#I'm really proud of how Laurel turned out

[steamworksfairy]

Name: Laurel

Age: 73

Status: Deceased

Overview: The mother of Reborn and Cecil. She's been many things in her life; a hitwomen, Daniela's first Sun Guardian, [Spoiler], and a mother. Roughly around the time she was pregnant with Cecil she cut off all ties with her past (except Reborn) and went into hiding in a small town in the northern part of the United States. There she would raise Cecil as a civilian, watch him grow into a good man far from the friends and family she once treasured, and ironically cultivate his desire to become a detective.

Tw: Character Death (aka the section where I talk a little bit about the details of Laurel's death.)

She died in a fire.

The official report from the investigators state that fire was caused by faulty wiring. She lived in an old house after all and who knows how many things needed upkeep. Laurel was found near the entryway of her home, presumably trying to escape when a beam must have fallen down on her. They ignore how the door to her home was found wide open when they arrived on the scene. Cecil doesn't. That lone detail will be one that haunts him all the way to Namimori and for months after as he unravels the secrets of his mother's death.

[blessedbyahuntress]

Warrior of the Sun and Moon

Chapter One: The Blessing of the Sun

Prev/Next

A/N: HEHEHEHEHE (Ya that's all I got [I'm high on caffeine, if you can't tell])

Warnings: Handsome immortal alert! Handsome immortal alert!

Word count: 850

When you were nine, you snuck out of your room for the first time. You’d been ordered to stay in the chamber under the watchful eye of your servant, but you felt jittery and restless.

You needed to get out of the palace, abandon these stone walls for a little while.

The afternoon sun shone through the beautiful stained glass windows as you kept your head down, back pressed against the wall. If what Telemachus had accidentally told you was true… 

There it was. Your hand wrapped around a lever, the metal cold on the palm of your hand. You pulled, a harsh jerk of the wrist. There was a loud scraping sound of stone grinding against stone, and you cursed. Your servant would find you soon if you weren’t fast enough.

You turned, slipping into the secret passage that had opened next to you. 

The darkness that engulfed you made you nervously drum your fingers on your leg, nails skimming over the hunting knife that was hidden in the folds of your dress- the dagger you’d stolen from your older brother the time Telemachus had allowed you into his room.

You swatted away a cobweb that was trying to get entangled in your hair. Your steps became faster, more determined to get out of this awful space.

A breath of fresh air hit you in the face, the wind running its chilly fingers through your locks, tugging at your hair playfully. 

You took another step forward, and suddenly you were falling, sun blinding your eyes as they stretched wide in panic. You landed on your back, all of the breath knocked out of you.

“Holy-”

Someone above you tsks. “Is it really appropriate for such a young lady like you to be cursing?”

You jolt up, banging your head against someone else’s forehead. You lay back down with a groan. “Who the hell are you?”

“You shouldn’t answer a question with a question, princess.”

You cross your arms over your chest, head still pounding. “Mine seems more important,” you argue. “Who are you?”

You feel a hand rest gently on your forehead, and the ache begins to dissipate. 

The person chuckles lightly. “Well,” he said- you figured it was male, though he spoke in more of a sing-song. “Maybe you should open your eyes before asking such things.”

You frown, earning another laugh from the unknown person. Slowly you blink, your eyes adjusting to the light. Standing above you was the tallest man you’d ever seen. He was bathed  with a golden glow, bright blue eyes gazing into your own. A laurel wreath shone atop his head, perfectly tan arms crossed over his muscular chest.

Somehow you knew this was a god, though it wasn’t his appearance that gave him away- rather, it was his presence. 

“Apollo?” You whispered softly, as if you believed if you stirred the air too much, it would scare the god of the sun away. 

The addressed deity threw his head back, a booming laugh escaping his lips. “Yes, that is I, little mortal.” 

You stood, dusting off your dress. As quickly as you rose, you dropped into a grand curtsy. “Lord Apollo, to what do I owe the honour?” 

“You are smarter than you look.” You weren’t sure whether to be proud or offended by his words as he circled you, studying you as a king observes his prize bull. “Tell me, little mortal, how did you know that I am Apollo?”

You tilt your head. “You feel like the sun,” you stated bluntly.

That got him to chuckle again. He paused his pacing to look you in the eye. “I suppose. But I have come to answer your prayer.”

You blinked. “What prayer?”

Apollo furrowed his perfect brow. “What do you mean, ‘what prayer’?” He questioned. “Y’know? That prayer that you sent me when you were two, wishing you could be like your father, the mighty Odysseus?”

“Did I?” You try to remember what he was referring to, but you come up empty. “Sorry, but I don’t think I even knew you existed at such a young age.”

“Ah.” Apollo waves this off. “It doesn’t matter whether you remember it or not, for I am here to make your dreams come true.”

“Uhm,” you said. “No offense, Lord Apollo, but how…” You trailed off as the god held up a golden bow, fitted perfectly for the palms of your hands to grip. 

You reached out to touch it, mesmerized by the curve of the limbs and the string that seemed to change colors in the sunlight. Apollo held it closer, as if urging you to take it. You didn’t need any further encouragement, small fingers wrapping around the weapon. 

As you grasped the bow, a shimmering belt appeared on your waist, a quiver full of arrows attached. You gasped, running your fingers up and down your new accessory. 

When you looked up, mouth opening to speak, you met Apollo’s shining blue eyes. “Thank you,” you murmured, tone filled with emotion and gratitude. 

“Anytime, Y/N,” the immortal said, shooting you a wink as he faded away. 

“Anytime.”

Taglist: @barrythestrawberry041 @shapter-draws @sunshinewhosketches @myriad-of-passionate-pettiness @shroombloom248 @my-gods-i-read-too-many-books @keikeiluvyou @tati-the-fangirl @bookmuncherss @sabrina-senpai @artemis-andrea @sunshinedaisy21

[yuri-is-online]

TDB Episode 7 Thoughts

So this episode sort of felt like a filler chapter between "Meeting the Ghouls" and "the Laurel Crown" arcs of the story. I didn't mind since I really like Yuri and Jiro's dynamic, but the pacing of the story was very quick and not a whole lot happened, after an Episode as loaded with action as Obscuary's it can feel a bit like a let down.

Now as for specific thoughts:

I want to start by saying I appreciate how Yuri doesn't believe in the prophecy because it isn't scientific but 100% thinks he is the chosen one, the champion anyway. Yes, have that self confidence that is nothing but a paper shell built on lies to cover your insecurities king! We love a pathetic meow meow in this house!

His connection to Frostheim... I have had this crack theory in my head that he is related to Jin somehow, like maybe he's his brother or something, but I do think how he talks about Frostheim makes me think he is either a transfer to Mortranken or used to be closer to Jin than he is now. We all are pretty sold on Haku being the one who sold Jin out, but there is a chance it could have been Yuri too I suppose.

We were right! Zenji and Jiro are brothers! And we have Zenji's real name, Taro Kirisaki! He doesn't seem to hate it or anything he is just really proud of his role as a man of the quill so he uses a pen name.

Zenji really loves his brother huh. "If anything were to happen to him I might not survive it this time round" I'd be willing to bet that whatever happened to the Krisaki brothers was connected, it's just that Zenji got dumped at Darkwick General while Jiro was taken in by Yuri. Zenji's voicelines about a brother "in his rebellious phase" and his struggle to express his love for his older brother makes me think they might have been at odds before the clash... maybe Jiro hated how laid back Zenji was when he literally made a deal with a demon? Of course he did too... but maybe Zenji's was related to trying to make Jiro healthy? He seems to have some sort of auto-immune disease and while that could be a side-effect of the coma but it could also be something Jiro's always struggled with and explain why Zenji is so protective of him. I bet they were killed by the same anomaly...

Sorry I have a lot of feelings about the Kirisaki brothers... what happened to them? Why does no one care that they're dead and dying other than Yuri? I don't think Zenji cares that much that Jiro doesn't remember him so long as he's alive... but would it bother Jiro if he could remember? Does he ever find himself making tea and turn to scold someone for talking too much, he's being annoying again but there isn't anyone there and he doesn't know who he's scolding because it wasn't Yuri... does he know how to make tea because Zenji insisted on teaching him? Is Zenji the one who he would tease about being afraid of dead bodies before MC?

Right on not simp notes: we have more information about the murder, the victim was from Ultio! And the murder predated the Clash so it's pretty safe to say the inability of the school to find the murderer is probably what kicked things off.

We also have hints of a mermaid student, so be patient fish fuckers we- I mean you will be getting fed soon. This student seems to be known to Yuri and Haru, and Haru's reaction suggests he might think of him as a friend? He's not beating the Steve Irwin allegations is he, I'm surprised Ed isn't obsessed with him at this point. Then again I think Ed would resent me implying he's an animal, but we've seen the inside of his room so I rest my case.

Nicholas appears to be in hot water with the Institute, and he is not trusted by Yuri. Cornelius references something he calls "the Dionysia breakout" as being Nicholas's fault to contain... given that those students are missing and Nicholas has only recently found them... I want more information before I say anything but Yuri's explanation of how he sees anomalous anything illnesses I think it makes sense to say an anomaly outbreak occurred in the Dionysia dorm that was not contained by its ghouls, something the school blames Nicholas for.

The school knew the MC was going to turn into an anomaly and did not tell her "for her mental health." I like MC's mixed feelings on this. On the one hand I don't think she would have handled it well if we had learned it immediately. On the other, I am a firm believer that information is not something that should be gate kept, and hey. It's the MC's life she deserves to know what happened to her. I think I land on not trusting Darkwick but I do trust Yuri, I want to know why he's so determined to cure MC but I don't doubt his sincerity in the slightest. If I had to say who is most determined to see MC cured, I'd say its Yuri and Haru. And Zenji but he's out of commission at the moment. Yuri has an ego the size of his forehead, but he does seem very passionate about curing anomalous diseases and takes failures a bit more personally than he'll ever admit to. Haru is just a stand up guy who seems like he wants the best for those he loves, and he really does seem to love MC! He says he'd trust her with his life! That's my dorm captain he's literally the best <3

The tree is curious, one of the fruits looked a bit better, but then it shrunk after the announcement of the Laurel Crown and the Gala coming back... which I guess makes sense? The ghouls are fighting again, technically, and if their hate for each other is what makes the tree sick then I don't think it is going to get better. Speaking of the tree... poor MC.

Yuri's description of an anomaly that could destroy the world does match up with how Ed describes the Kyklos. Dani and I talked about this already, but that name (in addition to being super similar sounding to cyclops explaining why she has one eye) is ancient greek for cycle. It is typically used to refer to a theory about human history that depicts it as being a cycle between Dark and Golden ages, how this monster came to be is something I'd be super interested to learn about... I have some theories but they're 100% pure Colombian crack with no evidence.

That being said, Ed knows what it is but Darkwick's staff does not... Ed revealing the MC is going to turn into a monster to the whole student body makes a lot of sense for him to do actually. He sees it as him helping the MC because he wants the ghouls to compete to cure her, and knowing how he thinks of humans he probably assumed they wouldn't do so unless there was an incentive so that's why he made that the goal the dorms would have to meet to win the Laurel Crown.

Speaking of which... Sho. Shohei. Hyde has him doing a special mission, wonder what that is huh? Whatever it is, that's suspicious. That's weird. I've got both my eyes on you Mr. Playboy, Lyca wouldn't do this to me maybe he should get to keep the babygirl title.

... also I really love the "if it were not for the laws of this land I would have killed you" vibes Rui, Tohma, and Haku had during their little conversation. I was dying, "oh hiiiii Rui :D so nice to see you NOT IN THE SHADOWS STALKING ME. DID YOU KNOW HE CAN DO THAT MC? GO INTO SHADOWS AND STALK YOU? NO???" Haku just being like "teehee maybe MC and I are a thing Tohma" and Tohma leaving that on read because who cares? Not him his interests are classified but I swear its ntr- *i am shot and dragged from the premises*

[sunbearsophia]

it's been so long since I uploaded art to my Tumblr, and since I've made so many pieces for Twitter, figured I would bring them over here, too! Works out better, since I have more space on Tumblr to ramble!

Anyways, I've doodled Eduardo in his later dad years at least twice, maybe even three times on my Twitter, but Laurel, I only ever drew once in her later mum years. So, I decided to draw her yet again to better figure out her design, and since I want to diversify how I draw body types anyways, my mind instantly went to "MOM BOD-"

Anyways, couple of notes of basically my thought process with the whole mum design! ^^

Definitely imagining she's probably in her mid-forties here, with her oldest Emmy probably in college by then and their youngest, Leo, being in middle school.

I definitely think since Laurel carried two kids, she's definitely got more of a pear-shape than she did in her youth, plus a bit of a stomach roll. It probably worried Laurel when she was younger when exercise and dieting didn't change that, but these days, Laurel's gotten past that, with time and self-love, plus an adoring husband who never ceases in telling her how beautiful she is, healing that insecurity and making her proud of her figure. <3

Has plenty of stretch marks, not to mention a leftover C-section scar from when she had Leo. She loves each and every one of them, they remind her of her kids, and she feels like she earned every single one of them.

Age has done nothing to slow Laurel down in terms of energy, however. She doesn't burn out or give up easily, always having time to spend with her husband, kiddos and friends, and still an actress for theatre and film alike. She knows to slow down and appreciate the important things, but she's still got energy to burn and passion to share!

She's perfectly happy with letting her hair grey, not feeling inclined to redye it or changing its color. She loves how it looks, as do the people around her. She does cut her hair, however, preferring the feeling of less hair to deal with, and likes the pixie cut. She just doesn't really need or want long hair for herself! (However, she LOVES Eduardo's middle-aged long hair, it's so pretty and relaxing to brush, especially since he barely brushes it himself lol.)

BODY. MODS. GALORE. I headcanon Laurel absolutely had a ton of piercings in her youth, something that age didn't stop one bit. She also still has matching MLP tattoos with Eduardo, and definitely has more that aren't pictured here. (Might try and design more at a later date!)

Has a million freckles, on her face, neck, arms and torso, and she loves every one of them. Might be a little jealous when she realizes Matt has more than she does, fuckin' MATT lmaooo.

Really loved drawing this piece! I feel like it's great and important to show more realism in body types and diversity in my art, so this was awesome to practice with! Plus, I'm just unbelievably proud of how she turned out! Laurel is such a huge fav of mine, and I definitely plan to make more art of her later years in my hc!

And yeah, def might try drawing Eduardo like this next, since I could use some practice with dad bods, too! Maybe Anna would also be a good choice to continue the mom trend, as well! But yeah, this was a celebration of older, female body types, and it makes me really proud of the final result and just getting to work on it! <3

[roxannarambles]

Writing practice, short scene with an NPC & Rika on Pasio. Just noodling around with how to write pokemon battles in a more anime style now that I've watched Horizons.

Laurel sighed.

She, of course, always preferred the great outdoors over being stuck inside. She was a pokemon ranger, after all. That's why she usually carried plenty of potions and berries on hand, so she wouldn't need to visit the pokecenters very often. But eventually, even she had to make a run to one of the centers so she could stock up on supplies. It was always so busy in the centers and she felt a bit claustrophobic in such a crowded little building. She waited impatiently in the long line and was grateful when she finally reached the counter so she could grab what she needed and quickly bail.

Bags in hand, her beloved partner Bayleef carrying an additional bag in her mouth, they were in such a hurry to leave that she almost didn't even notice the woman calling out to her.

"Miss! Hey there, I think you dropped something!"

The words finally registering in her brain, Laurel stopped in her tracks and turned. A tall woman dressed in a suit quickly closed the distance with a few strides, holding out a box of Max Revives. She had a lazy smile and striking red eyes.

"Oh! Wow, I didn't even realize-- thank you so much!"

A little embarrassed, Laurel set down a bag and accepted the box from the friendly stranger, who answered easily,

"Yeah, no problem."

Laurel tried to quickly fit the box of revives back into her bag, but she had so many items already stuffed into both the bags it was proving difficult; the box spilled back out onto the floor, along with some potion bottles. She grunted in irritation and stooped to pick them back up. She heard the stranger comment,

"Looks like you have quite the haul. Need any help with those bags?"

"T-thank you, but Bayleaf and I should be okay--"

Bayleef set her bag down and chirped, waddling closer to help her trainer out. When the pokemon reached down to grab a potion bottle in her mouth, though, her leaf smacked against one of the bags Laurel had set down on. The bag promptly flopped over and spread its contents across the tile floor. Laurel's eyes widened and she automatically chided,

"Bayleef! Ugh . . ."

Bayleef lowered her head and let out a whine, looking remorseful over making her trainer look like a dummy in front of someone else.

The stranger chuckled, but in a very good-natured sort of way.

"Aw, I'm sure it didn't mean it."

Laurel sighed and patted Bayleef's head, saying,

"Oh, I know she didn't. She only recently evolved and she's still not used to how big her leaf is . . . the other day she kept slapping me in the face by mistake."

The other woman held a gloved hand to her face and gave an amused little snort.

"Sounds like a handful. Here, let me help you out with all that."

"Thank you so much."

After they'd repacked her bags with her supplies, they had some casual chit-chat.

"Bayleef, huh? A Johto pokemon, right?"

"Yes!"

"I haven't seen one up close and personal before. Mind if I pet her?"

"Sure, go ahead! She's very outgoing. Just be careful of her leaf, ahaha . . ."

The woman patted Bayleef's round head, then ran a hand along her long neck. Bayleef made a happy trilling sound, swinging the leaf about on her head delightedly.

"Aaw. What a sweet face. She's quite the cutie."

Laurel put her hands on her hips and grinned, proud of her partner.

"Thank you! She is, isn't she? She's going to get a kick out of this, she really thrives on compliments."

Indeed, Bayleef seemed incredibly pleased. The other woman laughed and turned to her.

"Oh, does she now? And what about her trainer?"

Laurel blinked.

"Me? Um . . . hmm, I guess I do too."

"Well, in that case, you're quite the cutie yourself."

The woman gave her a playful wink. Laurel felt her face go hot immediately and she released a nervous giggle. Weakly, she answered,

"T-thanks!"

She watched the other woman cross her arms and acquire a thoughtful look.

"Say, you wouldn't happen to be up for a quick battle, would you? Just a little one-on-one."

The woman's brows lifted high and she fixed her with a crooked smile. Laurel was thrown off by the stranger's sudden interest, but she wasn't exactly complaining.

"O-oh, you mean right now?"

The stranger nodded.

"Yep! Is it a bad time?"

Laurel stammered out,

"No, it-- it's, uh, not really! Now is fine! Um, you feel like a battle, Bayleef?"

Her pokemon bobbled up and down with excitement.

"Great! Let's head outside, then."

They walked to a field just outside the pokemon center, where their pokemon would have plenty of space to move around. Then the woman, who'd introduced herself as "Rika," released her own partner from its pokeball.

Laurel stared in fascination as the large, blobby brown pokemon appeared. It was very round and had stumpy legs and a fat tail. Its gaze was vacant and it had a wide mouth stretched out in a dopey smile.

"Whoa . . . look at this fellah . . . so cute! And an absolute unit."

Rika gave the pokemon's back a loving slap, saying,

"Yep, he's a big boy, all right."

"What is he called?"

"Clodsire! I guess you're not too familiar with Paldean pokemon, then?"

Laurel shook her head.

"Not really. He kinda reminds me of Quagsire, though."

"Mmhmm. They're related species."

The strange pokemon was nudging his snout into the ground, which was soft from a recent rain. He was getting dirt and muck all over his face. Laurel narrowed her eyes.

"Related species? So he must be ground type. He sure looks like he is, anyway. Am I right?"

"You catch on fast! He's a ground type, you're right."

The ranger's eyes sparked in sudden excitement.

"That means Bayleef and I have an advantage! C'mon, Bayleef, let's get this party started!"

She quickly got into position, far enough away so she could command her pokemon without being in range of any attacks. The other trainer chuckled, apparently amused by her sudden enthusiasum.

"Sure thing. You ready to battle, Clodsire?"

The pokemon grunted, pulling his face out of the mud with a pop.

"You ready, Bayleef?"

Bayleef wriggled her tail, staring at her opponent and chirping. Laurel translated,

"All set!"

"Great. Then on my count. Three . . . two . . . one . . ."

Rika dropped her hand, calling,

"Go!"

Laurel shouted eagerly,

"Bayleef, nail 'em with an Energy Ball!"

Bayleef responded to her trainer's enthusiasum, quickly powering up her move and spitting out a glowy green ball of energy. Rika didn't even react, just stood there calmly and watched as the green orb struck Clodsire square on the head, sinking into his squishy brown skin.

Clodsire barely even batted an eye.

"Uhhh?!" Laurel squawked, shocked.

Calmly, Rika commanded her own pokemon.

"Heh. Go ahead, Clodsire-- try a Mud Slap."

The placid pokemon wriggled in the mud he had been wallowing in before giving the ground a firm slap with his thick tail. His aim was impeccable, a small jet of mud striking Bayleef right in the face, despite their distance. Laurel had still been so shocked about that Energy Ball she hadn't even thought to warn Bayleef.

"Oh, drat-- Bayleef, I'm sorry--"

Her pokemon shook her head, whining miserbly about the mud getting in her eyes. Laurel wanted to go help wipe her face off, but it wasn't very sporting to interfere with the battle in that way. She forced herself to stay in place, gritting her teeth.

Her arms crossed, Rika commented,

"Good work, Clodsire. How 'bout a little more, just to be sure? Give it a real good squirt."

Clodsire clapped his little feet gleefully and smacked the mud again with his tail.

"Bayleef, watch out!"

Bayleef was already too blinded to avoid it and was coated with even more mud, now dripping down her neck as she squeaked in distress. Laurel squeezed a fist and bit back the urge to snap at the woman commanding Clodsire. It isn't her fault, it's mine. I gotta do better.

"Bayleef, shake it off! C'mon, let's see another Energy Ball!"

Bayleef did her best to shake off the mud and spat out another green orb, but the move missed Clodsire by a mile.

"Ugh."

"Clodsire, might as well keep going."

Laurel felt herself losing her cool when even more mud coated her beloved grass pokemon.

"Hey! Are you just gonna spam mud slaps all day?!"

Rika seemed briefly surprised at the ranger's outburst, but then she just shrugged.

"Why switch up something that works?"

Laurel huffed back,

"It's such a dirty tactic, though."

The other woman chuckled dryly.

"Well, I'm not a Ground-type specialist for nothin'." She paused, seemingly taking in just how riled up Laurel was, and continued calmly,

"But don't worry so much about all that. Just worry about how you and Bayleef are gonna get around it."

Normally, such a comment might have upset her even more, but the way it was said didn't seem condescending, just gentle and friendly. And anyway, she was right-- Laurel needed to get her head in the game.

She sighed and tried to re-focus.

"Okay, Bayleef, are you sure you can't get that mud off? Maybe wipe it off on the ground or something . . ."

The dinosaur bent her head down to try and wipe the sticky mud off on the grass, but to limited effect. It was a shame her pokemon didn't have hands. If she did, she could just get that awful muck right off. If only she could . . .

Wait. Bayleef didn't have hands, but she did have something else.

Laurel pointed, suddenly inspired.

"Bayleef!! Try swinging your leaf around really fast! Maybe you can blow that mud away!"

Her pokemon chirped, nodding, and began swinging the large leaf on her head as rapidly as she could. To Laurel's joy, that big leaf kicked up a breeze very easily, and the mud quickly went flying off. Laurel cheered,

"Yeah!! Great job, Bayleef! Now quick, hit Clodsire with an Energy Ball!"

Chirping, Bayleef charged and spat out a large green orb. Clodsire was big and slow and couldn't avoid the attack, getting struck head-on once again. Although, once again, it seemed to do practically nothing.

"Heh heh, nice work. Guess I'll need to switch things up after all," Rika said, looking proud. Laurel frowned.

"Looks like I need to as well. Bayleef, try a Poison Powder!"

Rika waved her hand casually and commanded,

"Clodsire, Poison Sting."

Laurel's eyes widened.

"Poison Sting? Bayleef, quick--"

Unfortunately, Bayleef was so busy releasing its Poison Powder, the Poison Sting took it entirely off-guard. Bayleef cried out, the attack striking her in the face.

Meanwhile, Clodsire just had his big dopey smile, seemingly unaffected by the powder he'd been sprinkled with.

"Wait, is he part poison type?! I thought you said he was Ground!"

"Well, I never claimed he was pure Ground."

Laurel smacked her face with a palm, briefly.

"Ngghh. All right, get some distance, Bayleef, and put up a Reflect!"

Bayleef bounded away from Clodsire, glowing with energy, putting out a wall of light on her side of the battlefield.

"Oh, nice. But we can play that game too. Clodsire, Amnesia!"

It was pretty hard to tell whether Clodsire was using a move at all; mostly it just gazed vacantly into space and blew some bubbles in the mud. Laurel knew better than to underestimate her opponent, though.

"Okay, Bayleef, now another Energy Ball!" The ball of light struck Clodsire, but her attacks were doing even less now. Laurel tried not to let her frustration show.

"Good work, keep going, Bayleef!"

"Another Poison Sting, Clodsire, whenever the mood strikes you."

The pokemon whittled away at each other, little by little; this was a war of attrition, now. The type matchup was not in Laurel's favor, but Energy Ball was way more powerful than Poison Sting, and Rika didn't seem interested in using anything else. She wasn't even asking Clodsire to dodge anything! If Rika kept being this lackadaisical, they had a good chance.

"Again, Bayleef! Give it everything you've got, he's got to be worn down by now! And keep on your toes for the counter-attack!"

Bayleef powered up and spewed out a huge ball of energy, then jogged out of the way when Clodsire sent out a little jet of poison.

"Great!! Again, Bayleef, you can do it!"

From her side of the battlefield, Rika's voice came as cool and collected as ever.

"Attack if you see an opening, Clodsire, but don't stress it if you don't."

Flummoxed, Laurel looked to the other trainer. She demanded,

"Are you even taking this battle seriously?"

Her arms crossed, Rika quirked a smile.

"Of course. I take every battle seriously. Gotta rep to uphold, after all."

Laurel stared at her a few moments, trying to figure out if she was being honest. She looked to the battle, where Bayleef was still dodging Poison Stings and spitting out her own Energy Balls. She was fighting on like a real trooper, but the ranger could tell she was really starting to tire from the poison that was seeping into her leaves. Meanwhile, Clodsire was still taking moves like a massive sponge, somehow. Unbothered, moisturized, happy . . .

Laurel looked back to Rika, finally realizing why the woman looked so calm and relaxed. It wasn't because she didn't care about the outcome of this battle.

It was because she knew she was in perfect control here.

Laurel felt a chill.

"Bayleef--"

A notification chirped from Laurel's smartphone, interrupting her. She glanced down at her phone, seeing her sync stone was glowing. Her sync move was finally ready.

Excited, she touched the stone, pointing and calling out,

"Bayleef, Grass Beam!! Let's DO IT! Uh--"

Bayleef looked up to her, but she was panting and swaying on her little feet. A few seconds later, she collapsed.

Laurel groaned, setting her phone back down.

"N-never mind . . ."

She approached her pokemon and kneeled down, patting her head gently and then returning her to her pokeball.

"Thank you, Bayleef. Rest now."

She stood back up and turned to the other trainer, smiling ruefully.

"That was incredible . . . I can't believe how tough Clodsire is. We were throwing everything we had at it, and he barely seemed bothered!"

The pokemon in question had gone back to wallowing in the mud, wriggling playfully like some kind of weird puppy. Rika nodded.

"That's Clodsire for ya, he's a hardy one. Cool as a cucumber, too. And the calmer he is, the more hits he can take."

Laurel commented quietly,

"So that's why you weren't in any hurry to counter-attack."

Rika chuckled,

"Yeah, no need to do that when your opponent will wear themselves out first. Clodsire's very easygoing, and he battles best when he stays true to that. So I don't try to rush 'em, I've just learned to embrace it."

"Hmm . . . it's good you've figured out what works best for him."

Rika flashed her a grin.

"It works great for me, too! I've learned a lot from him about how to loosen up and not stress things in life. Hard to be stressed around this silly goober, anyway."

Clodsire wagged his fat tail and smiled up at Rika with a look of pure love.

"Aww. Well, it was very nice to meet you and Clodsire. Thanks so much for the battle!" Laurel said, reaching out her hand. Rika shook it, answering,

"Likewise. You and Bayleef have some real spunk."

Laurel noticed the symbol emblazoned on Rika's fancy black gloves as she shook her hand.

"You have such stylish gloves! Is that some Paldean brand-name?"

She seemed amused.

"Not exactly. It's the symbol for the Paldea League."

Laurel's brow wrinkled.

"The Paldea League? Wait . . . you mean the Paldea Pokemon League?"

Maybe it was fan merch. She didn't just battle a gym leader, surely . . .

"Yep. I'm one of their E4."

Laurel felt her soul exiting her body. She screeched,

"E4?!?"

To Rika's credit, she didn't even flinch at Laurel's shocked outburst-- just continued to look faintly amused. Laurel carried on,

"Y-you can't be serious?? You're-- you-- why--"

She paused, taking in a steadying breath,

"Why on earth would an E4 member want to battle with someone like me?!"

Rika's amused expression immediately dropped into a frown.

"What do you mean by that?"

She swallowed.

"U-uh, I just mean . . . I'm, I'm just some nobody around here! Some of the strongest trainers in the world are gathered in Pasio right now, I'm sure there's dozens and dozens of more interesting people for somebody of your caliber to battle!"

Rika dropped a hand on Laurel's shoulder. She chuckled,

"Hey, give yourself a little credit! That was a good match. 'Sides, not every battle has to be super serious or hyper competitive to be fun, right?"

Laurel glanced away, mumbling,

"I-I guess . . ."

Rika gave her a shoulder a squeeze before releasing her and agreeing,

"Yeah!"

Laurel muttered,

"Geez, no wonder I couldn't win. And you were just using Mud Slap and Poison Sting . . . there's no way that's your usual moveset, is it?"

Rika shoved her hands in her pockets and answered casually,

"Mmm, I might be using a scaled-back moveset for all my Pasio battles."

A handicap. Of course.

"Now I feel even sillier . . ."

The E4 member shrugged.

"No reason to. I can promise you're far from the only person on this island to lose to a Mud Slap Clodsire. Don't stress it."

Laurel gazed at her a few moments, sensing how sincere she was. She glanced down to Clodsire, who was rolling around in the mud without a worry in the world.

She smiled.

"Yeah, okay. Thanks, Ms. Rika."

"Just Rika. I can't stand any stuffy formalities. And hey, it was nice getting to know you a bit. Maybe we can do this again sometime."

[raphael-angele]

@tatawitchred I couldn't answer it for some reason but anyways...

I haven't posted in a while cuz it's my first year away from home and it's been hell lately.

This took me a week to make and I'm so glad with the way it turned out

I'm giving you 5 seconds to figure out who is who.

TIME'S UP

This is arranged by age btw

Jacqui as Wednesday Addams. I wanted her to be a witch but I couldn't find any good references on Pinterest, or one that's easy for me to draw. She was also the last one I drew and the hardest one out of all of them. I was looking for witch costumes and saw the dresses I could use then I thought of Wednesday so I said fuck it, she'll look pretty either way

Gigi as a Pirate. Gigi was actually originally supposed to be a werewolf but I couldn't bring myself to draw fur. She was the 2nd to last drawing I made and when I finished, I realized that I had no particular movie or series or character to base her off. So I just went with Pirates of the Carribean.

Jess as The Headless Horseman. I wanted Jess to be a ghost but I didn't just want them to drape a sheet over them. Their character is based off of the game, Mystery Legends: Sleepy Hollow, where a headless horseman with a pumpkin head terrorized a small town.

Raven as PHANTOM OF THE FUCKING OPERA. Phantom of the Opera has been on my FYP lately and since Raven (original) is canonically into literature, I knew this would be the perfect character for him to cosplay.

Talia as Crowley. I wanted to pair up Laurel and Talia so much. I kept on thinking of pairs that would be perfect for them then it hit me...Good Omens. It's perfect. Unfortunately though, I'm not really satisfied with how she turned out. The more I drew her, the more she looked like Talia al Ghul.

Troy as Dracula. Second hardest one to draw. I'm not colorblind; I know Dracula's aesthetic color is red. Same as Gigi, I didn't have a certain basis for him. When I thought of Dracula, I already drew him in blue and I'm not fucking going through the process of recoloring him. So I just settled to put in a blue aesthetic

Klarienne as Emily the Corpse Bride. I am so fucking proud of how she looks here. I always love to draw her with red eyes. The blue hair was a small touch added by Laurel.

Laurel as Aziraphale. I just thought it would be the perfect cosplay. I don't have to explain this one.

[zalrb]

the summer i turned pretty 1x07 review -- we have made it to the end!

the way the music is done on this show physically hurts me.

"did i push you into this, you can tell me the truth." "maybe a little at first." "oh my god, we don't have to go tonight if you don't want to" let the scene breathe because when you don't let the scene breathe, when you don't let the characters process the dialogue of the other character it just looks like people saying their lines.

"i'm kind of proud to show everybody" WHY?

belly not knowing who the olsen twins are and then susannah having to be like they're sisters with the scarlet witch WOULD be funny if they let the scene breathe!

"i didn't think you'd notice." "i'm your mother." you do not act like it, laurel. you didn't even know you dissed her when you indirectly called her unfocused and un-driven.

i like how lola's makeup becomes more and more prominent in the shot when she's just supposed to have woken up.

"i know you didn't want me to be a deb." "i didn't but it's just hard to let you go." she's doing a deb ball and it wasn't even her idea so she's not forging out on her own, laurel. jesus. i feel like jess

SHE WILL NOT EAT YOUR MUFFINS.

this twirl dance kiss by the car is the most i've believed jeremiah and belly.

"We just kissed a few times." And he kinda sorta went to second so Belly would be able to put a finger down next time they do a non-drinking Never Have I Ever.

"This affects more than just you." "I KNOW BUT YOU DON'T GET A SAY IN WHO I DATE" but I mean, you do understand his concern? And you do it anyway. And he was right.

Jere: Have you seen me hook up with any guy or girl this summer?

Steven: YES.

Jere:

oh my god, just things that are said and done in this show, if it had a better cast and better writers, it would've been really fun.

awww stevejere breaking up over belly.

"It's not your fault Conrad's a fuck boy"I mean I guess. Nicole has every right to say that but he's mostly been passive with Belly.

Like even when he texts her that he really wants to go with the deb with her, Belly says no because Nicole saw the text and took her clothes and abandoned her, which is fair, but it's not like Conrad was like oops, no, changed my mind. It's because of how he treated Nicole that you're pretending you're over it, Belly.

The one thing he did was pretend he didn't remember when you two almost kissed and it's of course totally valid to try and be done with it after that but they're making it seem like it was a pattern of behaviour and it really wasn't.

Like even the whole thing with the necklace, he hid it from you and you found it while you were snooping in his room and then you brought it up to him, that's all you. If they wanted Conrad to have this be a pattern then he should see her getting closer to Cam and do things consistently like show up at the drive in, sure, but also leave the necklace on her bed no note, no text, no warning and when she confronts him about it he can be like 'it's just a necklace, Belly" or just a shrug then they can even do a callback to the flashback of him teaching her the steps to dance and have him see her try to practice and he's like *rolls eyes* and helps her then they have a charged moment and Nicole comes and he just leaves her then they have the almost kiss then that would be Conrad actively being a fuck boy to Belly.

She's not wrong and she learns NOTHING from this. She just gets WORSE.

Belly, five minutes later:

What exactly is Laurel's growth supposed to be this season?

OK thank u next is the perfect song for the plot of this fucking show and they WASTED IT on THIS FUCKING SCENE. SHE'S JUST GETTING READY FOR THE DEB BALL? SHE ISN'T EVEN DANCING WITH ONE OF THE BROTHERS AND THEN SWITCHING BETWEEN THEM MIDWAY THROUGH FOR WHATEVER REASON? SHE'S NOT STANDING WAITING TO BE INTRODUCED AND SHE SEES CONRAD IN THE DISTANCE AND THEN JEREMIAH COMES INTO FRAME BLOCKING HIM AND HE ESCORTS HER? BRO EVEN THAT FUCKING MUFFIN SCENE WOULD'VE BEEN A BETTER SCENE THAN THIS. I AM IRRATIONALLY ANGRY ABOUT THIS.

I thought I was done but I'm not. It doesn't even go with the voiceover about how girls have to wait until someone tells them they're pretty and they can't just feel it for themselves but it'll bullshit. They're playing a song about boys during THIS voiceover?? Bad Girls by MIA would've been better HERE THAN A FUCKING VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT. i hate this show.

You're also supposed to say who she's escorted by.

"You're a goddess." I wish it was Steven who said that to Shayla.

I get that this whole scene is supposed to show a) the diversity of the deb ball scene now because there's Shayla, Steven, and Belly, an interracial duo (Black guy/white girl) and a girl who brought her girlfriend b) highlighting the different accomplishments of these female characters because girl power but this is way too long. There should be drama at least brewing in the background.

"There were always three people in our marriage, Laurel." Susannah and Laurel don't even seem that close. If I'm not getting this

then don't waste my time with dialogue.

Like, this is too late

him saying it, what, last episode? is also too late. This should be threaded throughout with more than Susannah just sleeping a lot and she's not even sleeping that much throughout the season. It should effectively be like when Elena keeps seeing signs that Stefan is a vampire and it's building and building and building. Jeremiah should be getting more suspicious and Conrad should be going further and further off the deep end.

This escort dance is long.

"I GREW UP IN THE SUBURBS IN PHILLY AND NOT EVEN THAT NICE OF A SUBURB. I DRIVE A HONDA CIVIC." This is the most privileged rant, Steven, you're as insufferable as Belly here, dude.

"I think I love you" she's great but you're ridiculous.

"Connie, Connie, have you seen your brother?" Have you seen him leave this table, Susannah?

Conrad's funny though, you didn't even TRY to look for him. ARE YOU TWO BROTHERS?

Of course. A Taylor Swift song. I don't know why they would choose THIS one though. IT DOESN'T GO. I know the lyrics are supposed to be their relationship even though we don't actually see them scream and fight but that's not the song you play when he steps up and IS her knight in shining armour. I don't listen to her at all and I know she has a better song for this moment.

The instrumental to "At last" is the only song that matches the scene in this whole fucking show.

If there's ANYTHING at all I can say is that Belly manages to look regal while she dances.

Sorry, Jere, it was the worst time to figure out that your mom has cancer.

See, and this whole thing of Conrad already knowing is supposed to be a bunch of things coming together and exploding when Jeremiah punches him but it hasn't been treated like a powder keg throughout the season, it's way too passive. In The O.C. it's a whole thing when Luke (Marissa's ex boyfriend who cheated on her with her best friend whose father punched her father at cotillion) and Julie (Marissa's mom) are hooking up because it's only a matter of time before they get caught, and it's active: before they hook up hook up, he's showing up to her house

and keeps showing up then they hook up

when they do hook up, he wants to make out with her IN SCHOOL

they're flirting in public

she's lying about hickies. Luke is getting more and more attached and she has to keep finding excuses as to why Marissa's ex boyfriend is always around

like they're going to get caught.

and when they do get caught it's by Ryan and Seth

and then that episode is Ryan just being like YOU HAVE TO END THINGS WITH JULIE COOPER, LUKE and getting Marissa out of town so he can do it

and that's a whole other thing because Marissa and Ryan have broken up and she tried to get back together with him and he rejected her and now they're finding some sort of normalcy together even though she wants to be with him and it's starting to feel like old times

that when Marissa finds out about her ex boyfriend and her mother and finds out that her ex boyfriend who she actually loves knew and didn't tell her and seemingly only acted the way he was acting to distract her,

it's an OH SHIT moment.

this is WAY too passive, way too quiet, way too boring.

And I still would've said too little too late if Susannah collapsed at the ball with the same trajectory we've been having but it would've made more of an impact if she and Jere were dancing their one dance that she saved for him like he asked and she collapsed in the middle of it and he's FREAKING OUT and Conrad rushes over and knows immediately what was going on and Jere found out that way and if you wanted to add even more tension to that situation Jere could freeze or start asking questions or break down and cry and basically be like what happened at the volleyball game and Conrad is like AND YOU WONDER WHY I DIDN'T TELL YOU? YOU'D FALL APART. which would also drive home Jere's resentment of Conrad in season 2 where he's like you thought I was weak but I was at home with mom while you were at school so fuck you and maybe they get into a squabble and then because it's all about Belly, Belly can come and be like WE NEED TO BE HERE FOR SUSANNAH STOP ARGUING.

Idk man I need some drama in my teen dramas.

it kills me it KILLS ME that she gets WORSE

when anon came into my inbox with this exact quote I didn't realize Belly ACTUALLY said this. BRO.

You know what would make more of an impact? If Susannah was comforting Belly and Steven and Laurel was comforting Jere and Conrad, if they're supposed to be SO close.

Susannah, THAT'S YOUR SON.

This is the most MONOTONOUS confession and he's PARROTING her lines oh lord.

Belly, you're shitty for this. Jere called you a goddess like 2 hours ago.

Anyway, my reviews have finally come to an end.

[harri-etvane]

for the ask the writer game 😁 6 & 29 for me, please

Hello, love!

6. Favourite Title

I hate titles, so much haha! I've got WIPs kicking around that I've not posted because they don't have titles and I can't think of one. I usually just go for bits of poetry or songs.

but, I digress. I think my favourite title is probably And Early Though the Laurel Grows. It comes from my favourite poem, To an Athlete Dying Young by A.E. Housman - here if you'd like to read it. The whole poem is beautiful, but melancholy and I felt it really worked with what I tried to convey. It also meant that it was a nice device whenever I wanted to add something to the series - picking out another line or couplet for the title.

29. Favourite line / passage

um. none of it.

in all seriousness, there are certain lines / passages I'm actually kinda proud of. I really liked this bit from Ch. 4 of To Wither Quicker:

“Ssh, you’re safe, you’re safe , it’s alright.”

How many times has he said the same words? In the silent void of the night, the only witness to a cry of anguish, a howl - a sob torn from somewhere deep within. He has lost count now; these sharp, fragmented moments that burrow like shrapnel inside his heart until it has grown so heavy he can hardly breathe. He sits with these ghosts at night, waiting for them to turn away - they are familiar to him, somehow in their faded unreality. They stalk Vova’s nightmares, and in turn they haunt Maksym’s waking hours in some macabre disjointed union. 

I also liked this - a bit more recent, from the rewrite of Still a trace of body paint:

"He thinks of her smile as the air raid siren screams overhead, the concrete of the bunker cold against the palm of his hand as he descends the stairs into the dark abyss, and his bones feel hollow."

[wolffyluna]

3, 4, 14 for the fic ask meme?

3. favorite line/scene you wrote this year

Can I pick a scene that's from a fic that only has scene? I am very proud of the dialogue and implied worldbuilding in hai gynaikes. (The simplest summary is "what if you took the dsmp, and added dark ages religion and gender to it?" It's very... itself.)

4. total number of words you wrote this year

Good question! I don't actually know. I am not great at word count tracking. I did publish 47k of fic to ao3 this year, which puts a lower bound on it. I also wrote at least 50k in November (which I... stopped tracking... once I wrote 50k), some of which ended up in ao3.

tl;dr: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

14. a fic you didn’t expect to write

The story behind 'be not afraid of greatness' is very funny.

A discord server I'm part of decided to run a fanfic event: they made up a list of common fandom tropes, and everyone would select one at random and then write a fic from a particular set of fandoms. The fics would be posted anonymously, and we would try and guess who wrote what. You were also allowed to write multiple fics, and to pick (instead of roll a dice for) your trope for your later fics.

I was randomly assigned post apocalypse, and I wrote 'Rotten Work' for that. It was a Double Life fic, so I thought it would fairly guessable that I wrote it. (Turns out, no, that was the fic of mine that confused people the most, because people knew me as a Third Life person but not as a Double Life person.)

I wanted to write something that would be hard to guess was me. So, my plan:

Write in a fandom people knew I wasn't in: the DSMP.

Pretend to be both Will @irrealisms and Neptune @regicidal-optimism at the same time. I knew I couldn't cope either of their styles, but I thought could be a uncanny approximation of both at once. Also, I couldn't trick Neptune into thinking I was themselves, but maybe I could trick them into thinking I was Will, and vice versa?

Neptune had also discussed a Quackity fic idea that had been living in my brain rent free, even though at the time I had watched zero Quackity videos.

So, I inhaled a bunch of Quackity VODs, while simultaneously listening to an audiobook about Dark Age queens. And this become 'hai gynaikes.'

And I would have stopped there. Except. The same day I posted that fic into the collection, resting my laurels and awaiting reveals day, Neptune talked in that very same discord about how they didn't like Schlackitty where they were different genders. They should either both stay men, or both be genderbent.

...'hai gynaikes' is a f!Quackity Schlattburity pile up.

But that wasn't going to stop me! I was going to successfully fool people! I just had to write a Schlackity fic really quickly, that fit one of the tropes.

So I wrote another royalty AU, featuring Emperor/Favourite Schlackity?

Anyway: at the end of the day, the fic where I wasn't trying to hide who I was, 'Rotten Work,' was the one that confused people about the identity of the author, the most.

But, at least 'hai gynaikes' and 'be not afraid of greatness,' while they did not confuse that many people about who wrote them, did at least confuse people about why are there two Quackity-centric royalty AUs?

[aesols]

did you know old habits have a hard time of dying? once i sat down in my backyard with sofia (hangyeolie, as you call her. she hates it when i say it but loves it when you do), looking at the stars, and we talked about habits. the past. wonders of the world. we talked about her life, we talked about mine.

vern, she would say in her american style of speaking. i basically know your life already. it's all online. and she was joking, her half-tilt of a smile, but it struck a chord in me. i kept staring at the stars, let out a laugh, and couldn't stop thinking about it even well after the fact. even after violet-grey clouds passed over the bright balls of fire lighting up our sky. i know your habits. i know what you did in the so-called melona room when you were just a kid. then the conversation got contemplative, like two philosophers were having a discussion over blood-red wine in togas and laurel wreaths adorned while we stood next to a polished stone pillar. i didn't look at her until later, our gazes meeting in some weird clash of i know you and no, you don't.

we have the same gaze, you know this. it's hard to beat her because she mastered the same blunt sharpness i carry. to some degree, i'm proud of her. but it's annoying when she turns it against me.

anyway, yeah. we had a silent argument under the blanketing stars and then my mom came out with glasses of apple juice, told us to not fight, and left with a laugh. i remember telling her more than what was recorded through that dingy camcorder. about you, about us. i told her about myself with you. how we had become not two separate people but one singular being, with a shared beating heart.

how our thoughts were molding at a horrifying rate, how i couldn't bear to be apart from you in that room and even in the dorms. how our skin would melt into one another just when we touched. how you helped me, how i helped you, how we were just kids but it was an electric beginning to my adolescence.

i told her how you carried the scent of jeju waves with you, how your sweat tasted like the sweetness of jeju tangerines, how your smile was everything bright and warm and inviting. how i was just a kid who didn't know how to fit in and fought for equality because i was two different halves in one person but here was a kid from an island who looked at me like i was whole. like i was everything.

seungkwan, you were intense and i'm pretty sure kid-vernon wanted it. i was also a teenager with a crazy, raging hormonal thing going on. puberty was cruel to all of us. we witnessed our hyungs and dongsaengs grow through puberty. there was a day where the way seungcheol hyung looked at jeonghan hyung had changed. there was a day where some of the guys got touchier than usual, where at night there was a really strange unease blanketing over us all.

it was totally suffocating. it was infectious, like inhaling fucking spores from fungi that excrete them. i don't know. i remember it and feel so fucking insane.

i didn't tell sofia that. she didn't need to know it. but i want you to know it. your scent had become sweeter at some point, intoxicating, and then my body itched to just be near you. my mind and body worked in tandem. i was labeled clingy and cute because of it. we were thought to be as cute because you accepted it with ease. our faces were always so close. any closer than that and it would be taboo. it would cast us into the streets.

so, i settled for nose rubs.

yeah, did you know old habits don't die so easily? i can't help doing it now, too. my itch to be near you hasn't died down either. to touch your skin, to have you in my arms, to feel your back against my chest. anything, everything, all at once. you've indulged me then, you indulge me now.

for every half i am, you make me whole.

[jonathan-samuel-smith]

Thank you!! I'm super proud of how it turned out! I don't draw women as often as I draw men so I'm really happy with how normal they look! It honestly makes me want to draw so much more of them because they're so cute. Imagine them as catgirls or catgirl and puppygirl. Or as magical girls. Or wearing high school uniforms with Talia as class president au. Or Laurel as class president x Talia the deliquent. And I haven't drawn them in their superhero costumes. Oh imagine Talia with really long hair that Laurel loves to brush and style. Imagine them painting eachother's nails and toenails. So many ideas!!

I had to reject the prompt for day one of @super-sons-week-2023 and do Talia Kane and Laurel Kent as a Yuri manga cover! I guess it is still firsts because it's their first issue? Lol. The version without the title is under the cut!

[riccismy-life]

Marilyn Thornhill x Fem! Reader One-shot

Description: You are Marilyn's girlfriend, she hates that you drink alcohol because of her trauma with her alcoholic father. So one day, when you go to a party, she asks you -and warns you- not to drink too much if you did, you decide to ignore her request and get too drunk, to the point of passing out along with your friend in the middle of the dance floor. dance, they take you to the emergency doctor and call your girlfriend. She worries too much and when you woke up she was very angry with you.

Warnings: alcohol issues, vomiting, disciplinary caning,

-Marilyn is Marilyn, there is no Laurel Gates, but Marilyn does have a part of Laurel's personality _______________________________________________________

You were currently in the room you shared with your girlfriend, Marilyn, in the town of Jericó. In less than an hour you would have a party organized by one of your friends, you had your dress on but with the zipper down, you were putting on your makeup in front of the mirror and you could feel your girlfriend's gaze burn your back, you saw her face from the mirror and You could tell that she seemed a little worried.

"You look good," she said speaking for the first time since she entered the room, her tone a bit sharp, "Please...don't drink too much" she begged with a sigh.

Marilyn approached you and with her hand she zipped up your dress, you looked at her with desire, while you stopped putting on your makeup to stop to look at her more carefully.

"Why?" you asked confused as you turned around to face her.

"I just don't want you to drink too much.. that's all" she said cutting the subject off. You knew how difficult it was for Marilyn to express her fears due to her traumatic childhood, you understood, you just didn't really like her asking you for things without giving you a specific reason.

"Marilyn..." you begged "Tell me what you have..." you said.

She looked at you with her big brown eyes and shook her head, then backed away from you. "Just be responsible, darling..that's all, okay?" It was a request, not an order—although it did sound a bit like an order.

You nodded without saying a single word and when you saw your girlfriend leave the room you continued putting on your makeup, after a few minutes you finished getting ready and went down to the first floor but not before taking your bag, Marilyn was waiting for you to say goodbye with the door open.

Your friends were outside in the car waiting for you to go together, that seemed to reassure the redheaded woman a bit.

"See you in the morning, darling..." you said and she took you by the waist, pulling you towards her and kissed you passionately, you moaned at the speed of her action and you felt your face turn red with embarrassment when you realized that your friends loved them. they were watching carefully.

Marilyn released you and gave you a firm little spank, as she arched an eyebrow "Remember what I told you, honey...okay?", asked the redhead. "

Yes, ma'am..." you said rolling your eyes, she spanked you again and you had to bite your lip to suppress a cry,

“I'm serious, Y/N.” She spoke firmly giving you a warning look.

"Yes, yes... it's fine, I'll be responsible... don't worry Mary" you answered and she smiled goodbye.

You went to where your friends were and got into the car, they looked at you with a small smile on their faces.

"So…mommy is protective of you, huh?" one of your friends, Alisson, said with a proud smile.

"Shut up, Alisson" you said blushing a little.

"Your poor ass must be on fire, honey" your other friend who was next to you mocked.

"My ass is fine for you to kiss, but thanks for the concern" you said laughing at your black-haired friend.

In a few minutes they arrived at the party location, you sent Marilyn a message letting her know that you had arrived and greeted the rest of the guests and your friend who was organizing the party.

Shortly after they arrived the party started, there was music from the 80's and Rock n' roll, lots of colored lights and most importantly, lots of alcohol.

At first you had a few glasses of wine just to drink something, then your friends drank Vodka and you couldn't resist, you drank a lot of Vodka.

It was funny at first, the alcohol in your system made you laugh too much, then you couldn't stop anymore, you were dancing with Alisson and you felt a pang in your head, you were cold, your breathing was irregular and you saw two black dots in your eyes, which The last thing you saw was your friend picking you up as you fell, you passed out.

You weren't a person who drank a lot of alcohol, you rarely did, but when you did, you really drank.

Your friends were alarmed and the party stopped, Alisson carried you in her arms and together with the rest they took you to the nearest hospital, they called your girlfriend and she went there almost immediately.

....

You woke up and saw white lights above your head, your head hurt and your vision was a bit blurry, you felt a hand touch yours and you felt something being put on you, you suddenly got up and vomited, someone quickly gave you a bucket and you vomited again.

"S-shit" you said and you began to see better, you realized that you were in a hospital and that your girlfriend was next to you telling you with concern.

"Y/N!" She called out to you when she noticed you woke up.

"M-marilyn..w-what am I doing here?" you asked.

"You had an alcohol overdose and your friends had to bring you to the hospital, but that doesn't matter now, you should rest" she informed and you nodded silently.

Shit.

You went back to bed and within minutes you had fallen asleep again.

When you woke up again you didn't feel so bad, there was only a slight discomfort in your head and a little nausea, luckily for you, you were no longer in the hospital, now you were in your room in your house where you lived with your girlfriend with only your underwear on. Marilyn must have heard you wake up because she came in with a glass of water and a headache pill.

"I see you've already woken up." Marilyn's voice spoke, leaving the water and the pill on the table next to the bed.

"Yes..." you answered as you sat on the bed, she sat on the end of the bed next to you. "

You worried me so much..." she said and you felt a pang of guilt "I thought I lost you, you know" she said again, you hung your head in shame.

"S-sorry..." you said in an almost childish whisper.

"Y/N, I don't think you understand the gravity of your actions" scolded the redheaded woman raising her voice a little, you looked at her with glassy eyes "You could have died, your friends told me you drank too much just a few minutes after you arrived to the party, how could you be so irresponsible? I told you to take care of yourself and drink responsibly" his tone was firm and serious, he gave you a pang of pain and guilt at the end of each sentence.

"I'm sorry Marilyn... I didn't think it would hurt me so bad" you admitted and she scoffed.

"You didn't eat anything before you drank alcohol, it's no surprise that happened to you. My father was an alcoholic, I suffered a lot as a child because of it, he died of an overdose after my brother was murdered and my mother committed suicide. ."she blinked back tears. "I've already lost my entire family...I can't lose you too, Y/N..." she sobbed and hugged herself.

"I'm sorry.. I'm really sorry, I didn't want to worry you.. I didn't mean to.." you hugged her, shedding your own tears.

"I'm so mad at you..." she spoke wiping away her tears with her hand "Y/N please go to my dresser and get my wooden brush" she ordered herself firmly.

You knew what was coming, you sighed, your girlfriend was going to punish you like a little girl, she had never spanked you, she just gave you some playful spanks and threatened to put you on her knees when you misbehaved, but she never did.

"Yes, ma'am" you said and obediently got up to look for the wooden object, you went to her dresser and opened one of the drawers to then take the wooden brush in your hands.

Closing the drawer, you went to where Marilyn was and handed her the brush, she took it from your hands and you looked down with shame while still standing in front of her.

"On my knees darling, now," she commanded, and you trembled.

You got on her knees, trying to stay calm so as not to make the punishment worse.

"It'll be twenty with your panties on and then I'll take them off and spank you on your bare ass about fifteen more times, honey. You can take my ankle if you're comfortable, if you don't tell me now and I can give you a pillow to hug, I won't let you kick, I don't want you to cover yourself with your hands, you'll accept your punishment like the good girl you are, yes, honey? I know you'll do well" she said and you nodded. "

Yes, Marilyn..." you answered and she gave you a small smile.

Marilyn gently caressed your ass with her hands, reassuring you and adjusting the brush, she gave you a strong spanking on your left cheek, then she gave two on your other cheek, making you jump a little.

"I'm sorry Marilyn..." you said between sobs.

"I know, baby... I know" the redhead spoke.

She caressed your hair and began to spank you and you jumped little by the sting, she gave ten more blows leaving your butt a dark red and took the waistband of your panties with her hand and pulled them down to leave your ass completely exposed, you felt the cold air on your bare skin and your girlfriend's hand caressing your back, ten slaps on your thighs and you knew your butt would hurt for a few days, the last five were given firmly and you shed a few tears, from the attempt to move your legs your panties had fallen to the floor. When the redhead finished I lift you up putting you in front of her and wipe your tears.

"You did so well, darling..." she said softly and you felt your heart warm at her words.

You wanted to give her a hug but she stopped you, you frowned in confusion.

"We're not done yet, honey.. I want you to stand in the corner looking at the wall, you will think about how you will apologize and when your time out is over you will tell me what you thought" indicated the redhead.

"Can I at least take my panties?" you asked pleadingly.

"No. I want to see your marks" she said and you nodded with a breath.

You stood in the corner of the room and felt exposed, your cheeks were red at the thought that your girlfriend had just spanked you like a little girl across her knee and now you were in a time out.

You thought about how to apologize and after what seemed like centuries, Marilyn called you to come to her.

"What do you have to say, Y/N?" the brown eyed woman asked you.

"I'm sorry, Marilyn... I shouldn't have drunk like that and put my life at risk, I'm sorry for worrying you... I won't do it again... I promise" you said in a low tone and she got up to hug you, you were only a few inches shorter than her but her hugs were warm and maternal, you leaned on her chest and she caressed your hair and then kissed you on the forehead.

"All is forgiven, darling.." she said smiling.

"I love you, Marilyn..." you said.

"I love you too, Y/N" she answered the redhead giving you a kiss on her lips.

.

.

.

@marilynthornhill @marilyntthornhill @missthornhills

@cursedbambii @karlaestrella @litlmaximoff @laszlo-writes

what did you think dear?????

[narratingvoice]

Ahh, autumn. The days are getting shorter, the winds colder, and smell of pumpkin spice is in the air. Do you know what that means?

That's right! Awards season is just around the corner!

Now is the time of year that industry leaders will be deciding on the nominations for The Game Awards, the biggest video game ceremony in North America. I've created a little slide show to appeal to the jury and present them with the positives of The Stanley Parable, in the hopes that they will nominate it in each of the categories for which it is eligible. Am I being self-aggrandizing? Yes, I am, and I'm not ashamed of it. When it comes to your own artwork, you can't afford to be humble. Toot your own horn. Rest on your laurels. Be your own biggest fan, for if you don't, who will? You can't just hope other people will send praises your way, you have to put yourself out there and stand proud!

I include here a plain text version of my presentation under the cut.

Slide 1: Shows an image of the logo for The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe, followed by the words "For Your Consideration" in a fancy script font, and finally the logo for The Game Awards.

Slide 2: Accolades

[image: a tasteful monochrome photo of Stanley's office]

10/10 - Destructoid

5 Stars - Gameshub

10/10 - Noisy Pixel

9/10 - IGN

88% - PC Gamer

90% - Metacritic

“Don’t sleep on this instant classic.” - Ars Technica

“The smartest, silliest game of the year” - Kotaku

“I think the narrator is a really nice guy and is not long winded nor does he drone on.” - Steam user treblefanatic

“This game is the best… game.” - Steam user Cookie9 (probably)

Slide 3: Best Performance

The Narrator as Themself, and The Bucket

Hours of new audio performance by me, much of it improvised in reaction to the player’s actions

Revolutionary new recording techniques (using an old mic) to create the illusion that it’s 2013 again

In addition to my usual role, I also voiced the fan favourite new character The Bucket

Please do not nominate the bucket. The bucket is not an actor. It’s an inanimate object. I know a lot of people are treating it like it can talk but that’s really just me talking. See that’s how good an actor I am, I fooled everyone.

Slide 4: Best Performance, Continued

Stanley as Himself

While I do the bulk of the work, the story would be nothing without its main character. Stanley continues to make choices that challenge and redefine the notion of what a video game narrative can be. There is something deeply wrong with him and that should be celebrated. 

The Adventure Line™ as Itself™

A minor role, but one worth noting. The Line™ once again delivered a stunning performance, this time opposite newcomer The Bucket Destroyer. As they say in Hollywood, there are no small parts when You™ are infinite in length. 

Slide 5: Best Narrative

Written by The Narrator

Contains the entire script from the original, critically acclaimed Stanley Parable

New Content expands and fleshes out the game in surprising and creative ways, all of which were totally positive for me 

The Stanley Parable 2 is a fully realized sequel that transforms the original into a profound new experience, like grapes turning into a fine wine. But also the grapes are still there if you don’t like wine. So really there’s something for everyone. 

Story that speaks to the universal human experience of being trapped in an office building for all eternity

Slide 6: Best Direction

Directed by The Narrator

New and exciting gameplay features that audiences all over the world have praised as “absolutely working as intended”

Tight, compact level design that gets players from plot point to plot point in record time, with no fluff or padding

Literally infinite gameplay (gameplay consists of falling in a hole infinitely)

New character creation lets you become the office worker of your dreams (NOTE TO SELF: delete this bullet if I don’t manage to implement this in the next patch)

Slide 7: Best Indie Game

Alright. Geoff Keighley, I am speaking directly to you now. The Stanley Parable was nominated in this category in 2013, and I lost to Gone Home. Which is fine, as it’s an admirable game, and I do not hold grudges easily. But let me ask you this: if Gone Home is so great, then where is Gone Home: Ultra Deluxe? It doesn’t exist. The Fullbright Company abandoned their baby to go make some other games. That’s the difference between them and me, Geoff. I stay true to my vision. I continue updating it because I care about the fans and the legacy. It’s my turn, Geoffrey. 

Slide 8: Game of the Year

It is for all of the above reasons that I humbly submit that The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe should be nominated for Game of the Year. Yes, I know remakes are usually ineligible for this, but this is so much more than a simple remake! It’s a sequel, a re-imagining, a critique of its predecessor, and a brand new commentary on the state of the industry, all rolled into one. It’s the ultimate gaming experience.

[image: an animated gif of a game controller with buttons being pushed]

Slide 9: Says "Thanks for watching my presentation!!!" with an emoji of a face wearing sunglasses. This is followed by clip art of a boy playing a video game.

[cdmagic1408]

(click for better quality!! DO NOT STEAL!!)

Whew! I managed to draw this in spare time between my busy college classes and right before boarding the plane to LA 😅 ⬆️

But anyway…

✨ Happy 2nd Anniversary Onward!!! ✨

Chantar's Talon! What can I say that I haven't already said?

I guess I'll start with who would've thought I'd still be attached to this movie two years later?!

Yet here I am and I am not sorry at all 😎

I love Ian and Barley so much, their brotherhood is beautiful on so many levels, and their world is absolutely awesome! 😍

Having said that, I think it's pretty safe to say that Onward has become my absolute favorite animated movie of all time, and my ultimate comfort film!

But it's also so much more than that...

Onward is inspiring, relatable, funny, and magical. But let me emphasize on why it is ✨ inspiring ✨...

I've always been shy, introverted, and afraid to put myself out there to people and to share what I like with them. But Ian's journey to be bold has inspired me to be more bold too! ✊

First by writing and publishing a 33-chapter fanfic continuation of his and Barley's story from where it left off, then creating this blog and sharing it with you guys, and finally having the guts and confidence to advertise this story across my college campus!

And having done all of that, I feel great! 😄

I love being here, I love this fandom, and I love you Quest Masters! I love coming here everyday and getting to share my love and my thoughts on this film with all of you!

I've loved movies and shows on a die-hard level before but this is really the first fandom I've ever truly been a part of

I became an active member of the Onward fandom just about six months ago but before that I was sorta incognito, writing IYTM undercover hoping to prove myself and share something great and authentic with you all ✍️

But now I am happy and proud to be out here, to support you guys, to have done my part, and to continue doing my part to help keep this film's legacy alive because I think it is super important

Not only to help it receive the same amount of credit as other beloved Pixar films do, but also because I feel represented by this film 🎖

I haven't really said this yet but sometimes I turn to Onward because certain days in college, I just miss my family: my mom and my sister, my Laurel and my Barley.

I miss having all three of us together in the same house, and when my sister and I went to school together. And sometimes I wish I could go back and relive those days again... 😔

But I feel so lucky to spend Onward's anniversary week with them both in LA this week! A family reunion! And I can't wait to spend it with all of you today! 😃

I guess to wrap things up, over my winter break a couple months ago I managed to find my movie ticket from when I saw Onward for the first time in theaters back on March 9th, 2020! 🎞 🤩

I'm so glad I still have it as it marked the beginning of something truly great! But I also see it as a memory of how things were before COVID hit. I genuinely don't know when things will go back to normal (that is Pixar movies going back to theaters...) but I'm grateful I have this movie to bring me a smile on my face everyday 😊

So thank you all for loving Onward as much as I do and for believing in it. Because I still believe in it and I hope to keep believing in it for years to come ✨

[love-your-enthusiasm]

1, 15 and 27 c:

I will apologize in advance because I am physically incapable of short answers.

1. Favorite fic you wrote this year?

I am actually decently proud of all of the fics I wrote this year, but I think my favorite of the bunch is probably the last one I posted, Small Things. I wrote it to relax and take a break from banging my head against the metaphorical wall trying to figure out a satisfying way to get from plot point A to plot point B in my spooky fic (which I still like and will finish!) and I just really let myself lean into the self-indulgence on this one, and I think it turned out pretty darn good because of that. It's warm and cozy and comforting. And there's a recipe for some really fucking good tortellini in the notes at the end.

15. Something you learned this year?

I have another ask for 15 as well, so I shall divide my answer between them, because I've learned A LOT, both on the "things I learned from researching for fics" side and the "things I've learned about myself/writing" side. As mentioned in my answer to #1, I learned to not be afraid to lean into self-indulgence in writing, and in fact, what I write often turns out a little richer when I do. I'm not a professional writer, and I probably never will be. I'm doing this for fun, and ultimately writing the kinds of stories I want to read.

Another thing I learned, equally useful if not as immediately relevant, is how to check and change the spark plug on a late 60s model Vespa. You just never know when you're going to be stranded in Italy with a vintage Vespa that just won't go, ya know?

27. Favorite fanfic author of the year?

Oh, this one is a hard one. There are so many authors I've read this year that made me alternately want to 1) lay prone on my couch like a fragile Victorian wife as tears slip silently down my cheeks, or 2) scream about how good the tension and yearning is between the characters. Best I can do is top five. @soup-du-silence comes to mind, because once in a while, "In Your Atmosphere" by John Mayer will come up on my playlist (I know, okay?) and I'll hear Alberto scream "I'm not fucking contagious!" and it takes all of my strength to not just dissolve into a puddle of tears on the spot (dangerous while driving; do not recommend). Also @annie-mantic and @jofngve because the way they're writing Luca and Alberto's characters and relationship in "But First, Coffee" has run away with my last braincell. And @bobtheacorn is always incredible and has just posted the first chapter of "crowned with laurels" and I haven't gotten to read it yet and I'm just about to go feral over it. And someday @curioserwrites will finish telling us about Alberto cleaning his room and having a meltdown.

Ugh, sorry, I think (and by think I mean know) I've cheated on the rule of favorites. Looks like I've just changed the question and turned it into "who are the first five authors you subscribed to on AO3 this year?" There are still more I've loved reading and subscribed to, and I honestly can't pick when there are so many fantastic authors giving us such wonderful food. If you think this is bad, you should witness me trying to decide on actual dinner.

[decennia]

Ok I just gave up catching up on my dash full stop because Clementine and George and Wildest Dreams got my brain like this:

I feel I desperately need to make an OC for George but he is YOUR precious lol

So instead while I'm here, give me and I mean GIVE all your George and Clementine headcanon

SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG I WAS FINISHING UP SOME GIFS ✨

First things first, that image lives in my mind rent free.

Second things second, please create an OC for George holy shit please yes?! George has already been romantically (or at least sexually, because Sable is a hoe) linked to Ellis Grant from @chlobenet (nothing ever came of it, George developed an infatuation and was perpetually rebuffed by our Lord and Saviour Miss Grant), @perfectlystiles' Laurel Chase, and @randomestfandoms-ocs' Reese Masrani. It is my goal to accumulate enough George Cassidy romantic interests that I can make a Wives of Henry the Eighth edit, so literally go nuts. Everyone, Create An OC To Thirst Over George Cassidy Challenge!

The best thing about George and the other Corpsemen is that the only thing that makes them Jurassic World OCs is that they happen to be hired there. It is by no means their entire story, and although they've been around for literally three days (?!) I keep thinking of more and more things about them and I keep building their backstories to the point where dinosaurs are literally the least craziest thing they've experienced.

If I were to sum up Clem and George's relationship in a gif, though:

(This got hella out of hand so keep reading under the cut if you want to know more about George and Clementine.)

A brief history on George "Sable" Cassidy and Clementine "Calico" Roscoe:

He is known as "George" to his friends, and "Cassidy" to his enemies. "Sable" when he's on the job, and "hers" when they're alone.

But it wasn't always like that. I'm not going to bore you with the details about George's fatherless upbringing, or his reasons for joining the British military, or how he'd always been a bit of a troubled kid. Where his story really begins is when he directly disobeys orders and murders the military hostages who were responsible for the attack on his unit. He is dishonourably discharged, and is sent back to the U.K. to await trial for murder and treason.

He manages an escape and goes dark; during which time, Clementine Roscoe, an agent at Interpol, is assigned his case. Unfortunately, after a year of searching (one close call where he was literally within breathing distance of Roscoe ) and a thousand too many mistaken sightings after that, the case goes cold, and she is assigned another case, one which results in the death of her entire family.

Clementine resigns from her position after she is denied leave to pursue the murderers, and spends the next few years methodically hunting down and executing the list of people she knew to be responsible. It was enough to impress Malcolm Drake, who located and recruited her into the Corpse Corporals (aka Gucci Suicide Squad).

All this time, Cassidy had been residing in Southern Africa, making a hefty living as a poacher under ever-changing pseudonyms (I had to make y'all understand that Sable is a bad man but y'all be forgiving Tom for murder and incest so here we are but honestly did it even work because here I am, being fooled, alongside you 😭). He runs a pretty decent operation, also dabbling in the smuggling of weaponry, and he lives a comfortable life. That is, until he is betrayed by his business partners (a brother-sister duo, FCs Megan Fox and Aidan Turner? Idk, still debating) and pushed out of the business under threat of death.

He is rescued by Malcolm, who has managed to track him down, and in exchange for his life spared, he agrees to work for Malcolm. His reunion with Clem is incredibly tense, with both of them pulling their guns on each other and refusing to work together. Malcolm snaps some sense into them (that, and the sum of the payload which had so many 0's added to the end, you couldn't be sure what the number really was other than "a lot") and they swallow their pride and work together.

They would continue to work together as Calico and Sable for the years to come, and when I say it is a slow burn, I do mean THE SLOWEST OF THE SLOW. But there is definitely a fuck ton of sexual tension thrown in there for angst, and a couple of near brushes with death (hazard of the job, really).

George is a prolific man whore, and he's bisexual and proud. So Clem has gotten used to an endless slew of people of all genders cumming coming and going from his hotel room, especially during the long cons where the Corpsemen go deep undercover for months at a time (Hector doesn't come on those jobs, he's got a family to worry about. He taps out at a month, max, if he doesn't get to leave to see his family).

George Cassidy is not a man who is used to not getting what he wants, but Clementine Roscoe is the only exception to that rule. He has come to view her as "unobtainable," this irreverent forbidden thing that he must not ruin. By the time the heat of their mutual hate had dissipated, it had turned into a friendship, and although there was an undeniable electric tension between them, they have never done anything about it. But it has that "will definitely be the best sex of your life" kinda energy.

They fight quite a lot, and disagree on almost everything. Have they tried to kill each other? Oh, absolutely. But they're also professionals, and although Clementine and George may be going at it, it never bothers Malcolm, because he knows that Calico and Sable will put those differences aside and do the damn job.

Clem only involves herself in George's sex life when it comes to people who she considers friends. She has the warnings already mentally scripted, because the thing about George Cassidy is that he cares about no one but himself, and nothing but his holy trinity: blood, money, and sex. He's an emotionally devoid sociopath at the best of times, and at the worst, he's a well oiled and dangerous killing machine.

He is not a good man, Clementine knows, but sometimes, you don't want a good man.

I have a gifset in store involving the two of them, and I'm busy compiling a list of headcanons as we speak. If you want, I can tag you in it :)

But this is everything about their past and a bit of their present, so if you want to create an OC please do and tag me so I can write up a crossover and make some gifs 💕

(And before anyone comes for me, yes, I am aware of the fact that George "Sable" Cassidy is a very toxic and fucking despicable man, I created him, and I made him that way. I am not condoning his actions, nor would I want to be in a relationship with him in real life, but this is fiction. It is not meant to be taken seriously, if you don't like my hot mercenary boyfriend, then please unfollow me, because he is my current obsession, and I cannot promise that I will not be thirsting for him on my TL at any and all hours).