#Ms. Mari is another one I use often

[synodicsoma]

No thoughts in that lil ol noggin of hers

[sea-owl]

I has an idea, y'all gotta trust me on this though.

Kate gripped her skirts as she watched the scenery roll by. There was not much else she could do. The king has chosen her, so she must go.

"Didi," Edwina muttered across from her.

Kate smiled at her younger sister. At least it wasn't her who was chosen to be the concubine.

When word spread that King Anthony was looking for a new concubine, one to join the other two high ranked concubines, Lady Danbury was quick to do her duty and arrange a meeting for the king to meet with both eligible Sharma sisters. Kate had no worry for herself. No one ever really looked her way, especially with Edwina next to her. She was worried for sweet Edwina, though, who had dreams of marrying a scholar, of being in love. Mary, Edwina's mother and Kate's stepmother, was quick to refuse until Edwina spoke up.

"A cocubine's family are well taken care of, and it's only a meeting. He might not even choose one of us."

Kate remembers squeezing Edwina's arm. It was true the money received would help their family but Kate did not want that at her sister's happiness. After all who would not choose Edwina?

On the day of the meeting a handsome man with chestnut hair and brown eyes exited the carriage. Behind him a curvy red head who appeared to be the same age as Edwina. She wore a golden necklace with the royal family's pendant, something all concubines wear.

"Lady Penelope," Lady Danbury whispered to the three Sharma women. "She was the first of the King's concubines and is often with him when a new one is chosen as a sort of welcoming."

Kate wanted to be sick. There was no way this young woman was the first concubine. It is a well-known fact that King Anthony took his first concubine five years ago. Kate remembers hearing the stories of the king announcing it when all of his family members were away from court. It created such a scandal for the king to restart that old tradition from his grandather's time. No one suspected the young king to take any after his father had only ever taken his wife, the Dowager Queen. If Kate was doing her math right then Lady Penelope had to be only 15 when the king chose her.

"Your majesty, my lady," Lady Danbury bowed. The Sharma women followed her lead.

The dinner was pleasant. King Anthony was a gentleman and Lady Penelope was rather witty. At one point the king left with Lady Danbury and Mary to speak on some sort of business. Lady Penelope was left with Kate and Edwina.

"It has been so wonderful to meet both of you," Lady Penelope. "Anthony has told me you have only moved here about two years ago. I would have never guessed!"

Kate smiled proudly. "Thank you Lady Penelope. I trained my sister in everything she knows."

Lady Penelope turned her full attention on Kate. "Really?"

Edwina nodded. "Yes, Kate is a fantastic teacher."

Penelope smiled, one a little different than from before. "If you don't mind I would love to learn something from such a fantastic teacher."

"Let me teach you how to make a proper cup of tea," Kate laughed as she called for the ingredients.

Lady Danbury, Mary, and the King returned not long after. Was it Kate, or did Lady Penelope and the King just send a silent message to one another?

"How was your time with the Ms. Sharmas?" The King asked.

"Oh, we've had a lovely time," Lady Penelope said. "Ms Kate even showed me how to make tea from her home! Would you like to try some?"

"No thank you," the king declined.

Lady Penelope rolled her eyes. "I know it's not your usual night cap but something new or different won't throw you out of balance."

"Are you the superstitious type your majesty?"

"No!" The king said at the same time Lady Penelope said, "Yes!"

"Ah I see. Some men like that find it hard to perform without certain tools like a child with a blanket."

The kings face went red while Lady Penelope burst out into giggles.

"Hush you," the King ordered Lady Penelope who's giggles were only made worse. "Time for you to head off to bed."

Kate tried not to blush the next morning when she saw Lady Penelope yawning as she left the king's room.

"Oh Ms. Sharma!" Lady Penelope greeted. "Congratulations!"

Kate felt a hole open beneath her feet. King Anthony chose-

"I can't wait to see you next week at the Garden Palace!"

What?

"Admitly it would be easier just to have you come with us back to the Garden Palace today but we do need time to get your rooms ready."

Huh?

Lady Penelope noticed Kate's confusion, then became confused herself. "Ms. Sharma?"

"I'm sorry my lady," Kate said. "If my sister was chosen to be the new concubine why would I go to the Garden Palace?"

Lady Penelope giggled. "Your sister wasn't chosen to be the new concubine Ms. Sharma. Or I should say Lady Kate."

Kate's mind went blank.

Now a week later Kate found herself in front of the Garden Palace dressed in fine purple silk and with a new shiny gold necklace. Though there was this odd marking on the back of the bee pendent. If Kate had to guess it would be a picture of an Iris flower. A flower commonly associated with wisdom of Kate was remembering correctly.

"Didi it's s so beautiful," Edwina muttered.

"It is Bon," Kate agreed.

The Garden Palace has always been the home for the king's concubines and where he spreads his seed. It wasn't used much during King Edmund's time besides to house the last of his father's concubines, but King Anthony has made use for it again. As the name suggests, there are a multitude of gardens around the palace, all filled with the most beautiful flowers. A few contain food and herbs. The palace servants are all women as men besides the king, his family, and those invited by the king were forbidden from entering. There are gaurds who were once traditionally physically castrated but apparently, the king had found someone who could make a tea that would temporarily do the same thing as traditional castration without all the mess. Those who take the tea are watched every morning to make sure they take it.

"Lady Kate! Ms Sharma!"

There to greet them was Lady Penelope dressed in green and a blonde woman dressed in silver with the same gold necklace. Just behind them were a red head who was in her teens, and a plump blonde the same age as Edwina. Their clothes weren't as fine as a concubines but still nicer than a serving girl's. Lady's maids maybe?

"How wonderful to meet you," the blonde concubine bowed. "I am Lady Sophie."

The two other girls bowed. "I am Felicity, I serve as Lady Penelope's head lady in waiting," the red head said.

"And I am Posy," the plump girl introduced herself. "I am the head lady in waiting for Lady Sophie."

"Posy and Felicity will show Ms. Sharma around," Lady Sophie said. "Meanwhile there are a few things we should talk about Lady Kate with her new position as a high ranking concubine. "

Kate held back a shiver.

The Ladies in Waiting ran off with Edwina while Kate followed her fellow concubines to a private room.

"So am I to expect the king tonight?" Kate asked.

"Probably at dinner," Lady Penelope answered, "but I think he has to go back to Aubrey Palace tonight."

Kate blinked. Well, at least she'll have some time to put this off.

Lady Penelope watched Kate. "Lady Kate as the newest concubine we have some things to tell you."

Tell her? Was it how best to please the king? Maybe some tricks they've picked up. After all with their rank he would spend the most time with them.

"Anthony won't touch you if you do not want it, and outside of meetings he doesn't go to a lady's room unless invited."

Kate blinked. And then she blinked again, and again. "I'm sorry what?"

Lady Penelope and Lady Sophie giggled.

"While it is true some of the women here are actual concubines, it's all consensual between them and Anthony," Lady Sophie explained. "He has a rather protective streak of those he believes that are under his care. You've probably seen it with how he acts towards his siblings. Others like myself and Penelope, who are here for protection, are still chaste."

Kate's jaw dropped. There's no way. She turned towards the red head. "But I saw you leave his room at Lady Danbury's."

Lady Penelope waved her hand. "We were discussing whether or not to bring you on. I was in favor for it. You're just what the Iris Council needs."

Kate furrowed her eyebrows. "The Iris Council."

Lady Penelope and Lady Sophie flipped their bee pendants to reveal that same etched in iris flower on the back.

"Anthony was young when the previous king passed," Lady Penelope explained. "The lords were like sharks out for blood, and he knew he needed a council who would be loyal to him and couldn't be easily influenced from the outside. Naturally, he thought of his siblings first, but the princes and princesses were too public of figures. Concubines however were much harder to access and really who expect a king to surround himself in a council of women?"

"So what are your real roles and what am I to do?"

The king's voice spoke behind Kate. "Penelope is my spy mistress. Sophie is my chief financial advisor."

Lady Penelope and Lady Sophie waved. "Hi Anthony."

Kate was about to stand to bow but the king raised a hand to signal her to stop. Instead he took a seat next to her.

"So what is my role to be here?" Kate asked.

"I want you to run the Garden Palace."

"Run the Garden Palace?" Kate repeated. "Why not just hire me as to do that role then, why make me a concubine?"

"It's because of the Iris Council and the need to keep their existence quiet," Anthony explained. "While they are ultimately self-sufficient and are loyal to me, I need someone to work as my second in command and leqder of the Garden Palace. Penelope looked into your background, and you've proven yourself as a head of house. You know how to manage people. Perfect for the position."

"Huh," Kate muttered. "I guess the rumors the king being a Capitol R rake are just rumors."

Anthony nodded in agreement.

"Oh no he's a whore."

Penelope and Sophie giggled when Kate whipped her head towards them.

Anthony sent them a glare. "Hush both of you."

[covid-safer-hotties]

The Tripledemic That Wasn’t - Published Dec 16, 2024

Covid mitigations kept respiratory diseases like RSV and Influenza at bay during 2020 and 2021. Dropping mask mandates brought them back, giving us the "tripledemics" and "quademics" being experienced right now. Mask up. Keep everyone safe and healthy.

By Marie Rosenthal, MS As the “traditional” respiratory season began during the COVID-19 pandemic, public health experts, infectious disease doctors and hospital administrators were gearing up for a “tripledemic”—they were anticipating months of fighting not only SARS-CoV-2, but also influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

With the three viruses expected to surge across the country, experts were offering advice about protecting family, friends and colleagues. At the time, 12,000 people were dying from COVID-19 each day in the United States alone. Hospitals were barely handling the onslaught of incoming cases. What would they do if 200,000 or more people showed up at their doors with influenza or RSV? A “normal” flu season sees 100,000 to 710,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 to 51,000 deaths. A “normal” RSV season could hospitalize at least 120,000 people and kill 6,100.

Yet, to the relief of many, the tripledemic was not seen during the 2020-2021 respiratory season. So, what happened? Infectious Disease Special Edition spoke with three respiratory virus experts about what they saw, and why they think they saw it, and what that means for the future of influenza.

“The 2020 to 2021 season was the lowest influenza on record,” said William Schaffner, MD, FIDSA, a professor of medicine, Department of Infectious Diseases, and a professor of preventive medicine, Department of Health Policy, at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, in Nashville, Tenn. “The curve was essentially flat. We even had some conversations with our colleagues in Canada, who said that the flu cases we were discovering were probably in error,” he jested.

“Flu was not just mild; it was absent, because of the very things that drove people crazy about COVID: segregation and wearing masks,” explained Arnold S. Monto, MD, the co-director of the Michigan Center for Respiratory Virus Research and Response, as well as professor emeritus in epidemiology and public health at the University of Michigan, School of Public Health, in Ann Arbor.

Mitigating Factors

There probably were two factors at play, according to the experts. The first was viral exclusion or interference, which can occur when people or animals are exposed to multiple viruses simultaneously. As the organisms jockey for position, one becomes dominant and the others wait their turn, so to speak. This is seen frequently during normal flu seasons—one strain of flu, often influenza A, sweeps across the country first, and then influenza B comes through near the end of the season.

“I think that when there is a respiratory virus roaring through the community, it can be hard for other respiratory viruses to break in,” said Richard J. Webby, PhD, the director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Studies on the Ecology of Influenza in Animals and Birds, and a member of the staff of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, in Memphis, Tenn.

“When you look at peaks of influenza A, influenza B or RSV over a winter season, more often than not, those peaks don’t overlay [one another]. One comes first and then when one is coming down, the other one will come up,” he said.

The other dynamic—and probably the biggest influencer—was the actions that were put into place to mitigate COVID-19. Social distancing and masking had much to do with stopping the spread of all the respiratory diseases, all three experts told Infectious Disease Special Edition.

“I think it was the unexpected consequence of everything that we were doing against COVID,” Dr. Webby said. “But influenza activity went to very low levels [that season] as did other respiratory viruses as well.”

Mitigation factors were important, according to Dr. Schaffner, because once people stopped wearing masks, attended church services and headed back to school, influenza quickly regained its place in the respiratory hierarchy.

“Quite clearly people were staying home [during COVID],” Dr. Schaffner said. “And most importantly, children were not going to school. They were not playing together, and of course, children have the great ‘distribution franchise’ … for influenza virus.”

One reason children are such efficient spreaders in the community is they shed flu virus for longer periods than adults do. While at school, daycare or play, they spread the virus among themselves and then bring it home to adult family and friends, Dr. Schaffner said.

“So, it’s clear the opportunities to spread the virus were so profoundly reduced in 2021, and we did not have an influenza season,” he added.

“I don’t think it was the interference between COVID and flu. Most people think it was the lockdowns and the changes in patterns, particularly schools being closed because schools are where everything is usually being spread. Just look at rhinovirus. Rhinovirus season starts after school opens,” Dr. Monto said.

Another factor that typically affects influenza hospitalizations and deaths is vaccination, but in this case, influenza vaccination was down, which is another reason the experts point to nonpharmacologic mitigation factors. Influenza vaccination has been decreasing since the pandemic. The CDC estimates that in the 2023-2024 flu season, only 55.4% of children from 6 months through 17 years received a flu vaccination—a decrease of 2 percentage points compared with the previous flu season (57.4%) and a decrease of 8.3 percentage points compared with 2019-2020 (63.7%).

Flu vaccination coverage was also low among adults. Only 44.9% of adults ages 18 and older were vaccinated against flu, a decrease of 2.0 percentage points from the previous season (46.9%). Adults saw an initial increase in flu coverage right after the pandemic started, but coverage has continued to decline, according to the CDC (bit.ly/49s7iVu-IDSE).

Taking Its Course

To tease out what happened to the other respiratory viruses, an Israeli study examined hospital admissions related to respiratory diseases among children before and after the pandemic. They retrospectively reviewed medical records from November 2020 to January 2021, and compared them with the same periods during the previous two years. They found 1,488 hospitalizations due to respiratory illnesses: 632 in 2018-2019, 701 in 2019-2020, and 144 in 2020-2021. They attributed the significant decline in respiratory viral and bacterial coinfections during the pandemic to viral interference, as well as social distancing and wearing masks (Isr Med Assoc J 2023;25[3]:171-176).

This was reiterated in several studies, including a recent review in Emerging Infectious Diseases, which predicted a return to more normal flu seasons as the COVID-19 emergency abated (2022;28[2]:273-281). “During the coronavirus disease pandemic, nonpharmacologic interventions have prevented the circulation of most respiratory viruses. Once the sanitary restrictions are lifted, circulation of seasonal respiratory viruses is expected to resume and will offer the opportunity to study their interactions, notably with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.”

As predicted, flu did fight its way back into circulation. The following year, 2021-2022, influenza started later than usual, but in 2022-2023, it started earlier, as “though the virus was getting back into its rhythm,” Dr. Schaffner said, and the 2024-2025 season appears to be behaving “just the way a conventional flu season starts.”

Dr. Webby added: “I think because we stopped doing everything that we were doing during the height of the pandemic—we stopped wearing masks, we started traveling again—COVID settled into more peaks of activity rather than year-round activity, so all of those things that helped keep flu away were gone.”

A Prudent Response

Based on this experience and what they know about respiratory viruses, all three experts agreed that wearing a mask in public during respiratory season is a prudent thing to do, especially if a person is immunocompromised. They also reiterated the importance of staying home when people are sick to stop the spread of all respiratory viruses.

“I recommend a mask for people who are at increased risk of getting more severe disease should they become infected,” Dr. Schaffner said. They should ask themselves these questions: “Are they more likely to become seriously ill and require hospitalization and intensive care admission? Are they at increased risk of dying? Eighty percent of the deaths occur in people 65 and older.

“As a person who is in that group, when I go to the supermarket or the drugstore, or anywhere, I wear a mask,” he said. “So, I think it would be a good idea.”

The viruses are respiratory, and thus spread through airborne particles, reminded Dr. Monto; therefore, anything that reduces that spread is worthwhile. He said he doesn’t understand the resistance to wearing a mask, “because it does work. Why does a surgeon wear a mask in an operating room? Because we know that wearing masks helps to stop the spread of infection,” Dr. Monto said. “It’s not a total answer, but it’s a partial one.”

“In some parts of the world, wearing a mask is still a pretty common practice, so obviously, it does work,” Dr. Webby said, but he added that he thinks it’s the combination of actions that is important. “What impact does wearing a mask on its own have? I don’t think we know,” he said. “People are traveling or were still maybe a little more likely to go to work with a bit of the sniffles as opposed to staying home, so it is hard to tease those out in my mind, but it makes good sense to wear a mask.”

In addition, they said healthcare providers should continue to recommend vaccination against COVID-19 and influenza, as well as RSV, if eligible, because the vaccines help reduce the risk for hospitalizations and death.

Despite the best prognostications, flu is unpredictable, Dr. Schaffner reminded. Although everyone thought a tripledemic would occur, it didn’t. It wasn’t the end of flu by a long shot, and flu came back this season just as it always has.

Dr. Monto concurred: “There are a lot of people who like to say, ‘We understand this.’ But in reality, when you look at what happens, there is a lot we don’t understand. We observe, and we try to predict.”

[thelampisaflashlight]

Narthex

[Best described as "A ghoul goes ghost hunting", Aether travels to the US to help solve a murder with a demonic twist. This part is primarily from Aether's POV, but it will likely swap between his and Alma's moving forward. Not suitable for younger audiences.] Below the cut.

"There is a church, a smaller branch of the ministry in the United States that sits on the fringe of our control." Papa had debriefed him the night before his flight, sliding a thick manila envelope -near bursting at the seams with documents- to him, "Recently, there... Ah, it's all described in the file. Please review it on the plane."

Aether had assured the other man that he'd do his best, smiling brightly, but, now, bleary eyed and tired, the ghoul wishes he'd saved some of his earlier enthusiasm and left the documents aside until this morning.

Yawning, Aether rubs his eyes and tries to go over the details of the case in his head to distract himself from the light headache setting in, sipping his coffee.

Saint Mary's Cathedral is a deconsecrated church; Although, the file explained, the altar stone was never broken, nor its sacred artefacts removed.

Construction on the building began in the mid 1800's, but the events of the Civil War halted progress on the cathedral for nearly a decade as the people of the surrounding township attempted to return to some sense of normalcy in the wake of the war.

It was not fully completed until 1885, almost two decades after the project was initially begun.

Aether stretches, glancing out the window at the passing cars, trying desperately not to fall asleep.

In 1918, the church was used to quarantine those afflicted with influenza, with over 100 individuals passing within its walls during the span of the outbreak.

Unsurprisingly, this is often cited as a main cause of the supposed haunting taking place inside the building... however.

"You will meet with the caretaker when you arrive, her name is Alma Amato." Papa had said, handing him yet another file to read through, "She believes the haunting to be demonic."

"Demonic, huh?"

Aether leans on his palm.

"And you're sending another demon to deal with it?"

"...I can see how that might seem counterintuitive."

He snorts and returns to aimlessly flipping through the file on his lap.

Alma Amato, Age 30, Caretaker and Administrative Officer of Saint Mary's Cathedral, one of three employees -now two- who work to maintain the property.

"Ms. Amato is a diligent worker, and has been in service to the church for eleven years now. In that time, she has never lodged a single complaint about the haunting at Saint Mary's, but, after the events of last month, she is, understandably, more than a little disturbed."

Aether looks at the newspaper clipping he'd pulled from the envelope earlier and frowns.

Two Dead, One Injured During Ghost Hunting Investigation.

As the car stops for a red light, Aether flips the page over to look at the photos attached to it with a paperclip.

Four faces stare back at him; Jason Vine, age 37, a ghost hunting show host, Maxwell Kurt, age 68, an administrative officer at Saint Mary's, Howard Walker, age 51, the church's lone security guard, and lastly...

Alma Amato.

Aether shivers, something about her gaze, so forward, so focused, it feels like she's watching him through the photograph.

Her eyes are a reddish brown, her brows thin -darkened with make-up from the looks of it- and her hair a pale blonde.

She seems a dour sort, but looks can be deceiving.

"We'll be arriving in fifteen minutes." the driver says, peering back at him in the rearview mirror.

"Ah, I see, thank you." Aether tucks the files back into his backpack and returns to looking out the window.

.

.

.

Saint Mary's is... less imposing than Aether imagined.

It's not a particularly large building, but it is a rather peculiar shade of green.

Huh.

"It's serpentine." a clear, sweet voice answers his unasked question.

Aether looks towards the large, red doors at the front of the church and sees a woman in a...

A...

It's more so what she's not wearing that causes Aether to inhale sharply.

Before him stands Alma Amato, dressed in a wide brimmed black sunhat and a low cut black dress with a short skirt that Aether has to actively NOT think of how little fabric is between the hem and the swell of her ass.

She gives a little, testy huff, and Aether realizes she must have asked a question.

"Apologies, I was... I'm a bit tired, long flight." He says, then holds out his hand, "I'm Aether, the ministry sent me to assist in the investigation. I presume you're Ms. Amato, the caretaker?"

"You're earlier than expected." Amato shakes his hand, "I'm surprised."

"I took the first available flight." Aether explains, "I hope that's alright."

"Perfectly alright. You will have to make your own bed though, I hadn't gotten around to visiting the Bishop's Palace yet, that's where you'll be staying." she gestures for him to follow, turning and entering the church, her heels clicking on the stone, removing her hat.

"The Bishop's Palace?" Aether questions, "That is...?"

"It's a fancy way of saying a house that a bishop used to live in from what I've gathered, but these days the building is primarily used for storage." Amato says, "When the church contacted us that they'd be sending someone, we made sure to clear it out and moved everything down to the cellar for the time being. I hope you don't mind the idea of residing on the property during your stay?"

Aether shakes his head, "No, no, that's fine. That's preferable to wasting my money on a hotel when I'm not sure how long I'll be here... speaking of which."

"I read in the report I was given that you also live on the property, I'm not... displacing you from your home am I?"

Amato shakes her head.

"Like I said, the Bishop's Palace is mostly for storage, I live in the caretaker's cottage passed the cemetery."

Aether pauses.

"I hadn't realized how much would be out here, I was really only debriefed about the church itself..." he admits, "How big is the property?"

"I believe it's roughly 7 acres, everything is relatively spaced out, but as it shakes out... The church itself sits on 1 acre of land, the cemetery takes up about 3 acres including the out buildings, then the Bishop's Palace and the cottage take up about an acre combined, and the remaining 2 acres accounts for the gardens and miscellaneous greenspaces across the property." Amato gestures towards a display case hanging from the wall, "We have a map of the general layout here for visitors."

Aether approaches the display case, taking out his phone to snap a picture for future reference.

"We haven't been giving tours since the... I'm sure you read what happened." Amato sighs, guiding him towards a side door, "I'll let you get settled before we get into all of that."

"Right."

The Bishop's Palace is less a palace and more a simple, Cape Cod style house, but compared to living in a hotel room for an indefinite period of time, this feels a bit more.... homely?

Comfortable.

Amato gives him the tour, which takes all of ten minutes, if even that.

"It's really just three rooms, four if you count the bathroom; kitchen, living room, bedroom upstairs..." she gets him connected to the wi-fi, and shows him where the washer and dryer are, tucked away behind a curtain in the kitchen, "...Any questions?"

"I don't think so... You've been very helpful." he smiles, "I suppose, if it's alright with you, I would like to start by interviewing you about the... the incident."

Amato nods, "We can walk and talk to get you acquainted with the property better-"

.

.

.

It's just after sunset when Aether finally makes his way back to the Bishop's Palace, having conducted his interview with Amato in the morning, using the afternoon to make a run to the grocery store to pick up some necessities, he's feeling more than a little rundown.

Jetlag combined with marching back and forth across the property, the nature of his conversation with Amato, and the tedium of grocery shopping in a foreign country has, understandably, worn him out, but years of traveling have well prepared him for this sort of thing.

Glancing at his phone, Aether frowns, it's late back home, too late to call and check in on his packmates, but, then again, he doesn't think he'd be able to hold a conversation with how tired he is.

Yawning, Aether decides to call it a night... but it's not long before he feels... something.

It's the lightest shift in the mattress, something he's more than used to back home, but here...

Aether cracks an eye open, peeking through his lashes at...

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

He blinks, reaching out into the darkness to smooth the sheets, feeling his hand brush through a cold spot that makes the hair on his arm stand on end.

What.

Sitting up, Aether fumbles with the bedside lamp, hissing as he accidentally looks directly into the bulb, and looks around the room.

Again, nothing.

He wets his lips, furrowing his brow.

"Hello...?"

No reply.

Aether breathes.

"Look..." he says wearily, "If there's any... spooky bitches in this house right now, just let me sleep. You can haunt me in the morning, but if you wake me up before 7am, I can and will devour your soul and send you straight to the pit. Do we have an understanding?"

...

"That was mean, I'm sorry, I won't actually do that, just... we're cool, right?"

...

"Cool."

"I'm gonna sleep. Goodnight."

"...Good... night..." a disembodied voice responds, "Sleep... tight..."

Aether makes a noise in the back of his throat.

Oh boy.

[harlowehearse]

Candle Cove Head cannons

I have severe brain rot (also some of these might be from the archive account so apologies if you've seen them before). No rhyme or reason to this it's just a bunch of things that came to mind.

-It's a running gag that no one really knows what exactly Horace is? Whether he's really human or not? Even he doesn't seem to know and makes several conflicting statements about it.

-It's also a gag Horace just has no idea how old Janice is. He assumes she's like 3 or 4 or something and doesn't think she can read or anything.

-All of the puppets are made with 4 fingers aside from the abyssian ones who have all 5.

-Abyssians aren't born, they come from and are made from the sand at the bottom of the sea. They don't live forever, just much longer than a human. If they die of age they turn back into sand.

-Janice and Skin-taker sharing a birthday is partially true. Skin-taker does genuinely consider the date his birthday as well because it was the day Poppy killed him and he became what he is now, birthdays and date of deaths are practically the same thing to him.

-Janice and Skin-taker share quite a few other similarities like being the only left handed characters in the show, curiosity being a key character trait, their favorite color both being purple, and just a lot more sprinkled through out the show.

-Janice can be very blunt, is a terrible liar, and her curiosity can easily get the best of her so she'll just blurt out questions as soon as they come.

-Eye contact makes Janice quite uncomfortable (yet another reason why Skin-taker unnerves her so much cuz the guy just stares daggers into your soul).

-After getting really pissed at Horace Janice once threw a rock at and accidentally killed him. Skin-taker brought him back and he was honestly unphased but Janice is still a little messed up and feels guilt over it.

-Janice can get very frustrated or angry, mostly in cases of other characters being mean towards her or her friends (9/10 it's Horace she's mad at).

-Calvary is deaf in his left ear and the whole crew knows sign language. Nathan helped to teach Janice and in return she helped teach him some math stuff she learned from school.

-If she doesn't want to go somewhere, Ms. Laughingstock will just stop dead in her tracks. While not often she and Poppy do butt heads sometimes.

-Revolvers weren't used as weapons in the show until Milo was introduced in season 2.

-Milo was the one to teach Janice how to wield a cutlass ("begrudgingly," he will tell you). Up until that point she just used a slingshot she had from home and a throwing knife Percy taught her how to use.

-Skin-taker's lair resembles a relatively normal living space set up in the cave, and would actually be quite cozy had it not be all made from human remains.

-Skin-taker doesn't hate Poppy because he killed him, he's actually a bit grateful for that because he enjoys being dead, he hates him because Poppy 1) wasted the skin by just throwing it to sharks and 2) Skin-taker sees him as a hypocrite as he has committed crimes just as heinous as Skin-taker, but now goes around with the title "The Honorable Pirate" while sweeping his past under the rug. Plus the guy just gets on his nerves.

-Despite how aloof and cold he seems to regard him Horace is probably the only one (living) Skin-taker would consider a friend.

-Getting new skin isn't the only reason Skin-taker does things, he'll also just do things because he's curious as to the result or he thinks it'd be funny.

-Skin-taker actually really likes wordplay and funny sounding words. Sometimes he'll just say little rhymes and random words out loud to amuse himself. Of course he's also very cryptic sometimes to be purposefully ominous too.

-Though she never appears in person on the show or is mentioned by name, whenever the Red Mary is eluded to or something makes reference to her the music of the show stops, and if you listen closely, you can hear the crackling of a fire in the mix of the background TV static.

-Even though he can't physically smoke Skin-taker has a collection of wooden pipes.

-Sunny has a little cactus collection on the ship that Hans helped her get. Little reminder of home.

-The rubberfishes crew aren't really fond of Skin-taker (they're just as creeped out by him as The Laughingstock crew) but they're all very loyal to and kind of care about Horace so they stick it out for their captain.

-Lillian had light magic and like Horace was a sorcerer of sorts, Talapio was her familiar.

-The Tarantula crews sails were sewn using string Talapio gave them, and because of that you could see them faintly shimmering at night. Some referred to them as "the crew with stars in their sails" because of this.

-You could point at any color, any hue tone shade what have you, and Skin-taker could immediately tell you it's specific name. It's one of the few things about him that are the same from when he was Thade Soben.

-Lillian was genuinely a very goofy, emotional, and fun loving person but being a captain she tried keeping a very calm confident demeanor all the time which then lead her to also being secretly stressed out 24/7. Seeing Thades joy and curiosity for almost everything in Candle Cove helped bring out her sillier side again though.

-No one other than Poppy knows Percy's past on the Tarantula crew as the infamous Prowler Percy and whenever someone goes "Man that prowler percy was so cool I wonder what happened to him" Percy is just "Yeahh haha crazy- let's change the subject" just because he remembering those times hurts too much now and also the NPHC would pay soooooo much money to see Prowler dead.

-One time Poppy gambled Percy in a bet and lost and the crew then spent the whole episode getting into shenanigans trying to get him back.

-There was one episode where Janice and Horace got separated from their crew on a dangerous island and had to very begrudgingly work together to try and get back to them with Janice managing to snag his monocle and holding it hostage so he didn't try any funny business. Even though he did end up betraying her in the end by leaving her on the island (the Laughingstock crew did get her back still) during the episode they actually worked pretty well together and at one point found some common ground, and ever since Horace just seemed a little less hostile towards her, insulted her less, and even seemed to try and lightly deter Skin-taker from her once or twice.

-Susan Siren is actually a menace and does crash ships and kill sailors with her singing she's just loyal to Janice and The Laughingstock crew because Janice freed her from lullaby rock. Girls killed and will do so again.

-Green Gregory is the only other one is Candle Cove aside from Janice who isn't a puppet (in my version I like to think Susan and Nathan are also puppets). It's suggested but never confirmed whether or not he too was once a child who came to Candle Cove long ago.

-Green Gregory knew Skin-taker when he was Thade back when he was a pirate himself, and every once in a while after the taverns closed Skin-taker shows up to catch up with his old acquaintance. Even though he's clear in his distain for the skeleton's doing Gregory is never unwelcoming to him (listen even if they have no canon interactions you can't give me two characters presumably played by the same actor and expect me to NOT come up with a connection between them).

-Percy's paranoia and Calvary's superstition go hand in hand in literally the most chaotic and worst way. Sea dog is so tired of their shit.

-Milo is the only person to have ever tested Dr. Heartfelt's patience.

-The puppets can bleed. It's not a practical effect.

[mari-zuko]

IC TASK 006 - INTERROGATION when: december 13th

Previously, Mari had been summoned to sit with the agnets with her father. A formality, if that - as the dean's daughter, she needn't sit through all this. This time, however, she entered the room alone, only one chair sitting opposite the three now familiar agents.

She didn't know how to feel about it.

A hint of anxiety thrummed through her, the worry pulsing in her veins even as she offered a smile, three firm shakes of the hand, her posture straight as she smoothed her skirt underneath her to take a prim perch in the seat they indicated to. Ever unruffled; ever poised.

"Thanks so much for coming in today, Ms. Zuko."

"Of course," Mari said in response, her voice delicate, though she didn't allow it to shake - unlike the hands that were currently in her lap, hidden from view from the agents all staring at her. "Anything to help."

"We appreciate it." The agent spoke with a solemn tone, lips pressed together in a poor attempt at a comforting smile, though Mari nodded her head, her own lips responding as if it had worked. "Let's get right into it then - did you have any reason to suspect Greer Morrison was dead before this news came to light?”

The bubble of tension in the room popped, any impeccably put together poise of the dean's daughter fading from Mari, her arms instead crossing in front of her chest. She leaned back in her seat, the defiant position not looking entirely comfortable in comparison to her normally pristine posture as she looked at the agent with disbelief on her face, her lips parting slightly. "No?" she said incredulously. "I don’t tend to go around just assuming my friends are dead and not mention it to anyone.”

“Well, Ms. Zuko…unfortunately we have to reason to believe not everyone has been entirely honest with us.” The statement was offered on a platter, dangling in front of her for her to react to - to condemn herself with. Or perhaps for her to return to the version of her they had gotten previously.

She took it.

Her eyes just shifted up to meet the agent’s, the corners of her lips turning downward. “That’s unfortunate,” Mari murmured. “Horrible to think someone may have known something regarding an actual death and not mentioned it while your team was left in the dark.” 

Well, half took it.

After a brief pause, another one of the agents shifted forward, glancing over at their colleague before looking at Mari, pen poised over their notes. “What was your relationship with Greer again? And what about Penelope Klein?"

“Greer was a friend. One of my closest friends." Mari paused, her chin tucking towards her chest as she swallowed, shrugging her shoulders again. "And Penny and I worked closely together - student government and all. She met with my father frequently, from what I understand of her duties. We were…friendly, at least. Friends, maybe, even. But not…I don’t know. Not super close. We didn’t hang out all that often. I guess, yeah, I’d say friendly.” 

“Are you aware of any information about Greer that has come to light in the past year that you haven’t shared?“ 

Was she aware of anything about Greer that she hadn’t shared? Of course. An inordinate amount. But it hadn’t come to light in the past year. If anything, the past year had just revealed that the things Mari had known…might not have been true. That the person she thought she had known, that had been revealed to her in their secret moments in crowed rooms and whispers between their flesh hadn’t been the true Greer Morrison, reserved just for her. 

No, it hadn’t been real at all. 

It was just another performance. 

"No." The word was soft, though Mari's answer was firm. "I'm not."

"And what do you know about the nature of Greer’s relationship with Penelope Klein?”

Mari’s eyes flickered down to the table in front of her, her lips twisting to one side. “Not much. We all hung out a few times but I’m not sure how close they were independently.” There were secrets, of course. Things Mari couldn’t say. But they all had secrets. It didn’t mean it was related to this. 

"Well, thank you for sharing the information you do have." The agents paused, shuffling their papers, Mari angling her chin upwards, a practiced movement exposing her slender neck as she watched them, suspecting a shift in the direction of the questions were coming.

“Have you witnessed anything suspicious on campus over the past year and a half?”

"I'm not sure what you mean by that," she said, beginning with confusion, biting her lower lip as she thought for a moment. All practiced, calculated movements to look as she was actually considering, the furrow on her brow indicating just how hard. "I suppose, yeah..." The word trailed off, lingering in the space between them. "I mean, the fire, to start. Students dying. Power outages. It hasn't exactly been a normal few semesters, has it?" Her eyes met the agents, blinking between all three of them. "But if you mean anything besides any of that, anything personal or not publicly known....no."

And that was an outright lie. She had danced around the truth so often in her life, becoming a master at it. She could avoid it without outright ignoring it with the best - but that. That had been an outright lie.

“Of course. Besides all that, over the past year, have you gotten any anonymous messages? Any threatening ones? Or any with…leading information?”

Yes. Someone out there knew her secrets. Knew Greer's secrets. And Mari couldn't bring herself to say anything - couldn't help but think, if Greer really had died...maybe she'd rather be dead than have those secrets come out. "Some anonymous messages, yeah. Or ones from unknown senders, rather. But nothing with threats or information in them, no. Just...creeps, I'd gather."

"Would you mind sending those over to us?"

Mari shook her head, lips pressed together in a smile. "Of course not. I have my messages set to auto delete pretty quickly, but I'll send you what I still have."

"Great - we really appreciate that. Thank you so much, Mari. If we have any other questions, we'll reach out to you or your father to schedule another meeting."

[cringywhitedragon]

Wanted to do some headcannons for some versions of the Microsoft Speech Synths (And a few others) from a personal Universe of mine

A lot of these are heavily inspired by the various MS Sam reads funny errors series I enjoyed watching on YouTube long ago and my own verse in a way so I give credit to the various creators whom I have forgotten the names of.

I’ve also used Picrew to give you guys a visualization on what my verse version of these guys look like (I was originally going to go with stick figures with these guys early on but decided to update their designs)

NOTE: I DO NOT CLAIM OWNERSHIP OF THE PICREWS USED, THEY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS AND WILL BE CREDITED AND LINKED BACK TO

I’ll make a part 2 to this later on

A brief overview: All of these characters mentioned are what we would call a Synth. Synthians are a race that are almost indistinguishable from humans save for a few key features such as their voice and eyes. They function almost identically to humans and other living beings but also have their own quirks and goofiness that I won’t be going into detail on this post (And also because the personal AU they come from is a mish-mosh of different universes and frequently says screw the rules of space and time)

Synths can be divided into two distinctive categories: Regular Synths (IE: Sam, Mike, Mary) and Vocal Synths (IE: Miku, Len, Luka) based on their vocal patterns

Samuel Andrew Microsoft (MS Sam)

(Picrew by krmr, https://picrew.me/ja/image_maker/523501)

The obnoxious and chaotic of one the Microsoft triplets

Can be a bit of a jerkass at times (yet unlike some of his other counterparts, this version is actually a pretty decent Synthian) but does actually care a lot for his close friends/family and will stand up for them should the need arise

Has a speech impediment which is what helped him gain fame/infamy? (It depends on who you ask)

Enjoys giving people he’s friends with a hard time. His favorite target is his brother Mike since he finds it amusing when he gets riled up.

After him and his siblings were “retired” (aka fired) from their job as computer assistances and went their own separate ways, Sam spent quite a while as a drifter looking for a purpose. He took various odd jobs here and there up until he got to where he is now and reunited with his siblings aboard the starship they are now members of the crew (Once again, more personal lore stuff but Sam is the First Officer)

Is strangely obsessed with tacos (Something else I snagged)

Rather skilled at using vehicles and weapons

Does not have a filter and will actively curse, unless it is around younger Synths/humans/other races or if it is a professional matter.

Does not like Vista (Another obvious thing I snagged). This also goes for a specific drink known as Vista Soda which is another running gag I have with him.

Micheal Oliver Microsoft (MS Mike)

(Picrew by マサキ, https://picrew.me/ja/image_maker/54346)

The smart and serious one of the the Microsoft triplets

Often the butt-end of a lot of his brother’s jokes since he’s known to get snappy and have a pitch shift when he gets annoyed/scared

Currently works as a doctor aboard the Starship Whistler (one of the very few Synthian docs in the universe since most of their kind tends to work in jobs relating to either entertainment or technology) and has gained fame for his research into various diseases of the universe and helping to develop cures for them

A very minor one but he wears glasses

Has a tendency to speak very literally and sarcastically. Also fond of using big words but will often slip into tendencies that his brother has (usually cursing) when off duty or alone in his office.

Utterly terrified Hachunes and Mikudayios (Common organisms on what many Synths consider to be the Synthian home-world (aka “Earth 2”) outside of Earth. They are kinda like pigeons or something similar (even though Earth 2 does have pigeons), many Regular Synthians do consider them pests though the can be tamed/befriended and are just as intelligent as a human.) As soon as he sees or hears one of those creatures he will either bolt or lock himself in his office/room. Same goes for the song Lleven Polka which is often used as a measure to attract wild Hachunes, Sam has used this as a few times.

Can get serious when the time calls for it. This usually occurs during medical emergencies.

Has an obsession with soda.

Almost always has some sort of supplies on hand at all times. This especially goes for if the need ever arises to defend himself. Mike is very knowledgeable about most sentient races anatomy and can easily incapacitate an attacker (or if they are lucky, a simple sedative jab to the neck)

Marybell Anne “Mary” Microsoft

(Picrew by マサキ, https://picrew.me/en/image_maker/167775)

The motherly and kind one of the trio

Mary is a lot calmer compared to her brothers. She’s not as easy to set off and will not pick on others

Prefers to stay away from Sam’s antics and is usually the one to scold him when Mike isn’t around.

She’s a really good cook and went to culinary school sometime after her and her sibling’s retirement.

Opened a diner back on Earth 2 sometime before she joined the Whistler, it is currently being managed by a good friends

Very protective of her recipes (She will smack you with a pan if you dare try to steal them)

It’s very rare that you will hear her curse at anyone, unless she is really upset

Fond of reading and also enjoys gardening

Grandpa SAM / Samuel Mack PlainTalk (S.A.M / Software Automatic Mouth)

Grandfather to the triplets, and the one who raised the trio

Personality-wise, he’s best described as an older version of MS Sam who has mellowed out.

A big dork and somewhat of a flirt

While he may be an older Synth who mainly likes to play poker, he’s still rather found of video games (Something that he shares with his grandkids)

Good friend with a few Vocal Synths (Namely Leon, Lola, Miriam, and Meiko whom he met before the latter hit it big in a small bar on Earth 2 (The former two who now run the place), and even introduced Sam to them)

While he usually just goes by Grandpa Sam, his full name is a nod to his other family. He’s considered the father of the Mac Family of Synths (Something that he keeps well hidden from his grandkids.)

Annabelle “Anna” Blackcomb (MS Anna)

Not related by blood to the Microsoft Trio.

Anna is described as rather reserved and a bit shy

Not a lot do her past is known other then the fact that she was the replacement for the Microsoft trio and was later quietly fired

She has a stutter (speech delay)

She’s quite skilled with a sword

The Microsoft Trio never met her up until they joined the Whistler and found her on an ice moon (This has some major lore stuff for a character I’m not ready to fully reveal)

The person she would consider that she is closest to outside of an old pin pal from years ago is Mike. He was the one who found her and the one who spent the most time trying to get her to open up and trust them

[goodluckdetective]

Ahem, a snippet of this very silly idea:

The case that currently comes to mind is one that came about around seven months after my wedding to my wife. Now a married woman, I was no longer living at 221B, but I still visited frequently, often stopping by once or twice a week after work at my practice to catch up with my close friend. Mary did not mind as nearby Baker Street was a grocer with prices we could afford. 

On the day in question, I had wrapped up practice early due to a few cancellations and headed to 221B, greeting Ms. Hudson at the door. Upstairs I could hear the sound of shifting feet and when I opened the door to the flat, I was unsurprised to find Holmes practicing her boxing. She’d moved most of the furniture out of the sitting room into the kitchen, stacking chairs on top of one another and in front of her was a practice dummy she used for such bouts when I was not around or in the mood to indulge her. She’d been at it for awhile, judging from the sheen of sweat on her dark skin. Her locs were tied up in a tight bun as was her perfected style when practicing fisticuffs, and she’d shed the waistcoat and tie for practice. She’d not put on boxing gloves as was her habit (“in a true bout I’d have no gloves, Watson”) and I watched with amusement as she swung and hit the dummy right in the chest. The only part of her ensemble that wasn’t typical was a blindfold which she had tied tightly over her eyes, a white handkerchief being used on this occasion. It was said handkerchief that caught my attention. 

“Watson,” she said, keeping up her stance. “I see you’ve had a cancellation.”

“And I see you’ve decided to dismiss seeing anything for the time being.” I walked over and stood next to the fireplace so I could face her properly. 

“Well, it’s important to practice the art of self defense in all situations in case one should arise. Loss of sight due to a blindfold, smoke or regular darkness is always a threat and I would be amiss not to practice for the possibility.”

“True.” I walked over and she relaxed her stance, tilting her head towards me. She did that often when she was concentrating on noise, which only solidified a hunch I had since walking through the doorway. “Holmes, might I try to make a deduction of my own?”

Holmes eyebrows rose and then an amused smile burst across her face. “Oh I would be delighted. Please, go ahead. What is your deduction, my dear.”

“That your explanation for the blindfold is complete poppycock,” I said. Holmes amused smile did not wane, instead growing slightly brighter. She adored when I tried employing her own methods, even though I rarely did so out of fear of being wrong. this was perhaps the forth time in our friendship where I had offered to try to employ the science of observation without prompting.

“And what makes you say that Watson?”

“You’re using your handkerchief.” I pointed at the blindfold and then felt rather foolish remembering Holmes could not see it. “While you have reason to practice for situations with low light, a white handkerchief is a poor use of blindfold given how thin the type you carry are.”

“Perhaps I’ve decided to purchase handkerchiefs made of more refined material.”

“Doubtful; with the amount you ruin within a week on your adventures, you’d be broke. Thus you must have picked it for a different reason: not to obscure your vision but to show others your vision is obscured.”

Holmes smile turned into a grin. “Go on. What is your conclusion?”

I reached forward and pulled at the blindfold, yanking it off with ease. Holmes brown eyes were open but they did not focus on me, instead fixating in the general direction I was standing. I shook the handkerchief to straighten it out and placed it into her hand, which had come up palm out to grab it.

“My conclusion is you have gotten yourself cursed again and decided to practice fighting with it rather than calling upon your good friend to save you from your predicament.”

Holmes chuckled and clapped her hands together, delighted. She shoved the handkerchief in her pockets and reached out to grab my shoulder, missing by a few inches before I reached up to assist. 

“Are you planning to start your own consulting business, Watson. Should I fear for competition?”

I rolled my eyes. “Of course not. I am no master of observation. I just know you.” I grabbed her hand off my shoulder and reached forward to tap her chest. “Now would you like me to rid you of this curse or would you like more time to practice?”

“Be rid of it please. I have been seeing nothing but blurs of color for hours: it’s hateful.”

I traced out my sigil onto her shoulder and pushed forward just enough magic to break the curse. It was a small one as expected, most curses were, and Holmes eyes focused on me when the spell was lifted. She straightened her shoulders and shook her head.

“What would I do without you, Watson?”

“Become destitute from buying dozens of curse breaking sigils. Do you know who got you this time?”

Me, realizing Sherlock Holmes is now in the public domain and now I can write my own Holmes stuff however I want aka as fantasy setting lesbians:

[blackgirlcinephiles]

Warning: Long post

Regarding Keke Palmer and the colorism conversation…

I feel like people are never entirely honest with themselves about how colorism functions not just in Hollywood, but in all facets of life in the US.

Keke Palmer has had an objectively successful career with a VERY impressive resume to her name.

And Zendaya is an objectively talented actress who is deserving of all of her accolades.

But to me, the conversation around colorism, like with racism, has never been about capability or achievement. It’s about opportunity. Which individuals among us are given the opportunity, the visibility, the push that will send them to bigger heights, regardless of talent?

It’s about how skin color and other physical features shape the type of treatment we receive in society. Everything from length of prison sentences to experiences in the dating market are shaped by colorism. There are several studies that prove this and provide deeper context, just look it up.

And I don’t say this to make anyone feel bad or push a cynical narrative about the possibilities available for darker skinned people, but I seriously want us to be real and honest about the society we live in and how shit plays out.

There’s a reason Viola Davis was called “less classically beautiful” while Halle Berry was once named People’s Most Beautiful Woman.

Again, these are both gorgeous, talented Black women who have given us so much in their careers. Who have both had to face obstacles due the fact of their Blackness. But let’s be honest, colorism & featurism have also had a hand in shaping the trajectories of their careers and the type of opportunities/roles they received.

Viola Davis has spoken at length in several interviews about how transformative an opportunity like HTGAWM was for her. And mind you, it was an opportunity created by another Black woman, our beloved Ms. Shonda Rhimes.

Over the last few years, we’ve seen Keke Palmer’s popularity and recognition grow beyond the Black community due to the wonderful memes and pop culture moments she has given us, often during her personal interviews and hosting gigs.

And Nope, is her first big, mainstream, feature role in her adulthood. An opportunity created for her by another beloved Black creative, Jordan Peele.

The reason I’m emphasizing opportunity and the creation of opportunity is because I already know of three other Black creatives at the decision making level who have said they had to fight for the presence of their dark skinned characters.

Mara Brock Akil did a panel where she said she had to fight for Jill Marie Jones’ place on Girlfriends.

Gina Prince Blythewood said she had to call out her producers after several attempts to diminish Kiki Layne’s character in The Old Guard.

Chris Rock said he had to fight for Tichina Arnold to play his mother on Everybody Hates Chris. A role, which I might add, made her wildly famous in Brazil for being one of the few positive representations of dark skinned Black women in Brazilian television.

In all of these examples, it is Black creatives in decision making roles making opportunities for their dark-skinned talent specifically.

It’s not about Jill Marie Jones, Tichina Arnold, or Kiki Layne being less talented, or less accomplished, or less personally satisfied with their career trajectories. It’s about fewer opportunities being there because mainstream Hollywood still has a paper bag test for Black women.

It’s because the Black actresses often deemed palatable enough to sell to/pull in mainstream audiences often look like Halle Berry or, in this conversation, Zendaya. Who is both fair skinned and modelesque in stature. Zendaya herself has commented on being Hollywood’s “acceptable Black girl.”

It’s not a coincidence, as someone on twitter pointed out, that Zendaya has 149 million followers while Keke has just reached 11 million. That’s the difference in their mainstream popularity. That is what is influencing the opportunities that come to them.

Because let’s also get into how casting directors are also checking the social media stats of their actors nowadays. Bigger engagement on social media means bigger potential interest from audiences. And we should already know by now how colorism and featurism works for Black people on social media. We should all know that, right?

Acknowledging these things and having these conversations, does nothing to take away from the talents or achievements of any of these actors. Yet people always seem to act like it does, which is why people get defensive, and colorism conversation never actually goes anywhere.

Two things can be true at once. Zendaya is an objectively talented actress who has an incredibly promising career ahead of her. And she has also likely benefitted from colorism and featurism in her career trajectory.

Keke Palmer is an incredibly talented entertainer with a LONG and enviable resume. And #Nope is her breakout leading role in a mainstream blockbuster as an adult, and colorism/anti-Blackness may be a reason why this opportunity came to her later in her career by comparison.

If we can’t be honest about colorism and how it works, then we can’t call it out when we see it happen, we can’t hold folks accountable and nothing will ever change.

Colorism, like racism, like all -isms, is always happening, so there will never be a time where we shouldn’t talk about it. Where it isn’t at least a possible factor at play. And these discussions don’t have to mean that we’re putting anyone down or pitting anyone against each other.

It’s about knowing better so that we can do better.

[spxllcxstxr]

Game On • J.P

(Gif not mine)

Writing Challenge: @lunalovecroft ‘s 2.7k Trope Writing Challenge! Congrats again! Everyone go check out their fantastic blog! Trope: Quidditch Rivals and Secret Dating

Summary: No one knows that rival captains, Potter and (Y/Ln), have been in a secret relationship for quite some time. Then, the Championship Game arrives.

Warnings: cursing, a small hint of steaminess (nothing big—it’s like a quick mention and that’s it), slight Wolfstar and Dorlene mention, mention of breakfast at the Great Hall, kissing, use of Ms when referring to the reader (only once), nonGryffindor!reader

Word Count: 2k

A.N: Kinda long winded but I actually like the dialogue for once??? Wow. Congrats again on 2.7k! Everyone go follow them because I get so happy seeing them on my dash ❤️ Hope you all enjoy and love you all ❤️

****

Your eyes snap open hours before they have to, your dorm still pitch black, the soft snores of your friends filling up the otherwise quiet space. The covers feel heavy and restricting on top of you, something you quickly remedy by kicking them clear off the mattress.

You swing your legs over the edge, feet meeting the cool wooden floor.

Rubbing your eyes, you glance over at the ornate clock on your nightstand. One in the morning. You sigh, your goal of getting a good night’s sleep before your important match in ruins.

Your skin crawls at the thought of the Championship Match only hours from now. The amount of blood, sweat, and tears you’ve shed in preparation for it is frankly quite concerning.

Unable to get back to sleep, you drag yourself out of bed, shoving your feet into plush slippers before slipping quietly out of your room. You’re forced to tiptoe around scattered books, most of them Quidditch related from last night.

There’s no way you’ll be getting back to sleep anytime soon, the anxiety of the morning’s match coursing through your veins. The nerves were the worst part of competitive Quidditch—after all these years you still couldn’t shake them.

Absentmindedly, you think about heading to the Kitchens, the warm and comfortable environment sounding like exactly what you need.

Late night visits to the Kitchens aren’t anything new, you and James often sneak out after curfew hidden underneath his Invisibility Cloak. Sitting in the far corner behind countless shelves and barrels was a frequent date for the two of you since it offered enough privacy from the rest of the castle.

The two of you could hold hands on the table, his thumb open to draw little figure eights between your knuckles. Your eyes could light up just looking at him without the fear of being called out. His lips could capture yours in a sweet or passionate kiss and no one would know.

The real and complete reason for keeping your relationship a secret was long since forgotten, but the general idea is still shared. It’s just easier being Quidditch rivals instead of being Quidditch rivals that snogged the second feet touched the ground. Neither of you were ever accused of going easy on the other during matches, and that’s how the two of you preferred it.

Plus, there was something romantic about sneaking around the castle and through secret passage ways pressed closely underneath his cloak. Stolen kisses in empty classrooms and quick shags in broom closets were fun when they weren’t inconvenient.

In the back of your mind you have an inkling that James might be huddled up in the usual spot as well, considering he has a match as well in a few hours.

You shuffle through the common room, a few third years spread out on the couch, sleeping atop their textbooks and notes. The fire crackles and pops lowly. A shiver runs down your spine as you step out into the corridor.

“Lumos!”

A murky blue light blooms from the tip of your wand, lighting up the dark corridor.

You shuffle across the stone, the occasional laugh or snore echoing throughout.

Filch isn’t an issue at this time of night, surprisingly the old care taker does get some sort of beauty sleep, though it does him no good, so you find yourself walking normally instead of carefully creeping around.

It doesn’t take long to get to the portrait of the bowl of fruit, faint giggles coming from the pear. You extend your arm to tickle the bottom of the pear, it’s giggles erupting even louder before morphing into an intricate brass doorknob.

Stepping through the threshold you’re immediately met with a blast of heat due to the large fireplace that practically takes up the wall to your right. Even though it’s the middle of the night, plates and goblets and utensils are clanking and crashing together, the pitter patter of house-elves darting around the area isn’t surprising at this point.

“Nox.”

The blue light fades and flickering orange takes over.

A small and pale grey figure rushes up to you, jittery like they’ve just consumed a gallon of coffee. One ear droops low enough where it’s almost dragging across the floor while the other is significantly shorter.

“Ms. (Y/Ln)!” The house-elf squeaks, wringing their lavender cloth between their fingers. “Mr. Potter is waiting for you!”

“Alright, Tilly.” You smile warmly at the elf. “Thank you.”

As you make your way to your usual spot in the back of the Kitchens, you hear Tilly bound back over to the counters, joining the many other house-elves that work down here.

Behind stacks of old crates and barrels, there’s an old and decrepit picnic table, obscured from the rest of the room. Each time you and James show up you’re surprised the house-elves haven’t chucked it into the large fire yet. It’s so rickety it’s practically only good for firewood.

And being the spot for the two of you to find refuge in.

James is sitting with his back against the wall, legs outstretched across the bench just like you suspected. He’s lazily tracing a finger around the lip of his steaming mug, hazel eyes lost in thought. From your spot you can see his teeth toying with his bottom lip.

“You ok Jamie?” You ask softly, trying not to startle him out of his thoughts.

His eyes flick up to yours before he fixes his glasses and runs a hand through his bedhead.

“Knew you’d join me eventually, love.” He sends over a wink, face lighting up.

“And you didn’t think to pick me up at my common room?” You playfully scoff, slotting yourself between his legs, face pressed into his chest.

The red fabric smells suspiciously like the Quidditch shed, like he got in some late night practice.

“Oh yes, because standing out in the cold corridors outside of your common room after curfew is much better than just waiting for you in the warm Kitchens.” James’ chin rests in the top of your head, his arms wrapped securely around your waist.

“Blimey, chivalry really is dead.”

“Y’know, you could’ve waited outside the Gryffindor Tower for me.” James points out, chuckling at your complaint.

“I’m sorry.” You gasp. “Who has the Invisibility Cloak, again?”

“You got here just fine, didn’t you, love?” He snorts, chest rumbling.

“Whatever.” You grumble, rolling your eyes in defeat.

James sighs, rubbing your side. “You ready for the morning?”

You hum noncommittally, the thought of tomorrow’s match swirling through your mind.

“Nervous, love?” His voice is soft and delicate against your temple.

“I mean, this is my last chance, Jamie.” You mumble into his chest. “And of course it’s against you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, (Y/n)?” James asks, concern laced within his voice.

“It’s just that you’re an amazing player and I’m—“

“A spectacular player as well.” He interjects. “I’ve seen you out there practicing. You’ve built a bloody good team this year. We’re on equal footing.”

“Yeah well, I’ve never beaten you before.” You huff lightly, playing with the hem of his shirt.

“So?” He questions. “That doesn’t mean anything. There’s a reason you’ve made it into the Championship match, (Y/n). Because you’re a fucking phenomenal Captain. And I’ll hex anyone that tells you otherwise.” You feel his fingers flex angrily against your waist.

“You’re so sweet.” You pick your head up slightly to face him, a pout tugging at your lips.

“Guess I should give you a good luck kiss now, considering we won’t have time in the morning.” James’ hazel eyes shine in the flickering light while looking into your own.

“Does luck even last that long?” You bring your fingers up to hover over his sharp jawline.

“Sadly, love, we’ll have to test that.” He sighs.

You bring your lips to meet his, your fatigue making it a bit sloppier than it should’ve been. He nips at your lips, pulling you closer to his chest momentarily before pulling away.

You whine slightly at the loss of warmth.

“Gotta save some of that luck for myself, love. Can’t just let you win.” He smirks, lips grazing your hairline.

The two of you end up sitting there for another hour or so, listening to the fire crackling and the house-elves rummage around. Eventually, he pulls you underneath his cloak and drops you back off at your common room, a quick peck pressed to your lips.

You manage to drift back off to sleep, dreaming of James rather than Quidditch.

When you pry your eyes open for the second time, the sun is actually filtering through your curtains and most of your dormmates are awake and shuffling around.

You tune them out the best you can, opting to go through your routine in whatever silence you can find.

Your routine is quite simple, you let your joints pop and muscles stretch, trying to shake yourself awake.

The rest of the castle seems to be alive with boisterous laughter and over the top festivities. Glancing around at the corridors and the Great Hall, you’re able to notice a pretty even split between red and gold and your own house colors.

This was going to be one hell of a rematch.

Marlene and Sirius have a crowd forming around them as they flex and throw out trash talk. You watch as Remus and Dorcas try to coax them down from the tabletop, but they seem unsuccessful.

Peter, Mary, and Lily are fawning over James, hyping him up, even you can tell from across the Hall.

But he isn’t paying attention to them, his eyes are clearly trained on you behind his round glasses.

“Already envisioning Potter’s demise?”

You tear your eyes away from him, instead focusing on your teammate.

“Oh absolutely.” You smirk, before throwing yourself into last minute charts and maneuvers.

Breakfast goes by quick, your leg never stops bouncing underneath the table and your fingers tap incessantly against your goblet.

You and your team strut down to the pitch earlier than anyone else. There’s a slight breeze rolling through the grounds, something you take into account.

It becomes a bit of a blur after you’ve changed into your uniform, the crowd begins to show up and their cheers take over your hearing.

Remus is announcing the game, which you have no idea why since it never goes well for anyone. His commentary ranges from picking on James to flirting with Sirius to just trying to get McGonagall pissed off.

Marching out to the center of the grassy pitch, broom in hand, you’re bombarded with your name being enthusiastically chanted across the entire stadium. Confidence bubbles inside of you as you face James, Madam Hooch just beside you.

“Alright everyone, I expect a nice, clean, and fair game today. This is the Championship, no one will get away with any funny business.” Her tone is clipped as her yellow eyes take in everyone. “Captains, shake hands.”

You and James take a step forward, his hand firmly grasping yours.

“Good luck, love.”

With your hands still connected, James plants his lips on your own, and you eagerly kiss back.

The crowd erupts into even louder cheers.

“Bloody hell!” You hear Remus exclaim over the loud speaker. “James and (Y/Ln) are now snogging on the pitch! You own me five bloody Galleons, Sirius Black! I told you, you—“

“Lupin!”

James takes a step back, his usual smirk painted across his face. His hazel eyes glint mischievously behind his goggles, which he takes the time to adjust like they were his own glasses.

The roar of the entire castle fills your ears after your little reveal.

It’s a little overwhelming, you have to admit, but it doesn’t deter you. You’ve spent too many hours training for this very moment to back down now.

You roll your neck, taking a deep breath to calm your nerves, but pixies have already erupted in your stomach. You feel James’ stare burning into you.

“Mount your brooms.” Madam Hooch’s harsh tone cuts through the crowd, but you’re barely paying attention to her as you swing a leg over your broom handle.

The whistle pops into her mouth like usual, but in the split second before she blows with all the air in her lungs, you lock eyes with your boyfriend.

His red and gold robes billow behind him, confidence just rolling off of him. Dark and chaotic curls drift in the breeze.

He sends you a wink.

“Game on, love.”

•

All Character Taglist: @aspiringsloth20 @amourtentiaa @cherie-draco

For @lunalovecroft go check their blog out!

[creatureofmystry]

MLB x DC Universe Headcannons

I just love the idea of MLB and DC (expecially Batfam cuz Mari is such a Wayne) being in the same universe and crossing over. So one night, I just had an idea overload of different ways the Marinette would know the batfam/be a part of the DC universe. And if any of my shitty ideas somehow inspire or prompt you, then please be my guest. 😊 _

1) “Ladybugs of Past and Present”

Hippolyta, Wonder Woman’s mother, was once a previous holder of the ladybug miraculous. When Fu activated the miraculous and put them in circulation, Hippolyta could feel its magic waking back up. Knowing there must a reason for it to be out, she sent a message to her daughter. Diana searched, finding Marinette and Adrien as the present holders of the ladybug and cat miraculous. She vouched and brought them into the Young Justice program while they also made their own team, Project: Zodiac (or something like that).

[Sometime when Diana takes Marinette to meet Hippolyta]

“Great Hera, Tikki, you have not aged a day” -Hippolyta, cause she does know how to make joke. 

“And I would say the same to you” -Tikki

“Mother, you can make a laugh?” -Wonder Woman, honestly a bit confused cause her mom have never not been serious before.

And Marinette is just speechless cause she’s starstruck meeting Wonder Woman’s mom AND a previous Ladybug holder.

_

2) “Rockstar Niece”

Jagged Stone is Marinette’s Sweet Uncle J. During the summers, Jagged Stone would take Mari with him on tour. HIs summer tours are throughout America, so Mari gets to sightsee the country. Jagged’s first tour that he gets to take Mari on (5-ish), he’s also booked for the annual (for whatever reason) Wayne Summer Gala. When Marinette meets the Waynes, they are so enamoured (Dick and Tim couldn’t help it) that they tell Jagged he’s always invited as a guest, Mari of course being added to the permanent guest list too. About 6 years later, Mari is practically adopted, spending the first half of her summers with Jagged, going to the Wayne Gala, then spending the rest of her summer with the Waynes. Overtime, she figured out the secrets of the family and was there to welcome Jason back from the dead (when that happens). Anyways, now 11(-ish?) Mari meets Damian and the two become good friends… after an… impressionable first meeting.

“Tch, let me guess, you’re another one of father’s adopted strays” -Dami

“YOU MUST BE DAMIAN!!! DICK TOLD ME ABOUT YOU!!” -Marinette, who just ignores what he said for a hug.

“hiiiiiiiiissssssss” -Dami, touchy with touch

“...” sprays water in his face since he decided to act like a cat.

“I say, Master Bruce, the children are getting along quite well” -Alfred

_

3) “Pen Pals” 

Jon Kent and Marinette Dupain-Cheng are part of an international pen-pal program, starting when they were very young (maybe like 4 or 5-ish, super super young) where they told each other everything (Jon can’t just say that his older bro is a clone made from Superman and Lex Luthor’s DNA, or that his dad is Superman, or that his best friend is Robin, but yea. Lois and Clark probably proofread his stuff until he’s like 9) with pictures and everything. When they’re old enough to get phones & stuff, they call, text and vid-chat along with their letters (love without blood). When Mari is maybe 9-11 (somewhere around there) she starts flying over during the summers to hangout with Jon (and his friends and big brother). While there, she meets Kon, Bat fam, and Clark (some who she already knew, some who she didn’t) & lightly hints that she knows who all they are once she figures it out (it didn’t take her long to do so). 

Now whenever she visits and is at Wayne Manor (Jon likes to have sleepovers practically every weekend) while they’re on patrol, Mari subtly messes with their minds (super subtle, they’re the world’s best detectives after all) until they finally look through the cams and see Mari giving them one of those smiles (those shit-grinning cause it’s just so hilarious how it’s gone on for so long) & and a playful wink. 

[5 seconds later]

“Mari!” “Pixie-pop!” “Angel!” “Teacup!”

“Seriously, am I the only one with a normal nickname for her?” -Tim

“Ms. Marinette would like to inform you that ‘it took you long enough’” -Alfred (who so knows that the girl has been playing them since the third night she stayed at the Wayne’s)

“Where are my adoption papers?” -Bruce (who is seriously adopting any talented black-haired child)

_

4) “Mari and Mar’i” 

When Mar’i is young, Dick and Kori take her with them to see Paris (btw, this would be during the winter). They’re strolling along through a park and lose track of Mar’i who finds Marinette (9-10 ish). Marinette comforts and distracts Mar’i while noticing the young(er) girl is Tameranian (her hair is very warm and she’s wearing significantly less layers than should be worn for a human of that age during the winter, plus that sun-kissed skin tone. She’s seen Kori in her fashion magazines (and, from time to time, on the news as an ambassador) so she easily make the connections). Dick and Kori finally spot Mar’i with Mari who introduces herself to them. Mar’i asks if she can see her “Auntinette” again and Marinette just goes “if your parents are okay with it.” Dick and Kori are totally cool with it (not many are willing to watch her and have the time to do it) so they ask Marinette if she can babysit Mar’i whenever (with good pay of course) if she’s up to it (cause she’s still pretty young). Marinette can’t say no to Mar’i’s babydoll eyes (and she’s so much easier compared to Manon, who’s only 2 rn), so of course, she says yes. 

Now Marinette is Mar’is official babysitter and sees Mar’i often whenever her parents drop her off (using zeta tubes to quickly get to Paris and back). Marinette gets treated like an honorary Wayne (cause she’s the most responsible) and gets invited to their family stuff (w/ travel pay taken care of, of course). It doesn’t take her long to realize the fact that she babysits Bruce Wayne’s & BATMAN’S granddaughter, but of course, being the responsible one she is, keeps the secret… while also playing with them via Mar’i.

[One Day]

After Marinette leaves for her plane…

“Uncle Dami!”

“Yes, Spawn?”

“Auntinette said to tell you after she left that Robin’s sut needs a major upgrade & that you look like a traffic light… whatever that’s supposed to mean.”

[Another Day]

“Uncle Jay!”

“What’s up kid?’

“Auntinette said that to let you know that Red Hood doesn’t make any sense ‘cause Red Hood wears a helmet. Not a hood.”

[The next time]

“Uncle Tim!”

Yawn. “yea?”

“Auntie told me to give you this” (pulls out super caffeinated coffee) “and that Red Robin’s cowl is a menace to all things fashion”

[Again…] 

“Daddy!”

“Yes, Starshine?”

“Auntienette said she’s proud of Nightwing’s costume ‘cause it’s one of the only in the batfam that isn’t an astro-city to the fashion society.”

_

5) “Marinette, the one who’s always getting chosen”

Before Mari became (becomes(?)) LB, she comes across a different powerful piece of jewelry, from a different order of guardians where her will of mind is not only her shield from being akumatized, but it is also what drives her powers. That’s right, Mari walks past a flea market and activates a GL ring. The guardians pick up on this activity and send Hal (it is his sector) to check it out. Hal finds the ring with Mari but it still needs the light of a GL to charge and fully work. 

[During the explanation]

“Look, kid-”

“Marinette.” 

“Look, kid, I just need to know why you have that ring.”

“You think I know? I was just walking through the market and all of a sudden, this possessed ring, if that’s even what this is, started following me, then zipped in front of my face til i held my hand up so it can put itself on my finger.” 

“Kid-”

“It’s MARINETTE. Get it wrong one more time and you’ll see why I don’t need a possessed piece of alien jewelry.” -Marinette, making sure you get her name right. “Besides, if I stole it, I would remember. I’m a klepto” -Marinette, probably holding his ring too at this point.

Hal obviously doesn’t want the wrath of the Dupain-Chengs (just the kid Marinette scares him enough), so he tells the guardians that JL will take care of most of Mari’s training (once they get her a lamp for her ring, of course) & has her take part in training at Mt. Justice with the Young Justice team and special training with the Bats. Mari does all this under the guise of an international student exchange program for Mari to stay with the Waynes (not yet knowing that it’s the bat fam) and attends G.A. Mari doesn’t do much, but it takes her 24-36 hours to know who EVERYONE is.

[the next week after settling in]

“Hey, Mars,” -Dick, in his Nightwing gear

“Hey, Di-is the GREATEST SHOW!” -Mari, changing the subject(… not really)

“How long did it take you?”

“Not as long as the Kryptonians…” -Mari, going off into a tangent (still trying to change the subject”

[When Marinette meets Tikki]

Back in Paris:

“Sooo… I’m getting powerful jewelry that gives me powers and a suit, needs to be recharged, and comes from some Order of the Guardians? What’s the difference between you and my ring?” -Marinette, who at this point is very confused as to why she keeps getting picked on for this kind of stuff. 

“One’s alien, one’s magic” -Tikki, hoping Mari will end it there & lowkey hates that the GL Corp. got to her first.

“They’re both non-human made energy sources” -Mari, cause once you’ve seen it once, you’ve seen it all before. 

“You can’t heal the Akuma without the miraculous, and there are more than just rings. Yours are earrings, there are hair clips, bracelets, necklaces and more” -Tikki, after having a minute to think

“Fine, only because you said they’re the only way to heal the, what was it again, akuma?”

_

6) “Their Unofficial Official Barista”

Part of Tim’s job as Co-CEO, is to make sure all the branches are running smoothly, sometimes that means he has to fly abroad to manually check in. Tim goes to Paris to check on the W.E. Paris branch. He goes to a nearby Patisserie (Tom and Sabine’s) to see a young Marinette (somewhere from 8-11) drawing in her sketchbook at the counter. She explains that her parents are at a catering event, but she’s there to man the little bakery. Tim asks for a super caffeinated coffee and Marinette makes it with ease, claiming it was on the house with how bad he looks (and how much sleep the man clearly needs). Tim begs for her knowledge and asks if she can teach his butler. Mari’s willing to show him the next time he comes, so he gets the whole fam to go (viz tubes so they don’t waste time) maybe a week later. Everyone gets their own drink (plus a free pastries) and Marinette teaches Alfred her coffee, but it’s just not the same so Tim, using the tubes, goes to get coffee from the girl whenever he can. 

Mari is horrible at getting up on time (the life of an insomniac, never getting to sleep even if you want and then barely waking up on time) that she is up super early, makes Tim his coffee (plus a croissant) and tries to go back to sleep (making her inevitably late). Tim would walk up to the pick-up counter where his cup and to-go bag is while Marinette runs out of the house to get to school. Eventually, the rest of the Batfam (as well as the Laegue, TT, and YJ) frequent the place, slowly becoming (Dami too) Mari hides it, but she knew all the batfam the first day they came and she showed Alfred how to make the coffee. When the others start making more regular appearances, she learns the identities of YJ team, WW, GLs, and others. Obviously when LB and CN appear as heroes with HM as their villain, they immediately reach out to help. Because 1. Batfam clearly notices that it’s Mari and they sure as heck won’t let her deal with that by herself, and 2. The JL is worrying too much about their favorite barista (even though she’s not really one), especially with the Gigantitan scare. So, of course LB & CN (can’t make him bad everytime) get inducted into YJ.

[After Ladybug finishes defeating Gigantitan and detransforms] 

“Bean! Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you?” -Tim, being an even more protective older brother than Dick, which shouldn’t be possible

“Yes, I promise. I’m fine” -Marinette, who just accepts the fact that she’s adopted an older brother (and his famliy)

“Tube over, we’ll have Alfred make sure” -Dick, already pulling out the medical supplies for Alfred.

“I-” 

“You shouldn’t worry your brothers like that, Marinette. Now come over so Alfred can clear you,” -Bruce, who just happens to overhear the conversation

“I’m sorry, Miss Marinette, they are very adamant that you’re in pitch perfect health before going out again,” -Alfred, who’s not actually sorry

“Fine” -Marinette, accepting her fate of her adopted, protective family. 

_

7) “Thicker Than the Blood We’ve Shed”

Why is Marinette so freakishly strong? Because she was trained to be. Before she could even talk, Mari was taught to be an assassin. She and Damian were frenemies, both competing for top spot as best in the League (of Assassins). They often spared together and became rivals who pushed each other (which sounds great in that context if you forget about the fact that they’re killing people and turning it into a competition). When Damian’s care is turned over to Batsy, Mari also comes along for the ride. She implements herself into Dami’s classes at G.A. & watches him from afar. (Damian, not being an idiot, of course knows all this and knows that it’s probably for Mari to give a report to Talia.) When he becomes Robin, Mari obviously knows, but waits to see if anything drastic would happen (his care was given to the Batfam, they had already expected this to happen.) She then heard word of the bounty Talia put on Damian’s head. Marinette knew there wouldn’t be much she could do to help, but she ave Dami a warning about the upcoming situation before fleeing the country. 

From there she got to France, changed her name (it wasn’t originally Marinette, it was Shénqí, chinese for miraculous/magical (or something else if you want)), was adopted by Tom & Sabine, and left her time in the League in the past. When she received Tikki, she didn’t want to be a hero because she didn’t think she deserved it after her up-bringing. Eventually, she did become LB (being a trained assassin does help with lucky charms, considering she was taught how to kill with basically every and anything), and life was good for her. Then Rossi came.

[Gotham field trip]

While at Wayne Tower…

“How idiotic are they?” -Damian, who after reuniting with his long-lost sister-from-a-different-mister (yes, Marinette was able to convince him to say it once), can’t understand the stupidity she has to deal with.

“Are you Robin?” -Mari, who is too tired, so just goes straight into the analogy

“Yes.” -Obvious and simply is.

“Exactly” -Mari, who can’t even put a limit to the amount of thought the one brain cell the class shares doesn’t use. I mean please, the so-called “reporter” believed that the first cosplayer she saw was the actual LB when they don’t even have the same hair! And let’s not forget the origins arc, where LB’s first citizen save was Chloe.

[thatasianstereotype]

Fuck. I’m Gay.

I’ve been reading a lot of ml salt fics lately (mainly @unmaskedagain which is a literal goldmine of saltiness). And getting into the Damienette ship. Marinette really does deserves better (Fuck Canon) but so does Adrien. He is not a “sidekick”. Chat Noir and Ladybug are partners = equals. So I decided why not write a fic where Adrien gets his own happy ending in the form of a grumpy assassin-turned-vigilante that loves animals more than people. 

Somewhat of a crack writing where creative liberties were definitely taken. 

.

.

.

Lila Rossi is a bitch and everyone knew it. Well, by everyone, Adrien means himself, his good-amazing-make-pastries-for-him friend Marinette, his maybe-not-really-sure friend Chloe and his-not-that-close-really-classmate Nathaniel. 

Yeah. It was a small number. 

But Lila is still a bitch. 

Anyway, Lila’s lies and manipulations have disturbed the status quo and not in a good way. She ended up making the majority of the class fawn over her like she was a perfect goddess and not a pompous-temperamental-hormonal teenager. Teenagers were prone to be gullible; he can understand his classmates being inclined to believe her. But this was utterly ridiculous (man, Chloe is rubbing off on him). No. You know what’s even more ridiculous? Ms. Bustier letting Lila get away with it. She doesn’t even stop the class mistreating Marinette who claimed she was a bully just because of you know who - Fucking Lila Rossi. The audacity of that bitch and her bitchy followers, am I right? 

Growing up he watched the tv shows and the animes. High schools always had their drama but he thought that was to get some plot going on. He didn’t think it was an actual thing that happens in real life. But he was proven wrong. Françoise Dupont High School had their drama and it was way worse than what he watched on screen. 

The worst part was that he couldn’t get away from Lila. Or he’ll be pulled from school (Fuck you Dad). He had to sit next to that bitch and listen to her drone on and on about things they both knew she didn’t do, about things she promised to do for her ever gullible followers friends. And couldn’t say anything against it if he wanted to stay in school. But even his discreet questioning didn’t do that much. It got some of the class to think something’s possibly fishy with her stories but not enough to think Lila was evil. So he just gave up. Because what was even the point? 

He was distancing himself from Alya and Nino. He couldn’t really be friends with people who thought Lila held the sun and moon. They didn’t hang out as much as they used to and he made excuses when they did invite him to stuff. Lately, he was making outrageous excuses - like he had to take his cat to the vet even though he didn’t have a cat - to see if they caught on. They didn’t. It was fun but he didn’t know whether to feel happy or sad about that. But feeling sad-depressed-pain over it was a bitch so he decided to take his victories as they come. 

Chloe had left the school earlier on. Her mom wanted to spend one-on-one time with her daughter (Yeah, Audrey is better at being a mother here). She was completely out of this drama mess. And Nathaniel kept his head down to not paint a target on himself. 

His only consolation and ally in this whole mess was Marinette. His darling angel. His sunshine incarnate. His own goddess (not like that bitch Lila let’s get one thing straight). 

When he was feeling overwhelmed (which was a lot), he spent it at her house. They spent it discussing fashion, trash talking Liar-la and the sheep class, playing video games, and making/eating the best baked goods in all of Paris. If he wasn’t at his photo shoots or at school, he was at her house. And with how often they spent time with each other, it wasn’t long before they accidentally revealed their alter egos to each other. 

(The class’ Everyday Ladybug was actually Ladybug. How amazing is that! Isn’t Marinette the absolute coolest?!) 

Since they outed themselves to each other, they had to give up their miraculous. And new heroes had to be chosen. As the guardian, Marinette decided to give the Ladybug miraculous to herself and the Cat one to Adrien. And make them the superheros of Paris. 

(Just when he thought that Marinette couldn’t get any cooler) 

They both collectively decided that being friends were for the best and put away their obsession crush over the other far far away. Now they were best friends-almost siblings. Oh who was he kidding? He was an honorary Dupain-Cheng. Marinette and her parents said so. And who was he to deny the goddess? 

All was well. 

Until he met this gorgeous boy with raven black hair and piercing green eyes that made him question everything in life. 

Like fuck. His life wasn’t hard enough already? 

.

It was a slow patrol. Just stopped a few petty crimes. No akuma tonight. He wasn’t really expecting much to happen.

Mari said patrolling regularly gives citizens a sense of security and it helps if one of them were on scene if an akuma does appear. 

He didn’t mind. He loved running on the rooftops and feeling the wind in his face. After some time, he stopped and stood on top of one of the tallest buildings. Just soaking the view. The peace and serenity of it all. Seeing the glowing lights of his beloved city. Seeing the Eiffel Tower standing tall and proud. 

(Forget school. Forget Liar-la and her hoard of bitches) 

This was his city. This was why he fights Hawk Moth with Ladybug. They had something precious to protect. 

He was done patrolling the regular routes and all his schoolwork was already finished. He could go to sleep but he didn’t feel that tired. And he really didn’t want to go back home. Mari shared her theory on his dad being Hawk Moth. She had really good reasons and a plethora of proof. If they could switch miraculous, why couldn’t he and Mayura - most likely Nathalie? Which would explain how Gabriel got akumatized.

After all her support with dealing with Lila, he was way more inclined to believe her even without the evidence. But those things just made him more wary of his dad. And he wasn’t too stoked on spending more time than what he can get away with with the guy. Because his dad being Hawk Moth explains why he wants Lila (his strongest supporter - Chameleon and Oni-chan, anyone?) close and makes Adrien play nice with her. And anyone who enables Lila’s bitchiness is on his enemy list. 

Anyway, he was out here to enjoy the good mood not think about evil bitches and evil dads. So he sat himself down and enjoyed the sights. It was more calming than you would think. 

He heard cars blaring and even a dog barking. The slight breeze felt nice. The moon was pretty bright tonight. The stars too. There was a lone couple walking through the park. There was also another teen in black running on rooftops a few buildings away. 

Wait. 

What? 

He blinked and looked again. Huh, there was another teen in black running on rooftops. And it was not a hallucination. 

What the actual fuck?

He was instantly on his feet, baton already in hand as he raced across the roof to reach said stranger. 

“Hey!” 

But because he was the lucky owner of the unlucky miraculous, the moment he said that, the guy was about to jump off a building to presumably roll onto the next one like Chat was watching him do beforehand. But his call made him lose focus and Chat watched horrified as the guy slipped and started falling into the alley. 

Oh fuck! Mari was going to fucking kill this dumbass kitty!

He hoped to everything that Mari thinks is holy that he makes it in time. Extending his baton, he used it as a huge Pogo stick to basically catapult himself towards the stranger and wrapped his arms around him as he braced himself for the full weight of hitting the gravel at this height and speed. But he wasn’t that that concerned. His suit protected him from the majority of the injuries that would’ve occurred if he wasn’t wearing it. It hurt but it isn’t as bad as it could’ve been. Remember earlier? He takes his victories as they come. 

This was not the smartest of ideas, he’ll admit. Mari had the brains to be honest. But it wasn’t bad if he say so. And he does say so. 

He rolled over and immediately looked over the stranger that was remarkably unharmed in this whole mess. 

And oh.

Oh.

The stranger was taller than he was with a lithe and lean frame. He had raven black hair that complimented his tanned skin and gorgeous green eyes that pierced through him, making his heart do funny things. 

He was not expecting him to look as hot as he did. He wore a simply black t-shirt and jeans but he looked like a fucking Adonis, what the fuck.  Even the moon shone down on him, highlighting his handsome features even more.  

He shook himself of those thoughts and focused on what was more important. “I’m so sorry. Are you alright?” 

He was rudely pushed away, but he didn’t take offense. He did cause the guy to fall after all. 

“Do not touch me.” (What kind of accent is that?) “I’m fine. You are truly a moronic imbecile of the highest accord to yell like that. And what are you even supposed to be? Some kind of knock-off Catwoman?” 

At that, Chat looked at Hot-And-Sexy weird. “Are you new here? I’m the superhero Chat Noir. I protect Paris with Ladybug.”

“You’re joking.”

“I know I come off as the goofy hero because I make purr-fect puns all the time but I’m not joking about this.” 

He took out his phone to show the foreign (since he’s obviously not a Parisian) stranger the akuma attacks and Ladybug and Chat Noir being a dynamic duo, saving Paris and beating Hawk Moth. Ok, he showed the stranger a lot of stuff. Sue him. He gets to brag about his Princess. And himself too.

“I never heard about this before.” Hot-And-Sexy (he has got to come up with a better name) said afterward. “3 years this has been going on? Why didn’t you ask for help from the Justice League or other superheros?” 

Chat shrugged. “We tried. But they said we’re obviously pulling a prank and making this all up. So we stopped asking for help.”

For some reason this made Hot-And-Sexy angry. “They ignored your plea for help and left you to fight for yourselves?”

“Pretty much, yea.” 

“You and Ladybug are children.” 

“Excuse me? Are you doubting our ability to protect our city?" He was not apologetic at the sharp edge his voice took. Forget looking hot. How dare he? The audacity really. 

Hot-And-Sexy shook his head. “I’m not. I know some child superheroes who are adequate at their jobs and a few who are remarkable like Robin in Gotham. But the majority of them had adult mentors to guide them. From what you’ve shown me, you and Ladybug had no one. You were left alone to fend for yourself with essentially no help.” 

He never thought of it that way. But hearing it like that made him think: Fuck Adults Who Chose Children to Fight Their War For Them and Fuck Hawk Moth For Putting Them In This Position In The First Place. 

You know what. Just to clear all his bases - Fuck Everyone But The Dupain-Chengs. 

Chat couldn’t help but shrug, not quite knowing what to say to that. “Life is a bitch, I’ve come to find out. But enough of that. Why were you running on rooftops anyway?”

“It calms me down.”

Relatable. 

“Is...Is your tail moving?” 

“Huh?” He looked behind him to see his tail was indeed moving lazily. “Yeah. I’m called Chat Noir for a reason.”

“May I touch them?” Chat was used to people (usually kids) pulling on his tail to see if it was real (It was). And it really hurts because they usually rough. Not that he blames them. Kids don’t know any better. Still, he usually says no when people ask. 

But Hot-And-Sexy had such a sincere expression that he said yes. To his surprise and delight, Hot-And-Sexy was extremely gentle (Can this guy be anymore perfect?) and it felt nice to be petted like that. Curse his touch-starvation (again Fuck you Dad).

Hot-And-Sexy was apparently fascinated by his ears and tail. 

“Are you a meta?” He noticed how Hot-And-Sexy’s voice turned softer and fonder (or was he imagining that?).

“Nah. I’m fully human. I just got powers to transform into this.” He looked down at his phone seeing that the time was nearing 2 am.

“Have you suffered any injuries from your stupid stunt?” 

“Hmm?” Chat looked back at him before gesturing to his body. “Don’t worry. I may not look like it but I can take it.”

He can practically feel Hot-And-Sexy rolling his eyes. “What an utter dolt.” 

But there wasn’t any heat behind it so he didn’t take it to heart. 

“Thanks, babe.” 

“That was an insult.”

“And I’m taking it like a compliment.”

Chat stood up and stretched his limbs. Hot-And-Sexy doing the same but dusting off his clothes instead.

“So, uh, need any help getting home?”

“I am perfectly capable of finding my own way, thanks.” 

“Ok. Have a nice night.” He was about to leave when he was caught off guard by Hot-And-Sexy staring at him for a good few seconds, making his limbs freeze in place at the heavy attention.

Before he said. “You should try contacting the Batfamily in Gotham about Hawk Moth. They’re used to dealing with weird things. I’m sure they won’t turn you or Ladybug away.” 

Chat was a bit distracted by how intensely those green eyes focused on him, making his heart beat faster and his cheeks turn a vibrant red. 

He was so screwed. 

He used his baton to shoot himself up so he can run on rooftops, hurrying to the Dupain-Cheng bakery. 

.

“Mari! I think I’m gay!”

“It’s 2 in the morning, Chaton. Go to sleep and we’ll talk about it in the morning.” 

.

After a good night’s rest (and thank everything that was right in the world that today was a weekend), Adrien told Mari all about Hot-And-Sexy. And yes, he did call the stranger that out loud. His everything-that-actually-matters sister simply took it in stride after giggling a bit. They spent the majority of the day discussing emotions and everything that came with that bundle. 

Before he finally came to a conclusion. 

He is definitely gay (He liked girls but not like like them). And most definitely had a crush on Hot-And-Sexy with the pretty green eyes. 

Good news: He is no longer having a sexuality crisis. 

Bad news: He is going through an emotional crisis. 

Like dealing with these feelings that is making his stomach flip flop over and over again? The only one he ever had to deal with was the one he had on Ladybug and that (he talked with Mari about it months before. She was amazing with these emotional matters) was more of a hero-worship crush than anything really romantic. 

And his crush on Hot-And-Sexy was so much more. 

.

So it’s been about 2 weeks since he encountered Hot-And-Sexy. And he still haven’t figured out what else to call him. But the nickname was growing on him. 

(He also told Mari about asking the Batfam for help but she was a bit apprehensive after the disastrous attempts of convincing the Justice League. He shrugged, trusting her opinion and left it at that) 

Anyway, Lila was being her usual bitchy self. Father was being non-existent like always. Mari was his only source of sanity at school. And Hawk Moth was being a bitch. 

Because of course, the day before they have a huge test, he decides to akumatize someone (in this case, a businessman who was really unhappy with getting fired) and cut in on study time. And this akuma took a while to defeat. Guess he drew a lot of strength from his burning hatred of the failings of the corporate world. 

And just yesterday, a teenager who was upset at being grounded got akumatized and terrorized the city for 3 hours before Ladybug could purify her. It did however confirmed her fears. Hawk Moth was getting stronger. It took longer to defeat his monsters. They needed to find him and ended this fast. 

Adrien landed on Mari’s balcony and slipped in her room, crashing on her big comfy bed, de-transforming on the spot. Plagg sleepily floating and laying next to him on the pillow. He was so tired. And photo shoots and school drama were not helping things.

.

For the record, he was not at all expecting to see Hot-And-Sexy in a bookstore of all places. 

He was so engrossed in looking through the latest Boku no Hero Academia manga (can’t wait until Season 5 comes out) that when someone touched his shoulder, he was not proud to admit he squeaked a bit.

He turned around and his eyes widened his surprise. 

“Hot-And-Sexy!” 

It was indeed the Adonis Adrien had a huge crush on. Today he was wearing a white t-shirt paired with a blue denim jacket and black ripped jeans. Wow. He really can make anything look hot.

No. Bad Adrien. Don’t let him know you actually have a crush on him.

And oh fuck. Hot-And-Sexy was staring at the blonde and Adrien tried not to let himself get flustered. He has a very intense stare. For all he knew, Hot-And-Sexy stares at everyone like that.

Calm the fuck down, heart. You too brain.

He raised a handsome eyebrow in amusement. “Excuse me?”

Adrien felt himself burn with embarrassment, his face turning bright scarlet. No wonder he was fit for the unlucky miraculous or was this just a side-effect? Note to self, ask Mari about this later. 

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t get your name last time. And I just started calling you that in my head. Cause you’re really hot and you have pretty eyes.”

Fuck mouth! Why won’t you stop talking! Please for the love of everything that makes Mari a BAMF stop. Stop digging further into the hole of embarrassment! Abort mission! Abort!

“When did we meet?”

At that, he blink a few times. Oh fuck. He was not Superhero Chat Noir. He was Civilian Adrien Agreste. Mari was definitely murdering his dumbass tonight. Lightning please strike him down right now. Where was an unlucky lightning strike when you need it?

After a few seconds of his horrified silence, Hot-And-Sexy chuckled (he had such a nice laugh). “You are extremely lucky I already figured out your alter ego beforehand, Chaton.”

Before Adrien could even unwrap that statement, he held out a hand and had a dangerously sexy smirk on his face. “My name is Damian Wayne. Would you care to get a cup of coffee with me?”

And Adrien nodded his head, not trusting himself to speak. He can deal with the superhero thing later when he can think straight (hah!) and is not distracted by Damian’s beautiful smile and alluring green eyes and perfect everything.

.

Guess what?

Ya Boi got game.

(At least, he likes to think he does)

After a successful coffee date (was it a date? Please let it be a date), they exchanged numbers (cue internal squealing) and met up a few times afterward to hang out.

Apparently, Dami was here on business to deal with something for Wayne Enterprises.

“Aren’t you 17?”

“Father believes in preparing us when we’re young.”

Dami was amazingly sweet. Arrogant and pretentious with a stick up his ass but sweet. He treats stray animals with such reverence that Adrien’s heart melt every time he sees it.

It was an added bonus when Damian scorned Lila with cruel words and disgusted looks when she tried to cut in Adrien and Dami’s date(?)/meetup(?)/spending-time-together event.

She cried and whined afterwards and Adrien has to endure his father’s lecture. But it was totally worth it.

Oh yeah. Mari was not pleased that he accidentally outed himself to a civilian. But nothing that a couple of sad kitty eyes can’t fix.

“You are so lucky you’re cute, kitty-cat.” Mari grumbled but she was smiling. “I just need to have a good talk with him on the importance of secrecy.”

.

That day Damian Wayne learned to fear a certain Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

.

It was 2 weeks later when Adrien woke up to a package next to his futon in Mari’s room. When he opened it, he saw the Butterfly and Peacock miraculous inside.

There was a card beneath it. And in beautiful cursive script read: 

I dearly hope you enjoy my courting gift, mon amour. Allow me the honor to formally ask you out on a date. I look forward to hearing favorably from you soon.

- Damian Wayne

He couldn’t believe it.

“Mari! Damian likes me back!”

“Chaton, I swear. It is 2 in the morning.”

Next

[intothestacks]

Explaining Fiction vs Nonfiction to Little Kids

The Grade 1 teachers at my school asked me to come into their classes to talk to the kids about the difference between fiction and nonfiction in preparation for their research project on an animal.

Since I was told by one of the teachers that they liked it so much that they'd ask me to come in every year to do the presentation if I were a permanent staff member, I thought I'd share my method with y'all in case anyone finds it helpful.

When you stop to think about it, telling the difference between the two can be a bit tricky even from an adult perspective, so teaching it to little kids is a bit of a challenge.

I started by looking online for some suggested lesson plans and ended up adapting bits and pieces for the final plan of action below.

1. Talk about what the words "fiction" and "nonfiction" mean.

Explain that "fiction" is a fancy word for something that is make-believe or pretend. "Nonfiction," on the other hand, is a fancy way of saying "not make-believe or pretend".

2. Give some examples of things you would find in fiction vs nonfiction books

e.g. Fiction might have make-believe creatures like dragons and Pokemon, crazy/silly situations like someone who's able to fly or animals who can talk, that sort of thing.

Nonfiction would be a book with facts about something. Like a book about how to train your dog, or talking about a real place or person.

I explained to them that before covid when they would go to the library and ask for help finding, say, a horse book, I would then ask them "Do you want a story about a horse or facts about horses?" Could anyone guess which answer would be for fiction vs nonfiction books?

3. Ask the kids whether they think certain books/shows they're familiar with might be fiction or nonfiction.

4. Explain that there are clues that they can use to tell if a book is fiction or nonfiction. Clue 1 is found in... the cover!

Show them examples of a fiction and nonfiction book on the same subject side by side and ask them to help me make a list of the differences between the two.

Make sure the following points are talked about:

Fiction having cartoon covers and nonfiction having photo covers

Fiction books often having covers where crazy stuff is happening

The title of the book might give a good hint! (my examples were Super Narwhal & Jelly Jolt vs A Day in the Life of a Narwhal)

Explain to them that the differences they found are all clues as to what kind of book they're looking at. Great detective work!

4. Show them two covers of nonfiction books with drawn covers, and ask them if they think they are fiction or nonfiction books.

Explain to them that fiction books almost never use photos for their pictures, but nonfiction books might use drawings instead of photos.

"So if you've looked at the cover and you're still not sure about if it's fiction or nonfiction, there's another place you can look for clues: the text!"

5. Introduce the text section by teaching them a song excerpt from Mary Poppins Returns:

"A cover is not the book, So open it up and take a look! ... For a cover is nice, but a cover is not the book!"

6. Show pictures of a cover of a fiction and nonfiction book where both are drawn.

Ask the kids if they think they are fiction or nonfiction and go over the cover clues they can use to tell if the book is fiction or nonfiction.

Depending on how much time you have, you can read a bit from the fiction book first and then read from the nonfiction so that they can have a better idea of how the texts differ. If you're pressed for time, make the cover of the fiction book an obviously fiction one so you can focus on the nonfiction book.

Open up a copy of the nonfiction book you chose and begin reading it to the kids. Does that sound like it's talking about a real thing or event?

Point out that sometimes nonfiction can read like a story but be about a real event, person, or thing.

7. Explain to them that when you're in a library, there's a final clue they can use to figure out if a book is fiction or nonfiction: the stickers on the spine of the book!

Show them an example of a library book and point out the call number sticker. Explain that if the sticker has only letters it means that the book is fiction, while a book that has a bunch of numbers and a bunch of letters is always nonfiction.

8. Finally, remind them that if all else fails and they're not sure, they can always ask a grownup!

And if that grownup isn't sure either, they can ask another grownup! ("Like a librarian!" one of the kids I presented to called out cheerfully. "Exactly!" I replied. "If I wasn't sure Ms. Flecha would definitely be who I'd ask." their teacher agreed.)

[fear-before-valor]

Misc. Claire Nuñez Headcanons (In no particular order):

She takes self-defense classes at the same place Barb takes Krav Maga; they don’t often see each other, but sometimes one of them will be leaving a class, as another is about to start hers

She knows CPR and keeps her certification up to date as necessary

She has worked as a life-guard at the local YMCA

After the world is finally saved for the last time, I also think she’d look into working at a summer camp with Jim

When she was a young kid, around the ages of 7-10, she would check out plays from the library, learn every single part, and then put them on for her parents

There are recordings of these, and Javier likes to show them to every guest he possibly can, much to Claire’s embarrassed chagrin

She doesn’t play video games as much as Toby does, but she also plays them more than Jim does

She prefers PC MMORPGs in the fantasy genre, and before her magic was unlocked, she would always play as a sorceress

After getting her powers, she plays as rogues

She, Mary, and Darci all play TTRPGs as well, trading off who DMs for each new adventure

She wasn’t supposed to, but she had a secret Myspace account, on which she would post music lyrics

Claire gets A’s in all of her classes, except for history, in which, while Jim is not top of the class either, he always still just barely edges her out of the grading curve

She still gets an A- in history, so she’s not as angry as she would normally be, but it definitely does annoy her a little

She can pick locks; not for stealing or breaking into places, but just because she thought having that skill would impress people and make her seem cool and mysterious

Her favorite book series is The Hunger Games even though science fiction is her second-favorite genre (behind fantasy) but it’s because she really likes the anti-establishment/protest messages, and always resents the marketing team for the series, for making it about Peeta vs. Gale, rather than focusing on the fact that Katniss is an example of how citizens can influence real systemic change

As she grows older, she and her mother fight less about her career, and more about how the world of politics is corrupt

She’s proud of her mom, of course, for being an honest politician, and for trying to fight that corruption, but she also thinks change happens with the people

As such, she’s also been to a variety of protests in her lifetime

The only reason she seems like the “reasonable” one in the trio of Trollhunters is that Jim and Toby share one brain cell, whereas she gets her own sometimes; it is stolen frequently, though

She is actually very chaotic in her own right (see: breaking into her suspicious friend’s house because he’s been acting weird, and then her friends not even being surprised that she did that)

She also loved Animorphs and Warrior Cats as a tween

Her favorite Scooby-Doo movie is The Witch’s Ghost, but after being possessed by Morgana, it hits a little too close to home

Her favorite Disney movie is either The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mulan, or The Beauty and the Beast

She eventually learns lightning magic

Claire and Ms. Janeth aren’t quite on the level of Strickler and Jim’s relationship to each other, because Claire does have a mom who she loves dearly, but she also spends a lot of time with Janeth outside of classes, and as such, they’ve grown to be each other’s favorite teacher/student

When they’re alone, in fact, Claire feels comfortable enough to call her Lenora

Ms. Janeth has offered to babysit for Claire, if she ever feels overwhelmed

Claire is a great actor, but is also a very excellent stage manager (read: is also a very scary stage manager)

Claire tried to learn how to skateboard, but stopped after she realized that she likes roller skating much better

When she’s older, she enters roller derbies

She also keeps her javelin skills up to date, and practices frequently because “you never know when you might need them” 

She’s the one who proposes to Jim

Whenever they watch Cinderella, she teases him for the fact that in their case, Jim was the Cinderella (leading a double life), while she was the Prince Charming

She went through an “I’m not like other girls” phase, but Ophelia sat her down one day and talked her through why she felt that way, and why that mindset is ultimately detrimental to both her and other girls

She teaches Jim the anti-aging magic so that she doesn’t have to outlive him 

(She also offers to teach it to Toby, but he politely declines)

She promises to help Douxie and the Order teach more magic-users, to try and fix some of the Balance

Claire, Darci, and Mary still meet for brunches as adults, and eventually, they start to invite Zoe, Barbara, and Nana along

That little star projector in Enrique’s room? Claire had one too, and every so often, she still uses hers to fall asleep, on particularly stressful nights

She even takes it to her and Jim’s first apartment

She studies criminal justice and theater in college

[fumingspice]

Like Never Before (ii)

Part: One

I would literally rather only drink ocean spray cranberry juice for the rest of my life than have kids so if this reads like i was dying while writing it then that’s why xo

taglist: @sarahp-stan @jumpoffabridge-t @sarahpaulsonsoftie @definitelynot-a-writer @bottom4delia @delias-bitch-craft @creepingwolfberry @thesapphictimelady @goodeday2u @that-fucking-error @saucy-sapphic @sarahp-stan​

i wish you all the love in the world, but most of all i wish it from myself.

You watched Billie as she glided across the room. Christ, even with her sweatpants and messy hair she was still an absolute vision.

“Honey, for the love of God, can you please let me do something?” You asked, chuckling at how she darted from stirring the eggs to packing an overnight bag to trying to build an Ikea cradle.

“Instruction manuals are for wimps,” were her exact words five hours ago when she took the parts out. “It will be up in a jiffy.”

It was not up in a jiffy.

Billie plated the eggs and moved back to the box load of wooden bits and pieces, sorting through and assembling the bed with her toolkit. You almost admired the image of her handiness, even though you knew fully well that the look of concentration and furrowed brows were masking the fact that she had locked herself into a commitment to build the cot without looking at directions. She was going to drive herself insane if she didn’t get it right. Billie wasn’t necessarily bad at putting things together; you had often let her help you put furniture together before your pregnancy took over most of your day. On the other hand, that certainly didn’t mean she was in any way, shape, or form good at building furniture. You knew that the cradle would look more like a misshapen table.

She was still adorable.

“No, baby. I’m not risking giving you any stress. Christ, one wrong move and it will be a literal baby shower,” she replied, scooting over to kiss your cheek. “Let me do this for you, hm? Then I’ll run us a nice bath before we go to the hospital.”

You grinned at Billie’s nurturing side. “Fine,” you said, caressing her cheek in your hand. “Just make sure you build that right, if our baby falls through the floor on the first night home then I’m not going to be very pleased with you Ms. Howard.”

Your girlfriend frowned. “Do you really want to mess with me while I’m holding a screwdriver?”

Now, that made you chuckle.

“You had to spend fifteen minutes trying to figure out if you were holding it right.”

Billie rolled her eyes at you and stood up. “You know what? I think he’ll enjoy it more if he’s able to sleep with his moms,” she said, pulling you into her chest. You could sense her exhaustion no matter how well she played it off.

You tilted your head to look up at her. Her brown eyes, although excited and lively were worn down a little bit, and a faded purple colour lay beneath. “Baby?” You spoke after a little while, causing her to jolt slightly.

“Hm? Are you okay?”

“How about that bath?” You suggested, Billie smiled warmly and ruffled your hair before pulling you up and walking you to the bathroom.

Thankfully, your bedroom was only down the hall given that you’d finally moved into her house. The door was also a lot wider. Very convenient in this situation.

Billie dipped her hand into the water to mix the bubbles in, gathering some up in her hand and dropping the foam on your head. “You look like the cotton candy man from Scooby Doo,” she giggled, giving you a matching beard. You laughed together as she helped you undress, her hands gliding softly down your skin in admiration. “My God, you’re exquisite.”

She took your arm and helped you into the bath, smiling as you gasped at the warmth. It was almost perfect.

You tugged her arm, trying to signal what you wanted without actually speaking. The warmth of the water and the scent of the bubble bath had given a relaxing aroma. In short, you were too lazy too speak.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” she cooed, her fingers twirling in the water. You raised an eyebrow. “You want me to join you?”

You nodded enthusiastically, watching as she stripped off and eased herself into the water behind you. “Jesus, fuck. Shit. Fuck. Shit. Fuck,” she muttered. Warm baths were never really her thing. Billie always preferred showers. Both alone and accompanied, but recently she had started opting for baths, enjoying the feeling of you laying back against her stomach. The feeling of protecting you in some way gave her somewhat the same satisfaction as an orgasm.

Billie let out a sigh as the water flowed gently around you both, her hands laying on you waist and stomach and her head rested on your shoulder. She was silent. That was one of the best indicators to tell you she was tired.

Your body jerked, reacting to Braxton Hicks. Billie snapped alert immediately.

"Relax, Billie. I'd tell you if something was wrong," you cooed, your hand reaching her cheek and caressing it softly.

"I don't want to miss anything," she mumbled in response. The blonde kissed your shoulder and neck, each touch sending fiery affection through you. You rolled your head back, letting her kiss further to your cheek and ending it with a deep kiss.

Her lips tasted sweet.

"Baby, you know we can't do anything," you whispered, turning to try and get a better angle at Billie's mouth.

She grinned into you. "We both know you're telling yourself that, Y/N," she replied. Her lips were graceful on you.

Hilarious.

Billie got out of the bath and toweled off, turning to help you out when she ready. There was something about Billie-Dean in this attire. No make-up, her hair slicked back from the water, the way her collar bones gilded her shoulders. You bit your lip as she guided you to bed when you were dressed.

She was out like a light as soon as she was relaxed, her hand never leaving yours. Even if she was too tired to snuggle right into you, there was never a nighy where she wouldn't make some form of contact before falling asleep.

Of course, as you lay awake, something in you was stirring you. Not allowing you to sleep.

Probably the human growing in you, but who knows.

Hours passed as you watched the light from the moon travel from the wall to the floor and disappear.

It happened so quickly that you snapped into an upright position, cursing as you flew.

Billie snapped up you, sensing your hand leave hers. "What's wrong, sweetheart?" she asked, laying her hand on your shoulder.

"Fuck. Shit. Shit. Fuck. Shit," you panicked. Your breathing short and quick. "Billie, I think my water's broken."

Billie's brown eyes widened. "Oh, Mary Mother of Jesus on a tandem bike," she swore, grabbing her car keys from the bedside table and shoving her feet into her shoes.

She tripped on the rug and staggered over to your side of the bed with a towel, pressing it against your leg. “Okay. Okay, how are we feeling, sweetheart?” She asked, breathless with apprehension.

You shrugged. The shock of the moment had rendered your ability to process thoughts absolutely useless. Your contractions were barely noticeable. More like short pulse-cramps than anything noticeable. Billie’s fingers laced through yours as you explained.

“I’ll phone Dr. McCool and ask what to do,” Billie said, pushing your hair behind your ear and giving your forehead a quick kiss.

She left to get the phone, hearing her apologising for the late call. 

  Billie sat still, ushering soothing words and not complaining despite how hard you were gripping her hand.

Hours felt like days at this stage. The pain was a nightmare. Words couldn’t describe the relief that you felt whenever the midwife told you to stop pushing. You choked a cry in relief and fell into Billie.

“Easy, sweetheart. You did it,” she whispered, holding you tight against her and kissing your head. Her voice was breaking as she spoke. For a moment, everything disappeared as you just melted right into her. A sudden and loud cry broke you from your trance as you snapped back to reality.

Your head perked up as you saw a nurse holding your baby, small and crying.

“Oh, my God,” you said to no one in particular. Tears were falling down your cheeks freely as you tried to process what was actually happening.

Just when you thought things couldn’t get anymore overwhelming, James walked into the room. Billie tensed up immediately, following his gaze to the baby. You could tell that if she weren’t so overcome with joy she would have harden up at his look of happiness.

“Y/N,” he said, walking over and squeezing your hand. “Y/F/N called. I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner; I was at a bachelors’ party.”

You felt Billie tense slightly around you. She was sensitive about the fact that James was the baby’s father. There was no issue of jealousy. There was certainly no lack of trust. James had even made it clear that he would respect Billie’s boundaries when it came down to visiting. It was the simple fact that it wasn’t her that boiled her over sometimes.

You smiled at him as the nurse passed the baby to you. “Congratulations!” She spoke. “It’s a healthy baby boy!” Billie’s bets were right. You frowned internally at the idea of not guessing right.

Then you remembered that the only thing she had “won” was getting eaten out for twenty minutes straight.

It was a win-win situation.

Billie gasped as the baby lay against your chest. You turned around to look at her, brown eyes framed with tears locked in awe. “Babygirl, look what you did,” she cooed, kissing your temple. You nuzzled against her, seeking a kiss on the lips. It was a new feeling, the one where you know you’ve hit a long-time achievement. Billie was yours. You were hers. There was even an unexpected bonus.

Another doctor came in. “Hello!” She chirped. She moved in to shake James’ hand. “I presume you are the father?”

James smiled, about to agree. He caught Billie’s pursed lips and avoiding glance. “Somewhat,” he replied. Billie looked right at him for the first time since he’d arrived. “Although, I think that’s more Billie’s station.” He motioned at your girlfriend, whose breathe hitched and chuckled in an exhale of relief.

“Thank you,” you mouthed at him, feeling Billie relax at his words. The  doctor gestured for Billie to come over. Something about signing some document. She held you carefully so as not to disturb you. James took the chair beside your bed.

“He’s almost as good looking as me,” he joked, nudging your elbow. You shook your head at him and chuckled. “He does have your massive head though.”

You glared at him in shock, completely forgetting his sense of humour in the moment. “I swear on my life if this boy turns out like you, I’m putting him in the bin,” you teased. It couldn’t be further from the truth. Little features. Little fingers wrapped around one of yours. He had big dark, brown eyes. He had eyes like Billie.

“Let’s hope he doesn’t turn out devilishly handsome for his own sake then,” he replied.

“Would you like to hold him?”

James paused slightly and glanced at Billie, who was still reading over some papers. He nodded towards her. “Will she be okay with it?”

You nodded, passing him the child gently. His holding skills were terrible. “Jesus, James. Try not to drop him, please.”

James rolled his eyes and corrected himself. “Hey, little guy,” he cooed. Talking to him in little bursts. He got up and your heart dropped, knowing that James was an absolute clutz. Much to your relief, he didn’t drop the baby. You had no idea what he was doing until you saw him walk right over to Billie, who was surprised to see him.

“I think this is yours,” he said.

Of all the things he could have said.

Billie looked from him to the baby and back, taking him in her arms against her chest. Her head lay against the little body as she pursed her lips, trying hard to hold back tears. “Oh, James,” she whispered. She moved close and hugged him with her free arm. “Thank you so much.”

Billie returned to your side, tears now having fallen freely. “He’s so beautiful, Y/N.”

You cried, and snuggled into her. “We need to think of a name,” you said, kissing Billie’s shoulder. 

“What were you thinking, mommy?” Billie asked. Then stopped. “Hm,” she said. “Never thought it would be me calling you that.”

The nurse coughed. “I’m still in here.”

Billie’s face flashed a deep red. “Sorry.”

The nurse ducked out before he had to hear any of Billie’s other inuendos.

“I like the name Tate,” James suggested. Billie shot him a thousand dagger stare.

“No.”

“Come on, it’s a nice-”

“I will kill you and make it look like an accident.”

You nudged Billie with your hand. “James Dean?”

Your ex and your girlfriend glared at you.

“Here’s me thinking I was bad at choosing names.”

Billie pondered for a moment. “I like Lachlan.”

You nodded. “Lachlan.” You liked it. “Welcome to the world, Lachlan.”

[jajanvm-imbi]

Headcanons of Krel living on earth because he’s my favorite and I love him and I haven’t seen anyone do this yet so I feel like I have to

^^^^^because of this very moment I love the idea of Mary and Darci befriending Krel.

Since Aja,Vex and Eli went back to Akaridion-5, Mother was destroyed, and Claire was busy with Trollhunting stuff, earth gets pretty lonely. So Mary and Darci adopt him into their friend group. 

At first Krel was a little apprehensive to joining their friend group, but he quickly warmed up to it because, he, being Krel, loves the attention.

like I can totally see Mary and Darci taking Krel to like a mall or something and doing those like teen romcom movie shopping montages where he goes into a changing room and the girls judge the outfit until they find the perfect one.

I personally believe Krel would adopt a soft boy look, with like oversized button ups and t shirts tucked into jeans, but thats just me.

anyway, because he’s friends with Mary and Darci, Krel has a new found social popularity in Arcadia.

because of this, Krel would prolly get nominated for Spring Fling king and shit

I would say Krel wouldn’t really care about being nominated, but seeing how he cared so much about the science fair and the Battle of the Bands, he would definitely care

Steve is conflicted because he wants to be Spring Fling King, but he can’t mess with Krel like he did with Jim and Eli cause Krel is his girlfriend’s brother 

Krel notices this and takes advantage of it to mess with Steve and actually tries to win.

like Krel would just dominate the contests, and his theme presentation would be the flashiest and most appealing and people would just generally like him, and that would really worry Steve

like Krel, with four arms would be really good at the Touch-a-Truck-athon or whatever its called.

Krel would prolly let Steve win anyway because watching Steve squirm and freak out over prolly losing the crown and not being able to do anything about it cause he's Aja's brother is much better than any highschool dance crown

also the school 100% asks Krel to DJ future dances and events to save money, and Krel absolutely loves it

He would also definitely do the school play. Seeing how much he enjoyed being in Toby and Eli's short film, and again, he loves the attention, he would totally be down 

Also it would just be another chance to mess with Steve to be the lead. 

Because of this, Ms. Janeth would do another Shakespearean play, but do one of those modern renditions. Like it's the same play just in a modern setting, to take advantage of Krel's Akaridion form like they did with Jim's armor. 

If not in the play he would do stage crew/tech.

Like he would create elaborate settings for them using A5 tech and Ms. Janeth would adore it 

moving on, because home life is pretty lonely with just the Lucy and Ricky for company, Krel loves to host his friends for parties and sleepovers and whatever

and since Krel lives in the coolest house on the block, they love coming over

He hosts girl’s night every other week with Mary, Darci, and Clarie (becauuse she deserves a fucking break) 

since we’ve all agreed that Krel is 100% a gaylien, I love the idea that he casually comes out during a girls night

like Mary would be like “So Krel, are there any girls you like?” and Krel’s just like, “*snort* Girls? Who ever said I like girls?” and the others are like “….....?“ and Krel just rolls his eyes and says "I like boys, ladies” and they’re like “ooooohhhh, okay. Cool.”

So now they spend girls night talking about boys. Claire and Darci about their mans and Mary and Krel about cute boys.

One day the girls give Krel a little rainbow pin and Krel’s just like “what’s this?” And the girls tell him that it’s an earth symbol for the gays and he’s like “theres a symbol for that here? I didnt think it was that big of a deal. On A5 it’s pretty normal” and the girls explain why theres a symbol and he’s like “oh shoot wow, thanks" and he put it on his backpack.

He’s pretty confused the first time someone is homophobic towards him cause like that kind if behavior doesnt happen on A5 and hes just like, “why does this bother you? I hardly know you” and just brushes it off. Its doesnt really bother him, mainly cause he doesnt know the earth insults towards gay people so he doesn’t even realize, but if the girls (or Toby, or even Steve, too) catch anyone being homophobic towards their friend they will attack that asshole on sight. Especially Mary and Steve

Random person on the street: Ha, *slur*

Marry: WHAT DID YOU SAY TO HIM BITCH???

Krel: Marry its fine, it’s not that big of a dealoHSEKLOSANDGAYLENMARYGETOFFOFHIM

Marry: SAY IT AGAIN ASSHAT, I D A R E YOU

Claire and Darci: *trying to hold Mary back* maRY NO

Steve: THATS MY NINJA KICKING SPACE ANGEL GIRLFRIEND'S BROTHER BUTTSNACK I'LL END YOU

Toby: *now chasing after Steve to stop him* stEVE NO

Mary would 100% find out who the rando is and destroy their life on social media. Like she would leak their job, phone number, email, school/college (if applicable) to her thousands of followers and absolutely ruin them with no remorse. And honestly, good for her

Also whilst on the subject, Krel can not drive or cook for 2 reasons: 1. Hes gay and 2. He’s a prince so he’s never had to do either before

Like he can obviously do math but that’s it.

Proof? That one scene in Wizards when Douxie had him drive the airship. You know the one.

Coach Lawrence refuses to get in a car with him at Drivers Ed after the 3rd day Krel shows up.

Krel gets addicted to sugary coffee shop-esc drinks thanks to Darci. Not coffee cause we saw in 3Below Part 1 that he doesnt like coffee, but refreshers, coolattas, frappuccinos etc…? Definitely.

As for warm drinks, he’s more of a tea person.

Moving on

He face calls Aja everyday because he really misses her

He tells her all about school and his friends and whatever and Aja tells him about the changes she’s making to the A5 government

Thanks to the wormhole they visit each other often. Sometimes Steve tags along cause he misses his ninja kicking space queen angel girlfriend. (And Eli, but that's also for another post)

They take turns housing Luug.

Krel genuinely loves it on earth, but he hates the primitive technology so he begs Aja to send him supplies and materials for his projects. 

He would 10000% apply to HexTech for an after school job. Seeing his reaction to HT in Wizards and the fact that “Akaridion tech and magic are so compatible”, he would be the perfect addition to the HT staff. 

The Wizards wouldn’t be sure at first but after he shows them A5 tech and Douxie’s email of recommendation about the time loop thing they made together, the wizards are like “oh yeah we definitely keeping this kid. This is going to be so much fun.”

Their inventions become more and more extravagant because Krel can and he's just extra and the wizards love it.

He would definitely find a way to use magic using A5 tech. But he would have to study magic in order to figure out how, so the wizards help him learn all about magic. And since he's learned everything there is to learn about science and technology and whatever, he's super excited to learn about something completely different and interesting. The wizards are happy to teach him. He would be the first Akaridion to learn and use magic

Like he would make his own staff with his serrator and everything. He's like "earn a staff? Nah fuck that going to make my own"

Speaking of which he really likes human swear words. But he doesnt know when it is and isn't inappropriate to say these swear words so he's gotten in trouble a few times for swearing at the wrong time

For example:

Ms. Janeth: excuse me Mr. Tarron?

Krel: what the fuck do you want?

Everyone in the room: krEL NO

Anyway, back to Krel at HT, thanks to Toby, he would definitely have a bowl of candy in his little lab. More like multiple jars of different candy just scattered around the room. Small candy like fun sized chocolate and skittles and jelly beans and whatever

And a mini fridge, of course.

Steve, Toby and Arrrgh come over to the lab alot to mess around.

Toby has a lot of sci-fi requests for Krel to make

Toby: do you think you can make a shrink ray? Laser blasters? Invisible ray? My own hoverboard? My own serrator *gASP* WITH A WARHAMMER SETTING???? WITH SPACE ARMOR TO MATCH???!!!???!

Krel: Toby you already have a warhammer and armor why do you need more?

Toby: I dont have a space warhammer and armor Krel!!!!!!

Going back to school life, I feel like Krel would take an interest in Spanish class. I mean, his human form is latino and in Trollhunters (I'm pretty sure the lightning in a bottle episode) he said "Si" in response to a question someone asked him, so I feel like he would like to learn another human language. 

I also feel like he would just like to learn about Latin American culture in general since Mother gave him that form. He'd like to get in touch with his human self. 

Claire (when she isnt busy Trollhunting with Jim and the gang) is happy help him learn about Latin American culture and help him with his Spanish. 

Krel, being a fast learner, becomes fluent quickly with a perfect accent. 

Señor Uhl, who already liked the Tarrons to begin with, would really appreciate this. 

Claire's dad would also appreciate this.

Since he has such a fascination with human music, Krel would especially love Latin American music. Specifically reggaeton, since its kind of like techno music in a way and he already likes techno music.

And naturally, he learns to dance. All the styles of latin american dances. And he becomes quite the favorite on the dance floor.

He and Claire become great dance partners cause they both have the natural Latino rhythm and because Jim respects and trusts his girlfriend he doesnt mind them dancing together at parties and stuff

Although, Jim does ask for dance help at some point cause it looks like fun and he wants to dance with his beautiful talented incredible amazing gf and Krel is happy to teach him and anyone else who wants dance help. 

GUITAR LESSONS with Douxie cause in 3Below Krel said he really wanted to learn how to play guitar, steals Shannon’s guitar from the bonfire and is seen multiple times strumming it throughout the series. So of course this is included.

Toby introduces Krel to YouTube and Krel instantly makes his own channel.

of course his channel is called DJ Kleb and he posts his tracks and remixes. and maybe even some vlogs

its a little slow at first, only Arcadia Oaks students are subscribed to it but Mary blows it up by posting one of Krel’s tracks on her own social media and now he has thousands of subscribers

he also gained other forms of social media like Instagram and Tiktok, platforms to post his music

At this point every girl in school wants to be friends with Krel but not in the toxic GBF (gay best friend) way, girls just genuinely think he's 10x more interesting than every other boy in Arcadia Oaks

I think that's it for now sorry this is really long I just really love Krel and I had so many ideas. Feel free to add on!!