#Lots of fun eyes snuck into her design

[cookie-nom-nom]

[chocostrwberry]

Nathalie Sancoeur!! The one on the right is just an alt design I was playing with. Ft. Faceless Gabriel!

More info below!!

I made her more monochrome because the Agreste family is very black-and-white, so I made her basically fit their house and their sense of style. It would also be interesting to see how Marinette collides with Adrien’s world; she also wants to be a fashion designer, but her projects are very fun and odd and non-traditional. She also puts lots of care and love into hand-making all of it, contrasting to his father who just approves and doesn’t approve designs. So she unconsciously represents him leaving his prison/comfort zone and experiencing something new and unfamiliar!!

Side fact: The mint green undershirt he’s wearing in his redesign wasn’t part of the originally planned outfit; it was supposed to be just the grey pants and the black polo. But he wanted to wear his favorite color (green) for the first day of school so he snuck it in, and Nathalie allowed it.

Bonus: Nathalie with black eyes and a more “plum” color palette

[fatuismooches]

about reader and dottore having a child, i love imagining some lost agents being so terrified of our little sweetheart (bc look at him, he has the genes of a monster) but then being so shocked when he whipped up the brightest smile in all of teyvat (although if you ask him and dottore yours is brighter, like a sun compared to a star) and started happily leading them to their designated lap and segment

our little baby having some of readers birthmarks would be so cute, or like the hair is a little more like yours texture-wise, the eyes are way softer looking and has more of a spark... yk the tiniest detail only you and dottore would notice

speaking of that hehe imagining the sweetheart has the looks of your husband but the personality of you, you could get this boy to do so many things to dottore without many(- to none) questions. like idk, teasing him for yours but then you fall asleep on your hubby so your son takes over, using puppy eyes when you want attention bc double the cuteness turned out to be more effective... i have too many ideas and i almost feel bad for dottore now

but yeah just you and your precious son annoying your husband because you're both bored of sitting in bed all day

also some of the harbingers who don't really know you finding out years after your son was born is so funny to me for like no reason

like arlie not wanting a dottore segment around her children but he's also related to you so he wouldn't dare hurt any of them

a lot of agents would find out with rumors or being unlucky and put in a lap with a segment and him, then talking to the sweetheart and not being as scared (kind of)

some of the harbingers probably ended up finding out by the many things their agents "whisper" about

but childe, columbina, pantalone, the grandpa(im so sorry i cant remember his name), and then ofc pierro and her majesty Tsaritsa knew already. tsaritsa and pierro because i guess they kind of have to or they yk can tell. the rest was there while you(/something??) was pregnant for reasons. also childe (+ pantalone) is the uncle despite poor zandik trying to not let it happen, but he's good at the children thing, so he will let it slide (you threatened to not kiss him or any segment for two days, zandy would be spared dw)

i would also give you name ideas but my brain is dull and stopped working so meh

how dare you give him the illness even though it makes sense :<

-Luv ya

There are many things you can encounter in the Doctor's lab, being the place of research it is, but the most unbelievable thing is the little child that oddly resembles Lord Dottore that one can find wandering about sometimes (correction: that has somehow escaped from the watchful gaze of his parents.) Any agent that encounters this little guy always pauses in shock for a good few moments, watching the little blue-haired boy smile a smile as blinding as the sun, before whipping out the Fatui's Handbook to learn how to proceed with this matter. Needless to say, it is imperative for one to know how to deal with this situation - this is the Lord Harbinger, the Doctor, Il Dottore's child after all.

The child having Dottore's looks and your personality is the best combination you could ask for. Uncle Pantalone and Auntie Columbina have so, so much fun with your son, telling him the most ridiculous stories about his father, which your son repeats to Dottore, making the scientist want to end his two co-workers immediately. You do nothing to stop the show. Of course, you only make it worse. Needless to say, Dottore is absolutely tired of you two, but he loves you both so there's nothing he can really do other than scold you and then dispel his son's questions.

Dottore would keep the matter as private as possible, but that's kind of impossible considering how curious his kid grows to be (snuck out multiple times, landed in the House of the Hearth once, walked into one of the Captain's training sessions - he has a knack for riling things up, much like how you did a long time ago.) Despite the majority of people having... certain feelings toward the Doctor, well, at the very least they had to congratulate you. (Why would you ever raise a kid with him?) (Childe giving you the best advice ever about dealing with kids while Dottore stares daggers at him because you kicked him out...)

(I love Dadttore sm...)

[chlobliviate]

Wolfstar Microfics - Drama

Words: 668

@wolfstarmicrofic

***

“Did you see the cast list?" James was practically vibrating as Sirius took a final drag on his cigarette outside the school gates.

“Yeah, you and Evans? I give it a week before she smacks you or drops out.” Sirius said sharply. “Did you see some new kid got Pete’s part?”

“It was never Pete’s part, Pads. That was wishful thinking. The boy can’t sing to save his life. He only auditioned because you threatened him.”

Sirius huffed, “I thought it would be a fun bonding thing for our last year. We’d be Sam, Bill, and Harry and it would be magical.”

“Well now we’re Sam and Bill and the set designer and that’s probably good. Nobody needs Pete singing Our Last Summer. They’d be wishing it was their last summer.” James clapped his friend on the shoulder, “So what do you know about the new kid?”

“Nothing, I don’t think I’ve ever even seen him. I’ve heard the girls talking about him, though.” Sirius added, “Maybe you need to watch him around Evans.”

“Nah, I’d know if she fancied someone.”

“You think?” Sirius laughed. “Come on, we’re late for rehearsal.”

They snuck into the auditorium just as the head of drama, Professor McGonagall was starting her speech. Sirius caught Marlene’s eye and gave a little wave, she stuck her tongue out in response. He looked around for this mysterious new kid. What was his name? Lupin? He saw someone sitting next to Lily that he didn’t recognise, but couldn’t tell much from the back of his head.

When McGonagall was done, she announced that they’d be working on Voulez Vous as an introductory number as it featured everyone. She split them up into Sopranos, Altos, Tenors, and Basses and it was then that Sirius saw the new kid for the first time.

James nudged him after a couple of seconds, “Move, you prick.” Sirius turned to look at him, eyes wide, before he shook himself out of it, because Remus Lupin, new kid, was bloody gorgeous. Light brown hair fell in curls across his head, green eyes with long lashes, and a nose that most people would probably argue was slightly too big for his face. Several scars decorated the left side of his face, one cutting through his full lips.

He looked at Sirius and smiled shyly as James pushed Sirius across the room to where the tenors and basses were grouped. “You must be Remus!” James said. “I’m—”

“James Potter and Sirius Black,” Remus cut in, in a surprisingly deep voice. “Your reputation precedes you.” He ran his eyes up and down Sirius before focusing back on James. “Anyway, it’s good to meet you, I guess we’ll be spending a lot of time together.”

“Good to meet you too, mate. Is this tenor or bass?” James looked around. “I’m in the wrong place. See you later Pads. Nice to meet you, Remus.”

James, the traitor, left Sirius alone with Remus in the group of only five basses. He was having trouble forming words, so he just smiled at him.

“Alright?” Remus asked, “Lils made it seem like you never shut up, and now I don’t know if I can believe her about anything.”

“Nah, Evans is alright.” Sirius blurted out. “Uh, long day.” He shrugged. “So you’re new?”

“Started in January.” Remus smiled. “So, new-ish. I think I know my way around now at least.”

“Well, you can always ask me if you get lost.” Sirius cringed internally, What the fuck was he saying? “I mean, James and I know a few shortcuts.”

Remus’ left eyebrow raised slightly, “Shortcuts?”

“Yeah, like, there's a corridor between the science block and the drama department that’s supposedly closed off but…” He grinned, “It’s still accessible and might save you five whole minutes.”

“Five minutes in a secret corridor, huh?” Remus smirked at him and Sirius’ brain short-circuited. He was very grateful for McGonagall calling for quiet so she could start teaching the individual parts. He was so fucked.

[fuzzygraphics]

Now for the patrons! (Two of which aren’t technically patrons yet, but shh)

Angel Dust

I wanted to go hot pink for Angel, just because it’s his color. My main focus was making his spider design more clear, as a lot of people struggled reading him as spider. I thought it would be fun to give him a literal “cross-dress” since he’s into drag!

One side is a classic suit with spider-web design and the other is a cocktail dress

I gave him four eyes, 3 on one side 1 on the other

Sir Pentious

I like Pentious’ design a lot, but I don’t like the flat face 😭

So I gave him a more snake snout!

My main tweaks to his design are coloration, leaning more towards the yellows in his design so that the red has a sharp contrast. I also gave him robotic arms since well…snakes don’t have arms. Maybe he had arms in life and being a snake is a way of penitence, like “do no evil” sort of thing.

Cherri Bomb

Okay now I know her name is Cherri and I got rid of the red…BUT

The punk scene was a huge part of Australian culture in the 80s, and I feel like Cherri is the perfect candidate for an alt-punk aesthetic.

And I ended up making her a space alien. I found a lot of scene culture overlaps with alt and punk, and I feel like Cherri is the type to want to emulate that “men fear me, kids look up to me” look. Besides, she is named after a punk song!

Mimzy

Okay so my main gripe with mimzy’s design is that it doesn’t really fit with the others at all. She feels more like a BG character than someone who will be reoccurring. So I basically wanted to make her design more. I read somewhere she was meant to be based on birds? But I can’t really confirm whether or not that’s true. I ran with it anyway!

I sort of took features from a lot of different song birds, she doesn’t have any goetia connections, but I imagine she’s snuck into their parties at least once.

[nerdasaurus1200]

At last, it’s Argonaut time!!

First off naturally, the stars of the show, Jason and Medea. I tried to give Jason a bit of a peacock color scheme to reflect Hera since he’s her champion. With really shiny and colorful armor both to reflect his prince status and also how much of a showboat he is and how he views himself as a heroic golden boy. Medea, I used mostly purple to reflect her magic and royal status, with just a dash of red to reflect how bloody her story is. And I gave her a cat because why not? I heard somewhere that cats are vaguely connected to Hecate so it felt fitting.

And of course, the Dioscuri Pollux and Castor. I tried hard to really lean into the young Spartan boy aspect while also making them close enough that you can’t really tell them apart from a distance. OSP on youtube inspired some of their physical features- with Pollux having lighter hair, blue eyes, and lightning marks to reflect his demigod status while Castor looks a little more human.

Next, Meleager and Caeneus! I imagine they both step in as leader of the Argonauts when Jason isn’t around. Meleager was fun but a little difficult cause I wanted him to look heroic but also simple. Caeneus was a such a blast as I was digging into his mythology to figure out his design. I tried to make him look a little androgynous but mostly masculine. You’ll notice I snuck the trans pride flag into his outfit.

And the three teenage stooges- Hercules, Atalanta, and Orpheus. They’re probably among the youngest of the Argonauts. Because I’m a disney girl at heart I made Hercules look very close to his disney counterpart. This new version Atalanta was fun cause I wanted her to look like she’s kind of at a level 1 compared to my first design for her. And since Orpheus is a musician and half Muse I tried to make his outfit really flashy, kinda like a circus performer.

Next up is Hippomenes and Eurydice! Now I couldn’t find any concrete source saying they were for sure on the Argo but somehow Hippomenes was there according to some source. And the idea of Eurydice being there too is just too wholesome not to include. Plus more women is never a bad thing.

For Hippomenes since in my headcanons he also grew up isolated into the woods like Atalanta, I wanted to parallel that by also dressing him in brown. I also made him a little bit of a beanpole cause I like to think he was kinda the “weakling/runt” of Chiron’s students.

Eurydice was super fun cause her being a nymph, I wanted to make her look really flowy and unique. To reflect her being a field nymph I put her in a really bright almost flower-like red. And turns out she’s Apollo’s daughter, so I made her a deer nymph since that’s one of his sacred animals.

And finally Laertes, Odysseus’s father and the resident Dad Friend of the Argo. In the Epic fandom I tend to see a lot of people dress Odysseus and/or Telemachus in blue, so I thought it’d be fitting if Laertes is part of that pattern. Like Meleager I tried to make him look a little simple and humble, but a lot more weathered.

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Hi! Can I ask for Kid! Reader spending time with the ror fam during Christmas Eve and day? The gifts, making cookies for Santa(as reader still believes in Santa, nobody shall tell them the truth yet..) ,the decorations ,and just the cute Christmas vibe in general.

-This was your first Christmas ever! You had been adopted by your massive family early in the year and they helped you grow and heal and just let you be the adorable five-year-old you were.

-Before you met your wonderful family, you had never heard of Christmas before, something that did worry many of those in your family, but they were intent on making this the best Christmas ever for you!!

-Wearing cozy sweaters with funny designs was the first thing you did on Christmas Eve, getting a matching one with Loki with gingerbread men on them, before going downstairs where Eve and Hades were making pancakes for breakfast.

-Ares and Buddha couldn’t help but grin, presenting you with a hot chocolate with a mound of whipped cream, sprinkles, a cookie stick, and a gingerbread cookie on top, you nearly blinded them with the sparkles in your eyes.

-You looked at Adam, “Can I really have a cookie with my breakfast?” He grinned, ruffling your hair as Loki grinned, “It’s Christmas Eve- it’s a day to breaking all the rules when it comes to sweets!”

-You gaped up at him as Adam laughed, snapping a picture as you enjoyed your pancakes and hot chocolate, sitting with your family as they talked about all the activities they were going to with you today.

-You got to go out and play in the snow, build a snowman with Lu Bu and Hercules, Nikola took you sledding which was a little scary at first, but once at the bottom you beamed, “Again!”

-When you started to shiver you were brought back inside and your eyes went huge, seeing that those who didn’t go outside had put up all the decorations and the tree, the lights sparkling brightly, “Wow- this is so pretty!”

-Poseidon was holding onto the star as he waved you over, giving it to you before he picked you up, “Put it on the top.” You did as you were told and you beamed, feeling so happy, hugging Poseidon close, making him give you a tiny smile.

-Brunnhilde and the other Valkyries kidnapped you, along with Eve, Aphrodite, and Shiva’s wives, and the put an apron on you and you got to help them make more gingerbread, lots of gingerbread, as Eve told you that everyone was going to get to make gingerbread men and help decorate a gingerbread house.

-You had so much fun, Eve held the bowl while you mixed, and soon the whole house smelled of baked goods. You snuck a few tastes and Durga grinned, “Y/N?” You grinned holding your hands over your mouth to hide your grin which made her giggle.

-You sat with Hermes and Jack to decorate your gingerbread man, Hermes creating beautiful artwork on his and Jack making his look exactly like him which you loved.

-As night fell you got bundled up and put on Thor’s shoulders, everyone following after as you all went out to look at the lights outside, seeing all the houses decorated, but your smile was the brightest thing of all.

-Once at home you made preparations, grabbing your binoculars and carrot sticks, ready to stay up to watch for Santa, as you wanted to say hi to him and pet his reindeer.

-You made it about twenty minutes before you passed out on the couch.

-Adam held you close, carrying you upstairs and putting you to bed, smiling down at you, wishing you a Merry Christmas.

-When you woke up the next morning, being the last one to do so, you cried out in anguish, “I fell asleep!” you ran downstairs and found your family waiting for you and instantly Hades took a photo of your shocked face, seeing everyone there, all wearing cozy sweaters, all with hot chocolate with Eve holding one for you, and a huge pile of presents for everyone.

-You held the bottom of your shirt as tears welled in your eyes, overwhelmed with happiness as Hercules and Jack came to comfort you, but Jack was smiling, as he could see that you were so happy.

-You opened your presents, finding new clothes, new toys, and lots of picture books, which you adored and the rest of the day was spent with the various members of your family, reading with them and spending Christmas with them all.

-It was your best Christmas ever!!

[taruchinator]

🐠 Teen Audiences

🐠 1.2k Words

🐠 Day 6 | Mistaken Identity for @flufftober!

When Queen Nethimir told Siren that Kappa needed his help, the shark prince's instincts kicked in and he was swimming to the speed of light toward potential danger. That is until he arrived at the designated location and felt nothing but confusion at what he saw.

There in the middle of the cave was his boyfriend, happily blabbing away and clinging to Mono and Mucku, who both did their best to keep him steady and prevent him from falling over.

“Do I wanna know what's going on here?”

Ladies and gents, I'm so happy to get to do this wonderful prompt today, not just for my Flufftober run, but also as part of the Webtoon Appreciation Exchange! 💖

Castle Swimmer is probably the first Webtoon I ever came across, so it holds a dear and special place in my heart. Hopefully my giftee likes it!

“He's in here…”

When Queen Nethimir told Siren that Kappa needed his help, the shark prince's instincts kicked in and he was swimming to the speed of light toward potential danger, leaving the Octalia behind.

Once he arrived at the designated location however, his adrenaline wore off and his eyebrows furrowed in slight confusion.

There in the middle of the cave was his boyfriend, happily blabbing away and clinging to Mono and Mucku, who both did their best to keep him steady and prevent him from falling over. The giggles that erupted from the Beacon were ones Siren had never heard before, and the confusion inside him only multiplied by tenfold.

Nethimir only let out a sigh as she rubbed her temples in frustration. “I guess I should've started with the fact that all things considered, he's fine.”

Siren finally turned to the Queen of the Octalia. “Do I wanna know what's going on?”

“He's been stressed out of his mind lately. Don't think I need to tell you that, I'm sure you've noticed.” Nethimir began her explanation as calmly as possible as she eyed her two companions, still desperately trying to keep the young merman from smashing into a wall. “So Mucku suggested an old Octalian brew that Mono and I taught her a few months back. Guess she forgot about its… tipsy properties when too much is ingested at once.”

After giving him another look over, Siren indeed noticed the strange behavior akin to that of his own mother when she indulged in a few drinks of Ale—lack of body coordination, glassy eyes, slurred speech, and lots of laughing. Or in Kappa's case it was more like snorting. Which Siren found incredibly adorable, but that's besides the point.

“He started crying when he realized you weren't here, so I figured you'd be able to calm him down. Maybe even get him to go to sleep so this can all pass…” The Octalia Queen gave him a sympathetic look; one the shark prince still wasn't used to receiving from the group of ‘evil witches’.

Still, he knew none of them had meant Kappa any harm. With a reassuring smile, he turned toward the trio with determination in his eyes. “It's okay. Thank you for always looking out for him. I'll take it from here.”

With a hum, Nethimir swam her way to Mono, who looked incredibly relieved to see that the cavalry had arrived. It made Siren chuckle at the display.

“Siiiiiren!”

“O-Oof!”

In the mere seconds he took his eyes off him, Kappa had somehow snuck his way to the shark's side, squeezing him firmly against his side with force he didn't know he had. Giggles erupted past his lips while snuggling to his side. “You caaaame! Neth said she was gonna get you but it took forevah!”

The shark merely let out a soft chuckle as he reached for the brunet's soft locks. Kappa hummed under his touch and leaned into it. It reminded Siren of Arp and that image alone was enough to make his stomach flutter. “I see you've been having fun. Still, I think it's time we hit the hay—big day tomorrow, remember?”

“Awww, but you JUST got here! Do we gotta?” A pair of puppy eyes were sent in his direction, and Siren had to remind himself that he was the responsible one at the moment, and that Kappa most definitely needed rest.

“Yes, we have to. We can cuddle all you want, though! Worm can even be by our fins to keep us warm.”

At the comment, Kappa's expression shifted to one of pure mischief. The kind he knew all too well when his boyfriend had some rather… unholy intentions in mind. “I can think of another way or two to stay warm…”

Siren's ears instantly lit aflame, but he coughed into his hand to try and hide the clear embarrassment in his face. “L-Lets just go…”

With that, the shark prince dragged a giggling Kappa away from the cave, waving the Octalia goodnight and silently thanking them for looking after the merman. As they made their way to their hut, Arp had popped up and decided to join them, much to Kappa's delight.

It didn't take long for them to make it to their makeshift bedroom. After placing Kappa under Arp's care, Siren started getting things ready for them to crash. That didn't stop his boyfriend from babbling even more, though.

“Ya know, Mucku? *hic* Lots of people flirted with me before I met you guys. I mean A LOT!” Kappa made wild gestures with his hands to emphasize his point. Poor Arp could only dodge any incoming hits unintentionally aimed his way.

Siren laughed at the comment—Kappa was starting to get delusional. It was rather entertaining to see, if he was being honest. He couldn't help but play along as he flattened their bed. “Oh yeah?”

“Ye! I mean I get *hic* being the Beacon must be attractive to lots of folks…” After laying on the floor with Arp in his arms, Kappa's expression turned to one of faint annoyance. “But I'd always say ‘Excuse me, but I have a boyfriend! A HOT one, might I add!’”

Siren's ears perked up at that, a goofy smile tugging at the corner of his lips. This was probably the stupidest thing to get giddy over, but he couldn't help but feel like this everytime Kappa called him attractive. Sure, he'd get loads of comments like those back home, but they never had this effect on him.

The merman kept on going, a dreamy smile plastered on his face as he stared at the ceiling. “I mean, one time he started nibbling at my neck when he thought I was asleep *hic* and MAN, it felt SO GOOD, I could feel myself getting pretty hard—”

“Ooookay!” Bubbles erupted from around Siren as the heat from his cheeks began to spread in every corner of his body. This adorable, smart, sexy, funny merman would be the death of him one of these days, and he could do nothing but wait for that time to come. “B-Bed's ready! You need your sleep so let's talk about this another time!”

“Awww, Mucku you're no fun!” Kappa whined as Siren gently carried him to their bed, laying him down just as delicately while the Beacon yawned into his hand. “But fiiiiine! Siren won't let me hear the end of it if I pull an all nighter…”

“Glad we're on the same page.” Once his boyfriend was secured, Arp made himself comfortable on top of his master, purring into his chest while Kappa hummed in delight, pulling him closer as he snuggled. Siren smiled at the display—he'd wait for Kappa to fall asleep, then go into the bed beside him. No way he'd want to disturb this.

“Hey Muckuuuu?”

“Yeah?”

“Don't tell Siren any of this, okay?” Kappa's voice suddenly went soft, barely above a whisper as a tiny smile decorated his face. “He's really self-conscious about this sorta stuff… he might be uncomfy if people talk about him like that.”

Siren's heart soared in his chest at those words. He couldn't help but lean down and place a soft kiss against the Beacon's temple, getting a small giggle in return. “You're secret's safe with me, little witch…”

And just like that, Kappa was out like a light, snoring softly against Arp looking like a little angel.

Siren chuckled softly at the display.

Kappa may not remember any of this in the morning, but that was okay. The feeling he left in Siren's chest was more than enough proof that it happened.

And that was all the shark could ever ask for.

[potat0bag]

hey hello! hope you’re having a good one. cccccooould I request some info about your shiver’s sister(s?) maybe? if you feel like it

hi! i'm not doing great so this'll be fun to do (/gen about both things! i'm thankful for this ask) sooo shiver has two sisters! they are each 4 years older than shiver, because they are twins!

i'm not gonna include images cause their designs are constantly changing and i'd rather focus this post around their characters for my own sanity.

Sela Hohojiro is a gossip on the surface and probably comes off as mean. She's very playful and requires a lot of attention due to having this kind of middle-child syndrome going on (even if she is tied for oldest child) due to Shiver being the one raised (and enthusiastically agreeing) to take on clan head duties when the time comes. Same (Shiver's mother) loves all her kids so much, yet Shiver is her youngest and has the most set future of all of them and needs her attention the most in her eyes since her position as clan head was kinda rushed upon her due to unfortunate circumstances. Sela can sort of understand on an objective level why she isn't as intensely nurtured by comparison. However, she is also emotionally aligned to a severe degree, so her own feelings of loneliness regularly cause her to be sassy and act out. She tends to spend a lot of time at their aunt's bar because of this, seeking out her childless older relative's attention instead.

On a cooler level, Sela is drawn to praisable arts much like Shiver. Specifically, she enjoys painting (and is the reason Shiver also picked up the interest) because it's something she can be praised and acknowledged for. The Hohojiro residence is full of paintings she's made. She mainly does landscape art since in her mind it's hard to mess up something that's concrete and dictatable on its objective quality of detail and logic. TL;DR "i can do this thing well and get noticed for it!!" As quiet of a passion it is, she also enjoys alternative music as it tends to have a fueling power behind it for her. She enjoys the electric energy of parties for this reason also. Always happy to meet new people and possibly earn more attention and a tighter support system. Somebody tell her she's doing fine, please.

Chi Hohojiro in comparison to her twin is far more like still waters. Because of how logic-based her reasoning is, she can often appear blunt and seem to lack empathy. When really, she's just tackling it from her own sense of logic and justice. If that person hurts you, why don't you just cut them out? That's- difficult to do? Because of the connection you've built? That's... huh. She didn't think of it like that. She's very clear cut. Which can hurt, but she'll also hold you blatantly accountable. She doesn't really like letting things go until a suitable compromise/payback has been reached. Shiver snuck her snacks? Okay. That's fine. They're buying her more. And that incident'll be tallied against them until they act on her terms. Because of her objective outlook, Chi doesn't face the same feeling of loneliness Sela does. The way Chi sees it, Shiver requires more attention due to their life path being set out for them and requiring guidance. It makes sense for them to need more. And she can see how Same treats them. They aren't being given less. She treats them with a million percent more than the bare minimum. Her love isn't being divided between them, rather being magnified in an educational aspect to Shiver, who she is required to be hands on with.

Chi has the capacity to play the straight man between her and Sela when it comes to teasing Shiver, being a flat one liner kinda gal. She also presses for Shiver to take care of themselves in a very "you quite literally need this objectively" way. If they can't afford to do something crucial one day? They have to do it the next. It's Chi's Law. (One they like to try and fight, but can never truly escape.). Same enjoys Chi's Law. Where do you think Chi got it, after all?

Hope this was articulated well, anon. This genuinely improved my mood. I'd be happy to answer more text-based asks like this (and asks about Sela and Chi <3), they're a lot easier for me to handle than drawing requests I think due to motivation coming and going. Thanks for reading!!

[dye-it-rouge-et-noir]

I started worldbuilding a mathematically based fantasy for fun then put Brosnan era characters in it! The concept I have is written under the cut. Any mathematical terminology links you to its respective Wikipedia page! It covers Goldeneye and Tomorrow Never Dies but I do intend to think about the later half of films!

General Worldbuilding

In this world, there are skills that are focused on using a certain mathematical concept to manipulate the world around them. For example, someone focused on geometry may learn how to translate objects to move them.

The vast majority of people only know how to do rudimentary arts for the sake of practical use. Though, any skill can be learnt with enough practice and time. However, some skills are riskier than others such as anything dealing with higher spatial dimensions or manipulations of probability. (There are restrictions in place for such skills as well)

Anybody who is at a more advanced level tends to have a specific focus in mind as well.

Double Oh Division

I created a connection between the definition of division as in a particular section and the division in reference to mathematics. That led me to the notion of "dividing by 0" which is known to be a rather problematic case in mathematics.

Thus, being given a double oh designation allows access to augments that help learn riskier skills. (Example: Q Branch created simulations of viewing the world akin to a fourth dimensional being) Moreover, restrictions on learning such skills are lifted to an extent. (Just don't go rogue)

Agent 006, Alec Trevelyan and Agent 007, James Bond

It is common for those in the 00 Division to choose learning how to view the world through the eyes of a higher dimensional being. Through dimensional analogy, a fourth dimensional being would be able to see inside a 3D shape akin to how we would be able to see inside a 2D being. (Like they would be able to see a sphere inside of a box) Thus, this makes this skill practical for espionage.

Anything higher than that such as actually traversing through the fourth dimension is much more dangerous. (For reference, orbits in higher dimensions would generally be much more unstable)

Both Bond and Alec have opted to learn how to perceive the world in this manner. However, Alec secretly learned how to actually traverse through the fourth dimension for a period of time. Following the start of Goldeneye, he intended to travel through fourth dimensional space as a part of his betrayal.

Elliot Carver

Elliot Carver predominantly focuses on homothety and his skill would be akin to a pantograph. Essentially, he's capable of projecting an image of an object to a much larger scale by using himself as a homothetic center. I felt like this would be fitting for him as he would be able to utilize this to project things for presentations.

Then his skill would be able to be used to take "snapshots" of a particular setting and have an image of them in his hands. (Instead of enlargement, this would be minimizing) This can be later saved and transferred on special Carver Brand paper like a photograph. It has been rumored that he has gathered snapshots to blackmail people but he says they're all simple lies.

Wai Lin

It makes sense that other countries may implement their own systems for particular skills. Wai Lin decided to become incredibly skilled in translating herself through space, meaning that she appears to seemingly "teleport." I got inspired by how she snuck into the CMGN party for this!

At her skill level, she's capable of warping into areas and moving quickly. This holds various effective applications for combat and espionage that make her job easier. However, she can't necessarily travel that far at a time (let's say... she can travel a few meters at most?) Thus, if she wants to solely use her skill to travel, she needs to "warp" around a lot to her destination. Moreover, she can't enter a space if she can't visualize it well.

[jpitha]

We Need a Ride

As they walked into the massive docking bay of the Starbase, Chloe strode purposefully towards the glossy aquamarine ship that had just arrived, her silver hair flashing in the sharp light of the bay.

Sophia and Cereni walked behind a few steps, hustling to keep up with Chloe's long strides.

Cereni noticed it first. Her ears flicked, a K'laxi raised eyebrow. "Chloe, who is that? I've never seen a ship like that before"

The ship they were walking towards barely fit into the bay. Humans tended to build their ships large, and even for that, this one was big. It was wide and had softened angles and fins and stubby wings on the side. Sophia marveled "Cereni, they're a dropship. I've never seen one in person before!"

Chloe chuckled "That's right! Abyssal Plains is special. Over 600 drops and not one fatality. Normally they wouldn't even be out here, but I linked a beacon out to where they normally operate and called in a favor."

At that, Abyssal's external speakers clicked on. "614 drops Extended Reach, get it right you old so-and-so! I haven't heard from you in centuries and the first thing you do is call in that favor from Parvati? Typical!" Abyssal sounded jovial to Cereni even though what they were saying sounded like they were chiding Chloe.

Chloe stood arms akimbo in front of the ship and looked up. "My name is Chloe now. I'm sorry for not reaching out sooner, you know how life is. Also, if I recall correctly, I remember absorbing gigawatts of energy on my starboard flank to prevent your destruction around the orbit of Parvati so I think that the favor I'm asking for is more than fair"

Chloe is an AI, and formerly the Starjumper Extended Reach. She "retired" nearly a century ago and chose to be loaded into a body. While she's not a 4 kilometer long Starjumper anymore, she does stand nearly two meters tall, with long silver hair that's almost metallic, sky blue eyes and casts an imposing, etherial figure.

Abyssal took on a more subdued tone. "That you did Chloe, that you did, and I am forever thankful that you were there to take those hits. Hence, why I linked in the moment I got your message. Please, come aboard and tell me what's up."

As they stood there, the entire front of Abyssal opened and the three of them saw the huge empty space in the bottom of the old dropship, designed for dozens of vehicles or hundreds of people to take the loud, hot ride through an atmosphere falling at fifteen to twenty times the speed of sound. Abyssal wasn't made for comfort, but was made to carry lots of stuff through an atmosphere really fast. Sophia realized that the Abyssal must be incredibly old.

Chloe smiled and scoffed. "Show off. We could have used the regular door to come in."

As they stepped in, Abyssal's speakers sounded much warmer and more intimate. "And what fun would that be? Let an old dropship show the new folks just what they're designed to do eh? The fact that you called for me means that you need to go for a ride in the atmosphere right? What are we doing? Dropping off, or picking up?"

"Picking up. The people on that new colony Spruces? We lost contact with them a couple months ago. Every beacon we link in doesn't come back. I think something is wrong. We need to go down, grab some folks and some stuff and bring them back to explain what's going on."

"Stuff eh?" even without a face, Sophia could hear Abyssal's raised eyebrow. "No matter. Anything for a friend. When are we leaving?"

"No time like the present. Let's get out there now. We'll head upstairs and I'll give you the coordinates. We'll link in orbit, and do the drop. In and out, quick and quiet."

Cereni snuck a glance at Sophia who shrugged her shoulders. Neither really knew what Chloe was up to. AIs - even ones in bodies - tended to keep things close and only tell people when they needed to know something. They were coming along because Chloe asked for their help and they trust her.

"Chloe, you know as well as I do that dropping through the atmosphere is rarely quiet, but we'll give it our very best."

****

Part 2 is here

[deafsignifcantother]

Alastor and my self insert, Irene! She's Deaf ofc, loves going on walks with him throughout the pride ring bc she never allowed herself to walk around since she's scared of getting snuck up on or getting threatened without knowing. Gave her three eyes to symbolize how observant she needs to be, though personality wise, she isn't very aware of things going on (me asf).

She's half bunny because when she was alive, she called all her lovers bunny (which I do), so it's a way to taunt her bc of her relationship trauma and divorce. I like the idea of demon features being their dislikes from being human. I thought the bunny thing would be a good idea, even if it's stereotypical. Her eyes turn pink when she sees someone she has a crush on because she's cursed to make her romantic emotions (her number one weakness / cause for her down fall) completely visible and unavoidable. <3!

I have 0 oc's plzzz all my ideas are self inserts oops I have two hazbin ones LOL. My first one was from high school and she's veerrryyy different from this one. My divorce changed me fr LOL. The og one was half deer but more evident than Alastor since she has the native features from legends of my tribe. I'm agender and there's a creature in my tribe that goes from male to female depending on its surroundings and I'm like real ash. This is art of her. Her ribs are kinda shown but like in a stylized and unrealistic way to represent how open her heart is / how she like "wears her heart on her sleeve" or however the saying goes. She has floating protective bands around her waists since being held at her waist reminds her of her past lovers when she was alive and it upsets her a lot. Both this self insert and the new one die of suicide due to their lovers. Real ash. She also has deer hooves, and the new self insert has rabbit feet. I love half animal half animal ppl so much it's so fun.

the new one has black hair. It's funny bc my chest is so flat but all my self inserts from high school had huge titties LMFAOOOOOO I was trying my best. She's also 15 feet tall LOLZ. The new self insert has small boobs and narrow hips like me irl. I'm making the self inserts more and more like me and it's evident from their designs.

I have 5 irenes: irene the clown (sidekick to art the clown), irene wayne (dc, jokers ex sidekick turned hero), hellpriest irene (pinhead's lover from when he was human), irene emory (wife / captive of asa emory from the collector), demon irene (^^), and irene hartfelt (new one ^^). All of them are deaf and native (though both of those traits vary, from hoh to vaguely having native features).

I'm still on the fence if irene hartfelt will be with alastor or not bc she's aro but not ace. I think they'd get along perfectly though <3.

[midnightdemonhunter]

hi midnight :) 6, 8, 10, 15, anddd 46 for the ud asks? for 46 specifically, how abouttt matt?

HIIIII LILY!! thank you dearly for the ask :DDD

6. What character first caught your eye?

This is an interesting one.....I feel like Chris definitely claimed my heart immediately... was very charmed by him. BUT Matt was the first character i felt like i started tuning in to at a meta level. a lot of chap 1 was a blur the first time around but matt made it all start to come into focus for me, and I have strong memories of all his first scenes!

8. What character did you not expect to love as much as you do now?

Ingame, I think the love for Mike came fast and furious lol. Chap 3 was just so fun and fascinating.... Loved controlling him, watching the way he acted different with jess than in public, and the sheer vibe differences depending on what choices you picked.

Postgame...SAM. 100% Sam. Ingame, because i really only started processing what was going on in like. chap 3, i missed a lottt of sam time, and just didn't really give af about her. only character who i went Damn, Anyway when i killed her in my first playthrough lolllll. However, after some heavy discussion time about her for our au (you know the one) i feel wayyyy more crazy about her. Just had to find her flaws and dig into them!! Now she's constantly showing up in my sketchbook :)))

10. Which character design is your favorite?

Fascinating question.... I think a big part of Chris' charm is his silhouette with his infinite fuckass layers. its so fun to draw and so fun to look at.... i also think mike and jess have such wonderful extreme physical transformations over the course of the game.... anytime i wanna feel instantly crazy i just remember how they look/act in chapter 1 and contrast it to chap 10. ITS SO FUN. they have matching green jackets and sooooo many open wounds i LOVE the vibe shift.

15. Which characters do you wish interacted more or just interacted at all?

SO MANY OPTIONS. short answer is literally anyone. guarantee im forgetting at least 1 potential dynamic that makes me crazy buttt off the top of my head:

matt and literally anyone, but especially josh, ash and sam, JESS....and i'd really have loved to see him interact late-game with mike... mike and josh would be really good (though i guess they do get stuff...but i want even more obvious ingame paralleling) lategame jess and em would be beautiful. jess and ash... need to know what inspired the trapdoor trick.

Even more: chris and jess, CHRIS AND EM, josh and em anddd mike and ash. amen.

46. What song(s) do you associate with (insert character or ship)?

YAYYYY SONG TIME. Will say that Hermit the Frog by Marina really snuck up on me as a matt song, and though the second half is a bit more em @ mike to me, i cant help the matt connections.... verse 1 has big fire tower vibes. (AND AN EXPLOSION COMES IN TIME....BEFORE I GO AND CROSS THE LINE)

ALSO this one comes from you lol but Self Esteem by the Offspring is so so real for him...THE MORE YOU SUFFER THE MORE IT SHOWS YOU REALLY CARE RIGHT??

[rystarkov]

i know that look

ellie williams x reader

i haven’t written fanfic in SO LONG if this sucks i’m forever sorry. Pure angst! Pure slow burn, unrequited love, Joel being the father figure we all deserve, angst!

It was her eyes that you first fell in love with.

They are the most beautiful shade of green, reminding you of all that’s good in the world. You couldn’t pinpoint when exactly you fell in love with the immune girl, but it’s as if your life was dull, purposeless before she showed up like a saint, dragging you out of the darkness and into the light. She may have looked to the Fireflies for hope, to Joel, and hell now even Dina, but she had always been yours. Your life began when the auburn haired girl introduced herself to you at the QZ, defending you against a bunch of bullies who made fun of you for being a terrible shot. Ellie gave the main bully a black eye when she saw you in the corner crying because of their harsh words, vowing to do it again if they ever made fun of you in the future. Ever since that fateful day all of those years ago, Ellie has become the center of your universe. You guys did everything together. From sneaking out to the mall after hours (which stopped after the incident with Riley, where you found Ellie in shambles and somehow not infected) or having secret sleepovers in her room before the guards did their rounds in the morning, you two were inseparable. 

You travelled halfway across the country with Joel and Ellie, and as the journey came to a close, you chose to settle with them in Jackson rather than leave your best friend after everything that happened. When you three first moved into the makeshift town, as normalcy tried to creep up on you all, some members of the group were having more trouble settling in than others. Joel was a natural, more than excited to make new memories with his brother, Tommy, and to continue to be a father to both you and Ellie, in an attempted normal, community setting. 

You, on the other hand, could not. sit. still.

You couldn’t figure out why, this is everything you have ever wanted in life. A home, a family, and most importantly, to have both of these things with the person you valued and cherished the most. You had your own room, choosing to live with Joel in the main house while Ellie eventually moved to stay in the now converted garage of the same property. You were so used to being with Ellie all of the time, you didn’t know how to function properly in a room that was entirely your own. The first night after Ellie moved to the garage, you snuck out and knocked on the door, not even fully realizing what you were doing. Your mind was on autopilot, simply wanting to be as close as possible to the one person who brought you comfort in a world that was designed to kill you, both mentally and physically. Ellie opened the door, giving you the softest and most adorable smile, familiar with your routines that you both have developed over the many, many years you have spent together. She simply opened the door, let you in, and you both fell asleep in the late hours of the morning, too engaged in laughter and comfort to drift off and let the night come to an end. 

That was a few years ago, with a different you and a different Ellie. Now the person that fills that spot is Dina, a spot you used to visit every single night, for who knows how long. 

Ever since that sudden shift, when Dina snuck up on you and Ellie both, you decided to distance yourself. You didn’t even realize you did this, it’s almost as if you were mentally preparing yourself for the divide that still refuses to go away, the divide that refuses to bring her back to you. 

It was the night of the party at the bar, where almost the entire town decided to show up, relax, drink a little or a lot, and experience some sense of normalcy for once. You stood by the edge of the counter in the corner, quietly sipping on some sort of bubbly alcohol you didn’t know the name of, nor did you care to find out. Joel was kind enough to keep you company, the two of you being more alike than you thought, preferring to drink in silence and sit back and observe the party rather than try and join it. 

Joel said something, and to this day you have no idea what he said, voices and sounds muffling as you stare in horror at the picturesque scene unfolding in the center of the dance floor. 

It was Dina and Ellie, in their own little world, with Ellie’s arms wrapped tightly around Dina’s middle, Dina tucking a loose strand of hair behind Ellie’s ear. Even as the music gets louder, as the drunken yells and laughter of town citizens engaging in conversation erupt from around the room, they never break eye contact. Ellie is smiling, a genuine, happy smile, and you feel your cheeks get a bit warm and your eyes get a bit prickly as the realization of you never making her smile like that hits you like a punch to the throat. As much as you want to look away, as much as you need to look away, you simply can’t. The person you have spent a third of your life with, possibly even more, the one person that you thought would be a constant in your life, is falling in love with someone else. Someone else was an idea you never factored in, someone else was never a thought you considered. 

You feel a sudden pressure on your left shoulder and the warmth of a taller figure drawing you in for a side hug. You don’t even have to look up to know it’s Joel, rubbing his hand up and down the side of your arm as you bury your face into his chest. He knows, he’s always known, as no “friend” willingly travels halfway across the country for just anyone, no “friend” almost dies multiple times just trying to get someone to a single destination. He’s been there with Tess, he’s felt that with Tess, and he knows that look better than anyone. 

“I got you, kiddo. I got you.” You silently sob into his chest as he turns you around to face the corner, placing himself in front of you, making you hidden away from the world and any curious looks from the townspeople. 

“How long have you known?” You hear yourself ask, in between all the hiccups and sniffles of your own long tucked away, long concealed feelings for who you thought was just your best friend. 

“Since David. You had always been Ellie’s quiet sidekick, the one who found us supplies and extra ammo when we were running low. When the whole thing with David happened, I had never seen an ounce of anger on your little face before, and then all of a sudden a switch flipped, and you took out his entire squad and refused to stop until Ellie was found. The look on your face when we found her, how you held her and refused to let go, I’ll never forget. Ellie is my daughter, I had my reasons for protecting her and bringing her to safety, but you? You’re in love, kiddo.” 

He wipes the tears still streaming down your face and hands you a napkin, sitting you down on a chair while pulling up another for himself. 

“I know that look because I’ve given that look and gotten that look from Tess, my…”

He stumbles on his words, looking down at his feet, causing you to reach out and grab his hand for comfort.

“I know.”

He looks up at you, a soft smile etching his face, and continues. 

“I know that look because I’ve been given that look.”

You sniffle one more time, looking over Joel’s shoulder and seeing Ellie and Dina in a peaceful, euphoric bliss, completely unaware of the young woman and the destruction of her heart in the corner of that very same room. 

“I didn’t know, Joel. That’s what makes it even more pathetic, I didn’t even fucking know it myself.”

Joel gives you another sad smile, excusing himself to get you some water, while you sit and watch as the love of your life falls in love with theirs.

Part 2 maybe?? Let me know??

[camping-with-monsters]

When Robin Hood and Snow White were ushered to the dungeon for that pep talk that would embark them on their unlikely quest, it was the warden, named Atalanta Rancoreed, who stayed put, listening in, taking in every word the King said…

Atalanta’s job is simple. To tend to the cellars, to deal with the rough prisoners, to guard Lord Whistlegrimm when he steps into this dark ended place. Atalanta takes this job with pride. It’s a surprisingly perfect fit for a strong-willed guard who’d usually not be fit for a war. Atalanta loves the work. Practically lives for it too. To serve the king with your life is admirable to this warden, even if the job is as quaint as standing by the king should he enter the depths of the dungeon. But it’s still very much an important role. And after having to escort these two idiots and their pet bird down so Lord could give them the scoop, it was just another day.

But that day… Atalanta’s world suddenly changed. When your job is to stand guard to the king while he speaks down here, you just know you’re going to be overhearing a lot. And listen thoroughly to Lord’s words did Atalanta do so well! So much so that the words suddenly got to her head… a tincture that could rise the dead. How curious! You’d think she’d be smarter than to consider what she did, but that strange concoction that Robin and Snow would have to be questing to create sounded awful tempting. But it would be foolish to leave her post like this, especially if the King caught wind of it. But it’s far too promising for her. It’s the stuff of her dreams. And so, enlisting some help from her own brethren, the woman soured by greed snuck away, seeking out the very thing Lord recalled, wishing to claim the cure for her own reasoning. Reasoning she deems much more important than someone as simple as a gardener…

And so Atalanta will be a reoccurring obstacle, hoping to get her hands on what is not her’s to begin with for personal gain. This will be the first time she may resort to villainy to prove her perspective…

——

A MASSIVE thanks to @pazam for being a huge help with this design!

I’ve been super excited to show this one off! She’s got a lot going for her in terms of her character and has some twists with her motives. Needless to say though, these are technically still the reference rough drafts and I promise I’m working on her official reference!

A cool thing to note is that the reason I went with an apple theme is because of some iterations of Robin Hood being presented with shooting an arrow into an apple, and the poison apple of Snow White! This was… actually an unintentional coincidence I did NOT think about until I started thinking more about what kind of villain BMB would have! So Atalanta’s character is kinda an unintentional coincidence!

…as is with a lot of DDG and BMB. I have this weird habit of making spontaneous choices and then those seemingly random choices having meaning later. Pfft.

Fun details here: Atalanta has an arrow shaped tattoo/scar (I haven’t decided yet actually) on her eye to reference Robin Hood (or other iterations of Robin Hood since it’s not strictly to the original story) and the red parts of her face are vaguely shaped like a skull to reference the poison apple! She’s a golden apple though since not only are those common, but also a focus on the original Greek mythology story of Atalanta, who she’s truly named and based after! Rancoreed is a last name I made up with a surprising amount of depth to that I’ll get into later.

[dessaraezzz]

boo another draft

Mary isn't a bad kid.

She's not a teacher's pet, but she's not a bad kid by any means. Her grades outmatch many of her peers. She doesn't get in trouble and follows the rules for the most part. The state of her room isn't... out of hand. She doesn't smoke or drink and has never kissed anyone as far as her parents know.

So, no, she isn't a delinquent, and entering an unfinished house isn't illegal.

...She doesn't think so at least.

Curiosity killed not only the cat but teenagers with nothing better to do. It's summer! Her mom insisted she get out, and Mary's been watching the construction workers build the house next door like beavers building a dam for weeks. When Mary happened to peer through her bedroom window and noticed one of the hard hat men close the backdoor without bothering to lock it behind him, her mind wandered into inviting territory.

The inviting territory just happened to reside next door.

Rocks and scarlet sand surrounded the building like a moat. Mary's shoes would be stained by the time she ran back across her dewy evening grass and through her front door.

The deck was low, yet she still had to jump onto the landing to reach the back door, since nobody bothered to build the stairs yet. Just as Mary suspected, the back door was unlocked. A perfectly circular hole was carved above the handle where the lock would be. The windows beside the door revealed gray walls with stripes of white boxes and two paintbrushes in their boxes.

The novelty of the situation began waning there, but the journey hadn't even begun yet.

Mary closed the door. Open space and cabinets unfolded before her. Obviously, it would become a merged living room and kitchen.

The real risk set in her bones as she flipped a warm light switch on. The atmosphere of the ghostly walls and skeletons of rooms intrigued Mary's adventurous side. Her footsteps bounced back into her eardrums, making her privy to every extra sound.

What if she wasn't alone? What if she was intruding on someone's shift?

It kind of scared her yet enthralled her. She ventured through the first floor's carved openings and predicted what furniture would be placed or the shades painted along the walls.

After Mary surveyed the first floor, her curiosity pulled her up the stairs. After all, the second floor is always more fun.

Two bedrooms and a bathroom later, she was a bit unimpressed, so Mary turned her attention to the room at the end of the hallway.

The room was daunting with the ceiling molded to the angular roof and a closet hidden in the left corner. The doorframe felt narrow with the shadows and nighttime creeping in the corners. The design and structure of the room was odd compared to the ridged squares of the downstairs rooms. Mary felt like her footsteps weren't her own from the delayed echo.

Mary decided she better check the final room before she was sent into another universe.

The master bedroom was incredible. Not only was there a space for a bed but also a loft to the right with skeletons of cabinets. As her eyes searched for the bathroom, the echoes of a door opening through the floor pulled Mary's spirit right from her stomach.

She prayed that the sounds of the intruders' own boisterous chatter were loud enough to cover Mary's footsteps speed walking for a place to hide. Mary zoomed by the purple outline of the shower, bathtub, and sink and went straight to a smaller room assumed to be a shower closet. It was just big enough for her to hide behind a wall beside the open door frame.

While struggling to steady her frantic heaves, the reality of the situation dawned on her.

Mary snuck into a random house. An innocent worker, a married couple, or some burgular was about to find a random teenager tucked into a closet.

What if they call the police? Can she get arrested for this? What if they beat her up in self defense? She swears she was joking when she wondered if this was illegal.

A light switch flipped on downstairs. There was a lot of excited chatter from a deeper, older woman's voice and a scary amount of footsteps. The slivers of indigo peeking from the window across from her were a direct message from her mother scolding her for being out so late.

Speaking of messages, she turned on do not disturb and prayed she wouldn't be grounded for life when she got home.

Her blood spiked with every loud comment or set of heels clacking against the fresh wood. She was surprised a vessel hadn't popped.

It felt like seconds had passed when the group of shoes made their way up the stairs.

Two younger voices bickered right outside the master bedroom door, and the older voice shut it down with a single sentence. Stomps entered the bedroom, and Mary was already saying her goodbyes and apologies to her parents.

The stomping subsided into a meander, very slow and observing. Her shoes were light against the shallow boards of wood.

The steps rapidly approached her, shutting her judgemental thoughts immediately. They stopped at the bathroom doorframe. Mary started contemplating her odds of survival. Sixteen years and this is how she goes?

Two steps and they stopped in front of the closet. Mary shut her eyes, prepared to think on her feet or freeze like a deer in headlights.

As the person walked into the closet, a shocked yelp rang by Mary's ear: "What the hell?!"

Mary's eyes jolted open, and she jumped against the wall.

"Shh, please I won't hurt you!" Mary whispered as she held her hands out defensively.

The outline of the person was frozen behind the doorway. Shock radiated off of them like lightning energy.

They looked to the entrance on their left and then back at Mary.

A worrisome shout muffled through the walls, and the figure yelled back, "I'm fine."

Mary felt a sliver of relief ease her nerves, and her shoulders relaxed a bit. Yet as soon as the person reached behind them Mary was back on edge, cowering into the wall.

A bright light blinded her with a quick apology from the intruder as they lowered the brightness of the flash. They flipped it upward, so Mary could finally see who had busted her.

Maybe it's the adrenaline pumping through her veins, or the severity of the situation, but Mary was absolutely stunned by her beauty. She almost felt lucky to be caught by such a beautiful girl.

She looked about Mary's age, but that's where their similarities ended. The other girl had Rapunzel-like hair that was so dark it appeared white in the phone's flash.

The red cropped shirt she was wearing highlighted the almost pinkish hue of her chestnut eyes shaded with a soft brown eyeliner. From the gold necklace hanging around her collarbones to the gloss on her lips, she was just so perfect that Mary forgot to be scared of her.

Wait.

"Um," her light voice began. Her shadowed round features quirked into an awkward smile. "I'm Yumeko."

Mary stiffened once more, but nodded and started with a cautiously low, "Hi, I'm Mary."

"My family's moving here, and I'm assuming you live around here, so I thought maybe I'd introduce myself," Yumeko swayed as she grabbed her elbow behind her back.

"Uh, yeah, I live next door," Mary tilted her head in the direction of her house. "Um, nice to meet you."

"If I may ask, why are you in here?" Yumeko giggled with a polite intonation.

Mary fiddled with her hands. She figured this stranger wouldn't be stupid enough to just accept a complete rando sneaking into her new house but telling the truth may make her seem even weirder. "Ah, I was just curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat."

"I know. If it weren't for you, I'd be next," Mary joked back, with honest relief sprinkled in her tone.

"Fate decided to spare you today. My mom would probably freak if she found you," Yumeko warned lightly.

Mary cringed, "Like call-the-police freak?"

"Yeah," Yumeko's gaze fell briefly and rose back to meet Mary's eyes. "but don't worry. I'm gonna make sure she doesn't come in here," Mary finally let out a subtle breath of relief. "On the terms of you giving me your socials." Yumeko flipped her phone over, shining the light on their shoes.

Right when it got a rest, Mary's heartbeat picked up once again. Being the helpless, hopeless, homo she is it's just out of her control how her emotions react to a really, really pretty girl asking for her number. Come on, she's been through enough in one day! Yumeko probably doesn't like girls anyway.

"Um, oh, ah, y-yeah," Mary hastily pulled out her phone and spelled out her username, waiting for Yumeko to say hers.

"Thanks!" and she told Mary her username which was very consistent with the theme on her page. Various pink clouds and sparkles filled at least one space in every photo under her bio.

Mary expanded her bio and then felt the air jolt as they made eye contact through the dark. In one second, Mary noticed the pink, blue, and purple emoji hearts in the final line of her bio, and remembered she a had single pride flag in her own.

Huh.

A muffle through the walls startled Mary out of her running train of thought.

"I'm coming back now, Mom," Yumeko shouted, turning their light source off, yet lingered a moment more. "Text me," Mary could've sworn she either had on the biggest smirk or winked too dramatically as she ran off.

Once again, her heart tripped over itself at the sheer corniness.

Mary decided she's very cute, so cute, really cute, and would definitely be texting her.

Luck was on her side that evening. What are the odds that her reckless deeds would be rewarded with her new neighbor's Instagram account?

===

Mary was grounded for 3 weeks but understandably so. By the time Yumeko's family was finished exploring, it was half-past eight o'clock. In that time, she totally did not stalk Yumeko's Instagram account and finally replied to the 50 messages from her mother.

While Mary was presenting her case, she vaguely mentioned that she met a friend next door, and her mother's mood lightened slightly enough for her sentence to go from the whole summer to three weeks. Mary didn't have many friends at school and none of the kids in her neighborhood were in high school.

Surprisingly, those three weeks flew, but probably because Yumeko was keeping her company.

She was a fluffy typer with punctuation emojis and good morning and night GIFs. More often than not, they texted the whole day getting to know each other. They shared many interests too like shoujo anime and cards game.

The two were just dying to reconnect in person.

thought i’d be able to complete this and i was wrong :{