#also there's gonna be a second poll that goes up tomorrow at the same time

[problem-queer-tournament]

Low-Empathy Swag Tournament: The Final Round

Only two remain...but as we all know, there can only be one.

Now, two competitors face each other.

On one corner, we have Kei Nagai from the anime Ajin: Demi Human.

On the other corner, we have Azula from the cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender.

Both are worthy competitors.

But there can only be one winner of the Low-Empathy Swag Tournament.

(y'all know the drill. the poll goes up tomorrow at 12 and runs for a week, or from the 9th to the 16th. may the best character win. :3)

[ontheoddoccasioniwritestuff]

Relief (Johnny "Soap" MacTavish x Reader) Smut

Summary: It's the end of another mission, and you're ready to unwind with your new favourite destresser - casual sex with Soap.

AN: Thanks again to everyone who voted in the poll. I'm tempted to do another for the fics I've got drafted. My third favourite white guy on COD is finally on my blog ayyy.

If you wanna request a fic, check out my guidelines before sending one in! Also, if you wanna be tagged in any future fics, let me know!

Content warnings: Smut (18+ only, minors DNI), fuck-buddies in love trope, Reader is AFAB and gender neutral

Masterlist // AO3 Version

With a sigh, your head tilted back against the door you were pressed into. A half-surprised huff escaped next, since your body hadn’t left an impression in the wood – not unlike how Soap’s fingers were likely etched in bruises on your thighs from where he was holding you. He didn’t normally hold onto you so tightly, so desperately. But you let him anyway.

His nose leant above your shoulder. His chest caught its breath in deep sluggish drags, the glow of his skin pressed to yours whilst you did the same.

“You gonna put me down?” You huffed.

“Maybe. Quite like you like this.”

Of course he did. That’s why you’d barely made it out of briefing and not at all on his bed. Soap adjusted his grip and lifted your legs’ grip a little higher up his waist, which caught you off-guard and a moan slipped out.

You gave him a little taunt: “I know sex is a work-out but that doesn’t mean you can start deadlifting me whilst your cock’s still inside me.”

“Damn,” and Soap lifted his head up to look in your eyes with that laddish smirk and smug stare, “There goes my routine I was planning for tomorrow. Hey-” His brow creased as you attempted to lower one of your legs, his hand squeezing the meat of your thigh, “- I meant it. I like you like this.”

“This isn’t exactly helping the pain,” You said, referring to the mildest of injuries you’d ever gotten on a mission – a massive bruise behind your left shoulder.

Instantly, and with you still in his arms, Soap walked you over to his bed. His open hand cradled your hair as he lowered himself onto the sheets, then flopped back ungracefully. You on the other hand remained sat upright on his cock; your head tilted to the side as you watched Soap fidget against the pillow.

“You alright down there?”

Putting his hands behind his head, Soap winked, “Perfect. The view’s fantastic.”

Those random “clench to the music” videos on TikTok had been preparing you for this moment. You squeezed around his cock and Soap’s self-assured chuckles were stolen away. Tilting your head playfully at him, you watched him grunting beneath you.

Soap’s brows shot up his forehead as he opened up those bashful blue eyes, “Oh, that’s how you wanna play?”

His body beneath you shuffled as he planted his heels besides his buttocks. Your grin remained etched on your face as he thrust up into you. The first time, you could hold in your groans. The second time, your lips were pressed together as you lowered your elbows either side of his head.

“One Earthshattering Soap Special coming up?”

“Fuckin’ minx.”

It was so hard to kiss him properly when he wouldn’t stop making you smile, moan, whisper how good he made you feel. His shameless stare flitted between your face twisted in overstimulation and your hand rubbing at yourself to chase down your next orgasm. Each thrust was bordering on painful, the perfect distraction for your greedy body.

At the moment your orgasm wiped across you, you didn’t have to hold back a scream. All energy left was trained on those laboured breaths snatched between your mouth and Soap’s, both agape and brushing awkwardly as you greedily rutted into one another for more until the waves faded to ripples then to contented hums. His nose slotted to yours as you lifted your chest an inch from him.

“Was it intentional?”

“What’d’you mean?”

“Soap Special. Coming up,” you repeated, your laughter coming out hushed as you grappled with Soap’s shoulders to stay vertical.

“No, can’t be on my a-game with dirty jokes whilst your cunt squeezing the life out of me,” and Soap gripped your hips tighter. “And I can’t have done a good enough job if you can still think properly.”

“I recover fast. Don’t be too hard on yourself.”

And you fell over into his chest, flopping your entire weight on him as you copied how he’d squashed you between himself and the door – but at least he had the luxury of it being a mattress on his back this time.

His arms curled protectively around you, keeping you pressed to him whilst he kissed you stupid, quite literally. You sighed dreamily; your hand tangled in his mohawk.

“You need a haircut,” you mumbled into his mouth. “Just a trim. Sides are getting long.”

“Warmin’ up to it, are you?”

“I will say it’s convenient for holding onto.”

Soap snorted, half your body sinking on his chest’s sudden exhale. Your fist squeezed in his hair once more before freeing him and pushing you away from him. When a flash of bliss from your cunt caught you off guard, and a short moan shot out of you, you waited for Soap to tease you about it. But he did no such thing whilst you climbed off his cock. Just looked at you with a close-lipped smile and his hand stroked up and down your bicep.

“Stay,” He hummed as you twisted around and swung your legs off the edge of his bunk.

“I can’t.”

“You can.” It was said with sincerity, not his usual sarcasm.

So you tried to include a sense of warning in your retort, “Soap.” But it just came across as sardonic and you waited for Soap to take advantage of it.

Instead, he sat up and wrapped himself against you. Feigning annoyance, you pushed his rising torso down into the bed.

You tried again, “We do this routine every time. It’s getting boring.”

Soap bounced right back up, “Boring’s not how I’d describe it.” To support his point, you endured listening to his kisses smacking against your skin, sending light-headed chills with each new contact. Soft vibrations from his throat tickled your shoulder’s slope.  

“You’re practically purring,” You said, hiding how uneven your words were in a half-laugh.

“Course. I’m the cat who got the cream.”

“Fucking hell,” You huffed, still smiling as you pulled up your underwear.

Your trousers were halfway up your legs when you pushed him away again but, this time, Soap stayed firm. He didn’t even move an inch under the light pressure of your palm.

“Don’t go. Please, Y/N.”

“First name basis when you’re not inside me? Must be real serious,” you parroted with a half-decent Scottish accent, though you didn’t miss how his begging affected you.

You turned to him now your trousers were done up. Your smile dropped; the “but” lingered on your lips as it saw Soap’s expression. You’d seen this man in pain, furious, over the moon, in bliss. But this was the most open, the most vulnerable, you’d seen him. Wide eyes peered at you in the low-lit room, letting you see directly through into his mind and its unsettled state, framed in that five o’clock shadow that had sprouted on his cheeks during the mission. It aged him. It made him look as weary as he felt.

His final plea of “I don’t wanna be alone, not tonight” uprooted the core of what this whole deal was about: stress relief. Soap still had stress that needed relieving, only it wasn’t with the usual fuck and funnies that you were used to.

You’d turned to him initially because you wanted to not think. Soap was wonderful at distracting; he always unwound you so easily, grounding you with his quips and that gorgeous drawl he spoke in. Perhaps you’d been neglecting him. Or perhaps you were leaning into this arrangement too much. The latter occupied your mind more. Were you getting in too deep?

“I need the toilet,” you whispered. Your eyes dragged up from the quiver that crossed his bottom lip and you finished buckling your belt on the other side of his bedroom door.

You were somewhat certain of why you were treating Soap’s request like a confession of love, because, in a way, it was. Admitting you need help that can only be given by a certain someone, that’s trust beyond the bond forged on the battlefield. And cuddling? Kissing you goodnight? His open expression you caught him wearing before he snuck in a quip? All things that had come before this night that had added up to support your conclusion.

It wasn’t like you hadn’t thought about it before – leaning into the romantic side you’d already been sharing with each other. In fact, a bystander would probably call out how the only thing missing from your relationship was that very label.

A fear of commitment wasn’t what was preventing you. But the paperwork alone would be a pain in the arse. Then there were the comments other people would make. Although not from Ghost or Gaz, besides some light ribbing. Price probably wouldn’t have much to say either. That risk of getting caught leaving Soap’s room, it hadn’t even crossed your mind as you left him tonight.

You were still silently pondering as you squatted on the toilet, completing your post-hook-up routine. Soap’s forlorn face was one you didn’t think you could recover from with a good night’s sleep. Facing him tomorrow at breakfast, sparring, trusting each other on the job and in the gym, it seemed the longer you left this the worse it would get.

Soap was facing away from the bedroom door for a split second before he sat up to face the sliver of light from the hallway, his body shrouded in your silhouette. He didn’t speak. He just watched as you closed the door, undressed, and returned to his side. There wasn’t a lot of room in the bed, so he turned back on his side and you embraced him around his middle, his soft skin pitted over muscles and under scars.

“I woulda agreed to stay if you removed all your bravado quicker,” you whispered.

“I’ll remember that next time.” And he squeezed your hand in his.

The temptation to joke about his hair again crept in your throat alongside the tickle in your nose that it had caused, but now didn’t feel like the time. You stored it away for next time – there was always a ‘next time’ – and instead, between his shoulder blades, where the muscles folded in a neat crease down his spine, you pressed a kiss.

[makeste]

BnHA 6th Popularity Poll Reaction Post - Risky Spoiler-Dodging Edition

hey guys, so seeing as the results from the 6th popularity poll were leaked today, I figured I would do a separate reaction + analysis post this year, rather than piling it in as an extra on top of the chapter reaction post tomorrow. I figure this makes more sense anyway, since they’re really two completely different things. also this way I can write as much as I want lol.

also, just fyi, I am still completely unspoiled for chapter 293. and probably the smart thing to do to keep it that way would be to log off tumblr and hold off posting this until tomorrow, but I apparently have no impulse control today so oh well. anyway, so I’m hoping you guys will keep this spoiler-free if you don’t mind! as always, I would prefer to just jump right in completely unaware tomorrow like Troy returning to the study room with the pizza boxes lol.

okay so this first part is just going to be my predictions. fyi I am writing this part on Wednesday night, and then I’ll add on the results part on Thursday or Friday (ETA: Thursday, apparently, since I am impatient.)

okay so first of all, just as a refresher, this poll was open to Japanese voters from Aug 3 to Sep 30. meaning chapters 279 through 285. meanwhile last year’s poll took place around the tail end of the MVA arc. so between then and now we had Heroes Rising, the Endeavor Agency arc, and the War arc up to the part where the 1-A kids took on Gigantomachia in Gunga, and started battling Tomura in Jakku. so technically only a couple of arcs, but a LOT of stuff going down in them. oh and season 4 of the anime as well

so! firstly, I predict that my truculent africanized honeybee son will hold on to his crown at #1, coming off a year in which he did some internship-boosted soul searching, borrowed OFA in movie canon, and finished out the voting period as the my-body-moved-on-its-own character development MVP. like CALL ME CRAZY lol, but I’m pretty sure his title is safe. and then after him will be Deku and Shouto as usual

Aizawa should hopefully also have a strong showing because the dude had a banner fucking year. reunited with his old dead friend, took on Tomura with his hopelessly inept hero pals, and then chopped his fucking leg off. he had better be in the top 10. his fucking leg died for this, idk what else he has to do

Endeavor also stands a decent chance of doing well given the internship arc and the final episode of season 4. which I’m sure will go down just swimmingly if that does happen lmao. especially if he somehow manages to rank higher than...

Dabi, which I don’t think he will btw, but you never know. anyways though, but I’m thinking Dabi’s going to have a stronger showing than in past years (in the last poll he only got 367 votes and was ranked 19th). mostly because of his fight in the Gunga mansion, and his cheekily censored name reveal to...

Hawks, who is also going to rank pretty high here, I think. might be he loses some points for killing off Twice, but his back was basically to the wall there. and he has always been very popular, and I think season 4 will also give him a boost, along with his heavy involvement in the first half of the War arc

Tomura was already in 6th place last year and I think he cracks the top 5 this year. he’s gotten exponentially more popular since the MVA arc, and got a boost in the last poll even though his flashback had only just barely happened, and he hadn’t finished Awakening yet and all that stuff. anyway, so he’s only gotten cooler and more tragic since then so I think he makes a big play here

Kirishima, Momo, Tokoyami, and Mina should also hopefully do well, since the poll opened right in the middle of all that Gigantomachia action, and Toko had just got done being an absolute badass and protecting his birb dad. I don’t think he’ll quite make it to the top ten, but he should

and last but not least, I’m hoping that Mirko will come out and take the polls by storm, although I have no clue how popular she is in Japan lol. she’s clearly Horikoshi’s favorite though. she SHOULD be everyone’s favorite, but I mean, we’ll see how it goes

anyway that’s it as far as predictions! and so now, through the magic of writing stuff at different times, we will fast-forward to the part where we actually find out the results!

OH MY GOD YES, STEAMPUNK KHLKSLLKL. HERE FOR IT. JOLLY GOOD SHOW. 5 STARS

Kacchan looks SO COCKY and SO HAPPY and SO ADORABLE, YES I SAID IT. he is adorable as FUCK. I don’t quite know what it is about this particular Kacchan that just screams “LOOK HOW FUCKING CUTE MY STUPID, LOUD SON IS WITH HIS BIZARRE WINDOWPANE-LOOKING CONVERTIBLE SUNGLASS GOGGLES and his POORLY TIED CRAVAT”, but I think it’s because he looks like if a Digimon character and a FMA character had a baby

anyway, so it looks like most of the people present here are more or less who we expected to see. except that I can’t tell for sure if that’s Dabi or Shindou, and if it’s Shindou I’m going to punch somebody in the face so you will have to excuse me

Iida wearing a TRENCHCOAT and a TOP HAT with ENGINE EXHAUST GOGGLE ACCENTS is my new favorite Iida of all time. take note how there is no possible way he can wear those goggles with them sitting on top of his hat like that. plus he’s already got glasses on. these are just purely for aesthetic and IF THAT AIN’T JUST THE STEAMPUNK WAY

Deku out here speaking softly and carrying a lead pipe. Kacchan you best look out. seems like he’s done watching you take first place year after year while he languishes in the number two spot. your only hope is that he trips while attacking you because his boots are unbuckled

Shouto’s standing over there with the rest of the non-first-and-second-place characters, but what are the odds his results are actually within spitting distance of Deku’s same as always. anyway he doesn’t mind, though. also his outfit is by far the most sensible one here, but if you look closely he’s got some sort of fire extinguisher/jet pack thing strapped to his back that’s got a control switch on his belt. Shouto are you jetpacking or putting out fires

Kirishima out here all “I’m not sure what steampunk is so I’m just going to take off my shirt and pose”

AIZAWA WITH THE EYEPATCH SKLKSDLKFJLSKJLDFKJSLDFFJLDKSJFL:KS. SIR. SIR. also, lowkey furious that Horikoshi refuses to show us the automail leg that he is clearly sporting here but which we just can’t see, SHOUTO MOVE GODDAMMIT

Endeavor has TWO fire extinguisher-slash-jetpacks. THE BETTER TO... WHATEVER. look at you here in the top ten again. you really live for that controversy

HAWKS OUT HERE WITH HIS STEAMPUNK BEATS BY DRE AND HIS WEARING A RING ON EVERY FINGER. nice to see you’ve still got your wings there, kiddo. then again Deku still has both of his arms too so who even knows what is going on

BUT SERIOUSLY THOUGH, IS THIS DABI OR SHINDOU. as if I don’t know the truth deep down in my heart. y’all I am gonna flip lmao. it’s not that I dislike Shindou, strictly speaking. but just... I can’t explain what it is, but if you put him and AFO next to each other and told me “you can only punch one”, I would be having a serious crisis. just, THIS FUCKING GUY, idek. STOP SMILING

Tomura looks like he just wandered onto the set here by mistake and has no idea where he is or what is going on. it’s because you’re wearing a bigass severed hand that’s blocking your entire view, Tomura. just take the hand off your face my sweet murder dumpling

anyway! so I managed to also find a link to the full poll results while somehow managing to avoid spoilers, and then I wanted to compare the results to last year’s poll, and so I made... this

hopefully you can all see this. if you’re on desktop you might be screwed, but on mobile you should be able to click and enlarge it. I mean, assuming you actually give a fuck about boring poll analysis spreadsheets lmao

anyway, so there were actually 13k fewer votes cast this year which is a bit of a surprise. is the series not still growing in popularity? do people apparently have better things to do during their quarantine lol

anyways but despite this, and despite getting 8k fewer votes overall, Kacchan still managed almost twice as many as his closest competitor. well fought, Deku. please put down that pipe

I somehow always underestimate the power of ship popularity to influence these things. but for example, it looks like Present Mic got that Vigilantes Trio bump. ride that wave for all it’s worth my man! hell, you got me on board

Iida fucking Tenya somehow got some sort of POWER BOOST out of NOWHERE which I can’t explain at all lmao, but I’m here for it. NOT BAD FOR AN OLD MAN

Sero managed to get the exact same number of votes in both 2019 and 2020. clearly the most loyal fans in the business

Mirko being all the way down at #20 is, of course, a travesty, and I hereby nominate her to be the one to punch Shindou in the face

ngl though, the lack of a single female character in the top ten hurts just a bit. it’s not overly surprising, but still. the worst part of it is that even if you kicked Shindou to the curb and moved everyone else up one slot, it would still be all dudes since Mic beat out Momo by a margin of a little more than a hundred votes. hard to stay mad at Mic for too long, though. ah well

Tomura actually lost a bunch of votes which is a genuine surprise to me. I know the villain standom isn’t as dominant in Japan as it is in Western fandom, but still. you can go ahead and punch Shindou too I guess

Tokoyami lowkey doubled his vote count over the past year while hiding down there at #18. he is slowly becoming more powerful. biding his time

anyway so I think that’s it! I mean not really, but I’m getting kind of tired lol. so just, you know, insert the usual gripes at Overhaul’s ranking here, although we can be happy about Magne making her way onto the list (r.i.p.), and Mineta and AFO taking a very satisfying slide down (all the way out, in AFO’s case; good riddance you bum). Hadou also got a huge boost which is awesome. Mustard’s persistent ownership of the #36 spot will forever remain a mystery to me, but oh well

anyways, this was fun. and I really do feel like everyone is looking away on purpose so that when Deku brains Kacchan with that pipe in about two seconds from now, there will be no witnesses, oh my fucking god

[strawberry-lemonade]

here is a WIP that i will never finish

------

"Excuse me, but I happen to think Mávri gáta is hilarious. Those puns are spot on."

Aria opened her mouth and paused, before closing it again.

"Zào Fortuna has got spots right?."

"Wait were you trying to aim a pun at her, but then forgot if she had spots?

"Uh, maybe..."

"Dude, you're an idiot in every sense of the word."

Aria hung her head.

"...I know."

"That's nice."

Aria threw a pillow at her before exploding in a fit of giggles.

"Mooncaaaake! You're supposed to give me a hug and say sorry!"

Marinette sighed and blew her nails before turning to look at Aria.

"We both know how that goes down."

Aria sighed and stood up.

"Have you heard from Adrien in the past few days?"

"You know what? I haven't."

"Last time I talked to him, he told me he got a boyfriend."

"He did? Why didn't I know about that?"

"Babe, weren't you on the other line?"

"Uh... I think I fell asleep."

"Wow. You really need to stop staying up all night on commissions."

"Speaking of, any news about that stuff?"

"Well, from what I've heard, my little sister from another mister is traveling to Gotham because her fashion business has taken off. 'The mysterious designer MDC has bypassed Gabriel Agreste in the polls!' 

"Well, what you heard is true-'

"I also heard that you get to stay in Wayne Manor and bring a friend. Maybe Sabine?"

"What? And risk her finding out that I parade around the city in spots every night? No thanks."

"Hm. Chloe?"

"The invitation would be wasted. She's already going to Gotham with her mom."

"What about Alya?"

"Since 2 heroes will be out of commission, Rena is going to be needed here."

"I don't know."

Aria collapsed on the bed with a groan before sitting up and smirking.

"Lila."

"Okay. Your guessing privileges have been revoked."

"Noooooo! How else will I find out who you're going to take?!"

"By asking. Like a normal person."

"How dare you assume that I'm normal."

"Now I'm beginning to wonder if I should actually tell you."

"Okay, okay! I'll shut up! Just please tell me who, so I don't have to stay up till 3, guessing."

"I wanted to ask you."

"Uh, I will give you an entire list of reasons why I shouldn't come. Plus, I don't really think they'd let me bring the cat."

"I'm asking right now, and if they say no, then I'll politely decline the invitation."

"I don't want you to miss out-"

"They replied!"

"What? Let me see!"

Aria scrambled off the chaise and scurried over to Marinette, tripping in the process. 

"Wait! Let me get up!"

Aria jumped up and stumbled into the desk.

Marinette clicked the email and recited it aloud.

"Dear MDC, your friend's cat will be allowed. If you need to arrange anything to bring your cat on the plane, please do not hesitate to ask.

 Aria squealed and hugged Marinette.

"Ok. If we can start packing now, I'll come with you." 

"Why do we have to pack now? The trip isn't until Saturday and it's only Wednesday! Can't we just enjoy the first sleepover we've had in a month?"

"Babe, please? I hate procrastinating."

"What are you talking about? You love procrastinating!"

"I don't love it, It just happens to be my default."

"Same difference!"

"Um, no, not the same difference."

"Nyah."

-------

"Dante. I am begging you. Don't turn off the computer yet."

"Aria. it's almost 1 A.M and we both have class tomorrow."

"I knoooow! But I put my fucking heart into this, and if you turn it off right now, it will delete and I have no way of saving it."

"Aria. Go to bed now."

"Nooooo! I have to finish it!"

"Fine. But as soon as the clock gets to 1. I'm turning everything off. Just because you're my favorite doesn't mean I'll let you get away with anything."

"Boi! I let you get away with so many things! Can I not just stay up for another hour to finish a damn design?!"

"Aria?"

"Hi, Minette."

"Are you gonna stay up again while binge-ing on coffee?"

"Maybe..."

"Marinette. Please tell my idiot sister that she needs sleep too."

"Aria-"

"Noooo! My favorites are teaming up to defeat me!"

"Aria. Go. To. Bed."

"No!"

Aria jumped up, seized the computer, shot into the bathroom.

"Ha! Now you can't stop me from finishing this!"

"Okay. I give up. Marinette, she's yours now."

Dante slowly backed out of the kitchen with his arms raised.

"Aria. Come out. Please. It's not a sleepover if it's only one person. Plus I need someone to binge-watch movies with!"

"...What kind of movies?"

"Um, MIB International, Charlie's Angels, Hanna, Atomic Blonde, La Femme Nikita-"

"I'm in. Just give me a second."

The sound of shuffling around could be heard in the unusually silent house. The bathroom door opened to show a dark room a few seconds later, and Aria emerged holding a closed laptop.

"I thought it wasn't going to save?"

"Yeah uh, I lied. I just wanted to keep working."

"Geez. I bet you'll be the only person in Gotham like this."

"Well, I do try to be unique!"

"Okay, we need to finish packing."

"But what about the movies?!"

"We'll watch them while we pack."

"Yay!"

-------

Five movies and two panic attacks later:

"Mooncake! Do you know where my-"

"Beanie? Downstairs in the tardis."

"Oh my gosh, thank you! I need to take a shower, are you almost finished packing?"

"Yeah, two more outfits and I'll be done."

"Kay. My phone is charging next to the window, the password is 314159, the flashy purple app turns on the TV."

With that, Aria walked out of the room and shut the door. Not even 2 minutes later, the sound of running water could be heard, along with the song 'Consideration' blasting through the house. Marinette shook her head and laughed.

"Geez Ari. Too loud."

Marinette folded the last outfit and placed it in her suitcase. Walking over to the window, she was attacked by Aria’s cat.

“Ack! Get off!”

Marinette started to try and shake the cat off and Kiro released her leg. She jumped onto the bed and yanked her legs up to avoid any further scratches. The door slammed open to reveal a soaking wet Aria in a towel. She still had soap bubbles in her hair and it had stuck to her face while she was running.

“I heard a screech! Is everything okay?”

Marinette stared for a second longer before laughing so hard she fell off the bed.

“OH MY GOSH! Did you just- holy crap! The cat just jumped on me!”

“...are you freaking kidding me? I literally jumped out of the shower to see what in the world was going on. I thought you were being abducted.”

“I’m so sorry! I just-” Marinette collapsed into another fit of giggles.

“Okay, since you’re obviously fine, I’m gonna go finish my shower. Next time, don’t screech unless it’s an emergency. Now my clothes are wet because of my idiocy. Goodbye, Little Missy Macaron.”

Aria walked out of the room, leaving Marinette to try and clean up the water mess. She just threw a towel over the puddle.

Aria walked into the bathroom while shaking her head slowly. She picked up her phone and pressed shuffle on her playlist. Once again, a song started blasting through the house.

————

Marinette grabbed Aria’s phone and unlocked it. She pressed the purple icon that Aria had told her about and clicked the red power button at the top. Nothing happened.

Right. The TV is downstairs.

Marinette sighed and checked under the bed before leaving the safety of the mattress. She picked up her two suitcases and took them downstairs. 5 minutes later, the sound of gunshots and suspenseful music coming from the living room rivaled the pop music coming from the upstairs bathroom.

—————-

Dante, Evita, and Armando came home to three girls shouting and running around, with another standing off to the side and filming. Chloe and Alya had come over to help after Aria had gotten out of the shower. Though it quickly turned into Chloe chasing Aria around and trying to get her to put on some clothes that weren’t covered in paint, and Alya filming Marinette freaking out about losing her deodorant.

“Dante! I stole your Pikachu boxers because they were in my drawers!” Aria ran past him, a disgruntled Chloe in hot pursuit.

“Why do I care?”

“Just thought you should know in case you start looking for them while I’m gone!”

“Speaking of being gone, shouldn’t you guys get going? Your flight leaves in 4 hours.”

“Crap! Evita! Do you have work soon? Can you drive us to the airport?”

“Can’t you guys just bike?”

Aria stopped and stared at Evita incredulously. Chloe didn't slow down quick enough and slammed both girls into the ground.

“Okay, we have like, 4 bags each, and the airport is like 45 miles away. ”

“Okay. I’ll take you, but I do have to work soon so we have to go now.”

“Okay. Akiv! Stop! Do you have your bags?”

“Yes, Ari.”

“Mooncake! Are you ready?”

“I NEED DEODORANT.”

“We can get some at the airport.”

“GAH! Okay, fine. Let’s go.”

The three girls ran to give Alya a hug before they left.

“Bye Als! Love you!”

“Adios, Vixen! Te Quiero!”

“Salut Alya!”

——————-

ONE EXCRUCIATINGLY LONG CAR RIDE LATER:,

Marinette, Aria, and Chloe stepped out of the Envoy and took their bags out of the trunk.

“Zai Jian, Evita! Wǒ ài nǐ!”

“Adios Mija! Te Quiero mucho!”

Aria gave Evita a hug before slinging her book bag and purse over her shoulder and pulling her suitcase over to the entrance. The girls watched the car drive off before turning and walking into the airport.

“Ay Dios Mio…”

“What?”

“Look at the lines!” Aria gestured over to about fifty people standing in front of a counter.

“Oh, mon Dieu.” 

“Um, no. Look at your tickets. We have first-class. Which is the line over there.” Chloe pointed over to a short line with only a few people.

“Oh, thank goodness.” Marinette sighed as she scanned over her plane ticket.

“Wait, really?” Aria scrambled for the small slip of paper in her wallet, accidentally dropping it.

A young male, probably around 15, picked it up. He smiled and held it out to her.

“Here you go, m’lady”

“Thanks, bro,” Aria grunted.

The boy froze for only a second, but it was long enough for her to pluck the leather contraption out of his hand and walk away with the other girls. When they were out of earshot, they all burst out laughing.

“Oh my gosh! Did you see his face when you called him ‘bro’?!”

“That was hilarious,” Aria wiped tears from her eyes.

“Welp, now we know how she keeps guys away.” 

“Who knew it was so simple?”

“No. It’s simple for me. I am the Goddess of repellent. You two are mere mortals.”

“She’s right! Oh, Great One! We are unworthy of your presence, but we beg to learn your ways!” Marinette got down on one knee, with one hand over her heart and the other being held out to Aria.

“Oh, get up Mooncake. They’re looking at us crazy again.” Chloe pulled the smaller girl onto her feet and ruffled her hair.

Marinette giggled, then bowed and took Aria’s hand. 

“I am forever indebted to you for teaching me.” She kissed the brunette’s hand before standing up straight again.

“Mooncake, I love you, but that was the weirdest thing you’ve ever done.”

“Thanks, Abelle.”

“No problem babe.”

Aria rolled her eyes. 

“Next!”

The girls looked up to see it was their turn in line.

“Please place your bags in the designated area.” The lady behind the desk gestured to a wire container.

Marinette looked to the side and placed her suitcase into the basket. The other girls quickly followed suit.

“Names?”

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

“Aria Couture.”

“Chloe Bourgeois.”

The lady typed their names into the computer before waving them away. Marinette saw the dull look in her eyes and pulled out 3 macarons before whispering something and smiling.

“Excuse me, Madame? Here are a few macarons. I hope you have a nice day!” 

Marinette picked up her bags and walked away with her friends. She didn’t miss the small smile that appeared on the woman’s face.

“So, what’d you do to the cookies?”

“Let’s just say the rest of her week will be much better.”

“Minette, I have absolutely no idea what you're implying, and at this point, I'm too scared to ask.”

————

“This is why I hate flying. I’m already exhausted and we haven’t even been at the airport for 2 hours.” Marinette groaned.

“We’re done with all the security stuff, and our suitcases are already boarding the plane, which basically means we can currently do whatever we want. And don’t you still need deodorant?”

“Ugh. You’re right. Let’s go.”

Aria grinned and walked towards a sandwich restaurant.

“Aria, where are you going? The toiletries place is over there.” Marinette pointed to a little kiosk next to the bathrooms.

“Come on. You didn’t really think we would get deodorant before we got food, did you?”

“...I am kind of hungry…”

“Let’s go then!”

Aria grabbed Marinette’s right hand and Chloe’s left hand and yanked them over to the restaurant.

——————

“Flight Number 763, First class, Now boarding.”

Aria jolted awake at the sound of the announcement. She looked over at Chloe and Marinette sleeping peacefully and contemplated waking them up. She'd rather not lose an eye, or two.

Chloe woke up as the brunette picked up a small pink bookbag.

“Good morning Chlo,” Aria yawned.

“...hi Ari.”

Grabbing all of their backpacks, she took the tickets and passports out and walked over to the admittance booth.

“Tickets please."

“Here,” Aria handed him all three tickets and passports.

 Aria looked up at the man in the booth.

“Can we go in or do you need sleeping beauty over here to confirm something,” Aria pointed at Marinette.

“Um. You can go in…”

“Thanks, have a nice day!”

The girls walked to the plane and found their seats quickly. Chloe helped Aria set Marinette down and put the carry-on bags in the capsules above them. Both girls fell back asleep about 10 minutes after they buckled up.

——————

GOTHAM:

[keepingupwithlinmanuel]

Lin-Manuel Miranda on "Hamilton" Coming to Washington, D.C., and His First Voting Memory

Before the campaign ends on May 31, Teen Vogue sat down with Lin-Manuel to talk about partnering with Prizeo to benefit BlackPAC, the Latino Victory Fund, the Center for Popular Democracy, and Let America Vote. He also opened up about his memories as a young voter, his hopes for the D.C. production of Hamilton, and who he most hopes visits what he predicts will be a very "meta" show.

Teen Vogue: You've worked with Prizeo before on other ticket drives. How did this specific sweepstakes come about? What about these organizations specifically spoke to you?

Lin-Manuel Miranda: It turns out people want tickets to Hamilton, and that's a lovely thing. So we've tried to leverage that into raising money for organizations that are important to our family. [This time] we wanted to focus on voting. I personally believe that the more of us that vote, the healthier our democracy is, so these organizations are all involved with that. [We're working with] Let America Vote, which is very involved in terms of gerrymandering and voter suppression, and calling it out. Really, Jason Kander has built an organization that is mobilizing people to make people aware of the way people get you to stay home. The Latino Victory Fund is really concerned with getting out the Latino votes, particularly with immigration being so hot-button nowadays. It's so important that the Latino voter base be mobilized. With each organization, we were looking at getting out as much of the vote as possible and contributing to the organizations that are making that happen. Ones that get you to the polls. By contributing to this, yes, you may win tickets to Hamilton, but you're contributing to the organizations that really do the work. Let America Vote is always looking for volunteers. The Latino Victory Fund is always looking for volunteers. Sign up for their newsletter. There's no shortage of ways to get engaged, which is the thing I tell myself constantly.

TV: The midterm elections are coming up, and voter turnout for elections that aren't the presidential election every four years tends to be pretty dismal. How do you hope that this push addresses the need for voting all the time?

LMM: I come by it honestly. My dad was in Democratic politics in New York as long as I can remember. At my 18th birthday party, I made a wish, I blew out the candles, and then I filled out my voter registration form.

I think that more than ever, the issues we face are really engaging young people. To see how focused the Parkland survivors have been on voting, in particular — it has been inspiring to see the people most affected by this leading the charge. There was another school shooting on Friday, May 18. There was an article in The Washington Post [about how] more students have died [in 2018] as a result of gun violence than active military personnel. That is appalling.

TV: When the Parkland shooting happened and the survivors started mobilizing with March for Our Lives, critics were really quick to claim that "they're kids, they don't know what they're doing." It's also easy, we've seen, for people to dismiss young people's votes as being less-than, that their voices don't matter.

LMM: Boy, does it matter. Absolutely, I feel like that goes around every year, but I think it has a greater urgency because we're losing young people to senseless violence. People who should be coming home from school at the end of the day. Kids who should not be afraid of going to school. Parents who should not be afraid of sending their kids to school. Young people have always changed the world. It always comes from them. Our job is to support them and to listen.

TV: What did the first time you actually voted feel like?

LMM: I think my first "vote" was probably '88? I think I turned my mom's vote for [a local election]. I was eight years old, and I got to go in the booth with her, and I remember I got to flip the knobs. The thrill of that as a kid, of "I get to go into this little tented room, and I get to have a say." It was always an exciting thing for me.

The first time I voted in a presidential election was in 2000. I turned 18 in 1998. I've always found [voting] thrilling. I love the follow-up. I love everything about voting. I love the volunteers, I love the sense that you see people from your neighborhood, that people are taking a break from work to go do this, that you're taking time out of your day to have a say in something much larger than yourself.

I deal in larger-than-yourself things. You can't put up a musical by yourself. By necessity in my trade, I work with people who do what I can't do, and we make something that is bigger than the sum of our parts. And I think of voting that way: If we work together, we can affect change that is greater than the sum of our parts individually. I get that rush from working in theater and working in animated movies, when you're working with a crew of thousands, and I get that same rush when I go to the polls, because I know I'm one drop in the bucket, but I know many drops in the bucket is a sea change.

TV: Minority voters are finding themselves in the spotlight more and more by virtue of the rhetoric around issues like immigration, xenophobia, and police brutality against black and brown bodies. Do you have any specific message for young people who feel marginalized by the overwhelmingly white, male, cisgender, straight majority still in office?

LMM: Well, it's a lyric in the show, and I hate to be that guy....

TV: Please be that guy.

LMM: But the quote is, "Tomorrow there'll be more of us." There are more of us. There are more young people than ever before. We all just have to push in the same direction. We all just have to get out and vote. I'm not gonna tell you who to vote for because that's also your choice, and what a glorious thing it is that you have that choice.

TV: Hamilton is opening in Washington, D.C., which feels kind of like art imitating life. Do you imagine this production will be different in any way, simply by virtue of the location?

LMM: "The Room Where It Happens" is gonna be a very surreal number in D.C., because we're in the town where it happens. That song is literally about the establishment of that town, so it's meta on a few levels. It's the origin story of D.C. It's the origin story of our particular politics. That beef between Jefferson and Hamilton is, in varying different hues and shades, our two-party system. Those two fundamentally different views of what our country should be. It's not a clean break down the line; there's not a direct line between Democrats and Republicans. They've swapped positions on various issues over the years, but the notion of a two-party system began with these two guys catching beef. One of the things George Washington warned against in his Farewell Address, which Hamilton wrote, was beware of the rise of factions. We feel more factionalized than we've ever felt. The show is a reminder of those origin stories and a reminder that the past isn't passed, and we have been having these fights for as long as we've been a country.

...

TV: Given that Hamilton is now in their backyard, it's going to be interesting to see if politicians come to see the show. A lot of people remember when Vice President Mike Pence came to the New York show. The way the cast handled it was so beautiful and moving.

LMM: I think people forget the context of that. That was the week after the election. The emotions of the audience were so raw that we had to speak to the moment one way or the other. You couldn't leave it where it was, and I was very proud of our cast and the way they handled it and basically made a call for inclusion and respect for everyone. They said, "I hope you will include all of us as you govern." The way that was mischaracterized later via Twitter by our president is a very different thing. But I was very proud of our cast, and I was impressed with Pence's response, which was he heard us and stayed to listen.

TV: Is there any one politician or any few politicians that you hope come to the D.C. show?

LMM: Not that this show is some definitive text, by no means — it's a musical. But [the show is about] things we grappled with at the founding of our nation — when do we estate? When do we unite as one country? When do we get involved in the affairs of other countries? That's "Cabinet Battle Two." In their case it's the French Revolution; in our case it's insert country here. And when do we tend to ourselves and work on ourselves? The legacy of slavery, which is still being felt today, was still being felt then. Every character in my show — with the exception of George Washington — dies as a result of gun violence. That's another original sin of our country. It's so many years later and it's worse than it's ever been because our founders could never have imagined shooting off 30 bullets in 30 seconds. There was just no universe in which they would've imagined that. So we are dealing with the effects of that as well.

I say all that to say it's a great reminder of the questions that were there at our origin and how our politicians deal with those challenges today. Our message is: We're in your backyard. You know how to get tickets. Honestly, I hope everyone comes, from both sides of the aisle, because I think it's always good to see a show that reminds you the origins of what we are.

[andrea-writes]

FotL: Introduction / Phos the Ambitious

Introduction

Faculty of the Lustrous is a fan fiction alternative universe based on Ichikawa Haruko’s manga Land of the Lustrous (Houseki no Kuni) set in a traditional Japanese school setting. It’s a concept many have already played with that I also wanted to have some fun with.

As in the original manga, all the characters remain agender and I’ll be using they/them as pronouns for each of the characters based on the gemstones of the original. To start this little side project of mine, I’ve written a short story introducing our protagonist, Phosphophyllite, that can be read below.

I also decided to hold a poll on Twitter to decide the school dress code, if you have a Twitter account you can still vote in the poll as this post goes up. Now please enjoy Faculty of the Lustrous.

Short Story: Phos the Ambitious

“You sprained your ankle?”

“Yeah.”

“Again?”

“Yeah...”

“That’s the third time this week.”

“I know.”

“It’s the first week of school.”

“I know, I’m sorry! Can you fix it or not?”

After an exaggerated sigh and some mumbling about how they should just amputate my foot instead, nurse Rutile went over to their medicine cabinet. I’d feel bad for coming here with the same troubles over and over, but it’s not like I can help it.

I guess I’m just too ambitious.

The try-outs for the track and field club would only last until the end of April, so I had made sure to do my best from the moment I started school. Naturally this meant I was running as much as I could to keep myself in shape.

The first time I sprained my ankle was on my way to school on our first day. I wasn’t exactly late, but I wasn’t on time either, which resulted in me slipping past the school gate as it was closing and twisting my foot.

The second time was when I tried running a lap around the track only to trip from someone having undone my shoelaces. At least I assume that was how it happened. Finally, today, I was running down the school hallways to get to the cafeteria before a crowd would form, only to slam my foot into one of the steps on the stairway.

“What will you do if you break it next time?”

“...”

“Phosphophyllite!”

“Oh, yes?”

“You realize if you keep at this I won’t be able to fix you up, right?”

“Eh? Really? Isn’t this your job?”

“I’m not your personal doctor and there’s things not even I can do.”

“Right.”

“Alright, I’ll show you how to put this ankle brace on.”

“Why?”

“So that you can keep it and not bother me again tomorrow.”

“Okay, that’s fair.”

“Actually… Let me give you a pair, just in case.”

I stuffed the second brace in my bag and made my way back into the school hallways. Being a freshman I was still getting used to the place. It was a nice school, albeit the only school in the region so it’s not like there was anything to compare it to. Still, it was pleasant to just roam about and do nothing during breaks.

I technically wasn’t on break right now, lunch was over and I was supposed to head to class. I didn’t mean to be tardy and I certainly had no plans to skip it. And yet I found myself on the roof of the school building, having practically walked here in some subconscious trance.

At least that was going to be my excuse. Truth to be told, I had heard footsteps and a creaking noise from upstairs and my curiosity had piqued. But now that I was up here, I didn’t see anyone. An empty roof, encased in ten feet high fence.

I turn around to head back inside when I start to cough. I’m not one to catch a cold, in fact, I’ve never had one my entire life as far as I know. No, my coughing came from breathing in smoke that seemingly had slipped past me as I turned around.

“Is someone…” I coughed again. “Woah.”

I could make out where the smoke was coming from now, a trail led me around the entrance on the roof to a tight corner by the fence. Pinching my nose and holding my breath I peeked into the corner to see who or what was causing this mess.

There’s no one here.

Before my confusion could fully set in, I heard the door slam. There had been another person here and whoever they were, they made off before I could discover them. My curiosity piqued once more as I began making my way back.

“Well then, mysterious smoker… I’m gonna gonna do everything in my power to figure out your identity. You won’t know what you’re in for now that this case has been brought to-”

In my excitement I had taken a slightly too grandiose leap down the stairs and not exactly stuck the landing as well as I should have. In an attempt to save myself from falling on my butt I decided to slam my other foot down quickly.

“...”

Well it’s a good thing nurse Rutile gave me a second ankle brace.

[putschki1969]

Kalafina Club 2017/07/04

Note: According to my poll, lots of my followers would like to see more content regarding Kalafina’s regular radio show “Kalafina Club” so I thought I’d start right away. This won’t be a super detailed translation or anything. I guess you could consider it a sort of summary but hey, you know me, my summaries usually tend to be quite detailed XD As always be aware that my listening comprehension sucks so take everything you see here with a pinch of salt. Sorry this took so long >_<

Let’s get right to it 〈(•ˇ‿ˇ•)-→

Day duty: Hikaru (three times in a row! She has been busy!)

Song: あたらしい世界 (Atarashii Sekai/New World) – by The Gospellers (ゴスペラーズ) 1998

何もかもが あたらしい世界へ Nanimo ka mo ga atarashii sekai e きみをさらって行こう Kimi wo saratte ikou 世界一 短い誓いをするよ Sekai ichi mijikai chikai wo suru yo そうきみが 好きだよ Sou kimi ga suki da yo

Referring to the second to last line of the lyrics they just sang, Wakana says, 「短い誓いでした」 which pretty much means, “this was a short little vow”. In the lyrics it says “I am gonna make the shortest vow in the world, that’s right, I love you!”

The girls are very much smitten with this song, Keiko says that singing those lyrics about a love confession made her heart beat faster. YAY for “late night excitement”. Hikaru really loves the second line they sang, “きみをさらって行こう” which more or less means “I will take you with me [to a new world]” Wakana agrees, it’s a cool line, she is all like, “tomorrow? will you take me along tomorrow?” (referring to the listener who requested them to sing this song). To conclude this little romantic intro, we get one of Kalafina’s “love” songs =>

Te to Te to Me to Me

A fan has written a mail talking about all the different ways they are spending their summer (at the sea, at summer festivals, doing certain things etc) and then we have a question for Kalafina => Do you have any favourite ways how to spend your summer? 

Hikaru decides that due to this question it will be a “Kalafina Vision” segment!

Keiko is starting out by stating that summer is always a struggle for Hikaru and the both Wa and Kei wonder if Hikaru even has favourite ways to spend her summer days. As always one of the first things that Hikaru says is that usually she doesn’t go outside in summer. No surprises there. Then she goes on to say that she doesn’t really like opening curtains and windows in the summer due to the strong sunlight but her family members will always ask her to open them so it can’t be helped and she has to open them. So whenever her family starts asking her to open the windows she knows it’s officially summer. Wa and Kei make fun of Hikaru’s aversion to sunlight. Keiko is doing her best impersonation of Hikaru being all like, “No, stop, don’t open the windows. The sunlight....!!” Awww, vampire-Hikaru is the cutest thing ever! Hi says that she always feels like melting so she really doesn’t like the sunlight, Lastly, Hikaru established once again that she really loves eating shaved ice in summer.

Then Wakana tries to think of things that instantly make her feel like it’s summer. I am not sure but I think she talks about some radio show that’s also on air around the same time as Kalafina Club. Either way, she mentions that it’s always nice to listen to Joe Hisaishi’s summer themed songs on the radio, she especially likes to hear the orchestra versions, she even has a CD of those. And yeah, she feels it’s a great way to spend your summer days, listening to these pieces while thinking about all the lovely things in summer.

As is quite usual for Wakana, she suddenly changes the topic and mentions a friend of hers. Apparently Wakana doesn’t really like air conditioning but her friend on the other hand likes to blast the AC to a point where she will have to wrap herself up in blankets in summer. Wakana thinks that’s so fascinating. Hikaru says it’s probably comparable to sitting under the cosy and warm kotatsu (table with a heated blanket) in winter when it’s cold and then you feel like eating ice cream. 

Keiko then starts talking about how people tend to stay out longer during the summer months, they will walk around at night because it has cooled down a bit and there will be a refreshing breeze. She feels like that’s why it’s a little more dangerous at night. Then again, there are SO many people that in fact there is no real danger. Wakana is like, “let’s be careful! But let’s have fun!! And let’s not forget to bring a flashlight!” :P

They remember their trip to France in the summer of 2014, they went to have gelato at night around 10 pm. And they were really surprised since it was still light outside.

In your Eyes

Now it’s Keiko’s turn to talk a little. Keiko is describing the summer activities of an “imaginary” girl called A-chan. In her cute little kiddy-voice she lists stuff like “...I am gonna go to summer festivals nearby and I am gonna eat squid, drink lots of beer and enjoy some cocktails, then at home I’ll watch my favourite DVDs...” Wakana is like, “Oh that girl is having a blast!!” and then she suddenly gets curious and asks Keiko, “Is it possible that A-chan is me? It sounds a lot like me! Are you describing me?” Then the realisation hits her, “Oh no, it can’t be me, I don’t eat squid!...and I don’t drink beer...BUT I watch my favourite DVDs at home XD” (she later explains that she usually buys okonomiyaki at the festival and she will bring it home with her to eat it while watching a movie, most of the time she will just drink tea or something). Keiko then tells us some more details about A-chan, apparently she is a single woman in her 30s, so a girl of their generation XD A-chan always looks at girls in their 20s thinking about how young they still are...But then she doesn’t really continue with her stories about A-chan...I guess we’ll never find out more about her...

Wakana shortly talks about her plants but Hikaru says it’s probably not such a good idea since she is absolutely clueless when it comes to plants. That’s obviously because she spends all of her time watching anime XD Keiko interrupts her by yelling in a cute voice, “you need to go out girl!!!” Hikaru though is happy to stay at home watching summer animes. After all they provide enough heat, no need to go outside. The girls then go on to talk a bit about summer ghost stories, in particular Gakkō no Kaidan (literally School Ghost Stories), a series of horror movies. Wakana is like, “I love those films but I am also really scared of them.” Ever the talkative one, Wakana provides a short summary of one of the films for Keiko and Hikaru who have never seen it.

I think that Keiko says she would rather watch love stories.

Hikaru finishes by listing various ways to spend the summer of 2017 (the ones they have mentioned in the episode), they are people who do lots of outside activities, people who spend their time with all kinds of ghost stories etc...of course she finishes with an emphasis on people who spend their summer holidays watching anime. Lastly, the girls tell everyone to take care and to stay hydrated in the horrible summer heat

Natsu no Ringo

After this we get the usual info regarding new releases and upcoming lives. Nothing regarding their Hyakka Ryouran launch events yet but I am expecting info on those quite soon.

Most fans on twitter seem to think that we’ll get 「Hyakka Ryouran」 next week but the girls haven’t mentioned anything in that regard. We shall see. Also, there was no mention of Hikaru’s birthday during the entire episode. I guess it’s because they recorded it last week already. Maybe we’ll get something next week.

[strawberry-lemonade]

dont read this im just seeing if it works, its unedited and currently shit

"Excuse me, but I happen to think Mávri gáta is hilarious. Those puns are spot on."

Aria opened her mouth and paused, before closing it again.

"Zào Fortuna has got spots right?."

"Wait were you trying to aim a pun at her, but then forgot if she had spots?

"Uh, maybe..."

"Dude, you're an idiot in every sense of the word."

Aria hung her head.

"...I know."

"That's nice."

Aria threw a pillow at her before exploding in a fit of giggles.

"Mooncaaaake! You're supposed to give me a hug and say sorry!"

Marinette sighed and blew her nails before turning to look at Aria.

"We both know how that goes down."

Aria sighed and stood up.

"Have you heard from Adrien in the past few days?"

"You know what? I haven't."

"Last time I talked to him, he told me he got a boyfriend."

"He did? Why didn't I know about that?"

"Babe, weren't you on the other line?"

"Uh... I think I fell asleep."

"Wow. You really need to stop staying up all night on commissions."

"Speaking of, any news about that stuff?"

"Well, from what I've heard, my little sister from another mister is traveling to Gotham because her fashion business has taken off. 'The mysterious designer MDC has bypassed Gabriel Agreste in the polls!' 

"Well, what you heard is true-'

"I also heard that you get to stay in Wayne Manor and bring a friend. Maybe Sabine?"

"What? And risk her finding out that I parade around the city in spots every night? No thanks."

"Hm. Chloe?"

"The invitation would be wasted. She's already going to Gotham with her mom."

"What about Alya?"

"Since 2 heroes will be out of commission, Rena is going to be needed here."

"I don't know."

Aria collapsed on the bed with a groan before sitting up and smirking.

"Lila."

"Okay. Your guessing privileges have been revoked."

"Noooooo! How else will I find out who you're going to take?!"

"By asking. Like a normal person."

"How dare you assume that I'm normal."

"Now I'm beginning to wonder if I should actually tell you."

"Okay, okay! I'll shut up! Just please tell me who, so I don't have to stay up till 3, guessing."

"I wanted to ask you."

"Uh, I will give you an entire list of reasons why I shouldn't come. Plus, I don't really think they'd let me bring the cat."

"I'm asking right now, and if they say no, then I'll politely decline the invitation."

"I don't want you to miss ou-"

"They replied!"

"What? Let me see!"

Aria scrambled off the chaise and scurried over to Marinette, tripping in the process. 

"Wait! Let me get up!"

Aria jumped up and stumbled into the desk.

Marinette clicked the email and recited it aloud.

"Dear MDC, your friend's cat will be allowed. If you need to arrange anything to bring your cat on the plane, please do not hesitate to ask.

 Aria squealed and hugged Marinette.

"Ok. If we can start packing now, I'll come with you." 

"Why do we have to pack now? The trip isn't until Saturday and it's only Wednesday! Can't we just enjoy the first sleepover we've had in a month?"

"Babe, please? I hate procrastinating."

"What are you talking about? You love procrastinating!"

"I don't love it, It just happens to be my default."

"Same difference!"

"Um, no, not the same difference."

"Nyah."

-------

"Dante. I am begging you. Don't turn off the computer yet."

"Aria. it's almost 1 A.M and we both have class tomorrow."

"I knoooow! But I put my fucking heart into this, and if you turn it off right now, it will delete and I have no way of saving it."

"Aria. Go to bed now."

"Nooooo! I have to finish it!"

"Fine. But as soon as the clock gets to 1. I'm turning everything off. Just because you're my favorite doesn't mean I'll let you get away with anything."

"Boi! I let you get away with so many illegal things! Can I not just stay up for another hour to finish a damn design?!"

"Aria?"

"Hi, Minette."

"Are you gonna stay up again while binge-ing on coffee?"

"Maybe..."

"Marinette. Please tell my idiot sister that she needs sleep too."

"Aria-"

"Noooo! My favorites are teaming up to defeat me!"

"Aria. Go. To. Bed."

"No!"

Aria jumped up, seized the computer, shot into the bathroom.

"Ha! Now you can't stop me from finishing this!"

"Okay. I give up. Marinette, she's yours now."

Dante slowly backed out of the kitchen with his arms raised.

"Aria. Come out. Please. It's not a sleepover if it's only one person. Plus I need someone to binge-watch movies with!"

"...What kind of movies?"

"Um, MIB International, Charlie's Angels, Hanna, Atomic Blonde, La Femme Nikita-"

"I'm in. Just give me a second."

The sound of shuffling around could be heard in the unusually silent house. The bathroom door opened to show a dark room a few seconds later, and Aria emerged holding a closed laptop.

"I thought it wasn't going to save?"

"Yeah uh, I lied. I just wanted to keep working."

"Geez. I bet you'll be the only person in Gotham like this."

"Well, I do try to be unique!"

"Okay, we need to finish packing."

"But what about the movies?!"

"We'll watch them while we pack."

"Yay!"

-------

Five movies and two panic attacks later:

"Mooncake! Do you know where my-"

"Beanie? Downstairs in the tardis."

"Oh my gosh, thank you! I need to take a shower, are you almost finished packing?"

"Yeah, two more outfits and I'll be done."

"Kay. My phone is charging next to the window, the password is 314159, the flashy purple app turns on the TV."

With that, Aria walked out of the room and shut the door. Not even 2 minutes later, the sound of running water could be heard, along with the song 'Consideration' was blasting through the house. Marinette shook her head and laughed.

"Geez Ember. Too loud."

Marinette folded the last outfit and placed it in her suitcase. Walking over to the window, she was attacked by Kiro.

“Ack! Get off!”

Marinette started to try and shake the cat off and Kiro released her leg. She jumped onto the bed and yanked her legs up to avoid any further scratches. The door slammed open to reveal a soaking wet Aria in a towel. She still had soap bubbles in her hair and it had stuck to her face while she was running.

“I heard a screech! Is everything okay?”

Marinette stared for a second longer before laughing so hard she fell off the bed.

“OH MY GOSH! Did you just- holy crap! The cat just jumped on me!”

“...are you freaking kidding me? I literally jumped out of the shower to see what in the world was going on. I thought you were being abducted.”

“I’m so sorry! I just-” Marinette collapsed into another fit of giggles.

“Okay, since you’re obviously fine, I’m gonna go finish my shower. Next time, don’t screech unless it’s an emergency. Now my clothes are wet because of my idiocy. Goodbye, Little Missy Macaron.”

Aria walked out of the room, leaving Marinette to try and clean up the water mess. She just threw a towel over the puddle.

Aria walked into the bathroom while shaking her head slowly. She picked up her phone and pressed shuffle on her playlist. Once again, a song started blasting through the house.

————

Marinette grabbed Aria’s phone and unlocked it. She pressed the purple icon that Aria had told her about and clicked the red power button at the top. Nothing happened.

Right. The TV is downstairs.

Marinette sighed and checked under the bed before leaving the safety of the mattress. She picked up her two suitcases and took them downstairs. 5 minutes later, the sound of gunshots and suspenseful music coming from the living room rivaled the pop music coming from the upstairs bathroom.

—————-

Dante, Evita, and Armando came home to three girls shouting and running around, with another standing off to the side and filming. Chloe and Alya had come over to help after Aria had gotten out of the shower. Though it quickly turned into Chloe chasing Aria around and trying to get her to put on some clothes that weren’t covered in paint, and Alya filming Marinette freaking out about losing her deodorant.

“Dante! I stole your Pikachu boxers because they were in my drawers!” Aria ran past him, a disgruntled Chloe in hot pursuit.

“Why do I care?”

“Just thought you should know in case you start looking for them while I’m gone!”

“Speaking of being gone, shouldn’t you guys get going? Your flight leaves in 4 hours.”

“Crap! Evita! Do you have work soon? Can you drive us to the airport?”

“Can’t you guys just bike?”

Aria stopped and stared at Evita incredulously. Chloe didn't slow down quick enough and slammed both girls into the ground.

“Okay, are you stupid? Because we have like, 4 bags each, and the airport is like 45 miles away. ”

“Okay. I’ll take you, but I do have to work soon so we have to go now.”

“Okay. Akiv! Stop! Do you have your bags?”

“Yes, Ember.”

“Mousinette! Are you ready?”

“I NEED DEODORANT.”

“We can get some at the airport.”

“GAH! Okay, fine. Let’s go.”

The three girls ran to give Alya a hug before they left.

“Bye Als! Love you!”

“Adios, Vixen! Te Quiero!”

“Salut Alya!”

——————-

ONE EXCRUCIATINGLY LONG CAR RIDE LATER:,

Marinette, Aria, and Chloe stepped out of the Envoy and took their bags out of the trunk.

“Zai Jian, Evita! Te Quiero mucho!”

“Adios Mija! Je t’aime!”

Aria gave Evita a hug before slinging her book bag and purse over her shoulder and pulling her suitcase over to the entrance. The girls watched the car drive off before turning and walking into the airport.

“Ay Dios Mio…”

“What?”

“Look at the lines!” Aria gestured over to about fifty people standing in front of a counter.

“Oh, mon Dieu.” 

“Um, no. Look at your tickets. We have first-class. Which is the line over there.” Choe pointed over to a short line with only a few people.

“Oh, thank goodness.” Marinette sighed as she scanned over her plane ticket.

“Wait, really?” Aria scrambled for the small slip of paper in her wallet, accidentally dropping it.

A young male, probably around 15, picked it up. He smiled and held it out to her.

“Here you go, m’lady”

“Thanks, bro,” Aria grunted.

The boy froze for only a second, but it was long enough for her to pluck the leather contraption out of his hand and walk away with the other girls. When they were out of earshot, they all burst out laughing.

“Oh my gosh! Did you see his face when you called him ‘bro’?!”

“That was hilarious,” Aria wiped tears from her eyes.

“Welp, now we know how she keeps guys away.” 

“Who knew it was so simple?”

“No. It’s simple for me. I am the Goddess of repellent. You two are mere mortals.”

“She’s right! Oh, Great One! We are unworthy of your presence, but we beg to learn your ways!” Marinette got down on one knee, with one hand over her heart and the other being held out to Aria.

“Oh, get up Mooncake. They’re looking at us crazy again.” Chloe pulled the smaller girl onto her feet and ruffled her hair.

Marinette giggled, then bowed and took Aria’s hand. 

“I am forever indebted to you for teaching me.” She kissed the brunette’s hand before standing up straight again.

“Mooncake, I love you, but that was the weirdest thing you’ve ever done.”

“Thanks, Abelle.”

“No problem babe.”

Aria rolled her eyes. 

“Next!”

The girls looked up to see it was their turn in line.

“Please place your bags in the designated area.” The lady behind the desk gestured to a wire container.

Marinette looked to the side and placed her suitcase into the basket. The other girls quickly followed suit.

“Names?”

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

“Aria Couture.”

“Chloe Bourgeois.”

The lady typed their names into the computer before waving them away. Marinette saw the dull look in her eyes and pulled out 3 macarons before whispering something and smiling.

“Excuse me, Madame? Here are a few macarons. I hope you have a nice day!” 

Marinette picked up her bags and walked away with her friends. She didn’t miss the small smile that appeared on the woman’s face.

“So, what’d you do to the cookies?”

“Let’s just say the rest of her week will be much better.”

“Minette, I have absolutely no idea what you're implying, and at this point, I'm too scared to ask.”

————

“This is why I hate flying. I’m already exhausted and we haven’t even been at the airport for 2 hours.” Marinette groaned.

“We’re done with all the security stuff, and our suitcases are already boarding the plane, which basically means we can currently do whatever we want. And don’t you still need deodorant?”

“Ugh. You’re right. Let’s go.”

Aria grinned and walked towards a sandwich restaurant.

“Aria, where are you going? The toiletries place is over there.” Marinette pointed to a little kiosk next to the bathrooms.

“Come on. You didn’t really think we would get deodorant before we got food, did you?”

“...I am kind of hungry…”

“Let’s go then!”

Aria grabbed Marinette’s right hand and Chloe’s left hand and yanked them over to the restaurant.

——————

“Flight Number 763, First class, Now boarding.”

Aria jolted awake at the sound of the announcement. She looked over at Chloe and Marinette sleeping peacefully and contemplated waking them up. She'd rather not lose an eye, or two.

Chloe woke up as the brunette picked up a small pink bookbag.

“Good morning Chlo,” Aria yawned.

“...hi Ari.”

Grabbing all of their backpacks, she took the tickets and passports out and walked over to the admittance booth.

“Tickets please."

“Here,” Aria handed him all three tickets and passports.

 Aria looked up at the man in the booth.

“Can we go in or do you need sleeping beauty over here to confirm something,” Aria pointed at Marinette.

“Um. You can go in…”

“Thanks, have a nice day!”

The girls walked to the plane and found their seats quickly. Chloe helped Aria set Marinette down and put the carry-on bags in the capsules above them. Both girls fell back asleep about 10 minutes after they buckled up.

——————

GOTHAM: