raphies

[circus-clangen]

YOU'RE INVITED

WELL I'm not entirely sure what you all expected to be in the envelope, but I HOPE you're not disappointed with the reveal of me and @echoes-in-echoclan 's new discord server! It's something we've been talking about for a while and we just thought it'd be fun to try out and mess around with 🎪

Go crazy go stupid Be Nice Please

[safyresky]

Scrimbly Jacqueline 19/20: I gave her a cloak. bitches love cloaks! (i'm bitches)

I also drew her staff! She has one, too :)

This nearly became Sorceress-Warlock Jacqueline from THIS AU. Didn't feel like drawing that fit tho so it's just regular canon Jacqueline, lol. (but picturing the scars and the eye patch she doesn't actually need but wears for the aesthetic was a FUN mental image at the beginning of the week! then the horrors persisted and I went WHO HAS THE SPOONS. NOT ME)

Drawing the whooshy cloak was fun. Colouring it was even MORE fun. I was going CRAZY last night trying to find a post I made where I described Jacqueline's staff?? I COULDN'T FUCKING FIND IT AND I S2G I READ IT THE OTHER DAY. LIKE EARLIER THIS WEEK. So hopefully my visual memory served me WELL and I don't find the post and go FUCKING EH at a later date, lol.

this scrimbly was very much a scrimbly lol. I think it took me like 10 minutes to doodle. I'm having a LOW ENERGY WEEK. Feelin burnt out af and dreading the weekend! Woo! Almost DIDN'T scrimbly! Thinking this week's little down spin is gonna push back Frostmas crossposting which is SUPER RUDE bc like. THE AESTHETIC. UPDATING ON THE UNLUCKY DAY. BOO!

RIGHT. DANI RANTS ASIDE, WANT SOME CS LORE/FACTS? BC I GOT SOME! WOO:

All four Frosts would pass the warlock test--the question is, do they fully embrace it? Fino does. Fiera does but like, second to the summer sprite training. Jack learns what's useful/what he wants/needs to. Jacqueline was FINE not warlocking, she's good with the snow, BUT Jack keeps nagging her to at LEAST take the test and when she passes it he's like c'mon. c'mon. warlock training. you know you want tooo I could teach youuuuu

She holds off for a VERY long time then gets schemey brain a couple of centuries down the line and goes for it. It's spoilery and I do want to keep this one close to my chest, BUT:

Essentially she learns that she has something someone needs/wants back and she can only do that by getting into the Warlock training! She uses this to try and bring two estranged people closer and when it doesn't go well she hits Jack up after hours and is like "so my plan is going. hmm. bad. let's start warlock training?" and Jack's like YEAH LET'S FUCKING GOOOO bc A) he told her so. B) he;s been wanting to get her started with the warlock biz for YEARS! AND out of ALL THE TEACHERS SHE'S COMING TO HIM (well. unofficially) and C) he is also enjoying the tea from her little scheme and about the two people in question, lol.

Anyway, enjoy the scrimble! Next week is some prohibition fun ft. Winter, I THINK. I'll have to check my notes 🤔🤔🤔

(and yes the heart clasp and pink in the staff are bc Dite)

[raycatz]

Storm clouds may be gathering in the sky and we may be understaffed. HOWEVER! This week is gonna be a good week. We're gonna say it and it'll happen. No homesickness! Those kids are gonna have a great time! They're all going to get along. They're going to love camp so much that they'll have the opposite of homesickness. There's going to be no crying until they get back on that bus because they miss camp so much! It's gonna be a good time! The rain will be fun and exciting!

[smallpox-juicebox]

OH MY GOD HAIRCUT! HAIRCUT!!!!!!!!

[hxgrl]

Started painting the birdhouse trinket box i made for my mom :]

[keeps-ache]

blaaaauhhhghhgh [melting into a goop] aohhhghghhshabh

[dreamwritesimagines]

Sunshine [2] - Sneak Peek

A.N.: OMG thank you so so much for your wonderful support to the first one my loves, you're amazing! I'm so excited! ❤️

The second part is coming on Monday, and here's a little sneak peek until then!❤️ Love you! ❤️

Sunshine - 1

Oh.

Alright so as it turned out, you weren’t daydreaming last week and he was in fact as hot as you remembered.

The leather jacket he was wearing fit him perfectly, making you gawk at his broad figure for a moment before you remembered to look up at his handsome face, but that seemed to make your heartbeat even faster so you shot him a small smile and averted your gaze from him to Theo quickly.

“Logan is fine, bub,” he told Theo and Theo nodded so eagerly that his glasses slipped down his nose, making you reach out to fix them.

“Okay Mr. Logan sir,” he said. “Mommy, if we get an aquarium—”

“We’ll talk about it later bean,” you said as you slipped his backpack off your shoulder and helped him put his arms through the straps. You straightened your back at the same time he reached back to open the zipper of the backpack, the simple motion making him stumble backwards but Logan had already grabbed him by the backpack with one hand and lifted him up in the air to put him back on his feet, Theo letting out a cheerful “whee!”.

“Thanks,” you said and ruffled Theo’s hair. “Straight to the class, come on.”

Theo gave you a bright smile, then hugged your legs before turning around to run through the hallway.

“Theo don’t—” you started but heaved a sigh. “Great.”

You could hear Logan huff out a chuckle and you swallowed thickly, then turned to look at him better, the fluttering in your stomach getting even worse upon seeing his gaze on you.

“Hi.”

“Hey,” he said and you took a deep breath, shifting your weight.

“It was—it was nice to see you,” you stammered, taking a step past him but stopped when you heard him say your name. The fact that he had remembered your name wasn’t supposed to make your chest tingle, you were sure of it, but you didn’t even try to stop the tentative smile pulling at your lips.

“Yes?” you asked, blinking up at him and he stared at you, then frowned like he was trying to pull himself together.

“Your car broke down?”

“Um, yeah,” you said, pointing at the yard. “Like a mile down the road.”

“You walked here?”

“Uh huh,” you said, rocking back and forth on the balls of your feet. “I don’t mind, really."

[stuffeddeer]

Dazai is antsy. For those who've seen him regularly the past month, this isn't a new sight: him pulling at the edges of his bandages, shifting continuously in his seat, eyes flittering back and forth... It happens daily at this point.

Until you show up, when he jumps into your arms, drapes himself over your back, leans into your side, anything he can do to be as physically close to you as possible. His clinginess has started to affect your work, unable to do much as Dazai pulls you onto his lap during the day or sits on yours, head pushed into your shoulder. At least lunches are fine as he pulls you onto the Agency's couch and holds you from behind: you can still access your packed food (which Dazai always steals bites of).

Holding your hand isn't enough, either. Dazai needs to be on top of you or have you on top of him, or he's antsy — which leads us to now. He's shifting uncomfortably in the passenger seat of your car, the edges of his bandages unraveling as he picks at them. A small look of panic crosses his face as he finally notices, discretely trying to pull them more tightly in hopes of bringing them back to how they were before.

He glances over at you. Your eyes were focused on the road, one hand holding the steering wheel and the other resting on your lap. The hand was taunting Dazai, practically begging him to grab it... so he did. You glance at the intertwined hands briefly before smiling at him, focusing back on the road right after.

...

It wasn't helping. You're right there and he can't hold you? So close he can smell you but can't have you in his embrace?! This must be his own hell, fashioned by Satan himself to torture Dazai for all eternity (or for the next ten minutes before you reach your destination).

"You alright, Dazai?"

He huffs at your question; Of course not. The childish pout on his face makes you let out a breathy laugh. He turns to you with such adoration - what an adorable sound that he coaxed out of you... Ugh, it just makes him want to hold you more.

You squeeze his hand reassuringly, the feeling causing Dazai to relax momentarily... Until once again he's thinking about the warmth of your hand, and how much warmer it'd be to hold you.

"How much longer?" He whines, the same pout on his lips.

"GPS says seven minutes. Are you that excited for this case?" An amused smirk plays on your lips, the teasing tone making Dazai's heart flutter.

He shifts in his seat, the hand not holding yours fidgeting with the fabric of his vest. "Excited for it to be over," he replies, trying to keep his gaze out the window and not on you.

"Seven minutes, and then you can solve it."

Seven minutes. Seven long, excruciating minutes in hell before he can touch you again, hold you again. Seven minutes, 420 seconds, a few red lights and then a shoddy parking job. Seven minutes... seven...

You let out a yelp, eyes widening as you swerve slightly on the road. "Dazai!" You chastise, both hands moving to tightly grip the steering wheel.

His face is pressed up against your neck, hands grabbing you tightly as he leans over the car's center console to be closer. A stupid grin sits on his lips as he giggles, feeling heady from your warmth. Mmm, this is what he was missing...

"Dazai, I'm driving!" you say, as though the man would understand and move off of you. Instead, he lets out a low whine and hugs you tighter, entirely off of his seat and pressing up against you.

"I'm not stopping you." Your gaze shifts over towards him. "Eyes on the road." You huff, but do as he says. His eyes were closed, how could he see you looking at him?

"You can't do this, Dazai."

"It's like you said: it's only seven minutes," Dazai grinned smugly. Part of him wanted to ask why you didn't like him holding you so closely, but he knew you didn't mind. Should he be clinging to you while you're driving? Probably not, but then maybe you shouldn't be so warm and inviting.

You say nothing else, now focused entirely on the road with a tight grip on the steering wheel. Dazai says nothing either: after all, he got what he wanted.

[onceuponaoneshotfanfic]

I'm wondering if you would write either a Roy Kent x reader where they go to NY or Disney? I'm a big MT fan and a big Disney World/Disneyland fan

The Happiest Place on Earth

Roy Kent x Reader 1.5k words Warnings: Language

Ahh this was such a cute request! Roy at Disneyland would be the cutest, funniest thing. (And if there's any artists out there, I am begging someone to draw that grumpy man in some Mickey ears!!!)

I hope you like it! ❤️❤️

~

“Where the fuck are we going now?”

You rolled your eyes and grabbed Roy’s hand. “Small World. It’s got a short line right now,” you explained, weaving through the crowd. “And stop having such a good time, it’s embarrassing.”

A bunch of the staff and players for A.F.C. Richmond had decided to spend some of their off-season at Disneyland, and you’d somehow managed to convince Roy that it would be fun. However, you were pretty sure he only agreed to go because you were so excited and that the allure of Mickey Mouse and princesses and Star Wars had absolutely nothing to do with it.

“If that fucking song gets stuck in my head, you’re going to have to perform a lobotomy,” he muttered, earning himself a sharp look from you. “Sorry, sorry. Look, we’re having fun, whee.” He offered a smile that was really more than a grimace as you approached the ride.

You wrapped your arms around his middle, gazing up at him, all grizzled and handsome and brooding- and wearing a pair of Mickey ears he’d reluctantly let you pick out for him when you bought your Minnie Mouse ones. It was a nice sight- or at least it would be if he was smiling. His signature glower would probably scare more kids than any ride on the Haunted Mansion could.

With a sigh, you tugged on his leather jacket. “Aren’t you hot in this thing?”

Finally, a smirk. “You tell me.”

“Just get on the damn boat.” You chuckled as you approached the front of the line, which was even shorter than you’d expected.

The two of you settled into the back row of the little boat, joined by a father and son duo. The dad’s eyes lit up at the sight of Roy, and he leaned down to whisper something in his son’s ear. The little boy turned around, mouth wide, and waved at Roy, who gave a little growl of acknowledgement. The boy didn’t falter; instead, his smile widened, and he and his father exchanged high-fives.

As the little boat traveled around the world, you bounced your head from side to side and hummed along, enjoying the familiar warmth of Roy’s arm draped around your shoulders. When you snuck a glance at him, your heart melted a little when you noticed the corner of his mouth moving ever-so-slightly along to the words of the song.

Once the boat finished making its way through the tunnels, Roy nearly jumped out of the boat, turning around to offer you his hand as you climbed out. You glanced at your phone, debating what to do next. With a grunt, Roy nudged you. You followed his gaze to a passing princess.

“Hi, Snow!” you called good-naturedly, not caring that you sounded like a child and not an adult woman.

Snow White paused, smiling at you. “Hello there!” Her voice was high and sweet, like cotton candy to your ears. She pointed to Roy. “Oh dear, is something wrong?”

Roy’s face bore the same expression he wore anytime someone called Jamie his best friend. “What? No.” He was clearly holding back a “fuck” somewhere in there.

You giggled and nudged Roy. “That’s just his face.”

“Ohhh,” Snow White responded, nodding in understanding. “He’s like my friend Grumpy!” she chirped with a giggle. “He always makes a face like that too!”

Roy’s frown deepened as you laughed.

“Could we get a picture?” you asked, pulling out your phone.

Snow White turned to the cast member that stood next to her, who shrugged in response. “Absolutely!” she answered, fluffing out her yellow skirt.

You handed your mobile to Roy, who quickly snapped a picture of you and the princess. After he handed the phone back to you, you nodded to him.

“No fu-” He stopped as a small child crossed between you. “No,” he grumbled.

“Roy, are you going to disappoint a princess?” you reasoned, nodding at Snow White, who was ready for another pose.

With a heaving sigh, he went and stood next to Snow, looking more like an inmate on death row than a man on vacation. After a quirked eyebrow from you, however, he smiled- at least, his version of a smile.

“Have a beautiful day!” Snow White called over her shoulder as she continued on her way, probably heading to a well-earned break after walking around wearing that dress in the Anaheim heat.

You showed Roy the pictures and smirked. “So, all it took to get you to take a damn picture was mentioning the beautiful princess, hmm?”

Another one of those grumbling sighs escaped his lips. “I didn’t do it for fucking Snow White.” He placed his hand firmly on your waist. “Did it for you. ’Cause you’re my princess, or some shit like that.” His cheeks were tinted pink, a telling sign of his embarrassment.

Standing on tiptoe, you kissed one of those warm cheeks. “Well, guess that makes you more like Prince Charming than Grumpy, hmm?”

He gazed down at you with a smile- a real one this time- and shrugged. “Are princes allowed to be grouchy?” he teased.

You took his hand and continued your walk. “Oh sure. Haven’t you ever seen Beauty and the Beast?”

“So, I’m a beast now? Fucking thanks,” he muttered, kissing the top of your head.

“Hey, if it makes you feel better, I think the whole ‘giving her the library’ thing is like the hottest thing any Disney character has ever done.”

Roy rolled his eyes as Sam and Jamie walked by, leading a group of Greyhounds wearing Disney spirit jerseys and waving to us enthusiastically. “Your standards are far too high to be dating me,” he mumbled, greeting the guys with a nod.

You shrugged. “Guess you gotta step it up, Kent,” you shot back.

The two of you made your way to Space Mountain, the only ride Roy had named when you’d asked him what he wanted to do that day. As you waited in the futuristic hallways, you felt a pair of arms wrap around you from behind.

“Careful, my boyfriend used to be a professional footballer,” you joked, looking up and seeing Roy gazing down at you tenderly.

“Oh yeah? Is he big and strong?” he played along, his mouth ticking upwards.

You twisted around to face him, wrinkling your nose. “I guess. But you could probably outrun him, he’s got shit knees.”

Roy rolled his eyes. “I see he’s got a very supportive girlfriend.” He tilted his head down and kissed your lips gently. “Lucky bastard.”

With an eyeroll, you playfully shoved Roy away. “Alright, relax, there’s kids around, Kent.”

“One more.” He ducked his head again and pressed one more kiss to your lips. “You having a good time?” he asked, shifting to keep one arm around your waist as the two of you shuffled with the moving line.

“I am,” you assured him. “Not sure if you are though,” you admitted.

His thick brows furrowed. “What makes you say that?”

You shrugged, a little embarrassed. “I mean, you’re hard to read sometimes.” You reached up and used your finger to push up the corner of his mouth. “The whole brooding scowling thing is sexy and all, but it’d be nice to be able to see that you’re having a good time,” you joked.

“Hmmf.” Roy gave your hip a small squeeze but didn’t say much else for the rest of the wait.

As the two of you climbed into the rocket ship, you turned to face him. “You mad at me?”

He made a face and shook his head as he took off his ears. “You’re fine,” he said, his gruff tone assuring. He shot you a wink before you turned around to make sure your things were secure.

As the ride shot through the dark, you couldn’t help but hear something familiar over the music: Roy’s laughter. The sound was different than his usual snickers at Jamie’s expense or the huff of air he’d let out when watching Step Brothers. This laugh was loud and gruff, sounding like it came from the depth of his lungs. It was punctuated by a few hoots and hollers when the ride picked up speed or took particularly sharp turns. By the time you returned to the start of the ride, you couldn’t tell if your heart was racing from the ride or from how happy Roy sounded.

Just like with Small World, Roy quickly got out and reached down to help you exit the ride. He gripped your hand tightly as you walked away from the ride. Though you intended to keep walking past the ride photos, Roy tugged your hand, pulling you towards the screens.

“Roy?”

He jerked his head up towards the pictures. “Want me to buy you one?”

You looked up and stifled a giggle at what you saw. There you were, gripping the rail in front of you tightly, mouth wide open in a scream. More importantly, behind you was Roy, hands in the air and a giant smile filling his bearded face. It made your heart burst to see him so full of… joy.

When you looked back at him, he was putting his ears back on, smirking at you. “There. Can you tell I’m happy now?”

“Yeah,” you answered softly, planting a kiss on his cheek. “Absolutely. Now, can you go buy one? I’m putting that on my Christmas card."

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Growing Pains

Part 1 (ft. Riddle and Silver) I Part 2 (ft. Trey and Kalim) I Part 3 (ft. Jade and Lilia) I Part 4 (ft. Deuce and Jamil) I Part 5 (ft. Malleus and Ruggie) | Part 6 (ft. Cater and Rook) | Part 7 (ft. Sebek and Floyd) | Part 8 (ft. Ace and Idia)

In which Gordon Ramsay-kun is isekai’d into Twisted Wonderland. Part Food Wars, part Hell’s Kitchen, all Master Chef—Night Raven College isn’t ready to take on this Michelin Star celebrity!!

This time, two stubborn rebels enter the kitchen! With Epel chasing the greatness of growing up, he gets ensnared in a scheme that Leona responsible is responsible for. Gordon’s definitely got his work cut out for him!! Can he truly connect with this strong-minded duo?

Why does Leona’s chef jacket look like it’s straining to keep his chest contained in like every fan art I see 😭 I'm happy that Epel gets to take Master Chef at the same time as his Magift Club Captain... He gets to hang out with his cool senpai one last time before I smush him into Epelsauce for pointing out L*ona's charm 🤡 (P.S. I totally believe that GR is a role model L*ona could benefit from…)

Imagine this…

Raising a saucer to his lips, Epel sipped, allowing a mildly sweet flavor to flatten across the tongue. Warmed on a low flame, the milk concoction was warm, but still thick and creamy. Nothin' beats full fat milk fresh off the farm, he noted, licking his lips.

Epel let out an excited whoop as he slammed his saucer down. "Hoo-WHEE! That's sum good stuff!!"

A groan sounded from another counter.

"Oi, frosh. Keep it down over there," Leona groused. He fiddled with his hair, sweeping back loose strands that hung free from his ponytail. The rest of his mane--and his lion ears--were uncomfortably crammed under a chef's hat.

"O-Oh, sorry!" Epel hurriedly apologized, giving a brief bow to his club captain. When he straightened again, he couldn't avoid taking note of his upperclassman's strong build.

Though the duo were in similar uniforms, Leona wore his very differently than Epel. He slouched slightly, yet the warm yellow of his jacket fit him like a glove, easily conforming to the shape of his muscled body. By comparison, Epel was smaller and far less shapely. A twinge of sadness pulled in his chest.

Standing the two side-by-side, they were like lion and kitten. One regal and confident, the other meek and weak.

Epel furiously shook his head. He smacked both of his cheeks to wake himself up. Chin up, Epel! Take this chance to learn how you can be more like Leona-senpai...!

He glanced over at the various bowls littering Leona’s workstation.

I wonder what he’s making…? It must be something cool.

The beastman hovered over them, glancing over the contents of each bowl lackadaisically. Plump blueberries, granulated sugar, extract that smelled strongly of vanilla, gelatin powder. And, of course, the star of the show: milk.

Leona grimaced, lifting the white liquid up. Milk sloshed lazily around in its bowl, lapping against his thumb. He took a cursory sniff, but didn’t look impressed.

As Leona was returning the milk back to its place, Epel jumped. "U-Um...!!"

"What, you got something to say?" Leona raised a brow. "Then spit it out."

"Well..." Epel nervously twiddled his thumbs. “That’s heavy cream... It’s rich-tasting and has high fat content, so it’s good for creamy dishes. With the sugar and the fruit, are you making a dessert of some kind? Maybe a milk pudding or something…”

“Hmmmm.”

A slow and catty glint rose to Leona’s eyes. He leaned forward, scrutinizing the humble farmer boy.

“So you’ve got a real knack for this kind of thing.”

“Eh, I guess so? I’m used to helping my family and neighbors back in Harveston with produce quality control. It comes naturally to me.”

“Great. Take care of this for me then.” Leona plunked down the bowl of blueberries in his junior’s hands. Epel blinked—but before he could protest, Leona continued. “You’ve got a real talent. It’d be a waste for you not to show it off to the Chef.”

“I don’t know…” Epel casted a curious look at their mentor, who had been observing them from a quiet corner of the kitchen. Gordon returned the gaze, as if sensing trouble afoot.

“Besides, I’m counting on you too,” Leona added, a hand on Epel’s shoulder.

His heart leapt in anticipation. “You are?!”

“Yeah. Even with my nose, I just don’t have the chops for this line of work. Must be my delicate princely constitution. That’s why I’m putting my faith in you.” Leona suddenly frowned. “Was I wrong to?”

“N-No, Leona-senpai!!” Epel hurriedly insisted. “You can definitely leave it to me! I’ll make sure the ingredients we use are the best we have!”

“That’s what I like to hear.” The lion’s smile was sly. "Okay, knock yourself out. I’m going to be taking a nap. Don’t bother me until you’ve checked everything in the pantry over… twice.”

“Aye-aye, captain!!”

With that, Leona sauntered off with a casual, self-assured swagger. Gordon was wiping his hands off on a clean dish rag when he passed. They silently met each other’s eyes, Leona passing along a triumphant smirk.

The head chef automatically got a bad feeling.

Kingscholar must have said something to him. Right, I’ll get to the bottom of this.

While Leona had pulled out a chair and hunkered down in it, Gordon made his way over to Epel. He was now eagerly inspecting a pile of sugar, seemingly picking through individual granules by sifting them around with a finger.

"What are you doing over here, my darling?" Gordon asked, his tone kept friendly—a voice he reserved for children, not arrogant adults.

“Chef!” Epel proudly saluted. “I’m making sure the ingredients are good to go!”

“That’s all fine and dandy, but why’s he sittin’ this one out?” Gordon jabbed an accusatory thumb in Leona’s direction. (He resembled a grumpy street cat.)

“I’m doing Leona-senpai’s share too!”

“You don’t think he should be responsible for looking over his own ingredients?” Gordon huffed. Or suspect that he’s blowing smoke up your ass?

“But really trusts me to do this for him.” Epel laid a hand on his chest. His expression was positively glowing, his cheeks appled. “He has confidence in my abilities!! And I trust him to guide me. Leona-senpai has never steered me wrong before!”

Gordon instantly recognized the emotion: pure admiration.

“… You look up to him, don’t you?”

“Yup!! He’s the man I wanna be! Smart, cool, brave, tall, muscly…! I’ve been chugging tons of milk in my free time to make sure I’m getting all the vitamins and minerals I need to catch up to him.”

Is that why I saw him trying to shotgun an entire gallon of milk straight from the jug?! Gordon rubbed at his aching temples.

There was a soft grunt that grounded him again.

“… But it’s not enough to just be physically strong," Epel mumbled. "I can’t just drink milk and call it a day. It’s also important to have a strong spirit too, cuz the heart's also a muscle!"

The first year offered a hopeful grin, a hand set on his bicep. “Leona-senpai has that sort of strength. If I want to be able to stand on the same level as him, I have to give it my all when it comes to training!”

A strong body and spirit…

Yet when he looked at Leona, what Gordon saw first was a broken man forsaking his future. A shell of a person. Was he able to be salvaged? To lead?

Gordon reconsidered. His perspective and Epel’s—whose judgment was clouded? Or was neither quite the full truth?

“… Thanks for that. I’m going to speak with him now. You keep up what you’re doing. Best of luck, love.”

The response he received was bright and resolute.

“Yes, Chef!”

“I bet you must think you’re bloody brilliant.”

The accusation was as stiff as cream whipped into peaks. It cut cleanly—but not quite though Leona’s wit.

He snorted, hardly budging from his recline. “The kid's good at assessing the quality of food. Why keep him back from reaching his full potential?”

“So are you. I know a food critic when I see one,” Gordon said sharply. “And don’t give me that ‘I can’t do it’ bull crap. I thought we were over this already.”

Leona’s laughter was like the roiling thunder of an approaching storm. “I work smarter, not harder, herbivore. Are you sure you’re an instructor? It sounds to me like you have some learning to do on your students.”

"I know plenty—and I know you're better than this." Gordon gestured at him.

"Afraid not," Leona purred, the sarcasm coming off of his words in lazy waves.

Rotten to the core. Spoiled from the start. Shattered, unable to be reassembled. A rebel of the savanna, impossible to tame. All the things people whispered about him behind his back and to his face.

His hand instinctively snaked to the scar that threaded his left eye. "... It's just as the rumors say, teach."

Ugly truths. Evil, harm, destruction—that's all he would ever amount to, all that he was capable of.

There’s no hope left for me. No light of another day. No tomorrows.

Leona turned away, forcing an end to the conversation. He had nothing more to say, and didn't expect anything more out of the chef either.

Then came the hands upon his shoulders, the grip like a vice. Gordon grabbed him, thrusting his face close to Leona’s.

"Don't you talk like that,” the chef hissed with a deathly quiet, “not in my kitchen.”

“Yeah? If you’re so pissed, then banish me from your kingdom,” Leona taunted. His breath was hot with anger, but he bore no claws.

Always the outcast, never the king.

“Not in your life.” Gordon released him, a slight shove back into the seat the third year occupied.

“You’ve already made your judgment of me. Why hold back on acting on it?”

With a slight glare, the chef folded his arms and stared down at him. “For one, you’re deliberately being a jackass to get out of the coursework. For another…”

Gordon nodded towards Epel’s station. “… there’s him.”

“Epel? You might as well dedicate your manpower to him. He’ll need it, the little tyke.”

“He thinks you’re someone to aspire to. But here you are, acting like you’re not.” Gordon narrowed his eyes. “You know what I think? I think the least you could do is respect the kid’s efforts by pitching in—and have some respect for yourself while you’re at it. The kid’s looking up to you. You can try to look up to yourself too, or his hopes are for nothing.”

“He chose to follow me. That decision—and its consequences—are on him.”

“You can’t keep doing this,” Gordon growled. “It’s not just him. Your entire dorm—”

“It’s different,” Leona snapped back. “We’re not the same. They’ve got futures ahead of them. They can afford to be hopelessly blinded by its light.”

Unlike me.

The silence that followed was stifling and thick. It was a reduction left too long on the stove, boiled down to concentrated, palpable self-hatred.

Gordon’s mouth was a tight line. Not a frown, not a glower. Just a neutral line.

"... You remind me of myself when I was younger. Full of vinegar and piss," he grunted at last. Gordon slapped a palm against his knee. "Used to dream of being a footballer. Then had an injury so bad it crushed those dreams before I could recognize it.

"I didn't start taking the culinary arts seriously until 19. You're 20 now, Kingscholar. If there was a chance for an arrogant little lug head like me, then there's a chance for you too. It's not too late."

"Then you're an old fool," Leona spat. To try all your life at something, only to be kicked down every time. "No sob story will ever change what we are."

Gordon faced Epel, his back to Leona. "... I've had a lot of successes. I have that success because I've had failures. I've learned from them. Our scars don't have to define us. We can become better than that. Grow from them.”

"What? Am I meant to be won over by those paltry sentiments?"

"You think whatever you damn well like," Gordon retorted. "If you need me, I'll be helping Felmier. Otherwise, waste the rest of your class time for all I care."

Then he was gone.

Leona shifted in his seat. He regarded the chef with an eerie quiet—the same kind of quietness that pervaded a lion stalking its prey. Weighing the options, assessing what he was up against.

An herbivore. Just a simple-minded, stubborn herbivore. He had been talking out of his ass, trying to act as if he knew—as if he understood him.

Annoyance curdled into a blunt anger.

“Our scars don't have to define us.”

Damn it.

“We can become better than that. Grow from them.”

Damn it...!

Leona bared his teeth, his hands curled into fists.

Familiar frustration flooded him. Helplessness, despair. And a bit of a feeling he had long since renounced.

Hope.

“... Tch.” Leona raked a hand through his hair. “Light a fire under my tail, why don’t you?”

Epel was halfway through inspecting the blueberries when one was plucked straight out of the bowl. Leona tossed it into his mouth, spearing the berry on his canines. A sweet tartness flooded his taste buds.

"... It's fine for the panna cotta," he declared languidly.

Epel startled at his senior's sudden appearance. Beside the first year, Gordon held his breath.

"L-Leona-senpai?! But I thought you were going to rest...?"

"Yeah, well. I got tired of that. Figured I might as well find something else to do to pass the time." Leona cocked his head back, his grin self-assured. "... Got room for one more?"

"I'd be happy to welcome you." Gordon stepped back, allowing Leona to claim his rightful place at an open counter. "... Good to have you back with your head in the game, Kingscholar."

"Hmph. Don't get used to it." He picked up a tool laid out on the table—an ice-cream scooper—and twirled it between dextrous fingers. “I’m a precocious child, so I’ll need an instructor that can keep me engaged.”

“You’re acting cocky for someone who was refusing to play ball a while ago.” Gordon groaned. “… Fine then. You’re on. Just for that, I’m not going to go easy on you.”

“Excuse me, Chef!” The protest came from Epel, who had abandoned the blueberries. “Please go hard on me too!! I can handle it!!”

Leona snorted. “You sure about that, squirt? You never know how mean the big, scary teacher might be.”

“Yes! I want to work together with you, Leona-senpai! Then I can become as strong as you are.”

As strong as I am… Something in his chest sank. Was he truly?

Leona dispelled the doubt with a sigh. Aaah, how annoying. He’s looking at me with those big, sparkling eyes. Why are kids like this?

So fixated on the future and the people who would lead them to it.

He softened.

"... Yeah, sure. Let's just get this over with. The sooner, the better."

Gordon nodded approvingly.

Until the day where I can comfortably stand where you are… wait for me. I’ll meet you there.

[unironicallycringe]

dying trying not to share wips but I'm excited to finally be tackling the Demise mural/manuscript thing again that I just like, Stopped doing last year

it's uh, for the whole origin mythos of Ikana Kingdom in a style similar to the opening scroll of WW, so I'll smack that on the TMM page when it's all done whee

[daftpatience]

Im so thrilled you have gotten into lupin the third! I love all these goobers so much. Just know that if you ever plan on making meech I'd buy all of it.

Questions for you:

Which series (jacket color) did you get into first?

Also got any pen assignments for the lup gang?

WAAH TY i got so excited to think about all this (and im very excited to say merch is COMING. should i post abt it i made some promos awhile ago and have been sitting on them since i dont have a solid timeline yet)

i first watched castle of cagliostro and then bits of part one years ago, so my first lupin was green jacket lupin! i didn't know about part 4+ at the time so i was like "yep that was a cute old show" and didnt dig much deeper until recently! i've been watching a lot of the old movies and the newer parts and im losing my mind over how cute and fun it all is. lupin is so my type its annoying

ON TO THE PEN ASSIGNMENTS!!! (TY FOR ASKING IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY TO DO THESE) long post incomingggg

i'm giving lupin an aurora optima - it comes in a lotta colours (there's even a limited edition pink one) and is classy/high quality/italian made/etc. feel like that'd suit his aesthetics.

bonus i'm also giving him monteverde colour changing inks so he can play silly lil tricks >:)

jigen gets this Kaweco sport piston filler - it's sleek and stylish and solid metal and the little clear ink viewing segment sorta puts me in mind of his usual outfit colour palettes.

im assigning goemon a calligraphy brush. its just what he is thats that

fujiko gets the bungubox princess kaguya fountain pen - it is pretty and feminine and expensive, soooo fujikocore

zenigata i feel would have/be something so so practical. pilot metropolitan, or some other good japanese pen brand, i think. plus they come in a lot of colours so i bet he accidentally matches lupin sometimes just on instinct.

whee it's been awhile since i did a blorbo pen headcanon round!!! that was fun!!!! yippee!!

[sendhook]

Whee there was a good match and post-match respect from RS AND HOOK can move to better things? You stay winning <3

I AM SO THRILLED i was literally vibrating with excitement the entire time and i lost it when roddy hugged him

i am endlessly proud of him and even thought the ftw title held significance to him and his family, i'm glad he can do some bigger and better things and more people can start taking my boy seriously!!!!!! AAAAAAAA

[ktredshoes]

Another milestone passed!

So 11 days ago, I celebrated reaching 50 followers after four years on Tumblr and celebrated by posting a snippet of my MotA WIP. I was so excited!

Well, guess what? Tonight, I reached 60 followers! Whee!

So...I'm celebrating again, and you get another snippet of my Ev Blakely fic Walk the Earth with Eyes Turned Skyward, which I swear to you is getting pretty close to being finished.

See below the cut for an exchange between two key members of the Just-a-Snappin' crew!

@precious-little-scoundrel @spinteresting @ginabaker1666 @upontherisers @almost-a-class-act @itstheheebiejeebies @derry-rain @skiesofrosie @mercurygray @basilone

Blakely was in his rack, not sleeping, when Douglass came through the door, trying to be quiet but spoiling it by tripping on a chair leg or a table leg or maybe it was a footlocker.   “Shit!” said Doug, also unquietly. “It’s OK, Doug,”  Blakely said.  “I’m awake.  Or at least, not asleep.” “I’m sorry,” Doug said.  “I really was trying to be quiet.” “Like a bull in a china shop.  In case you didn’t know.” “We’re going to do this now?” “Oh, hell, Doug, just get in the sack, would you?  I may not be asleep, but I’d like to be.” 

[maaradag]

massive, rambly spoilers for the new WILTY christmas episode underneath

First thoughts after finishing: oboy, both Lee and David going THROUGH it. Bet Rob was feeling all good safe in his host chair.

The guests were Victoria Coren Mitchell (whee!), Naga Munchetty, Alex Brooker and Melvyn Hayes. I'll admit I had to look everybody's names up except VCM.

Alex Brooker's lie has been available as a clip on the BBC website for a couple of days now, so nothing new there. Delighted by the fact that Victoria's (unbroken?) streak of guessing correctly on this show continues

So for me the show proper started with Victoria's card, which oh my god, holy shit, this was worth the wait.

David looks like he wants to sink into the floor, but for me, as Lee says: "If it helps in any way, I'm absolutely loving it."

I mean this is golden. Victoria starts trying to explain David's underwear philosophy, before turning to David and checking if she's not you know, revealing too much information on national television. David who has already spent the last few minutes looking like this is his worst nightmare, reassures her that no worries, "this is dreadful". All the while Lee is clapping his hands delightedly.

(BONUS Sweet moment!. Naga patting David on the shoulder, in an attempt at reassurement, cringing too hard to be very reassuring)

I don't know who Melvyn Hayes is (I'm not British, so my bad I guess) but his small comments here and there really brought it up a notch. Could have been annoying but it was really funny.

Other nice quotes from this round:

Victoria (to David, having revealed much about his underwear habits): I'm so sorry. (Then she laughs a bit more)

David: thE biBLe AnD fifTy SHadEs oF grAy

Melvin Hayes: I'm excited! (everybody cracks up)

This was FINALLY the resolution of Lee's quest to find out what David wears underneath his clothes.

(If only I still wrote fanfiction, and if only I could ever manage to write RPF this would segment would surely inspire me. Just putting that out into the universe before going back to hiding beneath the covers)

Have some pictures of David going through it:

BONUS: Lee being a smug bastard

The Melvin Hayes story did very little for me, as previously mentioned, no clue who he was before this, and the people he mentions are people I've heard about before but also know very little. Glad everyone seems so delighted by it though.

To contrast the previous picture have a happy picture of David and Victoria being pleased by Melvin Hayes story

THIS IS MY (Feat. a Celebrity Guest whoohooo)

Yet another person I don't know who is, but Patti seemed famous and Lee was all over her which turned out to be quite funny.

Victoria's sounded familiar by any rate, like I heard it before. Delightful story anyhow, her delivery of "better still, you can be in it." killed me.

Naga with the slow reveal of it being Lee that they hadn't recognized. Wonderful! Lovely! No notes. It's great that the story wasn't true because then the digs at Lee, and the Jimmy whatshiface of it all just became the marks of a good liar

(looked it up, the guy's Jimmy Nail. An English singer-songwriter apperenly, according to google).

David used his versatile tool to make decent stomach growls. Colour me impresssed.

Last round is a classic Lee round, in which he gets an herculean task and we watch him try to reel it in. (Alex B turns out to be quite the generous laughter which is great.)

Tag yourself I'm Alex, losing it.

[not-poignant]

I hope you have a lovely day with lots of snacks

Tl;dr the day was not lovely but there might be snacks

I actually didn't have many snacks today but I'm about to make up with it with a couple of churros and dark chocolate dipped strawberries.

Today I...woke up and showered and replied to comments on AO3 for a while, and then I spent about 4 hours formatting documents into PDFs of varying sizes for Patreon and Ream and uploading chapter commentaries into compilations. And then I did more formatting stuff behind the scenes while I stared at all the other behind the scenes stuff I need to do and thought 'writing is a hard job' quietly and intensely.

I ate lunch while I was working. I also made some memes about how overwhelmed I felt, and then made some for my readers too, lol.

And then I laid down for about 4 hours because I also have chronic illness (whee) and I am constantly in pain and varying degrees of fatigue and I literally must lie down every afternoon so I don't collapse in the evening (literally) - and I did a tiny bit of reading (webtoon: Shutline (which I immediately realised I'd read before and didn't fondly remember), webtoon: December (didn't mind this)) and then dozed restlessly because it was 40C/104F today. I also edited a Tiktok art video in Adobe Premier Rush, but I haven't put it up yet, and I should really do that.

Got up and made ham and cucumber sandwiches for dinner, and watched Girl with the Dogs on YouTube while I ate, and a Smosh video.

Then did some more work and helped a friend with her work stuff, and then I watered the garden for 1.5 hours because *points tiredly to the heatwave* and stared balefully at the dark sky (you can't water during the day - it's literally a heatwave but also it's illegal here to water during the day) with its few stars because they'd set up a severe weather warning due to extreme winds in our specific area and it was dead AF and oppressive out there and it was just hot instead.

I watched a few Tiktoks while I watered.

When I hung the hose up back on the holder thingo, I sang to my plants: 'I hope you make the best out of the water I just gave you, you little fucks' like a sweet lullaby, and a person who I didn't know was outside next door because it was like 9pm and pitch black laughed softly and sweetly, like they didn't expect it, and felt kind of fond. I didn't know I had any nice neighbours on that side of the house, so I mostly just thought 'WHOOPS SHIT' and then felt too embarrassed to say anything.

And then I came back inside and replied to some asks (hi!) and am hopefully going to eat churro's soon and it's 10pm and so I'm probably going to do some more work and then I'm going to go to bed while I feel stressed about the work I haven't done (currently Palmarosa is the heart beating beneath my floorboards). I will probably keep reading December. It's okayish.

I don't know if I'd call today lovely, because I'm burnt out and I want to put up the Christmas decorations but it's 10pm and idk if I should start that because it tends to make me severely ill to do it for a few days.

I'm a little sad, a lot lonely, a little melancholic, a little grumpy, and a little very excited about churros and chocolate dipped strawberries. I resent days that are 'work and sleep' sometimes, especially during November. That's my fault. That's on me. I'm a mean and shitty boss to myself.

Gotta do something about this burnout at some point, because December is the worst month for my PTSD, but I also need to keep getting paid, because medical bills and food and stuff. So like...finding the balance there is a constant work in progress.

There were some lovely moments today:

That little laugh from the neighbour in the dark

The first yellow peach of the season

Doing tricks with my cat (who is trained) for treats

Making silly little memes

Helping a friend with work stuff

Replying to some amazing comments

Watching cute dogs

Feeling pretty accomplished at putting up those compilations on Patreon/Ream even if I'm not done yet.

I hope you're having a lovely day too, anon, with many snacks.