#I mean at least it’s not high end brands or anything

[yuutaok]

Getting into niche perfumes waaaaaaaahhhhh my bank account is crying

[just-a-space-duck]

So About That Armor…

I regret to inform myself that I like it.

If you haven't seen it:

I'll give you time to take it in. This is a static, (hopefully) eternal text post, so take your time.

Ok so before I go further, you are allowed to have any and all opinions about the armor. Do not listen to me; I am a stranger on the internet who attaches himself to fictional murder cyborgs and treats them like kitty cats.

So first of all, it's weird. And I like it for that. Even if I found it to be the most infuriating piece of costume design ever, I still wouldn't be able to help but respect it for how strange it is.

When it comes to fanworks, adaptations, new installments in a franchise, or even just different takes on the same trope, I love it when creators take things in an unconventional or even seemingly unrelated direction that upon closer inspection still relates to the base or original concept. To get what I mean, think goth interpretations of Rarity or Cosmopoliturtle's Pokémon redesigns. The TV series armor sits alongside these for me, because this was the thought process of the designer, Tommy Arnold:

First of all, it is so funny that The Company would just brand their armor and by extension their secunits, their combat/security products, like Louis Vuitton bags. Also, the logo of The Company strikes a nice balance between being simple enough to be easily reproducible and recognizable, but complex enough to read as a logo and not just a simple shape or pattern. Plus, The Company logo being mostly just concentric Cs, clever there.

But there's also some worldbuilding and character expression in this design.

The Corporation Rim is just capitalism but more. A company slathering everything and everyone they create and own in mountains of logos, even when it's potentially impractical, showcases just how extensive corporatism is in this setting. Additionally, this design could be something of a status marker. Secunits are high end additions and/or alternatives to other security measures. Much like how logos on purses, tennis shoes, and cars serve to tell observers, "I have the fancy, expensive version of [insert category of thing here] ergo I am a very wealthy/powerful/cool person", a secunit covered in corporate logos communicates the high status and access of the client(s).

Now what was one of the first things we learned about Murderbot in the books? It disabled its governor module, the thing preventing it from defying orders and having any level of freedom, but instead of doing what it could to leave The Company, Murderbot just stayed with it and kept doing its intended function. For over four years. What else do we learn in the first book? That it feels most comfortable in the armor because this prevents humans from seeing its face, from treating it more like a person or human rather than a tool or bot. This makes the armor being composed of the logo of the group that both created and hurt Murderbot very symbolic.

Murderbot has internalized the message that it is a dangerous weapon and not a person deserving of care to the point that, at least at the beginning of the series, it shies away from anything that insists that it deserves the same kindness that humans do. It's only ever been taught what the company built it to do, so it doesn't know what to do next once it's obtained some semblance of freedom for itself by disabling its mental shock collar and so keeps doing what it's always done, even though it very much would rather not be in such a situation. Even by the most recent book, System Collapse, Murderbot is still wrestling with the idea that it matters beyond how it can assist others. Murderbot finding comfort hiding behind the very thing that will not let you forget the company that enslaves it, is just juicy theming.

Also, the helmet looking so weird works well with how many humans don't know what secunits look like, with some not even thinking they have human-like faces. If you had no context for this image, you might very well assume this is a fully robot character or even a statue.

I have my own gripes and worries and hopes concerning the upcoming show, but I just couldn’t get this fun bit of character design analysis out of my head. Shouldn’t have watched so much TB Skyen.

[mooniiify]

what about tsukishima with a girlfriend who’s insecure about her glasses?

it starts off a little into their third year of high school. she keeps complaining that her eyes are burning during every study session, sometimes they even water up. and once tsukishima showed her something on his phone and y/n asked him to give her the phone because she couldn’t see, tsukishima pointed out she probably needed glasses.

she scoffed. “no, i don’t. the typing is just too small.”

“i see it perfectly fine with my glasses,” tsukishima pointed out. “when was the last time you got your eyes checked?”

silence fell between the two for a moment. y/n played with her thumbs. “. . . never?”

tsukishima sighed. “just go get them checked. you might not need them, but it’s better to know. otherwise you’re just straining your eyes.”

she waved him off, but decided to actually take his advice and book an appointment. tsukishima hadn’t heard about it, not until she called him on a tuesday two weeks later.

“i look so fucking ugly.” she cried dramatically on the other side of the phone.

tsukishima, who’d been sitting on his desk doing his homework at his house, put his pen down and furrowed his eyebrows. “what are you talking about?”

“you were right, my eyes are shit snd i got glasses but i hate them. i’m never wearing them.”

tsukishima scoffed as he leaned back in his chair. “they can’t be that bad. show me.”

“no. they’re ugly.”

“well, i can’t judge if i don’t see them.”

“you’ll never see them. i don’t need your judgement, too!”

tsukishima took his phone off his ear and tired to switch the call to a video call, which y/n immediately rejected. “don’t even try! i’m refusing to wear them.”

“i’m sure you look fine, dumbass,” tsukishima tried to reassure her. he touched his own glasses for a moment. “can you at least see better with them?”

“. . . yes, i can. the doctors said i should wear them all the time if possible so i don’t strain my eyes further, but i don’t want to.”

“you’re being dramatic, it really can’t be that bad.”

“dramatic?” y/n scoffed in the other side. “fuck off. i’m going to go and self-pity since my boyfriend won’t allow me to.”

before tsukishima could say anything the call ended. he sighed and got up, grabbing his wallet and keys on the way.

y/n, on the other hand, sat on her desk. a small mirror faced her as she held her brand new glasses — those ugly little things. she didn’t want to put them on, not again. those had looked good in the store but now they made her face look so odd; she hated it. she was never—

a knock. y/n stilled in her seat. “you in there?”

his voice. “how did you get here?”

“your mom let me in. can i come in?”

y/n sighed. “fine.”

she heard the door open, then close. she heard tsukishima’s footsteps approaching her, then saw from the corner of her eye as he placed a plastic bag on the desk, right next to her elbow.

“i got you something from the store.” tsukishima’s long finger pointed at the glasses still in y/n’s hand. “so that’s them?”

“yup.”

tsukishima took a moment, his eyes stuck on the glasses. “it’s just some average glasses. that you need to see.”

“yes, i’m aware. thank you.”

tsukishima sighed. “come on, put them on.”

“no.”

“you know, you’ll have to wear them eventually. if you don’t, you’ll strain your eyes more and your eye sight is gonna get worse and it’ll start to sting, and—“

“okay, okay! i get it,” y/n cut him off, grumbling as she opened the frames. “why do you always have to be so reasonable?”

normally, he would’ve teased her further, but seeing as she was finally feeling comfortable enough to put on her glasses, he didn’t want to ruin it for her. he was an asshole, but not that big.

the glasses were on and y/n stood up, looking at him. “there they are, ugly as hell. you happy?”

“do you see with them?”

y/n was taken aback. that wasn’t the response she was expecting. “huh? i mean, i guess so.”

“yeah? i see with my glasses, too.” tsukishima took a step closer. he didn’t touch her, keeping his hands on his hips. “and you know what i see with them? i see you, just as i’d see you every day, and you look as pretty as usual. if anything, in my eyes you look better, knowing your blind ass can finally see.”

y/n wasn’t sure if she wanted to punch him or kiss him.

“why can’t you ever compliment me normally?”

“that’s not what you signed up for.”

still, his words stuck with her. he’d helped, in his weird, tsukishima-esque way.

[itoshiabi]

How I think your first meeting will be with blue lock characters

Pt.1: Isagi, Bachira, Sae, Barou, Nagi, Reo,

Pt.2- Here

Isagi Yoichi – The Neighbor Next Door

You were struggling to carry a box of groceries up the stairs to your new apartment when someone caught the toppling bag of vegetables just in time.

"You okay?" a concerned voice asked.

Looking up, you saw a boy with short dark hair and kind blue eyes holding your bag.

"Yeah, thanks," you sighed.

He grinned. "I live next door. Need help with the rest?"

Before you could refuse, he had already grabbed another bag and walked ahead.

"By the way, I'm Isagi Yoichi!"

And that's how.... You two become friends.

Bachira Meguru – The Art Class Menace

You had just started a new art class under Bachira's mom when someone sat beside you, grinning mischievously.

"Wanna see something cool?" the messy-haired boy asked.

Before you could respond, he doodled a tiny monster in your sketchbook.

"…Did you just draw in my book?" you asked, incredulous.

He laughed. "It's a gift! Look, he's cute."

You sighed, but something about his energy was contagious.

"Fine. But if you keep messing with my work, at least make it good."

His golden eyes sparkled. "Deal! We're officially art buddies now."

Sae Itoshi – The Wrong Drink Order

You were at a coffee shop when the barista accidentally called out the wrong name. Before you could grab your drink, another hand took it.

"That's mine," you said.

The red-haired stranger took a sip, then looked at the cup. "Not anymore."

You gawked. "Did you just steal my coffee?"

He sighed and slid his untouched drink toward you. "Take mine."

You hesitated. "What if I don't like it?"

"Not my problem," he said, walking off with yours.

You took a sip of his drink—and immediately frowned.

"…What kind of person drinks plain black coffee?"

From across the shop, he glanced at you with the tiniest smirk. Just like he thought. Every expression of yours is cute...... Maybe he might even give you his number too!

Barou Shouei – The Grocery Store Standoff

You reached for the last carton of milk at the store—only to find another hand grabbing it at the same time.

Turning, you saw a tall, muscular guy with sharp red eyes glaring at you.

"I got it first," you stated.

He scoffed. "No, I did."

You narrowed your eyes. "Do you really need this brand of milk?"

"Hmph. Only weaklings drink anything else."

You refused to back down. "Rock-paper-scissors for it?"

He seemed annoyed but agreed. When you won, he clicked his tongue and let go.

"Tch. Don't think this means you've won against me."

Nagi Seishiro – The Accidental Nap Partner

You were at the library, looking for a quiet spot, when you saw a tall guy sleeping across a table.

Not wanting to wake him, you sat down carefully—until he stirred and opened one eye.

"Mm… warm…" he mumbled, leaning on your shoulder.

Your body froze. "Uh—excuse me?"

He hummed sleepily but didny't move. "Comfy…"

After five minutes of trying to push him off with no success, you sighed.

"…Fine. But you owe me."

The next time you saw him, he handed you a snack. "Thanks for last time. Nap buddies?"

You weren't sure what just happened, but somehow, you had a new lazy friend now.

Reo Mikage - The Designer Boutique Encounter

You were eyeing a necklace in a high-end boutique, debating whether it was worth the splurge, when a voice beside you casually said,

"It'd look good on you."

You turned to see a well-dressed guy with violet eyes, leaning against the counter like he owned the place.

"…Are you a salesperson?" you asked.

He chuckled. "No. But I have good taste."

You raised an eyebrow. "Do you say that to everyone or just random strangers?"

He smirked. "Only the ones who catch my eye."

Before you could roll your eyes, he glanced at the necklace again.

"If you're not gonna buy it, I might. For you"

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

Playful prompts for tadc cast playing hide and seek with hider reader?

Awe this is a cute idea! (not including Caine bc I see him as the one organizing this game).

.........

Pomni

During her first week inside the Digital Circus, she's slowly adapting to everything...although she refuses to give up on finding an exit.

But when Caine forced everybody to play some hide n' seek, with you being the hider, she really doesn't want any part of it.

However you convinced her to play along, whispering that if she found you first, you'll share what you remembered from your old life as a "prize".

Although initially annoyed you wouldn't just tell her, she becomes motivated searching high and low, opening doors, looking down barrels, etc.

When she finally finds you (courtesy of a glitching object), she's anxious to hear what you had to say-

Unfortunately Caine decides to pop in and put on a big celebration for Pomni winning the game...which goes on the whole damn day up until everybody goes to bed that night.

You seemingly forgot what you were gonna tell her, to which she gets upset and angry that you gave her false hope, sulking in her room.

But you slide a note under her door, explaining that you only recently remembered your real name.

Suddenly she realizes that maybe her memories weren't 100% gone.

If you could suddenly remember your name, then....surely she can, too!

Gangle

After Jax was mean to her during the last hide n' seek game, you try cheering her up by playing another one.

It didn't involve Caine or anybody else. Just you two.

She mopes about being a terrible seeker. But since you're her best friend (and you promised her a prize), she'll go along if it makes you happy.

You decide to hide in spots that she would 100% think to check, deliberately allowing her to win.

Since she's all ribbons, it's easy for her to slink around and squeeze into tight spaces.

After finding you three times, she gets suspicious that you're purposefully going easy on her-

But she stops her accusations as you finally present her prize:

It's a brand new comedy mask!! Except this one wasn't made of porcelain or ceramic, instead being unbreakable material (or at least material that's couldn't casually be broken by anyone, especially Jax).

Gangle sobs with happiness before putting the mask on, squealing over how perfectly it fits, and hugging you tightly.

Thanks to you, she can finally feel joyful again!

Zooble

They'd rather do anything else....

But since this little hide n' seek "adventure" was all Caine's idea, she has no choice but to go along with it.

Even so, she puts the least amount effort into the game.

When you're the hider and she's the seeker, they just pray to whatever god is in this world (besides Caine) that you aren't anywhere in the Gloink cavern.

She'd rather not get discombobulated again.

Sometimes, she'll throw parts of herself in the direction where she thinks you're hiding, hoping to startle you into giving away your location so this dumb game can finally end.

Lucky for you, you know their tricks and keep quiet.

She doesn't expect any prizes (unless it's a limb that makes her body not look like a hot mess).

If they find you, she'll be like "yay I win..now I'm going back to my room" and saunter off.

Kinger

Like Zooble, he'd much rather do something else.

But he goes along with Caine's game anyways after you enticed him into playing for a prize.

Whatever momentarily stops his sanity from spiraling, I guess.

He searches high and low, getting nervous when he can't find you anywhere in the places he'd 100% expect you to be.

Lowkey starts to wonder if something terrible actually happened to you--like if you were trapped and not even Caine could help you.

The last place he could think of was your room but.....he doesn't have your key.

At the same time, he knew you weren't a cheater. You wouldn't hide somewhere that nobody else (except Jax) could access!

In the end, he goes back to his fort to sulk, openly declaring that you've won the game.

As it turns out, you chose to hide in that same fort, and you jump out with a grin, feeling victorious.

Kinger just stares at you for a solid 10 seconds.....before he suddenly screams and asks why tf you were in there.

You feel bad for scaring him, so you reward him for at least trying: a jar with a caterpillar currently wrapped up in a chrysalis.

He LOVES it, but now he carries around the jar every second of the day, staring at it until the little bug hatches.

At least now he has a reason not to fall off the deep end just yet.

Jax

Hide n' seek is like child's play to him.

Somehow this cheeky bastard knows exactly where you're hiding no matter what, even if it's outside the tent (like at the lake or fair).

It's definitely tarnishing your reputation as the best "hider" out of all of the gang.

When you ask him how tf he knew, he just shrugs and says "you're too predictable, try a better spot next time".

Hiding in your room is definitely not an option, as he's stolen your key (and would point out that would be cheating if someone else was the seeker instead)--so there truly is no place to hide.

Like Zooble, he's not in it for some prize.

It is, however, quite rewarding seeing you get so frustrated when he effortlessly finds you.

And that's enough for him

If it's a game involving everyone, then he just straight-up mocks the others for not realizing the very obvious spot (or at least to him it was obvious) you were hiding in.

Ragatha

She's probably the most enthusiastic about Hide n' seek (like you have mentioned, it's a good distraction from the stresses of being stuck in this virtual world).

Is also a fair and honest player, never once peeking while she counts to 10.

Like Pomni, she does her best to find you first, searching places she knows you frequent--or mentioned liking in the past.

But you're definitely the best hider out of everyone, so it's a little challenging.

Still, she refuses to give up!

When she does successfully find you, you and Caine decided that she should get a prize for being such a great seeker.

It's her very own centipede-repellent spray bottle.

While it won't stop Jax from trying to sneak those little pests into her room, the mist will deter them from coming near her at all and help her conquer her fear.

She's forever grateful and sprays it around her bed every night before she sleeps.

Oh, and she'll definitely threaten Jax with it if he even mentioned centipedes around her.

[warping-realities]

What She Wants

I know I promised the previous one would be the last one for a while but I had a video that I not use in one of the last stories and ended up creating a shorter one just so as not to waste it. I hope you like it.

Cherisse was pissed off. At her old schoolmates and at herself. The five-year reunion was coming up next weekend, and she was gonna have to show up all alone. She never really gave a damn about this kind of stuff, always focused on her career. But then, why the hell did she lie about having a boyfriend? She knew why—those bitches Brenda and Destiny with their pathetic little housewife lives and their useless husbands loved to say that because she was a bodybuilder, no guy would wanna date her. I mean, what kind of dude would go out with a woman bigger than him? That thought made her wanna scream, but those bitches had a point. Even the male bodybuilders ended up choosing curvier, less muscular women, which really pissed her off. The fact that she was so close to becoming a big star in the bodybuilding scene should’ve been enough to ease her doubts, but it wasn’t. In reality, she was so fed up with everything that she dropped her apartment key on the floor of the hallway in the tiny building she lived in, thanks to her job as a Personal Trainer. At least for now, since she had contracts lined up with several big brands by the time she stepped on Olympia stage in a few months, which was what she should’ve been worrying about. Frustrated and angry, she picked up the key from the floor and stood up, only to see David, her neighbor, walking by. The blond thin and extremely cute guy worked at a nearby coffee shop and was always super polite to her, even though any flirting attempts on him had been shot down.

She knew she couldn’t make him like her or… could she? Remembering the times she got shot down by the guy, combined with the frustration about the upcoming event and the possibility of being ridiculed by her old classmates… all of that lit a fire inside her that made her decide to take action. She’d been warned a bunch of times not to mess with her gift, that it could spiral out of control and come with a high price, but she was tired of being the good girl, tired of being humiliated. It was time to think about herself. She will get what she wanted.

….

After a long day at the coffee shop, all David wanted was to flop down on the couch in his tiny one-bedroom apartment and chill, and maybe, just maybe, look for a hookup on Grindr. After throwing on a tank top and some shorts, he was about to head out of his room when he heard a noise—there was someone else in the apartment. Creeping up to the door, he was freaked out and jumped.

“Cherisse, what the hell! What are you doing here? What you want?

“What I want, David? I want my boyfriend!” The muscular black woman replied, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

“What? What the hell are you talking about?”

“Yeah, I want my boyfriend, David. My boyfriend who loves me and would do anything for me!”

“Cherisse… you’re out of your min…” David started to say, cutting himself off as a weird sensation flooded his body, like he was about to choke, making him gasp for air. Then he was shocked to hear his own voice while his mouth moved on its own.

“But that’s what you already have, babe.”

“Not enough! I want my boyfriend, bigger, more muscular, and stronger than me.”

The choking feeling hit him again, this time harder, along with a dizzy spell that made David wobble for a second. After a few seconds, he seemed to recover. With his giant biceps and powerful pecs on display, he looked a few inches shorter, with shaved hair and a square face, wich smiled to Cherisse.

“Stronger and more muscular for sure, and two inches taller!”

“No, I want more! I want my bodybuilder boyfriend, way bigger than me, my boyfriend with beautiful dark hair and a darker skin.”

In an instant, the bodybuilder David underwent a transformation, turning into a caramel-skinned version with brown eyes and well-kept dark hair and beard, maybe of Latin descent.

“Much better! Take off those shorts and pose for me, David!”

He obeyed, stripping down to just his underwear and flexing his powerful muscles for his girlfriend to see.

“Yummy, but I still want more.” She commented licking her lips without noticing the change in her voice and vocabulary. “I want my boyfriend with delicious choclate skin as dark as mine. My professional bodybuilder boyfriend, Mr. Olympia material boyfriend. My boyfriend who fulfills all my needs and will accompany me to my school reunion, and make all the jealous bitches shut up they skunk mouths. Now come, come to me, my love,” she said, as the uncontrolled power took over completely.

As the muscular giant, who minutes ago had been a gay dude just looking for a casual hookup, walked from the bedroom door towards her, with each step he took, he grew larger while his skin darkened to a chocolate tone. His pecs looked like two slabs of meat, his abs lost some definition, but his arms swelled to the size of tree trunks. As sweat dripped down his body, his black wavy hair transformed into small curls in a stylish cut with shaved sides, while his underwear turned into gym shorts, and the tiny apartment room morphed into a spacious mansion living room.

While all this was happening and the power dominated Cherisse’s mind, she didn’t notice that her short hair, which had fallen out due to steroid use started to grow back in beautifull well manteined curls while her voice gained an airy melodious tone. As the former David grew bigger, she shrank, her powerful muscles becoming smaller but defined, while her glutes became curvier and her breasts softer. Then, as the monstrous off-season bodybuilder stood smiling in front of her, her clothes evaporated, leaving her in a tiny bikini that showcased all her perfect curves. Finnaly the whirlwind of power seemed to reach its peak before fading away forever while the reality reset.

The smile on the behemoth's face quickly vanished when he noticed his girlfriend posing in the middle of their living room.

“Can I ask what the hell you’re doing, Cherisse?”

“Babe… I… I thought you’d be back later.”

“I decided to surprise my girlfriend, and guess who’s getting surprised? Don’t tell me you’re back to that ridiculous idea of competing in Bikini Fitness. I’ve already been clear with you about that. You don’t need to work, especially not by exposing your body; I’m the one who takes care of all my wife’s needs.”

“Wife? What do you mean?”

“Well, that was the surprise I was gonna pull on you, but it looks like…”

“Stop being silly, I was rehearsing, yeah, but it was just for you, my love.”

“Now you’re talking like my future wife,” he replied, with his smile returning.

….

That weekend, Cherisse was bursting with joy. As her boyfriend parked the car, she rushed over to meet her old school friends, Brenda and Destiny, in the garden of the beautiful restaurant they class picked for the high school reunion. After some kisses, hugs, and excited squeals, Brenda looked at her curiously.

“Is that on your finger what I think it is?”

“Yup!!! He proposed to me!!”

“So, we’re finally gonna meet your boyfriend… sorry, your fiancé?”

“Yeah, look over there,” Cherisse said, making her friends look at the handsome specimen of a man strutting confidently towards them—300 pounds of pure muscle covered in a beutifull chocolate skin, wearing a light gray suit with a vest and a shirt whose last buttons could never stay closed, showing off a gorgeous chest. All of this was topped off by a rugged face that could make knees weak.

“Girls, this is Deshaun, my fiancé,” she said, knowing the others would be dying of envy.

Later, as her friends walked in, Deshaun pulled her close.

“Are you happy, my love? I know how important this reunion was for you.”

“Happy? I’m totally fucking ecstatic, babe. I showed those bitches who’s the best. I’ve got the best house, the best body, and the best man. What more could I want?”

[mysteryshoptls]

R Ace Trappola - Luxe Couture Vignette

"My perception just lagged hard"

[Fairest City – Crystal Galleria]

Ace: Alright, it's finally the free roam time I've been waiting for! That brand-name shop looks good, and so does that one… But I think I'll have to pass on 'em!

Azul: Oh? You don't plan on visiting those stores?

Ace: I mean, I'm not anywhere close to being able to afford all those high-brand clothes. But you already knew that when you asked, right, Azul-senpai?

Ace: But it's not like I've completely given up on doing any shopping, though. I'm thinkin' about checkin' out some of the secondary line shops.

Azul: Ah, yes, there are many high-end brands that are developing products aimed at the broader marked instead of just their main audience.

Ace: Yeah, yeah. I did some digging after heading back to the hotel yesterday, and…

Ace: Looks to me like those secondary line shops have fits that suit me better.

Azul: Hm. And what sort of look do you tend to like, Ace-san?

Ace: I guess my likes reflect my usual getup. I dress pretty casual.

Ace: I like clothes that are easy to move around in, and aren't really high-maintenance. And I can't really deal with looks that are too stiff.

Ace: I'd probably say that most of my outfits have a splash of the current trends, but also have a bit of an edge to it.

Ace: On the other hand, I can only imagine you wearing pretty stiff and formal stuff.

Azul: I suppose. Of course, it does depend on the time and occasion.

Ace: Maaan, I know you got some real good sense about these things. It'd be greaaat if you could tag along and pick out some clothes for me～

Azul: Well, let me see… I do have some interest in how those secondary line brands develop their merchandise.

Azul: There's no reason for me to not join you as I observe their establishments. HOWEVER! You will, of course, be paying for yourself.

Ace: Tch. Guess he saw right through me. Suuucks.

Ace: Oh well, let's go, then.

Ace: Hmmm, where's the store I was checking out yesterday…? Oh, found it. Azul-senpai, it's over here.

Azul: The store does seem to have a grand appearance, yes… But I can see that the designs here are rather different from the signature line.

Ace: Looks pretty good, huh? Let's go in!

Ace: Woah, check out this stylish sweater! The shape's pretty good, and I bet it'd work with all sorts of outfits. And the price…

Ace: ONLY 30,000 MADOL [300 Thaumarks]! THAT'S SO CHEAP!

Azul: Calm yourself, Ace-san. Is 30,000 Madol for one sweater considered cheap to you?

Ace: ACK, WAIT, NO, THAT'S NOT CHEAP! WHEW, THAT WAS CLOSE～

Ace: After seeing all those Luxe prices set for the rich and famous, I guess my perception just lagged hard.

Ace: But I think I should be able to buy at least one thing from this shop with my pocket money.

Ace: Azul-senpai, I'm countin' on you to pick out something nice for me.

Azul: What do you think about that black blazer on the mannequin over there? It has a stunning silhouette.

Ace: Ooh, you're right. It's got a pretty slender and sleek profile!

Azul: Underneath it… How about this collared white shirt? It would probably look good with a striped tie, as well.

Azul: If you combine it with these center-pressed slacks and leather shoes, you would do well in any establishment that requires a dress code.

Ace: Cool, I woulda expected nothing less from something you've selected, Azul-senpai. Pretty formal and mature.

Ace: It's a pretty different look than what I normally would go for, but I guess I should at least give it a try.

Azul: I am pleased you like it.

Ace: If I were to buy everything that you chose for me… Urgh, that's over 100,000 Madol [1,000 Thaumarks]!

Azul: Well, this might be a secondary line, but it is still a brand-named shop.

Ace: Hrrrngh, maybe I'll do just this blazer… It's not really something I already own or anything.

Ace: And black pretty much goes with anything, so it makes it easy to come up with outfits…

Ace: It's a shorter style, too, so it might actually go for a casual look with my hoody and jeans.

Azul: That is a combination that hadn't even crossed my mind… Yet, I agree, I'm sure it would suit you immensely.

Ace: So that look would be like a combination of our two fashion senses, then.

Ace: If it's just the blazer, I think I could just barely afford it, but… My funds when I return to campus'll be pretty low…

Ace: Ooh, I have an idea! Can you let me work some hours at the Mostro Lounge?

Ace: I can be pretty good with my hands. You've seen that before, right, Azul-senpai?

Azul: Yes, of course. And we have a mountain load of tasks to be done. I look forward to your wonderful hard work, Ace-san.

Ace: …Shoot. Did I just put myself up for something I shouldn't have?

Ace: Uhhh… Hope you'll go easy on me～

Requested by @ordinaryanon.

[richarlotte]

Hair Removal Methods.

I was heavily inspired by a post I found on Reddit when making this post. I haven’t seen too many posts about hair removal methods on Tumblr, and I have quite a few asks in my inbox about that, so it made sense for me to make a small guide with tips, methods, and recommendations. If you want more information, product names, my sugar wax recipe, or just recommendations, please don’t hesitate to send me an email or just comment below for me to respond.

Shaving.

Cost: $

Speed: Average

Smoothness: Average

Discomfort: Low

Tips/Methods:

* Always buy men’s razors. They usually come with  sharper blades that don’t clog as much as the blades on women’s razors.

* I only shave using hot water and when I’m in the shower. The hot water softens the hair and makes it easy to remove, and the flow of the water prevents my razor from clogging.

* The direction you shave is important. If you shave against the grain (the direction opposite the hair points), you can get a closer shave, but you risk ingrown hairs. Shave with the grain on sensitive areas and do multiple passes if needed.

* I personally use shaving cream from EOS and products from Topicals to lessen ingrown hairs and clear up dark marks. Shaving isn’t my preferred method or hair removal, but when I’m in a rush, it gets the job done.

Best for your whole body, especially large and flat areas like your arms and legs. It's cheap and effective but often time consuming. If you want to maintain a perfectly smooth body, you’ll have to shave or touch up at least twice a week.

Nair/Chemical Removal.

Cost: $

Speed: Medium

Smoothness: Smooth

Discomfort: Low

Tips/Methods:

* There are many brands but the basic idea is you apply the cream to your skin, wait 5-10 minutes while the hair “melts" off your body, then you wipe it off. You’ll definitely need to shower after using Nair to remove any excess cream and to avoid burning your skin. I would say this is mandatory unless your specific brand says otherwise.

* The process will probably smell pretty bad. You'll want to wipe the cream and hair off with something disposable to avoid ruining your regular towels. I personally use tissue, you can use anything easily accessible.

* PATCH TEST BEFORE USE. These creams and powders are made from very really strong chemicals and can absolutely mess you up if you aren't careful. Everyone's skin is different, so put a little on your arm first, see how it reacts, then use it on a larger area.

Best For: Armpits and pubic hair. I find these creams are best at getting hard to reach or uneven surfaces that your razor might struggle with. This is also a good option if you are in a hurry or don't have the option to try the options below.

Epilation.

Cost: $$

Speed: Slow

Smoothness: High

Discomfort: High

Tips/Methods:

* Epilators look kind of like foil shavers you'd use for your face, but the end has a roller with tiny clamps that essentially grab hairs and pull them out.

* Personally I think these hurt like a bitch, especially the first time you use them. You can definitely feel each individual hair get pulled out of your skin.

* The main benefit of an epilator (and waxing, discussed below) is that you're pulling the entire hair out, root and all. This means hair in that area will grow back significantly slower than shaving. It also means that if you're willing to commit to a routine, each future use with the epilator will be less painful.

* I highly recommend icing the area before and after to avoid swelling. That being said, the area needs to be completely dry for the device to work.

* Epilator performance has always been pretty hit and miss for me. They're good at getting coarse hair, but will struggle to get fine or short strands. Again, you will likely need to make a shaving pass to clean up anything left behind.

* Additionally, if your hair is too thick or the surface is too uneven, the epilator can get tangled and stop functioning leading to a super painful situation. As with any of these tips, definitely test on a small area and see how it performs for you so you can get a feel for the length/thickness your device can handle.

Best For: Flat smooth surfaces, primarily your arms, legs, and torso. Some people really love epilation, others don’t. I think epilation is an acquired taste and it’s not my favorite method.

Waxing.

Cost: $$ to $$$

Speed: Slow

Smoothness: High

Discomfort: High

Tips/Methods:

* When you need to get 100% smooth there is no substitute. I love the way my body feels after waxing or sugaring and it’s what works best for me.

* I'll do my best here as a general overview but please watch some video guides before attempting this. I'll cover the two most common options I have experience with: soft wax, sugaring, and hard wax.

* Soft Wax: Hot wax is applied to the skin, then bandage strips are applied over. Once the wax cools, the strips are pulled off, taking the hair with them. This method is probably what you've seen in movies. They're good for getting rid of finer hairs, but unlike hard wax, you risk taking off your skin if you do it wrong. If you're trying waxing at home (especially for the first time), avoid this option. Despite the name, hard wax is actually much safer and what I recommend

* Hard wax: Hot wax is applied to the skin. Once it hardens, you peel the wax off by itself, taking hair with it. Since hard wax only bonds to hair and not skin it's a much safer option for beginners and does just as good a job removing hair as soft wax. This is what I use when I don’t have time to make my sugaring solution and I've never looked back.

* Wax is warmed in a... wax warmer! It's a little pot with a heating element, kind of like a croc pot. Hard waxes come in pellets that you dump in, soft waxes usually come with their own container that pops into the unit. Look for a wax warmer that can adjust the temp, not just an on/off switch. Most but not all have this feature. Each wax brand is different so you'll need more/less heat to melt it correctly, especially if you're doing a longer session where the wax can begin to solidify in the pot.

* Popsicle sticks are a cheap, effective way to apply wax. You'll want something disposable as it can get quite messy.

* Waxing, like epilators, will slow down your hair growth. This means the more you do it in the same area the less hair will grow back, and the less painful each subsequent application will be.

* Your hair needs to be a certain length for the wax to catch, so check your brand and plan accordingly. My professional technician has mentioned 1/4th inch is a good guideline for when to start waxing.

* As with every method on this list, please test on a small part of your body first. The wax will be quite hot (like getting into a hot bath) but not so much that it burns your skin.

Best For: any area you want super smooth or silky.

Laser Hair Removal.

Cost: $$$$

Speed: Slow

Smoothness: Depends.

Discomfort: High

Tips/Methods:

* Getting started will take some time and effort. You have to set up a consultation beforehand before even scheduling a session where you'll talk to the professional, ask any questions, then work out your plan.

* Laser hair removal is a process over time, not a one and done. Considering each session can cost hundreds of dollars, we are talking a huge investment. It cost me $800 over 4 sessions just for a small area on my lower body. For larger areas, we could be talking thousands!

* On that note, the total cost is going to vary a ton. Not only will each area be priced differently, but most places require you to book multiple sessions in a row or packages of X sessions you can choose to use over a year.

* The pigment of your skin matters a lot. Generally speaking the darker your skin the harder/less effective the process will be. There are different types of lasers available that may make this irrelevant but you'll definitely want to do your homework.

Final Thoughts.

What matters most is time. If you have the time to wax or shave your whole body, go to a professional for laser hair removal or pro waxing, or epilate yourself, then you’ll have much better results than someone who rushes through everything. Learning, investing in quality products, and then actually investing time into the hair removal process will get you closer to where you want to be without wasting as much time or money as you would leaping in blind or with no effort.

Richarlotte x

[jackalopesao3]

HCs For What The Obey Me Cast Smell Like 🌹🌼

Characters: everyone that has had a face reveal

This has been in my drafts for over a year. I finally finished it. Enjoy!

Lucifer

A cologne with a signature mix of fresh scents with some notes of leather. When he’s tired, he’ll occasionally switch to a cool cologne with minty notes to perk himself up. There’s also a faint aroma of tea or coffee in him depending on what he’s brewing to stay awake to burn the midnight oil to finish his endless work.

Mammon

Money Hmmm…a luxury cologne for sure! We all know he has a taste for high end items. I think he’d go for an old school fragrance, maybe something citrusy with a hint of tobacco.

Leviathan

Say it with me: Axe Body Spray

When Asmodeus yeets his axe into the void like the good little brother he is, he will gift Leviathan with cologne he thinks he will like. This means anything that comes in an anime-style container. So Leviathan’s scent will vary.

Satan

New book smell, old book smell, catnip - it depends on what he’s up to. I don’t doubt for one second he always has at least one pouch of catnip on him. He probably has some nice cologne too courtesy of Asmo or his various connections in his social circles.

Asmodeus

He likes to burn vanilla, sandalwood, and amber scented candles and incense so he has those scents on him. Asmo also has a variety of colognes and perfumes so his scent changes almost daily.

Beelzebub

Beel could smell like the most heavenly cupcakes ever baked or the greasiest burger ever fried. It all depends on what he just ate. Because of how much the boy eats he tends to smell like the food he ate.

No one is to give him food-scented cologne because he will just eat the bottle. He uses neutralizing scents to bathe so the scents don’t get in the way of him enjoying his food later.

Belphegor

Fabric softener with notes of lavender. He needs the softest of sheets with the most relaxing scent possible. Sometimes he’ll opt to use a lavender and eucalyptus scented pillow mist too so that scent will cling to him.

Diavolo

A woody cologne to go along with his naturally smoky scent from his constant use of fire magic. Sometimes he changes it up with warm scents like cinnamon and ginger or something lively like citrus.

Barbatos

If he were to wear cologne at all it would be something very subtle with notes of bergamot that closely matches earl grey tea. The notes are calming yet revitalizing at the same time. Sometimes it’s whatever pastries he’s just baked. He smells sweet and warm. Barbatos can also smell very clean like tea tree oil with notes of mint. It just depends on what he’s doing at the time.

Simeon

Most mornings he smells like pancakes since he’s constantly making them for Luke. Simeon also likes refreshing scents with minty notes or anything with an “ocean” or “sea” label as it helps him to relax and focus on writing.

Solomon

He is constantly burning sage, patchouli, nag champa, or frankincense to cover up the smell of his various potions and experiments so he smells like an incense hippie shop. (I highly approve btw!)

BUT I could also see this weirdo quickly spritzing Old Spice on himself as well.

Luke

Little angel baby bakes a lot so he smells sweet with notes of whatever it is that he’s baking or like the pancakes he loves to eat!

Thirteen

It depends on her mood! Some days it’s strawberries like her favorite strawberry shampoo and body wash. Other days she goes for something different like amber or a floral scent.

Mephistopheles

On days he pulls all nighters working on the newspaper, coffee: black, medium roast. Besides that he wears a posh cologne brand with notes of rosewood and tobacco.

Raphael

Pine trees and woody notes with a hint of spice. Is it cologne, his body wash, or his natural scent? You’ll have to ask him!

[suzukiblu]

Day sixteen of fic NaNoWriMo, obligatory sugar daddy Tim/sugar baby Kon AU.

TTK does, apparently, protect Kon from callouses, which Tim learns the hard way as Kon laces their fingers together and rubs his thumb across the back of Tim’s hand. His skin is so much softer than it should be, Tim thinks accusingly. Couldn't he at least have the decency to have chapped hands? Sweaty palms or something, even? 

Unfortunately, what Kon has is soft, warm, strong hands whose fingers lace easily through Tim's own, and Tim just has to deal with that somehow, apparently. Apparently that's just his problem now. 

Bastard. 

Tim needs to not melt into an incoherent pile of mush, so he just acts like this is fine and normal and normal and fine and walks into the store with Kon and leads him over to the phones. Kon seems smugly pleased. Tim pretends to not be an incoherent pile of mush. 

It doesn't particularly work, but he at least puts in the effort. 

“Any preferences?” he asks, tugging Kon towards the closest display.

“For a phone?” Kon says. “Not really. I mean, whatever works.” 

Tim is going to take full advantage of that “whatever”, he immediately promises himself. Full and total and complete. 

“Okay,” he agrees, then starts looking at the high-end models. No point in going cheap, though he's definitely going to make sure to pick a durable brand with the least possible degree of planned obsolescence involved. If it comes to it, he'll either upgrade one or build Kon something outright later, but for now the standard retail models are gonna have to do. 

“Uh,” Kon says, cocking his head with a bemused expression and then gesturing towards the wall with his half-empty smoothie cup. Tim is perfectly normal about the fact that they're still holding hands. All kinds of it. Completely and totally. “The burners are over there, man.” 

“Why would I get you a prepaid phone?” Tim asks, making a point of putting on a skeptical expression. “Most of those models don't even have a decent camera.” 

“That is a nine hundred dollar smartphone that you are currently looking at,” Kon says incredulously. 

“Given your powerset involves the ability to decide to make anything you're touching invulnerable, I'm not particularly concerned about you breaking it,” Tim replies reasonably. “Like, are you even capable of dropping things?” 

“Technically no, but I still fight supervillains on the daily, dude,” Kon says. 

“Then I'll spring for the accident insurance,” Tim replies reasonably. “I'd have to come back to buy you a new burner anyway, so it's just easier all around if you can duck in and pick up a replacement without needing to wait for me.” 

“It is nine hundred dollars,” Kon says. 

“There's an eight hundred dollar model, if you don't mind a little less memory,” Tim says. 

“The burners are like, twenty bucks,” Kon says. “And you don’t need to sign up for a plan or anything.” 

“Yes, but if you run out of minutes or break it, you’ll need me to come reload or replace it,” Tim says. “This way you can do it yourself and you can talk as much as you want.” 

“How much exactly are you expecting to want to talk to me, man?” Kon says with a self-deprecating little laugh. Tim thinks vicious thoughts, makes room for a few more spaces on his supervillain vengeance list, and then just shrugs. 

“Up to you,” he says. “I mean, I have school and extracurricular stuff, but that only fills up so much of the day, you know?” 

“You cannot possibly have researched me thoroughly enough to be that sure we’re gonna get along,” Kon says, frowning faintly at the phones. 

“You’re seriously underestimating my capacity for research,” Tim informs him, taking a sip of his smoothie. “Also I’m really just going on how well we’ve been getting along so far.” 

“Oh,” Kon says, and his face flushes again. “Uh . . . okay.” 

“How about this one?” Tim suggests, tipping his head towards one of the mid-range models. Decent brand and sturdy build, but not quite as expensive. 

“That’s still five hundred bucks,” Kon says. 

“I am intending to spend a lot more than five hundred bucks on you today,” Tim says. “And anyway, five hundred bucks for both our conveniences is a small price to pay, don’t you think?” 

“I guess,” Kon says, glancing towards him for a moment before looking back to the phones. “Um . . . maybe, then. If you’re–sure.” 

“I’m sure,” Tim says firmly. “Seriously, I’m not texting you on your work phone, that’s a terrible idea.” 

“If you say so, man,” Kon says, ducking his head a little like he’s trying to hide his smile. It’d work better if he weren’t taller than him, probably. 

The bastard is still holding his hand, so it’s only fair, Tim figures. 

God, since when is Kon this cute, anyway? He's always annoyingly hot, obviously–leaning more strongly towards the “annoying”, for obvious reasons–but he isn't usually cute. Tim wasn't prepared for that. He hasn't had the time to build up the necessary defenses against it. 

���I say so,” Tim says. “What color do you want?” 

“You're a very weird dude, you know,” Kon says with a little laugh, shaking his head.

[natashaslesbian]

We Saved Each Other (Part Five)

Summary: you’re continuing to grow everyday with Natasha, facing all kinds of challenges both new and old

Word Count: 4.1k

Parings: (Natasha Romanoff x Kid!Reader) (Maria, Clint and Fury appear)

Warnings: Red room references, abusive father references, nightmares, shouting, crying, but the fluffiest ending

————

Natasha was amazed at your progress. It had been a long 2 months but you were continuing to grow every day. You were starting to get more comfortable around the avengers but there was still some bonding to be done and many more mountains to be climbed.

-5 weeks at S.H.I.E.L.D-

“So” Fury said as he settled into his chair “how are the two of you settling in?” The director asked. Natasha glanced over to you through the glass, you were always scared when you couldn’t see her and truth being told Nat didn’t ever want to let you out of her sight either “we’re okay” she said “ok, and the truth?” Nick smirked “it’s been hard I guess” the widow wasn’t yet used to allowing her emotions to show “she doesn’t know any different” Natasha said, eyes still glued to you “we don’t know any different” she corrected.

“Woah y/n look at this one!” Maria said as reached right to the bottom of the box of brand new toys Clint had sent for you “what is it?” You asked as you waddled over “it’s a doll house” Maria said “do you wanna open it up and put it together?” Your eyes lit up, you had never had your own doll house “yes please” you said. It was a challenge for Maria, this whole situation was. The agent had her walls built so high and watching over you, playing with you, it brought a lot of memories back for her. “What are you going to name this one?” Maria said as she passed you the brand new doll “I can name it anything?” You asked “of course” Maria said.

“We can’t keep her here without a guardian much longer Romanoff” Nick coughed “what does that mean? Where are you gonna send her?” The panic ran up through Natasha’s spine “we don’t want to send her anywhere, but she needs a guardian” Nats blood settled again “are you asking me to do that?” She asked “I’m not asking you to do anything, in all honesty you can’t, you haven’t been a US citizen long enough” Nick said “you need to have been here at least 12 months” Natasha sighed “that’s another 2 months away” the red head said. She would be damed if these people just shipped you off somewhere new “why can’t she just stay here until I can be her guardian” Natasha asked “I didn’t know that’s what you wanted” Nick said, falling back into his chair. Shit. She was letting her guard down again, letting some stranger see her emotions “well I don’t want her just thrown into the care of someone else” the widow said “we can take care of her, I can take care of her. Please Fury, let me help her”

“Hey y/n” Nat said as she opened the door “you wanna get some lunch?” She asked, you shrunk into yourself again, still wanting to play but not wanting to get into trouble “okay” you nodded your head. Natasha picked up on your discomfort “would you like to stay and play a bit longer?” The red head asked “yes please” you timidly said. Maria said her goodbyes and Natasha came to join you on the carpet “what’s your dolly’s name?” She asked, your cheeks grew a certain red and you giggled “Natasha” you smiled “you named her Natasha? After me?” The agent asked “yeah” you shyly said “why did you do that?” Nat asked again “because you’re my best friend” you smiled up with your y/e/c “you’re my best friend too y/n” Natasha said, feeling her heart open more than it ever had.

-6 weeks at S.H.I.E.L.D-

You were so exhausted. Each time you slept your mind was plagued with demons, running around and throwing very bad memory into your consciousness. Right now was no different .“Y/n?” Natasha cooed “you’re okay y/n, wake up for me sweetheart” she pleaded. You had finally settled at 6am after a night of tears and no sleep. It was 8:30 now, things were going so well, Natasha was thrilled that you were getting some rest at last. “Y/n sweetheart, it’s Natty can you hear me?” She asked. You could hear her calling you but she was too far away, your father dragging you even further and pushing you into the arms of a strange man. Natasha cradled you in her lap, wiling you to wake through her thoughts “I’ve got you darling. It’s okay you’re safe” she continued to say.

Finally the darkness had gone and the overhead light stung your eyes slightly as you rolled away from it, further into Nat’s grip “Natty” you cried out “I’m here baby, I’m here” she said as she gently stoked your hair behind your ear “d- Dreykov” you whispered “its alright y/n. I won’t let him hurt you, he can’t get to you okay” Natasha said to you, and herself. “Do you want sprinkles?” Natasha asked, you nodded your head at the mention of your beloved stuffed bunny. The widow had bought if for you after your first nightmare, she had always wanted a stuffy and she was honoured to gift your first ever one to you.

You wrapped Sprinkles arms around your own while Natasha tucked you back into the soft sheets. “Get some sleep okay sweetheart” she said, bringing her hand back to your forehead, trailing her fingertips across your hair line “okay” you yawned “Natty?” You peered up at her “yeah?” She said as she sat on the plush mattress next to you. “can you sing me a song?” You asked “a song?” Nat asked in return, slightly terrified at the prospect of singing “yeah” you said sleepily “daddy used to sing me lullabies. Be-before he turned scary” you frowned and Natasha lent down to leave a kiss on your forehead, the action taking both of you by surprise “what did daddy used to sing for you?” The widow asked. You hummed in thought for a moment “I don’t remember” you said “how about I sing you one that my mommy used to sing to me?” Natasha smiled at the brief memory “where is your mommy?” You questioned as you rubbed your sore eyes “I don’t know, I haven’t seen her in 15 years” Nat believed Melina had died many years ago but she didn’t want to put that in your head “that’s a long time” you said “it is” Nat nodded “are you going to leave me for 15 years?” You quietly asked, afraid of the answer. Natasha couldn’t promise you anything, her future was just as unclear as yours but she was sure of one thing “I’m not going anywhere y/n” she said “now you close those eyes” her Russian accent filled your ears with a beautiful tune as she began to sing. Her comforting warmth lulling you into a deep slumber.

-7 weeks at S.H.I.E.L.D-

“No.” Natasha firmly said “I’m not going on this mission!” she slammed her hands on the wall “Romanoff” Fury warned, Maria cutting him off “the whole point of you coming here was that you would work under S.H.I.E.L.D” she said “well things have changed!” Natasha yelled “I need you for this mission Natasha” Fury boomed “I have to be here for y/n” Natasha said, scratching at her palms to calm her anger “you can’t stay glued to her side forever” Maria sighed. “You don’t get it!” The widow screamed, loosing all control “then explain it to us!” Fury said, mirroring Nat’s anger. “This is the safest place y/n has ever been but she doesn’t feel it yet.” Natasha began “she won’t feel safe for a long time and I may not be the perfect role model but I am the only one she trusts, the only one who will ever understand the hell she has been through!” Natasha’s voice was cracking, the tears threatening to spill “you both went through it” Maria said, catching the halls attention “they need time Nick” she said looking at her superior “a month is long enough” he said “no it’s not” Maria shot back “only Natasha and y/n can tell us when they’re ready” the brunette came to stand by Nats side, a silent promise that she was there for her. “So what do you need?” Nick asked “time” Natasha said.

“Natty?” You quietly called from the bedroom door, the three adults in the corridor turned their attention to you “hey y/n, are you okay?” Nat asked “why are you shouting?” You mumbled “sorry sweetheart we were just having a little disagreement” the red head said as she came to pick you up. She stopped immediately when you backed away from her “its okay no one’s angry” she cooed coming down to your level “I don’t like it” you sniffled “you sound like daddy” Natasha’s heart sank, she wanted to make a different impact on your life. “I’m sorry baby I didn’t mean to scare you” Nat said trying to defuse the situation. Her efforts fell short when Fury announced his exit with the slam of the corridor doors. You flinched and pushed past the red head into Maria’s legs, breaking Natasha’s heart without knowing it. She couldn’t hold it back this time, big strong Nat, the tears started to fall. She quickly stood and turned on her heels walking past you and Maria, intertwined together. “Natasha” the agent called after the widow, her sobs fading and allowing her to hear yours. “It’s alright y/n, let’s go and get a hot chocolate okay”

Natasha caught the faint red stain in the mirror as she turned on her feet, the blood beginning to seep through her pointe shoes. This was the only way to let it all out. She had cried enough, spent too long feeling sorry for herself. Now she needed to make up for her mistake, and she needed to forget the look on your little face. The balletic music filled her head enough that Natasha didn’t notice when Clint came into the studio, only realising he was there when she caught his frame landing from a leap. She continued to twirl until Clint stopped the music “that looks painful” he said as he pointed to Natasha’s shoes, she simply shrugged. “Maria called” Clint began “told me what happened earlier. Why are you punishing yourself?” He asked. There it was again, the feeling of her tears creeping up on her “because I’m a monster” she whispered “No. you’re not” the spy said as he handed his teammate a fresh water bottle. He tilted his gaze to the bench and Natasha understood the message. “You’re allowed to be hurt too you know” Clint said as he passed nat a first aid kit, understanding that she would probably want to tend to her own wounds herself. “This has been a huge scary change for you, and for y/n. It’s not always going to be easy” Clint settled on the bench close to Natasha “she got scared Nat, but she won’t stay scared. I see it in her face, she trusts you, you just reminded her of a time I’m sure she’d rather forget” Nat looked over to her fellow agent every few seconds, in between placing her sneakers back onto her bruised feet “do you remember your second week here?” Clint asked “we were training in the gym. You dodged my right hook and I took you straight to the floor, and you stayed there for an hour. You were afraid, because I reminded you of a time you would rather forget” Natasha thought about the memory in detail, imagining that’s how you must have felt today “but here you are now, sat here with me. And I know you’ll never admit it, but I see it on your face too; I see that you trust me” the two shared a glance, accompanied with a small smile. Feeling content that Natasha was safe to be on her own, Clint left her to ponder. Ponder about you.

When Natasha found you, you were watching finding nemo. You and nat had watched it together for the first time last week. Maria was close by and Natasha wished it was her next to you instead of sprinkles. “Hey y/n” she quietly said, not wanting to startle you “mind if I join you?” She asked from a safe distance, thrilled when you nodded. She sat on the armchair next to the couch and you instantly knew that she was too far away for your liking. Shuffling down of the cushions you made your way over to Natasha and slotted your hand into hers, a large smile forming on her face. You pulled her to her feet and dragged her back to your mountain of blankets, silently asking her to join you, which she of course did. After a while of content movie watching, Maria excused herself, leaving you and Natasha to talk. “Y/n” Nat said, drawing your focus to her “I’m so sorry I scared you today” you looked up to her emerald eyes and saw nothing but regret, a look your father never had. He had never told you he was sorry after shouting and he definitely didn’t after he had thrown you around the house. You knew Natasha was different, every touch to your skin was gentle and every sentence was soft. “I forgive you” you said noticing a tear forming in the corner of Natasha’s eye “don’t cry Natty” you said as you came to your knees and crawled to wipe away her stray tear. “I promise you I will never hurt you y/n, you don’t have to be scared of me” Natasha sniffled “‘M not scared of you” you sat back on your heels “but I am scared of daddy” you admitted “and I’m scared of Dreykov, and the red room. I don’t wanna go back there” Natasha broke hearing you say the very same words she had once pleaded. “You don’t ever have to go back there baby” the red head cried with you “not to the red room and not to daddy, you can stay with me forever” you collapsed into Nats arms and held on tight, you knew you were never letting go “look at me y/n” Natasha said as she lifted your chin with her pinky “it’s okay to be afraid. I’m afraid too sometimes, but me and you are gonna stick together and I will always look after you” he sniffled “I’ll look after you too Natty”

-Week 8 at S.H.I.E.L.D-

Waking up next to Natasha felt safe. She was warm and always had one arm holding you close. The widow had tried to coax you into your own bed, adjacent to her own on the other side of the room. Each night, however, you would always end up cuddled together. Natasha understood it was where you felt most comfortable but still dealing with her own nightmares at the same time was hard, thankfully you were a heavy sleeper but Nat always feared she would startle you awake too.

Today was a big day. You hadn’t been outside of the S.H.I.E.L.D grounds since you arrived, the outside world seeming too scary. Natasha had seen you though, staring up at the city through the fencing. Your little mind was so curious and you had yet to explore the world outside of an abusive environment. You were excitedly nervous when Natasha told you she needed to take a trip to the store, you had never been to one of those before. The red head didn’t really need to go but it was a good excuse to get you out of HQ. She had agreed with Fury that a car of specialist agents would follow close behind, dressed in everyday clothes as to not frighten you although they were ultimately there to protect you. Fury accepted Natasha’s many requests, despite not fully understanding why he needed 10 members of his team watching the surrounding areas.

“Good morning Natty” you said as you gently laid your weight over her stomach, you were clingiest in the morning and Natasha loved it. Thinking back to the first few weeks you were here, it was remarkable that you accepted her loving touch so easily now. “Are you looking forward to our trip out today?” Nat asked “yeah. But ‘M a little nervous” you mumbled behind a yawn “that’s alright sweetheart” Natasha said as she pushed your baby hairs to the side “I’ll keep you safe y/n” she smiled, and you smiled back. The redhead considered asking you if you wanted to go to a cafe for breakfast but thought that might be too much for todays adventure.

“Okay, other foot darling” Natasha said as reached for the laces on your right shoe. “Alright, I think we’re ready to go!” She finished with a gentle pat to your shoe clad foot. You followed Natasha through the building towards the garage area, reaching for her hand every now and then but deciding against it. “Woah!” You said as you helped the redhead push open the door “would you like to pick a car? We’re allowed to take any one that we want!” She said “yes please” you excitedly giggled and instantly moved towards the convertible Volkswagen Beatle. “You wanna take the bug y/n?” Nat asked, you nodded with anticipation and the widow helped you into the car seat Maria had gotten for you.

You were amazed. The trees swaying so freely, all the colours in the bushes just filled with flowers. You couldn’t keep still the entire journey, every corner filling your little mind with wonder. As curious as you were, you failed to catch the unmarked S.H.I.E.L.D car trailing you. Natasha however, was glancing in the mirror every few moments to make sure they were still there, your safety being her number one priority. You got excited when the tall buildings of the city came into view but were immediately disappointed when Natasha took a left turn into a car park. “Ok here we are!” Nat said “do you have the list I gave you sweetheart?” You held up the notepad high to show Natasha you had taken good care of it.

When you reached for Natasha’s hand this time, just outside the shop doors, she obliged straight away. Keeping a tight grip on you and the basket in her other hand, she asked you what was the first item on the list. Natasha didn’t actually need any of the things she had written down but they were basic necessities so would one day become useful. You stayed close to your best friend the entire time, starting to feel slightly overwhelmed as the store filled up with customers. The lights were getting to bright and the mixed sent from each department was too much but as long as Natasha was beside you, you knew you would be okay. “Ok I think we’re all done darling” the redhead said “shall we double check?” She continued as she put down the heavy basket. You began to list of every item on your piece of paper “toothpaste” you said “check” Natasha answered “shampoo”

“Check”

“Soap”

“Check”

“Lotion”

“Check! I think we’re all good!” Natasha finally said after you had ticked of every item. “You’ve been so helpful y/n, how about we go and pick you out a new outfit?” Truth be told you were ready to leave but you had been eyeing up the clothes every time you wandered past “okay” you said and retook Nat’s hand.

You didn’t like this section anymore, at first it had been fun all these bright colours and pretty dresses, but each time you picked something out Natasha would let go of your hand to pull it off the rail. Eventually both your hands were so full of clothes that you had no way to connect, thankfully Natasha had suggested that it was time to leave so you followed close by to the checkout making sure you could see her red locks the entire time. A group of teenagers came charging towards you both, taking you by surprise and causing you drop your new sneakers. You quickly lent down to grab them but when you looked up again Natasha’s red hair was no where to be seen. You immediately panicked, not being able to see the widow, dropping everything in your grasp to run ahead and catch up to her. You expected she would be just around the corner but when you shuffled around on the slippery floor, she wasn’t there. A gentlemen came up behind you with your discarded items “here you go y/n” the man said, causing you to let out a squeal at the unwelcome touch “no go away!” You screamed and ran in the opposite direction.

Meanwhile, Natasha was frantically searching for you in every isle and around every bend. “Y/n?” She called at every corner. All your shopping was long gone by now, nothing mattered more to Natasha than you did. She ran through the store, halting when she saw agent Carlos holding the clothes and shoes you had picked out. She came crashing into him demanding to know where you were “she got frightened and ran off agent Romanoff” he timidly said, fearing the darkness in the red heads eyes. “Well contact everyone else! Find her!” She demanded and began to race the store in search for you again.

The toy isle seemed a great place to hide, you knocked the boxes of the bottom shelf causing quite a commotion. While pushing the remaining toys out of your way, agent Hill had caught you in the corner of her eye “Romanoff I’ve got her, the toy section” she said into the cuff of her sleeves drawing questioning looks from other customers. Just before you could climb into your hidden safe space, an arm interlocked with your own “no!” You yelled “let me go!” You kicked as Maria pulled you towards her “it’s alright y/n it’s me” she pleaded. Through your teary eyes, you couldn’t quite make out her face and although you recognised her voice she wasn’t who you wanted “no! I want mama! Where’s my mama!” You cried out.

Natasha came speeding down the shop floor, scanning every isle despite knowing where you were. A huddle of onlookers had appeared, Nat simply pushed through them ignoring their huffs of disapproval. She rounded the corner to see you backing away from Maria screaming for your mom, how Natasha’s heart broke, knowing she could never bring her back to you. “Y/n?” The widow said, your head immediately whipping to her direction, your screams stopped for a moment but your howling increased as your eyes met Natasha’s “mama!” You cried as your feet picked up and you ran straight for her. Natasha’s world fell still, you were calling for her. Calling a name she had only dreamed of one day hearing and knew she never would. “Mommy!” you cried once more as Natasha’s world came back to life, her own feet leading her towards you. “Come here baby girl!” She said, and moments later your bodies collided into the most loving embrace the two of you had ever witnessed “mommy’s here y/n” she said into your ear as you cried into her shoulder “please don’t leave me mommy!” You sobbed “I’m not going anywhere y/n, I promise” Natasha said “mama’s got you. Let’s go home baby”

That night, Natasha welcomed you into her bed, wanting to hold you close. You had spent all evening trying on your new clothes (Maria had made sure they were purchased along with the toys you had accidentally broken) you had put on a fashion show for your new mama and required her validation for every outfit, not that you needed it. You had worn yourself out before your usual bedtime and Natasha had decided the two of you would have a movie night. Your eyes had fell closed no more than 30 minutes into the first film. Nat turned off the lights, leaving just the one on her bedside table, you shifted as the redhead pulled the duvet up to cover you both “mh” you whined “mama” you huffed as you cuddled into her side “I’m here sweetheart” your mommy said, holding you tightly in her arms. You fell soundly asleep in the arms of your mom, the woman you love most in the world. As for Natasha, she fell asleep holding in her hands what had only ever been a dream. A dream the red room had tried to take away from her, yet here she was holding her daughter, holding you.

————

This is the longest fic I’ve ever written so I apologise if there’s any mistakes I tried my best to get it done quickly as well and with my dyslexic ass there’s probably mistakes all over it

Happy new year guys🩷

[iolaussharpe-24]

Barbie in the Mojave - Weird Barbie's Chapter

THE FIC IS STILL ALIVE!! Some junk is happening on my end, but here's a mini chapter that I've been meaning to do. Thank you so much for reading chapters one and two and for being patient with me!

❤️Taglist❤️

(Let me know if you want to be added or taken off for chapter three. No feelings will be hurt.)

@waywardrose, @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction, @lunar-ghoulie, @ominoose, @reallyrallyauthor

@steven-grants-world, @clemdango04, @have-you-seen-my-sanity, @missdictatorme, @angelitawings

@outey-spacey, @autismsupermusicalassassin, @mandytrekkie @soft-persephone

Feel free to ask questions about anything as well. I'm happy to talk about my process with anyone that's interested.

“Hey uh… what’s this doing here?” Weird Barbie asked as she picked up the map that Teen Talk Barbie was supposed to give to Stereotypical Barbie before she left for the real world. “T.T. what the heck? She’s not going to know where to go without this!”

The blonde looked at the map and said, “Well, I looked at the map and it’s just a straight line so I thought that,” her voice changed halfway through to a loud, gruff man’s, “any old jarhead could figure it out. Even if his head is shoved up his own-“

“Dang it T.T. I thought I fixed that!” Weird Barbie groaned as she topped the map aside.

“What’s wrong?” asked Oreo Barbie.

“Well, like Mattel when they did your collaboration, G.I. Teen Talk over there wasn’t thinking too hard." She showed the map to the unfortunately branded doll and traced the path into the desert from Barbieland with her finger. “It’s a straight line until about here. Then it turns slightly left. Just slightly. It’s a very acute angle. But it’s there and it makes a world of difference. Literally.”

Earring Magic Ken walked over to glance at the map too, curious to know what could go wrong. In fact, several Barbies and Kens did. And Weird Barbie found herself in the middle of a small crowd so tight that she couldn’t even do a split.

“You guys aren’t going to back up until I tell you, are you? Okay. Look. If she makes that left turn, she goes to the Real World. If she goes right, she goes to see some of the larger Mattel family. My Scene, Monster High, American Girl, you get the idea. If she goes out far enough she’ll go all the way out to meet Major Matt Mason and Captain Lazer. Honestly, going right is the best of the worst case scenario. If she goes straight, which is most likely to happen now, thanks to someone,” she added, turning to face Teen Talk Barbie. “She’s going to go somewhere we can’t follow. She’ll end up in a place where no doll belongs. A wild west of chaos where anything can and will happen. Turning human’s going to be the least of that doll’s problems.”

“Where did she go?” asked Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds Barbie, the three crows attached to her head, shoulder, and hip actually still and silent for once.

“A place I like to call…. Fanfictionland.”

A couple of the dolls exchanged worried glances. They had a rough idea of what could happen there. The movie collaboration dolls especially.

Romance novel Ken spoke up next. “Maybe she’ll end up somewhere pleasant? Not everything that happens in-”

“And what if she ends up somewhere terrible?” asked Black Canary Barbie, sounding angry. “Do you have any idea what could happen out there? Humans are crazy. They write pure insanity. And that’s not accounting for the ones that don’t get anything for it and just want to have fun!”

“Is there a way we could save her?” asked Earring Magic Ken.

Weird Barbie shrugged. “…. We can hope she finds her way back out.”

[spiders-hth-is-an-outlier]

The problem with "somehow, Palpatine returned" isn't that it's dumb to have a dead villain return for the finale. This is Star Wars, who gives a shit? It doesn't have to be grounded in anything, we're just playing Laser Space Wizards here.

The problem is that *the movie itself* seems bored by it. We're taking our cues from the text, here! If the creators really thought this was an exciting twist that was going to gin people up because of our decades of investment in Palpatine as an iconic villain of the franchise, NAY, of the genre itself, they'd have played it up. Made a reveal out of it! Leave clues, build suspense, and just as we're going "no, but...but it can't be...can it?" then kapow, hit us with his face coming out of the shadows and a big John Williams crescendo. Get those gasps in the theater! BRO, NO WAYYYYY!

They didn't do that because they didn't give a shit. They laid it out like the laziest, least experienced high school Dungeon Master -- "okay, for this adventure you gotta know, Palpatine is back from the dead." Oh, okay. That guy's pretty bad. Let's go, I guess.

It's so emblematic of how, in spite of all the posturing about the brand-- I'm sorry, the *legacy* of Star Wars, there was no one involved creatively with Rise of Skywalker who cared about or believed in Star Wars, even enough to consider what the story impact of these choices would be. Not in terms of the narrative drive, and not even on the level of enabling them to generate *cool, memorable scenes.* They just chucked it in with no sense of meaning or drama, because it's the end of the trilogy and it's probably too late to get anyone interested in a new antagonist.

[kiwi-luminaryofthestars]

02/20/2025 “Fiction and Feast” Progress Update:

Eyyy we finished editing section two of the first chapter. One more to go! We're at about 11K for the first chapter right now, anticipating maybe close to 13K for the final. Then the whole two-shot will likely be about 25K-ish in total. Certifiable yapper, that's me!

Was not feeling well and ALSO both of my eyes started to swell (love it so much, thank you body!!!!!!) so I ended up staying home from both jobs. Off-days are always a love-hate relationship for me, because on the one hand, I'm like "Yes! More time to write!" and on the other hand, I know I should probably actually rest lol. So I tried to do both: slept for a while; read some mutuals' fanfics (still making my way through Poor Unfortunate Souls and my my my I didn't know how much I needed a mermaid AU in my life until now); theeeen I wrote, hence the finished section.

Void journal time lol. Shut me up, honestly, what am I even talking about half the time. Today it's writing-related, though, so cool!

It's been raining the majority of the day (which isn't abnormal, it's the season) but it got me reminiscing about childhood writing days. As I've probably made abundantly clear, fanfiction is new territory for me, as is ao3, tumblr, and really everything else lol. But I have always always always loved to write. Writing has been a beacon of light my entire life. I used to carry a notebook around everywhere I went from elementary school all the way up to high school just writing what I saw. My favorite place to write, though, was inside a pink-roofed dollhouse in my mom's backyard, and it had such a distinct sound when it was raining. I've learned as an adult it was just the sound of hollow plastic, but I always think about it when it rains like this.

Short stories are my forte; I've written a lot of them. This is the first time I'm diving into long, complex stories, and I think one of the consequences is I try to have a lot of things happen in the narrative all at once. You don't get a lot of time to establish a world or characters or really anything in a short story; you gotta throw yourself right into it. So I apologize if much of the Phantom Thief AU feels like it's moving so fast, at least in terms of Shuichi and Kokichi's relationship developing. I say slow-burn, and I do mean it, but I think this slow-burn is more "slow-burn toward the relationship where lies stop happening".

Sometimes I feel like I'm a bit too self-indulgent when I reveal things like that. Know I don't consider myself a fucking fantastic writer by any means, probably exactly the opposite lol. I'm always desperate to improve. There are some fics I've read these past few weeks where I both SQUEAL at how well it's written, and then despair because hot damn I wish I could write like that. I haven't finished reading this one yet but an example is "so tonight that i might see" by avii, a komahina fic about Nagito waking up from the Neo World Program without any memory of it. And just what EXQUISITE prose this person has, oh my Lord. I'd like to include a snippet from the third chapter that just GETS me:

"[Nagito] watched the way the water pushed and pulled in upon itself. He listened to the waves grow and collapse. He was not the most symbolic of men, not by a long shot, but he thought the ocean must be the greatest thing to ever exist. It was hauntingly beautiful, but not only that, it was powerful. What else could have the might to all at once be so destructive, and yet stand so serene? It blanketed the planet, even dying as the planet was, expanding out to the very edges of its reach. So shallow, and yet so deep. If he were to walk in, breathe that water in, and let it carry him out, he'd never be found again. It would be thrilling. It would, in a way, maybe even be poetic."

Just... WOW. So lovely. Eat me up and chew me out so I may be branded with this level of talent. I want to describe everything so beautifully like that.

Anyway, sorry this one's long again. Ahhh but you should expect it from me by now. Everything is long with me, it's just how it goes.

I hope you have a lovely night. And I HOPE my eyes stop swelling tomorrow. This weekend will not be super open for writing (ugh) but I will still try to get this silly thing done by then so you can read my intensely experimental vampire saiouma fic. Uhhh hopefully it's a good experimental?? We'll see, we'll see. Either way it's been fun to write, so that's all that matters.

[eregyrn-falls]

Gravity Falls Revival Prospects Teased by Disney TV Boss (Exclusive)

By Russ Milheim Posted: June 05, 2024

(From "The Direct", original article linked above.) While Gravity Falls may have ended in 2014 on the Disney Channel, fans are still hoping for a revival—thankfully, that doesn't look too far out of reach, at least according to an update from a top Disney executive. The series may have ended in 2014, but since then, creator Alex Hirsch has published several books in the universe. This included Gravity Falls: Tales of the Strange and Unexplained, Lost Legends, and Journal 3. In fact, another book is even coming out later this year, called The Book of Bill, which tells the story of the show from the perspective of the big bad. However, while books are great and all, a continuation of the show would absolutely thrill the franchise’s fanbase. In an exclusive interview with The Direct’s Russ Milheim while promoting the release of Big City Greens the Movie: Spacecation, Executive Vice President of Television Animation and Disney Branded Television Meredith Roberts gave a hopeful update on a possible Gravity Falls revival. She confirmed that they’re “in conversations with [creator] Alex [Hirsch]” before ending with an encouraging “never say never:” “You know, we're in conversations with Alex. He's about to publish a book with Disney on his project. And we also do some shorts. So never say never.”

What Could Be Next for Gravity Falls? While the update is a small one, plenty of fans will be thrilled to see even a slight glimmer of home. Sure, the new book releases are exciting, but not nearly as much as having the show back. If the show were to return, creator Alex Hirsch would likely want to introduce a new threat other than Bill. Admittedly, that's a high bar to clear. Perhaps a continuation would also age its leading characters, Dipper and Mabel. However, having older leads could transform Gravity Falls into a much different, more adult-based narrative. Either way, there's plenty of demand from fans to see the world of Gravity Falls again. Hopefully, that's something Disney can capitalize on sooner rather than later.

Since this is going around, and I haven't seen it posted here... well, here you go. What does it mean? Nobody knows! It may not mean anything. It's hard to tell whether this is just a Disney exec making noises for promotional purposes or what. I honestly would take this with a grain of salt until or unless Alex himself posts or tweets about it.

(My own thoughts: to be worthwhile, I strongly feel that any new Gravity Falls content would need to have the involvement of Alex Hirsch AND a good chunk of the other folks who worked on the show. People like Rob Renzetti, and others like Matt Braly, Alonso Ramirez Ramos, Emmy Ciceriega, Dana Terrace, Matt Chapman, Jeff Rowe, etc. etc. It would probably be difficult to impossible to get everyone back, unless it was for a very limited project, like a TV-movie or something.

I'm not saying they would ALL need to be back, and I do also think you could find some new folks to work on the project who would be very good replacements for some of the original crew who might not be able to come back. But, I've said many, many times: Gravity Falls was not the work of only one man. I respect the hell out of Alex Hirsch, but, the show that we love had contributions from a lot of other people that went into creating the final product. If what we want is something as good as the original show, then I think it would need input from those people.

And even then, we still have to keep in mind that it can be difficult to recapture lightning in a bottle. Even if they got back a majority of the original team, it's 10 years later (ish), and all of those folks have been through a lot, and most haven't been working with each other. There's a groove that the crew of the show got into at the time, and they'd have to recapture that groove. It would be different in at least SOME ways. Maybe a GOOD different! A lot would depend on the enthusiasm they had for doing it.)

So, we'll see! Keep an eye out, though, for more news.

[mulders-too-large-shirt]

s6 episode 20 thoughts

i hope that this episode gives us plenty of mulder and scully time, despite the episode description only mentioning the lone gunmen. i love them, but i crave mulder and scully time. it’s part of what i need to thrive. 

but! a return of susanne modeski!! glad to know she is still out there, because it very much seemed like she got killed that last time we saw her.

post-episode notes: wait, this one was really good 🥹🥹 and maybe i asked for mulder and scully time and received absolutely none (beyond one side of a 30 second phone conversation, which WAS genuinely very funny), but it was still SO good. the lone gunmen are my friends. and so is scully. and she suffered deeply. but. she likes hickey and cutie and byers. my poor sweet baby that could kill me with ease!!!

let’s begin!!

previously, on the x files… 

girl, that whole thing with susanne was a while ago. don’t try to trick us into thinking the last episode wasn’t baseball msr!

okay. yes. my memory is jogged. she wanted to expose the plot about the evil chemicals. but she got shoved in a car, and we haven't seen her since. and that was 10 years ago.

BYERS IS NARRATING!!! oh. he is special To Me.

he dreams that JFK was never shot… and he has these little kids who hold his hands. in this dream, america hasn’t been betrayed by its government. and he has a dog. and he’s married to susanne!!! bro kissed her once and has been down bad since.

he says all his hopes are fulfilled in this dream- for his country and himself. which means bro wants two kids and a picket fence and a wife and golden retriever… and instead he has the homies… which isn’t so different, if you think about it… but aww… little teddy bear byers… 

he wanted to save her. but it seemed innocent. not like the sort of manipulative man who goes into things thinking he wants to save a woman, if that distinction makes sense. there’s a naivety about his whole approach. an innocence.

and they kiss in his dream. near the lemon trees. oh. they’re going in for more. damn. he wants her BAD.

but in the dream, he always loses it all. and ends up in a desert. 

NOT cool. we need to give byers some melatonin to ensure he has good sleep and hopefully some sweet dreams.

intro time… love that blurry shot of the agents bursting into a room with their guns…and the intro was very short this time!!!

okay. so now we’re in nevada, at an event for defense contractors. noted. i’m starting to think there will be no agents in this episode. sad.

some people are playing poker. byers is among them! he claims his name is stuart funsten. and he gets the other guys talking while they play. this guy is talking about new tech that allows for cooking people’s brains in their heads. oh! at least he’s enthusiastic about the whole thing. 

frohike is collecting the chips!!! he makes a remark about the dealer being a man of distinction. which probably means about the chip or the brand or something, but idk. i rarely know what frohike is talking about.

byers is still in- the last person left, alongside the dealer. he puts another 200 on it. and gets raised 1000! and byers raises it EVEN more!!! 

frohike clears his throat pointedly. and when the dealer comments on the company byers allegedly works for, langly is in his ear, researching the appropriate response!

aw. you know, maybe not having agent time isn’t such a bad thing. look at these nerds!! 

he starts talking trade secrets on the air conditioner on the planes he very much (/s) works for…. and the dealer raises the pot AGAIN. 

langly tells him to stall and to FOLD, but he does neither!!! byers is doing some improv!

he says they subcontracted the japanese and triple billed the government. same thing they always do.

NOOOOO. the other guy beats his hand, but just barely!!!! a king high flush to a queen high flush!

and dealer says to call security on stuart AND his partner!! he got busted!! he made up that word he asked about!!! which is why langly couldn’t find anything on it!!

they get manhandled out, which leads to frohike asking “hey man, you want to thunderdome?” <- and that is really funny.

langly is MAD that byers lost $3,000, but frohike says that it has to be him that goes undercover and not langly, “because this ain’t woodstock” (grabs his hair) <- LMAO

they didn’t even get any prints off the drink glasses!!! this convention was a BUST! byers says they should look into the dealer guy. 

a knock at the door. 

someone claims to be the CIA. they open up… it’s jimmy and timmy!! i don’t know who these guys are, but they must be friends- or enemies- of the gunmen, because one of them is wearing a shirt that says “government patsy”.

he asks if they were sneaking around… maybe they were… and maybe these two got something… well, maybe the gunmen did too!!

no, jimmy and timmy confess that they did not in fact, get anything. “it’s the t shirt” <- LMAO

t shirt guy says it means he is onto them!!! that he knows this year’s theme is assassination!! but he won’t say where he heard that theme. anyway, he claims there is some new stealth assassination tech being unveiled soon- and they will be front row. 

the gunmen tell them to go ahead to their lobster and “boobage”. which is diabolical.

OH! frohike says byers looks sad- he's the one that pushes the hardest for them to go to conventions, and then gets all squirrely when they arrive. “you’re still looking for her, aren’t you?” he asks.

byers says they met her at a convention! but frohike adds that they both know what happened. byers thinks that she was too important to the government to kill. frohike responds that either way, she is hopefully in a better place than las vegas, and grabs his shoulder, asking him to come along for lobster time.

oh… frohike knows him so well :(

they journey down to the slot machines… and as frohike says he feels lucky, byers SEES HER!! he goes to follow her. but it seems he’s lost where she went…. ah! he’s on her tail!!! 

he knocks a guy over trying to follow her. disaster.

AH!! A PHONE RINGS!!! AND IT WAKES UP SCULLY IN BED!!! SHE WAS SLEEPING! LET HER SLEEP!! DO NOT DISTURB HER SLUMBER!!

but i was thinking there would be NO scully today, so i am pleased :) even if she is not. 

it’s mulder, calling at 2:34 am. asking her to go to vegas RIGHT NOW!!! because the lone gunmen need her. 

LMAO, she says she trusts him, but she’s not so sure about the three stooges, BAHAHA

BUT THE GAG IS: IT ISN’T MULDER!!! it's the gunmen, using some sort of voice synthesizer!!! they literally predicted spongebob voice AI videos…

oh, mulder is going to call her tomorrow and ask where she is, and there is going to be a big mess, i can just tell already.

she sighs deeply. and says she will be there.

BAHAHAHAHA, frohike acknowledges that she will kick their asses. and it’s true. 

he trapped her cell, so if she tries to call mulder, it’ll go to them!!!!

frohike doesn’t even know why they need scully, LMAO, but byers says if they’re up against government agents, they need their OWN government agent. BAHAHA, does he want them to fight it out or something? 💀

but mulder is too high-profile! “he’s virtually a household name to the black-ops who kidnapped susanne in baltimore” <- so you want to bring in SOMEONE ELSE for the black ops to kidnap?! watch it, buddy… you may be a teddy bear, but don’t be stupid with scully…

langly asks byers if he is positively sure that he saw modeski. and he says he is- and they must find her.

he goes to get some ice, and sees the mystery dealer man who beat him in poker before!!! and he opens a hotel room door… and KISSES susanne!!! byers is heartbroken!!!

nooo!!! why’d you call scully here for this?!?

byers submerges his head in the ice, which prompts langly to say he thinks he’s trying to kill himself. “stop trying to kill yourself, byers” <-LMAO

oh, the poor boy is soaking wet and sad. but frohike found that the mystery poker man is named grant ellis, maybe from new mexico judging by the plates on the car. he’s from the D.O.D. and he works for the place susanne did!!!

byers comes to the conclusion that he MUST have brainwashed her. he thinks she ran from the people she used to work for, and there’s no way she would go back to work for them- or kiss that guy. it HAS to be brainwashing! 

frohike says he knows a way to find out. and he’s on the move… watching as the housekeeper enters susanne's room. 

meanwhile, byers is trying to get into the conference, but he can’t, because the guard who threw him out is working the door. langly wants to go instead, but byers again gestures to his hair. 

when they are stopped by their friends or enemies from earlier! with other friends or enemies! it seems they must be enemies of the extreme variety. jimmy says he can get in… when the time is right. he knows a hole in their security. 

but byers tells jimmy he needs to get in there today. so he had better prove he can do it

so jimmy crawls in through the vents… and listens from inside. and records with a camcorder!!! susanne is on the panel presenting!!! what is she doing?!

timmy is inside, too!!! it appears there is a traitor in the jimmy and timmy team!!! 

TIMMY IS ONE OF THE BAD GUYS!!!! he says jimmy really screwed things up!! they wanted to use him for assassinations… and they wanted him as a patsy. 

BLEH... they shoot something into his head. gross.

scully arrives!!! she's asking someone to please take her bag up to her room. and byers and langly are here. the first words out of her mouth: “where’s agent mulder? i’ve been trying to call him” <- BAHAHA okay, yeah. your priorities are abundantly clear!

langly stutters… uh, his phone is messed up, and he might be hard to reach!!

OH she is SUSPICIOUS, LMAOOO.

but they find jimmy!!! he jumped in front of a bus!!! or did he… was he framed?!?! bleugh, that is very bloody. 

no one is answering scully’s questions and she’s annoyed, BAHAHA.

frohike finally sneaks into susanne's hotel room….. he has some gadgets about. he finds a camera recording him!!! but then someone is at the door!!! it’s susanne!!

he hides in the bathroom… and she starts to get undressed. and gets in a robe instead. 

oh… she comes in the bathroom…. but there’s a knock at the door. it’s byers!!!

he straight up asks if he remembers her!!! 

“john, what are you doing here?” <- OH! so she does!!!

he tries to say that he is here to save her…. but she says she hasn’t been brainwashed. he says his friend was killed, and that man you are with… 

“you mean my fiancé?” <- OH! the plot thickens.

byers has had enough. did he not see her get kidnapped?! she says it did happen. but things got better. and then she shuts the door on him. which does not answer much.

how is frohike gonna get out… he climbed up the vents!!! bro is a spider monkey!! he waves around the camera he found.

scully is in autopsy mode!!! she makes sure that whoever she is with really wants to be here. and it is langly, who says he is cool. but he looks like he’s gonna die. and then she’ll have to autopsy him, too.

langly is trying very hard to keep it together, but is quite literally quivering as scully does her job.

oh. she snapped her mask on. and i started blushing. 

oh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

okay. yeah ❤️

she is cutting into the body. and we can see it go down in the reflection from her goggles. very gross! EWWWWWW.

EWWW, THE RIBS!!!

she asks him to please pass the saw on the counter, and also, i have been spelling his name wrong, or perhaps autocorrect has, because there is no e. just langly. so i must edit this in the notes. forgive me if a typo makes it through to the final product.

okay. she’s looking at some ribs. an average day in the office for her.

but he runs out to get sick. and drops the saw. it is a good thing this happened, though, because she sees the injection on the dead body's neck as she picks it up!!

BUT NO!!! timmy sneaks up on her and INJECTS HER!!!! I’LL KILL YOU WITH MY BARE HANDS, TIMMY!!!

langly runs back out, and she’s out cold on the ground!!!!

oh no…. as she comes back to, he proposes that perhaps the blood made her pass out. bro. she’s a pathologist. this is not the most likely scenario.

SHE CALLS HIM CUTIE. and mumbles “done, done, done”. “how do you roll this thing?” <- OH!!! baby is stoned out of her mind!!!! help her!!! get her someplace safe!!! do not let her near a bus, langly!!

I’M FUCKING CRYING…. “what killed him?” “my medical opinion? beeeeeeeeeeeeeep” (she claps her hands) “and that’s all you found?” “that’s all i know” <- BAHAHAHAHHAAAAAA 

she collapses again. but langly doesn’t have an eye on her!!! he just went back to his own room! he says she claimed there was something important she needed to do!!! “man, she is seriously jet-lagged” <- BRO, GO FIND HER AT ONCE!!

frohike plays the video from susanne’s room, where she says she feels like she is being watched. ellis says she worries too much- the plan is on schedule. and they’re cuddling. gross. 

byers insists it is not her. “she would not marry that man” “you don’t know him like i do” “how’d you get in here?” <- BAHAHA

susanne jumpscare!!! she says he saved her life and the lives of thousands of others. and she asks to talk to byers. alone. the other gunmen sliiiiiide out.

she wants to know about his friend being murdered. and she says she is always in danger. 

oh… she’s thought about this moment- reuniting with byers- so many times. all the things she would say. oh!!! well! that certainly has some implications!!

so the bad guys took her and did things to her, and it was like drowning. and ellis pulled her up. even though she wanted it to be byers who did that!!!

ellis worked for them… but she says he was working against them, sabotaging them. he reminded her of byers. OH! so she def loves him

back to slot town with frohike and langly. WHERE IS SCULLY??? i am stressed. frohike insists he could get all the money out of this place if he didn't have morals.

oh no… timmy approaches…. they don’t know he’s evil…! he asks them to come play dungeons and dragons in memory of jimmy. and langly agrees. 

but frohike hears something in the distance. it’s scully laughing!!! she’s acting wildly drunk. SHE CALLS HIM HICKEY!!! AND TELLS THE MAN WHISPERING IN HER EAR TO BE NICE TO HIM!!! SHE SAYS SHE LIKES HIM!!! AND PETS HIS FACE!!!

(she likes him......... oh.....)

OH, THE CIGARETTE SCENE. AND THE 800 LIGHTERS EMERGING AT ONCE. she cannot decide who lights her fire! i have seen this in gif form, and was always wondering what the context to that was. now i know. it makes sense that such a thing would only happen when she is... deeply inebriated. it's just not like her. poor thing.

he's trying to point out to her that she DOESN'T SMOKE. frohike tells everyone to back off!!! that is SPECIAL AGENT DANA SCULLY!! if you touch her, you may be committing a crime!!! go frohike!!!!

“we could’ve been stardust”, says some random guy. “maybe next time” (DID SHE SLAP HIS ASS?!) (or did he slap hers? because i might have to kill him, too)

langly is brought up to play d&d, which again, they are somehow playing for money- but he is surrounded!!!

susanne and byers are watching the tape frohike snatched from her room. he says he didn’t film them, which means “they” know. they were going to try and escape on the last day of the conference and go public with the research. the public is finally ready to believe. but they know everything, and they’ll kill them both. not great.

frohike walks in with a giggly scully, and susanne realizes what is going on at once. she was injected with a gas made by susanne!! ellis thought if they developed a small batch and destroyed the notes, they had the proof they needed to go public. and grant and her are the only ones with the samples…. 

grant evil confirmed?!

poor drunk/gassed scully is looking at them with great sadness as she realizes the weight of their words.

susanne is injecting her with something to counter the effect of the gas- once more, scully calls langly “cutie”- wait, langly made it out?!?! and after commenting on the pain, scully goes DOWN like a ton of bricks. 

“i don’t understand, why would the government want to turn scully into a bimbo?” <- I’M FUCKING CRYINGGGGGGGGGGHHGGHHGHGGGGGGG

BAHAHAHAHHAAAAAA, OKAY HOLD ON. HOLD ON. FROHIKE. 

holy fuck, that is so funny. filed under potential new blog titles. 

susanne says it’s a side effect- it can be used for brainwashing. such as making you forget your autopsy results. 

but what are they planning? frohike says they better find out fast. but langly scratches his wound from where he was injected!!!

langly returns to the room with timmy… where timmy says he is to go into the con the next day, and fire three shots at a target. 

we see langly going in there… with the gun…. will he do it??? susanne is at the panel. and ellis is next to her.

scully is back!! she is better!! i am so happy she made a quick recovery and managed to sleep it off! she wants to get in the room where the panel is happening, but she is not allowed.

ellis is watching as susanne leaves for the break…. and langly is approaching…. he pulls out the gun…… and he fires at her!!!! three times!!! and her blood splatters him in the face!!!! 

they call for a doctor!!! and scully is here to do just this. 

frohike and byers answer the call for help… WAIT, is this a plot…? they’re dressed as paramedics, and scully says to ellis that the shooter got away… oh, they’re in on this. it has to be fake blood. ellis asks who did this. girl... like you didn’t want this very outcome!!!

scully says to detain him!!!

frohike says “good work, party girl” and she makes a face like "why tf did he call me that" <- LMAO, ohhhh........

they load susanne onto the stretcher and take her away…. and timmy emerges… he realizes the blood is fake!!!

scully brings ellis in with frohike, where a perfectly fine susanne is standing!!! she asks for a moment alone with him. which seems dangerous, since he just tried to kill her.

ahaha!!! frohike has his poker chip!!! he says thanks for the tip!!

“big surprise, huh? since your programmed my friend to kill me?” “no, susanne, it wasn’t my idea” <- bro doesn’t even DENY IT?? just claims he isn't responsible?!?

omg… she has very specific spots under her shirt with fake blood containers… which makes that langly is a pretty good shot… very interesting to know!!

she asks why he saved her in the first place if he was just going to kill her. because the project was over. he pretended to love her. what did he get out it? 

he claims he got his life. 

but in walks timmy!!! with a gun!!! and he kills ELLIS!! and then he points it at her!!!!

no!!! timmy takes her at gunpoint to the gunmen's room!! and they let her in!!

(side note, frohike referred to susanne as “mata hari” twice now, and i didn’t know who that was, so i googled it… a very interesting rabbit hole WILL be followed later tonight)

TIMMY TRIES TO GET BYERS…. but byers gets him with the gas!!!!! 

lmao and he says “hi, cutie” too <- bahaha

timmy has confessed to the murders of grant ellis AND susanne!! no!! i was hoping she would make it!!!

scully is yelling on the phone, trying to reach mulder. she says she’s at the hotel. “what do you mean ‘what hotel’? las vegas” <- OH NOOO… 

“you called me… what do you mean, you didn’t call me?” <- BAHAHA

“oh, man… i am gonna kick their asses” <- YEAHHHHHH!!!!!!!

OH!! susanne isn’t really dead!!! byers hands her a paper containing information on her alias!! 

she asks him to come with her?! he thinks about it…. but he says she’ll be safer without him. “leave it to us now. it’s what we do”

she gives him something… and then another kiss…. and says “someday”. then gets in the car.

SHE GAVE HIM THE WEDDING RING MEANT FOR ELLIS?!?!?!

and they go to hit the slots.

the end.

wait, this episode was actually really good… i was going to write it off because i didn’t think there would be agent time… but it was actually quite precious….

oh, scully. i wanted to see her kick their asses. 

poor scully!!! but lord, was her comedic acting funny. BEEEEEEEEP. bahahahaha. i was lowkey worried when she had the scene surrounded by all those men, though. i was like oooooookay... where is this going to go? very grateful she was just flirty and not taken advantage of by creepy men. shoutout to frohike FR FR, he is a real one

“why would the government want to make scully a bimbo?” still has me HOWWWWWWWLING. 

aww! the gunmen… i love them……. they’re so silly…. they love each other...

scully agreeing to go track them down in vegas even thought it was the middle of the night… because it was mulder who asked... yeah <3 she trusts him so much... and she is selfless to a fault....

oh, i hope mulder took her somewhere nice after that. to compensate for the shenanigans they put her through. and the drugging. "BEEEEEEP. that’s all i know". OH. i've said it a million times, but that poor thing!

it was funny to see her so out of it, though. just because she is generally hypercompetent in all capacities. trying to imagine mulder seeing her like this... i wonder if her memories returned to her eventually, or if she will just be really confused forever as to why frohike called her "party girl"... imagine sharing that story with mulder over a glass of wine........

yes. i need the followup MSR date fic.

oh! byers will get his happy ending someday.

what an excellent little side journey. it was a silly one. and you know i love a silly one. not a whole lot of character exploration with our main characters, but a trip into side character land can be very well done.

i cannot believe i am nearing the end of s6! it's been like... 2-ish months since i started?? i think? time blurs together- it's hard to tell. so we still have a bunch of unanswered questions. such as: is spender still out there or is he dead for real? where is diana? and most importantly, is mulder going to tell us why he has been so cranky on and off again? is he all better now that he had a nice little baseball date? will he apologize for his actions? what is going on behind the scenes that he isn't telling us? is this little romp down side character avenue a hint to a future plot? they said that mulder was practically a household name to the blackops that took susanne- have they been messing with him, or something?

i need resolution to the angst! i need an apology video with tears!

i will forever cherish scully mumbling "done, done, done". ah. she has been through so much.