#also paris on his tip toes was too cute to pass up

[hurricanes-art]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY @littlesparklight !!! I hope it's wonderful! For you, Menelaus- who's caught himself a lovey prince of Troy :> Whatever will he do with him... (plus the doodles from a while ago, since I forgot to post them lol)

[chelleaslin]

Rare Pair Month Day 10-Party (Lukanette)

@mlrarepairmonth

Marinette could feel the steady thumping of the bass as she entered through the gates of the Agreste Manor. She wore her long hair down along with a cute red dress with black polka dots, an inside joke among her friend group. By her right side was her best friend, Alya, who was sporting a orange one piece jumpsuit, with white pumps, also an inside joke.

“I can’t believe Adrien’s 18.” Alya mused as she reached to fiddle with a necklace that was no longer there, a habit that Marinette was all too familiar with.

“Yeah, it’s been a rough ride, but things seem to finally be going right for him.” She smiled sadly as she looked at the ground.

Marinette’s mind wondered as she reminisced through the last few years, so much has happen in such a short span of 5 years since she got her Miraculous and became Ladybug.

“He’s fine, Marinette.” Alya smiled as she squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. “thanks to Chlo.”

It’s true, Chloe was an angel sent from God himself. It was something Marinette would have never thought she’d ever say but here she was thanking her almost everyday for saving Adrien.

4 years ago, the team decided to revel their identities to each other to form a closer bond.

Marinette of course knew everyone’s Identites, as she is the one how bestowned the Miraculous’ upon them, all except Chatnoir.

Everyone knew Queen Bee was Chloe so that wasn’t a shock. Alya and Nino knew each others identities already, Chloe wasnt thrilled to have been working with them but forgot about that fast when Chat detransformed. No one expected Adrien Agreste to be behind the mask. Especially Marinette, Marinette who was In love with Adrien, Adrien who was Chatnoir, Chatnoir who was in love with Ladybug, Ladybug who was Marinette. She dropped her mask as well, it should have been perfect.

It was at first, they kissed and declared their love for each other but things didn’t always work out. They only loved half of each other only and it wasn’t enough, their relationship felt forced and they fell into old habits, Adrien treating Marinette has just a friend but constantly trying to be lovely doves with Ladybug and Marinette trying to Cosy up to Adrien but still not being comfortable with Chatnoir.

There final battle with Hawkmoth is what finally crushed their romance. They successfully captured him and obtain the missing Miraculous. Finding out Hawkmoths identity was hard for Adrien, but after seeing his mothers comatose body in the basement, he tried to kill his own father. Lucky Queen Bees quick thinking saved him from years of regret, she paralysed Adrien with her Venom, and knock him out cold while the police arrested Mr. Agreste and Nathalie. After that Adriens life fell apart, with no Legal guardian or relatives he was to be placed into a foster home until he turned 18. Chloe couldn’t stand around and let her best friend be send away, after 4 months of being in care, Adrien Agreste was adopted by The mayor and was able to come home to Paris.

Marinette remembers the nerves she felt upon seeing him again. He had changed so much, he was a shell of what he used to be. He broke things off with her that night and shut himself away.

It’s been a year since then and Adrien is finally 18, meaning he was old enough to inherit the Agreste fortune, manor and design company. He meet up with Marinette 2 weeks ago to catch up, it was safe to say they had no bad blood between them, they were still close friends. Marinette was just glad Adrien was back to normal after being through so much, she missed her partner.

“Come on!” Alya said as she opened the door and pushed Marinette inside. Marinette stumbled before finding her balance. The party was huge! The entire interior was filled with familiar faces all smiling and drinking. There were green and black streamers and balloons everywhere, Marinette smirk at the colour scheme, she loved their inside jokes.

“Babe!” A deep voice called out, Marinette turned her head to see Nino jogging over to the pair, “you guys made it.” He grinned before kissing Alya in greeting. Nino wore a green dress shirt with slacks and a baggy dark green hoodie over it with Shell On sprawled across the back,

“Hey Nino, nice hoodie” Marinette snickered. Nino just through her a wink over Alya head before grabbing his girlfriends hand.

“Mind if I steal your date, I only have a few songs left on Auto before my next set” he explained, pointing towards the turn tables in the corner of the room.

“Nino, I came with Marinette so she wouldn’t be alone.” Alya whispered to Nino, but Marinette heard anyway.

“I’ll be fine Alya” The blue eyes girl sighed “shoo, go have fun.” She said as she shooed the pair away with her hands.

“What about you?” Alya asked as Nino started to drag her away.

“I’ll mingle.” She smiled as she turned her back to the pair and walked towards the buffet table.

Marinette appreciated Alya kindness but she knew the short headed brunette was only doing this because she thought Marinette would be upset about seeing Adrien. She wasn’t though, she was happy just being in his life again as a friend. Alya didn’t believe her but Marinette kind of understood where she was coming from, she was obsessed with Adrien for most of her teen years.

Marinette sighed as she picked up a cookie from the table and frowned a little. It was times like this that she missed Tikki, but Master Fu collected all the Miraculous straight after Hawkmoth was captured, she barely had time to say goodbye.

“Do you miss her?” A familiar voice sadly asked, making Marinette jump. She spun around to see Chloe standing behind her. She wore a simple light yellow dress with a black belt, her hair in a messy side braid.

“All the time.” Marinette confessed sadly, Chloe just nodding in understanding.

“Pollen was my best friend and we weren’t together nearly as long and you and Tikki so I can’t even begain to imagine.”

Marinette tackled the other girl in a tight hug as her eyes watered. It felt good to have people in her life that understands her pain. Chloe pulled away and choked out a sobbed laughed.

“Look at us! We are complete messes. It’s Adrienkins birthday we should be celebrating!” She cheered as she picked up to wine flute from a passing waiter. She passed one to Marinette before chugging hers down.

“Woah.” Marinette gasped as her eyes bulged slightly “are you okay?” She asked Chloe In concern, the girl was downing her drink.

“I’m going to finally ask him out.” Chloe gasped slightly, out of breath.

“Really?” Marinette squealed as she tackled Chloe in another hug. Marinette had known about Chloe’s crush for as long as she knew Adrien. The two girls never getting along because of her love for the model. After everything that happen with Hawkmoth and Adrien the two girls bonded. Chloe suddenly had a lot more respect for Marinette after finding out she was her hero, Ladybug. After Adrien and Marinette broke up, Chloe was there for both of them helping them through it. She saved Adrien more times over the past to years then Marinette can count, she gain so much of Marinettes respect. The two started to hang out about a year ago and hit it off right away, Chloe confessed her feelings to Marinette one night, crying out of guilt. Marinette knew then and there that Chloe was the only one perfect enough for Adrien and she vowed that she’ll be her wing women through it all.

Alya on the other hand was friends with Chloe just not as close. She thought Adrien and Marinette were still meant to be and strongly disapproved of Chloe and Marinettes plan.

“Shit, here he come.” Chloe cursed as Adrien approached the two.

“Hey girls.” He smiled down at the pair kindly, Adrien had grown quite a bit. Adrien wore a green button up with black slacks, his hair styled very Chat noir like.

“H-hey.” Chloe stuttered out, her face blushed a pink hue. Marinette wasn’t sure if it was from the alcohol or Adrien approximaty, she had her money on the later.

“Happy Birthday Adrien.” Marinette smiled kindly. Adrien looked at her with a pained expression for a second before smiling back.

“Thanks Mari” he politely replied.

“Oh happy birthday!” Chloe blurted, her nerves eating her alive. She was never like this around Adrien maybe the alcohol wasn’t the best idea.

“You already said it this morning Chlo.” Adrien chuckled smiling at her in adoration. Marinette felt a warm feeling in her stomach watching the Pair tip toe around each other, it was so obvious that they had feelings for each other, they have been each others rocks for many years, long before miraculous and super villains.

Suddenly a slow song started to play through the speakers, giving Marinette and idea. She put her hand and either of the pairs backs and shoved them towards the dance floor.

“Go dance lovebirds.”she smirked as both of the blondes blushed furiously.

“Ahem, would you care to dance My Queen.” Adrien asked nervously, hand extended towards Chloe. She blushed, biting her lip nervously as she took his hand and followed him onto the dance floor. She look back at Marinette and mouthed a thank you.

Marinette giggled a little as she searched the room for Nino and Alya, she found the pair dancing together near fair right corner. She smiled again before leaning back against a wall, she was so happy for her team.

“Things have definitely changed quite a bit.” A deep voice spoke from beside her. Marinette jumped, she thought she was alone. She turned her head to see a tall man next to her. She had long black hair that was thrown up in a messy half pony tail, his finger nails were pained black and he had a sleeve of tattoos on one arm. “Did I just see you hooked up Agreste with the mayors daughter?”

“Uh yeah, they’re my friends.” She said warily, who was this man?

“You don’t remember me do you? Ma-Ma-Marinette!” He smirked, snake bites glistening in the lights. Marinette furrowed her eyebrows, why did that sound so familiar? Suddenly it all clicked.

“Luka?!” She spurted out in shock. Holy fucking shit, he got hot. Lukas smiled just widened at her reaction.

“What are you doing here?” Last she heard he hit the road after turning 18 which was a few years ago.

“I come back home every know and then to visit, Mum and Jules.” He explained, “I bumped into Adrien when I was out and about and we caught up over coffee, he invited me to his party after that.”

“Oh.” Marinette smiled, feeling super awkward and nervous.

“Would you like to dance?” Luka asked as he gestured to the dance floor. Marinettes heart started to thump loudly in her chest, butterflies erupting in her stomach.

“Yes” She squeaked out shlying. Luka just smirked in delight at her nerves.

“What wrong Marinette?” He asked innocently as he advanced towards her. He now stood almost chest to chest with the girl, their faces centremeters apart. Marinettes heart was going crazy right now, he was way too close, she could smell Alcohol and cigarettes on his breath.

“I-I..” She stuttered, her brain practically shutting down. He suddenly stepped back as he chuckled loudly. His laugh was so fucking sexy, Marinette clamped her thighs shut tightly.

“Mari!”

Marinette and Luka booth turned there heads towards the dance floor were Alya and the rest of the gang were standing. The slow song had ended and a more upbeat song started.

“Looks like we missed our chance” Luka sighed before turning towards Marinette. “I’ve got to leave but I definitely want to catch up with you” he started to walk way as he spoke to her. “Still live at the Bakery?” He asked.

“Yeah, still with my parents.” She confirmed, slightly embarrassed about her living situation.

“Cool, I’ll pick you up around lunch time, wear something cute for me.” With that he walked away. Marinette was just gaping a little to herself. What the actual fuck just happen and what the actual fuck happened to Luka?

“Marinette!” A bossy Alya called once again, interrupting her thoughts. She gave Lukas retreating figure one last glance before heading over to her friends. Was she going on a date tomorrow?

[boreussia-durmmund]

You pick me up and take me home again - Roman Bürki

For @degea-drama-llama Happy Birthday <3

Paula had been talking non-stop about the exam since both of them had left the room and Thozi was only half-heartedly paying attention to her. The exam had given her a headache and the last weeks had stolen so much of her energy that she couldn't even think of anything else than hiding under the sheets in her bed maybe with Roman but maybe not because just about 12 hours of undisturbed sleep without worrying about anything at all sounded like the greatest idea of all.

Her mind and her body needed to be taken care of, for a longer time than half an hour in the bath room which had been the longest period of time she had given herself to actually relax in the last weeks. Even the time she had spent with Roman on dates or at his or her place weren't relaxing for her. It felt like they had to make the most of the little time they spent with each other because both of them had a lot to do at the moment and this always made it a little bittersweet. It felt like she had so much to do and on top Thozi also had to handle a relationship. Roman was right it would have all been easier if she moved in with him but she wasn't ready to give up her independancy yet. She loved him, she really did but they had only been together for three months and for her this was too little to move in yet. For a little longer the drawer with her stuff at his place had to be enough.

While Paula was explaining that she would have known how to answer all of the questions, if she had the time to do it, Thozi checked her phone to see that she had missed a call from Roman.

“Sorry to interrupt you, Paula but Roman called and I want to call him back.” she told her friend.

“Hey, it's fine. I still need to go grocery shopping. You want to go out for a drink tonight?”

Paula smiled at her but even the make-up she had put on couldn't hide the fact that she hadn't gotten enough sleep in the last weeks either.

“Hell no. I'll doubt that I will get up today once I am home.” Thozi joked, they both laughed for a short moment and then they hugged each other goodbye.

Once Paula started moving away from her, Thozi called Roman back. It didn't even ring once before he picked up. He was such a phone junkie.

“Hi, darling...” he answered in a deep and calm voice.

“Hey, Ro. So you called me?” “Yeah, I did.” he simply answered but she could tell he was grinning by the sound of his voice.

“Okay, Ro. Do you want to tell me why?” she kept on asking.

“I just wanted to hear your beautiful voice.” he replied but went on when Thozi didn't answer because she was in awe  “Can you turn to your right?” “What?” Thozi was more than confused by his demand.

What did he expect to happen when she would turn to her right? How did he even know where she was?

“Just turn around for me, darling.” Thozi just shook her head thinking whatever and then turned around to see Roman standing about fifty meters away from her, leaning against his Audi with his phone next to his face. He waved and grinned when he saw her looking at him and then he ended their call.

With her mind somewhere between disbelief and confusion Thozi fastly walked over to where he was standing.

“What are you doing here?” she asked happily when she was close enough for him to hear.

“My girl had quite a hard time in the last weeks so I thought I would pick her up from her last exam and let her have a weekend during which I will spoil her with everything she wants.

“Whatever I want?” she asked.

“Sure.” “So we can go to Paris tonight?” “We both know that you don't want this.” Roman replied without hesitating for just a second.

“Darling, you look like you want to take a bath, order food, cuddle, watch a movie and fall asleep.”

“I would also like raw cookie dough...” Thozi added and Roman chuckled.

“We can do that, just get in the car and we'll go.” he answered opening the car door for her.

“Thank you, Ro.”

Thozi stood on her tip-toes to be able to reach his cheek and press a short kiss onto it.

“Anything for my girl.”

They both got into the car and on the ride Thozi critized that it technically wasn't a weekend as it was only Thursday and Roman told her to shut up and just enjoy it. Then she started playing her music over the speakers of the car and just relaxed. Apparently Roman was perfectly prepared although it would just be about 24h about Thozi until he had the next training session tomorrow in the afternoon but he already got her favourite sweets even in the car. Thozi loved getting Toblerone from her Swiss boyfriend.

During the car ride he was listening to her bragging about the exam like Paula had earlier and when they got home she  was exhausted but she felt like a heavy weight was lifted from her shoulders and their evening plans would do the rest.

About ten minutes after they had arrived Thozi was sitting on the toilet seat while Roman was preparing a bath for the two of them. He was humming 'Mrs Robinson' which was the last song they had heard on the car.

“It's too hot in here.” Roman complained.

“I like it exactly like this, especially when it is that cold outside at the moment.” Thozi told him and he smiled at her.

“I know, I know. That's why I turned the heating up so high but I can't stand it with my shirt on.” he winked while throwing a lush bath bomb into the water. She loved those but she rarely bought them because they were very expensive and should stay something special to treat herself, just like today.

“You know that I absolutely don't mind you taking it off.”

“I knoooow....”

As slow as possible Roman reached for the hem of his shirt and with a smooth motion took it off before posing for her just for a moment. Nevertheless the view was amazing. Thozi doubted that Roman even had one gram of fat on his body whenever she saw him naked, knowing the way he was eating even made this even more believable. Roman's superpower was rarely touching any sweets ever. He usually rather made himself some vegetables and Thozi thought this was incredible because she would be sitting next to him eating a chocolate bar and drinking a glass of wine, while Roman couldn't be bothered by it at all. He always stayed calm and didn't care about the food and drinks at all. Thozi was confused by it at first but then she learned to accept it.

“Close your mouth before you're dripping out of it.” Roman joked grinning at her.

“Haha...it's not my fault you look like this..” she joked sticking her tongue out at him. “You can't just help but stare at me, I know. My fault.” he laughed warmly.

“It is..” “You know we can do whatever you want tonight.” Another wink from him. “I know I know but believe it or not, I'm not actually in the mood even while seeing you like this. I just need cuddles and rest right now, Maybe tomorrow.” “No need to worry, darling. It's all about you, we do whatever you want for how long you want to.” “Thank you.” she replied with a shy smile on her face.

“There is nothing I would rather do.”

Roman took some steps towards her and pressed a kiss onto her forehead and they fell silent. His hand ruffled through her hair and she just closed her eyes, enjoying the moment, enjoying the silence, enjoying the fact that he was here right now. It only lasted about two minutes and then Roman interrupted the silence.

“The water should be almost ready by now. Why don't you get undressed and into the bathtub while I'll get the clothes for afterwards.” Thozi wasn't in the state of mind to reply something verbally so she just nodded and followed his order. It didn't take her long to undress herself, just leaving the clothes on the floor where they fell down from her body and then she directly hopped into the warm water closing her eyes not caring about preparing towels or anything in the world, just waiting for Roman to come and cuddle close to him. She didn't bother to open up her eyes when she heard him coming back into the bathroom and neither did he bother to talk. For about two minutes she could hear him gettting ready, putting on a relaxing spotify playlist and then undressing himself.

Gently Roman pushed her a little forward to get into the bathtub behind her but even when he came into the bath they kept silent. He seemed to sense that she needed the silence right now to relax and she was so thankful for the way he understood her without her having to explain it to him, she couldn't put it into words. Thozi never had a boyfriend like this before and she could never imagine someone treating her better than Roman did.

He opened her pony tail and then she relaxed with her back against his chest and his arms held her tight and kept her safe making her forget about everything and anything, nothing seemed important except for the moment and the feeling. She forget about UNI and everything she needed to do within the next weeks, she forgot that Roman would be away again in a few days for the champions league, she forgot about all her thoughts and worries.

Thozi couldn't tell how much time had passed when Roman asked her if she was asleep.

“Not entirely...” she replied slowly opening her eyes.

“But almost?” Roman asked laughing whole heartedly at how tired she sounded.

“Yeah.”

“That's okay. Do you want to get out, order some food and cuddle on the couch?”

“Mhm.” Roman laughed again.

“Alright.”

Then he got out of the bathtub, got a towel to dry himself and then wrapped it around his waist. Half awake Thozi looked at him admiringly again but this time he just gave her a warm smile and grabbed another towel.

“Get out and come here.” he requested kindly while holding up the towel to dry her off, it reminded her of the way her mum always used to do it when she was very little and she thought it was extremely cute.

Thozi got up and stepped out of the bathtub onto a towel Roman had put there and then he already wrapped the towel around her upper body and closed his arms around her pulling her close to him again but this time with her face to his chest. They had the perfect height difference for her to lay her head against his chest and feel small and protected while he could rest his chin on her head, just like they were made for each other. But after about twenty seconds Roman parted from her. Thozi couldn't stop a whine from escaping her throat.

“Just so you don't get cold. We can cuddle as much as you want.” he reminded her and she nodded.

Then he started dressing himself and she did the same.

“Ro, I'm pretty sure I never brought this sports bra here. I only wore it at home...” she told him because she was confused how her favourite bra came here.

She didn't even think of bringing it here once because she knew that she needed to have it at home and maybe she would forget it at Roman's.

“Yeah, I know. But you told me that you loved it, so I thought I'm gonna treat my girl the way she deserves to be treated and bought two more of them.” he explained.

“Really? Oh gosh, thank you so much, Ro. You are such an amazing boyfriend!”

“Anything for my girl.” He smiled and seemed glad that she was so happy about it.

“Okay, you take your time and get ready while I go and order your favourite food, alright?” “Alright, thank you again, Ro.”

He just smiled at her warmly and got out of the room before closing the door. Thozi lazily got into a pair of leggings, the sports bra and one of Roman's huge hoodies before drying her hair with a towel at first and then with the blowdryer so it wouldn't be dripping but she wasn't motivated enough to dry it fully so she stopped after a few minutes. With a towel around her shoulder she made her way into the kitchen where Roman was preparing something she guessed to be hot cocoa.

“Do you need help?” she asked after entering but he shook his head.

“You can go to the living room and relax.” he told her but she didn't want to.

“But I want to be around you...”

“Then take a seat here.” he encouraged her with his brown eyes resting on her.

Thozi nodded and hopped onto the counter leaning back a little and watching as Roman prepared two cups of hot cocoa. Sometimes even Roman liked to have something sweet. He even searched for some marshmallows to make the drink as sweet as possible and she just enjoyed being around him, seeing him move, getting a smile every now and then from him.

While the microwave heated the milk up Roman came to her and hugged her tight again. It was easy for him even though she was sitting on the counter, she wasn't even as tall as him. She couldn't ask for a better boyfriend and even felt a little bad about thinking of their relationship as a burden in the last weeks.

“I love you, Ro.” she whispered against his chest.

It was the first time she said it and she meant it in the most honest way possible.

@be-your-own-anchorx @buerking38 @degea-drama-llama @avril-rush-goose @imaweirdobutyoulikeit @minthurricane @team-erikdurm @geekyyears9 @madtimer (just gonna tag you as well) @iuliaaa21 @hopelessdreamer11 @thedoctorismyparabatai

[myselfinserts]

‘ we temper our justice with mercy here. ’

Clangs of swords echoed through the halls. The staff screamed in horror as they ran into nearby rooms to avoid the danger. The shadows were seeping deep into the walls. 

“Had enough, your Highness?!”

Davis hurried down the corridor, trying to make his way to the main entry. He needed the space to fight. That was one of his many faults. He couldn’t fight well in close combat. Perhaps he should have taken his training as he grew up more seriously. If he had, maybe this assassin wouldn’t have caught him off guard.

Though no one could blame him. She looked a lot like his wife.

“What’s the matter?” the woman asked. “You look like you’ve seen the reaper!”

Davis turned a corner, making sure to glance at the door to the cat room as he ran. Didn’t want his little friends to be hurt.

Think Davis. Think. What do you want to do to live? Use your quirk? Not here. Not this floor. You gotta-

“Watch your back!”

Davis turned and blocked, glaring at the woman sneering at him. He could just make out the points of her pinned back ears. No doubt a killer from their sister island. Why was she here?

He didn’t need to hazard a guess. 

“I hate to fight a lady,” he said. “But you proved you’re more than willing to harm innocents when you broke into this sanctuary. So I suppose I have no choice but to handle you with the utmost courtesy.”

She laughed. “About time. I was wondering if I was going to end up killing another coward. Instead, I get a gentleman.”

Davis kicked her back and hard into the wall, sprinting down the hall and hurried down toward the open foyer downstairs. At the stairs, he jumped and slid down the railing, tossing his hair ribbon aside. He wouldn’t need it for this. And he felt more himself with his hair down. More confident. More bold.

More like a King.

The last of the staff vanished just as he began to absorb the darkness within the castle. The shadows began to scream at him, like they’d done before. Every horrible, lonely, scared, despairing thought that had covered these halls for the last century. His mother’s sorrow of his parting. His father’s anger at his immaturity. Kings and Queens and Rulers whose powers ate away at them. 

He took it all. 

“There you are!”

Davis looked up, eyes glowing blindingly as the shadows changed with him. He focused, sending the light he was summoning into his blade. Into his very aura. The assassin leaped from the top and came at him with a spin, attempting to cut him right down the middle. 

The light in his blade began to grow, and he found himself moving on instinct. He raised his sword and blocked her attack, letting the pure white light cover him from head to toe.

The assassin screamed, jumping back and covering her eyes with a pair of sunglasses from her pocket. Davis rushed forward, slicing upward and cutting the glasses in half before spinning on his heel and kicking her in the jaw, sending her flying to the other side of the foyer. She stood again, squinting to try and see him. 

Parry, thrust, dodge. Slash, miss, spin. This deadly fight slowed to a waltz. Two soul clashing together. And Davis never felt more alive.

But now was not the time to bask in the glory of battle. With one last swing he knocked the weapon from his opponent, leaving a decent gash in the woman’s arm. Another kick and she was on her knees. He held the tip of his sword to her chin, eyes narrowed fiercely.

“I take it your people sent you to kill me,” he said. “Seeing as it is self defense and protecting my country, I could just end you here.”

The assassin panted, trying to keep her smile through the bruising on her face. “Then why don’t you? Huh? Get it over with. You said it yourself. You have every right to. Kill me then go declare war on Elspie. After that, you can totally do that.”

“And you’d like that, wouldn’t you.” Davis removed his sword, kicking hers into his hand and stepping back. “Those where the ways of my father King Søren. And his father Aloys before him, and King Galeran before him. But that is not my way. The way of the kings have evolved with me. We temper our justice with mercy here. Though I don’t expect an Elspie assassin to understand that.”

“Mercy? Pfft. Don’t make me laugh. Cursed demons like you know not of mercy.”

“You think you’re all high and mighty just because you’re letting me live? We’ll just send more of us after you, you know. If not me, then the next strongest. Eventually, should you truly prove tiresome, we’ll send the true Grim Reaper after you, your majesty. And when that day comes, you and your kind will be over, Cursed King.”

“You depraved souls and your quirk biases. I am offering you one chance. Either leave now peacefully, or face trial for attempted murder of the crown, endangerment to civilians, unauthorized weapon possession, and illegal trespassing.”

The assassin stared at him an uncomfortably long time. It hurt watching her bleed out there. She looked so much like Isleen. He threw the swords aside and tore off his scarf, tying it around her wound. 

Her snide look softened to confusion. “What the hell-?”

“I cannot bare the sight of you injured by my hand,” he said. “I will gladly pay for your medical bills. A lovely lady like you shouldn’t be in this line of work. You should be free to do whatever it is that truly makes you happy.” He looked into her eyes, trying to mask the hurt buried there. “Does killing someone who has not slighted you truly bring you happiness?”

She stared at him a little longer before standing up, turning toward the door blocked by the guards. They all had their spears aimed at her. Davis waved for them to stand down. He stood, holding out a hand to her. 

“If Elspie’s not making you happy,”  he said. “Then I’d gladly wish to welcome you as a member of the guard. We could use a talented combatant like you to help train. Or if that’s not what you seek-”

“I just want to go home to my husband...”

Davis smiled at the assassin, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a gold coin. He held it out, brushing his hair back. “Take this. And if you ever decide you wish to find happiness in my kingdom, I’ll personally welcome you.”

The assassin stared at the coin before hesitantly taking it, nodding silently before leaving. 

“And what happened after that?”

“I sent her on her way. I don’t think that she’ll be a bother to me again.”

Inkwell shook his head. “My oh my, little king. You really are too soft.”

Davis chuckled. “Is that such a bad thing, old friend?”

“No, it’s a decent enough trait for one to have.” He leaned back in his chair, trying to balance the white king piece on his nose. “Though you really need to catch up with the times a bit more. You only just got yourself a computer system last week? And the first video chat you decide to do is me. You really are a strange boy.”

“I’m a king, Mr. Alberi. You’d do well to remember-”

“Do you still have that Miles Edgeworth cosplay in your closet? I don’t think it suits you anymore.” Davis rolled his eyes. Inkwell could tell. He always knew. “Seriously though, what’s got you calling me, anyway?”

Davis’s pleasant smiled faded to a serious gaze. “Information on your country hasn’t been getting through very well to Estmund, so I need a couple of tidbits of intel. I figured someone as magnificent as you could help a poor little wannabe like me.”

“Flattery will get you only so far, my king,” Inkwell snickered. “What is it you want to know?”

“The hero on the news the other day. The one that had the redebut that’s been all over the net.”

Inkwell paused, raising an eyebrow. “The Technonaut Hero; Renegade? 

“What can you tell me about him?”

“Elspie’s Number One. Worked hard for that title, he did. Strong lad. Little brother to Mither and older brother to an up and coming heroine named Tarren. Trained under Mr. Derezzed in Elspie’s Apprenticeship Program. Renegade is also one of the biggest names in support design at the moment thanks to his quirk. He’s second only to Mr. Allard of good old Atelier Allard in Paris.”

“Anything else?” 

“Current partner is the Peaceful Shepherd; Amaryllis, though I’ve never actually talked to that hero properly outside of work. Always covered head to toe in a formal hero suit when we came face to face. Or, face to mask, I should say. I’m more familiar with some of Renegade’s outside colleagues, such as Mr. Allard, Lady Lazarus, and the owner of the Secret Felines pub and hotel, Mr. Aylward.” He smiled, holding up the king piece to the light. “I do remember Renegade calling them ‘Luci’ oh so fondly. And Luci always responding with ‘Regibyte’.”

Davis seemed to relax, a forlorn, nostalgic glint in his eye flickering slightly. “They must care very much for each other.”

“They own a cat named Meatloaf. Those two are gonna be married by the end of next year, I promise you.”

“Meatloaf?! Oh my goodness-”

“Cat King, silence your oo-woos.”

“But that’s such a cute name-!”

“Do you want this information? Because I will hang up.”

Davis shut right up.

“Thank you.” Inkwell sat up and set the chess piece down. “Why do you want information on Renegade?”

“I want to commission some new clothes from his designer.”

He blinked, bursting into laughter. “Honestly, why didn’t you start with that?! I could get you a meeting with his greatness right away! How soon are you wanting to hear back?”

“Within two months, if that’s alright.”

“Worry not your pretty blue head about it. I’ll pass along your interest to him.” He narrowed his eyes, smirking slightly. “I hope you know he might decline your offer, my good king.”

Davis nodded, pulling his hair back into a ponytail .”I’m well aware of that. But I wish to, at the very least, speak with him one on one. All expenses will be paid, and I can assure you that he will be treated with the utmost respect befitting his talents. And of course, he’s allowed two guests.”

“How generous.”

“I try to be. The people seem rather keen on keeping me healthy and happy. I give back to all when I can.”

“Given that you very well might be the last king of Estmund, I’m not surprised. What’s the crime rate again?”

“0.0005239%”

“And that last not even half a percent is petty littering right?” Inkwell sighed. “Email me the details of what you need done and I will forward them to Mr. Allard. I’m certain you can research him more on your own.”

Davis smiled, holding back a laugh as an ink-black cat jumped onto his lap. “I appreciate it Mr. Alberi.”

“Please, call me Uncle Inkwell. Everyone does these days.”

“Okay. I’ll talk to you later then. Uncle Inkwell.”

They finished their call and Inkwell immediately called Paris, forwarding the details from Davis to the address he’d been provided. He smiled with the no nonsense professional voice of the assistant answered. 

“Thank you for calling Atelier Allard-”

“Chris my child! How wonderful to hear from you-”

“Monsieur Allard does not have time to deal with your antics today, Inkwell.”

“Oh, this won’t take long. I emailed him a request on behalf of a very important client and friend of mine. He wishes to commission Dear E’s talents. Won’t need to hear back for two months at most. He’s free to decline, but I do say he’d like to at least look this over first.” He smirked. “I can hear your eyeroll, Chris.”

There was a long pause. Inkwell could just make out the sound of clicking at a keyboard come to a hault, and a soft gasp. 

Bingo.

“I’ll forward your message to Monsieur Allard. No gurentees.”

“Of course,” Inkwell said. “Thank you for your time, my friend. Passe une excellente soirée.“

“Merci.”

[monicalorandavis]

Hello Kitty Friends Around the World Tour is my Shenyun

I didn’t know that when my sister asked me a month ago if I could make it to a Sanrio event on Wednesday, October 16th at 2pm that she was inviting me to the promised land. But I am now a different person than I was yesterday. Today, I’m a sweet, childlike being full of wonderment and joy. Thank you, Hello Kitty. Thank you.

The Hello Kitty Friends Around the World Tour is not to be missed. Please buy tickets if you can attend it. Weekend tickets are apparently scarce to say the least. But if you can swing it, here are some tips:

Wear something festive. It helps you get into the spirit and let loose. Be polite to other guests. They are dorks, like you. And last, but not least, eat some edibles. Speaking from experience, ooh baby, that was fun.

The exhibit is designed to be an international tour of Hello Kitty’s favorite places. You enter and present your tickets to a flight attendant who then presents you with a Hello Kitty passport, boarding passes and a Hello Kitty headpiece. I promptly threw the passport around my neck but struggled to put my phone somewhere without dropping all of my things to the ground. (Being stoned sometimes makes me lose the most basic functions of my hands. But, gotta say...worth it!) Once I remembered how to put my phone in my backpack, I threw the headpiece around my large dome, then helped my younger sister do hers. She was pleasantly surprised to find that her head was not too big for the headpiece which has literally never happened before. Things started strong!

The flight attendant told us to hang tight and that our flight would be departing in 8 minutes. At this point, I started getting pretty stoned. “Did she say flight?” The technicolor suitcase display and annual Hello Kitty banners that decorated the foyer were a feast for the eyes. Not to mention, everywhere I looked there was some new, limited edition merch - tour tee-shirts, letterman jackets, hats, stuffed animals, bracelets, keychains, water bottles, sodas, YOU NAME IT. At this moment I knew I was about to spend a million dollars on some stupid shit and I wasn’t even afraid.

When it was time to depart (exactly 8 minutes later) another flight attendant, in head to toe Hello Kitty, ushered us into the first city, HK’s hometown of London. It was poppinggggg. I don’t want to go through every city because it’ll be boring but London was a strong start. They had the stereotypical London sights: cute red double decker buses and a Queen’s guard that my sisters did not let me twerk on. Again, I was high, but I think objectively this was a very, very good time.

Everyone was a full ass grown-up ready to rage except for a mother of a 6 year old. Neither of them were a fun time. And I know I’m talking shit about a 6 year old buuuuuut she was super shy and not loving the spotlight nearly as much as I would’ve at her age. It was like pulling teeth with her for the poor flight attendant who just wanted the kid to be adorable and take some of the pressure off of her to be entertaining for the next 45 minutes. Luckily for all parties, our flight attendant, April, was a fucking delight. She did give us Hello Kitty madelines when we got to Paris so could be the cookie talking. But the same could not be said for her side kick, what’s her name. I know being a fabulous host is not easy - I host a monthly hip-hop bingo night! (Feel free to attend, Los Angeles.)

But back to the main event. The exhibit was comprised of 5 cities - London, Paris, New York, Honolulu and Tokyo - and the only letdown was Honolulu. I know I will not make any fans with this hot hot take, but, Hawaii is sort of not for me. The aesthetic is really not my jam. Bad tank tops and bare feet. (And you know some people’s feet simply must be covered up!!!!) Honolulu was mainly empty walls with a couple tan Hello Kitty’s thrown around and a sad display of hoola skirts that we were supposed to take pictures with but they looked like they’d gone through a particularly rough Mardi Gras. I passed.

While the whole thing was marvelous, I do need to make one point about some of the other tour guests. They were - how do I say, old? Like in a surprising way. Granted my sister is 41 and a diehard fan. So I was expecting women her age. However, these ladies were well into their 50′s. And if Hello Kitty came out in 1974 that means that they were 10ish years old when it came out. I guess that math adds up fine. There’s plenty of things that I still like from when I was 10. Gwen Stefani comes to mind.

It could also be that these were women who were perhaps younger than they appeared and that’s just fine. Maybe Hello Kitty was their little spot of sunshine in their otherwise difficult lives. I have a feeling it’s the latter. The fanaticism was on a level 10. April was throwing out trivia questions that were real head scratchers. Needless to say, I knew not a single correct answer. Yet, these women were like the Ken Jennings’ of useless Sanrio trivia. Only difference is Ken Jennings won some frickin’ money with his knowledge. These women got 4 seconds of recognition from 10 strangers. And, fuck it, let them have it. Today was about embracing the dumb shit. What is celebrating a cartoon cat if not celebrating dumb shit???

I had such a blast spending big money on some swag that I don’t know (I do know) that I’ll ever wear again. My sister spent $200 on a matching sweat suit, a tee-shirt and three pop sockets. She’s planning on keeping the pop sockets as collector’s items. And, I don’t know why! That is a technology that is already on its way out! (Mind you, my sister also thought Crystal Pepsi was cool. But, whatever.) My other sister spent $140 on a jacket that she’ll (hopefully) get two wears in. We were not making grown-up decisions today, people. We were behaving like children with credit cards. And what else could you really want?