#domino 10 designers to watch

[circeyoru]

Collection of Overlords _ Part 11 = Requested

[Alastor x Soul Owner of All Overlords!Reader]

Part 1 — Part 1.5 — Part 2 — Part 3 — Part 4 — Part 5 — Part 6 — Part 7 — Part 8 — Part 9  — Part 10 — Part 11 (here) — Part 12 — Part 13

Like dominos, one thing led to another as predicted

With Alastor motivated to do his absolute to please you, Husk’s hellish training and push to be a worthy Overlord reached its heights. Though, to not cause suspicion to the other residents of the hotel, namely Angel, Husk made appearances here and there just so no one would claim that Alastor was being unreasonable

As for Velvette, she was being mentored by Rosie and Carmilla. It started with just exploring her new title as a ‘Threater Demon’. Her eye in fashion, her want to command, and her presentation skills were strong. Her role in your collection was to project information and messages you want Hell to know about

Because with Hell’s win over Heaven, big changes were bound to come. Not to mention, Trick would be wanting some action on their side and not just to watch their realm fret over yours. You understand the sentiment, after all, you enacted the system for Overlords for that sole purpose in the first place

Now, it was a lucky thing that the Vees actually divided territories before Velvette went solo, because those served as her base of operations and her new home. With Carmilla’s help in construction, Velvette has her own building to call home and workplace. With Rosie’s pointers, Velvette was capable of recruiting talents of worth to her growth

As an Overlord should, Velvette gathered souls to her side through contracts and slowly started to build her own base and support. Just as Alastor was supporting Husk in such a task, albeit it was more complicated since Husk was still under Alastor’s leash at the moment

Her souls comprised of individuals from the fashion and entertainment industries, not too different from her former work associates, so she was able to handle things all on their own. However, there was one thing that she made clear to her people or demons, which is; she was no long part of the Vees and when they sign a contract with her, it’s only to her service

That was something you’re quite proud to hear her say. Even when she is technically starting from rock bottom, she is not using anyone’s name to give herself a boost to start strong and fast, she was using her own. Granted that you allowed Carmilla and Rosie to help, but they were only serving as guidance and giving her advice on what direction to go in. After all that, they took a backseat and watched

To see her rise from the ashes of her own burnt flame was a spectacle and what you have been aiming and doing with your Overlords since the beginning. It was what you have designed when you took initiative to lead a group of overpowered Sinners. They were more than souls doomed to suffer in Hell

In your dark and cruel eyes, they were so much more. While around the majority of the deceased are destined for Hell, their crimes when living define their powers in Hell and their authority in a sense. You being the puppeteer behind your Overlords shows their potential but also their limits because they can never amount to anywhere above Hellborns of great destruction

You have your Overlords their domain of special title. Zestial of Fear, Carmila of War, Rosie of Dismantlement, Zeezi of Violence, Alastor of Domination, and now Velvette has joined their ranks. Velvette of Recreation. So you never let anything destroy or interrupt Velvette’s growth

It’s funny to watch was Vox’s panic over Velvette’s absence and silence. You had given Alastor a power boost to interfere with Vox’s persistent surveillance. The last thing you wanted was for your two new rising stars to have a stalker that will ruin plans and hard work. So now all Vox could do was try to make more public appearances to hypnotize others into staying relevant

Though it wasn’t like you were going to do anything about it. You did, however, receive information from your other Overlords that Vox has been asking around as to where Velvette was. Well, you have to give him credit of being bold enough to ask others where his former associate was at, even though it showed his stupidity

“M’re tea, mine own Liege? (More tea, My Liege?)” Zestial offered with the hovering items. 

“Zestial, this is a redemption lesson.” You politely and indirectly declined his offer.

“Th’re is barely anyone h’re. (There is barely anyone here)” Zestial laughed, still offering you your drink to which you accepted. “And I am listening to the princess’ lesson, m’rely… multitasking. (And I am listening to the princess’ lesson, merely… multitasking.)”

Currently, you were sitting in a lesson of the Princess in her endevours to make her hotel a success. While you admire her dedication, you can hardly see her plans succeeding and that’s what you show her despite knowing of Sir Pentious’ arrival to Heaven

As you were attending her class, it just so happened that Zestial was stopping by for tea with you and joined you when you said you were busy attending Charlie’s little class. Needless to say, Zestial saw no use in such efforts, labelling Charlie’s dream as ‘flight of fantasy’ rather than a goal to strive towards

Zestial taken great offence when Charlie was promoting her aim to him when he first passed through the doors of the hotel, claiming that he never wish or dreams of leaving Hell so long as you permitted him to stay by your side. He saw Charlie’s gracious offer to be good as an insult to him and his devotion to your services, going as far as to see it as a betrayal of your mercy had he paid half a mind to Charlie’s words

It was only because you’d be free after Charlie’s lesson does he stay at the hotel. As for why he was also attending the lesson? It was because it didn’t want to waste a second away from you when he can. Unlike the other Overlords, Zestial was the one to have known you the longest and that has given him some unique privileges 

For example, he could contact you physically or mentally while others have to wait for you to contact them. That was why he suggested for Carmilla to contact you about the matter of the angel’s death instead of waiting for your summons

Another was his authority to stand in as you to a certain degree while you were absent among the gathering of Overlords, that’s why he had that level of say and respect from the others (apart from the Vees, it would seem)

“Hey, Princess!” Vox’s robotic voice boomed through the doors to the room’s doors behind they slammed open unceremoniously to reveal a frantic technology demon. “Princess! I know you’re a good and kind person, er, demon, so I want your help—”

“Help in what?” You questioned but your tone made it sound like a challenge in it of itself.

The moment Vox heard your voice within the room behind him, he froze and like the technology he is, he robotically turned around to meet your eyes. “Ma- I mean… You’re here…” His eyes looked away then back to you and away again, repeating this as though it was a shy schoolgirl with their crush in a love confession. “What a coincident… Haha…”

“Charlie dear.” You got up and Zestial follow suit, indirectly sending a chill down Vox and everyone else’s spine.

“Yes?” Charlie tried her best to keep an unaffected expression, but the way her body trembled and her hands gripped at her sheets of papers till they were all wrinkled up was evident that even she was shaken up.

You smiled back with a small tilt of your head, “I’ll be leaving my leave and bringing Vox along, do continue your lesson on boundaries.”

Zestial followed behind you, “I too shall beest taking mine own leaveth, has’t a pleasant day, princess. (I too will be taking my leave, have a pleasant day, Princess.)”

Vox grudgingly followed along behind the two of you with his head down.

While walking down the halls of the hotel, the mere appearance of Zestial made any demon near you fear for their lives and left with screams and shrieks. Some wondering why such a fearsome character was even in a hotel for redemption and some wondering if such an irredempable demon can be sent to Heaven with Charlie’s help

At those demon’s whispers, Zestial was quick to show why he was still feared even after the emergence of newer and powerful demons that joined the ranks of the Overlord. You reminded indifferent as you continued onwards to your room while Vox held himself back from flinching at Zestial’s more violent and unseen side

Your head turned to the side as you stole a glance at Vox. He was still straightened up, but that was all a facade to hide his fear and anxiety. You internally sighed while Zestial was quick to make work of the disgrace he faced from the shadows and joined her side once more

As clear as day, you recall when there was a time where Alastor spoke praise of Vox and his powers. How he captivated your interest with the potential growth and rise his powers could bring, the thrill you felt when Alastor listed out all the things that he saw Vox could do

The only reservations Alastor had with Vox was his dependence on Alastor as they were sharing a partnership. While Alastor took credit for what he has down, Vox was eager to share his achievements and accomplishments with Alastor’s name, advertising that he was nothing without the help of Alastor who was already an Overlord

Alastor did tell you that Vox wanted and aimed to be an Overlord, but it was to be on the same level as Alastor. As anyone could see, Vox was doing his all to be on Alastor’s equal and to you, that was disappointing. Here Alastor was, recommending Vox to be within your collection when all Vox wanted was to be by Alastor’s side

Oh how you wanted to crush Vox and stuff him into one of your Cages. But you held back, instead, it was more pleasing to see him suffer and rise from the ashes of pain and torture. You gave Alastor a simple suggestion

Break ties with Vox and let him tred his own path

Followed your indirect order Alastor did. Within the minute Alastor broken any and all relationship with Vox, a battle broke out. One where Alastor showcased his power and strength to be leagues above what Vox had in mind

You were perched atop your throne while your other Overlords watched Alastor’s victory and Vox’s defeat within the space you’ve created for them all. The smile you had on you was so wide that your cheeks hurt afterwards when Rosie pointed it out

Then it wasn’t long before Vox seemingly bounced back from his reality check and came back into the spotlight. To your disappointment, Vox used the media in a poor attempt to push Alastor out of power. The little cat and dog fight was entertaining for only a moment’s time as Vox was biting out more and more of Alastor’s time and attention from his rightful duties

The excuse for your intervention only came when Vox claimed to have an Overlord title. Immediately, you brought him into your domain for such a daring claim. Contrary to your expectations, he fell a few feet down, but out of your favouritism for Alastor and trusting in him, you gave Vox a chance. You did need someone to fill in Husk’s place after all

While his offer to share his Overlord status was a unique and intriguing one, his choices were poorer than a human’s foolishness. At the time, there was promise in Velvette, but Valentino was another matter entirely. Still they did work well together, you’ll give them that. So for the first time ever, there was a group of three sharing the title of Overlord

Now that you look back on it, it was a misjudgment on your place. Trusting in Alastor’s words when vouching for Vox was one thing, trusting in Vox’s choice of companionship was another. Still, you see the issue and that somethings could never be changed no matter what

You lost counts on the chances you gave the Vees. If they were any other Overlords in your collection, they’d be long disposed off, but you let them stay out of the goodness of your nonexistent heart

It was a lie

Within your collection, you needed someone at the bottom to be the receiving end of your fury and for someone to be an example to when things don’t go as you please. There needs to be a system of rewards and punishments and who better than the Vees? They have their uses and they wanted to stay. Whether or not they see through your intentions is another story, but you like that they were naive

Before the Vees was Husk who was royally kicked out and still suffering today. Of course he’s aiming to change now with the help of Alastor. Before Husk was a few others not even worthy of your memory. Though the first and successful one? 

Zeezi, your perfect stress toy

It was through her that you realized the need for a bottom rank within your collection. What better to have something dull and trashy to better showcase your most prized ones? Just like now, Vox compared with Alastor. It’s obvious who’s better. The comparison and competition made you ever more pleased with your top favourites

So far, Velvette has been the only one that seeked help to break away from her consequence. You would bet Valentino still sees nothing wrong and would continue as he always had. The question remains… Will Vox change too?

In doing so, put Valentino up for elimination?

You chuckled darkly as you entered your room, taking a seat by the window. “Come on in.”

Vox followed in with a shiver while Zestial closed and locked the doors behind them. The room thrusted into darkness before their surroundings resembled the galaxy appeared before their eyes, something a Sinner can never witness again after their fall. 

“Now,” You smirked, Zestial taking his place by your side and poured you a cup of tea he magically made appear. Your melodious voice played like a record but your words were sharp as knives. “Why did you seek out the dear Princess of Hell?” Vox gulped as much as he wanted to stare at anything by you, he knew it was a death sentence. “Instead of looking for my assistance?”

Note: Been a while since this series was updated. Not sure how many of you still read this. I thought of dropping this series a lot of times because of the writer's block, but here's the next part. I enjoy the asks, ideas, and trivia you guys sent me! What you think would happen now?

Hope you enjoyed this one~

Circe Y. 

My Works: MASTERLIST

Taglist: (those that don't specify to being in all the works' taglist will automatically be assumed to be in whichever series they comment on)

@aconfusedwonderland @crowleysthings @donustellaron @mistpurpl3 @lucifers-silhouette @fluffy-koalala @snowy-violet @charlottesskiss @plutobots @ray-rook @thealienartist @serenity-songbird @galaxydreamer468 @raynerrold @wen01203 @hikari-michiko @colecreo @myromanempiree @xsamkuro @yourdoorisunlocked @clavelina @jono723 @cursedcattalastor @an-idyllic-novelist @flamiohotman2024 @rea-grace @myromanempiree @veroneverleft @lousypotatoes @crazysuityouth @jellyedkazoo @wat4r @kiraisastay @thealienartist @chefysawesomeideas @wtvbabes @patronizingbitch @koshi-kazu @craftyperfectiontragedy @scr4luv @chrollobb @mysterypotatoink @callmefe @dokukg69 @ratchetprime211 @freejayde @prettyprincess-ily @cgmajor @mook14 @ace-spades-1 @yuuandtheghost @abbiesxox @martinys-world @kiraisastay

[yeetus-feetus]

WIP Wednesday

Tumblr prompt: Tim is the first to find out the Red Hood’s identity and from then on sticks to Jason during patrol like glue (much to Jason’s chagrin, dammit, it would feel wrong to beat up Robin when he’s that starry eyed…) Cue: panic from the rest of the batfamily who still think Hood is a 40-something year old crime lord and now assume they’re dating.

@ghost-bxrd

Jason sighs, looking up at the sky dramatically. “Robin, I know you’re following me”, he calls out into the darkness, and there’s shuffling behind him.

He turns around to see Robin step out of the shadows, letting his cape fall apart and reveal bright red and green spandex and kevlar. “I wish the outside of my cape was black, I was running around like a sparkling traffic light”, he pouts under the helmet.

“Mm, maybe you should’ve taken some initiative. I designed my Robin suit all by myself, you took whatever B gave you”, Tim replies teasingly.

Jason chuckles. “Mmm, and maybe you should try humbling yourself every once and a while”. He removes his helmet and quirks an eyebrow from under his domino mask. “Hard to believe Batman never noticed you following him, I noticed you 10 yards back.”

Tim grins, holding his camera up and Jason sticks his tongue out as he takes a photo. “That’s funny, Hood, considering I started following you 50 yards ago. I got bored and started wondering how long it would take you to notice me if I started being less careful.” he explains, looking down at the screen to check the quality of the photo he just took.

“Oh, that right huh?” Jason asks sarcastically, not really believing him.

Tim’s grin widens mischievously and he waves the camera in front of his face. “Want proof, big guy?” he asks.

Jason laughs and snatches the small device, clicking through the recently taken photos. After a moment he groans defeatedly. “Yeah okay, I should've known you’d do something like that you little weirdo. so, how’d I hold up to your little test?”

Tim shrugs. “I wouldn’t call it a test, more of a game to entertain myself really”. But Jason raises his eyebrows up at him, making him sigh. “Yeah okay, you lost the game or failed or whatever. But you did fare better than Big Blue, so there’s that.”

“Oh yeah?” Jason smirks, still clicking through photos.

“Yup”, Tim says, popping the ‘p’. And hoists himself up onto the brick parapet, back facing the city as his feet dangle about an inch off the concrete roof. He tilts his head at Jason when he doesn’t move from where he’s standing, low glow of the open camera screen illuminating his face.

“These are actually really good”, Jason finally says, looking up at him. “Like really clear and in focus. It’s impressive”. He walks over and hands the camera back, leaning against the brick.

“Thanks”, Tim smiles. “I’ve always been really into photography, y'know? It’s like capturing a moment in time and immortalising it, so it will exist forever, even when I'm gone. I really like that aspect of it”.

Jason hums in response. “Never took you as someone sentimental”, he comments.

Tim is quiet, but it’s obvious he’s thinking. And then he hums back. “I didn’t realise I was either”.

This time Jason is the one observing, watching Tim rub his thumb over the side of his camera, and wonders if Tim felt the same way about his photos from before he died, if he looked at the the same way he’s looking at these photos now… if he kept jason alive in still frames while he was gone.

Then he decides he’s making it too deep and pulls out a cigarette, lighting it as Tim turns his head towards him and scrunches up his nose. “Gross, dude.”

“What?” Jason asks, mildly offended.

“I hate the smell of cigarettes”, Tim states. “I don’t care if you smoke them just, not around me, please”, he says, nose still scrunched as he shimmies away, keeping his hands braced on the brick so he doesn’t fall backwards.

Normally, Jason would roll his eyes and take a deep inhale, maybe blow the smoke back out into the other person's face just to spite them. But Tim isn’t telling him not to smoke, he’s asking him not to smoke around him. And, maybe Tim’s scrunched up nose is kinda cute.

So he snubs the cigarette out and puts it back in its box to save for later. “Fine, but I’m getting something to eat then”, Jason complains.

“Cool, I know a really good burrito place not far from here”, Tim smiles, and then he’s throwing himself backwards off the roof, laughing loudly when Jason rushes up to look over the edge.

“You little fucker!” Jason shouts out as he watches Robin shoot his grappling line and swing from a lower roof across the way. “Oh, I’m gonna get that little shit!”, he grumbles to himself, taking a breath to calm the sudden spike of worried adrenaline Tim caused before chasing after him.

Tim pays for their burritos and a tub of Mexican rice before Jason even has the chance to get out his wallet, and they end up eating them on a roof together a block away.

“Ohh yeah, this is good stuff”, Jason moans around a mouthful, and Tim giggles around his plastic spoon. “Okay, you’re forgiven for scaring the shit out of me earlier”, he mumbles, taking another bite of his burrito.

Tim sits the rice aside to take a picture of Jason with food on his face, cheeks stuffed like a chipmunk. Then another photo of Jason sticking the finger up at him. “Lol thats gold, I might make that my laptop’s screensaver”, Tim laughs.

“The laptop you keep all your creepy stalker folders on?” Jason asks, mouth still half-full, leaning over to try and get a look at the camera screen. “oh my god I look so stupid, please don’t!” he laughs.

“Oh gross Jason!” Tim squeals, brushing little bits of burrito off his suit. “Stop talking with your mouth full, you’re getting food everywhere!” but Jason only laughs harder, and ends up choking.

Tim rubs his back as he chokes and sputters over the edge of the roof, and laughs at his expense. “Here, have some of my water.”

Jason ends up chugging all of Tim’s water, so Tim steals his Soda in retaliation. It ends up as a game of rooftop tag until they’re both out of breath and decide to head to their separate ways to get some rest.

And that becomes a frequent occurrence on quiet nights after that. Sometimes even working together on a few cases. It’s honestly quite a lot of fun for both of them, a nice change of pace from the usual doom and gloom of Gotham’s streets.

⧫

Tim is tinkering away with some sort of gadget in the Batcave one afternoon when Alfred stops by with some snacks on a silver platter. “Everything alright with you young sir?” he asks politely.

“Yeah Alf, everything's great actually”, Tim replies cheerfully. But Alfred loiters by him for a few moments too long, making Tim lift his head to look at him questioningly. “What’s up?”

Alfred frowns. “Nothing, Master Timothy. Just, do know that you can come to talk to me about anything if you need, absolutely anything”. He pats Tim on the shoulder in some kind of gesture of comfort before leaving Tim confused at his desk.

What was that about?

But Tim is even more confused later on patrol with Batman. Which was already odd actually, usually they don’t patrol together unless they’re working on a case together, or on a mission, or just something important– there’s nothing important happening tonight. B just told him that they were patrolling Midtown and to get in the batmobile.

And so there they were, driving around in dead silence.

“So… Tim, how’ve you been lately?” B asks, voice gruff and tone awkward.

That makes Tim turn around in his seat to face the older man with his whole body, confusion and worry on his face. “I’m good… why the sudden interest?” he asks cautiously. “Is there something up that I should be worried about?”

Bruce grunts and spares a glance at him before looking back at the road. “I was just asking.” and then, after a few beats of quiet: “You’ve been spending an awful amount of time around the Narrows and Crime Alley”, he states. Oh. That’s Jason’s territory.

Oh.

“Are you worried about Red Hood or something?” Tim asks. Well, this is… complicated.

Bruce grunts again. “Or something.” he turns the car around a sharp corner and Tim braces himself against the seat at the sudden change of route.

He thinks whatever that conversation is over, but a few moments later Batman speaks up again. “Just stay away from him. He’s bad news Robin.” Tim turns to give him a look. “I’m serious. No more patrolling Uptown”.

“What!?” Tim asks. “Are you banning me or something??”

“Yes.” And Tim knows his word is final. Batman’s word is law after all.

He huffs and sits back in his seat, crossing his arms like a petulant child.

Fine, he won’t patrol in Uptown. He’ll just have to figure out a way to convince Jason to meet with him in Midtown somehow. No, that won’t work. Red Hood won’t leave his turf unattended to.

Buut. there is a loophole here that he can take advantage of…

[femmefatalevibe]

how to balance work and personal life???

Plan your days & week around your energy peaks: Figure out the times of the day when you're most focused, productive, creative, fidgety, sleepy, etc., and structure your days/weeks/month around your internal clock to the best of your ability. While this may be slightly difficult if you have a 9-5 or go to school during the day, think about what blocks of time are best dedicated to meetings, creative work, planning, routine tasks, emails, studying, etc. For those with uteruses, consider your energy throughout your cycle to help you plan the month.

Create "bookend" routines: While these will often be your morning and nighttime routines, consider how you prime and unwind your mind from your biggest tasks of the day (for most of us, this will be work, school, and chores on the weekends). Some reading, light movement, and upbeat music can create momentum before starting your daily tasks. A long walk and some journaling are a simple yet productive combination to decompress from the day.

Embrace the power of 3s: Create a daily primer routine, workday, and relaxation routine around 3 core tasks/projects/rituals. For example: Mornings can include using your 5-Minute Journal, doing a quick 10-minute meditation/yoga/dancing session to get in some movement, and spending 10 minutes reading; Your workday should be focused on completing your "Big Three" tasks, projects, or meetings of the day; Evenings can include a quick 5-10 minute planning session for the next day, a 15-60 minute walk or workout (depending on how you're feeling), and some journaling/reading time after dinner. You don't need to do it all. Consistency is key.

Make A Life Admin Schedule (and Stick To It): Choose days (and times if possible) of the week to update certain spreadsheets, batch reply to less urgent messages, clean your house, do laundry, grocery shop, etc. Scheduling these tasks ahead of time eliminates half of the battle for following through on what you need to do. Eventually, you will make these tasks into habitual routines that your brain will allow you to execute effortlessly as though you're in autopilot mode.

Focus on systems, not habits: Consider the domino effect of each practice and activity. Determine whether your current strategies and routines align with your energy, goals, and desired outcomes. Reflect on the parts of your routine that increase/decrease your energy and motivation. See how you can create a system – a pattern of consistently-practiced habits – that supports your goals and desired lifestyle that does not compromise your overall life satisfaction and well-being.

Set Boundaries: Understand your expectations, non-negotiables, and limits in every area of your life. Communicate these principles to others clearly, so they know when they are overstepping. Don't tolerate disrespect, but also don't expect others to be mind-readers. If someone knows that they're crossing your boundaries, it is easy to draw the line in the sand and walk away without the guilt or shame that can arise when conflicts originate from a lack of healthy communication.

Incorporate One Creative Practice Into Your Week: Reinvigorate your mind by engaging in at least one hour of creative activity per week. Try drawing, creative writing, poetry, singing, dancing, painting, pottery, jewelry making, graphic design, photography, etc. Even taking a foreign language course or creating a Pinterest inspiration/mood board or organizing your home/closets in an aesthetically-pleasing way counts. Figure out what creative outlet(s) you find satisfying. Prioritize scheduling this practice into your schedule weekly.

Give Yourself A Weekly "Treat": Find a healthy indulgence that you can strategically incorporate into your week. This "treat" can be a massage or nail appointment, permission to watch a movie or a couple episodes of a TV show, a serving of your favorite dessert or a glass of wine, etc. Life is meant to be enjoyed. Consider regular indulgence as an act of self-care not as a sign of weakness or self-destruction. Embracing pleasure does not require guilt or external permission.

Experiment until you find an achievable balance: Focus on progress, not perfection. While there may be days or even seasons where hard work and fewer pleasures take priority, life is meant to bring you joy, peace, and satisfaction at the end of the day. Remaining in your comfort zone does you no good. However, learning ways to find pleasure in the process remains the key to long-lasting discipline and the energy necessary to maintain the determination required for success.

[the-vixen]

𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐥 : 𝙀𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙃𝙪𝙣𝙩 𝙭 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

PART 9 PART 10 PART 11

-------- MASTERLIST

When you are sent on a mission to rescue Ethan Hunt from prison, the events that domino will force you to face the ghosts of your past and your guilt tied to Ethan.

This takes place throughout the events of ghost protocol. There will be a change in the story and the events of the mission impossible 2 and 3. Ethan and Julia never got married, a certain amount of information will be changed that will be revealed in the story. 

A part of you believed that in another life you would've fallen for Jane. 

You helped her slip into her dress, watching how it highlighted her body. Her lined eyes made her look sultry and mysterious; expressive and elegant as she slipped on her jewelry. Her gear and kevlar was secured under her dress, blending in easily and nicely. 

"Thanks..what about you?" Jane turned to look at you as you zipped her up. 

"ill handle it..I wanna make sure you guys are ready first.." you said quietly as you grabbed her heels. Jane stopped you, taking them from your hands. "I can do all this myself...so can the rest of the boys." she said softly. 

You didnt respond, watching her gaze soften as she watched you. "You're a part of this team...yknow that right?" her rhetorical question and reassurance falling flat to your ears. 

She's pitying you.

Maybe Ethan told her something about you. 

Maybe she finally noticed the shit way Ethan's been treating you throughout this mission. 

You stayed silent, giving her a small smile. You knew her intentions were good, but you didnt want to disrespect her by what you actually thought of that statement. You pulled away and left to the other room, grabbing your dress from the hanger. 

You were already in your kevlar undersuit, so it would've taken you less than a few minutes to dress up. You took off your shirt and pants and pulled on your thigh garters and holsters. While Jane's dress was a beautiful shade of blue with unique work you're sure Ethan acquired from a designer---considering how he managed to show up with an expensive jet, new gear and a BMW super car---it wouldn't have been a surprise. 

Your dress was black with gold accents, with detached sheer black lace sleeves and a necklace cut similar to janes to emphasize your assets. The gold accents followed the lines of your body, curving and highlighting your torso and hips. A small smile came to your face as you held it up as you put it on. The skirt was flowy and silky, a scandalous slit riding up for easy access to the sedative. 

You moved your hair to one shoulder and held the dress against your chest as one hand reached for the zipper behind. You took a breath and closed your eyes, your fingers barely missing the low zipper than went down to your lower back. 

The sudden sensation of cool fingers brushing over yours made you jolt. You turned to see Ethan in his suit standing behind you, his tie undone and blazer off. You looked at him in surprise before he gave you gentle look, a silent permission to assist. 

You bit your lip and nodded once, turning your head forward as you held the dress against your chest and kept your hair away from the zipper. You felt Ethan's gaze burning into your back as he slowly slid the zipper up. 

It closed snug against your body, pushing up your décolletage. Ethan moved his gaze with his knuckles as they moved from your zipper to your bare shoulders, the coldness of them making you shiver. "Thanks.." you muttered, going to grab a clip and pins to keep your hair up. 

Ethan took your wrist, pulling your hand away. You looked at him confusion, watching him running his fingers through your hair and settle it for you. "Looks better like this.." he muttered, your hair settling against your shoulders and back. 

You watched him, his hold on your wrist giving him access to your pulse point. Two fingers unconsciously moved over the point, he watched you carefully. 

Ethan could feel what his touch was doing to you, and you didnt care. 

Not anymore.

Nothing was ever gonna happen and in the long run if left unchecked your feelings will be nothing more than a distraction. 

Or worse.

Ethan's gaze moved to your lips again, a slight hitch in his breath before he swallowed. 

"lipstick." he muttered 

"what?"

"lipstick. you used to wear it." he recalled 

You pulled away, spell broken. "yeah. thanks for reminding me." you turned your back to him and went to your supply bag. 

Ethan closed his eyes briefly, the feeling of the beat of your pulse still phantom in hand. He didnt say anything, deciding to walk out. 

-----

Jane and brandt had entered the party together, giving them a head start on Brij Nath as Ethan and you drove up to the valet. 

You didnt miss the approving look you received from Ethan when you stepped out of the car, Hair down and styled with earrings and makeup to compliment your dress. His hand rested on the small of your back as he guided you through the party.  

People passed by you and smiled as you and Ethan moved through the party, pretending to mingle. Ethan leaned against a pillar as Brandt and Jane detached and walked off, "Comm check?" Ethan muttered. 

Brandt passed by you, "Saturn's got you five by five Jupiter." He told Ethan. 

"Neptune in position." Jane said as she moved to the buffet. 

"Venus copy." You muttered. 

"pluto too." Benji chimed. "why do I have to be pluto? its not even a planet anymore." 

"I think Uranus is still available." Brandt said

"Haha it's funny cause you said anus! real mature." Benji scoffed. 

You watched Jane as she circled the room to catch Brij Nath's attention. His eyes immediately latched onto her figure, watching her as she headed for the Bar. As you and Ethan watched, another man came up to Jane, chatting her up; as soon as he touched her, she took his hand and twisted it, slamming his head on the bar.

You swore and looked back as Brij Nath looked at her, reacting before looking away, resuming his conversation. "he thinks she's unavalaible." you told Ethan. 

Jane shooed the man away, irritated. "Venus..you try." she muttered, "im not in the mood for this shit." she ordered a bourbon. 

"copy." you took a deep breath, looking around for ideas.

After a minute, Ethan saw you ruffling your hair before pinching your cheeks bit. Before he could question, you grabbed one of the party sweets and move your thumb over the edible glitter, dabbing it on your lower lip before shoving the treat into Ethan's hand and walking off. 

A waiter came and provided Brij Nath a phone, to which his attention was turned to the object, giving you the perfect opportunity to strike. 

Ethan watched in confusion, "what are you doing y/n?" he muttered to himself.

[a-m-w-worlds]

Game Review: Grim Fandango

Spoiler free review at the top for newcomers and my more in-depth thoughts below for those familiar with the game!

Spoiler-Free Review for Newcomers

Grim Fandango is a point-and-click adventure game originally released by LucasArts in 1998 and rereleased by Double Fine Productions in 2015. I have only played (and therefore am reviewing) the rerelease, but very little was changed between the two versions so you could safely call this a review of both.

Story and Characters

Grim Fandango is a wildly creative blend of the Day of the Dead and old film noir. You might expect this to be a disjointed combination, yet the concept is executed seamlessly to create a truly compelling world and narrative that pulls you in and delights you at every turn.

In Grim Fandango you play as Manuel "Manny" Calavera, a down-on-his-luck reaper, AKA "travel agent", in the Land of the Dead. Like all reapers at the Department of Death, Manny has to work off the sins of his mortal life in the afterlife by selling "travel packages" to the newly deceased to help them traverse the Land of the Dead and reach eternal peace. The more virtuous the soul the better the travel package, the better the travel package the sooner Manny can go on the journey to eternal peace himself.

After watching Domino Hurley, a rival agent, be given saint after saint while Manny himself gets a seemingly never-ending string of bad clients, he decides enough is enough and with the help of his partner-in-crime, Glottis, steals one of Domino's clients. Mercedes "Meche" Colomar is everything he could have hoped for, a saint of a woman with a spotless record. The only problem? According to the company computers she doesn't even qualify for the worst travel package the DOD offers. Meche is sent out to face the dangers of the Land of the Dead on foot and Manny and Glottis are fired for their transgressions. Feeling responsible for screwing up Meche's afterlife, Manny swears to safely escort her through the Land of the Dead himself.

As Manny will soon discover though, Meche is just the tip of the iceberg. His mistake has uncovered a web of corruption spanning the entire Land of the Dead and plunges him, Meche, and Glottis into a world of secret organizations, conspiracies, and betrayals.

Gameplay

Gameplay is pretty standard for a point-and-click adventure. Explore locations, talk to characters, pick up objects, and solve environmental puzzles.

The original release of the game exclusively used tank controls, but the rerelease gives you the option to use tank controls, standard point-and-click, or alternate between them.

Most of the puzzles are challenging to figure out the first time but give you all the information you need to solve them.

Some of the puzzles though could benefit from a few more clues as even after multiple playthroughs it's still not clear to me how you're supposed to logically solve them.

Rating and Trigger Warnings

The game is rated T for teen for language, violence, smoking, alcohol, and suggestive content.

The language and suggestive content are both very mild.

Several characters drink throughout the game, but only one gets drunk and mostly to comical effect.

The violence is very graphic, but it's all very cartoony and being inflicted on slightly cheesy, low-poly skeleton models, so, uh, proceed at your own risk?

Verdict

Grim Fandango is a brilliant game dripping with charm and personality. The characters are entertaining. The environments are creative and fun to explore. The writing is snappy and sharp as a tack. And the music, voice acting, and sound design as a whole are all stellar.

If you like games with a unique premise, made with lots of love and creativity, Grim Fandango is a must play! I would give the game a 10/10 if it weren't for a couple puzzles possibly missing the clues needed to solve them. Even taking that into account though, I don't think I can score it lower than 9.5/10!

My Personal Thoughts (AKA Gushing, Gabbing, and Griping!)

Spoilers ahead!

Oh, boy, where do I start?

Before 2023, I didn't know Grim Fandango existed. Grim came out several years before the timeframe when most of my childhood games were releasing, so it was just never on my radar. I didn't discover it until after playing Psychonauts for the first time and (after becoming freaking obsessed with it) became interested in what other games Double Fine had made, which is how I found Grim Fandango Remastered. This game immediately caught my attention. Film noir mystery in the Land of the Dead was just too interesting a premise to pass on! So, a few months later when the game went on sale on Steam I bought and played it for the first time.

I tend to not hold a game's age against it, cheesy graphics and clunky controls have never inhibited my enjoyment of a game, but I wasn't sure what to expect from a game over twenty-five years old.

It did not disappoint!

(Quick note; I intended to release all of this as a single post, but it was becoming intimidatingly large, so, I'm breaking it up into several smaller posts for my own sanity!)

Story and World-Building

Characters (TBA)

Environments (TBA)

Inhabitants of the Eighth Underworld (TBA)

Soundtrack and Sound Design (TBA)

Gameplay and Puzzles (TBA)

Animations

Art Style (TBA)

Closing Thoughts (TBA)

[upismediacenter]

DALOY: UPIS Celebrates Return of Field Demo and Powerdance

The UP Integrated School (UPIS) rejoiced as the face-to-face Field Demonstration and Powerdance returned on May 22, 2024, at the UPIS 7-12 Gymnasium after a years-long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. The event featured performances from different batches.

This year’s theme was “Agos: Mga Kilapsaw na Nagkakaisa, Iisang Alon ng Pag-asa”. Titled “DALOY”; the activity aimed to inspire students to unite and work towards a common cause, emphasizing the importance of solidarity in creating a wave of hope and positive change.

DALOY was divided into two programs: the first was the Field Demonstration for Grades K-6, and the second was the Powerdance competition between Grades 7-10. There were special numbers from the UPIS Dance Company, Grade 12 students (Batch 2024), and the UPIS Pep Squad. Both programs were hosted by Mx. Ey Calso from the Health and PE Department, and Mr. Harold Badilla from the Mathematics Department.

FIELD DEMO

The performances and cheers for the Field Demo had to answer the question: “Bilang kabataan, paano mo mapapabuti ang kalagayan ng mundo? (As a youth, how can you improve the state of the world?)”. The event started with the opening remarks from the Dean of the UP Diliman College of Education, Dr. Jerome T. Buenviaje. Afterward, the judges were promptly introduced: Mr. Carlo Pineda from the Filipino Department, and UPIS alumni Ms. Danna Sumalabe and Ms. Tristine Anne Badong.

The first to perform were the K-2 students from Batch 2036, 2035, and 2034. All three batches wore blue T-shirts, differing in intensity of shade with Kinder wearing the lightest and Grade 2, the darkest. Their dance ended with the teachers blowing bubbles in the air and waving blue cloths that mimicked ocean waves. Their performance showed that your abilities hold the power to better the world. At the beginning of their performance, K-2 declared, “Saan ka man dalhin ng agos, sundan mo lang ang daloy (Wherever the current carries you, simply follow its flow)”. They won two awards: Crowd Favorite and Most Synchronized. Watch their performance here.

The next to perform were the Grade 3 students (Batch 2033) who wore PE jogging pants and donned white shirts with a colorful design encircling their batch number (on the front) and their batch logo design (on the back). They cheered about how, despite their young age, they will shine persistently. They also formed small circle formations near the end of their performance. They won the Best in Formation award. Watch their performance here.

Next were the Grade 4 (Batch 2032) students; they raised white fans, producing a domino effect and later on revealed colorful fans to surprise the crowd. In the beginning of their performance, they chanted about how they will forge a new path amidst the waves, and utilize their strength and dreams for a brighter tomorrow. They won the award for Best Interpretation. Watch their performance here.

The penultimate batch performance was from the Grade 5 students (Batch 2031) who wore colorful cloaks over white shirts during their dance. Their chant ended with, “Kami ang magsisilbing liwanag sa dilim (We will serve as the light in the darkness)”, conveying the message that the youth serves as light in times of darkness, and they are determined to use that light to make the world better. They won the award for Best Choreography. Watch their performance here.

The last performers were the Grade 6 students (Batch 2030), who wore red caps and a batch shirt with their batch name and a butterfly design. Their chant at the beginning of the performance urged the people to cherish the environment and to stay true to themselves, no matter what. They won three awards: Best Cheer, Most Energetic, and Best Costume. Watch their performance here.

The track “Go Up” by SB19 was the required song in the performance of all the batches while “Liwanag sa Dilim”, either as sung by Rivermaya or the All Star version, was coincidentally present in every batch’s performance in response to the aforementioned question of the event.

After the performances, the UPIS Dance Company presented a special number to the song, “Treasure” by Bruno Mars, indicating that the Field Demo performances had come to an end. Watch their performance here.

For the complete videos of all DALOY performances, visit the UPIS Media Center's YouTube channel.

After that, the winners were announced and the awards were given by Asst. Prof. Mia Baygan and Ms. Cathy Olivar, the advisers of the Pamunuan ng Kamag-Aral (PKA)—3-6 and 7-10, respectively.

The Field Demo concluded with the closing remarks by Asst. Prof. Baygan, who thanked all the supporters, the parents, and the students who showed up and gave their support that led to a successful Field Demo. The program ended with the singing of the “UP Naming Mahal” led by Ethan Lakip, president of PKA 3-6.

There were many challenges that the advisers and students encountered during the preparations for their Field Demo. These include the cancellation of face-to-face classes due to the high heat index and the changes in venue.

K-2 Daloy Team Head and Teacher Jessica Terante shared how the sudden shift to online mode affected their practice for the performances. According to Teacher Jessica, preparations included planning the timeline for the joint practices and goals for each week, shooting a dance video tutorial so students can watch/practice at home, and deciding on the students’ costumes and props, they reported.

Despite the challenges that were faced, the Field Demo pushed through and the K-6 students completed their performances despite limited practice time.

POWERDANCE

The Powerdance performances revolved around the question: “Ano ang dapat ipinaglalaban ng mga kabataan sa henerasyon ngayon? (What should the youth be fighting for in this generation?)” All the performers started with an introductory speech/cheer and answered the question through their dances.

The event began with opening remarks from UP Diliman Chancellor Edgardo Carlo L. Vistan II and an introduction of the judges. The judges for this year’s Powerdance were Ms. Mary Ann Ignacio, a K-2 teacher, and Ms. Liway Perez and Ms. Iya Oliva, both alumni of UPIS.

The performances commenced with the Grade 7 students (Batch 2029) performing in colorful cloaks and masquerade masks. Their vibrant dance showcased the flowy cloaks, ending with a dramatic toss in the air. Their cheer centered on how even when faced with big waves of hardships, they, the youth, shine as beacons of hope. They won third runner-up. Watch their performance here.

The next performers were Grade 8 students (Batch 2028), half were dressed in pirate-themed costumes while the other half wore civilian-themed blue attire. Their dance was filled with pirate flair, complete with props such as swords and flags. The speech that accompanied their performance conveyed a simple yet powerful message: anyone, whether mermaid or human, can contribute to positive change in life. They won second-runner up. Watch their performance here.

After them, Grade 9 students (Batch 2027) made an entrance, clad in contrasting black or white attire. Later in their performance, they revealed their vests in a spectrum of colors underneath the neutral fabrics. Batch 2027 hoped to spare the next generation from darkness, aspiring to be their guiding light. As their batch said at the beginning of their performance, “Kabataan ang ating pag-asa at sagot (the youth are our hope and answer)”. They won first-runner up. Watch their performance here.

In the second-to-the-last Powerdance performance, Grade 10 students (Batch 2026) captivated the audience with their all-black attire, their mouths initially veiled with cloth. Later in their performance, they cast aside the cloth that had been covering their mouths, and their long skirts, initially black, were revealed to be in different shades of blue. Their performance demonstrated how powerful the youth’s voices could be, affirming that they will never be silenced, regardless of who tries to quiet them. They were the Champion of the Powerdance competition. Watch their performance here.

All the Grade 7-10 Powerdance performances included a dance to BINI x SB19 x Jonathan Manalo’s “Kabataang Pinoy” as it was a required song for their performances.

The final act featured a special farewell performance from the graduating class, Grade 12 (Batch 2024). They donned violet shirts bearing their batch number (on the front) and surnames (on the back); their homeroom advisers and teachers joined them at the latter part of the performance. A special recognition award was given to the batch. Watch their performance here.

After the Powerdance performances, there was a special number from the UPIS Pep Squad.

The group performed multiple cheerleading dance routines that consisted of tumbling, stunting, dance, pyramids, cheers, and the renowned “Unibersidad ng Pilipinas” chant. During a costume change for the dancers, the drummers presented a solo. Watch their performance here.

For the complete videos of all DALOY performances, visit the UPIS Media Center's YouTube channel.

After the culmination of all performances, PKA Advisers Asst. Prof. Mia Baygan and Ms. Cathy Olivar and the judges took the stage to announce the winners for the Powerdance competition. Two Stunner Awards were also given to recognize individual students who performed exceptionally. The two stunners were Jude Camba from Batch 2029 and Xinia Maza from Batch 2027.

To wrap up the event, Ms. Cathy Olivar delivered the closing remarks, expressing gratitude to the students, supporters, and parents for their dedication and support. The event concluded with Francine Candido, treasurer of the PKA 7-10, leading the singing of “UP Naming Mahal”.

Preparing for the Field Demo and Powerdance involved various challenges and adjustments, according to PKA Presidents Ethan Lakip and Justice Aguinaldo.

“One of the major challenges we faced was the high heat index,” Aguinaldo said. “Due to this, many of the Field Demonstration and Powerdance practices were canceled, leading us to revise the schedule repeatedly to adjust to the new setup.”

PKA 3-6 President Ethan Lakip also stated that face-to-face classes were suspended due to the heat, forcing them to reschedule the UPIS days including the Field Demo.

The preparations that were made specifically for both the Field Demo and Powerdance event weren't just one thing— there were many plans and ideas that came along the way to be able to have the appropriate preparations, they reported. Additionally, the UPIS Executive Committee recommended holding the event indoors or under a roof due to the weather conditions, necessitating careful venue considerations.

"Our main priority was the health and safety of the students," Aguinaldo emphasized. She added that the PKA drafted a schedule for all Field Demo & Powerdance practices, adjusted for the high heat index and the shift to remote learning. They secured suitable shaded venues and managed extensive paperwork, including letters to secure venues and invitations to judges and the UP Diliman Chancellor, said Aguinaldo.

In addition to managing logistics, the PKA ensured thorough coordination with various parties, including the UPIS Executive Committee, Homeroom Advisers, and the students, to address any challenges and ensure a smooth and successful event.

//by Faye Obaña, Aisha Timbal, Margaret Tolentino, Athens Hombrebueno, Elis Reyes, and Aila Orillaza

[cogbreath]

please tell me your best 9/11 facts im actually curiojs

1. This is my favorite fact of all. there exists a photo of one of the hijackers doing bong rips. the sad part is we aren't allowed to see it. I asked all the right ppl but unfortunately its not something the public will probably get to see :(

2. Mohamed Atta once went to see the jungle book in theaters with his roommate in germany. He (Atta) got so mad about all the people talking during the movie that he kept angrily muttering "Chaos!" the entire time and was so mad about the whole ordeal he shut himself in his room the rest of the day.

3. So lets talk about jet fuel and steel beams. Sure, jet fuel itself cant melt beams. What really happened is the impact of the plane crash blew off the fireproofing in the towers. The jet fuel and the explosion ignited a lot of fires, and the steel beams of the towers started to become malleable (not melted!) from the intense heat, causing the walls of the towers to bend in on themselves. Eventually the force of the walls sagging became so intense that the building collapsed in on itself, causing a sort of domino effect. The twin towers were constructed with a method that is characteristically different than other skyscrapers have been built with. I am not too well versed on the physics of it all, but basically, a unique construction led to a unique collapse and that is "the deal" with the way the towers fell. Also, some of the jet fuel fell into the elevator shafts and exploded into flames on lower floors. Basically, the fact the towers were built to be more open and hollow compared to other skyscrapers meant that a lot of fires were able to spread in these circumstances.

4. The architect for the WTC actually worked with The Saudi Binladin Group, a construction conglomerate founded by Osama Bin Laden's Father. As far as I know, thats as far as the connection goes between the two and anything that says theres more to this is just kind of unfounded theorizing

5. observers actually thought that flight 77 (the one that crashed into the pentagon) was a military aircraft, because the speed and advanced manuevers they saw made them think it was a military plane. On that note, the hijacker pilot of this flight, Hani Hanjour, was unique in that he had a career as a commercial pilot beforehand in the 90s.

6. Ziad Jarrah's roommate in florida once saw him crash a plane into a building while playing microsoft flight simulator. He (the roommate) found it funny at the time, but not in hindsight, of course.

7. Also, according to this same roommate, Jarrah really enjoyed watching the show F.R.I.E.N.D.S.

8. Ironically, when designing the WTC, they did wonder about a situation if a jet airliner were to crash into the towers.

9. Also when designing the world trade center, they increased the floor space plan to be (coincidentally) about as large as that as the pentagon.

10. Mohamed Atta's email was discovered to have contained file attachments infected with the SirCam malware. (i just like this fact bc its a crossover between my special interests. malware and 9/11.)

11. Lastly, they actually didnt decide on what targets to hit in the attack until July of 2001 despite having planned the attack for the past 3 years!!! crazy!

[hardcore-lonewolf]

Pocketwatch Question!

I know Kitten is into Robin I/Nightwing and Dick Grayson, so my inspiration of Ace will be based on her for blond hair and blue eyes like her mother with her father's insane madness.

Matt's permanent portrayal has changed from Noah Nixon from Generator Rex to Danny Rand aka Iron Fist from Ultimate Spider-Man, I loved Greg Cipes for voicing him so much.

His portrayal starts from Noah Nixon for S1 and S2, and Danny Rand for S3 and S4...that's the procedure.

Recasting her will be good for the rivalry between Kitten Moth and Catgirl, but I chose Lucy due to the Injustice trailer video in Arkham Asylum between Harley Quinn and Catwoman in their Arkham City skins.

Lucy Quinzel's character portrayal is Annie from Generator Rex mixed with Jinx | Powder from League of Legends, and Misty's portrayal will be Beverly Holiday from Generator Rex mixed with Stocking Anarchy from Panty & Stocking.

Knowing users make redesigns of heroes and villains are very savage...follow those people who recreated them if they're really savage.

I would usually picked my portrayals by watching shows like Invincible, Young Justice, Ben 10 (Not the Reboot...it's OS/AF/UA/OV), Generator Rex, Teen Titans (2003), the Last Airbender, X-Men: Evolution, DCAMU, the Secret Saturdays, Danny Phantom, Kim Possible, the Legend of Korra, Spectacular Spider-Man, Ultimate Spider-Man, TMNT (2003), Wolverine & the X-Men, and others.

Since Gizmo, Jinx, and Mammoth got some redesigns...Mammoth got a different design and I love it...we will choose the portrayals.

We got Psimon, Devastation, Gizmo, Shimmer, Mammoth, the Terror Twins, Jinx, Icicle Junior, and Holocaust.

Let's start with the sirens; Devastation, Shimmer, Tuppence, and Jinx...they need four more members to make this even.

I chose Blackfire, Terra, Ace, and Domino...I know Kitten was the original one till I realized that she has something I hate about her...and that'll be dating and using a mutated spider guy.

Blackfire's portrayal is Circe from Generator Rex with violet to blue dye within her black hair, I want her to be step-sisters with Wildfire and Starfire while having a big brother named Darkfire...portrayed as Moss.

Starfire's hair is an ombre with brown, pink, red, orange, and yellow for the fiery ends like fire...Blackfire's hair is now ombre with black, violet, blue, cyan, and white for the snowy tips.

Ace's portrayal is Annie from Generator Rex, the natural hair and eyes before becoming her new alias...this was Kitten's original portrayal.

Ace Spades will have Kitten's portrayed looks, Jinx's tattoos and color scheme to her hairstyle, Harley's clothing styles, Joker's insane madness, and their choice of weapons.

Domino's portrayal is still will be Beverly Holiday, though I want to give her Stocking's color scheme to her stuffed cat with Misty Kilgore's hair and clothing...her mother's portrayal is Rebecca Holiday to show off the resemblance between the two characters.

Going to the guys...Psimon, Tommy, Gizmo, Mammoth, Holocaust, and Icicle Junior.

For Billy's portrayal, I chose Walter aka Skwydd from Generator Rex.

For See-More, his portrayal will be Rex Salazar and I thought it'll be cool cause he has the Omega Nanite Goggles to the powers...watch the show...it's nostalgic.

It's up to Zatanna to protect Matt from crazy chicks...comment down below and follow.

[curestardust]

Dust Watched: Bakuten!! Movie

Genres: Sports (Men’s Rhythmic Gymnastics), SoL // 1 movie (1h30m) // S01 (x) 

A redemption. We love to see it.

✧  story  ✧

I was, I believe, one of the few people who actually didn’t like the original “Bakuten!!” anime very much. So I was more than ecstatic watching this movie, as basically all of my complaints have been remedied and we got a really nice finale(?) for the show.

The story picks up where the last one left off, a bit before the Inter High Championship. There’s some training and goofing around but red flags are popping up all over the place. Sure enough, when the group was about to give its performance at the Inter High, I checked the time and we were only 20 minutes into the movie. Oof.

A domino falls, and many more follow. The anime’s mood goes into a slow uncomfortable, tense, and depressing downward spiral as nothing seems to be going right. An emotional confrontation where everything just comes to the surface, kickstarts the events that stop our descent into Depression Valley and we get to enjoy the journey of the ascent; the characters finally coming to terms with their situation and feelings, ending us off with a fun final performance. Great pacing all in all.

✧  characters  ✧

I complained a lot about the characters of the senpais due to them feeling like one-gag characters who couldn’t get a second to be *actual* fully fleshed out characters because they had to upkeep a quota of saying a joke X times an episode. And while their goofy ahh designs I’m still not a fan of, this movie GREATLY dialed back the gags which helped a lot. This was essential too, with how character-centric this movie was. The greatest character development obviously goes to Watari, who has the seniority and becomes the new captain with the 3 eldest leaving to start studying for their Entrance Exams. He has no idea what to do and feels horrible about it. Futaba is conflicted and scared while Misato is just silently bottling up his emotions, leading to an incredibly stressful environment. Misato actually barely talks for the first half of the movie so I was kinda concerned that now that his talent isn’t in the spotlight, the story won’t know what to do with him but I was wrong- He is great in the secon half.

And of course, the BasedTM Shiro High members make their (pretty important) appearance too, which was my favourite part from the original season to begin with, so I was happy beyond words.

✧  art  ✧

The movie carries the same quality as the original although with a few... interesting artistic liberties taken. I only wish they had fewer cuts during the performances cause I couldn’t keep track of what was going on.

✧  sound ✧

Again, the music is not my style but goes well with the show and I don’t remember what my problem was with Futaba’s VA in S01 but he must’ve worked it out cause all the VA’s did a great job.

✧  overview ✧

While I quite enjoyed this movie, there was something more that I wanted to congratulate it on. In one scene, Futaba mentions what a shame it is that there’s “no future in Men’s Rhythmic Gymnastics” as you can’t go pro or to the Olympics. This prompted me to look up some info on the sport and read an article that gave me a much greater understanding on the goal of this show.

Not only is what Futaba says true, the sport basically only exists in Japan where it has some ties to Martial Arts.

All sports anime have those “oh no, the senpais are going to College/University, and they might not continue doing the sport” arc but in this case, it hurts more because they don’t quite have a choice. And yet the ending of the anime feels hopeful. That even ifnot in this generation, or the next, but someday, kids will be able to look at Men’s Rhythmic Gymnastics as a viable career.

This show is a love letter to the sport. And I’m sure the creators are hoping for a future in reality the like of what they’ve set-up in the movie. 

My Rating: 8/10

[bougonia]

Hey OP, sorry in advance for the essay but you stumbled upon something I've been thinking about a lot recently. Yes, perfumes are more popular due to advertising but it extends far beyond scentbird.

So... I just (rather abruptly) snapped out of a several-months-long fixation on fragrance. I had always been somewhat interested in fragrance from a sensory-seeking perspective but a few months ago I was reminded that there were various online communities about fragrance, a switch flipped in my brain, and I became completely obsessed. Spending hours and hours per day on various subreddits, websites, and blogs dedicated to personal fragrance.

While I did spend a lot of time just earmarking different scents that I wanted to try (most of which I never actually tried-- it was more of a "the research is the fun" kind of thing), I also became familiar with the culture surrounding perfumes, how we talk about them, and why they're having such a big cultural moment right now.

Up until recently, fragrance had more or less been a woman's game. There was enough cologne enthusiasts to keep the industry going and your average man would have a bottle or two, but if you pulled a random person off the street and asked if they wear fragrance daily, more women were going to say yes than men. Here's a survey among university students from 2020-- 56% of men vs 81% of women.

But as much as the recent trend targets women and girls, it has affected men and boys far more. In January 2023, r/perfumes had 21.2k members and has now increased by (a still absurd) 480% to 123k. r/colognes, on the other hand, had a mere 7165, and has now increased to 92k, an increase of almost 1200%. That is more than double the rate of growth. For context: reddit's userbase as a whole has increased about 21%.

(I wish I could get better data, including when the majority of users joined up, but because of reddit's API changes last year that's not really feasible)

To be clear, I do get that a certain amount is just due to the natural consequence of diminishing returns. Since more women were interested fragrance in the first place (enough to join a subreddit, anyway), there's a larger body of potential men and boys who could become consumers. But what makes people get "into" them in the first place? Obviously (and as OP pointed out) advertising.

And boy howdy are they advertising to men and boys. Specifically cisgender, heterosexual males aged 13 to 25. (Yes, 13. There was a New York Times article about the rise of designer cologne among teenage boys.)

There are so many tiktokkers and youtubers who are recieving promotional bottles of very expensive scents (seriously, it isn't uncommon for a single bottle to cost >$250, and a $100 bottle is often considered inexpensive) in return for hyping them up.

There are so many youtube videos that are top 10 lists of perfumes you need to buy Right Now using terms like "panty dropper", "smellmaxxing", and "beast mode". An emphasis is put on how the perfumes will get you compliments, how ladies love them, and how they are "the best scent" (which I find absurd; scent is a very subjective experience).

But why are boys watching these videos in the first place? What drew them there?

I actually don't necessarily think this was initially a calculated move by the perfume industry. They're encouraging and capitalizing on it now, for sure, but I don't think the initial domino was intended at all.

In my opinion, ground zero for the cologne phenomenon: Jeremy Fragrance.

Jeremy Fragrance has been a fairly popular youtuber for some time now, having been reviewing fragrances since 2014. But around December 2022, he began to go viral for his odd behavior. Interest in him died down for a little bit, but then again in March 2023 he goes viral again. After that, the previously eccentric man began an extended meltdown (theorized to be the result of cocaine usage) that cemented him as a target of parody and mockery. For lack of a better term, he became a lolcow. Clips of him would frequently go viral on tiktok-- particularly (albeit not exclusively) among teen boys and young men.

And that tiktok virality had an interesting side effect. As anyone who has ever used tiktok can tell you, it has a tendency to send you down rabbit holes. For all intents and purposes, Jeremy Fragrance was a fragrance reviewer. So you and your buddies watch a few of his videos, have a good chuckle, and then tiktok keeps showing you fragrance reviews. And hey, this sounds kind of interesting actually, maybe this would help me with women...

Eventually the tiktok algorithm recognizes that other content for teen boys and young men is frequently viewed alongside cologne reviews. So other members of that demographic get those reviews. And so on and so forth-- a self-reinforcing loop.

This is a major win for fragrance companies. More interest in reviews = more reviewers = more people to get to shill for you.

Of course, I don't think Jeremy Fragrance is the only factor. I don't think people would have taken to fragrance in the same way if there wasn't already fertile cultural soil for such a trend.

I suspect the (perceived or real) disenfranchisement of boys, the same atmosphere that bred manosphere content, is at least partially to blame. There's certainly some overlap in rhetoric. I can also imagine it's a reaction to the ubiquitous punchline that teen boys are smelly and gross.

I think a similar thing happened among women, except with a bunch of smaller, less conspicuous factors. Instead of the viral smash of Jeremy Fragrance, they had the "clean girl", skincare, and other trends that encouraged girls and young women to buy all sorts of products to perfect their bodies, fragrance included. Fragrance companies, having perfected social media marketing, could pull the same tricks.

(The idea of needing to have a different perfume for every occasion/season is more or less a new phenomenon outside of hobby circles. Sure is convenient for perfume companies, though...)

The increase of girls' interest in perfumes is more or less ignored. Granted, it's not as striking as teen boys suddenly spending thousands of dollars on niche and designer perfume, but it is a massive increase. But hey, women are supposed to be into perfumes, after all. It's just another one of those costs of femininity that we expect women to bear.

Obviously a lot of this is just speculation on my end. My suspicion that it's Jeremy Fragrance's fault is especially suspect. But a lot of this is based on trends that I have noticed, and I'm far from the only one.

Anyway, I love the idea of perfumes. I love having a scent that you really like that you can smell whenever you feel like it. I like coming across something and thinking, woah, I didn't know perfumes could smell like that. However, I am very disillusioned with the perfume industry, and I especially hate the way that they utilize social media to push their overpriced products (which have been getting more and more expensive!), especially to young people who lack the critical thinking to realize they're being advertised to.

"advertising doesn't work" the increase in scentbird ads and people talking about a "personal signature scent" directly correlates with my family's interest in perfumes. Even if they're not using scentbird, something probably changed to make them want perfumes more, right?

[littleharpethcrossfit]

Saturday, 21 October, 2023.

It was a brisk 45 degrees at the early workout, but it warmed to 60 degrees by the start of the 0930. A perfect sunny Fall morning at the Barn.

The Admiral and Birthday Boy Armando led our mobility warmup.

Warmup #2

Demo'ed by Dana.

4 Rounds

10 Banded Good Mornings

10 Banded Thrusters

Armando's 51st Birthday WOD

1 ROUND

10 Bench Press ( 185 / 135 / 85 )

Row-Ski 1,972m or Bike 3,944m

18 Deadlifts ( 225 / 185 / 125 )

51 Sledge-Hammers

10 Minute Interval For Rest And Re-set Equipment

Bernard's 47th Birthday WOD

1 Round

10 Shoulder To Overhead ( 135 / 95 / 75 )

Row-Ski 1,976m or Bike 3,952m

24 Power Cleans ( 135 / 95 / 75 )

47 Sledge-Hammers

Scores:

Post Time For Armando WOD and Time For Bernard WOD.

HOWEVER, Chicken-Legged Larry gave me some heart-felt suggestions regarding the posting of scores, and since I am always and forever in tune with the old "2 heads are better than 1" (except in marriage), I realized that posting scores as one combined number was a superior method. Even better would have been scoring the elapsed time from start to finish including the 10 minute rest. But since we didn't post that way, I did all the math, combining everyone's scores and collating them as (thanklessly) always.

Shane=25:34** Bernard=25:41** Larry=26:03** Armando=26:20** Ed=27:58** Elisa/Kayla/Alicia=28:06 Robert=28:30** LSU=28 "something" Nathan=29:30* Rodney=29:31 Jon=29:33 Warren A=29:38 Joe=30 "something" Mitch=30:56 Dyer=32:09* Tim=32:30* Cherrita=33:45 Coach=35:54 Tom=35:56 WG=38:16 Faith (The Kid)=39:39 Shannon/Michelle=41:00 Sandy=42:00 Average Dave="Personal Records" Many failed to post scores. Like the lovely Ruth Anne.

Notes:

Considering these two Birthday WODs were designed by unprofessional programmers while under the influence of copious alcohol, our gang performed them with enthusiasm and negligible glomming.

Jon was sponsored by Rodney and is a Pediatrician known professionally by many of us. FYI, Robert has a jealous and monetarily competitive disliking for all Medical Doctors. Billed as a mono-structural athlete (runner), Jon seemed to do well under Rodney's tutelage and left with a fine BSN T-shirt. Michelle is Shannon's Sister and today was her first visit to the Barn. I think Michelle was intimidated and did not want to work out with us, stating her inclination to just go for a run in the park. With some arm-twisting and locking the Arboretum gate, I got her to work out with Sister Shannon. And it was a beautiful thing to watch. I'm sure they made fond memories today. She left with a T-shirt also.

Usually Kayla brews us iced coffee on Saturday mornings. Timmy even brought extra ice. Alas, Kayla didn't bring the coffee fixings today, mumbling the excuse that she "didn't come here from home". She left in a hot-rush immediately after the WOD like maybe she left something boiling over a hot fire, or maybe left the shower running.

Miss Linda returns from visiting our North Carolina Kids today, and she is going to be crabbier than usual when she sees all her pre-cooked meals that she left for me untouched in the fridge. She will know that several of my favorite Barn Girls fed me with their own home-cookin'. Usually the resident dog would have profited from this situation, but Miss Esther took Ginger The Pup home with her for the last few days.

This commercial showing Domino Pizza delivery persons flying thru the air delivering hot Pizza's without benefit of parachutes or drones is going to result in an outbreak of youngsters who identify as birds getting killed jumping from planes or other high places. Kayla brought a SoCal girl-friend to the Barn last week who I believe thinks she is a bird. Sammy D wasn't here that day, else they woulda bonded like Gorilla Glue.

Sunday at 0730 and 1 PM. I hope Kayla can make it.

[lilo-henz]

✨ Once upon a time, the planets 🪐 and the fates and all the stars 💫 aligned. You and I ended up in the same room, at the same time…… If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Strategy sets the scene for the tale. I'm the wind in our free-flowing sails, and the liquor in our cocktails. 🍸

What if we told you none of it was accidental. And the first 🌌 night that you saw us, nothing was gonna stop US? We laid the groundwork (in November 💪 ) and then, just like clockwork, the dominoes cascaded in a line.

What if I told you I'm a mastermind? And now you’re mine, it was all my 👩🏻‍🔬 design.

‘Cause I'm a mastermind.

🫶🫶🫶

Something I never knew I wanted to do was in the works since they were born! 🩷👯‍♀️🩷 Watched them grow through all the eras, as I lived them. Together we survived a canceled LoverFest and the Ticketmaster disaster. Even with our terrible obstructed view seats (N1), we brainstormed and argued over the coordination of our outfits for months and months, knowing that any seat would be amazing. And 10 days before, my husband scores us well-deserved AMAZING seats for N3, when TM released additional tix, and it was unbelievable. ✨

NONE of it was accidental! We worked and hustled daily since November 1, 2022… and our work paid off. Two nights in A-TAY-L with three of my besties! And our theme was executed perfectly for our big night…

The Eras Prom.

♥️💙💚🩵

[ruumirmir]

HEHHEHGHEHGHHHEHEHGH HOW COULD I NOT GET THE HOUSE OF WOLVES REFERENCE that was THE roman empire that got me So invested into the harbingers. ESPECIALLY PANTALONE cause the umbrella + gun combo was Doing it for me. Ladies first ig cause Navia is slaying that gunbrella now ＞︿＜

J Michael Tatum agenda coming in with the STEEL CHAIR in the holy year of 2024 cause the new black butler season just dropped OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH wdym sebastian is wearing GLASSES with the HANGING METAL CHAINS as well. I will die perhaps. Also im breaking my silence today: I think Pantalone's japanese VA was the biggest L of the century. Naur..... why is it that deep.... Threw me off so hard.... IM going to rank the VA's in order of how i like them:

English (beautiful. Evil boy. Cunning. Your typical (^_^) faced anime snake. perhaps a little mischievious. Teehee. Fucking kills you <3)

Chinese (your shady coworker. But hes fairly chill. You guys do your accounting maths homework over a cup of coffee sometimes)

Russian (its giving Zhenya from Codename Anastasia. I need to run far away as possible. Sexy 10/10 tho)

Korean (feels like hes mentally spitting on my face. okay damn egocentric ceo boss I wont ever breathe the same air as you please forgive me)

Latin Spanish (yeah i can see it. Kinda. Might have to squint tho.)

French (this is what the commedia del arte pantalone would sound like. VA caster was nawt aware of the gacha game design changes however)

Indonesian (im calling a trusted adult. Speaking like he wants to steal christmas)

JAPANESE (Brother eugh (σ｀д′)σ )

movnig on- MILDLY DEGRADING PANTALONE down on my knees im going 🧎‍♂️🧎‍♂️🧎‍♂️🧎‍♂️ nothing rivals a "good boy" imo but MMMM. maybe. JUST A LITTLE. very small amount to keep reader on his toes. We wouldn't want to make the Loverboy cry- Also my small HC that earlier on in Pantalone's years of fatui work,, he had a much shorter temper that blew up in places. inexperienced with ambitions and was much more OPEN with his emotions. But now as we're seeing it- mellowed out over the years. Devleoped a GOOD poker face,, a businessman is nothing without one after all. Does this make sense-

Ough Pantalone with that aura of cocksure appreciation and disapproval to prod and poke loverboy off his rails of fear and reservations to grow into his own beautiful and deadly UNIT . Which the future harbinger would love to keep under his thumb. "Im doing whats best for you" kinda thing.

Thats the very basic spoiler-free skeleton principle of what drives Hannibal- if you've seen/read it by now ...(*￣０￣)ノ Hannibal recognizes the deep buried down potential of Will Graham becoming someone like him and pushes him towards it. Hannibal doesn't DO the corruption arc,, just winds up the key on the toy's back and watches it go. Tips one domino to send it tumbling all on its own. Thats how pantalone would operate i think. Its never NOT a game of chess for him.

Ririto brain fart moment?? 😭😂 its ok bb i forgive your big silly happens to the best of us </3 Who did you think to write as the Anon source? Some chara we already know? 👁👁

OKAY that was outta NOWHERE- dont worry,, like father like son- hes gonna be riding THE fatui dick during his career at somepoint too- WOOAAHHHH who said that . Hilarious how this is suposed to be a Male reader but i wouldnt mind self inserting as pantalone cause a Loverboy whimpering audio isnt something I'd pass up.

NOW onto the main event: I've done some thinking for the small revisions/ fitting that oneshot into the timeline,, Reader is a born and raised Snezhnayan,, Pantalone is born in Liyue (pry this hc from my dead HANDS hoyoverse) but he's renounced that nation and its god for never lending a helping hand,, and now resides in Snezhnaya under the Tsaritza. Based on Arlecchino's jab at him in the Lazzo trailer,, Im assuming Pantalone RARELY ever travels out of snezhnaya.

For this,, let's just say: This is Loverboy's 3rd year of service, where all fatuus are mandated to carry out orders abroad. Work experience and what not. Maybe 4-ish months into working bank in liyue, reader is vibing- but orders come from Pantalone,, a handful of fatui are expected to dig up dirt on a Liyuean man's business and report back to Pantalone. It's CEO boss would be meeting Pantaloone soon. Small group project. No biggie. Loverboy isn't stupid. The fatui didnt make it to where they are WITHOUT underhanded ethics.

So he goes. Back to snezhnaya in his group with trade secrets in tow. The meeting goes terribly. bullets and blades fly. So does loverboy and pantalone out a window. A hydro vision is granted. Pantalone does the kill FOR reader. You know how it goes-

Im thinking that this mission with loverboy's first blood can be the follow up Part 2 of that. Pantalone gets to: 1. tie up loose ends with any witnesses that got away. Can't have the scandal of a failed endeavor run thorugh the streets. 2. take his relatively naive subordinate for a spin. He simply Had to see what made Celestia grant their authority unto loverboy. And not him

Afterwards when all is said and done, man killed and Loverboy dismissed back to liyue to finish his final year of duty,, pantalone can rest a little easy knowing reader is on the right track for now,, afterall, there's only so much he can do as a High ranked fatui Officiant. He has his own goals to conquer for now,, maybe he'll get back to his loverboy pet project After becoming a Harbinger.

Good things come to those who wait. It's a matter of how long. I think pantalone can already guess that reader would quit the fatui business after his mandated 3 years. Thats fine with him tho. He know's Loverboy would come right back.

BONUS ANNOTATED THOUGHT:

His smile doesn't falter. "Speak up. When we want things, we ask for them directly. Do I make myself clear?" You hastily nod as best you can. 

plus this part from my other req:

Regrator is 28, and then 29, and then 30. And his offer is finally accepted afterall, because he needs to resist smirking at the one who came crawling back.

OOoOOoOOoooOOOoO what if this was the character development of what pantalone said to him. After the time skip of many years, Loverboy returns with a sharp glint in his eyes, stalks right up to Pantalone with his gaze held firmly and asks- if not, downright demands to avail that extended offer now. Loverboy does want (him) it now.

ok thats enough yapping for now i fear. Goodnight everypony-

Ok lets go SImply reblogging your oneshot for my req isn't enough i need to analyze and annotate the entire thing like a literature professor and tell you Everything. (✿◡‿◡)

pantalone might be ooc

He's not!!!!!! by which i think this is fairly a Really Good portrayal of the guy considering the 5 sentences we know about him. He's strict!!! frankly a little scary!! And also chill and positive about loverboy!! But it felt Just Right!!!! ( •̀ ω •́ )✧

descriptions of blood

description so good i might as well have killed that man myself

...pretend that his lore has a spot where this fits perfectly

I think i can make it fit!! would you be cool with making minor changes if so?

"You're very good at what you do."

Imagining the same voice as sebastian michaelis saying this with the sexiest buttersmooth voice is eviscerating me. Very self-indulgent but praise kinks will always slay so hard.

...on the verge of stabbing him a moment ago. 

This,, and the small thing i wrote about loverboy launching them both out the window to escape an onslaught of assassins in my other req. get you a ship where one of them has completely normal knee-jerk reactions to kill the other <3

...as he crushes their hand beneath his shoe without mercy

Fatui Harbingers - House of Wolves - KIERU 0:15

...Instead, Pantalone looks unfazed by it all, stopping as he reaches the other side of you, free of most of the blood. He greets you with a knowing smile as he usually does.

hey ririto this is so ominous and eerie for some reason not known to me. Just the backdrop of grey and snow and probably a gruesome corpse right next to loverboy and Pantalone has a silent smile through everything. Delicious sentence 10/10.

"I knew making you a banker was a good idea,"

THIS IS SO. The confidence and quite calm assurance that pantalone says this with is SO. You'd never be sure whether to lean into it and let out a sigh of relief,, o r back up further becuase it sounds so good but all in the wrong ways.

...thumb brushing across your bottom lip slicked with blood.

fellas is it professional to feed double edged words of honey to your young inexperienced subordinate while kneeling in front of his battered and bruised self who killed someone for you,, and run a gloved thumb across his blood soaked lip. ( ͡• ͜ʖ ͡• )

"Who knew you had so many other talents,"

you are infusing these dialouges with crack cocaine giggling kicking my feet while being slightly concerned because Sir. What do you mean by that.

"Ah ah," he says, a harshness seeping into even just that sound. "Stay."  You stay put,

thank you for making loverboy so Ouppy.

"Lord Harbinger," you try to say

yes,, this could be a minor thing to adjust: i think we could actually fit this oneshot somewhere AFTER he gets his vision,, and BEFORE Pantalone becomes the Harbinger Regrator. Can be a valid reason for Pantalone to see that reader failed to kill the assassin from their shitty negotiation meeting,, and wanting to newly test him again after he had his vision + ambitions awakened to see if he can get past the fear of killing NOW. (Even then,, maybe due to inexperience/unfamiliarity of using visions, reader didn't think to raise his advantage of supernatural powers against another visionless man in this scenario.)

I'd think his first kill was one of the factors that caused him to leave after his 3year duty, not sticking around for Pantalone's promotion to Regrator.

"You are much like your father."

Top 10 things Not to say to someone with daddy issues-

...they're as wet behind the ears as you are.

Dear diary, Today i learned a new speech of expression

...Pantalone's hand that rests on your chin moves... "Now, try again. Dear banker, whatever do you mean?" 

this whole paragraph. What on earth do you mean 'ooc pantalone'. This is the MOST pantalone thing you could've written. Strict and intimidating about improving reader's meek attitude. a Push in the right direction.

"Is this a test?" you manage, words muffled by the way he squishes your face like putty beneath his fingers.

(thank you for making loverboy so Ouppy) x2

...and you know who, regardless of how 'anonymous' that source may have been in his words.

I MAY BE STUPID. （；´д｀）ゞ I CANT TELL. who you are hinting towards 😭😭

"Hold this," he adds, an unnervingly tender instruction for the way he was just behaving. 

There he is. its reminding me of: the same pantalone that washed reader with a clock in my very first req to you.

...looking probably about as pathetic as you think you do.

POV: You're Pantalone looking down at Loverboy.

I forgot how much of a bug-eyed wet dog loverboy is before his time-skip "character development" so to say. Thanks i love him.

"next time someone approaches you from behind, don't wait to stab them. Don't reach for your wet knife with your wet hands, either. Both of those things will get you killed."

I think pantalone is entirely having too much fun with observing Loverboy try climbing the ropes to how REAL fatuus run business.

"Come now. You want to go home and back to Liyue, don't you? I'm tired of this cold." 

Σ(っ °Д °;)っ back to liyue??? Loverboy is Liyuean??? pantalone stays in liyue??? I ALWAYS THOUGHT arlecchino called pantalone a bitch in Signora's funeral for "never leaving the comfort of his homeland?" Whuh-?

ALL IN ALL,, CLOSING THOGUHTS,, GOOD FOOD RIRITO DINNER HAS BEEN SERVED, ATE, AND LICKED CLEAN 10/10 ILY

I GOTT THIS JUST BEFORE I WENT TO SLEEP AND ONLY JUST GOT THE TIME TO ANSWER IT BUT I KNEWWW YOU WOULD GET THE HOUSE OF WOLVES REFERENCE

That is true actually and I realised after I posted it that like, wtf is in character for him?? 😭 he's said like two things and while I have memorised those things they're not a lot to go off but I'm glad you enjoy him (ﾉ´▽｀)ﾉ♪

Also if you can make it fit, feel free ☆(≧∀≦*)ﾉ I sorta only had a vague idea of where it might go, but at that point in time, loverboy works abroad in the Northland Bank. I'll also throw in that he travelled there for that job and unfortunately does not come from Liyue 😔 (unless he's supposed to?? I got the impression he was from Snezhnaya) it was more a "I bet you'd love to be back at a desk job rn" or something to that effect, loverboy is going back to the bank once things are settled where he belongs but Pantalone isn't going with him (hence why they're in Snezhnaya when this happenscause I also interpret at as him not liking to leave Liyue)

I'm so glad the J Michael Tatum love never stops but also you're so right praise kinks absolutely do. I also noticed that them trying to kill each other is like, a repeated theme so far 😭⁉️ LIKE WHEN PANTALONE WENT TO FIND HIM LAST ONESHOT HE WAS GONNA KILL THAT FUCKER

Confident possibly mildly degrading Pantalone is literally my favourite thing, like I chew on him. I chew on him being unnervingly calm because what would he have in the eyes of a wet mop boy besides an unwavering poker face. Get yourself a man who uses the blood of your enemies like your lipstick and knows he made good choices stationing you at his shady probably money laundering black hole of debt he calls a bank

Yk I agree actually I was trying to figure the timeline out in my head and realised it would've made more sense to happen before he was a Harbinger so I agree with this revision that actually makes it fit the lore and if I ever decide to make it a longer multichapter fic I'll definitely fix that 💀 t'was a victim of laziness

YES YES THIS Pantalone basically shaping him up so he doesn't literally die and being strict with it get so him. He'll prompt him to say it again but won't let it slide because that behaviour isn't going to be beneficial, especially not with someone who may be working under him long-term

I went back to read the part about the anonymous source line came from, and I think I figured out what happened here, so allow me to explain  (;ﾟдﾟ)   Ok so, it has a bit to do with the weird way I wrote this because when I said I wrote this on the train that was half a lie. I wrote some of it on the train and the rest at the library where I also edited what I already had because the spelling mistakes were atrocious. I did write down who it was but cut it when I decided it cluttered the story a bit which retrospectively was also a mistake because I didn't think about the fact it would seem like I was hinting at something at the time (ﾟ▽ﾟ*) the shorter, boring answer is that there's no one Ririto did a big silly and cut context in the chaotic editing this suffered

LMAO NOT THE CLOCK AGAIN

I love him the wet mop boy. I was like I want him to be at least a lil pathetic rn because his concerns are completely different. He's thinking about how to not die, and how much he misses his mom and his much fatui dick his dad must've been riding before death to think this career path was worth it (slash JOKING but he is still wondering why his father would have done this job willingly) that and I think men who whimper are cute thanks for coming to my Ted talk

HE IS ENJOYING IT and I love it sm

Hehe I am glad to know you haven't gone hungry today (^o^) and such high ratings for the banker and loverboy

[agathaloseshermind]

Season 7 transformations

I’ve been procrastinating both cause I’m a lazy person but also I hate these ones so I am not excited lmao

WHAT AM I LOOKING AT

I’m horrified I hate it. This transformation is why I became nicer to Neo Enchantix.

I don’t quite get the activation but considering I watched bits of the episode where they earn it, Faragonda somehow has artifacts that let them travel through time which they do to save the digmoles and earn Butterflix after blasting the beast who trapped them down.

..............sure

Ignoring the part where if Faragonda had access to these magic stones in the first place why didn’t she use them way before during times like when Domino fell, the curse of Sirenix was created, Darkar kidnapped Bloom and Valtor started destroying everything to name a few things this stone could’ve been used for. I googled why they needed this transformation and it says 

H O W??????

Bloomix is the power of the DRAGON FLAME, is a spark of the power that CREATED THE UNIVERSE and was so powerful that it couldn’t be taken from Bloom in Season 6. You’re telling me this random former fairy poacher IS IMMUNE?????? It’s reason to exist is honestly awful given they already had a nature fairy who can do all that nature stuff. Oh and the fairy of fucking animals if Flora didn’t cut it. I’m not someone who cares much about Roxy always found her meh but she was flat out robbed this season. 

Design wise the girls do look good, the pink on Bloom looks solid though I do wish she wasn’t in pink given Stella and Musa are in pink and look better but is this really the best they could come up with for a nature themed transformation that also relates to butterflies? Like I’m just saying butterfly wings are very unique and each girl could’ve been based off different butterflies depending on who they are. Like Bloom as the leader can keep the monarch butterfly but the other girls should get unique butterflies. I’m not sure what butterflies to assign each girl but like there’s tons of butterflies the designers could’ve used also the wing design is strange to me given how butterfly wings actually are and how much cooler they look, like just google butterflix redesign and you’ll see the girls in actual butterfly wings and different clothes which make them look much better. The redesign of this transformation I like most if this Bloom one here and then the rest of the girls could’ve followed its base idea too or do the redesign here with wings I similarly like too. Yes it looks similar to Harmonix but I mean i

Ultimately my dislike of the design is not only cause its uniform because as I said in previous posts I don’t mind uniformity if I enjoy the design already but Butterflix just doesn’t do ENOUGH with how much it has to work it and like with Cosmix, you kind of just have to guess the girls’ elements based on colors because they don’t have anything to set them apart with their element.

Transformation sequence wise.... I don’t think I need to tell anyone why it’s bad but I guess I have to for this post but the sequence of the girls transforming is zooming into their face - they get the dress - they turn around - boom wings. It’s so bland and again there’s no individualization for each girl just butterflies. The meme dance is horrible, dancing in Winx Club has always been awkward due to how their bodies are drawn and its just exasperated here. Also it just kills the excitement of the new mood because why are they suddenly dancing. They just defeated a beast and saved a species which earned them a shiny new transformation and rather than excited I’m left with a wtf did I just watch feeling. Also the song is meh, its not a banger and not horrible but eh Im just not getting into it.

Rating wise its 3/10, I heard that it cant hurt anything from nature which sounds good but also makes the girls pretty helpless in a lot of cases. The only reason it gets 3/10 is cause the designs are kinda cute and I can’t bring myself to be too harsh on it though its definitely my least favorite of all the transformations.

Onto Tynix now

The way they earn makes sense enough, makes sense given how vast magic is that magical creatures can grant transformations so check mark on that though it immediately loses some of that check when its use is for the girls to shrink down and enter the mini worlds. Like seriously guys Enchantix already did that, like that it lets them bond with their fairy animal more though (unless I’m misunderstanding mini worlds and they’re not literally shrinking down to go into a place, they’re teleporting into the mini worlds using Tynix in which case, okay transformation to enter special locations makes sense). Makes perfect sense given they were the ones to give them the transformation to begin with.

The designs are um a bit much? The gems are nice though I hate Techna’s dress and Musa’s hair doesn’t really fit her outfit. Maybe its just cause of the picture but the hair looks off with all the gems, colors and her skirt. Also I don’t like blonde Flora. Bloom, Stella and Aisha look good though. Particularly Aisha, she slays

Transformation wise the idea is pretty cool though I don’t get where the fashion model idea came from given this transformation is from fairy animals. You’d think the fairy animals was involved in some way with the transformation but nope I guess its just the girls posing for the camera. I’m not into songs like the one for Tynix but it is good for its genre

Don’t have much thoughts on this transformation tbh its just meh to me. Rating 6/10

[invisibleanonymousmonsters]

All Men Have Limits - VI

Character: Dick Grayson x Reader x Bruce Wayne

Summary: A certain bat believes that Y/N is in way over her head, that she’s too naive to act in her best interest. So, whether she wants it or not, the vigilante family is going to help and protect her before she gets herself killed.

Word Count: 3,800+

Previously on…

“Nightwing! Regroup!” Bruce snapped into the comms again.

No matter how dire the situation was, they always stuck with their codenames while in uniform. But right now, Bruce wanted to scream at Dick to get his shit together.

Dick was quiet for a moment, allowing his family to only hear the roaring of his motorcycle as it zipped through the streets of Gotham.

“By the time we regroup, she’ll be dead,” Dick answered darkly.

This was the biggest difference between Dick and Bruce.

Dick wasn’t ruled by his emotions – except when it involved the safety of people he cared for and loved. When that happened, his emotions took control. It was very unlike Bruce, which just proved there were some things Dick simply couldn’t get trained out of him.

Bruce was always calm and collected – even when it was his kids that were in danger. Was he scared for Y/N’s life? Yes. But he also knew that panicking and going in hot was not going to help her. If anything, it would put more people in danger.

“Jason is following him,” Tim announced.

Jason might’ve refused to use comms, but they still had a tracker on his bike.

“What’s the plan?” Tim asked.

——————

Y/N probably looked like a drunk driver from the way she was serpentining to the heart of Gotham.

But she was tried to load a magazine into her gun as she ran every red light without getting t-boned by oncoming traffic.

It was…a lot. Especially since Y/N knew she were driving to her assassination.

It hadn’t been hard sneaking past the internal security at the manor. Y/N knew she could do it since she was brought there. But she decided to save that knowledge for the right time. And that was tonight. It was clearly designed mostly for Damian – or perhaps for any of the boys when they were younger and rebellious.

Then Y/N had to jumpstart the first car she saw parked on the street near Wayne Manor, which took longer than she had liked.

She might not have a lot of skills in the combat area. But she was rather resourceful in almost every other way – which included hijacking cars.

Y/N was so panicked about making it to the city before they could intervene, that her mind wasn’t really processing what was about to happen.

All Y/N knew was that she hoped they’d be done with it before any of them knew what was happening and could try to stop it.

She knew what they would’ve said. They would’ve told her to stay where she was and they would handle it. They would’ve done everything to keep her safe while also trying to save Gotham.

But Y/N couldn’t wait to see if she was responsible for the deaths of thousands while she sat on her ass and did nothing.

So she took her life into her own hands.

She gave enough information for them to use. Even if she was gone, she’d given them enough leads to finish the job without her.

Now her time was up.

Y/N knew eventually time would catch to her. She’d lived a far too risky life, threatened the most dangerous people, ruined the lives and locked up even more of dangerous people. It was only a matter of time before her luck ran out.

Y/N skidded the car to a stop. And she realized her hands were shaking as she threw the car into park.

She hadn’t stopped driving until she reached Old Gotham – right underneath the Clock Tower.

It was a nice, wealthy part of the city, which meant that there weren’t questionable people lingering on the streets.

In fact, it was eerily quiet – even for such a nice neighborhood. Y/N didn’t see a single person walking around in her vicinity.

But when she turned, there were five masked people watching her.

The Talons.

Their faces and bodies were completely covered, with their masks and goggles reminiscent of actual owls.

All of them had an arsenal of some sort of bladed weapon – countless knives, katanas, axes, or even broadswords. And, of course, they all had talons. 

“So you are the irritant,” one of them greeted, his voice muffled from his gear.

Y/N took a step back as she grabbed her gun out of the back of her waist.

But she felt a presence behind her and whipped around to see more Talons surrounding her.

Did they really expect her to be able to put up that much of a fight?

“I’ve been called worse,” Y/N smirked.

She was clearly in denial that she was about to die.

They all unsheathed their weapons.

But Y/N wasn’t going to let them make the first move.

She started shooting bullets. Either they were wearing bullet-proof vests or they were blocking her bullets with their weapons. It was all happening so fast that she couldn’t figure it out. She knew her aim wasn’t off. Jason had been secretly teaching her how to shoot. And she’d gotten rather good with his help.

“Fuck,” Y/N hissed when her magazine was empty and she had failed to take down a single Talon.

As she tried to reload the magazine, their patience ran out.

One of them knocked the gun out of her hand, slicing the skin in the process.

Before Y/N could look down at the damage, another Talon wrapped his hand around her neck and lifted her off the ground like a doll.

“How can such a weak and pathetic woman have caused such a nuisance?” He cooed at her as he tilted his head, inspecting her.

Y/N couldn’t reply even if she wanted to.

Her hands were frantically trying to free herself, nails ripping at the armor and gloves of the Talon.

“Perhaps she could be of use to us,” one of them spoke up. “Unless she’d rather die…”

But before they could drop her or make a decision, someone dropped into the middle of the chaos with a blur.

Next thing Y/N knew, she was being dropped to the ground and coughing to recover her breath.

When she looked up, she saw Dick – no, Nightwing – taking on all of the Talons who were sent to kill her.

Yes, Y/N had frequently seen Dick train with Bruce and his brothers. However, this was something entirely different.

Y/N watched in shock as Dick used his escrima sticks to take out the Talons in droves. He flipped, kicked, punched, and moved in a way Y/N had never seen before.

There was a moment of pause that gave him the opportunity to meet her gaze.

“Y/N, run!” Dick screamed as he flipped away from the deadly claws of a Talon.

She blinked at his command and snapped out of her daze.

Jumping to her feet, she did as he said.

But she only got a few yards before two more Talons dropped in front of her and blocked her path.

Her fear was interrupted by bullets raining on them seconds before a motorcycle flew into her peripheral.

Red Hood did a front wheel break and swung his motorcycle so precisely that he managed to take out both of the Talons with the backend of his bike.  

He turned to look at her. “Get on.”

But Y/N looked behind her at Dick, who was fighting Talon after Talon.

“What about Di–” she stopped herself from using his name. “What about Nightwing?!”

“Batman is on his way with the others. But right now, we have to get you out of here,” Jason yelled back.

Right on cue, the Batmobile came screaming toward them, as well as Tim on his motorcycle.

“Y/N, get on the motherfucking bike,” Jason warned her.

She turned around again and saw Dick now being aided by Damian, Tim, and Bruce. They were finally starting to overpower the Talons.

Clearly they hadn’t sent the numbers to defend themselves against the entire bat family. They probably assumed Y/N would head their warning and arrive unaccompanied. And Y/N did. But both her and The Court underestimated the vigilante family’s protectiveness towards her.

Y/N finally listened to Jason and jumped on the back of his motorcycle.

Barely giving her a second to adjust, Jason floored it and sped away from the fight as quickly as possible.

This motorcycle ride was nothing like the one Y/N shared with Dick.

Jason rode like bat out of hell, whipping around tight corners without slowing down. And even with her vice-like grip around his waist, Y/N felt like she could fly off at any moment. The wind stung against her skin like a million little needles.

“Where are we going?” Y/N tried to scream to him.

“We have to make sure they’re not tracking us before we return to the cave!”

Y/N couldn’t tell how long they had been driving around. But her arms and muscles were sore from the tension of holding on for dear life. She was so exhausted that if she hadn’t been so scared, she probably could’ve fallen asleep on the back of Jason’s motorcycle – even with his reckless driving.

Without any warning, Jason veered into a parking garage and went to the basement level where no cars were parked. He must’ve pressed a button because a hidden compartment was opening against the cement wall and suddenly they were driving through it.

Y/N got off the bike as soon as he stopped and looked around.

It must be one of his safehouses.

To her surprise, Jason took off his Red Hood helmet and then the domino mask underneath. He also grabbed some clothes that would either cover his Red Hood uniform or make it look like civilian clothing.

He pointed to a car, “Come on.”

Y/N followed him silently and got into the passenger seat.

It was a 20 minute ride back to the manor.

And it finally gave Y/N time to actually process what she had planned to do tonight. 

“Wanna talk about it?” Jason asked after 10 minutes of silence.

“And say what?” She challenged.

He smirked. “I don’t know. Maybe how you enjoy playing sacrificial lamb.”

Y/N ground her teeth together. “That’s oversimplifying it, and you know it.”

Jason just shrugged.

“That’s it?” She asked when he didn’t follow up with any more questions. “Really? You’re not going to start lecturing me?”

“Oh, definitely not. ‘Cause you’re gonna get a shit ton of that when Bruce sees you – maybe even from Dick, if he’s not too overwhelmed with relief from seeing you in one piece. Which, by the way, you’re very lucky to be.”

Y/N had no response to that.

The rest of the ride was quiet, except for the local classic rock radio station that Jason decided to turn on.

To their surprise, no one was waiting in the cave for them. But Dick and Tim’s motorcycles were parked, as well as the batmobile. So they had clearly returned.

“That might not be a great sign…” Jason mumbled as got out of his civilian car. “Come on,” he nudged with his head as he started making his way to the stairs that led back into the manor.

When they got up, Jason followed the sounds of voices coming from the kitchen.

Y/N’s eyes immediately took in the group, worried that someone would be missing.

No one was in full uniform. Tim and Damian were in sweats. Bruce’s cape and cowl were gone, but his full body armor was still on.

The three of them and Alfred were all gathered around Dick, who was sitting on the island counter shirtless with nothing but his black compression shorts on.

One of his left eye was black, there was dried blood below his nostrils, his bottom lip was split and swollen. But Y/N’s eyes were only looking at the wound on his side that Alfred was currently stitching. Clearly one of the Talons’ swords found an in.

When the family heard Jason and Y/N’s entrance, all eyes were on them.

Dick looked relieved.

But Bruce? He looked livid.

“What the hell were you thinking?”

He didn’t yell. No, instead his voice was low and even. And it scared Y/N more than yelling ever could.

But she was too busy looking at Dick’s injuries with concern.

Then her gaze raced to Tim and Damian, looking them up and down to try and assess if they had any injuries. But they seemed in good shape.

“Y/N!” Bruce snapped.

Finally she acknowledged him. 

“What?!” She growled in return.

“What were you thinking?”

“Bruce…” Dick warned quietly.

They had all seen Bruce get this way. And they all unfortunately had been on the other side of his wrath. They could see the telltale signs that Bruce was about to give one of his level-headed, but extremely disappointed speeches.

Except there was one big difference this time: Y/N wasn’t one of Bruce’s kids.

And by now, all of the boys had figured out that Bruce was feeling some kind of way about her. Even Damian had finally realized that Y/N wasn’t just an ally or fellow vigilante to his father.

“How about we all take in a deep breath and appreciate that none of us are dead?” Jason asked the group loudly. “Because we know that hasn’t always been on the case in the past…”

But Bruce ignored Jason and took a step to Y/N.

“You could’ve been killed,” he muttered quickly.

“I was trying to save innocent lives!” Y/N snapped.

“You should’ve told us as soon as you received the threat,” he countered.

“Why? So you could sideline me and make decisions about my fucking life?”

“We would have come up with a plan. One that did not involve you hot-wiring a car and driving to your death.”

“I was trying not to endanger anyone else, meaning all five of you!”

“And look how that ended,” Bruce answered darkly as she gesture to Dick, who was now stitched up and Alfred was putting a wrap around his torso.

“You can’t just shove your way into my life whenever you feel like it!” Y/N finally shouted at Bruce. “I was doing just fine before you added yourself to the situation.”

This wasn’t just about tonight anymore. The tension in their relationship had now flooded into the argument, finally reaching its boiling point.

“Tonight proved otherwise,” Bruce told her evenly.

But Bruce remaining too calm and showing no emotional reaction was only infuriating Y/N more.

“Hey!” Y/N yelled. “Just because I don’t put on a stupid costume and punch my way out of problems doesn’t mean you’re better than me. In fact, you would be screwed if it weren’t for me. You need me. You need me more than I need you.”

Bruce just glared at her.

“What? Nothing to say?”

“We can have a discussion when you stop behaving like a child.”

And it was finally what made Y/N snap.

She lunged at him.

What she planned on doing to him was beyond her. Everyone, including herself, knew she didn’t stand a chance against a petty fight with Batman. She probably couldn’t even land a punch if he let her.

Thankfully, she would never have to get that proven to her. Because Dick put a stop to it before it could actually start.

When he had moved off the counter and closer to their argument, she didn’t know.

But now Dick was finally intervening as he wrapped his arms around Y/N from behind her, pinning her arms to her side and pressing her back to his chest.

“A child?!” Y/N screamed as she tried to fight her way out of Dick’s grip. “Should I remind you that you fucked this ‘child’?!”

“Alright,” Dick warned her calmly. “That’s enough.”

“Let go of me!”

“Calm down,” he told her quietly.

Suddenly, Y/N remembered that Dick was injured, and he was injured because of her. And now she was thrashing against him, probably causing him harm and putting him at risk of opening the stitches Alfred had just finished.

“Fine,” she huffed. “I’m calm.”

But Dick waited a second or two before he decided to believe her.

When he let go, she lightly shoved him away from her and made her escape.

The whole family watched her leave, and felt the awkward tension that filled the room after she’d gone.

Tim looked shocked.

Jason glared at Bruce.

Damian seemed rather disappointed – in Y/N or his father, no one could figure out.

Dick eyed Bruce. “Great job,” he told him darkly.

Bruce just crossed this arms and sighed.

Dick gestured in the direction that Y/N went. “Aren’t you going to go after her?”

But he knew already from Bruce’s expression that he wasn’t going to anything of the sort.

“You know what, forget it.” Dick huffed before heading in the general direction that Y/N had escaped.

But Jason wasn’t going to let Bruce off the hook so easily.

“What the fuck is the matter with you?” He hissed.

“Stay out of it, Jason.”

“Stay out of it?” He mocked. “Yeah, it’s a little bit hard to do that when her safety has become a family matter.” Jason shook his head in disappointment and turned to leave, “I’m out of here.”

-----------

When Dick tried to retrace Y/N’s steps, he found the front door of the manor wide open. The sight was rather eerie for some reason. But Dick stepped onto the front of the manor and looked out at the land.

Had she made a run for the gate?

It wouldn’t be the first time tonight, clearly.

But after a few scans of the property, he eventually found her.

Despite the circumstances, Dick couldn’t help but smirk when he found Y/N sprawled on the great lawn of the manor, laying on her back and staring up at the stars.

He stood over her. “I’m surprised you didn’t make a run for it.”

“Oh, I tried,” she told him matter of factly. “Bastard’s already updated the security system from earlier tonight.”

“Believe it or not, that’s his way of saying he cares. Just ask Damian.” He slowly sat down on the lawn with her, but made sure to still give her some space.

“No. It’s his way of reminding me that he’s the one in control.”

Dick winced, knowing there was probably truth to that, too.

“He shouldn’t have said that to you,” Dick sighed.

Y/N scoffed. “What part?”  

He hesitated before clarifying. “You’re not a child.”

She went quiet, not expecting him to get right to it.

“Well, we’re the same age…so of course you’d say that.”

Dick rubbed his face, knowing this was a losing battle. Nothing he said on the matter would bring her comfort.

Y/N finally looked away from the stars and her face scrunched in guilt and worry as she took in Dick’s fresh bandage. There was a pinkish blotch that showed just how big the wound was.

Slowly she sat up and turned to him. “Are you okay?” She whispered shakily.

He grinned at her concern. “Believe it or not, this is nothing.”

But Y/N still reached forward and cupped his face. Her thumb traced around his black eye, but made sure not to put any pressure on the swollen skin.

Dick leaned into her touch, not bothering to try and hide the affection.

“This is exactly what I didn’t want,” Y/N mumbled.

Dick opened his mouth, but then quickly changed his mind and closed it again.

“What?” She pushed.

But before Dick would answer, he slowly moved into her space. Then he pressed his forehead to hers.

“Please, don’t do anything like that again.”

His approach was different, but it was clear Dick and Bruce felt the same way about the stunt she had pulled. 

Y/N was quiet.

“I understand why you did it. I really do.” He added quickly. “But just…” He paused and took in a shaky inhale. “Tonight scared the hell out of me, Y/N.”

“I’m sorry,” Y/N whispered.  

“I know you are. I saw it on your face as soon as you saw my injuries.” His eyes went dark. “But we can’t do things like that. We have to work together or this is all going to explode in our faces.”

Y/N thought over his words.

His hands went to cup her face.

“Deal?” He pushed.

She nodded.

Then Dick’s eyes moved down to her throat.The blistering red was already fading and being replaced by purple and blue bruising.

His mind flashed back to earlier, how he saw her dangling by her throat and unable to escape the Talon’s grip. The sight had caused him to rush into battle, not thinking of a plan before doing so. It went against everything Bruce had taught him. But seeing Y/N’s life in danger made him black out.

“We should get some ice for your neck,” Dick muttered quietly.

Then he looked down at her hand. It had stopped bleeding, but the cut looked painful and there was dried blood surrounding it.

“Fucker sliced it when he knocked my gun out of my hand,” Y/N mumbled when she saw Dick staring at it.

He eyed her suspiciously. “And I suppose Jason’s been helping with that, huh?”

She cringed. “Maybe…”

Dick just huffed and shook his head.

He started getting up, “Come on. Let me clean that cut and get some ice for your neck.”

But Y/N pulled him back down.

“Wait. Can we…Can we just stay for a bit?” She asked quietly, and then pointed up and laid back down in the grass to stare up at the sky.

Dick smirked and nodded.

He joined her, moving closer this time so their shoulders touched.

“You can actually see the stars out here,” Y/N sighed.

The smog and city lights of Gotham made them invisible.

But now they were far enough to see a few.

Dick thought about all the places he used to travel to with the circus. Some of them were so far removed from society that he could see every single star at night.

But he didn’t tell Y/N that this was nothing compared to those places.

Instead, Dick just slowly moved his hand and grabbed Y/Ns, interlacing their fingers. A part of him expected her to pull away. But she squeezed his hand and kept looking up.

—

Alfred found Bruce in the library, looking out the windows.

When he joined his side, he saw what Bruce was looking at: Dick and Y/N laying on the grass of the great lawn, stargazing.

“You’re disappointed in me,” Bruce said without taking his eyes off the two.

“I said nothing of the sort, Master Wayne.”

Bruce frowned. “You don’t have to.”

“She is not another charge, Master Wayne.” Alfred sighed. “Therefore you should not treat her as such.”

“I’m trying to keep her safe.”

“Why do you think she said nothing of the threat?” Alfred countered. “Why do you think she did not believe she could trust you?”

Bruce said nothing.

“You put the safety of Gotham over your own life every night, Master Wayne.” Alfred continued. “Yet you are so spiteful towards others who do the same.”

That finally made Bruce turn away from the window to look at Alfred.

“You owe her an apology,” Alfred finally confirmed. “Even if Master Dick has become rather good at cleaning up your messes.” 

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

Part 7

Let me know what you think – please, please, please.  

[marauderundercover]

Taking Chance Ch. 10: Father Daughter Time (alt. prompt Take Your Kids to Work)

AO3

Prev

Sitting in her hotel room, Marinette pouts. Her family hadn’t wanted to talk about their identities. Or hers. So instead, they’d had a rushed (awkward) dinner, and then sent her and Adrien away. But she knew they were going to patrol. Marinette grins as an idea forms. 

“Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s not a good idea.” Tikki says from her spot on the bed, obviously tired of the drama and insanity that Marinette had managed to find since coming to Gotham. 

“Tikki, please. I just found out that my brothers and Mr. Wayne are all heroes. Not just any heroes, heroes known for their detective work. Can you blame me for wanting to go out and talk to them? Maybe if I go as Ladybug and not Marinette, maybe they’ll actually help. You know, hero to hero.” She pleads, looking at Tikki with her best puppy dog eyes. Tikki, unfortunately, was an ancient deity and was not affected by puppy dog eyes. 

“Marinette, I still think it’s a bad idea. Besides, Ladybug shouldn’t be in Gotham.” Tikki argues. Marinette huffs, knowing the kwami is right. 

“Fine. Well if I can’t be Ladybug, then I’ll just sew a domino mask really quick and go run on the roofs as myself.” She says, jutting her chin out in defiance.

“Marinette! That’s completely unsafe.” Tikki chastises. Marinette ignores her, moving around to find cloth to use for her mask. Tikki sighs. “Just- be careful. Think about the Bats, and that Ladybug is not supposed to be seen in Gotham.” She says. Marinette frowns. It almost sounds as if Tikki is giving her permission. But at the same time….

“Wait, what?” She asks. 

“Think about when you transform.” Tikki says with a tired smile. Marinette frowns, but does as she instructed. When the light from her transformation fades, she gasps at the new suit design. It was much darker, and looked as though she belonged with her family rather than the brightly colored Parisian heroes. What was once one singular piece of material was now several. The bottom part of her suit was black. It started at her feet and went all the way up to her chest. Underneath that, she had what seemed to be a deep red leotard (but it was hard to tell since it disappeared under the black bottoms). On her feet were ballet shoes that matched her leotard, the ribbons snaking up her legs. The shoes were slightly confusing, as she’d never seen a member of the Batfam with ballet shoes (and she herself couldn’t dance) but they fit with the rest of the costume. She also now had a hood, much to her delight. It would be useful against the slight chill in the air. Pleased with her new costume, Marinette opens her window and takes a deep breath before jumping out and swinging onto the roof. Giggling, she starts swinging around randomly, hoping that she’ll bump into a friendly sooner or later. A slight miscalculation between buildings leads her to freefall, her eyes wide as she desperately tries to hook her yoyo onto the roof. Arms wrap around her roughly and she yelps in surprise, tilting her head up to look at who grabbed her midair. Her father. Crap. 

“I don’t take kindly to unknown vigilantes in my city.” He says gruffly as they land on the roof. She frowns before she remembers her costume is completely different, and the Miraculous magic definitely helped conceal her identity (even though her family technically already knew). 

“Oh, I’m not unknown. It’s me, Ladybug? Couldn’t exactly bring out the spots in Gotham. Especially with French students in town.” She says with a grin. Batman (Mr. Wayne?) tenses before sighing. 

“Marinette?” He asks, she nods. 

“Yes, though I think it’s probably best to not use my actual name. You can call me….” She hesitates for a moment, searching her mind for a new name. “Ladybird.” She finally says. Ladybird, because it was another name for a Ladybug and because if someone didn’t know that, they’d think she was just another Bat with a bird theme. 

“Very well. Ladybird, go home.” He says. 

“Home home, or where I’m staying home?” She asks cheekily, the banter coming easily with the freedom of a mask. 

“Where you’re staying.” He says through a clenched jaw. 

“Yeah...no can do. See, I’ve been trying to bond with my biological father and it just hasn’t worked out so far. I’m hoping to fix that tonight though!” She says, hoping she doesn’t sound as desperate as she feels. She can’t help it though. Ever since she found out she was adopted, she’s wanted to connect with Bruce. And every time she’s tried, something has come up. Or some revelation has happened and they’ve had to stop their pitiful attempts at bonding. 

“I don’t think-” Batman starts, his lips pursed. 

“Oh no, you see, I know he’ll say yes. See, it’s take your kid to work day.” She rushes out, tilting her head as she thinks of what she just said. “Or rather, night, I guess?” 

“Why not go to his day job, that’s much safer.” Batman argues, Marinette snorts. 

“Sure, it might be safer, but it’s also gonna be boring. Plus, he’d never bring me. Then he’d have to say something about me and I’m not sure either of us are ready for that yet.” She says. She watches Batman, holding her breath as she waits for a verdict. As much as it would hurt, she’d leave if he told her to. Well, she would now once she’d said her peace. But if he made her leave now, after hearing how much she wants to spend time with him? She wasn’t sure if she could handle it. 

“If you’re out of my sight for even a minute, I’m taking you home. I’m serious, Ladybird. You don’t have the training that the others do.” He finally says. She grins, jumping up and wrapping him in a hug. She instantly freezes when she realizes what she’s done and backs up, stuttering out an apology. 

---

Bruce looked at his daughter, unable to move as she continued to apologize. 

“B, I swear if you don’t tell her it’s okay, I’m going to shoot your fucking foot.” Jason’s yelling on the comms finally pulls him from his own thoughts. 

“It’s fine, Ladybird. Don’t apologize.” He manages to say, fighting the urge to smile reassuringly at her. She was so excited, the pure joy on her face made him feel like he had done something right for once. Of course it was replaced almost immediately by her stumbling out an apology and her once cheerful face twisted with regret. So he was still a failure as a father. Nice to know he was staying consistent. He watched, slightly worried as she stayed, stood completely still, in total silence. It was the first time he’d seen his daughter still. She truly was like a bird, always flitting about the room, moving from thing to thing with no real direction. To see her almost frozen was unnatural, it just felt wrong. Just as he opens his mouth to try and see if she’s okay, she snaps out of it. 

“Right! Well, let’s go! Patrol isn’t gonna happen by itself.” She says with a grin. He nods, taking off, always watching her from the corner of his eye. Maybe this wasn’t the bonding he had originally wanted, nor the bonding she’d been expecting. But he’d always found it easier to deal with stressful situations under his cowl. And a fourteen year old daughter? That was the definition of stressful situation.

Ladybird’s suit

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