#absolutely criminal that she never got more screen time

[littleeyesofpallas]

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Lena Horne (Cabin in the Sky, Stormy Weather)— Incredibly talented biracial actress, singer, dancer, and activist (she did so much work towards integrating audiences). Because of the racism of the era, she rarely got to be the lead actress but filmmakers loved her so much that they would often create stand alone segments within a film to highlight her beautiful singing, knowing that these segments would ultimately be cut from the film by censors in areas that forbid films with Black performers. Also, she's just so wonderful in Cabin in the Sky as a gold-digger villain who is not the least bit subtle about her intentions. I would highly recommend checking out her work.

Ginger Rogers (Swing Time, Top Hat)—Look I’ll level with you, I’ve never seen her in a musical and I know that she’s an amazing dancer and she’ll be even hotter when I finally watch Top Hat but I’m not submitting her as a dancer I’m submitting her as an ACTRESS. Her comic timing is impeccable!!!!! She’s full to bursting with life and in every role she seems to be having FUN, you can practically feel the twinkle in her eye. With her natural warmth it’s like she’s letting you in on the joke, y’all get to have this fun together! Making me laugh is hot!!! [If you'd like to see Ginger dance, videos below the cut]

This is round 3 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Lena Horne:

64.media.tumblr.com

Black American powerhouse singer and actor who faced all the usual bullshit that any BIPOC faced in vintage Hollywood and achieved legendary status anyway. Also a Civil Rights movement icon.

She was a gem

She was so beautiful and those dimples are amazing! Truly depressing how badly Hollywood treated her because she was black. I would love to have seen what she really could have been if they didn’t cast her in so many yikes roles. She’s got gorgeous eyes and that body! Her joyful smile makes happiness sexy!

Civil rights actress, singer, dancer, actress, she's got the whole package

Lena Horne was a wonderful singer and actress who largely starred in black cast musicals. While she had a lot of main stream success, she ultimately lost the lead role in showboat (a role she had played on the stage) to a white actress due to hollywood's prejudices. She was also blacklisted during the HUAC hearings, but she still managed to be hot be hot as fuck and have a career spanning decades, working with more well-known stars like Judy Garland in musicals, and working on stage and releasing albums when her hollywood career began to suffer.

Miss Horne became famous during a period of time when Hollywood had very few meaningful roles for people of color. Although she is more so known as a performer, she starred in two successful all black productions (Cabin in the Sky & Stormy Weather). If that wasn't enough, she also guest starred on the Muppets (Season 1, Episode 11)

Ginger Rogers propaganda:

She needs no introduction! An undeniable powerhouse on the dancefloor, and no less talented an actress. I once watched a compilation of cinema's greatest dance scenes and one of her and Fred Astaire's dances was featured, and one of the talking heads said he pitied her for 'having to keep up with him' - or something to that effect. Bullshit, I cry. Ginger Rogers was his absolute equal, and underplaying her incredible skill is downright criminal. I want the 'Cheek to Cheek' sequence from Top Hat to be permanently burned into my memory.

"Backwards in high heels", as the saying goes (though the pedant in me must point out that she in fact spent her fair share of time leading or dancing side-by-side). One of the earliest twinkle-toed ladies of the silver screen, and in terms of acting/persona, her balance of wide-eyed cuteness and movie-star glamour has never quite been replicated.

we all know her beloved string of musicals with fred but ginger also has an extensive and varied non-fred filmography that she's great in! a few ginger moments that are important 2 me personally ginger singing “we’re in the money” in gold diggers of 1933, complete with a verse in pig latin bc this whole movie is kinda mocking the concept of anyone actually being in the money in 1933; ginger and una merkel singing a verse of “shuffle off to buffalo” in 42nd street, providing some statler & waldorf-esque commentary on newlyweds from the upper berth of a railway car (interesting that belly was apparently a risque word in 1933 - maybe its bc the lyric is innuendo-ing about out of wedlock pregnancies - and that panties was a term for men’s underthings!); a favorite fred & ginger number

Ginger Rogers could do everything! She could sing, dance and act. She was hilarious in comedies, moving in dramatic roles (she won an Oscar for Kitty Foyle in 1940) and absolutely gorgeous!

Listen, no shade to Fred Astaire at all, but she both kept up with him step for step and then later went on to WIN AN OSCAR FOR ACTING. (which he did not.) truly a double threat!!!

One of the best dancers in Hollywood! Her work with Fred Astaire is just incredible.

ONE LINE: "Everything Fred did, Ginger did backwards and in heels" AND THEYRE RIGHT! Rogers was a total dance badass, and a lot of movie buffs know the story, but the Never Gonna Dance number from Swing Time took almost 50 takes, and allegedly by the end of filming it her white shoes had been stained pink because her feet were bleeding. As a note, she looks crazy gorgeous in this number. Watching these two dance is insane. They match up to each other in a way my mom describes as "divine" and she's right. DANCE NUMBERS!

Let's Call The Whole Thing Off (Shall We Dance, 1937, dancing starts at 3:14, they're in ROLLERSKATES)

(Ginger Rogers is the hottest woman ever to live in this number. seeing this as a teenager altered my brain chemistry)

(also watch her feet and how she moves opposite Astaire in this one. We all know our boy Freddie had that precision demon but jesus christ Miss Rogers, let a girl live!)

Pick Yourself Up, Swing Time 1936 (Everyone's seen this one but by god you are going to see it AGAIN!)

Shall We Dance, 1937 (duet begins at 2:34)

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, Roberta 1935 (There's just something about Ginger Rogers in a slick black dress man)

The Continental, The Gay Divorcee 1934

God she's MAGIC in this one.

Gay Divorcee's Ending Montage 1934

The infamous table and chairs spin happens at about 0:49. Pay CLOSE attention to her in this bc it looks like witchcraft and I feel lightheaded whenever I watch this movie bc shes THAT awesome.

She is a miracle to watch. Sorry for the sheer amount of clips. My entire family is like madly in love with Ginger Rogers.

[melonberry]

Wicked Game (part one)

Pairings : Jey Uso x Reader / Roman Reigns x Reader

Warnings : violence , smut , angst , manipulation , infidelity , toxic relationships , Roman is a bit of an asshole in this story

Plot: The Bloodline is a notorious mafia gang in Pensacola. They trade illegal weapons with other dangerous criminals. Roman notices a change in Jey, his right hand man, and realises that his secret relationship with YN, a regular woman who works as a nurse, is the cause for his mistakes. Roman vows to make his life a living hell.. even if it means involving YN.

He never meant to slip up. He didn’t know what had happened. One minute he’s meeting a crime lord to pick up the weapons Roman had approved for him to pay for and the next he’s ducking from gun fire and making a run for it.

Jey managed to get out of the situation unscathed and get in his car before driving away. As he drove he smacked his steering wheel yelling curse words. Roman is going to skin him alive! He had spent a good amount of money on these deals and Roman had given him the trust and he had blew it!

Jey knew the reason his head wasn’t in the game and not that he wasn’t taking blame, he knew it was because of her.

-

“Come on Jey, the last time you ‘travelled for work’ you disappeared for two weeks on me.” YN whined as she lay in the sheets, naked from their weekly hook up. Hey was throwing his T-shirt on before signing. YN rolled onto her stomach and smirked up at Jey. “One more night?”

Jey leaned down placed a long kiss on her lips before pulling away.

“There’s more where that came from when I’m back.” He replied flirtatiously which seemed to satisfy YN for the moment. He grabbed his bag and winked at YN before he left.

-

He had been texting YN on his way to the pick up location, too distracted to check his surroundings. If he did he would’ve noticed the men eyeing him suspiciously. Usually when he does a deal like this, no one really pays attention to you. It’s a sort of ritual they all did to show trust, and Jey failed to miss it this time due to looking at the suggestive photos YN had sent him.

As Jey arrived back at the house he was bracing himself for the absolute annihilation he was about to receive. He got out of his car and walked into the house greeting Jimmy and Solo on the way in.

“Roman’s looking for you, and he ain’t happy twin.” Jimmy said with a worried look on his face. Jey groaned before scratching the back of his neck. Jimmy’s concern never wavered and Jey knew he was done for.

“I bet he ain’t.” Jey replied. He thought he should do the better thing and go find Roman himself. He stalled his way up the stairs, roaming the corridors before he stopped at Roman’s office and knocked softly on the door.

“Come in.” Romans deep voice made Jey stumble a little bit before he opened the door and greeted his cousin.

“Hey boss, look-”

“Shut up Jey. I don’t want to hear any excuses.” Roman scolded and Jey instantly shut his mouth. “I wanna know why you’ve arrived with no weapons and a possible tail by the fucking FBI?” He asked quietly but scarily.

“Im not sure uce-”

“But it’s not the first time is it uce? You almost got caught by the FBI two weeks ago when I asked you to go a find the man who took my stash!” Roman said his volume increasing.

Jey took a deep breath hanging his head.

“Im sorry. It won’t happen again.”

“Good. Because if it does happen again, I’m sure you’re going to regret it.” Roman threatened before dismissing Jey. Jey left and closed the door behind him before grunting and muttering to himself as he walked off.

Roman leant back in his desk scratching his beard before loading up his computer. He plugged in a USB before loading up the documents that track his family members phone activity. He had set up this system just incase he thought any of them would try to betray him.

As he clicked on Jeys name a number of images had popped up on his screen. Roman could feel himself getting hard at the sight of the woman on his screen. Some pictures where she lay naked, others wearing ridiculously sexy lingerie.

As he got to the most recent one he saw the time and knew exactly what had gotten into Jey, or rather what he had gotten into in the last few months.

“Well this just got a little bit more interesting.”

[drvirgus]

Behind bars

Non Idol! Minji X Convicted! Reader

Description: Coming out of Jail is never easy. Y/n even would say its harder then even getting into Jail. What happens when she lives with a Person that absolutely hates Criminals? What even got her into Jail? and what happens if she starts to like the person that hates her?

Chapter: and… this one? (Fully-written)

Masterlist

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nervously, Y/n swallowed as she noticed the larger person in the hallway. The figure still held their phone in hand and, upon looking up from the screen, swiftly extinguished the light and tucked the device into their back pocket. With a visibly tense jaw and narrowed eyes, Y/n regarded the newcomer.

"Um, hi," she nervously uttered, feeling her hands grab the shoulder straps of the backpack. At least she needed something to hold onto. Minji looked at her, or rather, scrutinized her thoroughly before audibly clicking her tongue and grabbing one of her wrists.

Her mouth opened as she felt Minji dragging her roughly into her room. Despite the rough handling, no harm befell her. Perhaps she had grown accustomed to this kind of pain; after all, Ryujin wasn't exactly gentle when annoyed.

And she constantly was annoyed…

Minji released her wrist and closed the door, arms crossed in front of her chest as her eyes squarely met Y/n's astonished face. The taller person sighed, "Strip," she demanded, causing Y/n's breath to catch. Unamused, she laughed, "Don't joke, Minji," as she placed her backpack on the desk chair.

"That wasn't a joke."

With wide eyes, Y/n looked in disbelief at the younger person. She hadn't moved an inch from the door. Irritated, her eyes narrowed as she sighed again, "Minji. What the hell is your problem?" she asked as her arms now also crossed in front of her chest.

Minji's eyebrow twitched. Her hands trembled, but the reason remained unknown. Was it anger? Frustration? Concern? Desire?

"Stop asking questions!" the younger one demanded a bit louder now. Her arms uncrossed, and she took a few steps closer. Her forehead now also furrowed as her hand once again seized Y/n's wrist. Her forehead visibly relaxed, and she now looked at her with slightly teary eyes.

„Please. Just… do it“

Confused by the younger one's gentle tone, she looked at her with a slightly open mouth. She had to swallow as she noticed her heart rate quickening. "Do you... mean that seriously?" she asked, now speaking much softer than before. Her arms also loosened from her chest as she simply gazed at the beautiful woman in front of her. Minji nodded her head.

"I can't."

Minji took a deep breath. Her eyes locked onto hers. She... looked so gentle and at the same time, so sad...

"Please."

She swallowed. Slowly but surely, she began to nod. Uncertain why exactly Minji was asking this of her. She took a small step back from her and removed her sweater. Minji scrutinized her without moving a single muscle. She looked at her face. Her eyes made her nervous.

The blush slowly crept up her face as she then unfastened her belt and shortly after, the button of her jeans. Minji's mouth opened, making the situation even more embarrassing for her. This was probably the main reason why she now turned her back to her. The pants slid down her legs. Her hoodie on the ground.

The room filled with uncertainty for Y/n. Her hands wrapped around her own body as she felt Minji slowly, almost too cautiously, approaching. Lips slightly parted as she observed the older woman's back covered in love bites. Minji struggled to refrain from commenting. Not now...

The older woman's back was adorned with hickeys and love bites. Minji's hand rose slowly, landing on the warmed skin. This made Y/n flinch, attempting to escape the cold touch, yet she didn't move away. Not when she could feel the gentle touch of Minji's fingers on her skin.

Minji's fingers traced the old, barely noticeable scar on the right shoulder blade of the older woman. The room was stuffy, making it hard for Minji to breathe. The younger one's heart pounded with a mix of anger and sorrow. Biting her lip, the younger one asked softly, "Where... did you get this scar?" fearing she might scare the slightly older one away. She didn't want Y/n to close off again, especially if she managed to come this far...

Y/n swallowed, her eyes closed as she sensed Minji's barely noticeable touch. The slightly cold fingertips gently traced over the scar. Minji's other hand rested on Y/n's hip, unbeknownst to herself. Silence enveloped them, both afraid the other would hear their heartbeat, unaware of the synchronized pulse echoing from both chests.

"Ryujin... attacked me with a knife back then."

Minji's left hand, previously calm on Y/n's hip, exerted some pressure. Instinctively, she moved closer to the older one, prompting the elder to squint her eyes. Minji swallowed, her mind racing, and her emotions displayed on her face. It was impossible for Minji to hide her feelings now.

"And this one?"

Y/n felt Minji's fingers grazing her ribs. The older one's breath quickened, her face flushing with embarrassment. But she couldn't push Minji away, not when the younger one spoke to her like that. It broke her heart to hear Minji's gentle, almost tearful voice so close to her ear. Minji's breath barely touched the heated skin of the older one.

"Ryujin."

Minji took a deep breath. Her eyes fell on the lower back of the older woman, and her mouth opened. Her cold hand, now slightly warmed by the older one's skin, rested on the burn mark. Minji swallowed her tears; she couldn't break down now, not in front of Y/n.

Her hand on the lower back of the older person. Y/n exactly knew what this wound was. It was one of the most hurtful ones… Ryujin burned her lower back. The skin still being Rosa and visible.

"And... this one?"

Y/n sighed. She could hear Minji's voice starting to tremble. The hand on her hip was already shaking. Y/n chuckled as her hand now gently covered Minji's. Slowly, the older person turned to face the younger one, a small smile on her lips.

"Are you crying?" the older one asked amused, her hand resting on the larger woman's cheek. Minji shook her head, but her tear-filled eyes couldn't suppress the tears any longer. Minji's mouth opened, but no sound came out.

Y/n sighed softly as she started to laugh. She immediately wrapped her arms around the younger one's neck, pulling her into a hug. Minji's face now nestled in the older one's neck as her arms tightened even more around the smaller woman. Minji sniffled as she felt the hand on the back of her head.

"I'm sorry."

"Shhh."

"I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. I'm fine."

[jrob64]

Ghosted

Chapter 1 - Hauntings

Here is the first chapter of my contribution for this year's Captain Swan Supernatural Summer. I have many people to thank for helping me get this written and posted by my assigned date.

Thank you to my fellow mods of CSSNS24 - @winterbaby89 @stahlop @ultraluckycatnd and @kmomof4. I'm so glad we've had such a great response to this last event!

More thanks to Krystal for creating the absolutely amazing pic set for this story. It turned out great, didn't it? Making Neal and Liam appear ghostly was the handiwork of @motherkatereloyshipper, so she also deserves my appreciation.

Rounding out my list of thank yous is my ever-loyal beta, @hookedmom. I've been writing CS stories for nearly six years and she's been with me for the vast majority of them!

I anticipate this story being 3-4 chapters long in total. It isn't completely written yet, so unfortunately I can't provide a posting schedule, but I assure you it WILL be finished. If you're not on my tag list and would like to be informed when future chapters post, please let me know.

DISCLAIMER: All I know about ghost hunting is what I've watched on Ghost Adventures (which is worth watching simply for the entertainment factor.) I also know next to nothing about how YouTube works beyond being a viewer. Please excuse all errors and keep in mind that this is fanfic and isn't meant to be completely accurate!

SUMMARY: When Emma Swan’s ex-boyfriend dies, she’s haunted by his ghost. Her neighbor, Killian Jones, a ghost hunter who has a YouTube channel, realizes what’s happening and offers to help. However, there’s more at stake than simply helping the apparition move on. There’s also the matter of Killian telling Emma he’s in love with her.

Rating: T (subject to change)

Words (Chapter 1): 4700

Also posted to ffn and Ao3

Juggling a large Americano and a blueberry scone, Emma Swan made a beeline across the coffee shop for the small table in the corner. Whenever she stopped in, she tried to sit there because it was beside the window and was only big enough for one chair. Even when the shop was crowded, no one could join her or bother her by asking if ‘this seat is taken’. She could be left alone, which was the way she preferred it in the mornings.

Taking a sip of the near-scalding beverage, she tilted her head back and closed her eyes, savoring the aromatic flavor on her tongue. She tried not to make a habit of coming to this shop, but her coffee maker died over the weekend and she needed her shot of caffeine.

She was nibbling on the corner of her scone when she felt her phone vibrate with an incoming text. Pulling it out of the back pocket of her jeans, she saw that it was from her friend Ruby. The partial message on the lock screen said I’ve got huge news. Are you sitting down?

Emma huffed out a sound of amusement as she unlocked her phone. Ruby’s ‘huge’ news was probably that Graham Humbert, who worked at the police station where Ruby was the dispatcher, had switched to a different scent of cologne. Instead, her eyes widened as she read the rest of the message:

They found Neal Cassidy dead in his cell this morning. Apparent suicide. Guess you won’t have to worry about him stalking you again when he gets out.

It took her a few moments to digest the information. For nearly two years, thoughts of that man had never been far from the forefront of her mind. The memories of their blossoming romantic relationship, which were replaced by her suspicions and ultimate confirmation of his criminal activities, raced through her brain as she stared at the message for an inordinate amount of time.

When she finally started typing a response to Ruby, a shadow fell across the table, blocking the late morning sun. It didn’t move for several moments, so she glanced up, meaning to find the source of it on the other side of the window.

And looked directly into the eyes of Neal Cassidy.

Shocked beyond words, she squeezed her eyes closed, then blinked repeatedly before she looked up again, her heart hammering in her chest.

He was gone.

*********

Emma met Neal at a car dealership where he worked as a salesman. She was looking to trade in her yellow VW bug for something more reliable and he was eager to help. He was charming and funny, so when he asked her out on a date after the sale was made, she didn’t hesitate to accept.

They dated for six months before she started getting the feeling that he was selling more than cars. Hearing him have secretive one-sided conversations on the phone and seeing him meet shady looking characters in neighborhoods known to be frequented by crime lords made her suspicious, but the day she found a small bag of crack cocaine in his apartment was the day she was officially done with him.

When she broke it off, Neal begged her to stay, bragging about how he was in line to become very important and wealthy someday soon, and would provide her with everything her heart desired. Emma assured him she did not desire to be in the company of drug dealers and walked away, determined to put that chapter of her life behind her.

Having witnessed his sales techniques, she was well aware that he was persistent, but his persistence rapidly turned into obsession. She received dozens of texts from him every day, along with numerous calls she refused to answer. After listening to a few voicemails he left declaring his love for her, she deleted the rest and blocked his number.

That didn’t deter him, though. He continued showing up at her apartment, the gym where she worked out, and her place of employment - the swanky hotel where she tended bar. It was annoying, but she didn’t feel threatened and didn’t think a restraining order against him was necessary.

After several months of rebuffing or simply ignoring him, she was relieved when two days in a row went by without any contact from him. Then Ruby called to tell her he had been busted for drug trafficking and was awaiting a hearing. A trial followed, he was sentenced to five years in prison, and Emma hoped she had seen the last of Neal Cassidy.

*********

Emma dragged herself up the two flights of stairs to her apartment on wobbly legs. She was still trembling from the encounter at the coffee shop, unable to shake the image of her deceased ex-boyfriend from her mind.

She had finally managed to send Ruby a text, asking her if she had proof Neal was actually dead. Ruby replied that her friend Dorothy, who worked at the prison where Neal was serving his time, saw his body on the gurney as he was taken out, and talked to the guard who found him hanging by a bed sheet. He was definitely dead.

The only explanation Emma could come up with for seeing Neal outside the window was that the shock of reading Ruby’s text caused her to conjure an image of him. But that didn’t explain the feeling she had of being watched or followed all the way home, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.

When she reached the third floor, she wasn’t surprised to see her friend and neighbor, Killian Jones, in the hallway between their two doors, fiddling with a metal box which was emitting a strange humming sound. As a paranormal investigator and the host of a popular YouTube channel called “Killian Jones - Ghost Hunter”, he was always trying out various pieces of equipment.

He glanced up, his striking blue eyes fastening on her before his face split into a grin. “Hey, Swan. How are you today?”

She answered vaguely as she stopped in front of her door. Suddenly, the humming sound increased in volume and pitch and Killian’s smile faded into a look of confusion. Picking up what looked like a radar gun laying beside him on the floor, he stood and held it between himself and Emma.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

He didn’t answer, too intent on circling her slowly and studying the numbers on the gadget. When he finally looked up several seconds later, he hesitantly commented, “Swan…it appears you have a…a ghost following you.”

Emma felt the blood drain from her face and her knees buckle, which was the last thing she remembered before everything went black.

Killian barely caught Emma in time to keep her from hitting the floor as she fainted. Hoisting her up into his arms, he carried her inside his apartment. This was not how he expected her to end up in his arms, but he would take what he could get.

*********

The two of them had lived beside each other ever since Killian moved into the apartment next to hers when he arrived in Boston five years ago. At first, they just exchanged pleasantries when they passed in the hall. After a few months, they began to have short conversations about the weather and their frustration with the landlord. That led to them doing favors for one another, such as taking in packages, bringing the other’s clothes upstairs from the laundry room, and picking up items one of them forgot to buy at the grocery store. Eventually, they built up enough trust in each other that they traded apartment keys to make it more convenient to drop things off.

Every once in a while, they would share a pizza while watching TV in one of their apartments. Seeing Emma so relaxed in her own home, laughing and bantering with him, started Killian down the road of developing deeper feelings toward her. He was enamored with her wit and intelligence and thought she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever met.

At times, he witnessed men coming to her door to pick her up for a date, something that always left him feeling bereft. Fortunately, most of them never came around more than once. He enjoyed listening to her humorous assessments of each man’s shortcomings afterwards.

Then she started dating Neal Cassidy, and during those months, Killian hardly saw her. When he did bump into the couple, Neal treated him with disdain, looking down his nose at him and scoffing at everything Killian said. It was made worse by the fact that Emma didn’t even seem to notice. Killian was sure he had missed his chance of acting on his feelings for her.

He almost felt guilty for being ecstatic upon finding out she’d broken up with Neal. His happiness turned to concern and then anger when Emma told him Neal wouldn’t leave her alone. The two men had words several times when Killian found him hanging around in the hall outside her apartment. Then Emma told him Neal had been arrested and sent to prison, and he was beyond relieved that the idiot wouldn’t be bothering her anymore.

Still, Killian didn’t ask her out, reasoning that she’d just gotten out of a bad relationship. He continued to fall for her more and more, while she remained completely unaware of his burgeoning feelings toward her. Feelings that, by now, felt a lot like love.

*********

After laying her on his couch, Killian tapped Emma’s cheeks, urging, “Swan! Swan! Wake up! You have to wake up, Love.” When she didn’t respond, he scrubbed a hand down his face. “Bloody hell, Lass. I didn’t mean to frighten you that badly.”

He glanced around the living room, trying to figure out what to do to help Emma regain consciousness. Going into his kitchen, he took a clean dish towel out of the drawer, placed some ice cubes inside and while there, grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge.

She was still out cold when he emerged a minute later. Concern etched his face. In all the years he lived next door to Emma Swan, he never knew her to be anything but tough and strong. Seeing her lying there so ashen and unmoving unnerved him. He lifted her head slightly to place the ice under her neck.

Convinced there was nothing more he could do at the moment, he went back out to the hallway and collected his EMF meter, noticing that it was back to a steady hum. Picking up the infrared thermometer he had dropped, he saw the temperature had returned to normal. No more cold spots. Apparently whatever spirit that had entered the hallway with Emma was gone.

Reentering his apartment, he sat on the coffee table in front of the sofa to keep vigil over his neighbor, continuing to pat her cheeks and call her name from time to time. After several more long minutes, her eyelids began to flutter, then slowly opened. Her eyes darted around, obviously trying to figure out where she was. He could tell the moment she figured it out, because she groaned and covered her face with her hands.

“Please tell me I didn’t faint,” she pleaded.

“I wish I could, but that would be untrue,” he responded, tilting his head to offer her a small, reassuring smile when she uncovered her eyes.

She started to sit up, but he put a hand to her shoulder to stop her. “Easy, Swan. Better lie still a bit longer.”

With a huff of annoyance, she laid back down, adjusting the ice pack behind her neck. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

“You’re welcome.”

She lay quietly for a while, nibbling on her bottom lip. “May I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Why, uh…why did you say that I had a ghost with me?”

She was obviously trying to pass off the question as being simply one of curiosity, but the look in her eyes told him she was quite serious about it.

“The infrared thermometer showed a definite cold spot and the EMF detector…”

“EMF detector?” she questioned. “What’s that?”

He sighed in frustration. “Don’t you ever watch my videos, Swan?” No matter how many times he talked to her about his show, he could never get her to commit to watching his YouTube channel.

“You know I don’t believe in ghosts,” she said.

He rolled his eyes before explaining. “An EMF detector measures electromagnetic fields. A high reading indicates the presence of a spirit.” He paused, making sure he worded his next statement carefully. “And perhaps you had better rethink your position on ghosts, because my instruments strongly suggested paranormal activity around you.”

She closed her eyes and cursed. Killian picked up the bottle of water and held it out to her. She sat up and accepted it, taking a long drink as she propped her feet on the table beside him.

“Care to enlighten me as to why you fainted when I told you my findings?” he inquired.

Capping the bottle, she held it against her forehead for a minute or two - long enough for Killian to wonder if she was going to give him an answer. Finally, she looked up at him and murmured, “Do you remember Neal Cassidy?”

“The wanker who hung around outside your apartment for months after you broke up with him?”

“That’s the one. Did I tell you that he was sentenced to prison for drug trafficking?”

“Aye, you did.”

“Well, apparently he hung himself in his cell. They found his body this morning.”

Killian let out a low whistle. “You think it could be his spirit that was causing my instruments to spike?”

She looked down again, fiddling with the label on the water bottle. “Possibly…because…” She drew in a deep breath. “Because I saw him outside the coffee shop this morning,” she said on an exhale.

Trying not to overreact and make Emma even more uncomfortable, he swallowed hard. “Now, when you say you saw him…”

“I mean I saw him,” she emphasized. “My friend Ruby texted to tell me about Neal’s death and as I was in the process of answering her, I noticed this shadow that didn’t move outside the window where I was sitting. When I looked up, Neal was standing there, staring right at me. I blinked, then he was gone.”

Killian’s ‘ghost hunter’ mind was getting excited about the prospect of being able to investigate a spirit practically under his own nose, but his heart went out to her. Being haunted was something he was more or less used to, but he wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

“Did you see him again after that?” he asked.

“No, but I had this…feeling while I was walking home; like someone was watching me. It really freaked me out.”

“So when I told you there was a ghost following you…”

“It was lights out for me.” She buried her face in her hands. “I’m so embarrassed. I’ve never fainted before.”

Killian reached over and squeezed her shoulder. “There’s no reason for embarrassment, Love. I’ve met many people who’ve had the exact same reaction when faced with the possibility of being in the presence of a ghost.”

“Seriously?”

He rubbed his thumb against the bridge of his nose, trying to contain his impatience. “If you watched my YouTube channel, you would be aware of that.”

“No offense, but the last thing I want to do right now is watch people being haunted.”

“That’s quite understandable, considering what you’ve been through today.”

She took another swig of water, then looked up at him. “Do you think he’s gone? Moved on, or whatever?”

Killian blew out a breath. “Probably not. My guess is he has unfinished business or he would have already moved on.”

“That’s just great,” Emma muttered sarcastically. “How long can I expect him to hang around?”

“Until he accomplishes what he needs to do.”

“So what am I supposed to do until then?” she moaned.

“Just go about your daily routine. If you see him or sense he’s there, gently tell him that he has died and needs to move on.”

 “So saying ‘go to hell’ wouldn’t be a wise choice?”

He bark laughed. “I’m not sure that would be very effective.”

She drained the rest of the water, set the empty bottle on the table and stood up. Killian stood too, placing his hand on the small of her back. “Alright there, Swan?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m gonna go get something to eat and take it easy this afternoon until I have to go to work.”

“That sounds like a good plan.” As she started toward the door, he added, “Uh, Emma? Could I ask a favor of you?”

She turned to look at him. “A favor for the guy who carried me into his apartment and took care of me when I fainted like a prissy debutante? Sure.”

“If, um, if Neal’s spirit does reappear, would you be opposed to letting me document it?”

Crossing her arms over her chest, she tilted her head in contemplation. “What would you do exactly?”

“Use equipment to detect paranormal activity and post it to my YouTube channel.”

“You mean that ESPN detector and stuff like that?”

He sighed in exasperation. “It’s EMF, Swan. Yes, that and voice recorders to conduct EVP sessions…”

She raised an eyebrow at him. “Stop saying letters. You know I don’t know what that shit means.”

“Electronic voice phenomena sessions record sounds or voices from ghosts. If he’s trying to communicate with you, we might be able to pick it up on a voice recorder.”

Shrugging, she replied, “That’s fine. I’m sure it would get lots of hits for your channel.”

He stepped into her personal space, sincerity shining in his eyes. “I hope you know that’s not why I want to do this, Emma. My goal is to help you encourage him to move on so you will no longer have to deal with him. It’s bad enough he stalked you while he was alive; doing it after he’s dead is even worse.”

She gave a slight nod. “You’re right about that.” Pushing up to her toes, she brushed a kiss to his cheek. “Thanks again for everything, Killian. If I get the feeling he’s back, I’ll call you right away.”

“Day or night, Swan. I’m at your beck and call.”

“Good to know,” she smirked. “I’ll see you later.”

He watched her walk out the door, reaching up to rub his cheek where she kissed him. He was going to have to do his best to remain professional around her, but potentially having Emma as his next subject was going to be quite the challenge.

*********

Emma entered her apartment, quickly flipped on the light switch, and glanced around nervously. Not seeing or sensing anything out of the ordinary, she moved into the kitchen.

After heating up leftovers and eating lunch, she climbed into her worn, comfy recliner to scroll through Hulu. She tried to concentrate on her selected show, but her eyes kept darting around the room. “Fuck you, Neal,” she muttered. “Making me paranoid in my own home.”

Finally giving up on watching TV, she went into her bedroom to select her clothes for work that evening. Then she decided to take a long, relaxing bath. The longer she soaked in the tub without any sign of Neal’s ghostly image, the more she relaxed.

By the time she left for work three hours later, she was nearly back to her normal self and very hopeful that he had indeed moved on.

*********

After Emma left his apartment, Killian tidied up - dumping the melting ice cubes into the sink, hanging the towel to dry, and throwing the empty water bottle into his recycling bin. Then he checked all of his ghost hunting equipment, setting the batteries to charge if they were a little low.

Plopping down on the couch, he pulled up the message app on his phone and clicked on the group text with his technical director, Belle French, and his assistant, Will Scarlett.

K: We may have a new gig right here in my apartment building.

As expected, he got an immediate response from Will. The man’s eyes were practically glued to his phone screen most of the time.

W: Got a haunter right under your nose, do ya?

Belle’s answer several minutes later was a little more refined.

B: Can you provide us with any details?

K: My neighbor’s ex-boyfriend committed suicide in prison and she’s experiencing some paranormal activity. She says she saw his ghost outside a coffee shop and when she got home, I was in the hall with the EMF meter and thermo. Both of them spiked.

B: Oh, wow! That’s incredible! Sad for the guy and your neighbor, but what an opportunity!

W: Is this neighbor the hot blonde you’ve been crushin’ on for years?

Killian dropped his head back and groaned. He should have known better than to have confessed his unrequited feelings to his assistant during a boring all-nighter in an old warehouse in Portland, Maine last year.

K: That’s a very crass way to put it, but yes, it’s Emma.

W: You mean we might actually get to meet her?

K: Not if you’re going to be an ass about it.

W: I’ll be on me best behavior, I promise.

K: Why doesn’t that reassure me?

B: What are your plans, Killian?

Leave it to Belle to be the peacemaker of the conversation, Killian thought. If he was feeling vengeful toward Will, he could mention the crush his friend had on the auburn-haired beauty. How she never realized it, Killian would never know. Will was the very definition of heart eyes whenever he was around her.

K: I’ve got my equipment ready to go. If she senses anything, she’s going to call me. If it’s a recurring thing, we’ll set up an EVP session. I’ll let you know if anything happens. Just wanted to put you on alert.

B: Sounds good. I’ll be editing tomorrow. The new episode should be ready to post by Thursday.

K: Thanks, Belle. You’re the best!

W: He’s right, ya know. You really are bloody brilliant.

Seriously - how could she not see it when Will was always falling all over himself to proclaim her perfection?

Once Killian ended the conversation, he wandered into the room he used as his office.

“Hello, little brother.”

*********

From a very early age, Killian had been able to sense paranormal activity. He was confused by it for many years, but as he grew and began to read about ghosts, he realized he had a gift, albeit an unwanted one.

When he was twelve, his mother passed and he was there to witness her soul departing her body. She only stayed long enough to declare her never-ending love for her boys and bid him goodbye, before she moved on to her eternal reward.

Eight years later, when Liam died in a naval training exercise, Killian expected him to join their mother. However, his brother’s apparition began appearing to him from time to time. At first, his appearance was simply a mist, barely recognizable, but as Killian did more research into the paranormal and practiced tapping into his abilities, it became more discernible. Still, he was frustrated that he could see his brother, but was unable to speak to him.

He purchased several pieces of equipment used by paranormal investigators, hoping to enhance his encounters with Liam. They turned out to be very helpful, but Liam soon learned to communicate with his brother well enough that the tools weren’t necessary.

On a whim, Killian posted videos of himself explaining the use of equipment to make contact with ghosts on YouTube, and soon he was in demand as a paranormal investigator. People were willing to pay large sums of money to be able to make contact with their departed loved ones, or to encourage ghosts to move on. He quit his job as a dock worker and began traveling, taking his friend Will along with him, and when the technical aspects of editing and posting to YouTube proved too daunting, he hired Belle.

Even his closest friends were unaware that Killian’s deceased brother appeared and spoke with him on a regular basis; he wanted to keep that part of his life to himself.

*********

It still startled Killian whenever the apparition of his brother appeared, but it wasn’t ever an unwelcome intrusion. His visits never lasted long, but there was always enough time for a nice chat.

“Perhaps you’ve forgotten I’m a grown man and therefore your younger brother,” Killian reminded Liam, for at least the fiftieth time.

“I’m not sure that’s technically true any more, since you’ve now lived past the age I was when I died.”

Killian hated it when Liam talked about his own death. “You were born before me, so you’ll always be older.”

“Hmm…” Liam responded, giving his brother the maddening little nod that meant he was right and Killian was wrong. “So, the lovely lass you’re pining for was here today, aye?”

“How did you know that?” Killian asked unnecessarily. Obviously Liam had popped in and, being a tad preoccupied taking care of Emma, he hadn’t noticed.

“I’m not doing the job of watching over my little brother very well if I don’t know what’s going on in his life.”

Killian had never come right out and asked Liam about the unfinished business that kept him from moving on, but having been his guardian for years before his death, he was sure it was to continue taking care of him. Not that he needed it, but he wasn’t complaining, as long as he had a chance to have his older brother with him in some shape or form.

“She, uh…she fainted so I brought her in to lay her on my sofa. I couldn’t very well let her lay on the floor in the hallway.”

“What caused her to faint?” Liam asked, his playful tone giving way to concern.

“Seems she was visited by the ghost of her departed ex-boyfriend. You didn’t see him hanging around, did you?”

“You know spirits seldom bump into one another, unless they were associated with each other while they were living.”

“I just thought I would ask. It spooked her badly - no pun intended.”

“Have you agreed to help her?”

“Aye, if I can. The guy made her life miserable when he was alive. She shouldn’t have to put up with him after his death.”

Liam studied his brother for several moments. “Perhaps this will give you a chance to get closer to her. Maybe you’ll even work up the nerve to finally ask her out.”

Killian sighed. “I’m not going to do that when she’s so vulnerable, Liam. I simply want to get the tosser to move on.”

“And after that?”

“I don’t know,” Killian conceded.

“You’ve had feelings for that lass for ages, Killy. When are you going to act on them?”

“I’m afraid she’s only ever going to think of me as a friend. If I ask her out and she turns me down, I might lose her friendship, and I don’t want that to happen.”

“You’ll never know unless you try.”

Killian didn’t answer. He’d had this conversation with his brother before and Liam always pushed him to ask Emma out. He didn’t understand why his love life was so important to his brother, but whenever he asked him, Liam was evasive and refused to answer.

“Just think about it, Killian. I have to go. I love you, Brother.”

“Love you, too, Liam.”

He watched his brother’s translucent form dissolve, leaving him sad and lonely, as always. He didn’t know when Liam would complete his unfinished business, but he did know that when he finally did, Killian would be left alone once again.

Unbeknownst to him, Liam’s unfinished business was to see his brother happily married to the love of his life, but it was up to Killian to take the first step.

*********

Thanks very much for reading. Be sure to check out the other great stories in the CSSNS24 collection!

Tagging:

@qualitycoffeethings @grimmswan @cs-rylie @wyntereyez @kmomof4 @hookedmom @ultraluckycatnd @paradiselady19 @xarandomdreamx @motherkatereloyshipper @lfh1226-linda

@pawshapedheart @vampcoffeegyrl23 @tiganasummertree @bluewildcatfanatic @eleveneitherway @elfiola @kday426

@julieenchanted-swans @gingerchangeling @andiirivera @djlbg @jonesfandomfanatic @snowbellewells @anmylica @booksteaandtoomuchtv @cocohook38 @ilovemesomekillianjones

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[asherisawkward]

I found Luz not caring about the demon realms history annoying. I get it. Some of it was made up, but most of it wasn't, just why the crusade was started. It seems a lot of the history she got was through word of mouth.

You figure a fan of fantasy would be excited to learn the history and culture of a magical realm, not just magic. I'm surprise a lot more demons and witches didn't get fed up with her. The only thing who seemed to have anything against it was Hunter, but I could be remembering it all wrong. Sorry if this comes off as a rant.

I absolutely get what you mean!! Luz, from what I remember of TOH, spent a lot of time trying to fit the Boiling Isles into her opinion of what a fantasy world should be. She doesn’t really listen to the laws or the cultural norms. I suppose that it makes sense to ignore the laws to a certain extent, considering they’re made by a witch hunter pretending to be a benevolent ruler, but she doesn’t even try to think about things critically. Especially in this day and age, you are supposed to research and analyze before you draw a conclusion, not just take the word of some criminal who doesn’t even off you any proof. I love Eda. She’s badass and creative, and I adore how she grows to care about others through the series. But she is a biased character to introduce a world through, and Luz doesn’t even question it. She hears Eda’s “oh, he just wants to control magic” and runs with it.

The biggest example of her complete dismissal of the Boiling Isles culture, laws, and norms would be when she continued to push to be in all classes. Not only does she lack the necessary knowledge to cast precise spells, but she is asking the principal, the teachers, and all the students to risk themselves for her fantasy. This isn’t some petty pickpocketing that she’s asking a few people to ignore. She asks to be allowed to violate one of the most important laws in the whole country—it has the death penalty, for fuck’s sake! Principal Bump could have been executed for allowing this; the teachers could have gone to prison! And the students who don’t turn her in, while unlikely to suffer so severely, are likely to be punished as well! How many people could have been hurt or killed by her thoughtless violation of the laws if Belos had been shown to be a bit more how Dana claims he was? (Because, all things considered, he’s not shown to be the harshest ruler ever.)

Additionally, it bothers me that she never bothers to explore any real cultures or traditions on the Isles. She “wants to be a witch,” but doesn’t focus on anything other than the magic of it. If it were Harry Potter world, where witches are exclusively humans with human culture but magic, I’d get that, but it isn’t. It is a whole other world where everything from childhood to the system of government is different. Her refusal to let go of her preconceived notions and just explore what the BIs is like comes off a little bit like a weeb in their mother’s basement saying “I want to be Japanese,” going to Japan, and then never exploring it beyond their notions of what Japan is like from anime. I love Luz, and it was incredibly impactful for me to see a fellow neurodivergent fantasy nerd on screen, but she has a tendency of treating the Boiling Isles like her escapist fantasies. It bothers me that it’s not really addressed.

Finally, this lack of exploration leads to limited knowledge on what the actual inhabitants of the Boiling Isles are like aside from a select handful. What beliefs aside from the Titan do people have? What rituals do they perform, holidays do they celebrate? What are the people of the Boiling Isles like? Part of what I love about Amphibia is the time it takes to world-build, to show us all the different ways that the world works, and how there are varied, diverse, and unique cultures that are a part of it. It makes Amphibia dynamic and alive. The Owl House doesn’t do that with the Boiling Isles, and I’m bummed about that.

I hope this is close enough to what you’re talking about, because this got me on a tangent.

[featherskiesblog]

adrien agreste / chat noir × fem! reader ( Chapter 01 )

tw: a little dark-ish, mention of child akumatizatiom, mention of child murder.

NIGHT SPIRIT ( CHAPTER 01 )

　　[YOUR NAME ー LAST NAME] WAS ALWAYS A OVERLY CAUTIOUS PERSON. With her being a woman, she was exposed to the danger of the streets since young age. Thankfully, she had her Aunt to warn her all about it and advice her on how to keep herself safe. Don't go near dark alleys, always walk in a crowded place, never walk alone at night ( or day ) and absolutely never, ever, leave home without a charged phone, the speed dials clearly and always on display for fast access.

However, Aunt Cosette never adviced her on what to do when you're about to get akumatized. [Name] didn't know much about those evil little parasites, but she knew well enough that when you get possessed by them, it's just a matter of time before you lose control over your mind and body respectively. Controlled by Hawkmoth, the notorious criminal who wants to obtain something called Miraculous by the past heroes of Paris, Ladybug and Chat Noir, the Akuma is something everyone feared when butterflies were on sight.

But, [Name] didn't get possessed.

Two months ago there was a attempt, it made [Name]'s blood boil just by thinking about it. Years ago Paris was left defenceless after the sudden disappearance of Ladybug, who left her partner behind to defend the city, but the attacks have been getting more frequent lately. It was like Hawkmoth was desperate, pulling the last cards on deck ー gambling, she dares to say so.

"Another akuma attack," Aunt Cosette sighed, shaking her head in worry. Her ginger hair was pulled back to a messy bun, with two bangs framing her heart-shaped face. [Name] thought of of her as a utopia beauty, mostly because her reddish hair, button up nose and bright green eyes made her look like a forest fairy. Her Aunt also looked young for her fifty years of age, not because she didn't have wrinkles or crows feet besides her eyes, but because her smile was pearly white and contagious, and her skin glowed from taking good care of herself.

She swears she's going to look that good when she grows up.

"Hm?" [Name] hummed between sipping her preferred coffee, looking up from the phone screen. "How's the situation looking?"

Aunt Cosette shook her head, a frown pulling at her lips. "I'm not going to lie to you... it's bad."

"Like bad, or bad bad?"

The woman rolled her eyes, smiling slightly. "The latter, that poor dear fights with his everything nowadays."

Knowing that poor dear is in fact Chat Noir, [Name] winced a bit in sympathy. It was no secret that the cat hero worked magnificently with his bug partner, a invincible duo many regarded them including herself, but his fits had been plummeting for two years since the abrupt loss of his partner. Not because he grew weaker or because the evilized villains grew stronger, but because apparently Chat does not have the power of creation, which was in actuality Ladybug's power that helped them purify the akuma.

In conclusion, Paris was stuck in a loop where they got a akumatized person every single day for all about two years. Sometimes they even got doubled or tripled, and Chat Noir never caught a break ever since.

However, something changed a year ago. Things have becoming worse and worse for the akumatized people, but the streets of Paris have been peaceful and safe. Chat Noir, while he didn't have the power to purify, he had the power of destruction. Tragedy struck the lives of the victim's families, and therefore the hero's role has been taken much more seriously by the public since then.

No one wants to witness their hero killing the ones who are supposed to save from brainwashing, after all.

In the meantime, Ladybug's disappearance has been regarded with suspicion and contempt. Various of conspiracy theories have been circulating since her abrupt leave, each one more bizarre than the previous. It didn't help that the cat hero has been avoiding to make a statement about his partner's departure either (or her retirement, [Name] likes to think, contrary to the negative opinions from the public).

"Who got unlucky this time?" She asked quietly, the grip on her mug tightening.

Aunt Cosette sighed tiredly, taking off her glasses to rub her forehead with her wrist. That clear sign of distress had [Name]'s spine stiffen, preparing for the worst.

"A six-years-old little girl."

[Name]'s heart dropped, breath hitching in her throat. She shook her head, blinking away the sudden moisture in her eyes and exhaled a stuttering plaintive sigh.

"Merde."

　　　　　──────────────────

It was a usual and average day as [Name] went on with her life. Though she had turned a tad-bit paranoid since the failed akumatization, that didn't stop her from getting her desired macarons from her favourite bakery, Tom and Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie.

She sighed as she saw the familiar entrance upon sight. Lips tugging up to a excited smile, the girl basically ran over to the building, eyes lighting up when she saw the many desserts on the display cabinet. It seems like the bakers were working hard this morning.

Pushing the door open, she heard the now familiar bell jiggling above her head, and immediately her [colour] eyes went to the clerk behind the counter. A young girl stood there, scrolling through her phone; that was of course, before she entered.

Crystal blue eyes connected with her own, and [Name] smiled warmly at her, eyes wrinkling slightly at the edges and giving away to everyone the fact that she laughs a lot.

"Bonjour, mademoiselle!"

"Ah..." The blue-haired girl seemed at loss if words, because the female in front of her looked incredibly pretty. She blushed slightly when she saw the young woman taking off her black glasses, thinking how her eyes, even though a [colour] shade, were gleaming like jewels.

And her fashion sense, it was so good! She obviously keeps up with the trends, but also manages to be of low maintenance. She had a white open-collared shirt, tacked inside a pair of dark brown high waisted tailored pants and wore thin golden accessories. It was so minimalistic yet Marinette couldn't help but admire the beauty in the simplicity.

"I mean, what I -- bonjour, Madame!" The bluenette stuttered slightly, cheeks becoming slowly red.

[Name] couldn't help but think that she was the cutest girl she had ever seen, but it wasn't until she blushed that the similarity with the woman finally clicked. "Mon Dieu, are you Sabine's daughter? You look just like her!"

Marinette smiled at the compliment, to be compared to her mother was something she always liked because Sabine Cheng is known for both her beauty and her baking. "Yes, I am! I didn't know you knew my mom personally, Miss..."

"Oh, it's [Name] [Last Name], it's so nice to finally put a face on the name!" They shook hands, and Marinette went back to the counter to get her order.

"What would you like?"

[Name] hummed, looking at the showcase with furrowed eyebrows as she contemplated what to choose. "Let's see, I would like three chocolate filled croissants, two cream puffs and... quelques macarons? Put thirty on the package, I'm planning to give some to my classmates for the first day of school."

Marinette blinked, mouth parting open. "School?"

"Oui, it's my first day of college!" [Name] beamed. "If I'm not wrong, you're in high school, est-ce correct?"

"Yes!" Marinette nodded vigorously, putting the treats inside the cutest packages they have in store. "What is your major, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I'm majoring in Jewellery Designing," She smiled. "Not very profitable, but it's my passion."

Marinette shook her head, and with the packages in hand she came to the front from around the counter, a sight of which had [Name] try hard not to facially or physically react from surprise.

Because as Marinette came to full view, [Name] could now see the visible limp on her leg, and right at where two feet should have been, a wooden prosthetic leg was on sight.

And all of the sudden, Marinette yelped and started falling, causing [Name]'s heart to drop. Without giving it a second thought, not even caring about the packages with the treats she just bought, the [Last Name] girl immediately darted towards the teen and wrapped her arms around her, stabilizing her body against hers just as the packages went flying up their heads and crushed noisily against the wall.

The blue-haired girl was shaking, short puffs of air escaping her mouth. [Name] started backing towards the chairs with Marinette in her arms, willing the shaking girl to sit down.

"Are you okay?" [Name] breathed out, looking around the shop with worried eyes. "Putain, where is Tom and Sabine?"

Marinette gave out a short laugh at the sudden cursing, and willed her heart to calm down. "They're on a business trip for the next week, they're visiting the Balkan countries. Thank you, and I'm sorry for... for the trouble. I'm not usually this clumsy with this anymore."

[Name] shook her head. "Please don't mention it, let me get you a glass of water."

Marinette opened her mouth to argue, she really didn't want the pity of anyone, but shut it closed when she saw the determined gleam in the young woman's eyes. She watched her as she went behind the counter like she owned the bakery, fetching glasses and crystallised packaged water from the cabinets. It seems like she was more than familiar with the place.

"You're one silly girl, you know that?" [Name] huffed. "You could have given me the bags over showcase, and this wouldn't have happened!"

The young girl pursed her lips to keep herself from smiling, finding the concern the [hair]nette quite endearing, not to mention she fretted just like her Dad did. French people really show their care spontaneously.

Marinette sighed, admitting that she could have done exactly that when something miraculous happened. Her eyes shined neon blue as the young woman in front of her suddenly emitted a red and pink-ish aura, and golden outlines glowed to emphasise her silhouette. A breath hitched on her throat, and the faster beat of her heart had nothing to do with the fall from earlier, but for a entire different reason.

She found her.

　　　　　　　" Miraculous. "

"Here, drink slowly okay?" [Name] offered her the glass of water after she squished some lemon in it.

ᅠᅠᅠ

　　　　　　　" Simply the best. "

"Yes, thank you," Marinette's wide eyes looked up at [colour] ones, "You didn't have to..."

　　　　　　" Up to the test when things go wrong. "

[Name] shook her head, smiling warmly down at her. "But I wanted to, so don't think too much about it."

　　　　　　" Miraculous, the luckiest -- ! "

"That's really kind of you." Marinette, for the first time in what seemed like years, smiled so genuinely it almost brought tears to her blue eyes.

"Of course, like I said don't even mention it. I'm sorry for holding you up!" [Name] apologized as she took the packages from the floor, smiling brightly when she saw they were actually tightly sealed. Maybe a little messy on the inside, but still very much edible.

　　　　　　" The power of love always so strong ! "

"I'm sorry too, you have classes earlier than us," Marinette chuckled as she watched the older girl waving frantically at her with a wide smile, running towards her school in a hurry.

ᅠᅠᅠ

　　　　　　" Miraculous ! "

ᅠᅠᅠ

ᅠᅠᅠ

"Bonne chance, [Name]."

ᅠᅠᅠ

Previous Chapter (Prologue) ←

[fairer-tales]

At last! The post no-ones been waiting for!!

✨Assigning Sherlock Characters Chappell Roan Songs*✨

*mostly based on vibes of the character / what i song think the characters would like

Sherlock Holmes - Kaleidoscope

This song is literally about falling in love with your friends. come on. one of the lyrics is ‘If you really want to leave, I’ll never make you stay’. If i think too much about these lyrics and him I’ll cry, please listen to it i beg. Dare i say ‘conductor of light’ as food for thought

John Watson - Good Luck, Babe!

I’ve already posted about this. When you wake up next to her, in the middle of the night, with your head in your hands, you nothing more than her husband-

Molly Hooper - After Midnight

Little bit vibes based, but I can picture this being her jam when she stops pining after Sherlock and gets herself out there !! she should be in the club !!

Greg Lestrade - Coffee

I don’t know about this one honestly. Something about it strikes me as him tho.

Mrs Hudson - Pink Pony Club

I can just imagine her dancing to this around 221A, probably while she cleans or cooks. She was totally an ally back in the day (and still is). wouldn’t be surprised if she was a pink pony girl.

Mary Morstan - Femininomenon

She is a femininomenon!! (The lyric ‘stuck in the suburbs, you’re folding his laundry, got what you wanted, so stop feeling sorry’ reminds me of her and john simultaneously).

Mycroft Holmes - My Kink Is Karma

Mycroft Holmes doesn’t believe in karma, he is karma. He totally wreaks havoc on the lives of people who’ve wronged him with his ‘minor position in the british government’ powers.

Jim Moriarty - HOT TO GO!

He’s such a silly guy (terrorist). If he could’ve had this on his ipod in 2010, he would. (also ‘i could be the one or your new addiction’ is so him + his obsession with sherlock).

Irene Adler - Picture You

Mostly based on vibes. I don’t rlly like how the bbc interpretation of her is so inherently sexual but she’s also gay so i’ll take the compromise. I was torn between this and ‘Super Ultra Graphic Modern Girl’ but i assigned that to another character down the list.

Bonuses!!

Anthea - Super Ultra Graphic Modern Girl

She gives me bad bitch vibes in her ~5 minutes of screen time, okay?

Janine - Red Wine Supernova

90% vibes that she’d love this song, 10% my conviction that Janine was meant to be the bi friend to Sherlock’s gay friend.

Sherlock & John - Casual

IVE SEEN SO MANY EDITS. EACH ONE OF THEM ABSOLUTE CRIMINAL. IS IT CASUAL NOW?

[he-is-lightning-in-a-bottle]

Favorite BL Antagonists

I was tagged by @my-rose-tinted-glasses (thank you!) and quickly realized that as far as currently airing BLs go, we all have the same faves! So to switch it up, I'm opting to have you guys pick from my favorite (least favorite? most hated? most annoying? most beloathed?) antagonists. They aren't necessarily villains (though some may be), and the show may or may not have redeemed them. But they definitely stirred up shit. These are the characters that at some point, I wanted to punch in the face or toss off a cliff.

Plern Pleng - Together With Me

Just saying her name makes me want to slap someone. I wanted to slap her every time she was on my screen. She invokes a really visceral need see her slapped. She's the OG of BL Witches-With-A-B, and to this day I still find myself comparing newer characters (like Eun Ji in The Eighth Sense) to her and find they don't usually measure up to her level of audacity.

Todd - Not Me

Whatever twisted situationship he had going on with Black, he rocked having a gun pointed to his face. And the confidence that Black couldn't kill him any more than he could kill Black looked sexy as hell on him. But he unapologetically put Black in a coma, deceived White and used him as an unwitting spy, and worked against our ragtag team of anti-establishment protesters.

Tawan - Kinnporsche

He came back into Kinn's life with his sad puppy dog eyes acting like a victim, and it's true he was a unknowing pawn in Vegas' 4D chess match with Kinn and ultimately got outplayed. But he put a gun to Porsche's head and for that I will not forgive him.

Kit - Never Let Me Go

Yeah, yeah, I'm using a gif from The Sign. That's because I spent a half hour searching for gifs of him as the hot uncle in a suit from Never Let Me Go and while I did find some they weren't of him alone. When I looked for gifs of the actor, Nat Sakdatorn, they were mostly of him in The Sign, in 609 Bedtime Story, and kissing Singto in FriendZone. So I figured I'd grace your dashes with him shirtless because... well, you're welcome. Anywho, in Never Let Me Go, Kit was greedy and fucked up and a shit father. But he was smoking hot while doing it!

Uea's Mom - Bed Friend

How evil do you have to be before absolutely no one on this hellsite is willing to gif you? As bad as this lady, apparently! I searched high and low using the actor's name, every combination of description of the scenes and episodes she was in, even used Google. And let me tell you, people only giffed Uea's reactions to her (I don't blame y'all. He's legit that pretty) or her in passing. So... Thida. Is a shit mom. And a criminal. And a child abuser. And a homophobe. And she's one of the only Bad Parents in Thai BL who got what was coming to them.

Anyone else want to play? Tag! You're it. No pressure tags to @lurkingshan @respectthepetty @slayerkitty @bengiyo @wanderlust-in-my-soul

And also: @wen-kexing-apologist @twig-tea @waitmyturtles @spicyvampire @stefanyd

[xerith-42]

who is your favorite side or background character(s) and why?

Favorite background character is easily this guy

One scene, no lines, just some garbles and screaming, he did fantastic. Absolutely zero notes.

Favorite side character is Kiki. I think Kiki is one of the most done dirty mcd characters, which is really saying something, and what she has is great and could be so much better. Her introduction is actually really good, she shows up, has some hamsters, and then is there. Brendan mentions her once or twice, and she's sown to be in great distress when her brother is injured. Basic character stuff, but a solid foundation for a character.

And in episode 12 she gets this really great exchange with Aph where she learns that Aph's hamster is getting bigger and Aph didn't tell her. When Aph tries to deflect with the logic "It's a big hamster, who gives a shit", Kiki very politely and reasonably asks if she can visit Aph's house to check up on that hamster. It shows Kiki's kindness, her love for animals, and her overall nature.

And then when Aph tries to tell her no, Kiki, the Chad, literally says

I like this!! I like this a lot!! I think it's a great moment of characterization for Kiki that establishes that she's a stubborn woman who can take no for an answer, but won't if she doesn't want to. She's stubborn, resilient, and has a total soft spot for animals. I can absolutely understand how literally anyone falls in love with her, I love Kiki so fucking much. (also her laugh is sooooo cute no wonder she got nicknamed for it)

I have a lot of thoughts about the whole situation between her and Zane (which most of you have probably already read given it's one of the most popular posts on my side blog (shameless plug)), but there's one thing I really wish we got to understand. Which is why does Kiki even like or trust Zane in the first place? Clearly she's got a good head on her shoulders and a good sense of what she wants, so why don't we even get one scene where she says something specific about why she's infatuated with Zane all of a sudden?

I checked her wiki page just to be sure and they don't even mention Zane on there once. Kiki is a character who doesn't necessarily need center stage because she is a side character, but that whole situation was so fucked up that it feels criminal that she was never given top billing afterwards, even for just a single episode. She gets a lot of great moments in Season 1, I'm really fond of the detail of her releasing all her animals so they can use her barn as an armory during the fight against Scaleswind, that might just be my favorite scene with Kiki. And after that... we get nothing!

Pretty sure her daughter was given more screen time in season 2 than she was.

It sucks that she got shafted and her biggest scene in Season 2 isn't even her scene, it's Thorgi's (sorry to remind you all of that). We NEVER get a scene where she gets to express any feelings on Zane, or him being gone, or him coming back, or her relationship with Garroth and how that's changed, or how she might have a strange relationship with Vylad as a result (oh I could make a whole post out of that...), we just stop getting good stuff out of Kiki after season 1 which is a damn shame.

TLDR: Kiki is a literal blessing onto this world and we don't deserve her.

[lurkingshan]

10 Things I Love About 3 Will Be Free

I am very late on this one, I know it! But this week I finally sat down with @wen-kexing-apologist and binged the whole thing, and had a grand ol’ time doing it. @waitmyturtles the verdict is two enthusiastic thumbs up. This was such a fun romp, and here are a few of the things I loved most about it:

SHIN MY BELOVED

Guess who has a new blorbo!! In hindsight it is absolutely absurd that it took a Tay Tawan girlie like me so long to watch this show, because Shin is an instant entry on the all-time fav characters list. I love his sad gay ass. He’s sensitive, he’s lonely, he’s repressed, he’s far too susceptible to Stockholm syndrome, and I would protect him with my life.

Mae

A working class trans character with an actual plot?! Thank you for your endless gifts, P’Jojo. Sure, my girl Mae made some questionable choices (just a little light murder!), but listen, I support her, in the words of @wen-kexing-apologist, embracing her feminine rage. And in the end, she figured out exactly the right target for her rage and lived her best life.

Miw

A Survivor. Gets shit done. Absolutely will kill a man if he forces her hand. Loyal to her boyfriends even when it would probably be smarter to ditch them. Also, she so pretty.

Neo’s tanks and crop tops

I never claimed not to be shallow.

Neo and Shin’s backstory

Episode 5 was my favorite of the show and the moment it really clicked for me. I loved getting a glimpse of Shin’s lonely and dejected teen years (I just wanna talk, Ken 🔪🔪🔪). I loved that the basis of Neo and Shin’s relationship and initial attraction was the way they played together. Shin laughed more in his few days with Neo than he probably had in the several years preceding them. I loved that Neo gave him his first kiss and that Shin treasured those memories so dearly.

The Worst Criminals Of All Time

Truly remarkable these three are still alive by the end of the show. Their ideas were half-baked and their execution was severely lacking. They never had a plan they thought all the way through and they never had a single scheme that went off without a hitch. Luckily, the bad guys chasing them were also thoroughly incompetent, so it all evened out. The only smart person in this show was Miw’s mom, who knew the only prudent move was to stay the hell out of this mess.

Miw and Shin’s friendship

I just love that these two developed their own bond, even though they’re not into each other the same way they’re both into Neo. They both risked their lives to save the other. They tease and joke with each other. Shin literally wanted to bring his new bestie home to live with him. They’re adorable.

This weird little guy

Toptap. My guy. What are you doing here and why are you being so strange? Are you good, are you bad, are you chaotic neutral? Who can tell! Certainly not me. But I enjoyed every moment your weird ass was on the screen.

There's a polyamorous relationship, and it’s depicted onscreen!

Okay, here’s the part where I admit my expectations for the poly romance in this show were a liiiiiiilttle off base. I must gently rib the fandom for leading me to believe this show would have any actual sex in it (or really a focus on romance at all) and once again recite to myself a universal truth: gifs removed from context are so misleading. At the same time, I also must acknowledge how groundbreaking it was at the time to depict polyamory at all. I would have loved a bit more time spent on the actual relationship dynamics and the emotional complexities of this triad they formed, but I recognize that’s not really what this show was about and appreciate they included a polycule in the first place. Now that it’s 2023 and he’s been give a lot more freedom, I look forward to Jojo’s further exploration of sexy polycules in Only Friends.

Against all odds, these crazy kids got their happy ending

When this show started I did not see any way for them to come out of this in good shape. I was going to be happy if they simply survived. But not only did they survive, they are thriving! Shin has inherited his dad’s legitimate business and discovered he looks hot in a deep V. Neo and Miw are living that beach life they deserve. Everyone loves each other and everyone is at peace. A+, 10/10, would watch again.

[dukeofriven]

So I haven't watched Spy Kids for probably 20 years? It came out in 2001, I never saw in theatres, but my stepbrother had it on VHS. I remember watching it several times when my step-mum and father first started dating but never after they moved into a house together, which I think cannot have been any later than 2003. The podcast How Did This Get Made just got me to watch 2004's Sleepover staring Spy Kids' Alex Vega, and it had me going 'man, I should rewatch Spy Kids, a film I used to love—hell I should watch all the Spy Kids movies because I've only ever seen the first and Robert Rodriguez is a director whose work I want to dive into' and since its 2023, with a little bit of effort I can easily do that. (Also, I always thought, based on a vague knowledge of their similar poster design, that Spy Kids 3D and The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl were the same movie, but apparently not! Also, Sharkboy et al. had a 2021 sequel? That was popular? And is getting its own sequel? Will have to investigate.) Thoughts on the opening ten minutes of my Spy Kids rewatch:

This production logo is so ugly it causes me physical pain. I hate this boy with his Kate Moss arms (Miraculous Ladybug arms, for you youngsters out there), his ugly beanie, and unbearable smirk.

Also, the telecine weave on the production logos is very noticeable, they're bouncing all over the place and it got me idly musing as to when more modern image stabilization techniques simply took that away. Not that we really noticed in 2001 because even with auto-tracking, gate-weave and other playback artifacts were just accepted as a given on your eight hundred pound convex CRT TV with 480 Ps of resolution that output enough radiation to kill grandma with a Jeopardy marathon. Do young people know about VHS tracking, auto or otherwise? Does the above paragraph make any sense to them at all? Do they know the pleasures of laying your hand on a still-warm television screen and having your whole body shiver as the static discharge runs through your unresistant flesh? Kids today with their big pants and their blue-tooth hula-hoops and their fancy PSPs just can't understand.

The opening shot of the movie is so under-exposed (or, more likely, over-exposed and then over-corrected in post) that Rodiguez's 'written and directed' credit is unreadable. You can see its blur to the right of the red 'FILM' there. It's so bad I thought there was something wrong with my copy so I... uh... found a new copy with a larger file size and it turns out that, nope, it actually just looks like that. Even in fancy 1080p this is just a terrible ærial shot. There's some fantastic shots and cuts in this film so to open with such a stinker is bizarre. Was it bad coverage that day, only one good shot in the can, did somebody fuck-up the film in the lab? I am curious.

Carla Gugino is so cute in this movie it's criminal. Not to be a lesbian but oh my god oh my fucking god. 12 year-old me was all about Carmen but adult me just wants 90 straight minutes of Carla Gugino in casualwear wandering around her lovely home smiling coyly. I would buy a BluRay player to own that movie on BluRay. I'd not picked-up that she played the mom on The Haunting of Hill House because she had long styled hair instead of this absolutely flawless textured pixie cut. 10/10, no notes.

I would like to spend an hour talking about the incredible tilework in that bathroom and nothing but the incredible tilework in that bathroom. I will update you if the film has any further shots of the incredible tilework in that bathroom but I fear it does not. As as an aside, kind of furious that this film was not more influential in the field of home decor. Two decades of effing shiplap and cold grey suburban blandness—what if we'd given up on bloated cookie cutter micro-mcmansion shitboxes and instead gone all-in on brightly coloured Andalusian rough plaster and stonework? What if we all had great tilework in our bathrooms, like the kitchen sink in Howl's Moving Castle?

You know what I mean, you depraved tile nerds.

I don't want you to think Antonio Banderas is not also a total smokeshow in this movie. Because boy howdy. He's a goddamn hunk.

There's a four-second long shot of Banderas flicking this ring box along the coping of the Eiffel Tower balustrade, and all I can think of how hard it was to get to get that box to stay in a straight line, how completely frictionless the box must be (did he shellac it?), and if his marriage prospects would have been ruined had it—in all rational likelihood—gone flying off the railing and smashed into the Champs de Mars.

You know you're in for a rollicking good time when the helicopter perfectly slices-off the stone heads of the two statues, but it's the padre giving the benediction while attack choppers go roaring over head that gives you chills.

A particular shout-out to this lovely unnamed bridesmaid on the left here who not only takes 'putting a parachute on the bride' in stride but looks gleeful and fabulous doing it. Where's her movie?

In 2001 we really thought computers were going to be cool and fun instead of machines that sold our personal lives to corporations and gave children crippling anxiety disorders.

Carla Gugino has a track built into the floor so that her vanity-computer chair can slide backwards across the room so she can have face-to-face chats with her husband. From this we learn two things: 1) she does this so often she's automated it for maximum efficiency, and 2) Banderos, in an ordinary desk chair, never attempts (or knows better than to attempt?) the reverse. To be continued?

[cdr-solyah]

Writing Commissions!!

Hey everyone!

I’m currently in between jobs right now, and my sweet baby bean has a vet appointment that needs paid 🥲. To try and get her bills paid so that she can live forever (or a very very long time), I’m opening up some writing commissions!

I’ll write whatever you want! That’s right, anything.

Be it a personal story between your OC’s; A steamy romance of your favorite ship; A heated letter to your enemy whom you despised beyond human comprehension.

Whatever your heart desires, I will put it to words and send it off to you! You can keep it in a personal collection, or share it with friends.

If you do share it, please just mention me 🙏🏼

Rates are listed below:

$5 every 1,000 words

$15 for Character Backstory (Great for any TTRPG beginner or character collector!)

Thinking of something even more? Just email me!

FAQ:

What WON’T you write?

Underage. It’s the one thing I will never budge on. It does not matter to me if it’s ‘their canon story’ or whatever. I won’t ever write it, so please don’t ask.

I want something gruesome, like a horror slasher!

I got you bro! Just tell me your limits (outside of my own), and give me a blood rating 👍🏼

But HOW steamy is this romance?

It’s as steamy as you want it. Want something that makes you squeal and flap your hands? Done. Want filth that fogs your computer/phone screen? Done. Want something subtle enough to be misread, but you know is absolute smut? I’ve got you covered.

Do you only write fiction?

Not at all. I have written some unique resignation letters and letters to books (not authors, but the actual book. It was really fun to write). Shoot me an idea, and we can explore more!

Can I sample some work before I message you?

Yes! I have an AO3 account in my bio that you can check out!

How is this sweet bean?

My Baby! Missy (legal name Missile Launcher), my 4 year old tabby that has no thoughts in her head ❤️

Contact me through DM’s or email me (commander.solyah@gmail.com) if you’d love to help out 🙏🏼

And now, have some pictures of my precious war criminal who has done nothing wrong ever.

[divinemissem13]

The Heat Is On In LA

2024 Eight Character No True Pair Challenge Fandom: Star Trek Voyager, The Closer Pair: Kathryn Janeway & Brenda Leigh Johnson Word Count: 1,173 Prompt: beating the heat

Kathryn looks down over the boardwalk at the throngs of people walking, skating, biking, and dancing in the hot sun. They don't appear to be bothered by the heat, but then they are all dressed for it. She could kill Tom Paris for picking out this white polyester pant suit. Not only does it seem a bit out of date, but the synthetic fabric is sticking to her in all the wrong places, plastered to her skin by sweat. This is decidedly not the right outfit for a day at the beach in 20th century LA.

No wonder this entire city got swallowed up by the ocean, Kathryn thinks bitterly as she peels the damp strands of her ponytail off of her neck, hoping to at least catch a breeze on what little bare skin she has. No such luck though because in addition to the heat, the air is oppressively stagnant and as an extra bonus, smells faintly of exhaust and burnt rubber.

Kathryn sighs and attempts to sneak another look at her tricorder. It's hard to go unnoticed when she already sticks out like a sore thumb in this stupid suit. Briefly, she wonders if maybe Tom was wrong about this too — if maybe it wouldn't be so odd for her to be looking at a hand held device out in the open — but decides it's better not to chance it as she ducks her head to peek inside her jacket, hoping that she doesn't look too terribly suspicious.

If she has to hear Tau explain the forensic evidence on this case one more time, Brenda is going to scream. They have been sitting in this van for four hours (only four?!?) and they still have another two before Buzz and Gabriel show up to take over. There has been absolutely zero criminal activity, she ran out of candy an hour ago, and she is pretty sure that the air conditioning is malfunctioning.

Brenda doesn't often admit to being wrong, but she really should have listened to Fritz this morning when he said that the team could handle this one without her. It's just that she hadn't really wanted to spend the day with Fritz either, shopping for new sheets or towels or something, so off to the stakeout she went. And now, she's paying for it.

Brenda adjusts her glasses and squints at the screen. She is looking for any excuse to get out of this oven and she finds one. "What's that woman doin' over there?" she asks, pointing to a woman who keeps looking at something inside of her blazer and then looking over her shoulder as if she's being watched (well, she is being watched but that's beside the point).

"I don't know, Chief. But you know, DNA indicated that we are looking for a male latino, so-"

"I'm gonna check it out anyway," Brenda interrupts with a tone that leaves no room for argument. "Looks like she's got a camera. Maybe she got something useful without even realizin' it."

Before Tau can protest again, Brenda is out of the van and squinting into the bright California sun. She probably should have grabbed her sunglasses, but she's not going back now so instead she marches herself over to the woman in the white pants suit (Sharon would be proud because even Brenda can tell that it's out of fashion. Although the suspect does wear it well).

"Excuse me, ma'am, I'm Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson of the LAPD and I was hopin' I might get a look at whatever you've got on that camera." Brenda tries to act casual, despite the fact that she began this conversation by giving her full name and title, but she's never really been good at casual.

It doesn't seem like this woman is too good at casual either because she appears to grow about a foot taller as her face morphs into a no nonsense expression of authority. Her hands go behind her back in what Brenda recognizes as a military stance and she is all at once intimidated and intrigued. Who is this woman?

"Captain Kathryn Janeway of the… of the Bloomington Police Department," Kathryn declares, deflating just a little as she stumbles over the name of her department. She drops her arms to her side and smiles crookedly. "Sorry, reflex. I'm just here for a visit. And I'm afraid I haven't taken any pictures today."

If Kathryn wasn't sweating before, she certainly is now. She's trying to fly under the radar and instead practically gives her full name and serial number to a police officer? And a deputy chief too, which, if she had to guess from the look of pride on the other woman's face definitely outranks a captain in this hierarchy.

She curses Tom again for coming up with this ridiculous outfit, and for leaving her all alone out here. Where the hell is he anyway? They were supposed to be doing a quick perimeter search but it's definitely been more than the agreed upon five minutes.

Kathryn looks back at Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson who was not deterred by Kathryn's lack of photographs and in fact is now squinting at her, as if trying to figure Kathryn out. That really won't do. She needs a distraction.

Kathryn gathers her ponytail again and pulls it over her shoulder, hoping to create at least a small breeze with the motion. When that doesn't work, she begins to fan herself desperately with her hand. "Sure is hot out here!" Kathryn mentally kicks herself. Why is it so easy for her to open diplomatic negotiations with a hostile alien species and yet so difficult for her to make small talk with one single human woman?

Brenda still doesn't know quite what to make of this woman, but she is pretty sure that she doesn't have any sort of involvement in her case. She is definitely intriguing though — far more intriguing than listening to Tau drone on for another two hours. She glances back at the windowless van where she knows Tau is watching, waiting for her to return, and she comes to a decision.

"Well, Captain, from one police officer to another, how 'bout I show you where to get the best ice cream on the boardwalk?"

Kathryn almost says no. She should stay put and wait for the rest of the away team to return. But it is so hot she can barely think straight. And on a day like this, refusing ice cream would certainly be more suspicious than accepting, right? Right.

"Do they have coffee ice cream?" she asks with a grin.

The deputy chief shrugs, "Probably. I always go for the double chocolate chip myself."

"Lead the way!" she declares magnanimously and then she follows without even a glance over her shoulder. She's the captain, after all. If the rest of the team gets back before she does, they can damn well wait for her in the scorching heat.

[drvirgus]

Behind bars

Non Idol! Minji X Convicted! Reader

Description: Coming out of Jail is never easy. Y/n even would say its harder then even getting into Jail. What happens when she lives with a Person that absolutely hates Criminals? What even got her into Jail? and what happens if she starts to like the person that hates her?

Chapter: getting a new Phone

Masterlist

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You need a phone," Hyein immediately said, holding the burger in her hands. Almost immediately, Hanni nodded and pointed first to Hyein and then to me. "Yes, definitely create a Twitter account," Hanni said. "And let me know right away. I want to add you," the younger one added, making me chuckle.

"God, you're so delulu, Hanni," Danielle said, laughing slightly as she grabbed some fries. My forehead furrowed almost instantly. "Delulu?" I asked, which made most of them laugh. "Oh right, we need to get you up to speed with the current times," Danielle said, smiling.

I just smiled in confusion, barely touching my burger, which was still wrapped. I mostly snacked on the fries. Haerin glanced at my untouched burgers and then at me. "You're overwhelming her. Relax, people," Haerin said calmly as she took a bite of her burger.

"I want more," Hyein murmured, catching my attention. I immediately pushed my burger towards her, and she looked at me wide-eyed. "But Unnie," she whispered. I just shook my head with a smile. "I'm full. Go ahead," I said, pointing at the burger.

Some things never change... Hyein always ate a lot.

The thought made me smile. I watched Hyein take the burger in her hand and bite into it with relish. "You barely ate anything," I heard Hanni say, sounding concerned. I smiled immediately. "It's okay," I replied, but the others looked at each other with concern.

"Don't worry about the money. Eat," Minji said for the first time, her eyes seemingly uninterested as she popped a fry into her mouth. Hyein nodded immediately. "Oh yes, they're wealthy," Hyein said with a mouthful. I looked at each of them in astonishment.

How did I not notice this?

Haerin wore a Dior necklace. Hanni had a Gucci hat. Minji was draped in a Chanel coat. Danielle sported something from Burberry, and even Hyein seemed to be wearing Louis Vuitton clothing...

"Oh," I murmured softly. Almost instinctively, my eyes drifted to my own attire. I was still wearing the inmate's sweater, the inmate's cap, and the black inmate pants. After all, I had outgrown the clothes I was arrested in. I had no other choice...

Haerin seemed to notice my gaze. "We should buy you a phone first and then drive you home," the younger one suggested, to which I immediately nodded, a smile forming on my face. "Mom gave me money to get you the latest phone. What do you want?" Minji asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.

"Well... I had an iPhone 6 back then. Do they still make iPhones?" I replied, causing the others to look at me with wide eyes. Hyein laughed at their reactions. Even Minji seemed surprised. "Then we'll get you an iPhone 15," Hyein declared, which made me choke a bit. "15?" I echoed, my eyes scanning the array of smartphones on the table.

"Are these phones? You'd need a separate purse just for that," I exclaimed, eyes wide in astonishment. Hanni laughed, lifting her phone. "Here, feel how heavy it is," the younger one said, handing me her smartphone. I stared at it with wide eyes. "How do you turn it on? Where's the button?" I asked, examining the right side of the phone.

Hanni chuckled and leaned closer to me. "Here," she said, pointing it out. "But you can also just tap the screen or tilt the phone," the younger one said with a smirk, showing me the basics of the smartphone. I handed the phone back to her carefully; despite its weight, it looked fragile.

"Come on, everyone. I want to see what phone Y/n chooses," Danielle exclaimed excitedly, standing up and grabbing her jacket. My eyes then shifted to Hanni next to me, and we exchanged friendly smiles. I stood up too, looking at Hyein. "You have a lot to explain to me. I can barely remember anything about smartphones," I said with a light chuckle, which made Hyein laugh along.

But it hurt... knowing how much I missed...

Yet, I didn't regret my decision...

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Can I help you?"

Startled, I flinched and immediately turned away from the smartphones. I recognized a tall man in a blue uniform, likely an employee of the store. Feeling overwhelmed, I opened my mouth, my hands involuntarily clenching as I nervously fiddled with my fingers. "Well," I began, scanning the area.

Everyone seemed to have vanished. Only Minji was nearby, occasionally looking up from her phone to glance at me. A slight smirk played on her lips as she observed the predicament I was in. She even tucked her phone into her purse and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

My eyes returned to the employee. "No, I'm fine," I replied. "I'm just looking around," I added, gesturing to the smartphones displayed on the table for customers to examine. The employee smiled but persisted, "I can assist you. Which model are you interested in?"

I noticed him picking up one of the smartphones from the display and began discussing its features with me. Unfortunately for him, I didn't understand a word, and he was merely wasting his breath. I glanced pleadingly at Minji, but she continued to watch the situation unfold.

I had already sensed that Minji didn't trust me at all. She seemed to genuinely dislike me...

"Oh, there you are," I heard someone say, and I immediately turned my head to Hanni. The women of the same height approached with a smile. She briefly looked at the employee and said, "We've already decided, thank you." After having to repeat herself once more, the salesman finally left us alone.

Hanni gestured with her thumb towards the salesman behind her. "Quite persistent, isn't he?" she asked, chuckling slightly, which made me smirk. "Thanks. He really wouldn't let up," I replied, feeling a bit embarrassed. "You need to be a bit more assertive," the younger one said, smilingly, her eyes focused directly on my face.

I nodded. "That makes sense," I replied, chuckling a bit. However, I stopped laughing when I felt her hand on my arm. I blinked in surprise but let it slide this time. After all, she was just trying to be kind.

"But I have truly decided," I said, turning to the smartphones. I pointed to one of them. "So, an iPhone, huh?" Hanni asked, visibly amused, watching as I nodded. I tried to remove the cable from the phone, but Hanni stopped me with a laugh.

"They're protected. We need to take a packaged one," she explained, causing me to open my mouth in realization. "Oh."

Hanni gestured for me to follow her, which I did. From a distance, I saw Haerin playing some kind of Nintendo game, which was quite large and had one side red and the other blue. If I remember correctly, it was called the Nintendo Switch... It was still relatively new back then...

Danielle and Hyein seemed to be testing out the latest headphones. Minji remained silent behind Hanni and me. As always, she watched me like a hawk. She didn't utter a single word, but her presence was palpable.

[storiesofsvu]

https://www.tumblr.com/storiesofsvu/757324545269153792/give-me-a-character

Tara Lewis! 😍

How I feel about this character

Absolutely love her and think she is *criminally* underrated. both on the show and in fandom. She's bad ass, she's hot, she's fucking brilliant (the fact that she is RARELY addressed as Dr drives me INSANE. and the fact that we've gotten to see her brain work that side of things like, once since she's been on the show also drives me insane). She deserves everything. Mega props to her being the first official queer character on CM and i can only hope that she gets more screen time next season and a successful relationship (that we get to see bits of! and preferably at home!)

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Emily. Hands down. they have the chemistry, the friendship and there's a *very* good opportunity to make it work story and canon wise in evolution, though i know they never will lol. I also do like her and Rebecca, I just wish they had been written better.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Honestly, love her and Luke. I live for a good himbo and queer girlie bestie relationship

My unpopular opinion about this character

I don't think I have one?

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

repeating myself but i wish we got to see/explore more of her doctorate and big brain. give her more screen time you cowards!