#fantastic fashion sense? check

[lamoobsessions]

To Guild A Lily

Synopsis: You and Hazel have been together for six months now and things have been going really great. That is, until you stupidly invite her to meet your family over spring break -your family, who does not know your gay.

Warnings: Homophobia, very little use of y/n, things get a twinge spicy but its not smutty, kinda cheesy but it's cute.

Word Count: 6k

A/N: Hey 😏 It's been a while, and i'm sorry. But I'm back AND with a new story. This one will be a short mini series -probably three chapters tbh. Originally, I didn't think I was going to post it, because it lwk feels too personal. But what the heck, I like it, so here it is!! Christmas break is here, so i'll defiantly get some writing in for anyone who cares, lol. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! (And also apologies in advanced)

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The decision to attend a university outside of your home town was the best decision you’ve ever made. It’s been everything you hoped it to be. You made friends, you have your freedom, you have your independence, and, the best part of all, you have a different social demographic. Which may be a weird detail to others, but to you, it’s a blessing. No longer do you have to live behind the social constraints provided by the community you grew up in.

Though, that isn’t to say college is fantastic. The workload is insane, your apartment is depressing as hell, living expenses are through the roof, and making a healthy consistent meal plan for yourself feels near impossible. College can be awful at times, but it fulfills your small box of expectations. 

Truly, you’re quite happy with where you are in life. Everything has a certain glow to it, a certain beauty. With this new-found freedom and privacy, you joined new social cliques, attended parties, joined clubs, and took all the classes that attune your interest. Which is how you met Hazel.

She sat next to you in a gender studies class in the second semester of your freshman year, which you later found out she only took the class with her friend PJ to meet the ladies of the campus. Which, to her credit and your pleasure, she accomplished. 

The two of you hit it off almost instantly; from quipped, sly whispered jokes in the lecture halls, to not-so productive study dates, the two of you eventually fell into place with each other. She introduced you to her friends, both of whom you found very intimidating at first, since they make a very chaotic duo. Even so, they grew on you, and it wasn’t long til you became a part of their group. It also wasn’t long til your feelings for Hazel began to sprout. 

It happened at the library -of all places. She made the first move and the two of you have been together for almost six months now. Things have been great. 

It takes a lot for you to open up to people, but when it came to Hazel, things felt easier. Suddenly, you felt more bold, more electric with your personality. Those around you could sense the shift, even your family, who lived hours away.

In your eyes, this is a good thing. The relationship you have with your family is complicated. You love each of them to death. Your mother, your father, your sister, all of them you’d take a bullet for. Unconditional love, as many may call it. But they were… different when it came to values. More on the old-fashioned side than you typically prefer. But the thing with college is, you get to break away from home, and that’s exactly what you did -well somewhat. Your mom still calls every day to check up, mostly asking if you've met anyone yet, and by anyone, she means a boy. 

It’s isolating at times, knowing your family doesn’t know this integral part of who you are. But, in your eyes, it was for the better.  

Though, after six months of being with Hazel, a certain consensus within yourself was breached. It felt unfair to your family, since they were always asking if you’ve made any friends or found a boyfriend yet. And secondly, it’s unfair to Hazel. You met her mom three months after dating, it wasn’t planned, but it happened, and now you feel an insatiable obligation to introduce her to your family. 

But the kicker is, Hazel doesn’t know that your family is oblivious to her existence. They’re even oblivious to the fact that you like girls. So, you’ve avoided bringing it up. 

You don’t want to ruin a good thing. Things are so easy, why mess it up? 

“So, when are you leaving?” Hazel asks from the foot of your bed, watching as you shove ungodly amounts of clothes into your small suitcase on the floor. 

You shrug, placing another chunky sweater that surely will not fit into the luggage. The thing isn’t going to close, but you’ll be damned if you weren’t going to try. “I think maybe early tomorrow morning? What about you?”

“Oh, I’m not going home,” she casually reveals. “I think I’ll just stay here.”

You stop your pushing and look up at her questioningly. “What? Why not?”

“My mom will be out of town the whole week, so there’s basically no point in me going back home.”

“She’s going out of town the week of your spring break?”

Hazel nods with a slightly solemn expression, to which you purse your lips, knowing her complicated relationship with her mother. 

“What about PJ and Josie, they’ll be going home too, right? Why don’t you go with them?”

She sighs, leaning into the mattress. “Josie is going on vacation with Isabel and her family, and PJ said she’s going on some ‘pussy’ retreat -whatever that means.”

You frown at this. The college campus was nice, but there wasn’t much to do. Without any friends around, it gets boring and depressing fast. You would know. You spent the first semester of your freshman year losing your goddamn mind, rotting in your dorm room binging the entirety of ‘Orange is the New Black’.

“Well, you can come home with me,” You offer, wanting to bite your tongue the second the suggestion leaves your lips. 

“Really?” Hazel perks up excitingly. 

“Yeah, why not? It’s only a five-hour drive, it will be like a fun little road trip or something.” For you, it wouldn’t be a fun little road trip. It would be a nightmare of spiraling thoughts and contemplative re-routes to the nearest cliff. But you can’t stand the thought of leaving Hazel, knowing she would be left alone on campus for a whole two weeks. 

“You sure your family won’t mind?”

As you stop packing and grab your phone off the nightstand, a nest of anxiety burrows behind your ribcage. You’re a good liar, or, to put it more lightly, you’re good at masking your true emotions. “I’m sure they won’t. I can text them and ask if that will make you feel more comfortable with it.”

“Can you?” She questions with a look of sincerity. “I don’t want to just show up unannounced.”

“Yeah, of course,” You plant yourself next to her on the bed, subtly hiding the phone screen. Now, with the phone in your hands and your mother's contact photo glowing on the screen, you begin to wonder what you’re even supposed to say.

 ‘Hey mom, I know I haven’t told you this yet, but I’m gay, and I have a girlfriend, and she’s coming over. Hope that’s cool. Cool? Cool. Alright bye bye now.’

Immediately, you regret offering to text her. Yet, even with your discretion, you begin to type. 

YOU: ‘Hey, just want to let you know I’ll be heading home tomorrow. Probably around early morning.’

YOU:  ‘But Is it okay if I bring a friend down with me?” 

You curse yourself as soon as the word floats into the chat. Friend. 

Shutting off your phone, and tossing it out of your hands, you nod with a not-so reassuring smile. “There.” 

Thankfully, Hazel misses the uncertainty in your expressions and returns an optimistic smile.  “This is exciting, I finally get to meet these parents I've heard so much about.”

You shake your head bemusedly. “Look, there’s a reason I don’t talk about them. I mean, they aren’t exactly the most agreeable people.”

“I’m sure I can handle it.”

“I know you can,” you brush off, as you allow yourself to fall onto the satin sheets. “I’m just not sure I can.” 

“You can. Everything will turn out fine.” She joins you, lying next to your side and taking your hand hers. “Besides, I’m great with parents.”

You smile softly, nuzzling your head into her shoulder. Internally, your heart sinks. How could you not tell your parents about her? Since the second semester of freshman year, she’s been this symbol of comfort in your life. Yet in that same sense, she’s also your girlfriend. So, how could you tell your parents about her? 

You exhale a long, pent-up breath -unaware that, through this spiral, you’ve briefly forgotten to breathe. “I guess I can’t keep you from them forever.”

Hazel lifts her head and leans over you with a smug look. “Forever, you say?”

You laugh upon realizing the implications of your words, and turn away to avoid her demanding stare. “Shut up.” 

“Forever is a long time to be together. Even longer time to go without meeting one’s parents.” 

You shrug, “I think we could get away with it if we tried.”

She perks up, as if having an epiphany of her own. “Oh, maybe we’ll do one of those lavender marriages,” She encourages. “You know, we’ll pretend you're straight, and I’m just some estranged sister-in-law that you inevitably fall in love with -because how could you not? And then, you’ll get divorced, and we’ll run away together, and that way, I’ll never have to officially meet your parents, and they’ll just know me in passing. ”

You pause a moment, mouth set slightly agape at her nonsensical ridicule. “Are you done?”

“I mean, I could keep going, but that’s just a quick summary.”

Pursing your lips, you bite back a broad smile, and bring a hand to her cheek to pull her closer. Leaving a quick peck on her lips, before pressing your forehead to hers, “You’re the worst.”

A giggle reverberates off her chest, and you could swear that sound can kill. “We’ll be fine, I promise. Worst-case scenario, they end up hating me, we elope, move to Barbados, and live happily ever after.”

“Not a bad worst-case scenario.”

“Mhm.” she purrs, placing a hand on your waist and pressing her lips to yours, as you bring a hold to her cheek. The minimal space between your bodies lingers before it begins to diminish; her figure hovering over yours, effectively stabling herself by pressing a leg between your thighs. 

You melt under the touch, allowing the heat to rise to your cheeks and your stomach to do an insurmountable amount of flips. A smile curves against her lips, one that you cannot help but to reciprocate amidst her near suffocating rapture. 

Slicing through the once sensual atmosphere, your phone dings. Breaking away from her embrace, you turn towards your phone on the other side of the bed. “Shit, it’s probably my mom.”

Hazel hums. Though understanding, you can sense a slight disappointment in the way she relaxes next to you onto the bed. 

Swiping open your phone, the message reads:

MOM <3: That’s perfectly fine, hun. Can’t wait to me this friend of yours 😉 

MOM <3: Text me when you leave, love you!

You bite the inside of your cheek, knowing, even through text, she’s aware this friend isn’t like every other. She read you like a book, immediately picking up on the lack of assurance behind your words. She knows if it was just any other friend, you wouldn’t have asked. 

Your mother knows you well, but not well enough to know it isn't a boy you’re bringing home. 

YOU: I will, love you too <3

Shutting off your phone once again, you turn back to Hazel and put on a more heartening expression. “We’re good to go.”

“Really?” she questions. “You didn’t look too sure for a second?”

“Yeah, it’s just- some other stuff she was saying. It’s all good.” 

Hazel quirks her brow, not buying your reasoning.

“Seriously,” You add, wanting to end this questioning as soon as possible. “It’s fine,” You lean in and plant a quipped kiss on her cheek before catapulting yourself off the bed. “I should get packing, though.”

A hand grips your wrist before you can get any further. “No, stay,” she whines. “We were just starting to have fun.”

You gently take your other hand and guide yourself free of her grasp. “As much as I’d love to continue having more fun, you should probably start packing, too.”

Hazel groans, falling onto her back with an exaggeration you found to be quite endearing. 

You feel bad for deceiving her. She should know about the issue surrounding your parents, at least before you arrive at their house mid-afternoon tomorrow. You just didn’t know how to tell her, not that she wouldn’t understand, cause she would. The problem is how it would make her feel. 

Yet, in an undeniably selfish way, you hope that by finally introducing Hazel to your family, this unrelenting guilt entangled in the back of your mind will finally resolve. Maybe, just maybe, telling your parents about your girlfriend would make this thing you have with Hazel feel all the more better. Maybe, just maybe, telling them would allow this already perfect thing to blossom into something better. Maybe, you’ll finally sleep well at night and dream again once more. 

…

Come late morning, around 11 a.m., you and Hazel have already packed your bags and stuffed them in the trunk of your car. Having taken this route home on numerous occasions already, you didn’t bother typing your address into the GPS before setting off. 

Before leaving town and into the interminable country roads, you stopped by a small family owned convenience store for breakfast. You grabbed a pre-packaged blueberry muffin and a small coffee, while Hazel wandered aimlessly around the store with an indecisive contemplation -which is per usual. Ultimately, she meets you at the counter with an energy drink and a ‘freshly made’ breakfast sandwich -also her usual.

You grin teasingly upon seeing her choice. “You spent all that time deciding, just to get what you always do?”

She shrugs defensively, “I was wondering if I should try something new.”

You huff shaking your head, watching as she hands the cashier her card. 

Hopping back into the car, quiet conversation fills the air. Hazel grabs the aux cord and puts on the road-trip playlist she made just the night before. It’s full of songs and bands the two of you share a liking to, most of which you can scream every word to. 

The drive home is beautiful. It’s full of curvy and long countryside roads, and old historical district villages. Although, your favorite part is around the halfway mark of the drive, where the bundles of farmland are located. Here you pass numerous herds of cattle and their calves, all tucked safely behind mesh wire fences. 

Making this drive with Hazel is something you never thought would be so exciting. You felt like a tour guide of sorts, telling her miniscule stories about random experiences you’ve had in the area. Like how you stopped at one particular gas station on the way home once, and swore to never go back again after you had a near scrap fight with a group of opossums. Or how you once got a flat tire on the side of the road, and the only person who stopped to help you was someone fully dressed in drag. .  

“Sometimes I forget you’re from the middle of nowhere.” Hazel comments. 

“It’s not really in the middle of nowhere.”

“Really?” She retorts, giving you an unimpressed look, “Cause I haven’t seen a proper grocery store for miles.”

“What? We passed like fifty Dollar Generals, which around here is like the equivalent of a Whole Foods.”

She laughs lightly. “That’s exactly my point.”

“Don’t worry,” you chaff. “When we get closer to home, things will start looking a little more developed.”

She smiles with a shake of her head, as she looks back out the window. “You know, you never talk much about where you're from, better yet your family.”

You tense, gripping the steering wheel slightly, unsure of what to say.

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah,” Hazel confirms, looking back your way. “How come?”

Her question sounds so innocent, as if she doesn’t know the true extent of where a conversation like this could lead. The two of you have been living in this comfortable bubble for the entirety of its existence. It’s safe here, it’s content. It’s a place where your family can’t come in and hurt you, or even worse, hurt her. 

You’re used to their overtly derogatory teasing, but Hazel isn’t. What if your family steers her away from you, what if she projects their behavior onto you, or starts to perceive you as one of them -they are family after all.  

You finally broke free, went off on your own, and got to choose the people you surround yourself with. Things finally felt like they were in your control. You could keep your family life separate from the one you live away at college. You could keep this perfect balance of family and friends. You could finally separate yourself from your upbringing. But the thought that your family could drive something so perfect out of your life, stressed you out beyond comprehension. 

“Hey,” Hazel interjects, bringing you out of your spiraling thoughts. “You alright?”

“Yeah-uh, sorry.” You reply, anxiously tapping your fingers on the steering wheel. 

“It’s okay” She reassures with kind eyes. “You just kind of spaced out there when I asked about your family. Is everything okay?”

You exhale a long breath. Even feeling the motions of it all and knowing this trip could make or break everything with Hazel, you’re aware that she deserves to know. 

“They don’t know, Haze.” you finally blurt. 

She hesitates a moment. Her expression is evidently confused, as she turns down the music. “Who doesn’t know what?”

“My parents. They don’t know. They don’t know I’m…” For some reason, it’s hard to say. You’ve always been comfortable in your sexuality, so why is it so hard to say it now? 

“Gay?” She finishes for you.”They don’t know you like girls?”

You bite your lip, shaking your head. “I’m so sorry, I should’ve told them sooner -long before I even thought of bringing you to them. Which also should’ve been way sooner. I just didn’t know what to say or how to tell them or-”

“So they’re homophobic?” She interrupts.

You stutter on your words, struggling to form a proper response, before letting out a defeated breath. “Kind of?”

“Kind of?”

“Well, they’re not like homophobic in a way where they think gay people shouldn’t have the right to marry or exist. To them it’s more like, ‘i dont care if you’re gay just don’t do that stuff around me’ kind of way. So they are homophobic, but it’s like…it’s just…” You hesitate, glancing at Hazel’s expression carefully. 

For a moment, she stares at you in bafflement. What she could be thinking appears unreadable -that is, until a small laugh escapes her. 

She’s laughing?

“Hazel,” you sigh. ”It’s not funny. I’m serious.”

“I know, I know. I’m sorry for laughing,” She apologizes with a waving of her hand. “It’s just… I’ve never heard someone describe it that way.”

“Hazel,” You complain, desperately trying to keep your focus on her and the road. 

She purses her lips as she tries to bite back an amused smile. After a deep exhale, she finally regains her composure and meets your weary expression. “Look, it’s fine they don’t know. I get it, it’s hard coming out, especially to people like that. I don’t expect you to tell them right as we walk through the door. Although, I’d love to see such a dramatic proclamation of your love for me, I understand not telling them. So, you don’t have to… for now.”

She pauses for a moment, placing a comforting hand on your forearm. “But I do wish you would’ve told me about them before bringing me all the way out here. I need to like, be more prepared for a situation like this.”

“I know, and I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you before,” you apologize, wishing you would’ve swallowed your transgressions and told her sooner. “You don’t have to do this anymore. If you’re too uncomfortable-”

“No, I want to.” she interjects. “Things will just be a little more awkward, is all. Nothing I can’t handle.”

“No Hazel, you don’t-... this was a bad idea. I should’ve told you-”

“Hey, it’s fine. I’m okay with it, really.” 

You flatten your lips, dissatisfied with how you’ve made things. Her circumstances are unfair, yet she’s still willing to meet them. 

“Are you sure? I can text my mom, cancel the whole thing, and I can just stay with you on campus for spring break. I’ll make it up to you-”

Hazel interrupts with a stern call of your name. “Seriously, it’s fine”

You switch your worried gaze from the dark roadway to Hazel’s pitying stare. You didn’t think it would be possible, but you begin to think you might want to turn around more than Hazel. You’ve finally built up enough courage to offer for them to meet, and a part of you wonders if it’s for the best, if the timing is even right. 

“It’s just…my relationship with my family is complicated. They’re not… easy people to get along with. I don’t want them to make you feel uncomfortable. I don’t want them to say some dumb shit and hurt you. I don’t want them to ruin things between us. And I’m scared that after this, things between us will change. That you’ll see me differently, like I’m one of them, and want to leave. And, honestly, Hazel, these past few months with you have been really really amazing and I don’t want to lose that …I don’t want to lose you.”

Hazel is silent for a long moment, seemingly mulling something over in her head. And with each passing moment, you get more nervous that she had changed her mind and did, in fact, want to turn around and leave you with your family troubles.

“Pull over,” She suddenly demands.

“What?” 

“Pull over, I want to give you a hug.” She implores with a strange sophistication in her words. “And because you’re crying and probably shouldn’t be driving.”

You hadn’t even realized it before, but tears were streaming down your cheeks, your voice was hoarse, and your vision was far too blurry to be driving in the dark. 

You wipe your tears abashedly with a weak laugh, and pull over onto the side of the empty highway. Shifting the vehicle into park, Hazel’s arms immediately wrap around your shoulders -the unwarranted comfort making you fall apart at the seams. All in one fell swoop, everything comes crashing down. 

You tuck your head between her shoulder and neck, desperately attempting to suppress the lump in your throat. Her affection is warm and safe. To you, her embrace isn’t a new feeling, yet, it’s still somehow refreshing. Like a much-needed breath of fresh air, or a sip of ice water on a hot day. 

“You’re not going to lose me because of them. Nothing they say or do will ever change how I feel about you, alright?” she whispers over your shoulder. 

You nod, unsure if you can trust your own voice. 

She let's go, placing a small peck on your cheek. Her palms cradle your face as she stares into your eyes. “Everything is going to work out just fine. And if it doesn’t, we’ll leave. Simple as that.”

You nod once more, hating how speechless you feel. Here she was, sacrificing her spring break to meet your homophobic parents, yet she’s the one comforting you. 

“Alright. Now, switch seats with me. I’m driving now.”

Not even bothering to argue, you unbuckle your seatbelt and open the driver door. 

You type in your address into the GPS, and allow Hazel to take the wheel. 

…

Pulling into the rocky driveway, your heart’s in your ears and there’s a knot in your stomach. If the prolonged carsickness from the car ride didn’t make you throw up, walking through that front door surely will. 

Hazel puts the car in park and turns the ignition off. “You okay?”

You stare at the dash, eyes glued straight ahead and you nod slowly. 

A hand grabs yours, squeezing it three times over, a gesture you have yet to understand but never fails to ease your racing heart. Glancing at this impossibly calm and collected girl next to you, you wonder how you ever got so lucky to be a part of her world. It seems nearly inconceivable. She’s too good to be true, too good for you. 

Flashing a weak smile, you open the passenger door and step out into the cold air. 

The sun has set into darkness, as the crickets chirp in a harmonious choir. One thing you did miss about home were the quiet nights. Compared to the college town, where police sirens were an atmospheric staple and the oxygen is thick with pollution, your hometown was silent. Everything could be heard throughout the still nights, including your favorite calls of the mourning dove. 

You ultimately decide to leave your bags in the car, figuring you’ll grab them after dinner, which is supposedly ready according to the text your mom sent ten minutes prior to your arrival. So, not wanting them to wait another moment to eat, the two of you walk to the front door. 

Typically, when you visit home, you barge through the door, not bothering to announce yourself. It’s your home after all. But this time, being so filled with nerves, you knock. 

“Come in,” your mother's voice beckons from inside, followed by the excited barking of the family dog. 

The moment you open the door, two paws meet your abdomen. “Hey, buddy,” You shakily greet, ruffling the dog's head, as his tail wags excitedly. 

“Hazel, this is Ru,” You introduce sliding off your shoes. 

Ru is the name everyone decided on, and the one you came up with. Though you never had the heart to tell your family you named him after Rupaul. But it’s funnier if they don’t know. 

“Hi Ru,” Hazel coos, squatting to the pups level, allowing him to sniff her hand, to which he immediately accepts. Originally, your family wanted a guard dog. Instead they got Ru, who wouldn't hurt a fly.

“Aren’t you just the sweetest?” Hazel laughs, flopping his ears. Already you could tell the dog loved her. Seeing her with Ru, both of them lighting up at the interaction, made things feel slightly better, like everything might turn out alright.

“Hey, hun!” Your mom greets, rounding the entrance corner, her arms open wide. 

“Hi,” You put on your best smile while wrapping your arms around her, using every last piece of willpower to suppress the nerves. 

“Missed you,” she reminds, pulling away before her gaze quickly drifts to the girl behind you. 

“Mom, this is Hazel.”

Something falters behind your mother's stare, and in an instant you notice her subtle surprise. Indeed, not a boy.

“Hi, nice to meet you,” Hazel stands, offering her hand.

“Nice to meet you,” She shakes her hand briefly with a smile, then turns back to you. “Where are your bags?”

“Oh, we left them in the car. Didn’t want to hold up dinner any longer, you know?”

“You didn’t have to do that,” she brushes off, as she saunters back to the kitchen, “But after dinner, I’ll send your father out there to help you unload all your stuff.”

“Speaking of which, where is he?” You ask, gesturing for Hazel to follow you further into the home. 

Your mother scoffs, grabbing the plates from the pantry. “Bathroom, you know how he is.”

“Gross, I’m eating.” A voice calls from the dining table. 

You peek your head around the corner to find your sister, who not surprisingly didn’t wait for your arrival to eat. “Good to see you too.” You tease.

She nods, her mouth full of food. 

Looking at the stove, you find fresh cooked salmon, cubed baked sweet potatoes, and charred asparagus. If there is a second thing you missed about home, it’s the home-cooked meals. 

“Dinner looks good, mom.” You smile, grabbing a plate for both you and Hazel. 

“Thank you,” She chirps, filling her plate and looking at Hazel who has been shadowing your side. “Please, help yourselves to whatever.”

“Thank you so much,” Hazel lightly mutters, joining your side to fill her plate. “And thank you for having me. I know it’s last minute.” 

“No worries. It’s always nice to have a new guest.” 

Finally taking a seat at the table, Hazel sits by your side. You could tell she was being overly conscious of how close she sat next to you. Despite knowing she only wanted to avoid unwanted attention, you couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Her comforting presence is an inescapable desire, one that you cannot have -not here. 

“You know, when you said a friend, they thought you were finally bringing home a boy.” your sister ridicules from the seat across from you. 

A distaste for your sister settles on your tongue. Of course that was the first thing she’s said since you arrived. It didn’t matter that it was a diss towards you. What mattered was how Hazel glanced in your direction -a mix of dejection and pity- it killed you. 

“Well…” you begin, unsure of how to respond to such a remark. “It's best not to assume things, is it?”

Her eyes flare with amusement, indicating she wasn’t expecting a defensive remark. It wasn’t like you to respond in such a way, but these are different circumstances.

Without introduction, your father walks in with his plate in hand. On his way to his seat, he plants a small pat on your shoulder. “Good to see you home for once.”

You smile flatly. Every time you visited home, the subject of your frequent absence was always brought up. Even with the easy drive home, Christmas and Spring break were the only times of year that you ever visited home. 

“Um,” You clear your throat, “Dad, this is Hazel.”

Directing his attention to the girl, he offers a curt nod. “So, what are you majoring in Hazel?”

Mentally, you roll your eyes, because of course that’s his first question. 

“Uh, engineering, sir.”

His expression lightens, “Really? That’s a pretty good one, make a lot of money in that field.”

“Yeah, definitely. But it’s very competitive, so we’ll see how it goes.” 

“I’m sure you’ll do great.” Your mom chimes in, as she takes a seat next to your sister. 

Hazel smiles warmly, “Thank you.” 

“Hazel actually got a perfect score last semester on her Calculus three final,” You bud in, trying desperately to keep a conversation floating.  

“Wow, calculus, huh?” your dad replies, evidently impressed. “How’d you pull that off?”

“Well, I’m pretty accustomed to the formulas by now. I’ve been working with this sort of thing ever since I joined the fight club in high school and made…” She pauses, reconsidering her story. “I just helped everyone with their calculus homework, really.”

“Wait, did you say fight club?” Your sister adds. “Like the Brad Pitt movie?”

“Yeah -um, it wasn’t necessarily a fight club, more like a self-defense club. You know, for female solidarity and stuff.” 

“Oh, well that’s very cool,” Your mom comments. “You know, we made y/n take a self-defense class before going to college.”

“Really?” Hazel questions, eyes lightening with surprise as she turns to you.

“Mhm,” your mother grins proudly. “best of her class.”

“What? Why did I never know this?” 

You shrug with the first genuine smile you’ve mustered since the night began. “I don’t know, I never thought to mention it.”

She lightly laughs, making your nerves ease ever so slightly. 

The night goes on as the conversation picks up. Hazel and your family exchange  stories, jokes, and current happenings in their lives. Things are looking up, you think. Dinner has long been eaten, and no one has even bothered to move from the table. The earlier tension has finally dissolved into an air of comfortability, and your nerves have finally settled into an ease. As far as you could tell, your family has found a liking for Hazel.

You made a deal with yourself.  Before spring break ends, you’d indefinitely tell them. The only question is, how would you find the proper timing? Things are going so well now, what if telling them ruins it? 

Eventually, Hazel excuses herself, discreetly asking you for directions to the bathroom. You stood, grabbing both your plates and pointing her in the general direction down the hall. 

 Discarding the plates into the dishwasher, you return to your seat on the table, hazel now absent from your side. Without her comforting presence, the energy seems to shift in the room. There is a thick silence among your family. For a moment, you can’t tell if it’s all in your head. Although, almost in an instant, your earlier hopes for a peaceful spring break dispel into thin air.  

“So, your friend Hazel.” Your sister begins. 

You look up expectantly, awaiting some derogatory remark with deep trepidation. 

“She’s got a personality, doesn’t she?”

You narrow your eyes, “What does that mean?” 

“She’s just different is all.” 

“Yeah but what does that mean?” You ask once more with impatience, eyes darting between each of your family members, looking for some unknown answer. 

“She just means,” Your mother adds, “She’s a lot more different from your other friends. She’s…”

“Funny,” Your dad finishes, though it’s not a compliment. It’s a passive tone, one you know all too well. 

“Funny?”

Your sister shrugs. “Yeah. I mean, the way she dresses, her hair, her humor. It’s all just different from what we’re used to.” 

“So…You don’t like her?” you question with a twinge of hurt. Wherever this is going, you dread it. That same tangled ball of nerves in your stomach have finally resurfaced, and all it took was for Hazel to leave the room. 

Your dad scoffs, “You know that's not what we’re saying, y/n. “ 

“Yeah we like her she’s just-”

“Different, yeah I got it. You don’t have to say it a million times.”

“You don’t have to get so defensive about it. It’s not that big of a deal,” Your sister remarks with a condescending laugh, “I mean, what? Are we not allowed to talk about her?”

“Not the moment she leaves the room, no. That’s fucking weird and condescending.”

“Hey!” Your dad warns. “Watch your mouth.”

You feel at a loss for words. Everything is escalating so fast. From what you observed, everyone was having a good time. Why do they have to go and ruin it? How could they be so insolent? 

“I don’t see why you’re getting so defensive about her though?” Your sister adds. “It’s not like we’re saying anything bad.”

“No, but you’re making passive comments, and I can tell what you’re actually thinking, and it hurts my feelings that you think that way.”

“Oh god forbid we hurt your feelings,” Your father claims. 

The hurt is soon replaced with anger, as your father’s remark seeps into your skin. After all these years of growing up with them by your side, you’ve never seen them so… ugly. You knew they weren’t the most agreeable people, but this was a whole new side.  “Why would you-”

“We’re sorry, honey,“ Your mom interrupts. “We don’t mean to upset you. You’re right, it’s rude to talk about someone when they're out of the room.”

You give her a disbelieving look. “It doesn’t matter if she’s here or not! The stuff you're saying still sucks, and it’s weird, and all of you are being rude.”

“Oh my god, we aren’t even saying anything bad! We just said she’s different from your other friends.” Your sister complains. 

You groan, “Yeah and you keep saying different and not actually elaborating on what you mean.” 

“Y/n, honey, calm down.”

“No! I wanna know what does ��different’ mean? What does that mean to you?”

A subtle silence envelopes the air, a heavy, understanding silence. You aren’t mad because you don’t understand what they’re saying; You're mad because you do. You want to hear them say it. You need to hear them say it. 

“You know what we mean,” Your sister finally confides. 

It takes everything in you to not burst at the seams. Can they not even say it? Was it that hard for them? 

“Why can’t all of you just be… supportive, unconditionally.”

Your dad shakes his head, “Why does it matter what we think anyway?” 

“Because, she’s my girlfriend!” You cry. The moment the words finally reveal themselves, a weight is lifted off your chest.

The room falls silent, their faces painted with complete bewilderment.

“We’ve been together for five months now. And I didn’t want to tell you guys because I knew you would react this way, and I knew you wouldn’t understand, or in the very least, even try to. But it turns out, I don’t even need to tell you she’s my girlfriend for all of you to absolutely lose your shit! I mean, you’re my family for Christ's sake! I just wish you’d be a little more supportive, or at least have a heart when I tell you i’m…I-” The rest of your words fail to fall from your mouth, as they bubble up behind the lump forming in your throat. 

They give no response, not even one from your father to correct your language. They simply stare, and it’s an unbearable silence, one that fills you with an impending dread. One that holds the weight of all that is unspoken. One that says absolutely nothing, yet everything all at once. 

Maybe it’s disgust or maybe it’s shock, yet the uncertainty of their expressions remains. All that can be certain is the very fact that you can’t be here anymore.  

Though, all you can manage to do is study their contemplative stares. You study them with a pained glare til your eyes drift to the hall, where Hazel stands in the entrance. You don’t know how long she’s been there, but with her sympathetic yet ultimately, disappointed expression, you presume she's been there long enough. Now, only one thought floats through your mind: Hazel shouldn’t have to be here.

You abruptly stand from the table and pace out the door.  “Thank you for dinner,” You mutter, as you grab your keys and wallet off the counter. You take Hazel’s hand without meeting her eyes, and usher her out the door. 

Faintly, you hear your mother call out from the kitchen, though her voice only mumbles under the rumbling thoughts in your head. 

It’s funny, you thought the worst response would be one of disapproval. But it turns out, no response is worse. With no words spoken, you don’t know what they’re thinking. Sure, the silence is enough to make you want to curl up inside yourself and disappear, but you can’t tell if it was shock or dismay. 

Before you can open the driver door, Hazel cuts in front of you, giving a knowing look. She was going to drive, no questions asked. And you had no energy left to argue, so without another word, you hop in the passenger seat and tuck your knees to your chest, holding back the fountain of tears that threaten to spill. 

As the car leaves the neighborhood, Hazels sits behind the wheel with the same face as before. You don’t know if the disappointment in her eyes is for you or your family. Or maybe it’s both, being of the same blood and all. You are them, and they are you; they are you, and you are them. It doesn’t matter either way, because they’re family. And when you needed their approval most, they chewed it up and spit it out.

They’re the people that are supposed to support you most, they’re supposed to love you unconditionally. But when it comes to a love that is unconventional to them, all that goes out the window. Maybe simply being their daughter wasn’t enough.

All these interminable, chastising thoughts suddenly come to a halt, when the hand that’s been anxiously gripping your shin, is pulled away.  Your eyes drift upward to find Hazel’s hand intertwined in yours. Her eyes are glued to the road in such a steadfast way, you begin to wonder if she’s even paying attention to her driving. She seemed out of it, lost in her own world. Til, she flips on the blinker and makes the turn out of your hometown.

[oldwritingm]

I haven’t written for Creepypasta/MH for a while, so…. Here :] (i am so sorry for starving you my sweet creeps/creep enjoyers)

Creepypasta/MH - How You Met

Characters: Nina the Killer, Jeff the Killer, “Ticci” Toby

Nina the Killer

You guys met at the mall

I’ll give you one guess which store you were in

….did you guess Claire’s? Because it was Claire’s

(For those who don’t know, Claire’s is a super cutesy accessory store with earrings, headbands, unicorn headphones, stuff like that…. They also do piercings)

She was getting a new piercing, you were just browsing

You were closely examining two pairs of earrings, trying to decide which ones to get

A few feet away Nina was doing the same, tapping her masked cheek as she tried to pick out which studs to get for the new piercing

You kinda looked at each other from the corners of your eyes, noticing that you were in a similar predicament

Nina looked you up and down, and decided on a whim that she wanted your advice

“Hey, which studs do you think I should get? I’m getting a new piercing.”

You leaned over, checking out the selection alongside her

While you looked, she tucked her hair behind her ear to let you see the ones she already had

You hummed, looking between her ears and the studs on display

Then you pointed to the ones you thought would look best, and though you couldn’t see her mouth under her mask, you knew she was smiling hugely

“Thank you so much!! Now let me help you pick your earrings!”

You smiled, surprised that she took notice of your earlier plight

You guys seemed to connect over your sense of fashion/what looks nice (even if you didn’t necessarily have the same aesthetic)

She actually asked if you wanted to stick around for the actual piercing after, which you agreed to

It looked fantastic ofc, and she gave you full credit :)

After that you guys hung around the mall together, exchanging numbers before parting

She was enamored by your style, your demeanor, your attitude—she was determined to see you again

Jeff the Killer

You guys also met at a store

But it was a thrift store

You were hunting “the heat” that everyone always buzzes about

He was hunting some nice deals on clothes 💰

You didn’t notice the pale, masked man browsing the racks, but he certainly noticed you

He watched the way you moved; the way your face shifted when you found something you liked or disliked

He wasn’t particularly interested, but he was watching you anyway

Just a habit of a serial killer ig

You were slowly growing closer, the racks separating you two dwindling in number until you were on the same aisle, walking in opposite directions

You pulled out a shirt, and suddenly your face exploded into a huge grin and a snort escaped you

Jeff jumped, not having expected…. that

You were doing your best not to double over in laughter, repeatedly looking over the shirt in your hands

You decided that you just had to share this with someone, so you waved over the nearest person

Which was Jeff, of course

He warily approached, curious but cautious

His eyes were narrowed until you flipped around the shirt, letting him read it

“Shakin’ tits and takin’ shits….”

He blinked once, processing the outrageous atrocity of fashion

Then he started chuckling too

You shared a fit of laughter that never seemed to end as you both kept renewing your giggles by looking at the shirt or each other

It was just so stupid, and you both kept saying so between laughs

He extended his hand, steadying himself to say:

“Please let me buy that.”

“What, you think I’m gonna wear it? …Hmm, on second thought…”

Cue the teasing banter (oh man. He’s hooked now)

In the end you walked away with the shirt, but Jeff came away with something better

A new interesting acquaintance, and a motive to “get you back”

What does that mean? Lord knows… but don’t be surprised when he suddenly shows up again, ready for some more of that playful banter

“Ticci” Toby

You guys actually knew each other before Toby became what he is

So let’s rewind back to high school:

Toby was a weirdo, this we know

But so were you (even if you tried to hide it)

You were intrigued by the strange boy that seemed to be lurking in the back row of your every class

One day you decided to sit next to him; you realized that he actually seemed kinda… normal?

Like, you weren’t alarmed by him or anything

You weren’t sure what you had been expecting, but it wasn’t the quiet (if not fidgety) kid you found yourself next to

You were prone to draw when bored in class, and though you didn’t notice at first, he seemed to like watching you draw

It became more obvious as time passed, until one day he finally spoke to you

In a hushed whisper, careful not to be caught by the teacher, he said:

“Can you draw the teacher? But, like, super ugly.”

You smirked mischievously, giving a little nod as you doodled the crude character

You heard him snort, and for the first time you saw a genuine smile on those chapped, chewed-up lips

From then on you frequently amused him with your drawings, and he amused you with his requests

You started meeting up more often, and you sorta became friends

You weren’t particularly close or anything, but you’d give each other knowing grins when you passed each other in the hallways

He liked your mischievous side, as well as the fact that you didn’t pity him

You were just a chill person who he vibed really well with :)

When he went off the rails, you guys kind of lost contact

You were someone he could come to when he was in a goofy mood, but as that became more of a rarity, so too did your relationship wither

But he never forgot you; in his mind, you were like a flower frosted over, someone he could come back to someday and be accepted once more

Though he didn’t think of you too often, especially as the years passed

Like I said, you weren’t close

But still, you made a lasting impression on him, and he always knew he’d be glad to see you again someday

Not too many characters with this one; I noticed it was getting kinda long ^^” But thanks for reading!! Take care sweet things <33

(divider by saradika)

[gentlekalita]

Ideas for Men Wearing Lingerie

It’s your Gentle Domme Kalita here, and today I want to talk about an exciting topic that can open the door to new worlds of pleasure and self-exploration: men wearing lingerie. Whether you’re curious about trying it for the first time or looking for fresh ideas to surprise your Domme, this post is for you. Let’s dive into the sensual side of lingerie and discover how it can enhance your experience!

1. Choosing the Right Lingerie

The first step to confidently wearing lingerie is selecting pieces that resonate with you. Here are some styles to consider:

Bodysuits: These are fantastic for an all-in-one look. They hug your curves and provide a sleek silhouette, making you feel simultaneously sexy and comfortable.

Lace Teddies: A lace teddy is both enticing and playful. The delicate fabric can highlight your body in a way that feels luxurious and feminine, and it’s perfect for those who want to dip their toes into lingerie without feeling too exposed.

Boxer Briefs with a Twist: For those who prefer something more familiar yet enticing, choose boxer briefs made from satin or lace. These provide a sense of comfort while also adding a touch of elegance.

Camisoles and Slips: Lightweight and effortlessly sexy, camisoles and slips are perfect for layering or wearing alone. They exude a sense of softness, inviting touch and admiration.

2. Accessorizing Your Look

Once you've chosen your lingerie, consider adding a few accessories to elevate the aesthetic:

Stockings with Garters: Nothing says seductive quite like a pair of stockings attached to a garter belt. This classic look is both teasing and attractive, emphasizing your legs and adding an element of allure.

Robes and Kimonos: A silky robe or a flowing kimono can enhance your outfit while providing an air of mystery. Wrap it around yourself for a softer look, teasing just enough to entice.

Jewelry: Delicate chains or subtle body jewelry can enhance a lingerie look. Think about what makes you feel confident—an understated pendant or a simple bracelet can add elegance without being too overwhelming.

3. Confidence is Key

Wearing lingerie is all about embracing yourself and feeling confident in your skin. Here are some tips to boost your confidence:

Practice in Privacy: Before unveiling your look to others, spend some time by yourself, donning your chosen pieces. Take this time to admire yourself in the mirror, appreciating your body and how the lingerie fits.

Pose and Play: Experiment with different poses in front of the mirror. Find angles that highlight your body and make you feel sexy. The right pose can make a world of difference in how you perceive yourself.

Affirmations: Embrace positive self-talk. Remind yourself that you are worthy, desirable, and bold for exploring this side of yourself. Confidence often stems from self-acceptance.

4. Exploring With a Partner

If you’re feeling adventurous and want to share your new lingerie journey with a safe and cozy partner (like me!), communication is key:

Share Your Excitement: Let your partner know you’re exploring wearing lingerie. Express what it means to you and how you’d like them to participate.

Incorporate Playfulness: Introduce a fun game or dare, like a fashion show or a seductive role-play scenario. This can break the ice and enhance intimacy between you.

Ask for Feedback: Invite your partner to share their thoughts on your look. This validation can boost your confidence and strengthen your bond.

✨ Join Me for More Exploration!

Ready to embrace your sensual side and explore the world of lingerie together? I would love for you to join me in my camming sessions, where we can discuss these ideas in real-time, share experiences, and create a space where everyone feels free to express their desires.

Check my bio!

[emperordinozenmon]

A fist of Divine speed II

Dj sighed as he trudged toward the support group’s meeting space, dragging his friend Elegy—nicknamed Elly—alongside him. She wasn’t making it easy.

“Broly, I don’t want to go,” Elegy whined, dragging her feet dramatically.

Dj barely glanced at her. “Elly, you are a daughter of Apollo who just gained the blessing of Persephone. You need to learn how to manage that power.”

“Oh, and you’re doing such a good job with all that new magic you’ve been throwing around?” Elegy shot back, crossing her arms.

Dj sighed. “It’s literally been one week.”

Elegy huffed but didn’t argue further. Instead, she pivoted into full theatrics, throwing herself against him with a pout. “Then carry me in on your back.”

Dj pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering something under his breath before finally crouching down. “You’re lucky I don’t just leave you outside.”

With a triumphant grin, Elegy latched onto his back, draping herself dramatically as he carried her inside.

Arin was already seated, deep in conversation with Drew and Frank, when the door swung open. She turned, expecting Dj—only to feel her stomach sink slightly when she saw him carrying another girl inside.

The sight made her pause. Was she…misreading things? Had she come on too strong? Had she lost his adoration?

Her fingers clenched against her knee. Venus’s blessing hummed inside her, sharp and searching, but instead of letting it overwhelm her, she forced herself to observe.

Dj carried Elegy effortlessly, but there was no softness in his movements. No tenderness. He dropped her onto a chair without fanfare, adjusting her posture with a firm hand on her shoulder.

“Sit up straight,” he admonished.

Elegy groaned but obeyed, propping herself up with exaggerated stiffness.

Then, as if sensing the weight of Arin’s gaze, Dj’s eyes flickered toward her—and then to Elegy, who had not stopped staring at Arin.

“Don’t stare,” he sighed.

“But Broly, she’s staring at us,” Elegy whined.

Arin realized she had been caught watching them, but rather than let the moment hang, she pivoted smoothly, schooling her expression.

“I didn’t know Dj had a friend so colorful,” she mused, voice even.

Elegy’s expression brightened instantly. “Thanks!” she chirped.

Drew, who had been watching the entire exchange with barely concealed amusement, leaned toward Arin. “Jealous?” she murmured.

Arin ignored her, refocusing as the rest of the group filtered in.

Frank took his usual seat near the center, his presence solid and grounding. Tsuki arrived shortly after, her movements as light as ever, though Arin swore she felt the faintest ripple of divine energy when she stepped into the room—subtle, but unmistakable.

“Alright,” Drew clapped her hands together. “Let’s get started. First off, welcome to our newcomers.” She gestured toward Elegy, who beamed, and Tsuki, who gave a small, polite wave. “As always, this is a space for all of us to figure out our…complicated situations. So, let’s check in. Any new surprises since last week?”

Arin exhaled, rolling her shoulders. She could still feel Venus’s blessing coursing through her, her body subtly adjusting to it every day. And as she glanced toward Dj—who, despite himself, kept very carefully avoiding looking at her—she knew she wasn’t the only one wrestling with something new.

Tsuki stood gracefully, offering a polite bow before speaking. “Hello, I’m Tsuki. I am a daughter of Eostre, and I have been working with Ame-no-Uzume to cultivate her blessing.” Her voice was soft but confident, her presence naturally magnetic. “Drew invited me after I attended her fashion show and became an ambassador for her company.”

After introducing herself, she turned toward Drew with a small, appreciative smile. “Thank you for both opportunities.”

Drew, lounging in her seat with practiced elegance, waved a hand dismissively but was clearly pleased. “Of course! It’s no big deal,” she said breezily. “You do look fantastic in my designs, so really, we both win here.”

A few chuckles rippled through the group, but soon, all attention turned to Elegy.

Arin could feel the shift in the air—Elegy’s nerves were practically buzzing. Before the girl could even open her mouth, a low, guttural growl echoed from outside. The room tensed.

Elegy flinched, turning sharply toward the sound, but before she could react, Dj placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

“Nope. Stay here,” he said, voice even but firm. “I’ll take care of it.”

Arin watched as Dj stood, a heavy sigh escaping his lips. As he moved, something materialized in his grip—a mace, solid and deadly, its opposite end tapering into a sharp point. Numerous buttons lined its hilt, glowing faintly. He rolled his shoulders before heading for the door.

The moment he stepped outside, the sounds of battle erupted—snarls, heavy impacts, and…music? A rhythmic beat pulsed from somewhere beyond the door, interwoven with Dj’s strikes.

Elegy, unfazed by the chaos, took a breath and pressed forward. “Hello! I’m Elegy Requiem, a daughter of Apollo… and, um, currently dealing with the blessings of Persephone.” She gave a quick, tight smile before sitting down with a dramatic sigh, as if merely speaking was exhausting.

Frank gave a thoughtful nod. “A sun god and a goddess of the underworld. That’s… an interesting combination.”

Drew smirked. “Sounds dramatic.”

Elegy grinned. “Oh, you have no idea.”

With introductions out of the way, Drew turned her attention to Arin, her smirk sharpening. “Alright, let’s start with you, Miss Radiance.”

Arin gave her an unimpressed look. “That’s not my title.”

“It should be,” Drew said, resting her chin on her hand. “Any changes since last week?”

Arin hesitated for a moment before sighing. “My power has been… growing. More than I expected.”

That caught the group’s attention.

“I actually used my first charm spell this week,” she admitted. “It wasn’t anything major—I just used it on my puppy to get him to finally learn a trick I’ve been trying to teach him for months.”

Frank raised a brow. “And it worked?”

“Too well,” Arin muttered. “Now he does it constantly because he wants to impress me.”

Drew snickered. “That tracks.”

Before the conversation could go further, the door swung open with a bang.

Dj stepped inside, utterly covered in monster viscera. Blackish ichor dripped from his hoodie, and something that looked suspiciously like a claw was embedded in his sleeve. He exhaled sharply, running a hand down his face like he was done with everything.

Elegy took one look at him and burst into laughter. “Was it too hard?”

Dj leveled her with a deadpan stare, eyes narrowed. “Shut it.”

Arin, despite herself, couldn’t help but smirk.

Here’s an expanded scene incorporating the group’s discussions about their blessings while Arin observes Dj’s behavior:

The support group settled into a rhythm as each member shared their experiences from the past week. Arin, however, kept her gaze subtly fixed on Dj.

Even as the others spoke, she could tell he was aware of her scrutiny. He wasn’t looking at her—not directly—but she could see it in the way his posture shifted, in the way he kept his focus on whoever was speaking while carefully regulating his reactions. He was always just engaged enough to seem present, but never enough to reveal too much about himself.

Typical.

She still hadn’t cracked the full mystery of him, but one thing was clear—Dj was good at deflecting.

The conversation moved to Tsuki, who sat with perfect posture, a thoughtful expression on her face. “I’ve been noticing… changes when I perform,” she admitted. “When I dance, when I sing, when I engage with an audience, it’s like I can feel their energy syncing with mine. And the more engaged they are, the stronger I feel. It’s exhilarating, but also a little scary. I don’t want to become addicted to it.”

Drew nodded knowingly. “That’s the Uzume effect. You’re tapping into divine-level performance. It’s a rush, isn’t it?”

Tsuki exhaled. “Yes. But I don’t want to need it, you know?”

Dj, who had been silent up until now, finally spoke.

“You should start grounding exercises,” he suggested, his voice calm and measured. “Focus on small performances—controlled ones. Instead of feeding off an audience’s energy, see if you can generate your own. Get used to being self-sustaining so that when the moment comes, you’re in charge of the energy, not the other way around.”

Tsuki blinked, surprised at his insight. “That… actually makes a lot of sense.”

“Of course it does,” Elegy piped up, tossing a dramatic hand in the air. “Broly over here is secretly a wise old sage. He just hides it under all the brooding.”

Dj shot her a look, but didn’t argue.

Frank took his turn next. “My shapeshifting’s been—off.” He frowned, flexing his fingers. “I used to have full control over it. But now… sometimes my form shifts before I even realize what I want it to be. It’s like my instincts are stronger than my logic.”

“Your instincts are stronger than your logic,” Drew teased.

Frank sighed. “Yeah, but now it’s a problem. I don’t want to shift at the wrong time.”

“Your best bet is meditation,” Dj said simply. “It’s not about forcing control. It’s about recognizing when your body wants to change and understanding why. Suppressing it completely will only make it worse.”

Frank nodded, considering it. “That’s… actually really helpful.”

Arin tilted her head slightly, intrigued.

Dj was being careful. Even though his advice was insightful and direct, he never talked about his own abilities. He never once referred to his own struggles. Instead, he redirected the conversation—offering guidance, giving practical solutions—without ever letting the focus shift to himself.

It was deliberate.

She wondered if anyone else had noticed, or if they were too caught up in their own divine dilemmas to realize how little Dj ever actually revealed about himself.

Her power pulsed, faint but insistent.

There was something inside him—something untamed and massive—and he was holding onto it with a level of restraint that shouldn’t have been possible.

He was hiding something.

And the more she watched him, the more she wanted to know what.

As the group encircled him, Dj glanced at his watch with exaggerated interest. “Oh wow, would you look at that? Our session is up.”

Before anyone could object, he stood, stretching lazily before gesturing for Elegy to follow. With a practiced flick of his wrist, he activated his mace—its intricate mechanisms whirring as a shimmering ring portal materialized before them.

“Welp, it’s been real,” Dj said, stepping toward the portal. “See you all next—”

“Oh, absolutely not,” Drew interrupted, pointing a sharp finger at Elegy. “You better make sure he’s back next week.”

Elegy grinned, rocking back on her heels. “Oh, don’t you worry,” she said dramatically, placing a hand over her heart. “I solemnly swear to drag this big, brooding enigma right back here, kicking and screaming if necessary.”

The group burst into laughter at the image, except for Dj, who groaned. “Really?”

“Really.”

Tsuki giggled. “Don’t be shy, Dj. We love a good mystery.”

Frank smirked. “Yeah, and you’re giving us way too much material to work with.”

Dj sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I hate all of you.”

Elegy looped her arm through his, practically bouncing as she steered him toward the portal. “And yet, here you are. Stuck with us.”

Then, just before stepping through, she turned her bright, mischievous eyes to Arin.

“Oh, and don’t worry, oh radiant one. I’ll make sure your favorite toy is here next week for you to ogle.”

The room erupted.

Arin, caught entirely off guard, felt her entire face ignite with heat. “WHAT?!”

Tsuki gasped, hands flying to her mouth in delight. Drew smirked knowingly. Even Frank chuckled.

Dj paused mid-step, throwing Elegy a look of sheer betrayal. “You absolute menace.”

Elegy just waggled her fingers at him. “See ya next week, big guy~”

With that, she dragged a spluttering Dj through the portal, leaving behind a room full of laughter—and a very, very flustered Arin.

Everyone went the separate ways after and went back to their lives

Arin’s group mates continued to tease her about her growing power and magic declaring that she’d become the matnae which Arin profusely declined.

Arin sat on her bed, phone in hand, staring at the empty text message box. It had been three days since the last meeting, and despite herself, Elegy’s words still echoed in her mind.

“Your favorite toy.”

Her fingers twitched over the keyboard. She’d thought about texting Dj before, but between her pride, Venus’s blessing constantly amplifying her emotions, and Dj’s own carefully constructed walls, she hesitated.

But then she remembered how he was with Elegy—stern, protective, effortlessly handling her antics. How he listened to everyone at the support group, offering thoughtful advice while keeping his own struggles locked away.

He was an enigma. And Arin had never been able to resist a good puzzle.

Before she could overthink it, she typed:

Arin: Hey, you alive?

The response was instant.

Dj: kinda…not fully at this moment. This is my ghost.

Arin rolled her eyes but smiled.

Arin: Tragic. Guess I’ll have to find a new favorite toy then.

A pause. Then:

Dj: I take back what I said. I have returned to the land of the living to defend my honor.

She laughed softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

Arin: Glad to hear it. How’s your week been?

Dj: You know, the usual. Work, training, getting harassed by a certain daughter of Apollo who thinks I don’t have enough “fun” in my life.

Arin: Elly does seem determined to drag you into trouble.

Dj: She was a theater kid. She thrives on chaos and drama.

Arin: And you?

Dj: What about me?

Arin: Do you thrive on chaos?

A longer pause this time.

Dj: No, but I tolerate it. Comes with the territory.

Arin chewed her lip. He was careful—always careful when the conversation came close to anything personal. He had no problem talking about others, but the moment it shifted to him, he deflected.

So she changed tactics.

Arin: Alright, let’s try something else. How did you get into K-pop?

Dj: Ah. The real hard-hitting questions now.

Arin: Obviously. Answer carefully, or I’ll assume the worst.

Another pause, but this time, when Dj responded, the words were longer, more open.

Dj: Alright, fine. It started when I was in college.as you can probably guess based on my weapon I was always into music, but mostly rap and metalcore. Then one day, a friend showed me some performance videos—blackpink, Twice, Dreamcatcher, stuff like that. And I was hooked. The production, the choreography, the stage presence—it was like watching magic. Even now, it’s still inspiring.

Arin smiled.

Arin: Okay, respectable origins. But what about me?

Dj: What about you?

Arin: When did I become one of your biases?

For the first time in the conversation, Dj hesitated just a little too long.

Dj: …Elegy put you up to this, didn’t she?

Arin grinned, sensing an opening.

Arin: Nope. This is all me.

Dj: Figures. Alright, fine. You were already on my radar, but the moment you really cemented yourself? That one award show performance—the all-black outfit, the red lipstick, the way you owned the stage? Yeah. That was dangerous.

Arin’s heart did something very annoying in her chest.

Arin: Dangerous, huh?

Dj: Don’t get a big head about it.

Arin: Oh, I absolutely will.

She could almost see Dj’s exasperated sigh through the screen.

Dj: I regret everything.

Arin: No, you don’t.

Another pause.

Arin exhaled, feeling warmth spread through her. He was still guarded, still a mystery wrapped in stubbornness, but this—this was something. A start.

And she wasn’t about to stop now.

As Arin waited for Dj’s response, a familiar sensation crept over her—a rush of warmth, of power humming beneath her skin. Venus’s blessing stirred, feeding off the admiration woven into Dj’s words.

He meant it.

She could feel it.

The way his mind had conjured that memory so vividly—the all-black outfit, the red lipstick, the way she commanded the stage—it wasn’t just passing admiration. It lingered, deep and rich, the kind of awe that Venus’s blessing thrived on.

And within it, beneath the playful banter and the deflections, was that spark again. That something inside him, that tightly bound force he refused to acknowledge. It flickered through the connection like a caged flame, flaring briefly before he tamped it back down.

It sent a thrill through her.

Dj was hiding himself—his power, his emotions, his desire—but no matter how well he guarded them, Venus’s blessing could taste the truth.

Arin: You don’t regret it.

She barely had to push—just a little, just enough to nudge at the tension in his restraint.

Another pause. Then, finally:

Dj: …No. I don’t.

The warmth surged through her, power coiling in the base of her spine, whispering more, more, more.

Arin exhaled slowly, letting the sensation settle. She had been right about Dj—he wasn’t just hiding his struggles. He was hiding himself.

And she was going to find out why.

Arin barely had time to process the rush of warmth flooding through her before her dorm door burst open.

“There she is,” Hyojung sing-songed, sauntering in with a knowing grin. “Our matnae.”

Arin groaned, flopping back onto her bed. “I said stop calling me that.”

“But it fits,” Mimi teased, leaning against the doorframe. “You’ve been glowing all week, and we all know it’s not just from your skincare routine.”

Yubin plopped down beside her, wiggling her eyebrows. “So? Who’s the lucky one?”

“I—what? No one,” Arin scoffed, sitting up too fast, as if physically rejecting the idea would make it less true.

The girls exchanged looks.

Hyojung smirked. “Oh, so there is someone.”

Arin opened her mouth to deny it, but Seunghee—who had been idly scrolling through her phone—suddenly gasped.

“Ohhh, is it that guy? The one Elegy carried in like a prince last week?”

“It was the other way around,” Arin corrected instinctively, then cursed under her breath.

Binnie snorted. “So you do know who we’re talking about.”

Jiho, ever the instigator, leaned in. “What’s his name? Dj, right?”

Mimi gasped dramatically. “Your favorite toy?”

Arin covered her face with both hands. “I hate you all.”

“No, you don’t,” Yubin said sweetly. “Because we’re your supportive sisters, and we just want to know why Venus’s blessing is practically pouring off of you right now.”

Arin swallowed hard. She had felt it—how the conversation with Dj had fed into her power, how just knowing he had admired her, wanted her, had amplified the magic already thrumming beneath her skin.

Venus’s blessing wasn’t just about love and beauty—it was about desire. And Dj…

Dj was fighting his.

She had felt it in that moment of hesitation before he answered her. The push and pull, the way his emotions flared and then snapped back under control. He was hiding something, something deep and powerful.

And she wanted to see it. Feel it.

“You’re thinking about him,” Binnie accused, pulling Arin back to reality.

Arin’s cheeks burned. “No, I’m not.”

Seunghee nudged her. “You so are.”

“I am not.”

“Arin,” Hyojung cooed, “we’re literally watching your aura glow right now.”

Arin groaned again, but a small smile tugged at her lips. She was in trouble.

And she loved it.

The great hall of Utgard shimmered with illusionary stars overhead, casting a cold glow over the stone table where two figures sat across from each other. On one side, towering over the battlefield, was Utgard-Loki, the massive Jotun lord with a grin like a crescent moon and eyes that glittered with mischief. On the other, hunched in focused intensity, was Drax, his fingers carefully arranging the cards in front of him.

Between them, a Magic: The Gathering battlefield lay in full spread—two Commander decks clashing across the stone table.

Utgard-Loki let out a pleased rumble as he tapped a land and played a creature, his Storvald, Frost Giant Jarl looming over the battlefield. “So tell me, little Drax,” the giant mused, fingers idly shuffling his remaining hand. “Why are you always so… repressed?”

Drax barely glanced up from his side of the board, calculating his next move. His Ureni, the Unwritten sat in play, its presence subtle but growing, drawing knowledge from the very threads of fate. “I have my reasons,” he said flatly, tapping a few lands and casting a spell. “My emotions fuel my power. And my emotions are… too big. So I don’t.”

Utgard-Loki barked out a sharp laugh, the sound echoing through the hall. “You humans are funny creatures. You have such tiny little lifespans, yet you spend so much of them holding yourselves back.” He leaned forward, tapping his next card onto the battlefield with deliberate weight. “Icy Manipulator—let’s slow that down, shall we?”

Drax clenched his jaw as his strategy unraveled piece by piece, but he kept his expression neutral. “I have to hold myself back,” he said. “If I let everything out, I don’t know what would happen.”

The giant chuckled, playing another card. “Maybe something interesting would happen.”

A few turns later, the game reached its inevitable conclusion. Storvald led a crushing final swing, and Utgard-Loki emerged victorious. The giant let out a triumphant huff, stretching his arms as if the game had been nothing more than a casual diversion.

Drax exhaled, running a hand over his face as he leaned back in his chair.

Utgard-Loki, still grinning, pointed a massive finger at him. “You play well. You think ahead. But you’re afraid to take risks.” He tilted his head, considering. “Same way you are in life, I’d wager.”

Drax gave him a wary look.

The Jotun lord chuckled, standing to his full towering height. “Let loose a little, Drax. You might surprise yourself.”

Drax frowned, gathering up his cards, but he didn’t immediately refute the words. Instead, he simply packed up his deck and sat there for a moment, staring at Ureni, the Unwritten—a legend bound by knowledge and prophecy, much like himself.

Maybe Utgard-Loki had a point.

Maybe.

[bananadramaaa]

Damn, I don't remember if I already showed you this...

When I first saw your human Alastor and Mimzy it activated a fuckin neuron in my brain and started a chain reaction.

I got obsessed with finding a playlist which could be considered as "things Alastor would play in his radio". But every playlist I found was a mish-mash of electro swing and other Michael Bublès.

And I CRAVED ACCURACY.

So I've done my own research and made this:

https://www.tumblr.com/psipies/744570605135937536/yall-ever-wandered-exactly-what-music-would

I not only absolutely love your visual style, but also your sense of humor. You gave them fantastic personalities and it's so fun to see their shenanigans.

And, as a fellow researcher, I admire how you're giving due diligence to the fashion from the period. Especially the casual one, which, I think, is harder to benchmark.

Thanks for delivering that crème de la crème 🤌

Thank you so much🙏✨ I'm flattered!

I checked your wonderful playlist and OMG... Saved on Spotify immediately when I saw my Big Four fellow Cab Calloway, Al Jolson, Duke Ellington and Mr. Armstrong. The amount of research that you did with your playlist huge respect.

Thank you for that delicious music compilation.

[thisismeracing]

King of my heart | ms47 | part 02

Pairing: hamilton!reader (she/her) x mick schumacher

Warnings: curse words, twitter environment, mention of food, not proofread etc etc. Minors DNI!

summary: Y/n and Mick interactions are now being noticed by everyone and some people are ready to share all the details with the internet.

a/n: none of the pictures used are mine, they are all from Pinterest and other apps. everything else is made up by me and I do not give permission for it to be published on a different platform. I would appreciate it if those things could be taken into consideration 💛

part. 01 | series masterlist | part 03

theofficialyn

liked by mickschumacher, lewishamilton and others

theofficialyn We worked day and night to create the confiest and safest boots without losing its fashion sense. I am really proud to announce that we are launching one more colletion 🤎 I am still testing all the possibilities and designs to deliver only the best, but soon enought these babies and the rest of our collection will be at the stores ready to create good memories along with you guys 🤍 ynthebrand is really grateful for all the love! Check our website and account for more infos.

view all 5430 comments

sunshineyn OMG THESE ARE FANTASTIC, YN, YOU KEEP OUTDOING YOURSELF!!!!

lewishamilton I keep waiting for you to design man shoes, would most def wear them all the time

disneyf1mick I see a certain golden retriever pilot lurking around the likes 👄

user00 I just find really funny how she’s outed as Lewis sister and suddently theres a new collection being launched…

⤷ carloscars omg yall like to theorize everything, get a grip!

⤷ ynpoptart she’s been talking about this launch for months now, the date was already set, the Lewis incident have nothing to do with it. That’s why she did not want people to know he is her brother, because there are some shitty people like you that will try to dimish her hard work. Honestly, I feel sorry for your fan base, must be a toxic environment.

ynfantastic what about the heels she was wearing last pic? 😫

⤷ sunshine198 I think she’s launching it next, or maybe it was just a test?

⤷ theofficialyn they are on this collection, love! will launch it soon 🤍

⤷ ynfantastic OMG SHE ACTUALLY ANSWERED, HEY QUEEN ILYSM

user10 would never use them, they look kinda ugly and unsafe as well.

mickschumacher

liked by georgerussell63, mercedesamgf1 and others

mickschumacher Good that everyone got the “crossed arms” memo @mercedesamgf1

view all 928 comments

schumachereign He looks waaaay too handsome ugh

⤷ f1racing2 toto, mick or the other guy?

⤷ schumachereign honestly, all of them lol

theofficialyn the energy is immaculate

⤷ ynnyc mother???? what are you doing here?

⤷ charlessainz2 god forbid but I already pictured her and mick dating, where are my fic writes at ✍🏾✍🏾✍🏾

georgerussell63 you guys rock! 🖤

theofficialyn stories

theofficialyn

liked by zendaya, mercedesamgf1 and others

theofficialyn Going through a list of vegan places 💚😋

view all 3,230 comments

mickschumacher 🐟🐟🐟

⤷ theofficialyn HAHAHAHA I HATE YOU!

⤷ f1fantastic your honor, they're in love.

⤷ potteryn they have their inside jokes already. It's their world, we’re just living in it

fan2 You look stunning 😭😭😭

lewishamilton The only reason I forgive you for not going with me is because you’re bringing it home as well 🤨

⤷ theofficialyn You’re the one who told me you did not wanna come!!!

⤷ abcdyn I wonder who she could be going with 😗

charles_leclerc I am counting on a bag of vegan donuts at my desk again this weekend to give me luck…just saying 🚶🏻

⤷ pierregasly he’s actually begging, yn

ynautumn how does it feel to be this pretty?

estebanocon 😍😍

⤷ charleslechair OMG WHAT IS THAT?? *nicki minaj voices*

⤷ norrisfav I thought Pierre was into this steal-your-girl thing not you, Esteban

ynandf1 the whole grid loves her and it shows

swiftieyln Im so happy seeing yn after she was outed as lewis sister, she looks less afraid to be herself, and she’s been feeding us sm I can only say thank you to the holy trinity

sainzsaint charles, pierre and esteban are here too, now y'all gonna say they're dating her as well?

⤷ estiebestie98 yes.

********************

make sure you like and reblog <3 feel free to talk to me as well, my inbox is always open!

wanna be tagged on my stories? click here

[breakingsanity-aruani]

one question I have been meaning to ask you is if your work is in any way based on the 1973 animated French film “Fantastic Planet”. Given that the film and your story share elements specifically tiny humans being kept as pets by larger humanoids, I am curious if you were aware of the film and taken inspiration from it

Hi again!! Thank you once more for your lovely questions ^^

Oh wow, I have actually never heard of Fantastic Planet before! I looked it up and... oh, I should check it out! From a short summary I read, I can see why you notice similarities! That said again, no I didn't know of this film! All of my inspirations for DBU came from AoT itself, and the elements of Tiny's, their abilities, culture, and how they are treated was from myself... so, perhaps I am a bit messed up, hahaha!

The idea of Titan's/humans in DBU keeping Tiny's like Armin as pets was an idea I came up with early on in writing. I thought long about how a world would be like if humans co-existed with miniature looking 'humans'. Would we as a society view them equally or as inferior? What temptations would the mind develop? It was honestly a thought provoking to ponder, but I also did not want to generalize the population of Titan's in DBU, so naturally, we see many humans who are truly kind to Tiny's, like Annie, Reiner, and Levi for example.

Though ofc, I also wanted to capture aspects of the horror that AoT itself does have, which is why there are many hostile and evil people who treat Tiny's as prey. To be used as toys, kept as pets... or... in classic AoT fashion, devoured. Yet, I also wanted to flip a notion of AoT on its head, where the Tiny's, the little miniature people, have the superior bodies! Extremely durable bodies to survive many situations, agelessness, heightened senses! These are aspects that the Titan's themselves from AoT have... so I thought it would be fun and interesting to give these traits to the MINI people in DBU!

(ofc other reasons are so that Annie and Armin can have fun moments together without a fear of Annie harming Armin due to him being so small. And there are other ways I provided conflict or tension with their relationship early on, such as Armin's lack of trust and trauma.)

.... Uh okay, hehe, I went on for longer than I anticipated BUT HEY! I get excited to talk about my work, and I love your questions so much!! So yes, while I did not have any inspiration from 'Fantastic Planet', I will surely check it out!! :3

Thank you as always for your wonderful questions, and I hope you are doing well x3

[justpostsyeet]

Who's that smiling guy(gif) in your profile pic?

You mean this bitch

You can find basic info here

Huo Daofu emerges as a fascinating, almost inexplicable enigma in a world where most are bound by tomb-raiding honor codes and dogged loyalty. He's sharp, perceptive, and as caustic as vinegar, his well-practiced snark a refreshing balm against Wu Xie's perpetual charm that often borders on Marty Sue territory. Huo Daofu knows how to wound with a look, to offer up contempt veiled in the thinnest guise of professionalism. He's That Bitch personified—the eye rolls, the carefully meted-out sarcasm, the razor-sharp side commentary: he's not here for heroics or loyalty, he's here for him, and maybe just a little for the drama.

Yet behind that acid wit lies a man curiously entangled in the lives of others, even if he’d rather nobody noticed. He grumbles about Wu Xie's cough but shelters him from the rain, curses him out of one lung but obsessively ensures the other keeps breathing. Huo Daofu's affection is a thorny, prickly thing, given in spite of himself, as much to make a point as to fulfill a duty. The constant push-pull between his prickly disdain and quiet, nearly feral loyalty hints at something deeper—something he likely resents and treasures in equal measure. Fluent in logistics and anatomy—skills that make him both a fantastic doctor and a potential cleaner of inconvenient messes—he’s functional and ruthlessly efficient but also visibly out of place, eternally displaced from what he might call home. His relationships speak volumes about his contradictions. With Yang Hao, there's a protective, yet undeniably self-serving interest—bordering on a possessive pride in the boy’s potential, layered with enough ambiguity to raise eyebrows. He’s the cold-blooded pragmatist, but he’s also the one pulling Yang Hao back from countless moments of danger, silently dragging the kid to safety while casting his signature scornful gaze at the oblivious crowd. He's a man with vaguely menacing aspirations—he'll take over the Huos if the opportunity presents itself, but he's smart enough to know that a little decency might be his best survival tool.

And, of course, Huo Daofu’s fashion sense is impeccable, and that's not merely an aesthetic choice but a declaration of independence in a world of practical, dusty clothes. His checked suit, pocket square, and dramatic scarf mark him as someone unbothered by the scorn of his peers. He’s out of place, doesn’t fully belong—and he knows it. So why not dress up the part of the outsider, the drama-imbued intellectual, the man with his sights set on surviving by any means necessary? There’s more than a touch of dark humor in his choices, as though he’s laughing privately at the world that never wanted him and never will, savoring his own bitter bite in each calculated appearance.

His impeccable fashion sense :

In the end, Huo Daofu is not a hero, not a friend, and not an enemy—he’s a man who loves reluctantly, fights strategically, and suffers elegantly, a character so deliciously layered with contradictions that we can’t help but lean in closer.

[rainbowsky]

I haven’t had any questions lately but love your blog and your insights. In a video of the group photo at Milan fashion week, GG is sitting next to the older man and they are talking. I figure in some videos when GG is talking to others he has translators but it does not look like anyone from his staff is around and I was wondering if they were speaking in English or what other languages he might speak. Love to hear your insights and hope you are doing well.

Hi coyote! Thanks so much, I'm glad you're enjoying my blog! 😊

The man he's seen talking with a lot is Diego Della Valle, the CEO of Tod's. GG has a fantastic relationship with him, and he even referred to him as yeye (grandpa) in his Vogue interview from the show.

Last time GG was in Milan Della Valle took GG on a tour of some beautiful sites around Italy - including the Colloseum in Rome -and some sites significant to the brand (the workshop, the flagship store, etc.). GG got to spend a lot of time with him, so they had plenty of opportunity to build a strong relationship.

You can tell just by his entire demeanour around GG that Della Valle adores GG. Which makes absolute sense given how cute, gracious and charming GG is. When GG arrived at the Tod's show this year Della Valle lit up like a Christmas tree.

They sat together last year at the Tod's show as well (those who missed out on last year's trip can check out my 'gg milan fashion week 2023' tag).

Anyway, you weren't asking about Della Valle, you were asking about how GG is able to communicate with him. The simple answer is that GG does have some English!

Many students in China learn English in school, although they sometimes don't get as much opportunity to speak it, so it's probably kind of like my French - I understand quite well to hear, read and write it, but my accent and pronunciation are a bit rough around the edges (that's putting it mildly 😅).

With the international travel he's done and all the elbow-rubbing he's had to do with foreign celebrities and brand stakeholders I think GG has had a lot more opportunity than the average person to exercise his language skills, so I've no doubt he's improving all the time.

He's also a huge music lover and has many times been seen singing English songs from Avril Lavigne, Ellie Goulding, Sam Smith and many more. A couple of English performances he's done in the past:

Starts at 3:22 (I'll never get over hockey player GG 🥲).

It also seems clear that GG has a general interest in languages. He knows a fair bit of Korean and he and DD are seen in The Untamed BTS speaking various languages and dialects, including English. This is also a common feature of LRLG rumors.

There are many clips to be found online of GG speaking English for ads, occasionally a few lines for drama roles, throwing in English phrases into interviews, etc. Just based those alone I think one can tell that he's got pretty good English. His pronunciation is quite good.

If you watch some of the vlogs he's posted from the international events, and some of the clips shared by brands and magazines, you can catch moments of GG having English interactions with many people at those events. One of my absolute favorites is when he's replying to a bodyguard in a vlog when he was in Florence last year (starts at 4:08).

The bodyguard is trying to teach him how to roll his r to pronounce Florence in Italian ('Firenze') and GG says, "I can't do it." The way he says it is so damn cute, I almost died when I heard it.

Anyway, so to answer your question, GG speaks in English with Della Valle and others at those events!

[mynameiskan]

I really love your art style. I was wondering, are any specific mangaka or other artists who especially inspire you? I'd love to check them out, based on your recs.

Thank you for enjoy my artworks (´♡‿♡`)

The first artist who inspired me is Minmonsta. She isn't active anymore but you can enjoy her amazing artworks on instagram. I still remember how I used to admire her works every day and that feeling urged me to practice drawing.

Of all the mediums, I love watercolor the most because I fell in love with the beauty of Yufushi's artworks. They are purely magic.

I also got some inspiration from Akinashi's artworks on Bluesky and quxiaochong on X.

But the mangaka who sowed the love for drawing into my heart is Kubo Tite, the creator of Bleach. I love how he utilized the advantages of black and white manga. I used to spent hours admiring the impressive brush strokes while reading Bleach. He also has great sense of fashion and the character design of Bleach is fantastic. There are some problems with the plot but the artstyle is one of the reasons why I still like Bleach a lot.

p/s: I included the link to each artist's account. You should check them out (♡´艸`)

[surrealisticduvet]

Album Review: From a Radio Engine to the Photon Wing (1977)

Drawing from a surprisingly profound Allmusic review, I must mention that this album, having come out in 1977, is definitely inspired by 70s disco rhythm. The basslines are heavy, instrumentation is trancelike and steady, yet not boring. An album with such twinkling gems as “Rio” and “Casablanca Moonlight” could only have been effectively concocted during this musical era. Yet in typical Nesmith fashion, the album is not exclusively disco or rhythm – take a listen to “More than We Imagine,” where the intro blindsides you with a transition from 70s bluesy synth to a tropical pedal steel guitar riff (sadly not our good friend Red Rhodes – but still a delight). Suddenly, that bluesy swing is swung from dancefloor to beachside, and you have to just accept that you’re along for the ride. (Note - this song is so good that its title was used for the premier Nesmith lyrics website!) 

This album can get overlooked, falling in between The Prison and Infinite Rider on the Big Dogma – two hugely memorable productions.  However I truly think it holds its own, and deserves more than a little love; let’s get into it!

Favorite parts of the album:

“Rio” is obviously a fantastic song and probably doesn’t need any more lauding. It’s charming, catchy, and somehow does not overstay its welcome with a 7:02 runtime. I love the sound effects leftover from the music video in the background - it wouldn’t be “Rio” without the sounds of airport and party chatter (and of course, the “not Reno, dummy… Rio” at the end).

“Casablanca Moonlight” is quite darling, especially in the context of Michael’s fascination with classic television. As mentioned in the introduction, “More than We Imagine” is sublimely complex and is one of the more successful of his forays into genre-blending. 

“We Are Awake” is heavier than many of the other songs, dense with instrumentation and groove. There’s an extremely tasteful harmonica solo that never fails to delight me, layered on top of piano and guitar and that neverending bassline. Michael’s dry, subtle vocals don’t overpower, and neither do the backup singers’ echoes. 

“Navajo Trail” is one of my favorite covers of his – the “lolloping country & western bassline with his trademark minor chord changes” (to quote that Allmusic review) does something to my mind I can’t explain. It does not have that shuffling rhythm that it does in, say, “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” - instead, the bassline is so stiff and consistent that you could march to it, and it provides a magically captivating canvas for the ethereal vocal harmonies. 

“Wisdom Has Its Way” is a rather classic song in terms of what he usually writes. Stripped down, this could’ve featured on any number of his early albums. (Allmusic says that this song sounds like something off of Tropical Campfires – I scoff at that. That’s a stretch, at best.) 

Here, I’ll take a moment to say that I love a lot of the lyrics on this album. They’re neither too conceptual nor too practical and concrete. It makes sense that this album was made right after The Prison – not only does it incorporate the same inter-song transitions that tie the sound together into something that flows beautifully, but it speaks of spiritual enlightenment and self-actualization in a more practical manner than its predecessor did. Whereas The Prison spoke of practical matters in a conceptual manner, Radio Engine uses that which is tangible as an allegory for larger concepts. 

Critiques:

I know who we’re talking about but honestly – what is with the title? Do we know what it means? How are we supposed to remember it? (Walking into a record store in ‘77: “Do you guys have… the radio wing… photon… I don’t know, man. That new Mike Nesmith album?” “Huh? You mean that guy from the Monkees? Uh, check the bargain bin I guess...”)

“Love’s First Kiss”, co-written with someone else, which was rare, is the only middling song on the album in terms of lyrics and vocals. However, the song itself sounds so good musically that I tend to forget my complaints by the time it fades out; that, and it’s so grossly romantic that I’d frankly sit through a terrible song just to hear him say some of these things.

Finally – Michael knows how to write a hell of a disjointed album closer; I guess he just didn’t have anywhere else to throw this one. “The Other Room” is fine, and even good - but I don’t want to listen to it after sitting through what is otherwise such a groovy and relaxing album. It’s sort of like the album’s end credits… gets you ready to go back into the real world.

Conclusion:

I feel like I’ve said enough already. I don’t have a lot of context for this album’s creation to analyze it from that perspective, so I’m really just going off of the music alone, and the few things I know about the production of “Rio” and its accompanying music video. This was the beginning of a new, exciting era for Michael, and I think it sounds just great. 

[gay-disabled-characters-showdown]

LGBTQ+ Disabled Characters Showdown Round 2, Wave 2, Poll 1

A character being totally canon LGBTQ+ and disabled was not required to be in this competition. Please check qualifications and propaganda before asking why a character is included.

Check out the other polls in this wave and prior here.

Quinni Gallagher-Jones -Heartbreak High

Qualifications:

Quinni is canonically autistic and a lesbian!

Quinn is a lesbian and is also autistic

she is autistic and sapphic

She is a lesbian and autistic

she is canonically autistic and canonically a lesbian

Propaganda:

Quinni is honestly the best. She is such a fiercely loyal friend and such an open and understanding person. Her fashion is everything! She gives way more chances to people than they may deserve. She is autistic and is very open about this. She also gets a romantic storyline. She's got great friends who stick with her through everything, especially her best friend Darren. The actress who plays Quinni is autistic and does a fantastic job with the role! She means a whole lot to me!

She is just the best ever I love her so much :) such a ray of sunshine! and the actress who plays her is also autistic so the rep is great!

quinni is canonically a lesbian and also autistic. while being autistic is an important part of her storyline it doesn’t define who she is as a character. same with being gay. quinni is a queen!

just a bubbly teen with autism who loves fantasy novels, bright makeup, wearing Crocs and girls(!!) <3

she is played by an autistic and queer actor who advocates for this kind of representation, she’s genuinely the best representation i’ve ever seen of autism especially when it comes to sensory issues and meltdowns, she also dates a girl and is an important main character

Anything Else?:

I mean look at her, the cutest ever (Submitter 2)

Zhou Zishu-Word of Honor / Shan He Ling

Qualifications:

He might not count but I wanted to submit just in case. So in order to leave an assassination organization, he has to basically give himself a terminal condition that slowly destroys him over time, killing him after 3 years. So his ability/power is severely limited which is a big hindrance because he only has the strength to fight for a short while before his condition flares up. And over the course of the show he also looses some of his senses. He looses his sense of taste and smell and his ability to feel pain is significantly lost. The reason why it might not count is that they figure out how to cure him at the very end, but he spends the vast majority of the show suffering from this condition.

Propaganda:

He and his soulmate/husband are iconic. War criminal duo. They're both mass murderers who want to settle down with a nice domestic life with their adopted son. He's also got amazing gender. The show also has some interesting things to say about chronic/terminal illness

[seekers-who-are-lovers]

There’s a reason I trust Junya “Enojun” Enoki’s interpretation on the projects (that I love) he’s been doing. He did excellent portraying Yuji Itadori. He was so lovable (and believable) as Toto Isshiki. There is this insight that he and, interestingly enough, his co-VAs see when it comes to the interaction of the two main characters of “Kuroshitsuji /Black Butler.”

(Ryumaru) Tachibana: I thought it would be nice to have a taste that doesn't change even after years have passed. Because it is a long-lasting work, there is a part that grew up when it became an anime for the first time in a long time, but there is something like a “long-established taste” that does not change. When I saw and heard the interaction between Sebastian and Ciel, “The Black Butler is back!” I felt like that.

(Junya) Enoki: Sebastian and Ciel's interaction has an exquisite “flirting feeling” (laughs).

Toshiki Watanabe, Shunsuke Takeuchi, Tachibana: That's right! ( lol)

Enoki: That sense of distance is interesting. It's not that they like each other separately, but for some reason, I thought that the two people who seem to be flirting are unique to “Black Butler.”

If the VAs notice the nuance of S and Ciel’s relationship, why can’t we?

Other selected passages :

The P4’s impression of “Black Butler : Public School Arc”

Toshiki Watanabe: "Black Butler" was originally my favorite work, and I also had all the original comics. When I saw an anime for the first time, I said, "That is such a fashionable work!" I remember thinking that. I also like British fashion, and it is a work that stuck in my heart, including the world view. In the “Public School arc,” I like the Houndstooth check pattern of uniform slacks.

Junya Enoki: It was a work that I knew before I became a voice actor, so I didn't expect to be involved like this over time. I read the original story well after I decided to participate in the boarding school edition, but after all, the line of “I’m one hell of a butler” is amazing. The picture is beautiful and popular, so I thought it was only for women, but the mystery part is also interesting. I felt like I understood why it was loved by a wide range of people regardless of gender.

Shunsuke Takeuchi: I'm also in the generation that hits directly around the second season, so I have many friends around me who are reading “Black Butler” comics and watching the anime. I myself was shocked when I was watching Seasons I and II of the anime, and the character design was amazing. The color of the characters drawn by Ms. Toboso is chic, it leaves a great impression. The character has depth. The illustration itself is gorgeous and fantastic, but each person feels realistic and muddy as a human being. I was entertained, including such nuances, so it felt rewarding to be involved expressing in that world.

Tachibana Ryumaru: There is also grotesqueness in the beautiful world view. Originally, I was watching it under the influence of my sister, but it was a content that can be enjoyed by both men and women of all ages. While there is a serious part to solve the case, it feels good to see the interaction between unique characters. There was also a variety of scenes that made me laugh, and I was looking forward to it as a viewer when "Public School arc" started, because it was a work that I had been watching for so long as a longtime fan that I didn't think I was addicted to it. I never thought I'd be involved in that... While doing my best, I'm playing one of the P4 because I want to become a breath of fresh air of the latest “Black Butler.”

The dirtiest dormitory

Tachibana: Violet Wolf Dormitory is a group full of weirdos (laughs). It's a dormitory that can be recognized if you are good at one art, so personality is more important than anything else. Each of them has a strong view of the world, so no matter what the people around them are doing, there are many students who can't see anything other than what they are concentrating on. We have a lot of love and pride for our dorms, but the dormitory seems to be the dirtiest among the four dormitories. I feel like I'm not cleaning enough (laughs).

General atmosphere during the recording

Enoki: Bluewer and Redmond are a bit like arguing. There was also a sense of disjointedness, but there was also a sense of sharing with a hidden thing or an attempt by the four of us, so I think that teamwork was played well.

Watanabe: There was also one scene that was significant to the P4, and I really remembered that it was fun.

If you are going to enter the prestigious boarding school Weston, which dormitory do you want to enter?

Tachibana: Purple dormitory!

Watanabe: I want to enter the red dormitory, but I think it's the purple dormitory that suits my personality.

Takeuchi: Purple dormitory where you can concentrate on what you want to do at your own pace, isn't it?

Enoki: If I were to go in, I wonder if it would be green or purple dormitory.

PS: I am so sorry but the photo shoots/press releases on P4’s VAs are suggesting the possible pairings of their respective characters. First and foremost, it has always been Yana T’s idea.

[morethanaloveinterest]

An Outta Sight Look at Victoria Vinciguerra's Costumes in the Man from U.N.C.L.E.

The fashion in this movie continues to be amazing. Let's dig into what our villainess is wearing and it tells us about her.

(check out my review of Gaby's costumes here)

We meet Victoria Vinciguerra at a party she is hosting, which Napoleon Solo crashes to get close to her. The majority of Victoria's wonderful costumes in this movie are black and white, with gold accents, but this one has by far the most gold - even her sandals have it!

As an introduction to our villain, it's perfect. In a story where everyone has facades, with double agents and all, wearing an animal print is very appropriate. Is it a zebra pattern or a tiger? Is she the prey of super spy Solo or is she actually hunting him? A+ costume choice for this scene, no notes.

This also sets her apart from Gaby, our female hero. Victoria is far more done up - more makeup, dripping in accessories, complex pattern, there is nothing simple here. She is a fabulously wealthy woman and she is flaunting it.

As we'll see with the rest of her costumes, she's also clearly the one wearing the pants in the plots. Yeah, her husband may have inherited the business but she is definitely the one in charge at every point. While still looking fabulous.

Female representation: 10/10 Fantastic villain outfit, especially for a spy movie. Definitely set apart from the way villainesses are usually portrayed

Practicality: 10/10  It's obviously perfect for that context but I'm sure she could take care of anything that came up without breaking a sweat (or tripping over anything).

Both ladies wear their pajamas in this movie, and they couldn't be more different. Victoria continues to be the height of fashion, looking just as put together and intentional as she does in anything else she wears in this film. The geometric pattern on her robe is very fashionable and reinforces her black-and-white costuming. A little more gray here, perhaps begging the question of if she has been taken in by our charming spies (she has not)

Female representation: 10/10 I'm going to go off of the movie instead of this particular picture, lovely as it is. In the film, she wears this in a darkened room while behind her desk, on the phone. We do see her leave to go change, dramatically slamming the doors, but nothing else. Which makes it still one of the best filmed nightgown scenes I've come across - she continues to be gorgeous without catering to the male gaze (this isn't how women in spy movies are usually filmed, you know?)

Practicality: 9/10 Not sure they'd be the most comfortable pajamas but they're great for spending time in one's boudoir.

I wanted to include more detail, but couldn't in the distance shot. This is what she wears after hearing that someone has been snooping around, and she immediately goes to the hotel to investigate Solo. Her makeup is a bit less obvious than at the party, but she certainly has a full face. She even had time to accessorize before heading out. Her shoes might be gold, which is delightful.

The vest is clearly made of scales (alligator seems most likely to have been fashionable at the time, but it could be a kind of snake). Whatever the source, it is very appropriate for the villain of the story as she goes to investigate our hero with intent to kill. Before getting up to something a bit more entertaining.

Female representation: 10/10 For a snake-themed outfit our villainous lady wears to take out the hero, this is quite understated. Very focused on her own sense of fashion rather than the male gaze

Practicality: 10/10 One of the more practical things she wears in this movie, perfect for going to murder and/or sleep with a spy

I gotta be honest here, I'm not sure when she wears this (is it a deleted scene?). It's clearly in the lab, no doubt getting an update on what our spies have discovered. It's the least dressed-up we see her, while she still keeps to her color scheme.

Female representation: 10/10 Villain gets a report from her captive scientist wearing this? Perfection

Practicality: 10/10 It certainly rivals the last one in practicality, though I can't be sure what the whole ensemble looks like.

Absolutely show-stopping, I love how the costumes step up a notch for the climax (as does everything else). The clearly divided black and white is perfect for the way this scene plays out. Is she fooled by Solo or fooling him? She's worn pants in basically all of her scenes (other than her nightgown), but this one is definitely my favorite.

Female representation: 10/10 Our female villain poisons our spy hero in this outfit? Perfection once again

Practicality: 10/10 Fantastic choice for revealing your plans and taking down your nemesis

She wears this coat and scarf over her previous costume, while out and about to cause mischief. It fits her color scheme and style, but now that we all know she is the villain, the white is just an accent while black has taken over.

Female representation: 10/10 Again, for being the black costume our villainess wears in the climax, I can't think of anything more lovely and empowering. She's definitely in charge here.

Practicality: 9/10 I am sure she has underlings to grab things for her, but I don't feel like she could move her arms very much - something I consider important in a coat. Still, it's gorgeous.

Her final costume in the film, when she is escaping on a fishing boat. Shockingly, she seems to have put on an outfit that isn't black and white, with even some blue! Presumably she was trying not to attract too much attention as she escaped on a simple fishing boat, but she is still incredibly stylish with proper accessories.

Female representation: 10/10 Again, female villain getting her comeuppance at the end, dressed very comfortably, you gotta love it

Practicality: 10/10 I can't see the whole thing, but Victoria always has the right outfit for the occasion, so I'm sure this is perfect for her current plot.

Want to hear more of my thoughts about female characters and fashion? Check out my other costume reviews or my YouTube channel (episode on Gaby out now!)

[amypihcs]

Hello humans! as late as usual, with our Holmes' second letter! Spoiler alert, he misses the good doctor EVEN MORE.

So, we know that the man who raised Godfrey would prefer to have him dead instead of in... whichever situation he is. What could that be... Our man is thinking to it and to how to save his bf and...

GHOST! AAAH! GHOST!- hey, this ghost looks alive... Holmes, you CAN let him breathe a little... he's worried for his boyfriend!

Lad postpones all the investigations to the following morning and then he finds the place where his bf probably shut himself the evening before... it's fashioned in a way that noone can see inside... well, the curtains aren't closed too well, toh

And Holmes MISSES WATSON. Nice, even if the lad, who had begun so well, didn't care to check what newspaper man 1 was reading.

But there's a SECOND man!

And that Godf- OH HELLO COLONEL! How comes that you're around here? And this is how he was kicked out.

Now, to the case

And proper questioning. I love how Holmes writes this part almost as a lab report. It's fantastic and also quite a bit endearing. Boy goes back to the writing style he's most familiar with!

HE WENT TO THE PUBLIC HOUSE! TAKE THIS WATSON! ah-ha! Man, i miss Watson... -what was passing in Holmes' head in that moment Nah, not today, lad... i'm busy. Next week?

Grab old friend (maybe he's STAMFORD? And Holmes leaves him incognito), make the introduction, hop on the train. And don't talk and miss Watson all the trip. Boy can be surprised all he wants. just one question...

SBEM! what i wanted to hear! Heard that, Stamford? (yes, i just decided guy is Stamford)

Now, we are finally there. Oh, the butler! uh, weird smell from those gloves...

My Watson always tells me that i have very acute senses... have i told you i miss Watson? Well, cat time! AND I MISS WATSON! I should not have to tell anyone what i'm doing he WOULD UNDERSTAND IT! And he writes so well...

Watson, reading over his shoulder as he writes: Ah-ha, you could stand on mentioning it a bit more often dear Holmes turning to give him a kiss: Do shut up, love, please

Ah they get showed in the study and the colonel WANTS TO CALL THE POLICE. Can't fault him at some point

UH! A word, eh? (Watson suggestion to reveal it in the finale? Probably yes.) also Holmes pulling the 'i'm gay i know things', lol

Yes Holmes, it would be great. I'm sure your Scientific stye is much better!

Watson, give your man a hug. many hugs!

[ladyofwasps]

Rules From Games I Like to Steal

There's a number of cool rules I've encountered across games that I like to steal and use in other games. I figured I should catalog them somewhere and put them somewhere others could check out and use at their own tables, feel free to add other cool rules in the notes.

Fantastic Failure: In the Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game, a system which I think has some merits but ultimately falls short of super, they have a unique system for rolling where one dice can land on the Marvel logo and thus the roll is critical. You can roll the Marvel logo and still fail the roll however in which case you get a Fantastic Failure. When this happens, the player fails at what they were doing but succeeds at something else with the example being a character trying to attack a Hydra Goon, missing, but as a result rolls into another room as the door locks behind them thus getting a reprieve from the encounter. I use this as a replacement for critical failures which I feel do nothing but humiliate a player for having the audacity to roll a die wrong.

Omni-Gadgets: From the DC Superheroes Role-Playing Game, the omni-gadget is an item whose use is not specified until it is needed. This is used to represent Batman having the perfect tool or Green Arrow having the right arrow no matter the occasion, price them accordingly (but not prohibitively) for your game and your players now always have something in their back pocket when the chips are down

Scene Tracker: In the Sentinel Comics Roleplaying Game, characters and environments have a GYRO tracker (Green, Yellow, Red, and Out) and while the version used by players is pretty system-specific, the GYRO used by the environment can fit most systems. The basic idea is that the environment gets a turn of its own (usually going last) and progresses from situation normal to all fucked up. Get an idea of how long players have in a scene before things get really bad (enemy reinforcements arrive, the boiler explodes, the room with the hostages catches fire, etc.) and then on the environment turn check off one marker. If you check off all markers before the players can win, the worst-case scenario happens. This heightens the drama of a scene and keeps players focused on the task at hand in a very cinematic fashion.

Pushed Rolls: Call of Cthulhu allows players to retry a non-combat check they've failed after describing what makes this attempt different. If they fail this second check, however, the consequences are far more dire. They may try throwing themselves at a door rather than giving it a good shoulder check and should they fail they've damaged or even broken their arm, for example. I much prefer this to the standard carnivalesque "Step right up and test your might!" roll train we usually get when someone fails a roll.

Enemy Morale: I have no idea why they took this out of D&D when it makes combat faster and gives the enemies a sense of being real creatures with a survival instinct. Monsters or enemies in general have a morale rating of 2-12 with 2 meaning they will not fight and 12 meaning they will not surrender. When appropriate to do so such as when the monster's team takes their first casualty, their side loses half its number, or the monster suffers a grave injury, the GM rolls 2d6 and compares it against the monster's morale. If the result is higher then the monster will flee or surrender but if its lower or equal then the monster continues to fight. If the monster succeeds their morale check twice in one encounter then they will fight until death with no further checks needed. You can add pluses or minuses to this as you see fit like maybe a mercenary is less loyal but honestly that just sounds like a lot of work.

Connections: Traveler games have unique starts in that all characters are expected to know at least two other characters in the party prior to the story's start. If your character shares a history with another then you and the other character can gain a skill mid-game by recounting to the table how your characters used these skills early in their career. If your character was with their archer friend in a fight with bandits then you might have broken your sword against their armor and had to wrestle them one-by-one and afterward the archer had to patch your wounds, thus, you gain the wrestling skill and the archer gains the medicine skill.

Life Paths: Cyberpunk 2020 has a lot of rules worth stealing but this one is good for fleshing out the world and getting plot hooks going. I usually have my players roll on a few tables from the Cyberpunk lifepath table (edited to fit the setting/genre of the game) to fill in any gaps in their backstory. This way the character ends up with some more NPCs in their roster like new enemies, siblings, or lovers, and how that NPC feels about the PC. I then take some NPCs I had planned for the game and plaster the newly created life path NPC onto them so now it's not just any necromancer in this tower, it's the cleric's brother who was thought dead after the gnoll raid. Small plot twists and character hooks like this can elevate encounters and deepen investment with almost no extra work on the GM's side of things.

Talking and Analysis Phase: Righteous Blood, Ruthless Blades breaks its combat encounters into three phases with the first in rotation being Talking and Analysis. This is effectively the mind games section where you can try to psych out your opponent, gain a bonus from assessing your enemy, or try to figure out a special technique/gimmick about the enemy. Then you reroll initiative and battle it out before restarting the cycle. This wouldn't work for larger encounters but it adds a lot to a boss encounter or a more personal fight by not only slowing things down a bit, letting the scene breathe a bit, but also giving everyone a chance for some more dialogue to learn about each other.

Supply: Taking this one from Deadlands, rather than track every item you find you add random items to a general supply pool which has about every common item you could need. Cuts out bookkeeping and saves everyone some gold pieces.

Campfire Stories: I didn't get this one from a book but rather from a recent session. During a long rest our GM had the fighter tell a story from his folk hero background and then set up the scene on the battle map. Each player other than the fighter took control of an enemy in the scene and acted out that story in a brief vignette. It broke up the monotony of usual combat and added a chapter to our characters in a very organic way, try one of these every few rests and rotate out the focus character. They don't even need to be combat, my wizard had to defend himself before a tribunal (portrayed by the other players, of course) and our back and forth social combat was very engaging.