#I may also do them in a green ballgown at some point

[seagull-energy]

I'm back from my trip which means it's time for a quick catch-up drawing for Morph's first pride :D

This is my contribution for week 2, choosing the color prompt GREEN (with a gold accent) since I've already kinda touched on yellow and blue here and here Fun fact: the outfit is loosely based on my friend's teletubby costume for a theater society event

[to-boldly-nope]

Sleeping Beauty- TOS!Spock x Fem!Reader

Plot (Requested by @resplendentlady): a Part 2 to my previous request (the planet that each region is a different fairy tale) but this time it’s the tale of Sleeping Beauty!

Words: 807

A/N: I'm so sorry this took some time to get out and that it kinda sucks but I tried my best. I've been so busy since a new college semester started and wifi's been wonky since all of the S N O W, and we've moved houses but IT'S OUT NOW AND THAT'S ALL IT MATTERS AND I HOPE YOU ENJOY IT

~

All you wanted to do was go to sleep, you got into your pajamas and everything and just when you got into bed you were teleported into the forest.

"Damn," you hissed. "If this is another fairytale then I'm going to scream and the request shore leave."

You noticed a wicker basket down on the ground and a bunch of animals wearing or holding various clothing, forming a person in front of you.

You didn't know where you were or what was going on but you hated it, however, there was something about the red cape that reminded you of something.

"Oh, why, it's my dream prince!" You laughed, but internally you didn't know what you were saying. "Your highness! No, I'm not really not supposed to speak with strangers. But we've met before!"

The birds took the cape's arms and wrapped them around your shoulders. You danced and sang around with your fictional prince. You failed to notice that the animals were replaced by a person when a voice sang with you, making you scream and jump back,  but falling in the process.

"My apologies, I didn't mean to frighten you," the  man apologized while helping you up. "(Y/N)?"

You looked up and saw the familiar pointed ears and you almost jumped into his arms. "Oh, Spock. I didn't know if you were brought here too. Where are we?"

"I'm afraid I do not know. If I recall anything from our previous experience, we are in another fairytale land and we are the main characters."

"I'm not going to be put in some trance or another sleep spell am I?" You asked.

His look was uncertain and you frowned. "Great. I'm always put in a life or death situation situations. Rescue the poor princess cause I'm weak apparently."

"They clearly haven't seen you wielding a phaser," Spock teased.

"Briar Rose! Briar Rose, where are you?" Someone called, making you and Spock look in that direction.

"I am afraid that that is my cue to leave. I hope to see you soon. Goodbye, Briar Rose," Spock said before leaving.

The environment changed around you and now you were in a bedroom, sitting in front of a vanity. You noticed that your cottage dress was now changed into a blue ballgown and a tiara crowned your head. The room quickly got cold as you realized that the fireplace went out and was replaced by a green light. You grew curious and followed the light.

The back of the fireplace disappeared and there was a passage that you continued to follow. You heard a name being called as you entered a room. The green light turned into a spinning wheel, but you still kept on walking towards it.

"Touch the spindle! Touch it, I say!" A voice hissed sinisterly.

You extended your left hand and touched the spindle with your middle finger, falling into a deep sleep.

~

After being chained up and almost getting attacked or hurt on multiple occasions (and Spock trying to wrap his head around the existence of fairies), Spock finally defeated Maleficent and now was on his way to your tower.

"May I have a moment?" Spock asked the three fairies, them all nodding and flying away. He opened your room.

Spock walked up slowly to your bed. If this was any other mission, he'd be lecturing you on how to be careful because he didn't know how to express how he felt, but he knew that this couldn't been stopped. However, he didn't mind playing the role of a prince as long as you were the princess.

He noticed the rose that you were holding against your chest. Roses were one of your favorite flower. He also found it slightly amusing that you had a blue ballgown on. You always said that blue was your favorite color, especially after the two of you got together.

He looked at you and he felt a slight twinge of pain. Granted you were sleeping, but Vulcans outlive humans. He would have to see this sight again.

"You're supposed to kiss her," one of the fairies whispered in his ear before flying off. Bones would never recommend a kiss for someone in a coma.

Spock leaned down and pressed a kiss on your lips. He stepped back and watched as your eyes fluttered open. Your eyes met Spock's and you grinned.

"My hero, once again," you laughed as Spock took your hand.

"Truthfully, I do not mind saving you as long as it is you," he stated while helping you off the bed.

"And I don't mind being saved as long as I'm being saved by you."

Your setting changed back to your quarters, your ballgown was replaced by your pajamas again. You sighed happily as you got into your bed, knowing that your Vulcan prince would be there with you soon.

[storytellerofuntoldlegends]

an icarus and his sun: chapter 5

A/N: it's formal ball time :) where nothing will go wrong :) (also this morning i saw a tweet from scott smajor casually mentioning he looked at the empires smp tag on tumblr AND mentioning something about liking the "art and stories." so i've been dealing with the mortifying possibility of being known all morning, hope y'all are having a good day/night/whenever aksfdgkl)

Warnings: kissing, explosions, betrayal, violence, swordfights, mild disassociation 

AO3 Link - Tumblr Masterpost

-

The night of the House Blossom Ball had arrived. Jimmy had to admit, getting Lizzie’s help with an outfit was a good idea. He wore a black suit with intricate, swirling bronze details that shimmered when the light hit them. He had a dark green bowtie as a nod to his empire, and he had indeed ditched the cod head. Instead, he wore a bronze colored masquerade mask that looked like two cod fish curling around his eyes, their fins spreading out and covering his forehead. It felt weird to have his hair exposed, but Lizzie helped him make sure it was presentable. Speaking of Lizzie, she was wearing a dress with the typical navy blue color of the Ocean Empire, but it had an ombre shift into the magenta of Mezalea at the end of the skirt. Joel wore his typical Mezalean garb, but with a navy blue sash instead of a green one. They walked into the ballroom as quite the dazzling trio- and then Jimmy’s heart just about stopped at the sight of Scott.

He was chatting with Pixl and one of the new rulers, a man with colorful wings like a parrot’s. But Jimmy was too busy staring at Scott to really pay attention to Pix and the other ruler, because Scott was wearing a ballgown. The main body of it was long sleeved and form fitting, made of white lace with shimmers of gold worked in, and was backless to allow room for his wings. Then there was a light blue overskirt to go with it, making the dress look like a full ballgown. Gold jewelry adorned him as well- on his wrists, around his neck, and hanging from his ears.

“Close your mouth, Jimmy,” Joel murmured with a teasing lilt. Jimmy snapped his mouth shut, looking down at the ground and extremely relieved that his masquerade mask covered the blush on his cheeks.

“How about we go and mingle with the other guests, I think Jimmy needs a minute to compose himself,” Lizzie teased. Jimmy nodded, too flustered to even protest. The three of them walked over to Katherine, who was chatting with Gem, Pearl, and a gnome girl in a dress that reminded Jimmy of a mushroom, with its red poofy top and white floor length skirt. The girl jumped a bit at the sight of Jimmy and Lizzie, but quickly composed herself.

“Hello! I am Shrub of the Undergrove. You may call me Shelby if you like though,” she said, seeming a little skittish as she spoke. Lizzie smiled gently, giving a curtsy. Joel and Jimmy quickly followed her lead, bowing at Shelby.

“Ocean’s blessings. I am Queen Lizzie, of the Ocean Empire. This is my husband, King Joel of Mezalea. And this is my dear friend, the Codfather of the Cod Empire,” Lizzie said, gesturing to each of them in turn.

“You can call me Jimmy though, if you want,” he added with a smile. Shelby jumped a bit when he spoke, but nodded and gave a hasty curtsy. Joel looked at her with gentle concern.

“Is everything alright?” he asked. Shelby nodded, a bit too hastily.

“Yes! Just not uh. Not super used to this many people,” she said with a nervous laugh, eyeing Lizzie and Jimmy warily. Joel frowned a bit at the way she was looking at them, but didn’t say anything.

“Jimmy, you aren’t making an enemy of our new friend already, are you?” Fwhip’s voice asked from somewhere behind them. Jimmy whirled around to glare at Fwhip, and of course Sausage was at his side.

“I’m just saying hello, Fwhip. Surely that’s allowed,” Jimmy huffed.

“Sure, that’s how it always starts though- next thing you know he’s stealing your things,” Sausage chimed in. Shelby looked rather alarmed, and Jimmy let out a frustrated sigh.

“For the millionth time, you had said that I could-”

“Oh listen, the music’s starting! Let’s dance!” Katherine interrupted him, and the whole ballroom seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief as people found their dance partners. Jimmy fully intended to step to the side and watch as the others danced, but then he met the mischievous glint in Lizzie’s eyes.

“Joel, is it alright if I go dance with Scott? I simply must compliment his dress,” Lizzie said airily. Joel smiled, just as wickedly as the glint in his wife’s eyes.

“As long as you don’t mind if I dance with the Codfather for a bit,” Joel replied.

“Of course!” Lizzie chirped, before heading off towards Scott. Jimmy squinted at Joel suspiciously as he led him to the dance floor. It wasn’t the first time the two of them had danced together, Joel had insisted that Jimmy practice with him before his wedding day. But it had frankly been a while, and he didn’t like the look he and Lizzie had exchanged before she went to dance with Scott.

“What are you up to?” Jimmy asked as he rested his hand on the small of Joel’s back, and Joel rested his hand on Jimmy’s shoulder. Their other hands were clasped together, and the two of them began gently swaying.

“Oh, nothing,” Joel replied, and that was all Jimmy could get out of him as they danced. They slowly made their way across the ballroom floor, and soon they were close to where Lizzie and Scott were dancing. And gosh were they a sight, all swirling skirts and elegance. Jimmy could tell Joel was just as distracted by Lizzie as Jimmy was by Scott. Then Lizzie noticed them staring, and she and Scott twirled closer.

“Jimmy! Let’s trade partners, I’d like to dance with my husband now!” Lizzie chimed, and before Jimmy could process what exactly that meant, he was spun into Scott’s arms. They were almost as close as they had been the day they fought- and there were those butterflies again. He didn’t know what to do with his hands- there was the issue of Scott’s wings and the fact that his dress exposed a lot of the skin on his back. But there wouldn’t be a point to worrying about that, Scott would surely push him away- but then Scott chuckled and took Jimmy’s hands in his, guiding them to where they should be.

“Here,” he said softly, placing one of Jimmy’s hands on his shoulder while his fingers laced with the other, then moved his free hand to rest on Jimmy’s back and pull him impossibly closer. Jimmy swallowed nervously, glancing over at Lizzie and Joel (who nodded encouragingly) before looking back to Scott.

“You look gorgeous,” Jimmy blurted as the two of them began to sway. Jimmy internally cursed himself for saying the first thing that popped into his head- but then Scott’s face flushed and it suddenly all felt worth it.

“Thank you. You clean up pretty well yourself,” he teased. Jimmy laughed.

“Lizzie helped,” he admitted. Scott laughed as well, the sound all sunshine and glittering gold.

“Should’ve known,” he replied, seeming distracted for a moment. Jimmy wanted to ask what was wrong, but Scott plastered on a smile and gently spun the two of them. Jimmy couldn’t help but smile along, heart soaring.

They continued dancing until the song ended, and then Scott was just… gone. He had twirled Jimmy and when he had finally managed to stop spinning and catch his balance, laughing and about to make a teasing remark about Scott making him dizzy- he realized he had vanished into the crowd. It felt like Scott had taken a bit of Jimmy’s heart with him. Jimmy looked around for him, and met Katherine’s concerned gaze instead. She gave a comforting smile as she walked over to Jimmy.

“I saw Scott go upstairs, I think he just needed some fresh air after dancing. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind some company,” she said with a wink, nudging Jimmy towards the stairs. He chuckled, thanking Katherine before heading up the stairs. She was right, there was no need to be worried! Jimmy just kinda wished Scott would have said something.

Jimmy’s breath was once again taken away when he saw Scott standing on the balcony. If Jimmy thought he was beautiful in the sunlight, he was even more stunning in the moonlight. The white of his wings practically glowed, and while the gold didn’t shimmer quite as bright as it did in the sun, it still sent Jimmy’s heart fluttering all the same. The only thing that ruined the image was how… distressed Scott looked. His hands were fiddling with the gold bracelets he wore, and his mouth was fixed in a frown. Maybe he needed some space, clearly something about the dance upset him- he probably hadn’t really wanted to dance with Jimmy, and just played along cause everyone was watching. Jimmy should definitely apologize before giving him some space.

“Scott? I promise I’ll leave you alone after this, but I just wanted to apologize,” Jimmy said, trying not to let his heartbreak show. Scott jumped in surprise, turning to look at Jimmy.

“Apologize? For what?” he asked, seeming genuinely confused.

“The dance. Joel and Lizzie schemed against my will, I just wanted to say I’m sorry,” Jimmy explained, guilt welling up in his stomach. To his surprise, Scott gave a soft laugh.

“You don’t need to apologize for that. I… I liked dancing with you,” he confessed. Jimmy’s heart was sent fluttering once more, and he stepped closer to Scott with a grin.

“Oh! Good, I was just worried because you left and you looked upset when I came up here,” Jimmy said, deflating only a little bit when Scott only smiled and nodded in response before gazing out over the lands of the Overgrown. There was awkward silence for a moment or two, until Scott suddenly moved closer to Jimmy, almost as close as they had been when they were dancing. Butterflies sparked in Jimmy’s stomach at the little distance between them.

“I need to tell you something,” Scott blurted. He looked nervous, almost like he had been when Jimmy first had come up to the balcony.

“Of course, what is it?” Jimmy asked soothingly. Scott looked him in the eyes, mouth opening and closing uselessly- until he broke eye contact for a brief moment before locking eyes with him again, something desperate in his gaze. Then suddenly Scott’s hands were gently cradling his face and there were lips on his. Scott’s lips. Scott was kissing him. Jimmy gasped in surprise against his mouth before quickly sinking into the kiss and running his hands through Scott’s stupid perfect hair. Scott’s hands drifted down from his face to his waist, pulling him in closer as his wings wrapped around them both, shielding them from the outside world so it was only Scott and Jimmy. Then Scott tilted his head and the kiss went from pleasantly warm to blazing, sending sparks racing up Jimmy’s spine. It left him dizzyingly breathless, like Scott had spun him a thousand times on the dance floor, and Jimmy never wanted it to end-

And then a thundering BOOM rattled the castle, breaking them apart. Scott clung to Jimmy, arms tightening around his waist as his breath hitched in fear, and Jimmy held him back just as tightly. There was something unreadable in Scott’s expression alongside the fear, but Jimmy didn’t have time to decipher it before another BOOM shook the castle. Jimmy was about to ask what was going on, but the sound of someone landing on the roof behind him and the voice that went with it stopped him cold.

“Well what do we have here?” Fwhip crooned, and Scott practically snarled as he shifted his hold on Jimmy so that one arm was curled protectively around his waist, his wing shielding him as well, as he drew a sword from somewhere within his skirts and pointed it at Fwhip. Dimly, Jimmy remembered that there weren’t supposed to be weapons at the ball, Katherine had made a rule.

“Leave before I make you,” Scott growled, the sound of his voice sending liquid fire through Jimmy’s veins. Fwhip gave an incredulous scoff, shaking his head.

“Playing the part a little too well, are we?” he sneered, and just like that the fire in his veins went cold, and he realized what that strange look on Scott’s face had been before. Guilt. Scott’s grip on him suddenly felt suffocating, more like he was holding Jimmy hostage rather than protecting him.

“Let go of me,” Jimmy demanded, voice hollow. Scott’s grip only tightened on him, and Jimmy’s heart rate spiked in fear.

“Don’t listen to Fwhip, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Scott said shakily. Fwhip let out a cruel laugh.

“Oh come on Scott, you’re the one who helped make this possible,” he jeered, and the castle shook with another explosion. Jimmy’s stomach dropped. Scott was in league with Fwhip. Scott had plotted against him, and lulled Jimmy into a false sense of security with dazzling smiles and soft lips.

“Jimmy-” Scott started, but was cut off by the sound of people bounding up the stairs and shouting. Jimmy’s head whipped over to see Katherine, Lizzie, and Joel coming up to the balcony.

“Fwhip! How could you do this!” Katherine demanded, tears streaming down her face. Fwhip merely laughed.

“I told you the ball would be a blast, Katherine,” he sneered. Anger boiled in Jimmy’s stomach at Fwhip’s tone towards Katherine, and he squirmed against Scott’s hold.

“Jimmy,” Scott warned, voice low. Joel mistook the tone of Scott’s voice, and leveled his sword at him- somehow Jimmy missed that he was holding it, he must have grabbed it from the chests at the front of the castle.

“Release the Codfather. Now. I won’t let you destroy this castle and take an ally hostage,” Joel growled.

“Joel, stay out of this. You don’t understand what’s happening,” Scott said, voice calm and even. Joel let out a harsh laugh, tightening his grip on his sword.

“I understand plenty,” he snarled, leaping at Scott. Scott was forced to toss Jimmy to the side to block the incoming strike, and Jimmy watched them fight with some sort of dazed confusion as he fell to the ground. Everything felt cold and hollow, and Jimmy didn’t really feel connected to his body as Lizzie scrambled to his side, helping him up and murmuring words of comfort.

“C’mon Jimmy, we’ve gotta get out of here,” she said, voice soft but no less urgent as she gently squeezed Jimmy’s hand. He met Scott’s eyes briefly as he was holding off Joel, and that was decision enough for Jimmy. He squeezed Lizzie’s hand back, and ran with her.

-

Taglists below! Ask to be added/removed!!

MCYT General Fic Taglist: @corazon10000 @damiensaidno @franticfandomfanatic @gattonero17 @hetapeep41 @space-ace123 @vyeoh 

AIAHS Taglist: @anty-kreatywna @devilwoodkitty18 @riobug 

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #106: Jeanne d’Arc (Alter)

Today on Fate and Phantasms, we’re making the burning dragon witch of France, Jeanne d’Arc (Alter)! Jalter’s pretty good- Fire, more fire, and bullying dragons into serving you- solid kit!

Check out Jalter’s build breakdown below the cut, or her character sheet over here!

Next up: We’re really testing that “All Dogs Go to Heaven” theory, huh?

Race and Background

Like I said with Mash, Homunculus isn’t really a race in D&D, so we’ll have to keep things simple. While you are a magically made copy, you’re a copy of a Human, so we’ll have to stick with that. This gives you +1 to all abilities. Make up the Magic Doppelganger background (or just use Haunted One) for Arcana and Religion proficiencies. You’re made of magic, and you have to know about God in order to spit in His face. 

Ability Scores

If that custom background wasn’t weird enough, we’re also using the Point Buy system for this build, because we need a lot of stuff right away. You were made by an evil wizard, so a little bit of minmaxing is probably fine. Unfortunately, we have to keep Intelligence at 8- I’d like to make it higher, but we need the points for other abilities. You don’t really go on a self-improvement kick until you’re a berserker anyway. After that, set Dexterity and Wisdom to 12- they’re needed for multiclassing. You can fight (and presumably dance) in a dress, and you can still pick people out in your Grondement du Haine, so they can’t be that bad. Set Constitution to 13 for some toughness-you’re a frontline fighter, and your Avenger class makes absorbing peoples’ hatred (read: their attacks) a bit easier. That leaves us just enough points to bring your Strength and Charisma up to 14. You have one of the highest attack stats in the game, and you’re damn scary when you want to be-and you always want to be scary.

Class Levels

1. Barbarian 1: Avengers are good at hitting things and taking hits, and so are barbarians! When you pick up the class, you get proficiency in Strength and Constitution saves, as well as two barbarian skills- Intimidation and Athletics. You’re strong and scary. (Pretty sure we said that already.)

Either way, barbarians can Rage as a bonus action, gaining extra attack damage, advantage on strength saves and checks, and resistance to the physical attack types. In exchange you can’t cast or concentrate on spells, and it ends early if you don’t attack or get attacked by something in a round.

You also get Unarmored Defense, giving you an AC based on your dexterity and constitution. I’d highly recommend not using that because yours is pretty bad, but it’s available if you really need to fight in a ballgown. Sometimes showing up the Ice Bitch Queen is worth the pain.

2. Sorcerer 1: A Jalter just wouldn’t be a Jalter without plenty of fire and draconic imagery, and that’s why you’re a Draconic Bloodline sorcerer. A black dragon would be more on brand, but we have to go with a Red Dragon Ancestor for the fire damage. This also lets you read and write draconic, and more importantly, your proficiency bonus is doubled for charisma checks against dragons. You may not have magical control over them yet, but you can probably keep the younger ones in line already.

Your Draconic Resilience gives you an extra hp per sorcerer level, as well as an AC of 13 + your dexterity modifier. That’s still not great, but it’s much better than what you had going before.

Finally, sorcerers can cast Spells using their Charisma as the casting ability. Control Flames, Green-Flame Blade, and Burning Hands should give you more than enough fire to start with. Friends will make it even easier to control dragons, while False Life will give you just a touch of healing. NP bars don’t exist in this game, so we had to represent your Self-Restoration somehow.

3. Barbarian 2: Hitting things with sticks powers up a lot faster though, so let’s stick with that for now. Second level barbarians can make Reckless Attacks, giving themselves advantage, but also giving enemies advantage against them. Your Danger Sense also gives you advantage on dexterity saves you can see coming. You don’t really care where your spells hit-this will help keep you out of your own fireballs.

4. Barbarian 3: You might have figured out where this was going with all that fire talk, but your subclass here’s the Storm Herald! When you rage (and as a bonus action each turn afterwards), you can use your Storm Aura to deal extra damage to enemies. The desert aura deals a bit of fire damage to all creatures within range save free! A perfect option for those fidgety monks and archers. You also gain Primal Knowledge, giving you proficiency in Animal Handling. I mean, for a given definition of “Animal”, I guess that works.

5. Ranger 1: You didn’t think we were done making this build weird, were you? I promise this will make more sense in a bit. For now though, you get Perception proficiency, as well as the ability to mark a Favored Foe with your bonus action. For a minute afterwards (or as long as you keep up concentration) you can add an extra 1d4 damage to any damage done to it once per turn. Also, while it does use your concentration, it technically isn’t a spell, so maybe it works with rage? (I’d rule it does, but I’m not your DM.)

A less complicated feature you get is Deft Explorer, specifically the Canny feature, which doubles your proficiency bonus in a single skill. Power up your Intimidation to become even scarier to everyone, but especially dragons. A +14 to intimidate means you can really turn heads, even at level 5.

6. Barbarian 4: We’re about to jump back into sorcerer now, but it might be a good idea to be skilled at casting spells before we do that. Use your Ability Score Improvement to nab the War Caster feat for advantage on concentration saves, the ability to cast cantrips as opportunity attacks, and most importantly, the ability to cast spells with full hands. Now you can upgrade to a proper flagpole pike!

7. Sorcerer 2: It’s been a while, but now that we’re back you’ve become a Font of Magic, giving you Sorcery Points that you can spend on metamagic (later) or more spell slots (right now). You also get another first level spell. Shield’s useful at least, but we’ll get something more “you” at a later level.

8. Sorcerer 3: Now that you’re level three, you get that Metamagic thing we just talked about. Casting an Empowered Spell will let you re-roll damage dice to make sure everything hurts as much as possible, while a Heightened Spell will make it harder for a target to resist. Trust me, you do not want a dragon breaking out of Charm Monster.

Speaking of spells, you get second level ones now, like Dragon’s Breath, which will let you turn anything you want into a smaller, less cool dragon. Other flavors are available, but why would you not pick fire breath?

9. Ranger 2: Bouncing around even more, you get a Fighting Style. Rangers don’t get any styles for big weapons, so we’re just grabbing Defense for an extra point of AC while wearing armor. You can go without, but you have a look to maintain, you know? 

You also get another set of Spells that use Wisdom to cast. Your wisdom isn’t that powerful, but luckily Searing Smite and Absorb Elements don’t use it, so you’re set! I guess good things really do happen to bad people!

10. Sorcerer 4: We’ve had way too many odd numbers for way too long, it’s time we did something about it. Use this ASI to round up your Strength and Charisma for stronger hits and stronger spells.

You also get even more spells- Blade Ward gives you some defense without having to rage, and Aganazzar’s Scorcher got you covered on the offensive side. There’s a bit of a theme here, if you haven’t noticed.

11. Barbarian 5: It took us a while, but you finally get an Extra Attack for each attack action. You also get Fast Movement, adding 10 feet to your walking movement. It’s about time you got a little violent.

12. Barbarian 6: Our last level of barbarian unleashes your Storm Soul. The desert soul gives you resistance to fire damage, and you can also ignore extreme heat, which is super useful given how much black you wear. You can also set objects on fire by touching them.

13. Ranger 3: Now that we’re finally getting to this subclass, it’s time we justified this multiclass. You get Primeval Awareness to help you track down and “convince” dragons to help you, but if your DM is really uncooperative, you can also summon a dragon thanks to your subclass. (We know, we went ranger to make a build less situational. We think we just saw hell freeze over. 

Surprisingly, there are still subclasses left in UA after Tasha’s blew through. The Drakewarden lets you cast Thaumaturgy thanks to your Draconic Gift. You can also summon a Drake Companion as an action once per long rest (or by spending a spell slot) You have to use your bonus action to command it, but it can always use its reaction to infuse weapon attacks with its element of choice. (Do I even have to say we’re picking fire?)

You also learn Entangle this level. Your Grondement du Haine leaves a lot of spears all over the place-it’d be pretty hard to pick your way through those.

14. Sorcerer 5: Fifth level sorcerers get third level spells, but they also get Magical Guidance, letting you spend 1 sorcery point to re-roll a failed ability check. I’d save those for something you’re really good at, like intimidation.

You also learn Erupting Earth at this level, in case you wanted to actually do damage with your noble phantasm. Sadly your spears are a bit dull, but bludgeoning damage is still better than no damage at all.

15. Sorcerer 6: Sixth level dragon sorcerers get an Elemental Affinity, adding their charisma to fire spells. You can also spend sorcery points to resist fire damage, but you’re already good on that front.

Speaking of things that aren’t really needed, you can cast Fear this level. You already have Expertise/Super Expertise in intimidation, but sometimes you just need magic.

16. Sorcerer 7: Seventh level sorcerers can cast 4th level spells, and you can finally cast Charm Monster to take control of a dragon of a dragon for up to an hour. We can also finally replace Shield with Wall of Fire to really set the scene for your dramatic confrontation with that goody-two-shoes you share a face with.

17. Ranger 4: Use your last ASI (they go by so fast, don’t they?) to become an Elemental Adept in fire. This means every die you roll for fire damage will always count as at least a 2. Also, your spells now ignore fire resistance! Just your spells though, your rage is out of luck.

18. Ranger 5: Your Extra Attack doesn’t do anything this level, but you do learn how to cast Spike Growth, for those times you want to sit back and let your enemies throw themselves on your spears.

19. Ranger 6: Your Favored Foe bumps up to a d6, and you become Roving! This adds 5 feet to your movement, and you can climb or swim at the same speed. Now nothing will be able to escape your wrath!

20. Ranger 7: Your capstone ability gives you a Bond of Fang and Scale, allowing your drake to fly and deal more damage with its bite. You also gain resistance to whatever damage type your drake deals, which can help your survivability against themed enemies (like you).

You can also cast Lesser Restoration this level. Memory correction is a little vague-status correction is a bit easier to implement.

Pros:

You’re good at burning things, and yes we count people in there. You can deal a lot of fire damage through rages, dragons, and spells. You also have multiple ways to make that fire even more dangerous, and can spread it at a touch. Great for property damage!

It can be pretty hard to escape you, thanks to your buffed movement speed and the ability to swim and climb faster than most people. Worst comes to worst, you also have a dragon you can sicc on people.

You’re pretty terrifying, especially towards dragons. Beyond having direct control over them, you can also intimidate them with advantage, a third die from sorcery, and a +27 to the roll. Barring an act of god, you can probably get most dragons to stand down, if not obey you outright.

Cons:

You have some power in your corner, but it’s all focused on fire, one of the most immune-to damage types in the game. When it’s good it’s great, but when it’s bad it’s awful. At least you can swap out your dragon damage each summon if you really need to.

Speaking of, your drake’s pretty weak, with only 40 HP at level 20. It’s probably best for you to think of it as a limited use feature than a companion, because it is absolutely not sticking around.

Really there’s a lot of multiclassing problems to go over here. Beyond the classic “spells and raging” thing, there’s also a severe lack of ASIs, several overlapping abilities, both your rage and drake using up all your bonus actions, and an overall lack of focus. You might not be great at doing any one thing, but nobody will have the nerve to criticize you.

[pinktwingirl]

Loki Series Rewrite (AKA Loki Series But With Squirrel Girl) Ep 4

INT. TVA - DAY

Mobius and Ravonna are talking.

RAVONNA

Every moment those variants are out there, we're all in danger.

MOBIUS

I'm working on it; Doreen's locket is charging... It should be ready any second now-

Just then, an AGENT enters, holding the locket.

AGENT

Sir, we got a location.

MOBIUS

Well, there you go.

AGENT

He's on Lamentis-1, 2077. I can only assume she's there with him.

MOBIUS

That's not good... We need to get them, fast.

INT. TIME THEATER - DAY

After Loki and Sylvie are apprehended and Loki is stuck in the time loop, Mobius interrogates him in the time theater.

LOKI

You betrayed me!

MOBIUS

No, you betrayed me! You followed that variant when I explicitly told you not to, and now you're working with her?! 

LOKI

How did you find us?

MOBIUS

Oh, well, you can thank your friend Doreen for that. You know, she went through all the trouble of fixing it when it was broken just to find you.

Loki's eyes widen.

MOBIUS

You know, I have no idea why she bothers putting up with you. At first, I thought, "well, maybe, she's smart. Maybe she sees something in you that I don't." But now, I think maybe she's just being naïve and she's wasting her time and trust on someone who doesn't deserve it.

Loki grits his teeth.

MOBIUS

How long have you been working for the variant?

LOKI

Me? Working for her? Please.

MOBIUS

Okay, so, if you're not working for the variant, what is it? You're partners?

LOKI

Absolutely not. She's... difficult and... irritating, and... she tries to hit me all the time!

Mobius raises an eyebrow.

LOKI

No. Not partners, no.

MOBIUS

Yeah, I guess you don't do partners. Unless, of course, it benefits you and you intend to betray them at some point, like you'll probably do with Doreen.

LOKI

It was a means to an end, Mobius. Welcome to the real world. Down there, we're awful to one another to get what we want.

MOBIUS

And now I gotta have a prince tell me how the real world works? Look, if you're not gonna cooperate here, I'm just gonna have to send you back for another round in the time loop...

LOKI

Wh-No, wait! Wait, wait, wait.

He pauses for a moment, and Mobius sits back down.

LOKI

Of course it was me pulling the strings all along. 

(Beat)

She came to me on Asgard a long time ago... and then, she took me to one of her apocalypses... and that's where we hatched our plan together.

Mobius raises an eyebrow.

MOBIUS

Which is...?

LOKI

Coming along very nicely, thank you.

MOBIUS

And the variant?

LOKI

Doesn't matter. She's a pawn.

(Beat)

Something very, very big is going to happen, and when it does, I'll dispose of her.

MOBIUS

Well, we saved you the trouble there. She's already been pruned.

Loki's face falls.

MOBIUS

So, assume I do set you free. Does that-

LOKI

H-hang on, wait, what did you say?

(Beat)

MOBIUS

Assume I do set you free...

LOKI

The variant. She's gone?

MOBIUS

Yeah. Not before she took out two of ours. Yeah, she was going to her time cell, broke free, Hunter B-15 stepped in, popped her... So you might wanna fire off a thank-you note to Hunter B-15, because it looks like you're the... superior Loki. I would've bet on her, but... that's what makes a horse race.

Loki tries to look unaffected and shrugs.

LOKI

Good riddance.

After a pause, Mobius starts laughing, which irritates Loki.

LOKI

What? What's so funny?

MOBIUS

You know, for the god of mischief and lies, you really are a terrible liar.

LOKI

Is she alive?!

MOBIUS

Yes, she's alive. And I know that little story you told me was a lie too. So why don't we try this again, and you tell me the truth this time?

Loki clenches his jaw. 

INT. TVA HOLDING CELL - DAY

Doreen slowly regains consciousness, blinking a few times before taking in her surroundings. She notices she is still in her ballgown and bound to a chair with handcuffs. She tries to use her strength to break the handcuffs off, but Ravonna enters.

RAVONNA

Save your energy. If you break those handcuffs off, they'll just put themselves right back together.

Doreen glares at her. Ignoring her warning, she uses her strength to snap the handcuffs off, but, like Ravonna said, they put themselves back together on Doreen's hands.

RAVONNA

Told you.

DOREEN

What do you want?

RAVONNA

I want to know what you saw in those restricted files you accessed. And I also want to know why you're working with Loki. He's a murderer and a liar.

Doreen scoffs.

DOREEN

Yeah, that's rich, coming from you. You're lying to all these people about who they are, and they don't even know it.

RAVONNA

That's different. It's a necessary lie.

DOREEN

There are no "necessary lies," only ones that benefit you at the expense of others. These people had families! Real homes! And you took that from them!

RAVONNA

We are preventing the universe from falling into chaos.

DOREEN

And at what cost?

RAVONNA

(losing her temper)

Whatever cost is necessary!

(She pauses.)

You know, despite what you may think, I am trying to help you.

DOREEN

I don't need your "help."

RAVONNA

Really? So you would rather side with the man that nearly enslaved your entire planet?

DOREEN

That was the past. He's changed.

RAVONNA

You know, I would think that someone as smart as you would be able to tell when they're being taken advantage of.

DOREEN

You don't know Loki.

RAVONNA

On the contrary, Ms. Green, I know everything about Loki. Every variant of him - they're all the same. Destined to be a selfish, lying murderer from the day they're born to the day they die.

DOREEN

That's not your choice to make! The only ones who get to decide who we are, are ourselves.

RAVONNA

Not as long as the timekeepers are around. Free will is a poison that leads to chaos. Having a set path to keep everything in its place is the only way to keep life in the universe safe.

(Beat)

Look... You can still do the right thing here. All I'm asking you to do is help me stop these Loki variants. With your help, we can save all living beings from their reign of chaos. We aren't your enemies, Doreen! The universe needs us to protect it... for all time.

After a moment, a scornful smirk grows on Doreen's face.

DOREEN

Yeah, you keep telling yourself that.

Ravonna glares at her. After a moment, she steps closer to Doreen.

RAVONNA

You wanna know what happens to you on the timeline?

Doreen's face falls.

RAVONNA

You'll spend the rest of your life hiding from people who either want to lock you in a prison or a lab cage. Did you really think running around stopping bank robberies was going to change how people see you? You're a mutant. A freak to the rest of the world. You will always be an outcast. 

Doreen clenches her jaw, blinking away tears as Ravonna leaves.

INT. RAVONNA'S OFFICE - DAY

Mobius is talking with Ravonna, growing more and more suspicious of her.

RAVONNA

Case closed.

(She and Mobius clink glasses of whiskey.)

Cheers.

MOBIUS

Cheers.

RAVONNA

To putting all of this behind us. Now we just need to take care of sending the mutant girl home.

MOBIUS

Oh, hey, where is she, by the way?

RAVONNA

Holding cell 15.

Mobius frowns.

MOBIUS

You put her in a holding cell? Why?

RAVONNA

She's an associate of the variant. She could be working with him.

MOBIUS

Yeah, but we don't know that! She helped us find him! I don't see why she should be punished for a crime she hasn't even committed yet.

RAVONNA

I'm not taking any risks on this one, Mobius.

Mobius gives her a suspicious glance.

INT. TVA HOLDING CELL - DAY

After Mobius is pruned and Loki is reunited with Sylvie, Ravonna forces them into Doreen's holding cell. Loki's eyes widen when he sees Doreen is being held by two agents with a time displacement collar around her neck.

LOKI

Doreen...

In a last-ditch attempt, Doreen tries once more to break her handcuffs off. One of the agents shocks her with an electric staff, and she screams in pain. Loki glares at Ravonna.

LOKI

You said you wouldn't hurt her!

RAVONNA

Consider this a taste of your own medicine. Your break your promise, I break mine.

The agents release Doreen, who collapses to the ground, now sobbing. Loki rushes over to her and helps her up.

DOREEN

(Crying)

Loki... M-Mobius... It's my f-fault he's dead... I couldn't stop them... He was... I c-couldn't...I should've...

LOKI

No, Doreen, look at me. It's not your fault.

DOREEN

I sh-should've stopped them... I-I...

Exhausted, she passes out.

RAVONNA

(to Loki and Sylvie)

Once the timekeepers are ready, they'll deal with you.

(She gives a passing glance to Doreen.)

And once she's had her memories of the TVA wiped, we'll send her back to the main timeline where she belongs.

Loki glares at her as she and the agents leave them and lock the cell.

We cut to later, where Loki and Sylvie are looking after Doreen, who is lying unconscious on a bench in the cell.

LOKI

It's been at least an hour... Do you think we should try waking her up?

SYLVIE

She just had 50,000 volts of power forced through her body; I think we can let her rest a little longer.

Loki looks down at Doreen, still concerned.

SYLVIE

If she's not a variant, why did she come here? Who is she?

(Beat)

LOKI

She's... a mortal. One of the kindest I've ever known.

(He gently tucks a strand of stray hair behind Doreen's ear.)

Ever since we met, she's made a point of looking after me.

(He lets out a light laugh.)

I can't, for the life of me, understand why. I assumed it was just out of the goodness of her heart... Or, perhaps, just pity...

He looks up and sees Sylvie studying him with a curious expression. Before he can ask why, Doreen begins to stir. 

DOREEN

Loki...?

He gently places a hand on her back as she starts to sit up. She glances at Sylvie, still regaining consciousness.

DOREEN

Oh, hey... Sorry I almost stabbed you in the face...

SYLVIE

Well, to be fair, I did kick you in the face, so I suppose we're even... Are you alright? Where'd you get the dress?

DOREEN

Oh... I had to go to Asgard to fix the locket. My clothes didn't exactly fit in, though, so I had to change.

LOKI

Well, that's why you should always rely on a genderfluid demigod to design your costumes. I know what works.

Doreen smirks.

DOREEN

Yeah, well, you weren't there, because I was too busy trying to save your ass!

(After a pause, her smile fades.)

Loki, everyone here... They're all variants too.

LOKI

I know. I told Mobius. That's why they...

(His voice trails off.)

DOREEN

I hacked into their database to get information on the agents... But Ravonna came after me before I could tell anyone. I'm so stupid! I never should've let my guard down!

SYLVIE

There'll be time for taking blame later. Did you find anything out about the timekeepers?

DOREEN

No... I'm sorry... I didn't get that good of a look... Oh! But good news for us, I did figure out why magic doesn't work in the TVA! I guess they have these things called "runes" set up around the whole area? So as long as those are active, your powers are useless.

Loki frowns.

LOKI

Well, how is that "good news" for us?

DOREEN

Because... Ravonna didn't count on me teaching Tippy-Toe how to hack into their systems and disable the runes, and also the time displacement collars, your welcome, which she should be doing right about...

The time displacement collars and handcuffs suddenly deactivate and fall to the ground.

DOREEN

Now!

As she stands up to move to the other side of the cell, Loki and Sylvie test their magic and see their hands are now glowing green.

SYLVIE

Oh, I like her.

They join Doreen at the other side of the cell.

DOREEN

Now, we just need to figure out a way to get out of here...

(Beat)

LOKI

You have the strength and speed of a squirrel, right?

DOREEN

Proportional strength and speed, yes.

LOKI

And squirrels have a jaw strength of around 7,000 pounds per square inch, right?

DOREEN

Right...

LOKI

Which means that, converted to your size, you should be able to chew through any metal wall, correct?

Doreen gives him a sour face.

DOREEN

I really don't like where you're going with this...

LOKI

Do you have any other plans for breaking out of an impenetrable steel cell?

Doreen sighs.

We cut to Doreen chewing through the wall and creating a tunnel to a corridor in the TVA. She spits out a piece of the metal and gags.

DOREEN

Uuuuggghhh, that was so gross!

(She climbs out of the tunnel.)

Okay, guys, you should be good to-

Before she can say another word, Loki and Sylvie use their magic to create another hole in the wall, and simply walk out of the cell.

DOREEN

Wh-?

(She turns to look at the hole they made.)

You could've just done that the whole time?!

LOKI

You did give us our magic back.

(Beat)

DOREEN

What did you just make me chew through the wall for, then?!

LOKI

Because it was amusing, of course.

SYLVIE

It was quite funny.

Doreen scowls at them.

DOREEN

You know, it was annoying enough having to deal with one Loki; now I have to put up with two of you?!

Loki and Sylvie laugh as she flips them both off. They each take a hand to help her to her feet.

DOREEN

Alright, I'll go gather some weapons and maybe get some more intel. You guys go take care of the timekeepers. I'll catch up with you later.

INT. TVA - MOMENTS LATER

Loki and Sylvie are running through a corridor, while Doreen goes the opposite way.

SYLVIE

Was it really a good idea to leave the mortal girl to take on all those agents by herself? Shouldn't we be helping her?

They stop running to see Doreen being ambushed by a group of agents. They try to prune her, but she uses the cape on her dress to temporarily blind them and kick the prune sticks out of their hands. She then jumps on top of the group as they all run in her direction and slams their heads together, knocking them all out simultaneously.

(Beat)

LOKI

She'll be fine.

SYLVIE

Yeah.

They continue running.

We cut to them running towards the timekeepers' chambers, when they run into Ravonna and several other agents, with their prune sticks ready.

RAVONNA

Right on time. The timekeepers are waiting for you.

Loki and Sylvie glare at her.

INT. TIMEKEEPERS' CHAMBERS - DAY

After discovering the timekeepers are fake, Loki turns to Sylvie.

LOKI

Sylvie... Trust me, we will figure this out.

SYLVIE

Not another pep talk, please...

LOKI

No, listen to me... We've come this far... We're not turning back now. We just need-

Before he can say another word, Ravonna prunes him.

@drawntothedarkside

[dakotacrisis]

Bright Beginnings

This is a spin-off chapter of my other fic: Transferred. If you haven’t read it then this may not make a lot of sense. At some point while writing Transferred Kagami and Marinette went from friends to awkward flirting dorks and I do not regret it one bit.

---

It was the morning after the fundraiser and Marinette was among one of the first awake. Marinette and Kagami were still cuddled together on the couch. Chloe was curled up in bed and Aurore was spread starfish on the floor. Sabrina was the only other one awake. They made eye-contact and Sabrina waved before returning to her phone.

Marinette’s leg was asleep and she wanted to brush her teeth and get something to eat but she also had a very warm and adorable fencer using her as a pillow. So suffice to say Marinette wasn’t moving. She did free one of her arms to brush the hair away from Kagami’s face.

“Hm?” Kagami’s face scrunched up as she awoke. She looked up at Marinette and gave her a sleepy smile.

“Good morning,” Marinette whispered so not to wake Aurore or Chloe.

“Mornin,” Kagami yawned, “Sorry for falling asleep on you.”

“Don’t be.” Marinette said. Kagami’s face went pink and Marinette suddenly became aware of just how intimate a position they were in. Kagami nestled on Marinette’s chest with their legs woven together and arms wrapped around one another.

“Marinette?” Kagami asked, “Are you doing anything today?”

“Not anything I couldn’t put off till tomorrow.” Marinette was hoping Kagami couldn’t feel how fast her heart was beating. “Why?”

“I was thinking that, if you wanted to, we could--”

“Sweet jeebs,” Aurore stretched awake, “Who let me fall asleep on the floor? My back is killing me.”

“Hey! Some of us were still trying to sleep!” Chloe snapped. “Whatever, everyone up. Let’s get some breakfast up in here.”

With a sigh Marinette and Kagami untangled themselves and ordered breakfast. Housekeeping came by to clean up their junk food mess from the night before while the girls ate breakfast. Marinette herself nibbled on some strawberries while most of the others slathered croissants and toasted baguettes in jams. Honestly, if they weren’t fresh from her parent’s bakery she couldn’t eat them. Having bakers for parents had spoiled her for store bought pastries.

“Kagami, you got a little jam right there.” Marinette pointed out a spot at the corner of her mouth.

Kagami wiped the opposite side. “Did I get it?”

“No. I got it,” Marinette grabbed a napkin and wiped the jam away, “There, all better.”

“Thanks.” Kagami smiled softly.

“Oh, what was it you were asking me earlier?” Marinette asked.

“Right,” Kagami shifted in her seat, “I was wondering that if you weren’t doing anything today if maybe you wanted to hang out. I know we spent all last night together but my mother let me have the entire weekend off so I was hoping we could go out. Just the two of us.”

“I’d like that. I’ll have to stop by my house to change and drop off my dress but after that I’m all yours.” No way was Marinette going to parade around the city with a case of slept in hairspray head. Not if she was going to be spending the entire time with Kagami.

“I need to stop at my house too. How about we meet at the park near your house around noon?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

After breakfast wrapped up the girls changed out of their pajamas and collected their outfits from the night before. Marinette raced back to her house so she had time to get a shower and pick a cute outfit. Trying to run while carrying a garment bag holding a huge ballgown wasn’t easy but she made it work.

She barely said hello to her parents before she was upstairs. She tossed the dress across her chaise and hopped in the shower to get rid of the post-party grime. When she was done she went immediately to her closet and rifled through what she had. She wanted to look cute but also casual. It was a shame it was too cold for sundresses now.

Wait! She had a sweater dress that would be perfect for a chilly autumn day on the town. She grabbed the comfy red dress and slid it on. To make sure she was warm throughout Marinette also put on some fleece lined black leggings and black boots. There. Casual and cute.

She grabbed her purse and went to go meet Kagami.

Why was she so nervous all of the sudden hanging out with Kagami? They were friends. They put aside their feelings for Adrien to get to this point. There was virtually nothing to worry about. If that were true though then why was her heart beating so fast when she thought of being alone with her? It felt like when Marinette got sat next to her on her first day at Lycee Carnot. Except it wasn’t out of awkward jealousy. It felt like a lot more was on the line.

Stop it, Marinette! She chided herself. You need to get out of your head. You are just hanging out with Kagami. You’ve done this a plenty of times before now.

“Marinette, over here!” Kagami waved from the fountain.

Marinette was stopped in her tracks when she saw Kagami waving. She looked so pretty! She had on a white turtleneck and dusty rose peacoat, blue jeans, and tan ankle booties.

Marinette didn’t even know Kagami owned anything pink. She was sure that she wasn’t a big pastel kinda girl. Regardless, it looked great on her.

“Hey,” Marinette found her tongue as she approached Kagami which was hard since upon closer inspection she could see Kagami had also done her make-up before coming out. Just some tinted lipgloss and mascara but now Marinette was kicking herself for only putting on eyeliner. She could have gotten away with some color on her lips at least!

“You look good,” Kagami said.

“Thanks. You look perfect.” Again Marinette wanted to bury her face in the neckhole of her sweater. What kind of a response was that?

“Thank you,” Kagami fidgeted with the buttons on her coat. “So, um, what did you want to do?”

“Whatever you want to do.”

“How about we take a walk and see if anything else comes to mind while we do.” Kagami suggested.

“Good. Yeah. Let’s do that.”

The girls left the park and started to walk around the city not talking about anything in particular. Mainly they reminisced funny moments from the party and sleepover last night. Kagami didn’t know it since she was the first to fall asleep but Marinette had kept the others from writing on her face afterwards. It was traditional sleepover antics but Marinette fought back the girls’ permanent marker attack.

“My hero,” Kagami laughed.

“All in a day’s work, madame.” Marinette gave a mock bow.

“Watch out!” Kagami pulled Marinette out of the way as a couple of kids on scooters rocketed past them. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Marinette had been so caught up in her little bow she hadn’t noticed the scooterers. Kagami had pulled Marinette toward her to keep her from getting run over and had yet to let go. The proximity sent a ripple up of warmth up her spine. “Guess you were my hero this time.”

“We all have our moments.” Kagami let her go. Her gaze lost again to the ground. “That being said you should probably stick close. Don’t want you accidentally getting run over by a rogue biker next.”

“I think that would be for the best.” Marinette wasn’t going to miss an excuse to stay even closer to her.

They continued on their walk. Their hands kept bumping together as they walked before Marinette had enough and grabbed Kagami’s. When Kagami looked at her Marinette gave a tiny shrug. “I thought that if someone was going to try running me over you could pull me to safety easier this way.”

“Good idea.” Kagami relaxed a touch as she wove their fingers together.

A thought from last night dug its way back from Marinette’s memory and poked at her brain as if to say, ‘Hey! Remember me? Remember how beautiful you thought Kagami looked last night?’

Can you not do this right now? Marinette shot back at the voice in her head.

‘Afraid not!’ If voices in Marinette’s head had facial expressions she’d be a hundred percent sure it was smirking right now. ‘Remember how you thought her lips looked good enough to kiss? They still look pretty kissable now too, huh?’

Please stop. I’m just trying to have a nice day out with my friend.

‘You are really going to try and say she’s just a friend? You’re holding her hand. You can’t stop looking at her. You woke up this morning cuddled with her. This is not typical friend behaviour!’

Not necessarily…

‘You can’t procrastinate on this, Dupain-Cheng! You like Kagami! Admit it!’

Of course I like Kagami. She’s talented, passionate, smart, brave…

She’s also really cute and kind. She has a great sense of humor and always makes time for her friends even if it may be hard to do. When she was thinking she made little humming noises and had a habit of fidgeting and tapping her foot when she was anxious. She also always seemed to smell like green tea and fabric softener. It made Marinette want to curl up in her warm arms and take a nap.

Oh...oh no.

‘Finally figure it out? You big bi-disaster.’

We are not putting a definitive label on this right now but disaster-bi will suffice for this freak out. Do not panic, Marinette! You have a crush on Kagami. A realization that was thrown into the blinding light of day with warm morning snuggles. Keep calm. Do not let your freak out show on your face or else Kagami might start asking questions. Smile and continue walking.

They stayed out all day walking around the city and talking. They stopped for lunch at a little cafe and stopped in the used bookshop next door to see if they had any interesting titles. “You find anything?” Marinette found Kagami sitting on the floor in a little nook of the bookshop. A stainglassed window sent hazy sunbeams of yellow, orange and green around the cozy corner.

Kagami snapped her book shut when she saw Marinette sending dust dancing through the air. “Achoo!” Kagami sneezed.

“Oops, sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.” Marinette sat down next to her. “What were you reading?”

“I think I know where Nanette’s moms got the name for their cafe.” Kagami handed her the small purple book. The gold lettering on the front read: Winking Violets by Nanette Sabot.

“And who they named Nanette after.” Marinette opened it. “What’s it about?”

“I had to look it up on my phone since it doesn’t have a description in the book. But apparently it is about these two women that grew up together as friends. One had to be taken far away to a warmer town during the winters because of her weak constitution but always promised her friend that she would return in time for the violets to bloom. So throughout the years the girls became closer and closer and their field of violets grew with them. Until--do you mind if I spoil it?”

“I don’t mind.” Marinette assured her. “I have a feeling I’m gonna end up sad.”

“Oh yeah,” Kagami sighed, “The day before the weak girl was supposed to return home after the winter a harsh frost covered their field of violets killing all the blooms in one day. The next morning the other girl received a letter telling her that her friend had died. Overcome with grief the girl wandered the now barren field until she found one small violet still clinging to life amongst the frost. She dug it up and carried it home where she kept it warm and watered. When it was strong enough the girl took the bloom and brought it to her friend’s grave where she planted it. That way her friend would never miss the violets blooming again.”

“That is so sad!”

“But still very sweet. It’s the kind of love you dream of having with someone.”

“I guess so,” It might have been the light playing tricks on her eyes but she could have sworn Kagami was blushing.

“So,” Marinette handed her the book back, “Are you gonna buy it?”

“I think I’ll regret it if I don’t.” Kagami looked back at Marinette. Her big brown eyes sparkling in the light. “Amongst other things.”

“Meaning?”

“I am not an indecisive person.”

“I know.”

“Which is why the fact that I’m hesitating right now is very unlike me.”

“I thought you just said you were gonna get the book.”

“Oh Marinette,” Kagami cupped Marinette’s face in her hands, “You silly scatterbrain. I’m not talking about buying the book.”

Her hands were so warm and her face was so close. What was happening? Scatterbrained was right. Marinette couldn’t keep two thoughts together right now.

“Oh?” Marinette finally murmured. Truly a stimulating and literate response.

Kagami giggled which sent another wave of butterflies loose in Marinette’s stomach. “I know this might seem sudden and I might be making a huge fool of myself but I need to say this. I really like you. Not just as a friend. Is that okay?”

“Mhm!” Marinette nodded. “Very okay?”

“You’re sure? I know you tend to overthink things--”

“All I’ve thought about doing since yesterday is kissing you.” Marinette confessed in a rush of words.

Kagami stared back at her wide eyed. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have just blurted that out like I did. It’s just that you’re really pretty today, you’re really pretty everyday, but today even more so. You looked gorgeous last night too. I like being around you and find myself looking for more and more excuses to be next to you. You’re one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met and I would gladly do most anything to make you smile cause I love seeing you happy. Now I’m scared that the second I stop talking you’re gonna freak out and walk away and I--”

Kagami silenced her with a quick kiss.

“I really wanted to kiss you too.” Kagami said.

Marinette could only smile before she went in for another kiss. This one longer and sweeter than the first. She could taste the faint sweetness of the creampuff they had ordered at the cafe on her lips.

“I guess this means neither of us have to worry about competing over Adrien anymore.” Marinette chuckled. Her forehead resting against Kagami’s.

“I’d say so.” Kagami laughed too.

“Ahem,” the bookshop owner peeked their head around the corner, “You girls find what you were looking for?”

“Yes,” Kagami and Marinette stood up, hands holding tightly to one another, “I think we have.”

---

Transferred:

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15)

---

@ladylb @immatureidiot101 @lady-flora-of-slytherin @shamefullove @zazzlejazzle @heredemaquam @kristycocopops @schrodingers25 @sublimemagazinestarlight @crazylittlemunchkin @daydream-wannabewriter @trainflavor @never-neverland @mochinek0 @persephonebutkore

[strangedreamings]

(forgot to post this yesterday)

31. countdown

plus 

7. a kiss to shut them up, from the 50 Kisses set

Unmasked (AO3)

“C’mon, Rose,” Rey, her best friend and sorority sister, pleaded. “It’s a party, you have to dance at least once.”

Rose raised an eyebrow, though she knew it wasn’t visible beneath her silver lace mask. “I don’t see you dancing.”

Rey blushed beneath her gold filigree mask. “I just don’t feel like dancing.” She bent down to brush away non-existent lint off her strapless black satin ballgown, the simplicity of it a stark contrast to Rose’s silver lace cocktail dress.

“Could that be because Ben’s not here?” Rose asked, smiling a bit. The two of them had been circling each other like a binary star since their freshman year.

“He said he’ll be here,” Rey said, blushing brighter. “I … I think I’m actually going to ask him to dance this time.”

Rose grinned. “Good, put the rest of us out of our misery.” She took a sip of her champagne, wrinkling her nose at the bubbles. “Speaking of ‘us,’ where are Poe and Finn?”

Rey nodded towards two masked men kissing in a mostly secluded corner. “They finally decided to change their relationship status from ‘just friends’ to ‘boyfriends.’”

“Halleluiah,” Rose said. “Now the only ones pining across the table at every group dinner will be you and Ben.”

“Very funny,” Rey muttered before sipping her own champagne. “So, why are you dateless this time? I could name at least a dozen guys who would’ve taken you.”

Rose rolled her eyes. “I want a guy who’s interested in more than getting into my pants. Is it too much to ask that a man have a conversation with me instead of my chest?”

“What about Hux?” Rey asked, her eyes dancing. “Ben respects him, albeit grudgingly.”

Just the thought of the grad student was enough to make Rose’s blood boil. “Hux is an asshole. I made the mistake of asking him to look over my latest paper. Do you know what he put? ‘You are capable of more than this.’ Then he gave it an eighty-five percent. Eighty-five! I worked my ass off on that paper. For once, Prof. Snoke wasn’t a complete monster, he gave it a ninety-three.”

“Okay, so Hux is a prick.” Rey grinned. “But at least he’s a good-looking prick.”

Rose rolled her eyes. “Yeah, if you like your men tall, ginger, emotionally repressed, and so damn full of themselves.”

Rey smirked. “You could be full of him instead.”

She choked on her champagne. “Rey!”

Rey’s grin was unrepentant. “Just think about it.”

Ben chose that moment to arrive (no one else had those broad shoulders and penchant for wearing only black) and as soon as Rey saw him, Rose knew their conversation was at a definite end. She decided to leave the almost lovebirds alone and headed for the refreshment table. The hotel ballroom their sorority had rented for the masquerade party was full of people, all of them masked, and all of them waiting for midnight. The music alternated between waltzes and pop songs and more than once, Rose found herself wanting to dance.

Too bad there’s nobody here worth- Her thoughts stopped dead when she saw a tall, redhaired man enter the ballroom. Instead of the cheap rental tux that most of the other men wore, his was a well-fitted traditional tailcoat and white tie. This is a sorority masquerade ball, not a state dinner at the White House. This guy’s a bit overdressed. Still, he looks damn good. His outfit was completed by a charcoal gray metal mask with glittery black swirls. All in all, he looked like a fairytale prince.

The man looked over the ballroom then his eyes landed on her. Before she had time to react, he walked across the crowded dance floor to her, the other people parting as if they were the Red Sea. Rose could only stare at him slack-jawed as he approached her, finally stopping a foot from her. Gray-green eyes gazed at her intently as a waltz started.

“May I have this dance?” he murmured. His accent was British and his voice made her want to melt.

“I … I don’t know how to waltz,” she admitted, mentally kicking herself. Of all the things I don’t know, why did it have to be that one?

He held out his hand, smiling a bit. “I’ll show you.”

Rose hesitated a moment before placing her hand in his. He gave her what could only be described as a sexy grin before leading her onto the dance floor. After finding a clear space, he showed her the proper ballroom hold then he taught her the steps. Rose kept her eyes on their feet as they moved and after a handful of steps, the man chuckled, the sound making her shiver in the best way.

“You know the steps,” he murmured. “You just have to trust yourself, and trust me.”

At that, she finally looked up into his eyes. The smile he rewarded her with was soft, as were his eyes, and she wanted the moment to never end. When the waltz was over, a pop song came on and Rose bit back a groan.

The man grinned. “Come.” Not letting go of her hand, he was leading her off the dance floor when another man approached them and smiled at her.

“How ‘bout a dance, gorgeous?”

Her partner looked worried that she was going to accept the other man but Rose simply grinned. “Sorry, already taken.” She took the lead in getting her partner off the dance floor and over to an empty table. He held out a chair for her, which she couldn’t help loving, then sat down next to her once she was seated.

“Please tell me you meant me when you said you’re ‘already taken,’” he said, the earnestness in his eyes belying his playful tone. “I’d hate to think I was dancing with someone else’s girlfriend.”

Rose grinned. “I’m single. Painfully single, according to my friends, so yeah, I meant you. What about you? I’d hate to think I was dancing with someone else’s boyfriend.”

He grinned back, relaxing. “Painfully single as well. To be honest, I almost didn’t come tonight.”

That would’ve been a tragedy. “What made you change your mind?”

“I didn’t want to be alone, again, on New Year’s Eve.” Pulling an honest to God pocket watch out of his vest pocket, he checked the time. “Only a few minutes to midnight.”

“And the unmasking,” she said, grinning.

He looked up at her, torn. “Do you want to unmask me or do you want to keep the fantasy going? I know what my answer is.”

She blinked in surprise. “We’d have to take them off at some point and go back to the real world.”

“You won’t like me in the real world,” he said quietly, not meeting her eyes. “I’ve been told I’m cold and distant, and very harsh.”

Rose reached out to take his hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I find that really hard to believe. You haven’t been anything like that to me tonight. In fact, I’d say you’ve been the perfect gentleman.”

He looked down at their joined hands. “I want to be, especially with you.”

She grinned. “Then what’s stopping you?”

He looked up at her. “I don’t know.”

Someone announced that it was thirty seconds to midnight.

He let go of her hand. “If there’s someone else you’d rather kiss at midnight, I understand.”

Rose stared at him. “Why on earth would I want to kiss anyone else?” She took his hand, grinning. “You’re stuck with me, mister.” Her grin faltered slightly. “Unless there’s someone you’d rather kiss…?”

He grinned back, relieved. “God, no.” He got to his feet then held out his hand.

“Ten!”

She took it and stood up then grinned up at him. “I think I’m going to need to wear higher heels around you.”

“Nine!”

“I can just bend down,” he said, smirking. His gaze intensified as he did just that.

“Eight!”

Rose unconsciously wetted her lips as her eyes closed.

“Seven!”

His soft lips brushed one cheek then the other, making her sigh softly.

“Six!”

He kissed the tip of her nose and she couldn’t help giggling.

“Five!”

His lips brushed the shell of her ear. “Let me take you home,” he whispered.

“Four!”

She nodded, too overwhelmed by his presence to speak.

“Three!”

“So trusting,” he murmured as he pulled back to see her face and she opened her eyes. “I’ll break your heart.”

“Two!”

“No,” she murmured back, “you won’t. I won’t let you.”

“One!”

His lips found hers, soft and unsure.

“Happy New Year!”

Rose kissed him back, confident and passionate, her hands grabbing his lapels in an effort to keep him in place, not that he seemed to want to go anywhere. His arms wrapped around her and he relaxed into the kiss, returning her passion as his confidence grew.

“Okay, everybody – time to take off the masks!”

He pulled back at that, his face flushed and his eyes wide with Rose recognized as fear, even with the desire also evident in them. She softly kissed his cheek then took his hand.

“C’mon,” she said as she led him to the doors. “I got a room here for tonight since I didn’t want to have to deal with New Year’s Eve traffic. We can take off our masks there.”

They stopped only to get his coat from the coat check then they were taking the elevator up to her floor. He held his folded coat in front of him, looking at it instead of her, discomfort coming off him in waves. Her fingers itched to touch him but she decided it that it had better wait.

Once they were inside her room, she took his hands then brought them up to the black ribbon ties of her mask. He hesitated a moment before untying them then gently removing the mask from her face.

She smiled up at him happily. “Do you like who you see?”

He smiled weakly. “Yes, actually. I’ve liked you since your freshman year, Rose. I just couldn’t admit it.”

“Oh, so you do know me,” she said, grinning wide.

“Very well, but also not as well as I would like.” He looked down at her mask in his hands then he set it on the nightstand before turning back to her. “As soon as I take off mine, you’ll hate me.”

“I find that really hard to believe,” she murmured.

“You already hate me. And I deserve it – I either avoided you completely or was too harsh with you. You came to me for help and instead of turning you down like I should have, I was overly mmph!”

She pulled him down by his lapels and cut off his string of words with a kiss. While he was sufficiently distracted, she reached up to untie his mask then removed it when he pulled back.

Armitage stared down at her, his eyes unreadable but his mouth set in a thin line.

“Hi, Hux,” she murmured, smiling at him shyly.

“When did you know it was me?” he asked quietly.

“Not until just now, when you mentioned me going to you for help. But really, I should’ve known the moment you walked in.” She grinned. “I mean, how many gorgeous British redheads are on campus?”

He stared at her. “You think I’m gorgeous?” There was a faint smile tugging at one corner of his mouth.

Rose smirked. “Oh yeah. It was only your personality that kept me from asking you out.”

“I’m not like that with everyone. You … brought out the worst in me, probably because I was attracted to you and didn’t know what to do about it.”

“And now?” she murmured, wrapping her arms around his waist.

“Now, I can be myself,” he murmured before lowering his head to kiss her again.

[could-have-beens]

Like A Memory

For Day 6: First Christmas of the @hansannafortheholidays event!

I kind of stretched the prompt for this one, but I hope you guys like it! 

Also posted on ff.net and ao3. Feedback is very much appreciated.

---

Summary: In which Anna spends her Christmas Eve panicking in the emergency room, worrying about going to jail, and embarrassing herself in front of the man she may or may not have run over with her car. Modern AU . . . sort of.

---

The night had started out innocently enough. All Anna had wanted was to get some glögg before Elsa came over for dinner. It was Christmas tradition, after all. One of the few she and Elsa remembered from their childhood, in the years before their parents died and her sister shut the world away. And now that she and Elsa were reconnecting, now that Elsa was learning how to let people in again, Anna wanted their Christmas Eve to be fun and memorable and special. Just one night of bonding and reminiscing with the only family she had left. Was that really so much to ask for?

Go get some glögg, Anna, she thought to herself. It won't take long, Anna, just drop by the grocery store and, boom, you're back in a jiffy! Ugh.

But Anna had underestimated the number of last-minute shoppers, and what was supposed to be a quick, twenty-minute trip turned into a frustrating two-hour crawl down the checkout queue and, later, through the godforsaken traffic.

And then this, of all things, just had to happen — the final nail in her proverbial coffin.

"You're going to jail," said Kristoff.

Anna groaned. "Shut up."

"Isn't that what happens when you nearly kill a dude?"

"You're exaggerating."

"Anna, you ran him over."

"I did not!" she cried indignantly. "I just . . . grazed him, that's all."

"Yeah, well, graze or not, poor guy whacked his head on the pavement and was knocked unconscious."

"It's not my fault, okay? He was jaywalking. I had the right of way! The stoplight said so!"

"Still," Kristoff said, shrugging.

Anna glared. Not that he noticed. The hospital's waiting room was equipped with a vending machine, and Kristoff was busy steadily working his way through each of the snacks. The crunching of the bags made Anna's head pound and her teeth grind.

Kristoff wasn't that bad, really, all things considered. He and Elsa had been friends since their freshman year, and it was easy to see why her ever paranoid sister, always so determined to keep her safe and sheltered, had insisted they share an apartment when Anna left home for university. He was nice. Responsible. An all-around good roommate who did her dishes with minimal complaining when she forgot to. But sometimes he was a bit too pessimistic — realistic, he would say — and it grated on her nerves.

Like right now.

"How are you so calm?" Anna demanded.

"I wasn't the one driving."

"If I'm going to get charged, I'm pointing you as accessory to — to — to whatever it is I'm gonna be charged with — which won't happen because I didn't do anything wrong! If anything, he should be getting fined because he wasn't watching where he was going —"

"Neither were you."

"You were distracting me."

"Yeah, because there was a guy crossing the street. Which I told you."

"You didn't tell me — you screamed."

"Nuance," he said, shrugging again. Then there was a bag of chocolates being shook under nose. "Here. It's no marzipan, but it's better than nothing."

Anna was touched, in spite of everything. Maybe being roommates with him for the rest of the year wouldn't be so bad after all. Maybe she might just survive living with Kristoff Bjorgman until the end of the school year.

Unless she went to jail.

Oh god.

"I don't think I can eat right now," said Anna, feeling her stomach churn with dread.

It must have shown on her face, because Kristoff started to look a little panicked. "Look, I'm sure it's going to be fine," he said carefully. "Just . . . calm down, okay?"

She tried to breathe. In, out. In, out. It was easier said than done, more so when she felt her phone vibrating in her bag and heard the familiar ringtone. As she looked at the screen, Anna could have sworn her heart plummeted to her stomach.

"Please tell me you didn't call my sister," she said, voice barely above a whisper.

There was a long, agonizing pause. "Um."

Anna put her head in her hands and groaned. Elsa's never gonna let me borrow her car again, is she?

That is, if her sister didn't lock her in the house first. Anna could imagine it, and at this point, she wouldn't even blame Elsa for closing the gates and throwing away the key.

.

An hour, a panicked phone call, and several bags of chips from the vending machine later, they finally let Anna in to see the guy she had lightly grazed. She had a whole speech planned — a long, winding, heartfelt monologue where she apologized to the guy and begged him to not press charges because it wasn't like she meant to hit him, okay, she really was just following the stoplights and the signs and being a good, safe, harmless driver and, besides, it wasn't like he broke any bones, right? All he got was a concussion, and he was obviously fine now, wasn't he? So it wasn't like it was that big of a deal, right? Right?

Except the words died in her throat the moment she saw him. When Anna had hit him, it had been too dark out in the street to get a good look at his face, and she had been too busy panicking and freaking out to register what he looked like when Kristoff had helped bring him to the hospital.

But now, under the fluorescent lights, it wasn't hard to see his face at all. The auburn hair, the green eyes, the high cheekbones, even the light dusting of freckles —

— they're dancing, gliding, flying across the ballroom and she feels the swish of her ballgown as he twirls her and his smile makes her cheeks flush with a strange, pleasant warmth — they're climbing up rooftops in all their finery, staring up at the star-strewn sky and there's goosebumps all over her arms as the cool night air passes over her — he's down on his knee and the rush of water is so loud that she almost doesn't hear him, but she sees his eyes, beautiful and breathtaking and guileless — gloved hands in her own, on her waist, brushing her cheek — Oh, Anna, if only there was someone out there who —

The room stretched out at the corners, then shrank back in again before finally blurring all over — and suddenly Anna was back to white linoleum floors and pale blue walls and too bright lights.

The man had cleared his throat, she realized, pulling her back forcibly into the moment. Anna could hear her heart drumming in her ears, faster and faster the more she stared at him, loud and heavy in the dead quiet silence.

"Um, hi," she said at last, and just like that it was as if a dam had broken inside her, and a stream of words came flooding out all at once before she could reign them in. "I didn't mean to run you over — I mean graze! I grazed you! And I didn't mean to do that, honestly, but — well . . . look the sign obviously said — not that I'm blaming you for getting hit by my car! It's just — well, I — er, are you okay?"

He — I'm so sorry, are you hurt — was looking at her, eyebrows slightly furrowed as he struggled to parse out all the word vomit she had spewed at him. It occurred to her then, as her eyes searched his face, waiting for some sort of response to her rambling, that there was no spark of recognition in his eyes, no flicker or hint of anything that could have meant he remembered her —

But why would he? Anna had never met him before tonight — why on earth did she think he would recognize her? That she should recognize him?

And yet . . .

She couldn't help but feel that she had done this all before. The longer she stood there, watching him watching her, the more she found herself unable to tear her eyes away from him, afraid he would disappear at any moment.

Wrong, something inside her whispered. Wrong wrong wrong but —

Familiar.

But how — why would he — why did she —

"I think I should be the one asking you that," the man said quietly. Hesitantly.

"What?"

"You're crying."

Mortified, Anna raised her hand to her cheek — tears, she realized, because she was crying, why was she crying —

"Oh," she said, forcing out a laugh as she quickly wiped her cheeks. "Sorry. Um . . . it's been a long day, you know?"

"Are you sure?" he asked, eyes soft with concern.

He's sitting astride his brown horse, looking at her worriedly as she blushed and stammered and tried to stand up with as much grace as she could muster —

"Oh yeah," Anna started, a little too loudly, and tried to look away. Good grief someone shut me up, she thought, inwardly cringing. "Totally. I'm fine. Super fine. So, um, are you? Okay, I mean?"

"Super," he replied with a small half smile. "I'm just sorry I kept you waiting."

"No, no — it's fine — er, not fine, obviously. Because you're in a hospital bed and all. Which is on me — sorry about that."

"It was my own fault anyway. I should have watched where I was going."

"And I should have been paying more attention to the road so . . . I'm sorry for hitting you with my car. And for every moment after."

I'd like to formally apologize for hitting the princess of Arendelle with my horse . . . and for every moment after.

He gave a slight shrug. "Don't be. If anything, I actually want to thank you. You single-handedly kept me away from my brothers for the evening. Believe me, I owe you my life."

"I'm pretty sure there are other ways to get away from family reunions. Ones that don't involve spending Christmas Eve in the emergency room."

"Well, you're here too," he said. "So I'd like to apologize anyway, for keeping you and your boyfriend from whatever plans you had for the evening."

"Boyfriend? You mean —" Anna broke off, snickering at the thought. She hadn't even realized he had seen Kristoff. "He's not — that is, I'm not really seeing anyone right now —"

Again, Anna cringed. How many times was she going to do this in one night? Ugh, too much information there. Way to go, Anna. If he doesn't already think you're an idiot, then he definitely does now.

"Really?" the man said, tilting his head. "So I take it no one's going to object if I wanted to, say, buy you a drink?"

Anna's mind went blank.

"Wait, what?" she sputtered. Surely she hadn't heard that right. . . .

"Either that, or I press charges," he said, still grinning — which was strange, because it felt like he was asking her so much more.

"What?" she repeated. He still hadn't looked away. "You're serious."

"Deadly," he said, but his laugh didn't reach his eyes. He looked nervous all of a sudden, and it made her aware of the heavy pounding in her chest.

"But you — you're asking me out on a date? Right now? On Christmas?"

"It doesn't have to be right now — I'm sure you have plans . . . but maybe after? Tomorrow? Whenever you're free."

"This is crazy. You — you don't even know me and I don't even know your name —"

"Hans," he said, and for a moment Anna saw someone else — the same man but different, offering his hand, pulling her to her feet, dropping to his knees and bowing —

"And isn't that the point of dates?" he went on. "To get to know each other?"

"Well, I guess but . . ."

She still didn't understand what this was, what it meant. But he was looking at her, waiting, still with that same nervous — hopeful longing guarded — look.

It wasn't like that day by the dark fireplace, when she was crawling on a cold, hard floor, shards of ice piercing her skin from the inside. It wasn't even like that night on the balcony, on the rooftop, by the waterfall, when he had promised no more closed doors, no more pain of the past, I would never shut you out, can I say something crazy, will you marry me —

This was different. Familiar, yes, but different too. Somehow there was a distinction, in ways she hadn't worked out yet. And maybe it didn't matter — maybe for now just knowing and being and living — because he was here and she was here and maybe —

"Yes," she said at last, trying to ignore the reservation, the flickering film of — of memories she knew but didn't understand — telling her to turn tail and run. "I think I'd like that."

Something dull in his eyes sparked to life. "Think?"

"I'm still trying to figure it out," Anna said, smiling, and maybe this was enough.

[janamelie]

LGBT+ Characters

What This Isn’t

A claim of “proof” of the sexuality and / or gender identity of any of these characters.  We don’t need that or anything else to “justify” shipping.

What This Is

A reference post to collate instances in canon which could indicate LGBT+ characters.  In the case of regulars, I won’t include every instance as it would simply take too long.

Rimmer

As I was saying… :p

Honestly, Rimmer is so obviously LGBT+ to me that I don’t know where to start.  How about his reaction to Ace in “Dimension Jump”?

RIMMER: "Commander Rimmer!" I ask you.  "Ace!" Barf city.  I bet you anything he wears women's underwear.  They're all the same, this type, you know, Hurly-burly, rough-n-tumble macho marines in public, and behind closed doors he'll be parading up and down in taffeta ballgowns, drinking mint juleps, whipping the houseboy.

KRYTEN: Sir, he's you!  It's just that your lives diverged at a certain point in time.

RIMMER: Yes, I went into the gents and he went the other way.

KRYTEN: I assume, sir, you are making fatuous references to his sexuality.  If I may point out, if --

Or how about Low Rimmer?  Surely Rob and Doug could have got their point across a little less graphically?

Or if you prefer something less rapey, this passage from “IWCD”.  Unlike the show, Rob and Doug had more time and leeway to explore the characters and this is what they chose to include for Rimmer:

“Rimmer began to regret his outburst. He didn’t like to see his other self upset, and he even contemplated briefly going up to him and giving him a manly embrace. But in a brief moment of homosexual panic, he thought his double might get the wrong idea. Not that he would, of course, because he was him and he knew for a fact he wasn’t that way sexually tilted; so obviously his double wasn’t and obviously his double would know that he wasn’t either, and it was simply a manly embrace meant in a sort of mano a mano kind of way…Perhaps he was tired…Two or three days in bed and he’d be his old self again…Who cared if his copy saw it as a sign of weakness? He’d suggest it anyway.” Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers, Grant/Naylor, pg 233.

And this from the end of the “Better Than Life” novel, when Holly - whose IQ has been restored - comes up with a way to bring Lister back from the dead (no, not as a hologram):

“Rimmer stood in the hatchway and his face yielded to a grin, which in turn gave way to laughter.  Not his normal hollow braying empty laughter, this was an altogether different noise.  This was a noise his vocal cords had never been called on to make before.

It was the laughter of joy.”

Better Than Life, Grant/Naylor, pg 218.

I know some fans read Rimmer as asexual and you can certainly make an argument for that, most obviously in “Marooned” where he describes his younger self as not “particularly highly sexed”.  Of course, that wouldn’t preclude him also being homoromantic or biromantic.

Lister

No-one’s denying Lister’s obvious attraction to and affection for women, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t be bisexual or pansexual.  In fact, his “I’m not gay!” protestations in “Duct Soup” is a fairly common way for people attracted to more than one gender to describe themselves if they don’t feel comfortable using labels.  Given that he was talking to Chloe!Kochanski to whom he’s attracted, it makes sense that he’d prevaricate like this.

And then of course, in the very next episode “Blue”, he dreams about kissing Rimmer.  It’s not only the fact of this, it’s the subsequent scene drawing a direct comparison between him missing Rimmer and Kochanski missing her Dave - her boyfriend.  And despite the ending of this episode, when Lister actually meets Rimmer again, he’s delighted.  Until he realises it’s not HIS Rimmer and even so, he gets used to nano-Rimmer and they eventually become quite chummy.

Not forgetting the chemistry between him and Ace, of course.

Kryten

I know he's a mechanoid, but no-one has any problem reading his relationship with Mechanoid - and later Blob - Camille as romantic and Camille literally says herself that both she and her husband Hector are actually androgynous, which makes Kryten - at the very least - panromantic.

And that’s before we get to his very obvious love for Lister which he states himself in “Back In The Red”.

Holly

Holly was actually conceived as a female character and became male due to Norman Lovett’s original casting.  Sources: “Stasis Leaked” by Smegazine writer Jane Killick and “The Unofficial Red Dwarf Programme Guide” by Smegazine writers Chris Howarth and Steve Lyons.

With Hattie’s replacement casting and later Norman’s return, Rob and Doug may not have intended to create a trans or genderfluid character, but that’s what they ended up doing.

Holly is also bisexual - male Holly was attracted to Hilly and female Holly to Ace.

George McIntyre

It was actually Rob and Doug’s audio commentary on the pilot version of “The End” on “The Bodysnatcher Collection” which alerted me to this possibility.  I know it’s a stretch but I’m including it precisely because I’m indifferent to George as a character and it makes no difference to me whether someone believes this one or not.

During George’s speech at his “Welcome back” party, he says “I don’t want you to think of me as someone who’s dead, more as someone who’s no longer a threat to your marriages - I think Joe knows what I’m talking about!”

We see a man and a woman laughing and the woman playfully pokes the man in the arm.  He stops laughing and looks a bit sheepish.

Rob and Doug comment confusedly to the effect of “Shouldn’t it be the other way round?  This is one of the things we had no control over at this stage.”

Come on, Rob and Doug.  Not only does this scene appear intact in the final televised version of “The End”, you also included extra background on George in “Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers”, showing the events leading up to his death.  Unlike the hologram he replaces, Frank Saunders, there is no mention of George having a wife or indeed any partner, so as far I’m concerned, we shippers can read whatever we choose into this scene.  We would regardless, but the way canon leaves it is particularly open-ended.

Deb Lister and Arlene Rimmer (“Parallel Universe”)

See previous entries.  If their male counterparts are LGBT+ then so are they, plus I always got that vibe from the performances anyway.

Camille

Yes, everyone uses female pronouns for her as that’s how she presents to the crew, but she says herself: “We’re androgynous, but I suppose you could call [Hector] my husband.”

Noel Coward Waxdroid (“Meltdown”)

Mr Coward was gay in real life and his fictional incarnation here greets Rimmer with “Delighted to meet you, dear boy!”  I rest my case.

Nirvanah Crane

And arguably the entire crew of the Holoship according to her speech: “It's a ship regulation that we all have sexual congress at least twice a day.  It's a health rule … Here it is considered the height of bad manners to refuse an offer of sexual coupling … We are holograms.  There is no risk of disease or pregnancy.  That is why in our society we only believe in sex -- constant, guilt-free sex.”

Does that sound as though they’re fussy about the genders of their partners?  It certainly doesn’t to me.  So:

Captain Hercule Platini

Commander Randy Navarro

Commander Natalina Pushkin

Commander Binks

Sam Murray

From the Series V DVD booklet:

“Briefly revived in “Holoship”, it came as a surprise that Sam was male.  In the original pilot script - and Series 1′s deleted funeral scene - deceased crew member “Sam Murray” is said to be dating “Rick Thesen”.  Possibly Red Dwarf’s first gay couple?”

Cop (“Back To Reality”)

I’m sure it wasn’t written as such and maybe he didn’t intend to, but the way Lenny Von Dohlen plays his character’s reaction to the Voter Colonel just pings my gaydar.

Frank Todhunter (“The End”)

I know the conversation in “Duct Soup” (which also includes a reference to a gay crew member nicknamed “Bent Bob” *cringe*) where Kochanski tells Lister that the Todhunter in her dimension was gay is played off as something she made up to take Lister’s mind off his claustrophobia, but she never actually says as much.  There’s nothing to say that at least part of what she was saying wasn’t true.

Ackerman (Series VIII)

In the Series VIII DVD documentary, actor Graham McTavish says he was playing Ackerman as someone who enjoys sex with women “or at a pinch, men dressed as women”.  So onto this list he goes.

Big Meat (“Only The Good”)

I don’t blame you if you’ve blocked this one out as I find the scene almost unwatchable, but he’s the big prisoner who takes to the idea of being Cat’s “bitch” unexpectedly quickly.

Katerina Bartikovsky (“Back To Earth”)

Credit to @clueingforbeggs for noticing that in “Pete Part 1” Ackerman claims to have been “having jiggy-jiggy with the Science Officer’s wife” and connecting that with Katerina being a Science Officer.  There’s nothing to say that the Joy Squid didn’t conjure up the image of an actual crew member.

But maybe the ship has more than one Science Officer?  Well, the way it’s said makes it sound as though there is only one but in “Holoship” Kryten gives Rimmer a mind patch from two officers, one of whom is Science Officer Buchan.  There is no mention of Buchan’s gender so who’s to say they aren’t also female?

Begg Chief (“Entangled”)

“We prefer the ship of green.  And the sexy light man with the lady legs so long and luscious!”

Chancellor Wednesday (“The Beginning”)

Actor Alex Hardy says in Series X DVD doc “We’re Smegged” that he was playing the relationship between his character and Dominator Zlurth with a homoerotic undercurrent and you can see it subtly in his performance.

Dolphy (“Cured”)

All I’ll say about this one is that if Messalina had behaved towards Lister as Dolphy does in this episode, nobody would have doubted that she was into him.

Ziggy (“Timewave”)

Proof that LGBT+ characters in this show work a lot better when Doug isn’t intentionally writing them as such.  Sorry.

Feel free to add any examples I may have missed.

@lord-valery-mimes  @aziraphale-lesbian   @notalwaysweak  @feline-ranger  @downonthepharm-red-dwarf  @hologrammette  @rosecathy  @cazflibs​

[imagine-loki]

Giftless

TITLE: Giftless CHAPTER NO./ONE SHOT: 25/50

AUTHOR: nekoamamori ORIGINAL IMAGINE: 

Imagine that you are Stark’s niece and you secretly share a strong relationship with Loki since he entered the crew. One day you get hurt so bad during a mission that you are about to die.  Loki knows a spell that will save you and share his immortality with you but you and he will be linked forever sharing thoughts, pain, emotions…

RATING: T NOTES/WARNINGS:  Also on AO3 click here

Prom tickets went on sale a couple weeks before the dance, which would be held at the end of May. “You’re still coming with you to the prom, right?” you asked Loki the morning they went on sale. 

“Of course, darling, though you will have to enlighten me on the traditions of the…prom,” he stumbled over the unfamiliar word.  You could tell that he wanted to call it a ball instead.  You forgot that you hadn’t called it the prom earlier.

“The prom is a big dance, a ball, at the end of the school year. Everyone dresses up in super fancy dresses and tuxedos. Generally you and your date go out to a fancy meal beforehand and the dance lasts until midnight,” you explained to him, hoping you were being clear.  It was hard to tell what he knew and what he didn’t of Midgardian culture.  However, you knew for a fact that he knew about balls, they had them on Asgard. 

“You promised to wear the dress I made you to the ball,” he reminded you, smirking as if he were getting away with something.  He wasn’t.  You were just glad you didn’t have to go dress shopping.  

“And you promised to go with me. I just wanted to make sure that was still the case before I bought the tickets,” you explained. 

Loki glowered, bristling with temper and indignation. “I should be the one to purchase the tickets,” he grumbled at you indignantly.  He looked like a grumpy cat and you couldn’t help laughing at him. 

“You can’t,” you told him gently, knowing he didn’t understand the concept. “I have to do it since I’m the student there and you aren’t,” you reminded him. He still looked unhappy, but seemed to understand finally that there were rules.  The rules were in place to protect the students.  

Loki was still coming with you to school every day. You usually walked there, unless the weather was bad. It was a pleasant start to the day and the walk wasn’t that far. “Oh, shit! I forgot to ask you for a favor from the school,” you told him before you got to the school that day.

“What language from a lady!” he chided, sounding more like Cap than your boyfriend. 

“Loki, this is important,” you replied sternly.  There wasn’t time for jokes.  You really had fucked up in forgetting to ask for Loki’s help.  

“What favor would the school like?” Loki asked, more seriously, sensing your mood from your tone.

“They wanted you to get you to dress in a uniform today and pretend to be a student. They have a tour group coming through, which is annoying when I’m a stop on the tour,” you grumbled over that, hating that the school used your presence to try to recruit others.  “They don’t want the parents to see that I have a guard, or they might think the school in unsafe. So they want you to pretend to be a student for the day,” you explained.  Loki raised his eyebrow, wondering why you hadn’t told him already. “I’m sorry! They called last night and asked me, but you were on patrol so I forgot to ask when you got back,” you apologized quickly.

He sighed and looked put-upon.  For once you couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not.  “Very well,” he replied. The green glow of his magic passed over him and he was wearing one of the school uniforms and had seemed to de-age a couple of years so he could pass for a high schooler. You reached up to straighten his tie. “This outfit is ridiculous,” he grumbled.

“At least you have pants,” you reminded him, grumbling at the stupid short skirt. He laughed and took your hand. You looked up at him confused.  You hid that you were dating while he was on guard duty.  

“If I am pretending to be a student, I should at least get to be your boyfriend today.” He had a point. They couldn’t say anything if he was doing them a favor. 

By the end of the first tour, you were trying not to glare.  They had come to bother you and try to ask you questions about Tony.  In the middle of class. You may not have given a shit about school, but you did care about your grades and hated that idiot tour groups were putting said grades in jeopardy. 

“I should’ve skipped school today,” you grumbled at Loki. Every single tour group was the same and you felt like you were followed around by them all day.  Asking stupid question.  At least you got to buy your prom tickets at lunch, so that was out of the way.  

You also got to spend all day with Loki, so that was a plus.  

You managed to survive that day without drawing a dagger on any of the helpless humans, which you were extremely proud of.  You were extremely impressed with yourself on that front. 

You and Loki worked out extra hard during combat training that afternoon. You needed to blow off steam.  Desperately.

*

Prom fever hit the school as the night of the dance drew closer. You caught Loki eavesdropping on other couples’ plans so he could get ideas for that night.  He didn’t know Midgardian traditions besides movies and those couldn’t be trusted.

Whatever he did was going to be magical.  You knew it in your heart.

The day before the dance, one of the girls in your English class came up to you. She had been talking to you more since you worked on a project together and had to present it in front of the class. You carried the presentation and so she got an A on it too. At least she’d been nice about it and had done some work on it.  

She handed you an envelope when she approached. “I know it’s hokey, but I’m having a birthday party next week. I’d really like it if you came,” she told you warmly. You smiled up at her. You had gotten more open with your classmates lately, some of Loki’s influence wearing off you supposed.  Though Loki wasn’t the most open, you had to set a good impression for him.

“Really? You want me to come?” you asked, wondering if this was a thing where she had to invite the whole class or something. You never got invited to birthday parties.  Unless they were inviting you to get Tony to show up. 

“Of course! You’re me friend. Oh, don’t bring any gifts, we’re not doing anything silly like that. It’s just pizza and movies and stupid card games. Thanks for the book recommendation, by the way, I’m hooked on the series now,” she waved and went to her desk before class started. You grinned down at the invitation like an idiot, so happy to actually get an invitation to a party. It never happened, not since your parents died and you got outed as some kind of weird, powerless celebrity. They were scared of your superhero guardians and thought you was weird because you was a bookworm. They were finally starting to come around. You tucked the invitation away in your bag carefully, still grinning.

“You’re pleased,” Loki whispered in your ear through magic. It was worded as a statement, but he was questioning why you were so pleased. 

/This is the first legitimate party invitation I’ve gotten since my parents died/ you told him. /I thought all the kids here hated me or only wanted me around to get to Uncle Tony. I was wrong/

“I’m glad you’re happy,” was his only reply.  He did sound pleased that you were happy.

You knew you had the easiest preparation of all of the girls for the prom the next day. Loki did your hair, clothes, and makeup with magic, so you could relax until the very last moment. He wore a full tuxedo and it was fitted and tailored perfectly. Your long black and green ballgown fit equally well. Your hair was in an up-do and you even had a tiara.

Your first surprise of the night was the limo that came to pick you up. “You got us a limo?!?!?” you exclaimed excitedly. You had fallen into prom fever just like the rest of the school. Loki smiled at the excitement on your face.

“And I am glad I did. It was worth it just for your expression,” he told you warmly. The driver held the door open for you and Loki helped you in. He took you to the fanciest restaurant in town for dinner. It was stupidly expensive, you were sure, but it was the most delicious mean you could ever remember eating. 

The students looked at you in shock and awe when you arrived. You knew you looked fantastic, but didn’t think you looked that awesome.  But you and Loki were both celebrities and it was harder to forget when you weren’t in uniform. Though everyone was dressed well, it was the prom after all. 

You had to teach Loki how to do the electric slide that night. It was hilarious getting him to try to learn.

It was one of the best nights of your life and you knew when you kissed him during the last dance at midnight that you would remember it forever.

[morethanaprincess-a]

⚪ White - What drew you so much to your muse?

Munday Color Meme - Accepting!

So, short story time!

Several years ago, I was taking an extended break from the RPC in general and didn’t really use/care about tumblr, mostly focusing on other IRL hobbies. This is around when SDR2 had been out for a few years. I’d played the first game and watched the first anime and while I found it fun, it didn’t particularly resonate with me and none of the characters jumped out at me. I blame myself for making too many comparisons to Battle Royale at the time (Which is excellent. Go read the book if you haven’t and then watch the movie. IMHO, the book is better. There’s also a manga series that follows the book’s storyline which is also good. There’s also a sequel film, which wasn’t all that great). 

But some of my close geek/nerd friendship circle (we’re all convention attendees who cosplay and met through that hobby. Particularly through One Piece! I’m usually their Nico Robin or Boa Hancock when she’s needed for a group) played SDR2 and unanimously decided that I needed to check it out. All because of a Princess character from a fictional European nation who was obsessed with horror movies and the occult and just wanted to be a good and kind person to everyone. It didn’t help at the time that I was looking for new characters to cosplay as and my closet was chock full of gowns from Disney, Downton Abbey, Umineko no Naku Koro ni, Revolutionary Girl Utena, and probably more I’m forgetting right now. Oh, and probably my most recent costume at the time, a female version of The Babadook (Reminder: Add more horror costumes to the costume closet! I still have a comic book horror costume I want to do this year...). And my other media habits? Horror movies and Historical dramas, outside of anime of course. 

And so I played it and, of course, my friends had a point. I pretty much fell in love with the game 80% because of Sonia Nevermind and 20% because of everything else. Her character designs had everything I love about my favorite types of costumes (Ballgowns! petticoats! fit and flare dresses!) and so I spent from mid-2018 to May 2019 getting both her green uniform and her cream gown assembled and brought to my first anime con of 2019. Except the problem soon became that I didn’t want to cosplay anyone else, or talk about much else except Danganronpa, headcanons, and “what if this happened and Sonia had to cope with it?”

Needless to say, my IRL friends got exhausted of that rather fast and, after insisting once more that I needed to play a game because I identified so much with a certain character (Haru from Persona 5), they’ve learned to no longer recommend games to me if I have plenty in common with a fictional character because I will, without fail, cosplay them and be incessantly annoying with my fixation of breaking down every single character trait. So I took to the internet! I didn’t really care for the reddit communities around DR as I felt, for the first time in years, of dipping my toes back into an online RPC. I just had to figure out where.

After some research, I deduced tumblr was a rather active place for the DR fandom and so, despite having a lot of other Sonia blogs around at the time, I decided to make this blog and hoped that people might read and accept some of my headcanons and what-if scenarios, and even be interested in interacting with my version of Sonia. And now it’s January 2020, over seven months later, and I’m still here, eagerly continuing and anticipating new storylines. I’m glad people are still interested in my Sonia tbh, as I do play her somewhat canon-divergent and don’t latch on to a lot of popular tumblr RP trends well. Even though I was always drawn to her ever since I played the game due to how much we had in common and the desire to play such a kind and good-natured character (I’ve spent years writing for the brooding assassin types and I’ve gotten burnt out on that), I never expected anyone else to care much about my writing or portrayal over here. So that’s been a pleasant surprise!

(Ha, I said short story and then this happened. I cannot keep anything short on this blog.)

[angelofstarlight]

My Kirby Gijinka forms

Ok so I decided to create my own Kirby gijinka forms. I’ve seen so many and thought about creating my own. Oh my Kirby is female. 

(Please note this is only for the Kirby characters. I will only be doing certain characters human forms because there are way too many people to do. I may do more in the future )

Kirby’s appearance changes as she ages. When she first arrived on Popstar she is four almost five but has a difficult time speaking. Kirby learns to fully speak properly at eight almost nine thanks to everyone she knows and much to Meta Knight’s shock (because their race ages differently than everyone else). Kirby has light pink hair that reaches a little past her shoulders, which she often keeps pinned back. She had pale skin due to flying around space. Her eyes are bright crystal blue with silver specks that look like stars. Her outfit when she arrived was a light pink dress with red accents, red tights and light pink MaryJane shoes. As she got older, to around nine or ten, her outfit changed to a light pink blouse like top with a red overthrow that wraps around her shoulders and held together by a star pin, red knee length skirt with pink leggings and small heeled red ankle boots. Her outfit did change with everyone of her copy abilities. She does have a pink and red ballgown for formal events. Kirby does gain wings but is able to hide them and Meta Knight slowly begins to teach her to fly. The height she reaches once she stops growing is 5′4, but when she arrives on Popstar she’s only 4′0.  

Meta Knight is basically like his anime persona with some of his game persona mixed in there. He still has the voice he had in the anime as well meaning Meta Knight has a Spanish accent and a deep, soothing voice. Without his mask he looks as if he’s in his late twenties early thirties but is actually thousands of years old as Star Warriors age differently than everyone else. Meta Knight has dark blue almost black hair (with some grey hairs he swears weren’t there before Kirby arrived) that looks very fluffy and brushes against his slightly pointed ears. Meta Knight’s eyes are naturally grey without the mask but with it on his eyes change colour depending on his emotions. His suit of armor is very different from normal armor because it doesn’t look like armor thanks to Meta Knight knowing a few things from a part of his past he’d rather forget. Meta Knight wears a lose white shirt, then a dark blue and purple dress coat with gold buttons and accents along the dark blue pauldrons that has a M on one (the dress coat can handle any attacks like a chest plate), followed by white gloves and navy blue pants with a brown belt and gold buckle along with deep purple boots that have a slight heel. In other words cloths woven with metal and spells. Meta Knight’s cape is a dimensional cape and can become wings, except he doesn’t use them as wings since they were damaged for a while. However he does have a black, purple and gold accented armor for more formal events. Galaxia is never far from Meta Knight and always in a scabbard at his side. The height Meta Knight is 5′8. 

King Dedede also has a mix of his anime persona and game persona. His voice is the same as the anime but not as strong accented. The King is around his mid-forties but acts as if only in his late twenties early thirties much to everyone's surprise at first. His hair is light blue that goes a little past his ears and he has hints of a beard that is kept trimmed and Dedede’s eyes are cobalt blue.  Dedede basically wears the human equivalent of what he wears in the anime and games. Meaning a kimono like shirt with the red and yellow band wrap around his middle, orange mitten like gloves, dark brown pants and orange-brown boots. Dedede does have formal clothes but would rather wear his everyday outfit. His hammer is kept hidden somewhere on him and no one knows where or how he does it. Dedede’s height is 6′1. 

Bandanna Dee is the same as he is in the game. He is loyal to King Dedede but great friends with Kirby. Bandanna Dee has a voice with a faint British accent. Bandanna Dee has orangy-brown hair which is just at his ears and auburn brown eyes with his bandanna on his head. His age along with the other Dees are unknown, so no one really knows and no one has really been bothered by that. Bandanna wears a black shirt under a light brown tunic and black belt around his waist along with brown gloves, with dark brown pants and black boots. Bandanna does have a formal uniform like all waddle dees for formal events as well. He also has his spear with him as always. His height never changes so he is the same height as Kirby at 5′4. 

Tiff and Tuff are the same as they were in the anime. Tiff swaps between wearing a green and pink dress with a belt around her waist or a white shirt with green at the bottom with a pink throw over with brown shorts. Her shoes also are swapped around between a pair of brown boots or black MaryJane shoes. Tuff however stays with the same chose of clothes which are a orangy-brown shirt, blue pants and a belt that goes over his shoulder with green boots as well. And like everyone else the two siblings have formal outfits as well. Tiff is 4′9 when Kirby arrives but grows to 5′6 (she is very happy knowing Kirby is only two inches shorter than her). Tuff is 4′2 when he first meets Kirby and grows to 5′5 (he finds it funny he is right between Tiff and Kirby in height). 

Lady Like and Sir Ebrum are the same as the anime as well. Outfits and everything. Both have formal outfits as well. Lady Like is 5′10 while Sir Ebrum is 5′6. Both Lady Like and Sir Ebrum find it very funny Tiff is the same height as her father. Lady Like’s hair colour is blonde while Sir Ebrum’s hair colour is light purple. 

Escargoon is also the same as the anime as well. As for his outfit, it is basically a butler’s uniform but a bit fancier and in greens and purple. Unlike everyone else Escargoon doesn’t have a formal outfit for important events because he basically wears it everyday. Escargoon’s hair colour is greenish-grey which he keeps short and at ear length. His height is 5′8 so he is able to stare down Meta Knight for letting the KING go on crazy adventures when he is suppose to be ruling Popstar (the kids, Bandanna and Dedede try not to laugh when this happens).  

[sassycassie-s-series]

All My Fault 9

By: SassyShoulderAngel319

Fandom/Character(s): DC, BatFam - Damian Wayne/Batman

Rating: PG-11 (minor sparring---nothing too violent)

Notes: (Masterlist) Tim’s the genius of the family for a reason...

Tag List (Open): @batboys-and-other-messes @nanna-the-batmum @probsjosh @welovegroot

Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6, Ch 7, Ch 8

^^^^^

The rest of the family—except Cass who was still out of town—found me and Damian in the parlor hours later, still going over dresses with Damian’s arm still around my shoulders. We’d narrowed down the designs to my top five and were going through color options, Damian coloring in the line-art of his designs with his tablet.

“—can’t wear a white dress!” I was saying when Bruce and Tim stuck their heads in. “It’s a gala, not my wedding! What happens if someone spills red wine on me? Plus white’s just… no. I can do cream or gray or silver but not white. Not for something like this.”

“Hey guys,” Tim greeted.

“Oh hey! How was the meeting?” I asked.

“Boring. So… Is something… going on?”

“Hmm? No. We’re just going over design and color options for my outfit for the charity ball.”

“Oh. Huh. That’s not what I meant. What’s with the arm?”

“She couldn’t see as well with my arm in the way, so I got it out of the way,” Damian said distractedly, not looking up from where he was coloring in a ballgown with a gray shade that he added some sparkle brush to, scribbling, “silver” off to the side in the same color.

“Oh. Okay. Right,” Tim said, ducking out of the room.

“Afternoon,” Bruce said before also ducking out and shutting the door behind him. Damian and I glanced at each other with lowered eyebrows. I shrugged and went back to looking at his tablet.

“Okay, I like this one, but I don’t really think a ballgown should be silver, you know? Like, wearing silver would make me look like… Cinderella or something,” I said as though Tim and Bruce hadn’t interrupted.

^^^^^

Tim pointed through the door where Damian and Cloudy were still talking. “We gonna talk about something going on between them?” he asked quietly.

Bruce turned his head to look at the door, listened to his ward say something about Cinderella to his son, and then turned to look back at his third-eldest son. He paused for a moment, putting his thoughts into words. “Nothing to talk about,” he said. “Nora wasn’t blushing at any point. She can’t lie very well. If there was something about their relationship that they were hiding from us, she’d blush when she tried to hide it.”

Tim glanced between his adoptive dad and the doorway where his little brother and now-younger sister-figure were talking about colors on evening gowns the same way most people talked about the weather.

He shrugged. “Okay. I just didn’t know if the arm-around-the-shoulder thing had any extra implications,” he remarked before strolling off for his room to change out of his suit.

Bruce went down to the Batcave.

^^^^^

“—absolutely certain? We can have all five of them made and then you can wear them to other events,” Damian said.

“And overwork some poor seamstresses before a rather short deadline? I don’t think so,” I said. “I'm fine just having one made. And I think I want them to make this one.” I tapped the one I liked the best on his screen—making the cursor flare and then vanish. “Although…” I pinched the corner of Damian’s tablet and tugged it. “May I?” I asked.

“What are you doing?”

“Color change,” I said. Damian passed me the tablet without resistance. “Thanks,” I added. I dug through the tablet, dropped something into his Photoshop, used the eye-dropper to select a color, deleted the thing I’d added, and colored in the dress. I passed the tablet back to Damian and leaned against his side again so I could still see. “Better?”

He scrunched his eyebrows. “Wwwhy did you choose that color?” he wondered.

I shrugged. “I have my reasons,” I said. “Okay. I’ve been sitting down way too long.” I patted his chest and pushed myself to my feet. “I'm gonna go box or bench or something. Wanna join?”

Damian shrugged. “Sure. Let me go change. Now that Drake’s back maybe he’ll let us spar against him and get used to the new inverted height difference.”

I smirked. “That’d be fun.” I swung around the doorframe to the parlor on one arm and went jogging for my room to put on my workout clothes.

The reason I colored the dress the one I chose? The reason I didn’t tell him?

It was the same color as his eyes.

Figured if I didn’t want to match his black tie, I might as well match his eyes.

Plus, even though my eyes were brown, when a bright light shone into them, a greenish ring around the outside edge could be seen. Wearing green sometimes made that ring easier to see.

I changed fast, pulled my hair back into a tight ponytail, and went off for the Batcave, stopping on the way at Tim’s room. “Hey Timbo,” I greeted, poking my head in.

“Hi Cloudy. What’s up?” he replied distractedly.

“Wanna come spar with me and Damian? Work off some of that meeting-boredom energy?”

“That sounds suspiciously like you have an ulterior motive,” Tim joked, spinning around in his desk chair to look at me, arms folding over his chest and raising one of his eyebrows. I sighed dramatically and leaned against his doorframe.

“Okay, you caught me,” I relented sarcastically. Tim smirked at my theatrics. “Damian and I want to get used to fighting with the inverted height difference. Last time we were really in the field together, not counting this past patrol, he was more than half-a-foot shorter than me. Now he’s just over a foot taller than me. Wanna be our opponent?”

Tim thought for a moment. “There was a time I would immediately jump at any chance I could get to beat up that brat,” he remarked. “But now… sure why not? I could blow off some steam.”

I smiled. “Thanks bro,” I said. “Meet you downstairs.”

“See you in a minute.” Tim got off his desk chair as I pulled his door shut so he could change.

I headed downstairs to the cave.

“Ready for this?” Damian asked as he picked up a wooden sword. He had on a thin black tank top and athletic shorts. It looked very attractive on him. Really accented his powerful build. I blinked and shook the thoughts out of my head. Not the time. I cracked my knuckles and stretched.

“Ready as I’ll ever be. It’s been a while since I sparred against Tim,” I said.

“What’s going on?” Bruce asked, looming out of the shadows.

“Oh we’re going to spar against Tim,” I answered.

“Two against one? That doesn’t seem fair,” Bruce said.

“We’ll go a little easy, B,” I said. “We’re mostly just doing it to get used to fighting with our new height difference. I'm used to Damian being shorter than me.”

“I see. Perhaps I should join,” he said.

Damian and I exchanged a glance. “Well we were going to ask Jay when he got back…” I began.

“Father,” Damian also began.

“Don’t you two start telling me I'm too old, now,” Bruce warned, almost jokingly. It was weirder when he used lighter tones than when Damian did. “I already get it enough from Jason and Dick.”

I scoffed. “Pfft! C’mon, B. You know Jason does it in jest,” I said. Bruce cocked an eyebrow. “Okay, okay. You can be on Tim’s team. But if you need to tap out…” I just shrugged. “We won’t blame you.”

“I'm not that old, Nora,” Bruce admonished.

“Well if you think you can handle it I'm not going to tell you otherwise,” I replied, clapping his shoulder and crossing over to the training mat where Damian was swinging his fake sword around, preparing to fight against Tim’s staff.

Tim came running down the stairs moments later. “I'm here!” he exclaimed breathlessly. He wore a T-shirt and athletic shorts, spinning his staff around in a quick warmup. He and I stretched so we wouldn’t tear anything—Damian had already stretched while I’d been changing and doing my hair, apparently. Bruce started to stretch too. “No way! Are you gonna be on my team?” Tim asked him.

“I always am,” Bruce said.

Damian liked his sword, even if Bruce rarely let him use it, Dick had his escrima sticks, Jason his guns and knives, and Tim his staff. I didn’t usually use many weapons. Not even batarangs. Tim had taught me a little staff and Dick a little bit with escrima sticks, but I still usually just used my own two hands as much as I could.

This was going to be interesting.

Damian and I faced off against Tim and Bruce on the training mat. Tim spun his staff around his hands and twirled it around his back. Damian spun his sword to loosen his wrist. “Ready kids?” Bruce asked.

“If you think you can handle it,” I replied, trash-talking with a smile.

“Oh it’s on,” Tim replied playfully. I laughed and cracked my neck.

Tim attacked first.

Damian caught Tim’s staff on his wooden sword while I ducked under a haymaker of Bruce’s, spinning around on the ground to knock one foot out from under him.

Unfortunately, Damian was standing too close with a stance too wide that I wasn’t used to and I caught his ankle too.

He fell on top of me—knocking the wind out of me. He leapt off of me almost immediately and shot to his feet, launching himself at Tim. They fought staff-on-sword, leaving me to deal with the original Batman on my own. Which, even with him being nearly a decade older than the last time I sparred against him, was really hard. I got a few good licks in but mostly took more hits than I dealt.

Until I cried out as a bruise from patrol the night before got hit.

Damian’s hand wrapped around my shoulder and forced me behind him with enough force that he nearly shoved me to the ground had I not been light on my feet and used to the motion—from Jason and Dick. It was a move we used to practice when we wanted to trade opponents.

I caught Tim’s staff in my hands as he swung it toward Damian and yanked, throwing him off balance. He recovered fast, though, and jabbed me in the gut with the end of his staff. “Oof!” I grunted, wheezing and retaliating by getting in close enough to jab him in the solar plexus with my elbow—and leaving myself vulnerable to another attack.

Which swiftly came in the form of a staff across the back. I stumbled away from Tim, coughing and trying to get my breath back.

Damian managed to fend off both Tim and Bruce at the same time for a good fifteen seconds before I reentered the sparring match.

It was easier than I thought, adjusting to his height. I hadn’t fought side-by-side with Bruce much when he was Batman and he was the closest to Damian’s height, but I had fought near Dick and Jason a lot. What was an extra three inches when you’re ducking under an attack from an opponent for your partner behind you to parry it? Adjusting to his weapon use was harder. Jason would sometimes just shoot someone when I ducked out of the way—nonlethal shots, usually, but a bullet was smaller and faster than a wooden sword.

Bruce tapped out first. “Not because he was tired,” though. He said he had “important business” to attend to. Damian, Tim, and I all exchanged a glance as Bruce left the training mat. Tim swung his staff.

Damian caught the end of the staff with one hand before it could strike my shoulder.

Damian and I went a little easy on Tim when he was alone. Not too easy though. Tim was vicious when he needed to be. If we went too easy he’d beat the snot out of both of us. But Damian and I were both also good fighters. If we both gave 100% we could seriously injure him. So we didn’t.

Technically we weren’t training. Just adjusting what we already knew. So we went only a little easy. Easy enough that we wouldn’t hurt Tim much while it was 2-on-1, but giving it enough effort that we didn’t get the snot beat out of us.

That didn’t mean I didn’t get several good whacks from his staff through. Because I did. I’d definitely end up with bruises.

I was the next to tap out. “Okay boys,” I said, panting, sweating, sore, and really tired. “I'm done. I'm gonna go shower.” I gave them a weak thumbs-up and stumbled up the stairs and out of the cave.

Next

[steve0discusses]

Yugioh S1 Ep 43: Mokuba Simply Has No Survival Instincts

While it surely wasn’t intentional, since the 00′s hadn’t finished their course at the time this show aired, the storyline of Kaiba, the moodiest millennial of them all, the boy who works his ass off, wins every award, studies hard, and then fails at every aspect of his life when he actually goes out to try and get his career on track is just so very millennial. It’s a pretty familiar story--trained to be a shark in a small swimming pool, dreams as big and high as the moon, but occasionally completely disconnected with what’s going on around us because we’re trapped in some MMO videogame. Again.

We’ve already had quite a few episodes that dove into Yugi’s psyche, including one where we literally walked through his labyrinth brain full of traps and real legit problems as he said “nonono this is all really just fine.” But, this is an arc that’s all about Kaiba, who is about to be devoured by the same insane pipe dream ideas he worked so hard to create.

Mai and Joey suddenly realize who the other is and then just decide “youknow lets not duel” and I praised the sun because how pointless would that have been?

The Mokuba orange text is very close to the Joey yellow. Sorry if any of you are colorblind, I never realized that Mokuba would have so many speaking lines when I started this. Maybe I’ll make him a light blue at some point?

I know I titled it as Mokuba has no survival instincts but honestly it’s every single person on this show.

(read more)

I only say I’m too afraid to check the skyrim mod forums because most those mods are a little too kinky for me.

Like...

Why didn’t Bakura use THAT card back on the island? Holy cow. It’s a good thing Joey isn’t cursed with the ring because everyone would be very super dead.

So they trot along across the desert and not much happens. I guess a sand worm or something? It’s just a desert.

And like do I even need to make the obvious joke or is it already--

No, not yet.

Anyways, what’s at the other end of the desert, hm?

We are SO CLOSE to finishing this season how is there ANOTHER MAZE!? There’s only like 6 episodes left we could have been maze free I just...whoever was in charge of maze design for this show worked overtime.

God bless, storyboarder. This is a frame I caught completely by accident--most people would not be able to notice that Joey just takes two hands--one on Yugi’s head, the other on his chest and just pushes him completely over like he’s one of those roly-poly toys.

The hell Mai? She is the age to date Joey’s Dad.

This labyrinth is different than Yugi’s, in that it is crowded by a bunch of huge inconvenient tanks that all want to kill them for some reason. I have no idea how any of these tanks ever turn a corner.

Mazes seem to be the most boodthirsty thing in this universe--can’t pass through a maze without every law of physics/tanks wanting to murder the hell out of you

Imagine the David Attenborough documentary on this family of wild tanks.

And then this weird thing happened--as if we weren’t already seeing the weirdest collection of things that Kaiba chose to focus on in this magical world where he could have made anything else happen.

It’s Marie Antoinette Mokuba. She’s just here. To exist.

Speaking of bad ideas, Kaiba is getting crucified.

Every anime ever made just acting out the Passion for kicks and giggles, it ain’t even Easter yet.

So quick side story about bad ideas and stuff, because sometimes we spend YEARS of our lives trying to make something that is not very good work and it just doesn’t--it just doesn’t happen. I work in freelance so I see that a lot. I see it happen to other people, I’ve seen it happen PLENTY to myself.

I knew this guy, I’ve known him my whole life (and he’s way super old so he won’t read this blog) and for the entirety that I’ve been alive he’s been trying to make an operating system to compete with Windows. Now I’m from the Bay Area, so this isn’t SO weird. There’s this whole crazy world outside of Linux where everyone and their mule is making an OS that will change the Silicon Valley landscape and make them the next Bill Gates. It’s kind of like “here’s my neat app idea” but like 2 steps more ascended.

For about 40 years, this guy has *and still is* making this OS. 40 years. But his OS is now like 40 years behind the times because he never released it in any form because it wasn’t done yet, it wasn’t perfect, it wasn’t ready.

One of the most important things I’ve ever learned is that whatever you may be working on right now will not be your Magnum Opus. It just won’t. So finish whatever you’re on and move on to the next thing. When I was told this, I was working on my first comic and although I wasn’t really aware--it was hella not great. But, it was a story I grew up writing, so I was hella attached to it. So, it could never be perfect. It mattered so much to me to get it right, and I was so worried about what other people would think, that I worked on it for about 4 years before I ran into the OS guy and I realized “I need to just post this and move on or this will be my endless OS”

Like, this is all a silly story of climbing through Kaiba’s bad fiction, but sometimes our simple ideas can turn into parasites, and we become so obsessed with them, that our good efforts are robbed of ever getting a chance to finish something good. Like this is Kaiba’s one big huge sprawling terrible video game idea and all of his friends and his brother are here to basically give him an intervention. Also to save him from the guys who are still heading Kaiba corp for some reason.

Anyways, now these guys are in a generic carriage because they got to the Camelot section of Kaiba’s cyberworld because this boy could not focus on one single genre.

Whatever because inside this castle is DINNER

The vague orange oblong fruit is back! The gravity melons! We still aren’t sure what they are--because they could be mangoes but they’re orange like oranges. huh...

Anyways, it’s about time for this show to get dark.

So this is a game mechanic of playing the card game Yugioh--so like...it actually does make sense why it’s here but like. This is just medieval The Lottery, huh? Is Kaiba getting ritually sacrificed by his own video game? Ritually sacrificed WHILE getting crucified? For a DRAGON? It’s like right in front of him that his Dragon Obsession has maybe gone too far but I assume that once this is over he’ll be right back on ship dragon.

I just like to think that, for the past few years, Kaiba’s just been drawing birds and medieval stuff in class and being all “it’s going in my sweet ass video game, Joey, it’s not a princess, it’s Princess Atena, and she’s gonna get sacrificed to satisfy the Mythic Dragon” but none of his classmates ever remembered any of this lore because their brains kept getting wiped by some Season Zero Pharaoh nonsense.

This color scheme on the walls is just...that’s lime green and lilac all right.

Anyway, how generic 90′s fantasy anime can we make the armor here?

None of them use swords.

Scratch that--Pharaoh would know how to use a sword. For the rest of them the weapon seems kind of moot because they’re all card wizards?

So off they go, Joey in a minidress made for...breastfeeding? I guess? And the rest in matching armor suits. Seems like Kaiba’s game is programmed to recognize and harass Joey just as part of it’s core code.

OH.

So there was a lot of buildup to that happening and I blinked and missed it and had to rewind, it happened so quickly.

Man if they had just stayed indoors none of this would have happened.

So Mokuba is in a 7 layer ballgown for the rest of this show right? I feel like the hoop skirt would make it very difficult to get crucified in. So, at least he has that.

As they bring this ancient bird to life with the time card, we get to see what Tristan and Tea have been up to--mostly just pushing stuff.

So when Tea does ballet she’s on the bottom just tossing everyone else around, right? That girl is jacked.

So, that was a lot of random things in succession--Next week, on Yugioh:

Does Kaiba turn into a dragon, finally, like he’s always wanted? Will the next environment in this randomized video game land them right in the middle of a Fallout Post-Apocalypse? Or will it be in the middle of a Petz kitten-adoption center? Or, will it be the ultimate challenge for these kids--in a Japanese High School visual novel sim where they actually have to attend class?

[weddingdressespromdresses]

she will be a good mother to our child(ren) in the future under 100 @!%*_%prom dresses

Mouss: For me it was during the time when we said thanks to everyone for coming, and the bit where did our slow dance. I just decided to give a quick speech to her as well. I didn't really plan for the speech; I just wanted to say how we met, and my feelings as well. And I could see, as I was giving the speech, my mom, at the end of the pool, that she was clapping and crying. And I could see that Ledyna was tearing as well, because of what I said about how I feel and all that, and at that point, we just decided to do the slow dance. It felt great, and as the music was playing, and we were dancing, we were just lost in that moment. Everything really clicked. And our daughter was there cheering us on!

Leon: I really love how rational she can be when it comes to making decisions. She rarely decides on impulse or acts on emotions'which makes it easy for us to lay our thoughts out to understand our thought processes better. We also love the same type of food, so we rarely have problems deciding on where to eat like some couples do! Another plus point is that she is really good with children, which makes me really confident that she will be a good mother to our child(ren) in the future under 100 prom dresses. It's good because we are able to have somewhat of a 'trial' taking care of our nieces and nephews as well as our dog green christmas dresses, though it seems like the kids and dog seem to like her a lot more. Valentine Avoh draws her inspiration from the glamour of movie stars like Rita Hayworth and Marl'ne Dietrich to musical greats like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. "I used to watch a lot of old movies from the early 30s until the late 50s which really fascinated me. I loved how feminine and sensual women were in those film and yet had a very strong personality," Valentine Avoh tells Brides. Avoh jsweddenladress20107 works closely with her brides to create custom made gowns that are expertly tailored to the bride's vision and body. "I also get inspired everyday by my brides, watching them trying on my dresses, and listening to their comments gives me so many new ideas and ways to improve my designs." The wedding gowns in classic pure white are softly textured with fine lace and strings of lustrous pearls, draped elegantly over the shoulders or a low back. In addition to the traditional white gowns traditional wedding dress, the collection also features sweet pastel hues of rosy pinks and minty blues, adorned with delicate rosebud appliqu' and hand-sewn beads to add romance. Artfully layered with quality lace, tulle, and chiffon, the gowns float gently to the ground in graceful and feminine silhouettes. Necklines are timelessly romantic, and vary from the demure high-neck How much is a wedding dress for a bride in a legit website?, softened with lace, to the elegant off-shoulder, to the popular sweetheart. Delicate flowers adorn ballgowns and trumpet silhouettes to create wedding gowns that effuse youth and romance.

The first time Elsa Kwok, 25, met the love of her life, Zachary, 26, Personal Trainer, was at a farmer's market in Brisbane as he was waiting for her to vacate a parking lot. That day, he walked away with more than a parking spot for his car. Four years on, the pair of young lovebirds tied the knot in an intimate rustic woodland wedding on 28 May 2016 surrounded by their families and friends lalamira location near me, but not before the Spartans came for Elsa in the morning. Here's a peek at their fun and unique Spartan gatecrash and lovely wedding reception beautifully captured by AndroidsinBoots and The Beautiful Moment Photography. You May Also Like: short plus size cocktail dresses – sexylongeveninggowns V-neck Sheath Jersey Evening Dresses 无标题 — One of the best places to search for a great deal... The perfect prom dresses&wedding dresses available in sizes ... 52 – evening dresses & wedding dresses

[micaramel]

The 15th Annual Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest may have just crowned its winner, but every design from the 12 finalists is truly jaw-dropping.

Each year, Charm Weddings and Quilted Northern team up to present the annual competition in which designers from across the country create custom toilet paper wedding dresses.

The designs were judged by a panel of guest celebrity judges including Monte Durham of "Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta," Jeremiah Brent of "Nate & Jeremiah by Design," and Zanna Roberts Rassi, a fashion editor for Marie Claire.

The winning designer received a $10,000 prize, while the second-place winner received a check for $5,000, and the third-place winner received $2,500.

Here are the 12 exquisite designs from the finalists.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

You've heard about blushing brides, but how about flushing brides?

The 15th Annual Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest just crowned its winner, Mimoza Haska of Surfside Beach, South Carolina.

Read more: This male beauty pageant has a national costume competition just like Miss Universe. Here are the wildest outfits.

What started as a $500 contest inspired by a popular wedding shower game has evolved into something of a phenomenon. The contest received more than 1,500 entries this year, and they were narrowed down to a mere 12 finalists. 

Contestants were tasked with creating custom wedding dresses using only Quilted Northern toilet paper, tape, glue, and a needle and thread — and the results are breathtaking.

The designs were critiqued by a panel of celebrity judges including Laura Gawne and Susan Bain, co-creators of the contest and owners of Charm Weddings, and Charles Ekenga, senior brand manager for the Quilted Northern team.

They were also joined by Monte Durham of "Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta," Jeremiah Brent of "Nate & Jeremiah by Design," and Zanna Roberts Rassi, a fashion editor for Marie Claire.

Here are the jaw-dropping designs from the 12 finalists.

SEE ALSO: Queer style kicks off NY Fashion Week with inclusive show

Mimoza Haska came in first place for her unique, crocheted toilet paper gown. She won $10,000.

"The fact that [Mimoza Haska] could twist the toilet paper into yarn and crochet it is amazing," Laura Gawne, co-creator of the contest, told Insider.

"From day one, we've judged each design on beauty, originality, creativity, workmanship, and the use of toilet paper," Susan Bain, the other co-creator and co-owner of Charm Weddings, said.

Both Bain and Gawne commented on the incredible craftsmanship of the winning gown.

"A lot of the dresses we see look great in photos, on the dress form, and on the model, but these designs also have to be taken on and off ... [the winning design] was incredibly well-made," Gawne said. 

Mimoza Haska won the Grand Prize of $10,000. The second-place winner received a check for $5,000 and the third-place contestant received $2,500.

Donna Vincler came in second for her romantic, vintage-inspired gown, accessorized with a floral headpiece.

The long train is certainly something to behold, not to mention the intricate floral details.

For the first time, the 12 toilet paper dress finalists were broken up by category. Dresses were categorized as "traditional," "modern," or "cultural."

Susan Nicholson came in third place for her "cultural" gown, complete with an elegant top hat, lace-like detailing, and full mermaid skirt.

Even though not every designer went home with a top prize, each dress deserves recognition.

"Not only are these designers so talented — if the gowns were being made out of real fabric, they would still be beautiful — but the fact that they can do this with toilet paper, which is difficult to work with, is so incredible," Gawne said. "People get that, and that's part of why [the contest] continues to be so popular. It really is an amazing feat."

Many designers like Carol Touchstone, who designed this eye-catching, textured ballgown, have been a part of the contest in previous years.

"On our 10th anniversary, we decided to choose 10 contestants to compete in a runway show and we will give the grand prize winner $10,000, for our 10th anniversary," Gawne told Insider. "It's been a natural progression over the years."

Ashley Ulicni's feminine and elegant dress looks like it's straight off the runway. While the "fabric" choice may not work for your beach wedding, it's certainly beautiful to look at.

The back detail truly brings the whole look together.

This ballgown, made by Lindsay Hinz, is finished off with tons of ruffles and a toilet paper bouquet.

The avant-garde back detail of this gown adds some edge to an otherwise traditional silhouette.

Star-shaped appliques are a massive trend in bridal fashion right now, and this runway-ready gown by Van Tran takes them to the next level.

It's hard to believe the designer used toilet paper for this beautiful corset back detail.

This whimsical toilet paper gown would be at home in the pages of a fairytale. The designer, Gale Mathis, also gets bonus points for the toilet paper owl and wings.

The gorgeous train and feather-like detailing make this toilet paper wedding gown completely one of a kind.

This white-and-blue ombré gown designed by Leonor Calderon is a true work of art.

Though the contest was originally inspired by the popular wedding shower game, these toilet paper gowns certainly take design and creativity to the next level.

This voluminous ballgown is opulent enough to make any bride green with envy.

While this gown's deep V-neck silhouette and modern skirt could be on a number of bride's wish lists.

"It's truly painstaking to make these designs," said Gawne.

Susan Bain remarked how, now that contestants are allowed to use a needle and thread to help create their designs, many contestants have reportedly jammed their sewing machines with the dust and fibers emitted from the toilet paper.

When asked about the future of the toilet paper wedding dress contest, both Laura Gawne and Susan Bain were excited for what's to come after the 15-year mark.

"We hope that more contestants will enter and go on to have careers in the design industry. We also hope more and more people will tune in to this exciting event, because it's fascinating," Bain said.

"It's changed in such a cool way, and I think it will continue to evolve. This could definitely go on to be televised in a bigger way," Gawne said.

Read more:

18 of Meghan Markle's best fall fashion looks

A baker creates incredible optical illusion cakes, from a White Claw can to a Doritos bag

Charmin created a toilet-paper roll for millennials that lasts up to 3 months

The 10 winners of the National Handwriting Contest will make you want to practice your penmanship

from Design http://bit.ly/30YJwvy