not include a swimming speed. we’ll fix that as time goes on, but for now the Nautilus is dry-docked

you can also make The Right Tool for the Job over a short rest, and you get an expanded spell list from your subclass, letting you cast Heroism and Shield. It’s harder for spells to reach you when you inside a cockpit, after all

7. Artificer 4: at fourth level you gain your first Ability Score Improvement. artificers really only care about their Intelligence, and so do we!

8. Artificer 5: fifth level battle smiths get an Extra Attack each attack action, so now your repeating shot comes into play! they also get second level spells including your freebies Branding Smite and Warding Bond. I wouldn’t use the latter.. yet. the Nautilus is covering you, not the other way around

speaking of, use Aid for a stronger hull, Enhance Ability to give you advantage on whatever kind of skill check your DM decides boating is for a minute at a time, and Air Bubble. That last one’s a new spell from the Astral Adventurer’s Guide, giving one creature of your choice a diver’s helmet’s worth of clean breathable air for 24 hours. Additionally, you can upcast the spell to give more creatures the same thing. which is really good, since your submarine doesn’t actually have a closed room yet. it also can’t go underwater yet. yet!

9. Artificer 6: sixth level artificers get Tool Expertise for a doubled proficiency bonus to all their tool checks- now the Nautilus is finally ship-shape and ready for water! once you give it one of your new infusions, that is

use the Ring of Water Walking for a boat, or a Cloak of the Manta Ray for a submarine. The former works exactly like you’d think, letting a creature walk on water. the latter gives its wearer a 60’ swimming speed as long as its hood is up, which takes an action. sooo maybe make your Nautilus with enough of a head that it can wear a hoodie for now

10. Artificer 7: a seventh level artificer always comes in clutch with a Flash of Genius when its needed. now you can spend a reaction to add your intelligence modifier to a check happening nearby intelligence modifier times per day. now no matter what you’re doing, you’ll probably have a Nemo somewhere that can help

11. Artificer 8: use this ASI to bump up your Intelligence again! now you’ve got the strongest spells, the toughest gun, and the most flashes of genius possible. you’re like a whole genius bar up in there.

12. artificer 9: ninth level artificers get an arcane jolt, so now you can make your pistol tougher, or your nautlius’ ram! u can also use this to heal a nearby creature/object instead, so you don’t have to pick between fightin’ or patching up your ship! you can only do this 5 times a day, and only once a turn.

speaking of once a turn stuff, you can now cast third level spells! your freebies are aura of vitality and conjure barrage! the former brings up a buncha medic nemos to heal one creature each turn using your bonus action! but since you already use your bonus action, you might want to use the latter instead, creating a proper gun battery for the nautilus dealing damage in a 60’ cone after they make a dex save.

you can also ask chef nemo to create food and water, give your ship haste for twice as much speed, extra AC, advantage on dex saves, and an extra action if you’re okay with it taking a turn afterwards to cool off, or you can give it water breathing if you thought the ship ring was fine for the day and you need evasive actions.

finally, we have the reason we took transmuted spell earlier! pick up ashardalon’s stride to give yourself an extra 20’ of movement, avoid opportunity attacks, and deal fire damage to anything near you when you move once a turn. sadly, this only has a range of self, but you don’t actually have to do the walking for it to work! just swap fire to cold, and watch the enemies eat your wake!

13. artificer 10: now that you’re a magic item adept you’ll have another attunement slot, and you can craft magic items even faster than normal! you also get two more blueprints- the eyes of the eagle make for a great spyglass, giving you advantage on perception checks, and you can make out fine details from far away! you can also use an enhanced arcane focus to power up your spells a bit. you’re part god, they should hit hard.

also grab light. makes it easier for everyone to see at night.

14. artificer 11: at eleventh level you can turn any weapon or focus into a spell-storing item after each long rest. it’s gotta be a 1st or 2nd level spell you can cast with an action, but it can be used ten times before it’s gotta be recharged, though u can only have one of these around at a time. that means your nautilus can now use warding bond to protect you for ten hours a day! or you could give it a dagger of false life to let it heal itself. or even enlarge/reduce to fit more people! there’s a ton of options here.

15. artificer 12: now that chef nemo’s had some time to practice, you can grab the chef feat to really get to work! this rounds up your constitution for an extra 15 hp this level, you get (doubled) proficiency with cook’s utensils, and as part of a short rest your party can heal a little more than usual! and also, over long rests you can bake some cookies that can give their eaters temporary hp as a bonus action! they aren’t strong, but they’re made with love.

16. artificer 13: at level 13 you get 4th level spells, like your freebies aura of purity and fire shield. the former keeps nearby creatures from getting diseased or poisoned, though your ship’s already pretty hard against that already, what with being a construct. the latter gives you a shield that protects against cold or fire damage, and if you get hit by a melee attack it’ll bounce the opposite back at whatever hit you. the engine room gets pretty hot, this might help.

you can also get the nemo engineers together to fabricate anything you might want- you need to supply the raw materials, and you might need the tool proficiencies to make it work, but you’ve got tons of those by now! you can also use freedom of movement on your nautilus to get it out of troubled waters. now it can’t be slowed by difficult terrain, and magical effects can’t slow it, paralyze it, or restrain it. it can even use 5’ of movement to slip away from its anchor!

that last one actually isn’t that good, is it?

17. artificer 14: now that you’re a magical item savant, you get yet another attunement slot, and you ignore all class, race, spell, and level requirements with your magic items! we also get a lot more destructive with your spells and infusions :3

first, grab the thunderclap cantrip for some tnt barrels, then pick up the horn of blasting for your funky seashell dealy. you can use your action to blast noise in a 30’ cone, forcing a constitution save on everything in the area, with disadvantage for glass or crystal creatures. if they fail, they even get deafened! also, it’s got a 20% chance of blowing up, which is less good. it might just be safer to use your np, the ring of the ram. it’s got three charges, and you can use them to make a spell attack against a creature, dealing damage and pushing them around based on how many charges you spend. or you can use this on an object to try and break it, with a bonus on the roll for each charge spent. your np gain is crap, but at least this doesn’t blow up!

18. artificer 15: at fifteenth level, you get an improved defender, so your ship’s even stronger now! your arcane jolt is twice as powerful for damage and healing, your steel defender has a better ac, and when it deflects attacks it even deals a little damage in return!

19. artificer 16: okay, so the nautilus is a neat ship now, but it’s not imaginary space-worthy yet. we’ll fix that next level, but for now, we’ll prep you by making you a Sion of the Outer Planes, prepping you for Astral travel. this gives you resistance from psychic damage, and you can cast message without the material component. the defense is nice at least!

20. artificer 17: your final level isn’t that special… except for the fact that you get 5th level spells! your freebies are banishing smite and mass cure wounds, but we’re here for one thing- create spelljamming helm. the astral adventurer’s guide left us one other goody, and hoo boy is it cool! it costs a lot of money, but it can turn any chair into a spelljamming helm. like the name implies. you can install this baby in any ship that weighs a ton or more, letting you move a ship through air and space, and even through and under water if it’s built for it. (hint hint) from the spelljamming helm you can move the ship up to its speed, or to warp speed once you’re a mile away from any large objects. you can also steer the vessel, though it’s better to use its actual rudders and oars and stuff, and you can see and hear around the ship as though you were somewhere else in it!

yep, just like semiramis, this is another one of those “build your own” goals. sorry, but spaceships ain’t cheap. they’re 5,000 gold.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

you’re riding an all-terrain vehicle, and since you’re (mostly) using magic items to make that happen, you don’t have to worry about running out of concentration 10,000 leagues under the sea. hell you can make it fly if you want, that’s just not really in-character.

having plenty of flashes of genius pretty much automatically turns you into a jack of all trades, and if you’re still bad at something after that you’ve probably got a magic item to help you out. you’re probably not the best at everything in the party, but you’ll be a good second-stringer for most skill checks.

admittedly, this last one depends heavily on the campaign you’re playing in. that being said, being able to make your own food is never a bad idea. it’ll cut down on time needed for hunting while in the wilderness, and it’s invaluable if you end up a castaway.

Cons:

even with mage armor you’re still rocking an AC of 14 if you’re playing to character, with not nearly enough HP to justify riding into battle.

your Noble Phantasm also takes plenty of time and money to build, and you can’t even put the finishing touches on it until you reach level 20. if your DM really wants you to go into space, they’ll probably make it happen long before the Nautilus is truly ready to launch.

we barely spent any time as a sorcerer, so the most you really get out of it is Mirror Image and a language. given a choice between that and the artificer capstone, I know which option I’d pick every day of the week.

[tetsunormous]

Reencounters

pairing: Matsukawa Issei x f!reader

genre: college au, friends to lovers, smut (18+), fluff

word count: 6.5K

warnings: cunnilingus, fingering, vaginal penetration, unprotected sex, creampie, swearing, nipple play, pinning

A/N: This is for Ria's @bakugohoex's rich boy collab 💜 Congrat's on 3k!! thank you to @ohno-otome and @armins-futon for reading this for me. I love matsukawa but I don't write for him often so this has been really fun :)

Walking into your new dorm room, you weren’t sure what to expect. Sure, you’ve seen the pictures online, but there’s nothing like the slightly dusty window letting in a hazy ray of light shining down onto the slight dip in the middle of the mattress you now call your own. Your desk almost touched the corner of your twin-sized bed, and your new bookshelf barely has enough room to fit half of the books you brought, but this was your new life. It didn’t dawn on you just how different university would be until you arrived this morning, but here you were, unpacking all your clothes into the cramped closet in the corner. Luckily, you’re in the building where you had a single room. Privacy was something you were worried about, and the communal washrooms will be something to get used to, but either way, this was a new start, and no matter how nervous you are, you’re grateful for it.

High school wasn’t terrible, but it definitely wasn’t what you expected it to be. Going into it, you obviously knew that it would be nothing like how the movies depicted, but you were excited. How bad could those four years really be if you had your best friend right by your side? He was incredible. He understood you better than anybody else, would be able to tell how you were feeling without the exchange of words, but most of all, he was your person, and you were his.

There was no doubting that in all your years of friendship.

But alas, like all good things in life, they must come to an end.

The summer going into the twelfth grade, he was longer your best friend. The boy that would go to the farmers market with you and your mom every other Sunday was now lining up for the newest sneaker drop. The boy that would rather spend the night at home and binge-watch your shared comfort show for the seventh time is now out with the boys sneaking into shisha bars and doing donuts in the community centre parking lots with their new cars. You watched as he slowly forgot about you, getting caught up in his new friendships and obsessing over material items that he never cared about before. It’s not that you were upset he found new friends. It’s that the only time he would reach out was to randomly drop off something he had bought you in hopes it would make up for him blowing you off again.

They started small, simple sweaters he knew you would like, but the gifts became almost ridiculous as time passed. He would never let you return them either, so now you have designer shoes for imaginary banquets. Of course, you were always grateful, but you would trade all his gifts just to spend time with him again. His family has always been wealthy, they always went on lavish vacations and drove the nicest cars, but you never really cared about what he spends his money on or just how much his parents make. You cared that he saw you as a person he wanted to be with rather than just someone he could shove gifts towards to make up for the quality time he’d miss.

But now you’re here. You were arriving three hours before the suggested move-in time because you didn’t want to be rushed to unpack before orientation starts later. You’ve seen a few people walking around on your floor, but neither of your neighbours have arrived, and honestly, you don’t mind because that means you’re able to blast your music without worry. As The 1975 fills your room, you stand still for a second, really taking in where you are. You’re now attending one of the best schools in the country, living on your own with a floor of people you don’t know yet. It starts to sink in that you are starting anew. The people who end up in the rooms next to you might just end up being your lifelong friends. As the song comes to an end, you decide it’s time to try to make yourself look a little more presentable since it’s almost time for people to start rolling in.

...

It’s almost five in the afternoon, and everyone on your floor is meeting outside on the field for a quick introduction before group dinner. You’re sitting with your knees pressed to your chest as the girl next to you tries to make small talk. To be fair, she’s incredibly sweet, but you can’t focus on her because somewhere behind you, there is a voice you think you recognize. There’s no way he would be here. Sure, you have no idea what school he ended up choosing, but if he ended up here, he would’ve at least texted you. Right? Before you can confirm your suspicions, orientation starts, and your group leader is already talking with more energy than you can handle.

The group of guys settle down close by, and you can’t stop yourself from looking over, wondering if you’ll see the head of brown curls. Instead, you’re met with a bunch of frat boy looking wannabes that instantly make your eyes roll. To say you’re disappointed that you didn’t see him was so stupid. It’s been over a year, yet here you were, hoping to magically bump into him as if this was some cliche movie. If anything, it’s frustrating. It’s frustrating that even though he stopped caring for you, you still longed to see him, to hear him laugh at one of your cheesy jokes. It’s even more frustrating that this new start you’ve been looking forward to, makes you miss him even more.

There are only sixteen people on your floor, but introductions take a lifetime because someone didn’t come on time. When they finally do show up, you almost laugh at this whole situation because, of course, it was him. Of course, he was strutting down the courtyard in some brand new Gucci sneakers and the same Balenciaga sweater he had bought for you a few months ago. Of course, the annoying group of boys behind you gesture for him as he quickly apologizes to the group leaders. And, of course, when you make eye contact, he’s the one looking at you with a mixture of shock and annoyance.

Quickly rushing back to your room after the meeting, you decide you’re ordering in tonight so that you don’t have to see him for at least another day. This is all so fucked up. You wrack your brain trying to understand how probable this whole situation is because, frankly, it feels like a sick joke, and on top of it, he’s the one annoyed?

Naturally, you spend the rest of the night unpacking the rest of your things before ordering your comfort food to wash down all the feelings you’re experiencing. Putting on your favourite show, you begin your tenth rerun as you bury yourself in your blankets. Part of you feels so stupid for completely ignoring your initial dinner plans, but you knew with the mindset you had at the moment, there was no way you would have enjoyed yourself. It’s a bit silly you haven’t left your room since picking up your takeout, you don’t even know who lives beside you, but that’s a problem for tomorrow.

Slipping into your slides, you head towards the washroom with your little toiletry bag. You pass by the girl you were sitting with earlier, and she sends you a smile. After apologizing for disappearing all night she just laughs and assures you nothing happened. She even points out where her room is if you were up to hang out tomorrow during frosh activities.

Just this interaction makes you feel better, and you quietly hum along to the familiar tune coming from the shower stall.

He used to play this song all the time, claiming it spoke to him the first time he heard it. Since then, it became the song he would play anytime he’d come to pick you up, explaining how this song is special because the ending always reminded him of you. It didn’t matter how long it’s been since the two of you hung out. Every time you heard ‘Pluto Projector,’ it would always bring a smile to your face. You even tried to show the song to your ex-boyfriend, but he never paid attention to your suggestions. He always claimed that his music taste was better. Thankfully that relationship only lasted a couple of months, but still, the regret of not waiting for someone worthy lingers in your mind.

While applying your moisturizer, you hear the water shut, the person pausing the song right as the orchestra starts to come in. Worried about who you may run into, you quickly pack up your stuff. You hear the click of the lock, and as you turn around, you’re met with him, with his curly hair all damp and his obnoxious teal blue robe wrapped loosely around his waist.

Rushing past him, you briskly walk towards your room, but before you can close the door, his foot jams between the doorframe. He pushes his way in and quietly closes the door, only to be met with the unimpressed look on your face. He circles around your room, eyes searching for any trace of your past friendship before standing back at the door.

“What do you want, Matsukawa?” you ask impatiently. It’s bad enough you run into the one person you wanted to forget, but now he’s standing in your room with a matching frown.

Something indescribable flashes across his eyes, and you can visibly see his frown deepen at your question. Leaning against your door, his arms come up to rub over his face, peeking at you through his fingers before letting out a long sigh. “When did I become Matsukawa? I thought I was Issei.”

You can’t help the chuckle that escapes your lips, and you realize how childish your grudge might be, but he has changed, and the man standing in front of you isn’t the same man you once called your best friend. “When you changed, Matsukawa. Issei was my best friend, and YOU are not.”

His eyes filled with confusion as his eyebrows furrow, taking a step forward towards you. “I’m sorry? I tried to stay in touch with you. You’re the one that stopped talking to me, so I’d try to send you things instead. How was I the one who changed?”

You stand there, staring at him for a second before shaking your head. “I can’t do this right now; I want to have a good day tomorrow, so I need to go to sleep. Please, leave my room.”

His eyes soften a little, and you can see a faint glimpse of his infamous lazy smile, “We both know you’re not going to be sleeping anytime soon,” he stalks over and kicks his slides off before sitting at the end of your bed. “Let’s talk about this because, frankly, I’m tired of watching you decide if you hate me every time you see me.”

The nerve of this man. The fact that he invites himself into your room, declares his stay, and then sits on your bed without permission. You don’t even know if he’s wearing anything under that robe as his hair is literally dripping onto your comforter. Regardless of what the situation is, this action alone has you seething. Turning towards your desk chair, you harshly pull out the slightly imbalanced piece of wood and sit down, silently questioning why he isn’t the one on the chair.

He watches you stomp around, and he kinda chuckles at your little tantrum, missing how easy it was to rile you up. Your glare at him would be a little scary if he didn’t see the way your lips mumbled to yourself. It’s honestly a little cute to watch you all frustrated with him even though he saw one of the shoes he bought you in your closet. Sure, they look brand new, but the fact that you brought them here with you must mean something.

The year you two spent apart has been really stressful on Matsukawa. He thought that you’d be happy that he could give you everything you wanted. He knew he wasn’t spending as much time with you as he used to, but he thought the gifts he spent hours lining up for would make up for it.

When you stopped returning his calls and texts, he was crushed. Everyone could see how he felt about you, but then he watched you get close to another man. Within two weeks, you were dating him, and he was left watching from a distance. Neither of you ever confirmed your feelings for each other, but he could tell that man wasn’t making you happy. He didn’t understand your different facial expressions, he didn’t care about what you had to say, but all he could do was watch the girl he wanted from the sidelines.

Sure, as time went on, Matsukawa also started talking to other girls. None of them ever became his girlfriend, he didn’t think it was fair to get with someone when he was set on you, but he had his fair share of hookups. He has money, a shit ton of it, but he never let that get to his head. It wasn’t his fault that he gained popularity when he started to get into name brands and upgraded his car, but none of that ever changed who he was — at least not to the degree you had him pinned.

He watches you carefully, your leg bouncing impatiently as your eyes glare daggers in his direction. He runs his hand through his hair and lets out a sigh, “what did I do wrong? You didn’t even give me a chance to fix whatever I did (y/n).”

The lamp in the corner of your room shines a dim yellow hue onto his features. His brows are knitted in concern as he leans forwards on his knees, his robe showing off a deep v down his chest. You can feel yourself freeze up at his question, goosebumps covering your skin, while your eyes pour into his. “You changed Matsukawa. You stopped making an effort to be there. I’m not some girl you can just buy with all your money. I have never cared about how much you have or what you can afford -- you know that! It doesn’t matter what. I always split things with you because I never wanted you to feel like I was there for your money. But then suddenly, you just stop showing up. You wouldn’t even tell me you made other plans, and I would just open my door to find some package you dropped off.”

His eyes search your face before letting out a deep sigh. “I tried! You wouldn’t answer any of my calls, I know I stopped explaining myself, but can you blame me? Don’t you think I want to take you around and introduce you to all my friends? Don’t you think I miss going on late-night drives with you to 7-11? Every time I would drive past there, you’re all I thought about. You and your stupid obsession with cheese taquitos and Arizona tea. Did you even think about how I felt when you decided to act like I don’t exist?” He hastily stands up and paces around in the confined space of your dorm room. He never raises his voice, so hearing him talk at a slightly louder volume was enough to let you know he was dead serious. “You know, I never stopped talking highly about you because as selfish as it is, those boys have an important family. They have the connections you dream about (y/n), so even when you started to ignore me to go out with that fucking ex-boyfriend of yours, I never said anything.”

He looks at you with pleading eyes before going to sit back down, his elbows now resting against his thighs. “I know you don’t care about my money, but I didn’t know how else to tell you I was still thinking about you. I tried to get you things that you’d like, things that you’d wear. But no, I had to watch you put on a fake smile and laugh at that asshole’s jokes while you stubbornly ignored me to the point I thought you had me blocked.”

Looking up at you through his curls, his hooded eyes looked darker before. His lips curled into a forced smile as he let out a breathy chuckle, “he didn’t deserve you. But what do I know, right?”

You sat there quietly, taking in what he had just said. You didn’t realize how hurt he was. To be frank, up till now, you were so consumed by your feelings, and you failed to consider his own. His head is hanging between his hands, and the silence in your room right now is insufferable. He’s just explained himself, yet all you can do is scoff at yourself. While you were obsessing over the fact that Matsukawa wasn’t coming over to watch another rerun of your favourite show, he was out picking out different gifts he thought you’d like. You didn’t even open the last few because your own emotions so blinded you. Hearing him take a deep breath, he stands up and smiles sadly at you, “nice talk, (y/n). Thanks for listening.”

“I’m sorry, Issei.”

He lifts his head to meet your gaze, and you can visibly watch as his shoulders relax. It’s been too long since he’s heard you call him by his first name.

“I’m sorry too. I should’ve just gotten out of the car to talk to you.”

You look at him with a small smile. Walking towards your bed, you sit down and pat the spot beside you, pulling him in for a hug. His robe is probably the softest thing you’ve ever felt in your life, your fingers sinking into the fabric as you hold him close. His arms are immediately wrapping around you, and you both stay like that for a minute before you pull back, a faint blush blooming on your cheeks.

“No, you have nothing to apologize for. You tried reaching out to me, you tried explaining yourself, but I didn’t even give you a chance. I’m sorry. I can’t believe I was so caught up I didn’t even think about what you were feeling. The fact that you still wanted to introduce me to your friends, even after all the stuff I did to you….I’m so sorry, Issei.”

He gives you a playful smile and lightly nudges your shoulder with his, “yea, that was kinda unfair, but good thing we talked it out, huh?”

You flash him a sheepish smile, but your eyes glimmer with happiness, “yea, it’s good you barged into my room at two in the morning. Just like old times.”

His smile instantly grows at your playfulness, and he gives you a mock scoff. “I’m sorry, but if I remember correctly, you’d beg for me to stay over at two am cause you decided you wanted to watch a scary movie. Have you gotten better with horror movies this year, or are you still as jumpy as I remember?”

The tip of your ears growing warm while you mutter out a quick “shut up.”

His laughter makes your heart beat against your chest because you missed it so much. It’s been a while since you got to hear him laugh with you, and without even thinking, you go in for another hug.

His arms easily hold you close, and one of his massive hands reaches up to pet your hair. “Missed me, didn’t you?” he asks, and you can feel him smirking, so you just nod, your fingers playing with the damp, short curls at the base of his nape.

“Issei?” you ask with a little murmur against his neck.

“Hmmm?”

You smile to yourself and pull back a little, so you can see his face, “so other than hanging out with your friends and keeping up with my relationship, what else have you been doing?”

His face drops as he looks at you with a deadpan stare, the corners of his mouth twitching up in a smile as you giggle at his reaction. He pushes you back, so you end up falling onto your mattress, his long limbs effortlessly straddling your legs. Before you can think about the position you’re in, his fingers start to poke all-around your torso, causing you both to laugh as he starts to tickle you. “You think you’re funny, huh?” His hands go to tickle your worst spot as he starts to talk, but you can’t hear him over your own laughter. His fingers slow down, but you keep giggling when you’re met with his lazy smirk, “I’m trying to talk, you know. It’s rude you’re laughing when I’m trying to speak to you.”

He leans forwards and has both hands resting at the side of your head. Your faces now inches apart, the faint smell of sandalwood from his body wash now becoming more apparent. You stare into his brown eyes, and it almost feels as if everything stopped for a few seconds. The lamp in your room doesn’t do him justice as the shadows of his face wash over his features, but even then, his eyes stare back at you with a slight twinkle as you catch your breath.

Reaching up to wrap your arms around his neck and you tug him close, crashing his lips onto yours. The sweet hints from his beloved Burt’s bee’s lip balm make his lips even softer than you imagined. The kiss is short, but as you both pull away, he’s staring at you with a goofy smile.

“You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do that, (y/n).”

“Me too, Issei,” you whisper back before his lips capture yours again, this time with more confidence. This kiss is much more passionate than the last, holding onto each other in hopes of deepening it. One of his hands travels down to grab your waist, his tongue sweeping across your bottom lip, asking for permission. Your lips part and your tongues swirl together effortlessly while your hands play with his hair, pulling him closer into your body.

His hand feels a little rougher than before against your bare skin because of how often he trains, running down the length of your leg. The light touch of his fingertips admires how smooth your skin is before they trail back up, stopping just before the edge of your pyjama shorts. Hooking your leg around his hip, he leans into your body even further and even nips at your bottom lip.

Matsukawa smirks and whispers against your lips, “did he ever kiss you like that?”

Slightly surprised at the question, you shake your head, answering honestly. “He never made me feel the way you do.”

You watch as his eyes dilate, flickering into a deep brown you’ve never seen on him. The hand that was previously on your leg is now cupping your cheek, stroking your face softly, while his own face blooms into a rare shade of pink. Still, his words are clear, “please...give me a chance? He never treated you right. Let me take care of you?”

Words can’t describe how his question made you feel. You spent years learning about Matsukawa, understanding him to the point where words weren’t necessary to see what was happening in his head. Not once did you think he reciprocated your feelings, let alone want to be with you. Yet, here you are, caged beneath his arms as his hopeful eyes pour into yours.

Turning your head slightly, you press a kiss onto his hand and smile. “Please?”

His face breaks into a smile. His cheeks are tinted rose as the corners of his mouth reach up to his eyes. Leaning down, he peppers kisses onto your face, the loose curls on his head tickling your cheeks as he giggles with you. The kisses trail down to your jaw, and he follows the natural curve of your jawline to your ear. “Is this okay?” he whispers softly, only continuing down this path when you give him a curt nod.

Your legs tighten around his waist when he begins to press open mouth kisses down your neck, gently nipping at the spots that make you let out shy little sounds. His tongue leaves kitten licks against your skin after he’s sucked on it, littering faint marks. Seeing you with light hickeys on the base of your neck and collarbones is completely self-indulgent for him. Thinking about waking up in the morning and seeing the marks he knows he gave you makes him inexplicably happy as he sucks particularly hard, causing you to wince.

Immediately he stops and turns to you, “I’m sorry, did I hurt you? D’you wanna stop?”

His concern for you is truly a breath of fresh air compared to what you had before. Shaking your head, you guide his hands to the edge of your sweater. “You bought this for me… it’s only fair I let you take it off.”

He studies your face for a second before his lips curl into a lazy smirk, quickly pulling the overpriced sweater off your body. He takes a sharp inhale when you reveal you aren’t wearing anything underneath as he’s met with your beautiful tits, nipples hard and pointed. “You let me in here knowing you weren’t wearing a bra? And here I thought you were a good girl.”

Noticing how your legs tighten around him, he smirks even wider. Leaning back down, his kisses trail down to your chest, and his lips feel soft and warm against your skin. His fingers take hold of your chin and force you to look down on him while his lips wrap around your nipple, the tip of his tongue flicking gently at the hardened bud. His hand palms against the fatty flesh of your other tit; his fingers are rolling your nipple before tugging on it experimentally.

Suddenly feeling shy, your arms come up to cover your face slightly just to have him lace his fingers with yours, pulling your arms away. “Don’t hide from me. Let me see how pretty you look. Let me hear how good I make you feel, okay?”

“I’ve never had someone play with my tits like this…”

He just stares at you, brows knitted as his smirk turns into a slight pout. “You’re with me now; that means every part of your body will be pleasured. I wanna hear and see all of you, okay?”

With a shy nod, you gently roll your hips against him, inviting more of his attention.

He kisses you once more, murmuring against your lips, “you’re so beautiful. Let me know if I’m going too fast, okay?”

His lips follow down your body once more, lightly biting your tit before using the flat part of his tongue to feel the valley between your chest. Matsukawa lets out a low moan as you arch upwards, pushing yourself closer to his touches. Letting go of your hands, he begins to massage the soft flesh of your tits and kiss down your stomach, the tip of his tongue trailing against the waistband of your shorts.

“Let me hear you ask for it; I don’t wanna do something you don’t want.”

“Isseiiii, please?” you whine out, the tip of your ears turning hot at the thought of asking for his tongue.

He smirks at you, looking up through his hooded eyes and tsks. “Be a good girl for me. Use your words.”

His words go straight to your pussy, and you can’t help the doe eyes look in your eyes when you whimper out, “please, Issei? Wanna feel your mouth on me.”

You watch as he takes in a sharp breath, the hunger in his eyes shining through despite the dim lighting in your room. He tugs at the end of your shorts until they’re completely off, repositioning himself lower until your legs are resting around his biceps. His eyes zone in on the way a sheer layer of slick coats your lips, happy that the attention he’s been giving you has pleased you. As he shimmies down on your bed, his legs now supporting himself on the floor, he nestles himself between your legs, easily spreading your things open with his arms. Sending you a knowing smile, he blows cool air directly onto your clit, loving how your walls flutter for him.

“You’re so sensitive, baby.”

“No one’s ever made me feel like this before...want more, please?”

You look down at him with pleading eyes, your hands cupping his face when you speak. Pressing a quick peck to your hand, he hips his head down and traces your pussy lips with his tongue, savouring how you taste.

The gasp that you let out once you felt his touch was adorable. It suddenly became the sound Matsukawa will chase after the more he gets to know your body and what it likes. He takes one long lap up your pussy, stopping just before your clit and using his fingers, he spreads your lips even more. Once your clit is all exposed, he flicks it gently with the tip of his tongue, looking up at you with all the confidence in the world. Hearing your little moans make him greedy for more, for more desperate and needy sounds, so he goes to press a kiss onto your bundle of nerves. Feeling you twitch beneath him, he gently places his lips around the sensitive bud and sucks earnestly, relishing in the way you buck your hips and call out his name. After a while of pure clitoral stimulation, he leans back up to watch your eyes blink back into focus on his face, a silly dazed smile on your face.

He winks at you and sticks his tongue into your drooling hole, swirling it around to feel the walls of your pussy clench around him. His fingers dig into the flesh of your thighs as he nuzzles his nose against your clit, his cock getting unbearably hard at the way you pant our pleas.

“I-issei! Please….need you inside, please!”

Coming back up for air, his hand leaves your thigh as his fingers start to tease around your hole, loving how your pussy clenches around nothing. So needy for his touches when he’s barely even started. He knows your orgasm was building, but he wants to take his time with you. You mean the world to him, and seeing you like this already makes him feel like the luckiest man at the moment.

Taking two of his fingers, he coats them in all your slick before slowly pushing them inside you. His eyes squeeze shut when he feels how tight you are, his mind immediately thinking about how you’d feel wrapped around his cock. When he’s finally inside, he pulls out slowly before sliding them back in, loving how you beg for more.

“Need more, please, Issei! Go faster, please.”

Your hands pull his head up to kiss you while his fingers begin to speed up. With the lewd sound of his hand slapping against your sopping wet pussy, his palm is applying pressure to your clit. Your moans are lost in your kisses, his other hand going back to playing with your sensitive nipple.

“I have to stretch you out, babygirl. I don’t want my cock to hurt you.”

All you’re able to do is nod as his fingers start to scissor your hole, stretching you out even more. His fingers, now knuckle deep, curl against your sweet spot, making you grip onto his hair as he swallows all your cries, suddenly remembering that the walls in this dorm probably aren’t that thick.

His fingers curl into you more, whispering sweet praises as his hand teases and tugs on your swollen nipple. Everything happened so quick, and you’re cumming all over his hand, your sweet sticky arousal covering his fingers as he slows down. Matsukawa is smiling down at you, “you did so well, baby. Bet that felt really good, huh?”

Maybe you’re needy or just horny, but even after your orgasm, you start tugging the tie that keeps his robe up. Your legs are sore, sorer than they’ve ever been, but all you can think about is how full you would feel with him inside of you. He smirks at you as he pops his fingers into his mouth, sucking off all your juices before letting his robe fall and chucking it to the ground. He’s wearing his briefs, but you can see how hard his cock is under the thin cotton material. Before you’re able to pull his underwear down, he stops you and lets out a small chuckle. “I’m sorry, I don’t have a condom. We don’t have to do anything.”

You giggle and shake your head, “don’t need one; we’re in university, baby. What’s a little fun without risks?”

He lets you pull his underwear down, and his massive throbbing cock instantly slaps against his stomach as he laughs at your reaction. “Had to make sure you were stretched out enough.”

You bite your lips and stare at how big his cock actually is. It’s hard to imagine how you’ll fit that inside of you, but you’re determined to give it a try.

“You ready, pretty girl?” he asks as he taps the tip of cock against your clit, loving how you squirm under him.

“mmhmm, Issei.”

He lets go of his cock and leans up, and pulls you into a deep kiss, completely in awe of you.

“Tell me if you wanna stop, kay?”

Replying with a small hum, he gathers up the remaining slick that’s leaking out of your pussy and strokes his cock slowly, also letting his spit drip down to help lubricate himself. He lines himself up with your pretty pussy and starts to push the head in, studying your face to make sure you’re doing alright. When he sees you smiling back at him, despite the grip you have on his arms, he pushes another two inches inside of you.

“You’re doing so good for me, baby. We’re almost halfway,” he whispers into your ear as he kisses your neck softly, sucking on the spot by the base of your lobe. “Such a good girl for me,” he coaxes as his cock slides another inch into your sweet cunt.

Incredibly, he’s only halfway down because you’ve never felt this full before. Still, your fingers dig into his arms when you ask for more. “Just want all of you in me, please?”

Hearing you ask for more even though you already looked fucked out sparks something inside him. He lets out a low growl and quickly pushes the rest of his length inside you, mumbling sweet nothings against your skin. He moans out with you when he feels how warm and tight you are, your pussy stretching more than it ever has to accommodate his size.

“Feel s’good, Issei.”

With a breathy chuckle, he peppers kisses all over your neck, loving the sound of your soft giggles as he pulls back three-quarters of the way, slowly pushing his way back into you. The gasp you let out is different than before, much more surprised but sensual.

He continues this motion a few more times before he picks up the pace, his hips slamming against you while your tits bounce. Each thrust knocks the air out of your chest cause he’s brushing against your spot every time. Matsukawa leans down and presses his forehead against the crook of your neck, muttering how good you feel.

“F-faster...need you faster, is’o good, please.”

Obliging to your pleas, he starts to rut his hips into yours, the sound of his balls slapping against your skin with each movement. He looks up to see your dreamy eyes and smiles. He knows there’s not a thought behind those eyes right now as his cock slams against your walls with each thrust. He goes to kiss you again, silencing your cries as your nails drag down his arms, trying to ground yourself in the midst of all the pleasure.

“You’re s-tight baby I- fuuuuuck, I can barely move.”

You can’t help it. Your walls are naturally squeezing him because he’s fucking straight into your sweet spot with each snap of his hips. You look at him with hazy eyes, entirely in a trance as you moan out his name. He can tell you want to cum, so his hand reaches down to rub your clit as his cock continues to pound into you.

“C’mon baby, cum all over my cock. You can do it...ah shit, yea, just like that.”

He’s been trying so hard not to cum but watching your back arch into him as your nails drab down his back, his name falling out from your lips in a loud erotic moan, is making it really hard. He looks down in surprise when he sees a creamy white rim around his cock, proud of himself for making you cream.

“Good girl...that’s my fuckin girl.”

Satisfied he made you finish, his head falls back onto your shoulder, his hips just rutting into you as he chases his own orgasm. Not even a minute later, he’s calling out for you as he quickly pulls out, cumming all over your tits. His chest heaves along with yours, his hair sticking to his forehead slightly as he empties his load all over your chest.

Once you’ve both calmed down a little bit, he smiles down at you and goes to stroke your cheek. “Had you creaming on my cock, was it fun? Did you have a good time?”

“S’good...thank you, baby,” you say before pulling him down for a kiss.

He gets up and reaches for his robe, “you did so good, took me like a champ heh. I’ll be back with a rag to clean you up, okay? Don’t move.”

As he leaves your room, you stare up at the ceiling and let out a laugh. Not even twelve hours ago, you were cursing the fact that he was here with you, and now you have his cum all over your tiddies as he goes to get stuff to clean you up.

You watch as he comes back into your room, fully changed with a rag in his hand. He kneels beside you and pets your hair as he starts to wipe his mess.

“Why’re you changed?”

“Oh! We’re going to 7-11 once I get you cleaned up.”

“.....it’s like three-thirty in the morning.”

“I’ll get you taquitos and Arizona,” he says as he goes to wipe around your pussy, mindful not to put too much pressure cause you’re still sensitive.

“And skittles?”

He snorts and kisses your shaking thigh, “yea, I’ll get you skittles, brat.”

© tetsunormous 2021

taglist: @plutowrites @armins-futon @arte-misa @strawbari21 @matsusimp @bokutomessy @mentaly-ill @arumiee @kvrooschibichan lmk if you want to be added to my tag list

[aliensunflower-fics]

Marinette Changes Schools: A funny little Lila salt prompt

So, there are a lot of ‘Marinette changes schools’ au’s and I love a whole bunch of them don't get me wrong. BUT the one thing I haven’t seen yet is Marinette changing schools not because of Lila or salt but simply because her parents are moving and they want her to attend a school close to home. So without further ado let me sell you on my little idea: 

Lila has been plotting weeks worth of plans and lies, she’s thought up some sob stories about being stalked, about near death experiences, about celebrities that are like her family. She has plans for Marinette all the ways she could make the girl look bad and all the ways she could force Adrien to see her. That all goes out the window one day when she gets to school and it's a sob fest. There is a clear air of dread and dismay, the blue skies she saw on the way to school replaced with heavy storm clouds. And when she gets to class it's worse. Marinette and Alya are hugging and crying, Adrien looks like he's been shot, Nino and Kim are demanding to know ‘why’ even Chloe looks upset, her blue eyes a little glassy. Lila quickly learns why, Marinette’s parents' business is doing GREAT so great in fact that they have decided to open a second location! The twist? They also decided to move INTO the new location and with it being on the other side of Paris and her parents fears for their daughters safety that means Marinette is moving to a new school!

Now Lila doesn’t even have to school her face into a practiced expression of shock. She genuinely is shocked here she’d been planning months in advance picturing the ways she would destroy her rivals life and steal her friends! And now just like that Marinette is MOVING? Of course Lila quickly decides this is a good thing! After all if Marinette is out of the picture ruling the school will be that much easier. Sure Chloe might be queen bee but with Marinette gone people will be looking to replace her! In walks Lila Rossi, a gorgeous upstart model with a heart of gold and connections coming out of her bangs! She’d rule the school and Adrien would fall for her, then Marinette would probably come crawling back desperate for her old friends only to learn she’d snatched them all up! It was brilliant! And with Marinette gone she could probably do it in record time! So Lila covers up her smirk and says she’s devastated to hear that the twin tailed girl would be leaving and begins plotting.

In the month that follows Lila leaves Marinette alone letting her have her friends for what would be for the last time. After all if everyone still loved the designer when she left they’d be all the more eager to replace her with a new and better version. Of course just because Lila is playing nice doesn’t mean she enjoys it. Alya is practically glued to the girl and ignores Lila even when she’s not trying to sabotage Marinette. Adrien is acting like his life is ending and all anyone will talk about is Marinette. When she checks social media it's all just pictures of ‘old-great times with Marinette’ or new photos and videos of helping the girl pack up and move into her new room, which Lila seethes about for a week when she sees the photos of the spacious luxurious room with a private bath. Apparently the Dupain-Cheng’s new bakery was in a pretty ritzy rich neighborhood. During school Marinette is mobbed by a constant stream of people begging her to stay and when they accept that not happening they all at least beg her to ‘come back and visit’ Marinette promises and Lila has to hide her snort. Fat chance of that actually happening. 

Finally the last day arrives and Lila has to hold back the urge to gag as everyone fills the nearby park giving Marinette gifts and heartfelt goodbyes. Adrien is the last one to offer his gift and Lila seethes as Marinette gingerly opens the box with a gasp and pulls out two brand new pink hair ribbons, and Adrien goes on to say that they’re made of imported silk! SILK, as if the little baker brat deserved silk! The whole exchange is cliche and romantic as Marinette removes her current hair ribbons to tie in the new ones and Adrien ties the old ones around his wrist like some idiot who doesn’t realize what a love struck longing look he's giving his ‘good friend’. But Lila just keeps reminding herself its just a bit longer and sure enough not long after the hideously gooey exchange between Adrien and Marinette is over the designer is leaving with more tears and farewells. FINALLY Lila thinks she can get back to what matters! Ruling her empire.

As it turns out ruling her empire is not what she thinks. For the first month after Marinette leaves all anyone will talk about is the photos she’s posted online. The first week its ALL about HER new school is a private well known academy with uniforms, and isn't Marinette cute in it? And look at her in her custom black kitty thigh highs? Lila wants to scream, but not as much as when she catches Adrien drooling over the photo of said thigh highs and twirling the old nasty hair ribbons around his wrist. The second week its all about the video tour of her new home and school that Marinette sent Alya. Lila glares the whole time as Alya puts the video on the projector at lunch so everyone can see the big new gorgeous bakery and the beautiful house on the second floor and her stupid big bedroom that should belong to someone like herself and not some bratty bakers daughter! By the third week Lila has had enough and fakes some nasty texts from Marinette hoping to speed up the process of helping her classmates move on to HERSELF. It backfires spectacularly with Alya going on the warpath to learn who would dare frame Marinette now that she’s gone. Lila is starting to realize that somehow Marinette has reached a higher level of popularity now that she’s gone. But she reminds herself it won't last forever that in ‘just a little bit longer’ everyone will forget the baker. Right?

A little bit longer. Never happens. Lila asks the girls to hang out that weekend with plans of winning them over with some juicy celeb story? Alya says they all already made plans to hope aboard the train to spend the whole weekend at Marinette’s new place! Lila tries to corner Adrien into a date after a photo shoot. He disappears and all she hears from the workers on set is that he's been looking up some new bakery on the other side of town. [Marinette is suddenly being visited by Chat Noir every other night but she figures she must have moved closer to where his civilian self lives if hes dropping by so much.] She tries to throw a party for the class? They can't. Marinette will be coming out to the park today! With her new school friends!

AH HA! Lila see’s opportunity and decides to tag along. After all if Marinette has new friends Lila can twist it! She’ll whisper about her replacing them all! Make them hate Marinette’s new friends! Fill them with jealousy till they hate Marinette! It's BRILLIANT! And, it fails in less than two minutes, with Alya learning about Aurore being a ballet dancer and the two girls bonding over their mutual love of DANCE?? How the heck was Lila supposed to know Alya had been a champion ballet dancer in her younger years! Then Nino is bonding with some kid named Allen or whatever about classical vs modern music and how to blend the two! And some kid named Claude is joking with Kim, Max, and Alix! And this is definitely not how things were supposed to go!

The worst part is Adrien, who is passive aggressively fighting for Marinette against Kagami AND Felix who are both all too eager to show how ‘close’ they’ve gotten to the baker's daughter while Adrien’s been across the city. Kagami is all to happy to show off that she ALSO bought Marinette some new silk hair ribbons [in a red shade that happens to match her fencing uniform] while Felix eagerly wisks Marinette away the moment Kagami and Adrien are distracted the two fencers find him openly flirting with an oblivious Marinette her hair down because ‘oh felix was nice enough to help me get some leaves out of my hair and said i should leave it like this!’ [while both Kagami and Adrien agree she looks beyond cute they know this means war.] Needless to say Lila didn’t realize that Marinette was that damn popular with men and woman.

The week after the meet up Lila is worn so thin she’s ready to snap. Not only did the class not get jealous but they actually became FRIENDS with all of Marinette’s new buddies and were planning many more meet ups including a paintball war over the baker girl that saturday. Adrien had taken to openly mumbling to himself about changing schools and how he ‘cant believe’ his own flesh and blood would so openly flirt with HIS very good friend! And what was with Kagami showing off how easily she can pick up and carry Marinette? And why did she invite Marinette to watch their next tournament! He needed to train, what if he lost?? In front of Marinette?! And then she thought he was too weak to keep her safe like all good friends are supposed to do! Clearly Kagami was trying to replace him as Marinette’s very good friend! Poor Nino who was sitting next to the boy had actually volunteered to switch with Lila but she came up with a lie to avoid it, she’d had enough of hearing about Marinette from Alya and Juleka and the rest of the girls, she didn’t also need to hear it from Adrien! 

It all comes to a head that Saturday during the paintball tournament when Lila now at her wits end her plans out the window her schemes barely thought out hopes to find something ANYTHING to ruin Marinette’s day and reputation and everything. But Lila just so happens to get completely pelted with paintballs everytime she so much as moves and then later gets ignored when trying to wow Marinette’s new friends, and then gets called out by Felix and Kagami snaps and finally she snaps and SCREAMS and runs off and not even a dark little butterfly comes to help her ruin the perfect day. As it turns out Hawkmoth was a little preoccupied with trying to save his business after all the computers and data involved in his precise scheduling were mysteriously corrupted suddenly freeing up his son's time and schedule so he could spend more with HIS very good friend and no one else's. Kagami and Felix apparently had the same idea as when he gets to her new house their already their doing their best to get on her parents good side.

Basically just give me some comedic, fluffy, Lila salty, Marinette changes school fics. Because I love them ok.

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[lumosinlove]

Between Fifth And You

AO3

chapter two

~

It’s Saturday night for Manhattan’s elite, and we know what that means. The Noble House of Black beckons, and one particularly family seems to be a little behind on preparations—at least, their youngest son is.

Spotted—Logan Tremblay, looking hot in nothing but basketball shorts. Better soak up that fading blue August heat while you can, Lo. Or are you more interested in something a little more…fiery? But in the LES? Why so far from home, Dorothy? Eye color isn’t the only thing green about the Tremblay family. And they have a bad habit of sorting everything out with a little help from Ben Franklin.

“Shoot, shoot!”

Logan pivoted on his heel and was able to toss the ball around his opponent’s shoulder. He only caught a glimpse of red hair as Finn caught it with ease and jumped it up to the rim.

Finn O’Hara. One of these days Logan was going to step on his own shoes watching Finn O’Hara. His pale chest looked like sugar dusting, his exertion-red cheeks the goddamn cherry.

“Point moo-oi!” Finn shouted, slapping Will Morgan and Percy Marshall on their bare backs. “That’s how you say it, right, Tremblay?”

Logan feigned a shudder. “Non.”

“Shorty’s got game,” Will laughed, sweat dripping down his dark brown skin, darkening the leather bracelets he wore.

Percy shook his head, swallowing over a caught-breath, his silver Star of David swinging at his throat. “Shorty must be cheating with his Upper Side shoes.”

Logan just narrowed his eyes and laughed, pushing his hair out of his eyes. “You’re just tall. Doesn’t mean you’re good.”

“Yeah, yeah, Mazel tov, you fucker.”

“I’m finally winning,” Finn grinned. “And now I gotta get back to the shop. I said be back in five…pretty sure it’s been fifty-five.”

Logan swallowed. “I’ll—I’ll walk you.”

Percy slapped him on the back as they left, and Finn held the cage door of the basketball court open for him.

“So, you’re back at school?” Finn asked as he pulled his shirt on. Logan nodded, following suit, picking at the neck where it stuck to his sweaty skin.

“Yeah,” Logan nodded. “I’m supposed to be getting fitted for a suit right now.”

Finn snorted. “What does that have to do with school?”

“Oh,” the corner of Logan’s mouth raised as he realized. “Nothing, I…well, you know. The social scene. It sort of all feels like one thing, up there.”

Finn pouted at him. “Poor baby. Too many parties.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Logan laughed.

“Hey, feel like lunch?”

“I thought you had to be back.”

Finn shrugged. “I’m hungry.”

Logan bit his lip, wondering how many different ways his older sisters could actually kill him. Honestly, he thought he’d just die on the spot of he passed up the change to be squeezed into one of the small restaurants that Finn frequented. Screw the grand tables of his life. Logan wanted cracked leather booths small enough to let their ankles brush. Not that he’d ever say that out loud.

Finn didn’t disappoint. They walked down the shade of Mott street, then turned at a bakeshop on the corner. Finn pointed at it.

“You’ve been here, haven’t you?”

Logan raised a shoulder. “I don’t get down here much.”

Finn snorted. “Listen to you. Down here. You’re down here enough to pop into my bookstore all the time.”

Logan studied the cakes in the windows, biting his lip when he realized Finn’s eyes were still on him in the reflection. “I…yeah.”

Finn flicked the bill of Logan’s hat which shaded the back of his neck. “How’s that latest book you bought?”

Logan turned away from the window to get them walking again, not sure where they were going but trusting Finn to lead. “I’m starting school, man, I don’t have all the time in the world.”

Finn just laughed. “Come on, let’s catch the 6.”

Logan found himself squeezed into a tiny French restaurant in the West Village that served them even tinier croissants.

“I know the chef,” Finn said popping one he had spread jam and butter on into his mouth. “Dumo. Don’t pay a cent. I fucking love these things.”

Logan would have bought Finn a thousand of the tiny pastries without a blink just to see him lick a bit of jam from his thumb again.

“Dumo doesn’t sound very French…” Logan began cutting up his waffle.

Finn laughed. “Pascal Dumais does.”

“Oh. Yeah, that’s more like it.”

Logan glanced at a woman and her baby, who had started crying. He tried to think of something to say. For someone who’s job seemed to be making small talk at various parties and charming people with his accent—or so his mother sometimes said—he sure was horrible at it.

“So, what’s the suit for?” Finn asked, taking a sip of his black coffee.

“A fashion show,” Logan sighed, hiding his surprise—and maybe delight—at Finn’s unknowing shrug. “It’s…sort of a lot. Lots of people and cameras. And I always have to wear something green.”

Finn hummed in understanding. “It’s the eyes, yeah?”

Logan nodded. “A lot of fast English, too.”

Finn tilted his head. “I didn’t know that was hard for you. You’re perfect.”

Logan tried not to flush and covered it with a shrug. “I lived in France until I was fifteen before we finally moved to my dad. It’s still nice to be able to read lips sometimes. With the flashes and they make it super dark…I don’t know.”

“No, that makes sense,” Finn said, brown eyes soft. He smiled. “Hey, well, if you don’t want to go to the fitting, come man the shop with me. I’d love the company.”

Logan looked at him and ached, but saw his older sister Noelle’s pleading, excited expression in his mind. He might not love the scene, but he loved his sisters. “I wish I could. Really.”

They finished up their food and Logan had to admit that he lingered over his coffee until Finn said he absolutely had to leave.

“Hey, Tremblay,” Finn called from down the sidewalk, and Logan turned in the full knowledge that seeing the smile Finn sent him would only make him want to stay more.

The dutiful son wants the bookshop boy…I don’t know, Lo. How will their royal highnesses feel about that?

“Come buy more books you don’t read soon, okay?”

Logan couldn’t help but smile back. “D’accord.”

Finn walked backwards a few steps, yelling, “And bring me something green!” before turning and jogging down the subway stairs.

Logan laughed as he called his driver to him, escaping the heat for air conditioned leather.

XOXO

Pearls or diamonds, Upper Siders? Armani or Ralph? What, like you have other questions tonight?

Well, I have one for you. A tip from a friendly scroller gave me a peak at tonight’s guest list. Do you think we’re in for more than just a showdown on the runway? Cat fights over cat walks is what I always say.

XOXO.

[Image description: Two name cards reading, from left to right, Leo Knut and Remus Lupin, Sirius Black and Sebastian Montague]

Remus found Julian already dressed and tapping at a game on his phone when he descended the winding staircase of their penthouse.

“You waiting for mom and dad?” Remus said, dropping a kiss to the top of his head.

“And you,” Julian said.

“Right, right,” Remus smoothed his black tuxedo, trying to ignore the subtle glint of blue-silver embroidered into the black velvet. His mother was a planner—which Remus liked usually—but this design had not aged well. This suit had a twin that it no longer belonged with. Remus clenched his jaw as he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He’d hoped wearing it would feel like defiance.

But it only felt like he was lonely. He gave his head a hard shake. He had Leo. He couldn’t let New York throw him.

“Gossip Girl’s going crazy. Of course,” Julian said.

“Jules, you shouldn’t read that stuff,” Remus sighed. “It’s just gossip—”

“Just posted about Sirius,” Julian murmured.

Remus huffed, pushing his hair out of its too neat style in the mirror. “So?”

Julian shrugged, but pointedly looked away when Remus took out his own phone.

The photo looked like one from the paparazzi, but the sight of Sirius on the red carpet made Remus’ throat close up.

I spy a statement piece. Or maybe it’s just a statement. Sirius Black arrives on the red carpet—or should I say black carpet—with none other than New York’s favorite icon, in worship and fashion alike. The Saint of these streets is looking particularly dashing tonight, hand in hand with the heir of this city. Ouch, Re. Looks like you’ve been dethroned.

Remus stared down at the screen, neck hot. Sirius’ suit sleeves had the barely there leather half moon cut-outs that Remus remembered tracing onto his skin.

Sirius had smiled into their kiss. Think anyone will notice?

Remus had just laughed. Everyone will notice.

But there was Saint, a crown of moonstones in his golden hair.

Remus looked down at his own suit. Of course Saint had thought of a way they’d match, that was all it was, but it still felt like a snub.

“I sort of miss him,” Julian said quietly.

Remus’ heart pulled. He swallowed and clicked his phone off. He looked at Julian, who looked almost sheepish.

“Do you?” Julian asked even more quietly.

“Don’t you like Leo?” Remus asked.

“Of course,” Julian nodded quickly. “But…”

“Remus,” Hope smiled, coming down the stairs arm-in-arm with their father. “Jules. Ready, boys?”

Remus didn’t think saying no was an option. He cleared his throat, pushed his hair back.

“Almost,” he said, backtracking towards the stairs. “Just a second. Gotta call Leo, make sure he hasn’t left yet.”

XOXO

“We can watch a livestream of the red carpet and the show,” Natalie said. “Sit.”

Finn groaned, squished beside Natalie on her tiny sofa. “That feels like I’m stalking him.”

“We’re allowed to stalk the boys we like.”

“You’re dating my brother, Nat. Does this mean you stalked him?”

“It really does,” Alex said, coming in from the kitchen with their margaritas and dropping a kiss to Natalie’s temple.

“Hm,” Natalie smiled up at him, accepting a kiss to her lips. “Scruffy.”

Finn sighed and pulled a knee up to his chest, watching the loading video Natalie had pulled up.

“Your wifi sucks,” he mumbled.

“It’ll load,” Natalie scooted over for Alex and passed Finn his drink.

“Salsa, too,” Finn said, waving it over.

Finally, the video popped up to a view of the red carpet.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Alex said.

“Be nice,” Natalie laughed. “It’s fashion!”

“Look,” Alex sighed. “I know they’re wealthy and it’s suppose to be all, I don’t know sandy beaches and wristwatches, but not a single one of these people look remotely happy. Like take a look at this guy—“

Finn looked over the sandy-haired man posing in front of the cameras—well, not posing, really. Kasey Winter, the commentators were saying.

“Nice hair,” Natalie crunched on a chip. “And listen to that, his mother’s one of the biggest producers at Weird Sisters Records.”

“Fine, but he looks like he’s ready to kill someone. I mean, anyone else think its kind of fucked up that the New York families go to a New York university where New York businesses draw from New York’s elite?”

“Yes,” Finn and Natalie said in unison.

And then there was Logan.

Finn let out an embarrassing sound and set his drink down, leaning forward.

Logan walked out in front of the cameras with three girls—his sisters, Finn remembered. Not to mention he followed all of them on Instagram. They had a lot of shoes, sure, but they seemed all right.

“I saw this thing on Gossip Girl about one of the sisters,” Natalie said. “She—”

“Nat, why the hell do you read that?”

Natalie shot him a look. “Like you don’t.”

Finn ignored them, too focused on the dark, nearly black, velvety green cape—or was it cloak?—that covered Logan’s shoulders down to above his elbows, falling to an elegant point at the small of his back over his black suit. The sisters had a similar get-up in one way or another—a green train, a shawl, a corset. Logan’s clasp was a silver fleur-de-lis.

“Green,” Finn breathed.

“What?” Alex asked.

Finn bit the inside of his cheek at Logan’s expression. It was meant to be blank, Finn thought, at-ease and untouchable, but it came off almost enticing. His dark eyelashes swept against his cheeks. Finn watched his throat bob around a swallow, his adored eyes shifting from flash to flash.

“Nothing,” Finn answered his brother.

“How’d you meet this kid anyway, Fish?” his brother asked.

“I was closing up shop about a month ago,” Finn said. “And he stopped at one of our windows. Looked like he’d run the entire island, he was breathing so hard. Not to mention it was pouring like nothing else. Thought he was gonna pass out, so I unlocked the door and let him in to get dry. I don’t know, he was kind of shy at first. Listened to me talk for about an hour before he started giving anything back.” Finn shrugged, watching Logan walk off screen. “I invite him to play basketball with me, Morg, and Percy now. We get lunch after sometimes.”

Natalie sighed. “He looked like one unhappy camper.”

“I think his family puts a lot of pressure on him. He’s the baby. Only son. All that bullshit.”

“I kind of want that cape,” Natalie said.

Alex sighed. “That’s the idea.”

Natalie slapped his chest, then kissed his cheek, and Finn watched Logan walk off-screen.

XOXO

“What say you, Capulet?”

Sirius looked down at Saint at his shoulder. “They’re out of crab puffs.”

“Boo,” Saint said. “You still closing the show?”

“Yep.”

“Shouldn’t you be in hair and makeup?”

“Yep.”

Saint stepped in front of him, the gold band of moonstones nestled in his curls glinting in the dark stage lights. “Looking for someone?”

Sirius just reached out and ran a gentle thumbnail beneath where Saint’s golden eyeliner had smudged against his brown skin, striking it back to a point. “Nope. See you after the show.”

Saint clucked his tongue. “I’m unimpressed.”

“What else is new?” Sirius said.

Saint went to smile, when his eyes flickered behind Sirius and he raised his eyebrows. “That.”

Sirius turned around, and quickly schooled his expression. The cameras were going wild, and in front of all the flashing lights was Remus, hand-in-hand with Leo Knut.

“They make a sunshine pair,” Saint said from beside him. “How’re you feeling?”

Sirius touched two fingers to one of the black-leather moons on his jacket sleeve. They were meant to go with Remus’ stars. He remembered planning for them. He’d thought…part of him had thought if he’d worn them tonight—

“Cloudy sky,” he replied to Saint.

“I was gonna say dappled sunlight in…” Saint glanced around. “A dark forest.”

Remus and Leo were wearing dress shirts, collars rumpled and unbuttoned at their throats, each in a smooth shade of cream. Their hands, decked out in golden rings, were laced together, and they both wore pale gray slacks, slim cut, and laceless nikes.

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun…hmm, but don’t I spy some burning jealous?

“What are we going for here,” Saint raised an eyebrow. “Left in a hurry and didn’t get the dress code?”

“We’re going against me,” Sirius replied, slipping his hands into his pockets and trying to stand straight. “That’s all.”

“Sunlight in a dark forest, indeed.”

Sirius watched them looking out over the flashes, and tried not to look surprised when golden eyes met his own. Remus’ expression didn’t change either. Instead, he simply blinked, then looked away. Leo, tall and lean, leaned into his ear, and Remus smiled. The cameras popped like champagne.

I love right here, Sirius remembered his own voice, the feeling of the soft skin by Remus’ eye beneath his thumb. I love right here when you smile.

“I need to get backstage,” Sirius said shortly, and turned on his heel.

“I’ll be watching.”

“Don’t I know,” Sirius called as he weaved his way through the crowd, heading backstage. The woman with a radio in her ear looked annoyed and nervous when he slipped past her, and radioed that he had arrived to whoever it was that needed to know.

“Sirius!” Alice called, hands full of makeup brushes and up in the air. “Jesus Christ, do you think I have all fucking night?”

Sirius shrugged out of his red carpet jacket—which someone took—and slid into her chair. “Sorry, Al.”

She twirled a protective cape around his shoulders, snapping it at the base of his neck. “It’s a good thing you’re pretty. But then again, I think everyone’s pretty.”

Sirius closed his eyes, letting her begin. “People are.”

Alice had just finished contour when Sirius all but felt his mother’s presence. A shift in the air. A cooler wind. People standing up straighter and shivering.  

“Sirius,” his mother’s face appeared in the mirror. Her red lipstick was the brightest thing about her, and even that was almost mauve. Her dress was tight around her breasts, but cascaded in thick waves of velvet behind her, and she wore tall leather boots. It almost looked like armor. “You’re very late, darling.”

“Sorry,” Sirius said. “Saint and I got caught up in the crowd, I guess.”

She hummed. “You two looked fetching out there. He’s much more pleasing than that other boy ever was. His family is important, too.”

It was true, that his mother had never liked Remus much. Though, Sirius couldn’t compare him and Saint. They were two different oceans.

“Get dressed,” his mother breathed, and was already snapping her fingers at one of the other models before Sirius could say another word.

“All right?” Alice asked him quietly.

Sirius looked at himself in the mirror. Her contour made his face look almost gaunt, as was the general makeup for all of the models, and he knew he’d be given dark eye makeup next, his hair fluffed into perfect curls.

“Fine,” Sirius said, and closed his eyes to let her work.

Sirius was shrugging into his given outfit—a billowing longcoat, 20th century in fashion, and a longer tunic made almost entirely of the thinnest black silk. It would shimmer when he walked, he knew, and his tall, lace-up boots, the flat sole so thin and delicate that he almost felt barefoot, would disappear beneath the shimmer. His mother was cold, stubborn, and cruel sometimes, an unfeeling, yawning sort of dark, but she was talented.

“Lord Vader,” came a voice from behind him, and Sirius laughed even before he turned to face Thomas Walker.

“Sounds about right,” Sirius said, and they clasped hands, pulling them into a one-armed hug. “You look fantastic, though.”

Thomas spun slowly on his heel, letting the long, loose fitting white linen of his button-down—which went out in two, tuxedo-like tails at his back—flare out above his slim, black trousers. He wore a thin scarf of distressed wool.

“Like a fallen gentleman, no?” Thomas grinned. “I might try and steal these pants. And maybe the shirt for Noelle.”

“Oh, yeah,” Sirius smiled, spying Noelle’s green eyes behind his shoulder. “She’ll love that.”

Noelle wrapped her arms, which were draped in a transparent green cloth, around Thomas’ waist. “Thanks for thinking of me, T baby.”

Thomas laughed in surprise. “Who let you back stage?”

“I’m a Tremblay, they’ll let us in anywhere.”

Thomas turned his head to capture Noelle in a soft kiss.

“See you after, hm?” Noelle said. “I’m gonna go say hi to my friend, she’s walking tonight, too.”

“Yeah, we’ll ride to Honeyduke’s together.”

Noelle raised an eyebrow at him. “You coming, Black?”

“Saint all but owns the place,” Sirius said. “Of course I am.”

Sirius walked. He didn’t look down, or hear the cameras. It wasn’t his favorite thing in the world, to be up here, not able to see past the lights—but something tonight was different. It felt as it had the night of his and Remus’ first kiss.

In that show, he had had one, thin line of black lipstick traced over the center of his bottom lip. It had marked Remus’ throat and cheeks like soot by the end of it all.

Remus had been waiting for him back stage.

“Come here,” Remus had whispered, and laced their fingers together.

“Where?” Sirius had answered, surprised by their palms pressing together.

But it hadn’t been a place. Remus had pressed them back in between clothing racks, and crashed their mouths together.

Here, Remus had whispered, and kissed him again.

Sirius felt the absence of the stage lights like a wash of cold air, and he stretched out his back, letting his stony face drop a little. He glanced around, but there was no one to be found. His cheeks were warm just thinking about it.

“Good,” his mother said as he passed her by to take off the makeup, and that was all.

XOXO

Saint looked across Honeyduke’s and felt like it was his. Logan was laughing with Thomas and Noelle, and he had Kasey Winter beside him, securing tickets to one of their favorite bands to see together.

“Done,” Kasey said, and flashed one of his rare smiles.

“I knew you were my favorite,” Saint took a sip of his drink, and Kasey scoffed.

“Me or my mom?”

“Maybe a little of both. Oh, and we’re going to sushi beforehand.”

Kasey’s smile was larger now. “Wouldn’t have it any other way. You gonna leave with that drummer again? What’s her name?”

Saint smiled. “Oh, Sally. And I make it a habit to always leave with the drummer.”

Kasey just shook his head. “Yeah, yeah. I’m getting a drink and leaving you to your one-liners.”

Saint watched him go, feeling settled, and set about scanning the room for Sirius. He was sure he’d know if he was there—people tended to swarm to Sirius, even if he didn’t ask for it. It was part of the reason they were so close. People flocked to Saint, too. So, they asked for each other’s company. A more intimate, calm part of life. Sirius was quiet. Saint wasn’t, but he let Saint , for a moment, be that way, too. Saint was loud. Sirius wasn’t, but Saint had his ways to fire him up.

“Another drink, sir?”

Saint looked over his shoulder, only to turn all the way around, interest peaked. The bartender had sandy hair, and a strong jaw, his cheeks textured by acne scars in some places. He had brown eyes—save for a sliver of green in one.

“Only if you have one with me,” Saint said, and glanced down at his name-tag. “Luke.”

Luke arched an eyebrow, pressing the heels of his palms onto the bar between them, revealing rolled up sleeves and some type of vine tattoo, wrapping all around both of his forearms.

“I’m working, sir.”

“Is that a later?” he nodded at the tattoo. “Nice.”

“I don’t think so,” Luke said.

“Oh, no?”

Luke scowled—how did he look so handsome doing that?

“Do you make it a habit to go home with all the waiters, too?”

Saint didn’t let his expression flicker, just smiled nice and slow.

“Hillrock,” Saint said. “Neat.”

The barkeep turned away.

Ouch. Looks like not everyone worships at your alter, Saint.

XOXO

The elevator doors opened, revealing the party to Sirius one outfit after the next. He had changed for the afterparty—the first of three. He wore a tight, thin black t-shirt and dark jeans. He hadn’t bothered to wash off the dark, smudged eyeliner from the show. His combat boots went up to just below his knee, and had the same nearly naked feeling sole. It made him feel soundless, like a shadow.

Maybe that’s why it was easy to find Remus and stand beside him without him stirring.

“You’re a little underdressed,” Sirius said without looking at him.

“Says the boy wearing a t-shirt,” Remus replied evenly.

Sirius scowled. “I meant at the show.”

“People like to be surprised,” Remus replied evenly.

“Who’s Leo?”

“My boyfriend.”

Sirius turned towards him. “You didn’t tell me you were coming home.”

Remus matched him. They were nearly chest to chest. “You didn’t say a word to me in class.”

“You didn’t—“

“I had the last word,” Remus snapped. “I figured maybe you’d finally have something to say back.”

Sirius stared at him, heart pounding in his ears. For a moment, he let himself look. At the golden eyes, hair more blond than ever from the summer’s sun. Sirius couldn’t stand that mouth set in a frown.

“Guess not,” Remus said softly, lips dropping open in the way they used to before they kissed.

Sirius all but felt him vanish into the writhing crowd.

XOXO

Finn looked up when a flash of color on the morning-silent street outside caught his eye. He set the books he was holding down, took the pen out from between his teeth.

Green.

“What the hell?” Finn laughed as he pulled open the door to his bookshop to find Logan standing there. “It’s five in the fucking morning, what are you doing here? Couldn’t sleep?”

“Never did,” Logan said, and that’s when Finn saw that Logan was still in his suit from the livestream.

“Ah, I see,” Finn said, eyes flicking up and down his broad form. He swallowed dryly. “The nature of afterparties, I suppose. Well, you—you look good. For someone who’s been up all night, I mean.”

Logan just smiled, one of his small, secretive ones. Finn watched as he stepped forward so they were almost toe to toe in the doorway.

“Wh…” Finn’s voice dropped off with a breathless laugh. He couldn’t help but look at Logan’s mouth. His full lips that could speak a language Finn couldn’t even begin to describe.

Logan just reached up to the base of his own throat and unclipped the fleur-de-lis clasp there. In one smooth swoop, he drew his short cloak from his shoulders and around Finn’s, right over his worn gray t-shirt, clicking it in place. The fabric brought a gentle scent, and he figured it must be Logan’s cologne.

“Something green,” Logan said softly. A warm, early morning breeze ruffled his hair, pushing the curls forward. Finn couldn’t move. “What are you doing here?”

“Inventory,” Finn whispered, then cleared his throat. “Inventory.”

“Okay,” Logan said. “I’ll help.”