#her: i can't imagine it it doesn't fit you. THIS dress however i MIGHT be able to see you wearing depending on what dress i have

[lesboylycan]

GOT THE NEW WHEELCHAIR!!! the back is way more comfortable (not rectangular thank god) plus it's a pretty much the perfect size for me. i also got the cushion that came with it so i don't need to buy one of my own! it's easier to use overall (and also easier to push so if i can't wheel myself around for whatever reason (arms tired, too tall of a hill), whoever's with me can push me easier than they could with the rented one). i'm still gunning for a custom chair, but i think this is gonna be a way better alternative until then than i thought it would be

[krowlovesinazuma]

Alright I ask for headcanons yet again Except this time for once I'm not insane How would Chiori react to the reader preferring their own clothes over Teyvat's? (Judging from the overall complexity of Genshin Impact's outfits, I can deduce that our modern-day clothing probably feels a lot more comfy)

Read this prologue for context!

Scenario: Reaction to Reader's casual dress style

Characters: Chiori

For starters, Chiori is an incredibly forward person on purpose, no matter who she's dealing with, no matter how powerful or all mighty they might be, and even though you may be special in a different way, it's no difference to her.

When she sees your clothes for the first time, her mind takes a moment to properly process it. She hadn't actually imagined what you looked like before, but an otherworldly fashion style wasn't in her mind! She'll definitely rope you into checking out your outfit sooner than later.

With this check though, she's quick to realize that your outfit, made of a simple t-shirt and jacket, is made with comfortability and casual vibes in mind. Just to make sure, she'll ask plenty of questions! Mostly out of curiosity.

As soon as she confirms this theory, she'll get started on measuring you up, and making a new outfit of her own! She understands now that you prefer comfortability over style, but that doesn't mean she'll let you walk away without something of hers on.

She'll probably make a few prototype sets to understand what you find comfortable in clothes, as she was very much specialized in fancier, high status clothing making! It's a challenge she very much welcomes, no matter how much you may protest her attempts.

In the end though, she is primarily doing this for you, to help you feel more at home in this weird place. She knows the effects that clothing can have not only in onlookers, but one's sense of self, and she's here to help out with that.

Once you sound satisfied, and select which of her prototypes you liked best, she'll make a set only for you, making sure to stop progress on her other orders until this one is finished. It'll be a secret endeavor, as she knows the value in keeping your name hidden.

That'll be far from it, however. Don't be surprised if you get gifts from her every now and then with more sets of comfortable, yet fashionable clothing! Making sure to put in an Inazuman flare for you to fit in best, every piece was original and unique.

Whenever you feel the urge to thank her, she simply cuts it short and continues on. In fact, since this is her way of thanking you, she can't help but take it as something endearing, how you failed to see how much you've already done for her.

She hasn't forgotten the kindness and happiness that you showed her when you still controlled the game world from outside, and this is just her returning a due favor. You definitely notice the difference when interacting with the others, as they feel more at ease with your more familiar clothes. Perhaps she was right about your previous clothes being a problem...

"How would you say that set is compared to the last? Yes, these are important questions. This has been quite the enjoyable riddle, but I can only improve with feedback, and you're my only target audience. Don't worry about rushing it, just think deeply and answer me in detail, for the sake of a better set next time."

[seramilla]

Days before chaggie wedding and Vaggie is terrified, wondering if she deserves all of this

Vaggie stands before the full-length mirror in Charlie's room at the rebuilt hotel. It's not as big or fancy as the one she'd used at the bridal gallery all those weeks prior, but it gives her a good full-body view of the wedding gown she'd ordered. It had been delivered via courier earlier that day. The one she'd tried on in the gallery had been a little big on her, especially in the bust and height departments.

This one, however, had been specifically tailored to her measurements. She twirls, looking at the way the bright crimson of the skirt sways and flows following her movements. The delicate black bodice feels much more flexible and comfortable than she'd thought it would. Every aspect of the dress accentuates her every curve and feature superbly. She couldn't have asked for a better fit for her big day.

Why, then, does her heart race with unexplainable fear and dread every time she looks at herself? She's just stood there in front of the mirror for a good 30 minutes, observing and over-analyzing her reflection, as if trying to find some flaw in the design. But she can't. Everything about it is perfect. So why? What is there to be afraid of? Why is her heart currently a jackhammer in her chest?

She hears a knock at the door. Short and brusque, like a long-lost friend is paying her a quick visit. She yells out "Yeah?" to whoever is knocking. When Charlie responds, "It's me, Vaggie! You okay in there? It's almost time for dinner!" Vaggie flails her arms in the air, panicky and flighty, as she rushes toward the door before Charlie can open it.

"Don't come in!" Vaggie shouts, nearly tripping over her train as she scrambles toward the door, throwing her body against the hard wood surface, as if that could possibly keep Charlie out if she really wanted in. "I'm trying on the dress! The groom isn't supposed to see the bride before the wedding, remember?!"

Vaggie can hear Charlie giggling from the other side. "I'm not really the groom, though. Even though I guess I will be wearing a tux."

"I just..." Vaggie searches her brain for a reasonable answer to justify her discretion. "I want it...to be a surprise! Yeah! It'll be more special that way!"

She can practically hear Charlie beaming through the door. "I guess...are you sure you don't want to show me, though? Just a peek? I am a little overeager to see you in it. I'm sorry if that's weird."

Vaggie smiles. It's just like Charlie to see any normal act of romance as some sort of rebellion or something. "I don't really buy into the superstitious aspect of it...I just...I do think it would be more special if we waited, you know?"

"Fair enough," Charlie responds, though Vaggie can still hear the obvious disappointment in her voice, even through the barrier of the door. "Are you sure you're okay, though? You've been in there an awfully long time. Does it fit okay?"

Vaggie looks down at herself, without the superimposed image from the mirror. She's looking at herself; her real self. Honestly, everything is about as perfect as it gets. She might need to have the skirt taken up a little bit, so she doesn't almost trip over it again. She thinks there's a short joke hidden in there somewhere...but otherwise, the garment couldn't be more ideal if she'd conjured it up straight from her own imagination.

"I might have some adjustments made on the skirt," she tells Charlie. "But I don't think it's a big deal."

"That's wonderful!" Vaggie can practically hear Charlie's clapping hands through the door. "I'm so excited, Vaggie! I can't believe in just a few days you're going to be my wife! And I'm going to be yours! It's such a strange feeling! But I'm happy!"

"Me too, hon! You go on back downstairs, yeah? I'll catch up in a minute."

"Sounds good, baby!" All disappointment has left Charlie's voice at not being able to see the dress at this point. She sounds like she's gotten all the pep back in her step, and she shouts a final "I love you!" before heading back down for dinner with the others.

Vaggie sighs. She turns her back to the thick wooden door, and slides down its cold, hard surface, until she's on the floor with her skirt bunched up comically all around her. She crosses her arms over her knees, and leans forward, her head falling into the space between her arms.

How can she possibly tell Charlie what's on her mind now? Her girlfriend had been so enthusiastic about their big day. So excited! How can she possibly ruin all that, by voicing all the fears and worry that have been coursing through her brain like a virus? How the closer the wedding gets, the more scared she's becoming?

The nightmares are back. Roaring back into her consciousness in full force while she's asleep. Sometimes she and Charlie are standing at the altar, and Charlie is about to say, "I do!" But then Adam or Lute, or sometimes even herself, will fly into the chapel, dressed in Exterminator garb, and throw Charlie off the side of that building again. Reminiscent of that time when her dad, not Vaggie, had to catch her from the crumbling hotel.

She hadn't been there to save Charlie. Honestly, she hadn't even been able to save herself. She'd ended up in the hospital for several days, and then Carmilla...

None of that is what she's really worried about, though. All it boils down to is that she's marrying the future queen of Hell. Her, a lowly Exterminator. No, not even that. A cast-out Exterminator, who hadn't even been good enough to do her job correctly. She's going to be the queen-consort for the most powerful person in Hell someday. That fact alone makes her question her self-worth...makes her weak in the knees. Makes her feel like crying.

She's not worth it. She doesn't deserve all this luxury. All this pomp and circumstance. All this importance. Charlie doesn't know who she's tying herself down to. What if their marriage ends up like Lucifer's? What if it's fun for a while, but when the honeymoon phase is over, and she sees Vaggie for who she really is. What if Charlie leaves her like Lilith left Lucifer?

Vaggie buries her head in her knees. She tries not to cry. Tries not to get her salty tears on the dress, but she's only mildly successful. The wedding is in a few days. All of Hell will be in attendance, and maybe even some of Heaven.

And she's never felt so lacking in confidence as she does right now. She doesn't know what to do. Or who to call.

Or maybe she does. Hadn't she...been married before?

Vaggie decides what she needs is perspective. That's what mothers are best at, right? She can't believe she's about to do this. But if not her, then who? If not now, when? The wedding is in a matter of days, damn it! There's not enough time left to question her life choices.

Vaggie picks up her phone, and dials Carmilla's number. She waits patiently for the phone to finish ringing, and when Carmilla doesn't pick up, she leaves a voicemail. Carmilla always gets back to her within 10 minutes, these days. So she waits, still on the floor at the foot of the door, head in her arms. Waiting for a call from her mother to provide a little much-needed perspective.

That still sounds so weird to say.

[alexawynters]

Scarlet Whispers pt. 7

Gif not mine

A/N: A first date. Ish. Also, I do not understand fashion, can't put together an outfit irl to save my life. I had to do much googling and running the descriptions by several people before I deemed it "acceptable". Again, edited while stoned. Lissen. Lissen. It helps with my seizures more than any medications ever have and now that I'm allowed to smoke again, I will be. I wrote this while in the hospital if I recall so hopefully the time I was able to dedicate to it shines through?? Eh.

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Female!Reader

Trigger warnings (let me know if I forgot to tag anything): Mentions of past child abuse, stalking, horror, dubcon, kidnapping, stockholm syndrome, gaslighting, angst, smut. There will be bits of fluff tho.

Rating: M. Minors DNI

Masterlist with parts 1-6 here

When Wanda told you that morning she had a surprise planned, you weren't quite sure what to expect. As a woman with the ability to bend reality, the possibilities were endless. You inquired about the dress code, hoping for some insight into where she might be taking you. However, she left you puzzled when she said you could wear whatever you were comfortable in. When you sought clarification, expressing concerns about being under or overdressed, she delighted in flustering you. “Detka, you could wear a paper bag, and you would still be the most beautiful person in the room.”

You resisted the urge to flee the room when you saw the hungry look she gave you. Stumbling over your words, unsure of what you had said, you simply nodded and went back to your room to get ready. Soft chuckles echoed down the hall as you left, and you were thankful she couldn't see the pink dusting your cheeks. It was clear that she knew the effect she had on you, and her laughter confirmed it. It seemed like flustering you was her favorite pastime, and she had stopped pretending otherwise. Unsure of what to do with this information, you searched your closets for something suitable for the day.

Uncertain about the plan, but wanting to strike a balance between casual and dressed up, you decided to wear a dove grey short-sleeved button-up shirt. This choice exuded a casual yet polished vibe. The short sleeves provided a relaxed and laid-back appearance, while the button-up style added a touch of sophistication. Rolling up the sleeves suggested a practical and comfortable approach, perfect for a less formal setting. If Wanda were to take you somewhere slightly fancier, you could always unroll the sleeves.

For the pants, you decided to go with black slim-fit chinos. They offer adaptability, comfort, and the ability to seamlessly transition between different dress codes and occasions. You paired them with a simple black leather belt with silver accents. As for the shoes, you selected black and white Bruno Marc Rivera Oxfords. These shoes strike a balance between the formality of dress shoes and the relaxed comfort fit of sneakers.

Once you had picked out your outfit, you headed to the bathroom to get ready. Unlike witchy, you didn't have magic to speed up the process. Wanda hadn't given you a specific time limit, but it was probably better to get ready sooner rather than later. After a quick shower, you applied a simple layer of tinted moisturizer to your face. Feeling more prepared, you got dressed and made your way to the main hall to meet Wanda.

You were wholly unprepared for the sight that greeted you.

Before you stood Wanda, dressed in a red and black half turtleneck striped knitted peek-a-boo sweatshirt. The collar doesn't reach Wanda's chin, giving a tantalizing view of her neck, and the shoulder cutouts accentuate her defined muscles. She has paired the sweatshirt with faux leather dress leggings and black high-heeled booties. Her fingers are adorned with several silver rings, and you try not to imagine how they would feel if she were to touch you. As you take in her entire appearance, you gulp. Finally, your eyes meet, and Wanda grins knowingly, making you blush bright pink, and you know she has likely heard your thoughts.

“You look great, Wands.” you complimented, shyly.

The witch preens at your praise and returns it in kind. “You look pretty handsome yourself, detka. Are you ready to go?”

“Well since you won’t tell me where we’re going, I suppose so.” you tease, hoping she will relent and tell you the surprise.

Wanda simply smirks at your attempt and opens a portal behind her. Gesturing "after you," she invites you to confidently step through ahead of her. There was a time when you would have been terrified to go through any magical portal without Wanda physically by your side. However, you had seen enough of her skill to know that nothing bad would happen to you. As soon as you step through the portal, you find yourself facing a fish tank that spans an entire wall. Your heart soars with joy as you realize that Wanda has brought you to an aquarium, one of your favorite animal exhibits.

A soft hand slipped into yours and you heard the warm timbre of Wanda’s voice next to your ear. You could tell she was smiling. "Surprise."

You turned to look at the witch, your gaze filled with awe and gratitude. The only time you had ever been to the aquarium was during a school field trip, which you had managed to afford with some money you had scrounged up over the course of a few weeks. No one had ever taken the initiative to treat you to the aquarium before.

Wanda smiled warmly at you. "I know you feel anxious in large groups of people, so I rented the place just for us. You can take your time exploring any of the displays without worrying about anyone getting in your way. We have the entire day, dorogoya, and I have another surprise planned for dinner." She gently squeezed your hand and gave you a quick wink.

A gentle warmth fluttered in your chest, as if a burden had been lifted. No one had ever shown such thoughtfulness and kindness towards you. The fact that Wanda had listened attentively when you shared your fondest childhood memory of visiting the aquarium, and went out of her way to recreate that experience for you just to see you happy, made your heart feel alive like never before.

Overflowing with appreciation and joy, you couldn't help but throw yourself into the witch's arms. With her reflexes honed during her time with the Avengers, she caught you in a gentle embrace. As she felt her sweatshirt becoming damp with your tears, Wanda was about to ask what was wrong, but before she could utter a word, you whispered a quivering "thank you" while holding onto her tightly.

For Wanda, this didn't feel like the anticipated victory. Instead, her focus was solely on how perfect it felt to have you in her arms, as if that was how it should always be. She had missed you so much. While being the big spoon every night technically meant she was still holding you, it was a completely different experience for you to actively seek out her touch. Now that you were, Wanda never wanted to let you go.

She whispered comforting words to you while holding you, with one hand gently playing with your hair as you calmed down. After what felt like both an eternity and not enough time, you released yourself from her embrace and wiped away some of your tears. You apologized, feeling embarrassed. In a gesture of comfort and intimacy, Wanda's thumb wiped away the remaining tears from your face.

“You never have to apologize for your feelings, Y/N. Not to me. I am glad you trust me enough to be so vulnerable.”

You watched, dazed, as Wanda brought her thumb, the same one that had just wiped away your tears, to her mouth. While maintaining direct eye contact with you, she slowly inserted her thumb into her mouth and used her tongue to clean your tears from it.

“Uh.. Yeah. S-sure.” Ever the quick wit from you…

Pillow-like lips curved playfully. "Come on, detka, let's see what this place has to offer?" The witch extended her hand to you, and in your daze, you accepted it. She simply had to guide you to the first exhibit before your initial shock gave way to excitement for the day. Soon, you were practically bouncing from one plexiglass panel to another, enthusiastically discussing the beautiful fish you encountered. Throughout the entire experience, you never released Wanda's hand, and she was thrilled to let you hold on.

Wanda was captivated by your innocent excitement. Her laughter tinkled melodically as you narrated the fish's experiences to her, even going so far as giving them names. Your enthusiasm for your special interest, your extensive knowledge about fish surpassing her own, and your ability to provide additional details not found on the descriptive plaques, left Wanda gazing at you with love and amusement in her eyes. Of course, you were too engrossed in the beautiful fish to notice, and she happily listened to your enthusiastic info dumping.

As you explored the aquarium, you couldn't help but wonder if this feeling of joy was what children often experienced. Being able to take in the exhibits at your own pace, with Wanda attentively listening to your ramblings, made you feel carefree and happier than ever before. Never diminishing your enthusiasm; Wanda remained engaged throughout, even asking follow-up questions to your explanations. It didn't occur to you, but you hadn't let go of each other's hands almost the entire time, and it seemed that neither of you had any intention of doing so anytime soon.

The highlight of the experience was when you and Wanda turned the corner and you found yourselves in an outdoor viewing area that led to an enclosure. As you approached, your excitement grew - it was an interactive penguin encounter! A person dressed in a wetsuit entered through a door at the back of the enclosure and made their way towards you, indicating that they were ready to let you in. After opening the gate, they introduced themselves and warmly welcomed both of you. You turned to Wanda in disbelief, unable to contain your excitement about the opportunity to play with real, live penguins!

Wanda smiled tenderly at your surprise and gently nudged you to follow the trainer into the enclosure. Your hands only now separated, and you almost, almost wanted to skip the adorable birds just so you could continue holding the witch's hand. Excitement prevailed in the end though because how often does one get the chance to pet penguins?

The trainer went to get a bucket of fish and brought it over to you, demonstrating how to entice the penguins to your side. Although the semi-frozen fish felt disgusting when touched, you were willing to endure any uncomfortable texture rather than miss out on this opportunity. With bait in hand, you beckoned to a nearby penguin, waving the fish to gain its attention. Success! The penguin waddled over to you, and you tried to not to lose your shit at how adorable the bird was.

The penguins were clearly accustomed to human interaction. They showed no hesitation in getting close to you to retrieve their dinner. You had anticipated having to throw a fish or two before the penguins would come close enough to touch, but to your surprise, one of the penguins allowed you to pet it while it enjoyed it's meal.

All the while, Wanda stayed in the background, capturing countless pictures, and several videos of you cooing and awing over the birds. By now you had a waddle of penguins surrounding you, and you were thrilled to interact with each and every one of them, not wanting any to feel left out. Eventually it was time to go, but you insisted the trainer take a picture of you and Wanda crouching with the penguins, Wanda feeling overjoyed that you wanted her to be included in this memento.

At first, she stood slightly to the side, positioned to be in the photo but not to draw the focus from you. However, you weren't having any of that, wrapping your arm around her waist and pulling her gently into your side. She laughed at your enthusiasm, grateful for the gesture. While the trainer took the photo, your smile shifted from the camera to Wanda, filled with adoration for arranging such an amazing day for you. Unaware of your change in focus, the witch was too absorbed in the pleasant feeling of being pulled close to your side while the picture was taken.

At last, it was time to go, and the aquarium employee led you guys to where you could wash your hands. Throughout you were waxing poetic about how this was the best experience of your life, and you were pretty sure you were going to go to sleep that night dreaming about penguins. You couldn’t wait to print out the last picture of the two of you and frame it. You thanked the witch profusely.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it, detka. I only wanted to provide you with a memorable experience.” Wanda smiled at you fondly.

“It certainly was that! I don’t think anything could ever top today!”

The witch grinned. “The day isn’t over just yet, dorogaya, we still have a little bit more.”

Your eyes widened. “More? What more could there possibly be?”

“Not much, but it is time for dinner, and why go elsewhere when the aquarium has it’s own restaurant?”

You weren’t going to lie, you had expected the restaurant to be cafeteria style, but you weren't disappointed by the idea. So, when you and Wanda walked in and saw the cozy, dimly lit restaurant, you were pleasantly surprised. In the center, there was a tube-shaped tank stretching from the floor to the ceiling, filled with some of the most vibrantly colored fish you had ever seen. The restaurant itself seemed to curve around this centerpiece as if it was made to showcase the tank. It probably had been.

There was limited seating available, with only one table already set up to host, situated right next to the tank. The table was adorned with a crisp navy linen tablecloth, plush chairs, and a small candle, creating an atmosphere of intimate seclusion. As the maître d’ guided both of you to the seating area, you couldn't help but marvel at the beautiful setting. Despite being a local attraction, this restaurant exuded a sense of luxury. Before the host could pull out your chair for you, Wanda intervened, gesturing for you to sit. Blushing, you followed her instructions, feeling pleasantly taken care of, as she carefully pushed your chair closer to the table and then took a seat herself.

The maître d’ introduced themselves and informed you that your waiter would be with you both shortly. Taking the time to get situated, Wanda asked you how you were enjoying your day so far. Naturally you launched into excited chatter about how wonderful it was, how happy you were to be here, and how thankful you were that Wanda had arranged this for you. You were practically gushing in your gratitude.

“Speaking of, witchy, how did you manage to pull this off anyway? Just out of curiosity. It can’t have been easy to get this done in such a short time frame.”

A wry grin spread across Wanda's face. "You'd be surprised what a little bit of magic and a black card can achieve." She winked, causing your stomach to flutter, and you gulped.

“Well consider me impressed. I think if I were to ever try the same thing, there would probably have a waitlist for a couple years.” You chuckled.

The pair of you settled into easy conversation, covering yours and Wanda’s favorite sights that day.

Of course, your favorite part was the penguins. How could it not be? Not only did you get to see them up close and personal, but you were also able to feed and pet them. You couldn't contain your excitement about printing out the picture, though intentionally not asking to see it on her phone because you didn't want to know what date would show, or if Wanda would even allow you to look. You didn't want to risk spoiling a perfectly good day by asking too many questions and potentially putting the witch in a bad mood.

Wanda's favorite was also the penguins, mainly because she found you incredibly adorable when you interacted with them. Witnessing your happiness, carefree nature and knowing that she had played a part in bringing that joy to you, made her immensely happy.

"I'm glad you're having a good time, detka. You know I would do anything for you," she said, her tone soft and inviting, as she took your hand in hers. Hearing the sincerity in her words, once again you felt upset with yourself for ever doubting her intentions. How could you even think she would betray you in any way? The touch of her hand on yours brought you back to the present moment, and a comforting feeling of warmth spread within you.

Just then, the waiter approached and introduced themselves, asking if you needed a moment or if you were ready to order. Anxiety immediately clouded your mind as you realized you hadn't even opened the menu yet. Before your panic could set in though, Wanda spoke up and ordered for both of you. It was interesting to you, because in past experiences you aggressively disliked when someone ordered for you without consulting you first. This time however you felt surprisingly comforted by it.

Perhaps it was because Wanda was a mind reader, or maybe she just knew you well enough to choose the perfect meal for you. Either way, you were more than content with the meal she had picked. Not to mention the warm feeling blooming in your chest at Wanda, having no doubt noticed your anxiety, had simply taken charge of the moment, so you didn't even have to think.

Once the food arrived, you realized that you were in fact ravenous. The embarrassingly loud growl from your stomach served as a reminder that neither you nor Wanda had eaten anything since breakfast. Sharing a knowing glance, you both burst into giggles. The food turned out to be even more delicious than anything you had ever expected, and you attributed it all to the witch standing before you. An immense sense of gratitude towards Wanda washed over you and you weren't sure if you could ever properly express it.

You glanced at the witch after taking your first bite and were surprised to see her thin hazel irises almost entirely eclipsed by blown pupils. Blinking, you replayed the last thirty seconds in your head to understand what had happened and realized that you might have accidentally moaned at the taste of the incredible food. Oops.

Meanwhile, Wanda's food remained on her fork, halfway to her mouth. The intensity of her gaze made you squirm, feeling as if she would prefer to devour you instead of the food currently on her fork. Your cheeks turned pink, and you coughed, feeling embarrassed.

You mumbled quietly, "The food is amazing."

Voice husky, thick with an emotion you weren’t sure you were ready to name, Wanda replied, “I’m glad you are enjoying it, lyubov moya. Eat as much as you want, if you want more, we can always order extra.” She finally took the bite which had been suspended, all the while never breaking eye contact with you. You subtly rubbed your thighs together to alleviate some of the pressure caused by the increased blood flow to your core.

You quickly redirected your attention to your dinner, trying not to wolf it down in an attempt to distract yourself from the tension. Although you weren't completely certain about the situation, it seemed a possibility that the witch was flirting with you. The atmosphere had suddenly become so tense, and you struggled to understand it. Lack of experience with romantic partners, coupled with your tendency to feel awkward when someone you liked showed even the slightest interest, made it difficult for you. It's no surprise that your social ineptitude often prevented many romantic connections from flourishing in the first place.

Sensing your unease, Wanda swiftly breezed onto another topic. There would be an opportunity to press later on, but it was important to find the right balance between pursuing you and scaring you off. Luckily, she had plenty of time to make it work. And being able to read minds certainly helped.

Grateful for the reprieve, you effortlessly transitioned to the new topic, and suddenly everything felt right again. The rest of dinner went by without any further incidents, and you could honestly say that this day was possibly the best moment of your life.

Wanda appeared to understand your desires, needs, and worries with practiced ease. You had very few friends before meeting her, but after today, you would consider her to be your favorite person. Sure, there had been a few hiccups along the way, and perhaps some concerning signs that you should probably investigate further, but overall, Wanda made you feel secure and content. That was more than enough for you to view things through some rose-tinted glasses as you found yourself yearning for more of her time and attention.

All good things must come to an end, and eventually, the waiter arrived with the check. True to her word, Wanda discreetly presented her black card for payment, aiming to do so in a subtle manner that was not ostentatious. As you both stood to leave, you subtly glanced at the bill, eyes widening at the price as well as the generous tip she left. She had not been kidding about her funds, and briefly, you wondered where the money came from. You hadn't known Wanda to have a job the entire time you had known her. Then again, perhaps the superhero gigs had paid well? You had half a mind to ask her about it later, but knowing you, it would probably be forgotten.

Once out of sight of the aquarium staff, the witch opened a portal back to your cottage. With her arm still around you, you both headed home.

Taglist: @dorabledewdroop

[basket-of-cats-and-witches]

Comfort Part 2: Gale of Waterdeep

A continuation of "I don't feel well so I want fluff and hurt/comfort". If you haven't read the first part with Wyll, you don't have to, but I highly recommend some more wholesomeness for you.

Enjoy!

(if you like it, reblogs are appreciated!)

---

It's been a long day.

One of those days where nothing could go right, as if the universe itself were fighting against you.

Exhausted and upset, you open the front door, golden light spilling out around you.

Tara is the first to greet you.

She chirps her welcome, jumping down gracefully from her perch and winding around your legs. For all she is a Tressym, she is still a feline, after all, intent on giving you enough love to trip you over.

It's a soft balm to your soul.

Hanging up your things, you can't help but smile as you hear the clattering of pans. For all that Gale is a prodigy of magic and an accomplished wizard, cooking is one of the few things he doesn't without too much accompaniment.

One of his simulacrums greets you as you step into the foyer.

“Greetings, love. If you're hearing this message, I'm in the process of making us both a delectable feast. There is a surprise upstairs for you to put on before dinner.”

You can't help but wince.

It was date night, wasn't it.

Your feet throb in your shoes, and getting dressed up sounds like the worst thing you could possibly imagine. Your entire way home your body had ached, and all you'd dreamed of was a comfortable night in.

You sigh. “Tara, could you ask Gale if we could do something a little more…cozy? It's been a long day.”

She mrts in response, ignoring the simulacrum entirely as she slips into the kitchen.

You head upstairs to wash up.

Hanging on your closet door is a beautiful outfit, graceful and made to fit only you. You'd grown used to little gifts like this, as Gale loved to spoil you rotten.

Your fingers grace the fabric, and you sigh.

Another night, perhaps.

Instead, you change into something comfortable and loose, and head back downstairs.

No wooden landing greets your tired feet, however.

Looking around, your eyes widen. Stars form a rich blanket across the night sky, the smell of loamy earth and moss filling the air. In the distance, there are trees, and you are brought back to a different time.

This time, instead of a despondent and solemn Gale, your husband smiles up at you lovingly from a picnic blanket.

“Tara told me you might be in need of some comfort.” He pats the spot next to him, stealing a kiss after you sit down.

“Gale, this is…”

“Only a fraction of what you deserve? I agree. Which is why I also brought some books we've been meaning to read together, and whipped up a little something extra for dessert. I hope you like strawberries. If not, I can turn them into something else.”

You laugh fondly, shaking your head. “It's perfect, Gale. Thank you.”

“Anything for you, my love.” As he serves you both dinner, Tara curls up between you two, her soft warmth comforting against your thigh.

You couldn't have imagined a better ending to an awful day.

[nowoyas]

vespertine: evening blooms 1 - nishinoya yuu/cat hybrid!reader

Prev - Next - M.list - Ao3

A/N: ow my wrists but happy noya week! I slightly changed the title to flow a bit better and updated chapter numbers to reflect the prologue chapter being a prologue. if you're in the path of the hurricane I hope you're safe!

Summary: Yuu gets the alley cat treated.

Warnings: blanket series warnings, implied medical abuse/forced sterilization, nonsexual nudity

Words: 2300+

one: veterinarians

"You know I don't specialize in hybrids, right?" Kaede breathes, exasperated, over the phone. "I treat animals. Like, cats. Dogs. The rare iguana. A tarantula that one time. Nothing resembling a human or a hybrid."

"I know! But, listen—it—she?—the hybrid—is hurt. I can't just leave it to bleed out in the alley. Mama Kitty and her babies live there. Don't you have, like, coworkers who specialize in hybrids?"

She sighs. "I know one hybrid specialist in Tokyo. I'll give him a call, but, listen, he might not answer if he sees it's me. If he doesn't, you're on your own. Give me a sec."

There's silence on the other line. Noya paces his bedroom nervously, eying you propped up in the corner. You're just sitting there, catatonic except for the shivering, the way you refuse to let your eyes leave him. He stops at the closet, determines to find something else for you to wear that's not an ill-fitting hospital gown. If Kaede manages to get her colleague to help out, he's gonna need to get you on the bike somehow, and you don't exactly seem fit to cling to him for however long that ride will be. He's already checked that Mei took the car, so…

Fuck it. He finds one of his looser shirts and a pair of shorts to dress you up in and starts digging through his closet for his harness. He'd bought it as a joke when Mei was too much of a baby to ride with him, but if he's still got it, he can't imagine how strapping you to him would hurt. At least, not worse than whatever the fuck happened to you.

Like magic, Kaede clicks back onto the line.

"Alright, listen," she says, voice clipped. "I've got him on the line. You still there?"

"Yeah," he says as he crouches in front of you. "We're still here."

"Cool. I'm putting him through, and then I'm going to bed. That cool?"

"Yeah, of course. Sorry for waking you up."

"No problem. Can't say you did the wrong thing, just…"

"And Nee-san?"

"Mm?"

"Thanks."

Silence. There's a click, and then a stranger's voice filters through his phone speakers.

"Alright, what's going on?"

~

Kaede's hybrid specialist is more than helpful. Texts him the address to go to, advises him on how to protect your ears and tail on the ride if he absolutely has to put you on his bike to get there. Hirugami says he'll be at the vet's in 20 and when he checks the address, Noya finds it's only ten minutes away.

The hard part, in those twenty minutes, is getting you dressed. He looks you in the eye nervously as he sets the phone aside. It'll be uncomfortable, but you're not in much state to change yourself, and there's no way he has you wearing a thin tissue hospital gown on the back of a motorcycle. Honestly, the clothes he picked out for you are also ill-advised for riding, but he figures riding clothes would only bother the wound on your stomach, poor bandaging job or no.

But… you're pliant when he reaches for you. You don't shy away from his hand, though you also don't look away from it. "Listen, I'm going to take you to someone who can help you, but I'm gonna need to put you on my bike, which means you're going to have to borrow some clothes. Is it alright if I help you get changed?"

You blink, noncomprehending. Your tail flicks at the air.

Alright then.

He does his best to look only as much as is necessary, to slip you out of the hospital gown without jostling your injured ear (still flecked with blood) and into the new clothes as soon as possible.

"Fuck's sake," he breathes, pointedly forcing himself to look at where he left the shirt and not acknowledge your completely bare body on display.

No underwear. Nothing but that pathetic excuse for a hospital gown. He suppresses his blush, carefully tugs the shirt down over your head and maneuvers your arms into the sleeves.

First naked person I've seen in years, and it's a cat hybrid on its deathbed. Living it up here, Noya.

He manages to slip the shorts up your legs and tug them into place as best he can without pulling them over the base of your tail, then, as an afterthought, tugs you into his best leather jacket and gets the harness on you. It's also been a while since anyone was on the back of his bike, but at least you're light. Shouldn't have too much effect on the handling.

Finally, he steals some scarves from Mei's closet, ties them firmly around your head and chin to cover the ears. You cry out at the feeling, looking at him with teary eyes, and he wills himself to stay strong.

"I know, I know, it's uncomfortable. This is so I can get a helmet on you and protect your ears, alright? I don't think you'll like the wind in them very much."

Your bottom lip quivers, and he nearly breaks.

Before he can do the irresponsible thing, as he's so frequently wont to do, he turns around and clips your harness around his waist. He lifts you on his back with ease, and then you're off.

~

Hirugami Sachiro is having a weird night.

First his ex girlfriend calls, not about the tremendous train wreck that their relationship had been, but about work of all things, begging him for a favor and look, Yuu's a good kid, I don't know what he's mixed up in, but he's got a hybrid that he insists is on the verge of death and doesn't know where to take it.

He knows that she'd be smart enough to handle it herself. Sure, she was an animal vet, not a hybrid vet, but Kaede Nishinoya is brilliant. He once swore that vet school was a formality for her more than it taught her anything. He has no doubt she could take all her training and adapt it to hybrids on the spot in just about any emergency.

And, well, he can't say no to her, even after all this time.

So Hirugami's ex's little brother is waiting outside the hybrid hospital when he arrives at nearly four in the morning, a hybrid on his back and a bike parked nearby. When the kid sees him, he jolts, rushes up like the hybrid on his back weighs nothing—and, at a second glance, that seems about right.

"You're the one Nee-san put me in contact with, right?" he says quickly. "Thank you so much for helping. I—I don't know what's wrong with her."

"How long have you kept a hybrid?" Hirugami asks, eying him suspiciously. "How old is she?"

"Dude, I literally found her in the alleyway outside my apartment building. I don't know shit about her."

He sucks in a breath. "Alright. We'll get to that once I get a look at her. Let's get her inside."

It's not the first time he's seen a rescue come through, but it's the first one that's made him so deeply angry. He lets the feeling simmer, because it won't help to go on a rant to his ex's little brother about just how fucked up it is. He runs his tests, makes his notes. Checks for a microchip and is both pleased and pissed to find nothing.

No owner on record. No records to deal with, or piece of shit to be legally obligated to return it to.

And no one to file a report against.

The kid waits in the darkened waiting room, screwing around on his phone with a distinctly worried expression as Hirugami works. At one point, he does manage to bring in an assistant with the promise of bonus pay, which is a massive help, although it still takes until sunrise for him to feel comfortable leaving the hybrid behind with his tech and talk to the Nishinoya kid.

"Alright," he says, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm about to give you a lot of information that will make anyone who cares enough to bring in an alley stray mad, so I'm going to ask that you sit down and make use of the provided stress ball instead of anything like yelling, throwing furniture, or breaking lamps. Alright?"

Nishinoya nods, eyes hardening. He grabs for one of the provided stress balls and waits for the news, bouncing in his seat.

"Have you ever heard of a TNR program?" he asks.

The journey Nishinoya's face goes on as he processes it tells him two things. One: he has. Two: it was a good idea to suggest the stress ball. It strains under his grip.

"For like… stray cats, yes. Are you telling me that—"

He holds up a hand. "It's only a theory I have. I scanned her and can't find a microchip, so your alley hybrid either doesn't have a previous owner or the previous owner knew that any vet that found her would immediately file a whole stack of reports against him. It isn't common, and any self-respecting vet would be vehemently against it, but not every vet goes into my field because they care about hybrids. I took some samples for bloodwork to confirm it, but I'd be willing to bet that the tests are going to show some combination of anesthesia and date rape drugs in her system, which would be why she's borderline catatonic. Any vet willing to accept and perform that level of surgery on a hybrid that's been so obviously neglected and clearly isn't at a healthy weight for surgery isn't one I would trust to dose her correctly. Honestly, she's lucky to have survived at all."

Nishinoya sucks in a breath. The tips of his fingers have gone through the stress ball, the tear quiet, but not inaudible, in the closed office. "Okay."

"The ear should heal alright, at least. That's a measure normally done with stray cats to make it easy to identify cats that have already undergone the TNR process before spending resources on trapping them. I'd imagine the motive was the same, and the cut was clean. Right now, it's just tender because it was freshly done."

"Okay."

"There isn't really an industry standard for TNR on a hybrid, so we would need to perform imaging to confirm what, exactly, has been surgically removed. Based on the incision sites, I would guess a total salpingectomy���which removes the fallopian tubes—but again, all of these are assumptions being made with very little information. The incisions were clean, but the sutures have been pulled, which was the source of the bleeding. With your permission, I'd like to keep her here for the day for observation and imaging, to be picked up tomorrow night."

"Right. Okay." He nods. Takes a deep breath. "Is she going to be…"

"It depends on what happens after. She's going to need a lot of care to recover properly, and with the state she's in, I can't even tell you for sure whether she's stray or feral. But, I'd like to ask—what do you plan on doing with her after this?"

He runs a hand through his hair, exhaling roughly. "Yeah, I, uh—I don't know. I guess I need to call my sister and figure if she's okay with me bringing a hybrid into the apartment before I make that decision."

Hirugami crouches in front of him to meet his eyes at eye level. "I need you to understand: the state this hybrid is in is not going to make it easy. If you're going to take her in, you need to be prepared for lots of vet check-ins, likely a full course of vaccinations, adapting your home to account for a hybrid resident, nutritional requirements, and more. There's a chance that she'll be feral when she comes down from the anesthesia."

"If she's feral, will it be impossible?"

"No. But it will be extremely difficult. It'll probably be like pulling teeth for even the most basic things for a long time."

He sighs. Pushes himself to stand. "If you're considering it, let me know as soon as you make a decision. It'll be easier to chip her while she's already here, and chipping her is the easiest way to eventually domesticate her, if she ever progresses to the point where you trust her to work or attend school."

Nishinoya looks pale. Hirugami doesn't blame him.

"I don't want to scare you out of it. Honestly, anyone willing to track down a vet for a stranger at three in the morning is someone I trust more than most hybrid owners, as far as actually trying to take good care of them goes, and I know that Kaede would kill you personally if you mistreated the poor thing. I'll send you home with some resources to look over so you can make an informed decision. If you don't take her in, there's other options. You don't have to feel obligated."

He sighs. "Give me the resources. Can I text you when I figure out whether or not you should chip her?"

He nods and disappears behind the reception desk. They keep these packets printed for situations like these—it takes little time at all to find the basic care packet and the Feral care packet in their folders.

"Uh, before I go," Nishinoya says when he has the papers in hand. "Can I… you know. Can I see her?"

Hirugami blinks. "Yeah, of course. Let me walk you back."

Nishinoya doesn't say much when he's brought back to the room where the hybrid is resting. He simply walks up, brushes a gentle hand over her face to brush her hair out of the way. He nods once, mutters something Hirugami can't hear.

"Okay. You'll call me if anything changes?"

"In a heartbeat," Hirugami promises.

"I'll hold you to that."

Tags: @deeplightgarden @idonthaveanameideayet @dusstory

[aashi-heartfilia]

Star Dress Combo #01: Mini Series Begins!

Let's do it!

So, welcome all to my mini series where I rank every SD and SDC based on their appearance, power and significance in the story. So without further ado, let's jump straight into it!

The first Star Dress Combo (SDC) on our list is LeoXVirgo.

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Appearance

My first reaction to this Star Dress was pretty meh and honestly, I'm still not a big fan of it. I know, I might be one of those few people in our fandom, but I just don't like it. Leo is very Queenly and Virgo is literally a maid so what LeoXVirgo gives us is pretty much fitting with its theme but the dress itself with all it's jewellery and frills and the apron isn't just doing for me.

And what are those wings for? Can she fly?

It's might be a controversial opinion but I think it could have been better. More creativity and thought process could have been applied to it but keeping my personal preferences aside and taking the fandom into account, this is my final rating.

Appearance: 8/10

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Now let's move on to the best part:

Power (DPS)

Just look at the damage it does! After Urano Metria, it's arguably the most powerful move in Lucy's arsenal and that's one thing for sure! I'm not counting AquariusxGemini here cause she can hold it for merely 16 seconds but more on that later.

The biggest nitpick however, I have with this SDC or probably all SDC in general is that it has only one single move! You would think that a SDC with such high DPS should at least have something better to offer, especially when we know how versatile and dynamic both Leo and Virgo SD are.

But no, we get one OP OHKO Move, which we thought was very badass until Kiria rendered it completely useless in the 'Battle between Women' when she cut through her Lion Maiden like it was nothing.

DPS: 9/10

Not as powerful as Natsu's Fire Dragon Demolition fist but OP nevertheless.

Versatility: 2/10

Just one OP move combining Virgo and Leo's powers doesn't make it versatile.

Overall: 8/10

The DPS is solid but puts a heavy toll on Lucy's magic Power and leaves her very vulnerable to her opponent's attack if Lucy's attack somehow didn't work, like with Kiria and that my friends is more devastating than you think.

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Significance

Just 3 major appearances and it's already very popular among western and Japanese fans alike. With lots of fanarts and a very high DPS it might be the most popular Lucy SDC so far.

Plus, from the story POV it's one of Lucy's Trump Card! Whenever she found herself cornered by tough opponents this was the first SDC she could count on.

During her battle with the Strauss Siblings, she was able to OHKO Lisanna and damage both Elfman and Mirajane with just one move!

Even in the 'Battle between Women' this was her first choice to battle Kiria. No wonder it's Lucy's ultimate strength and one of the best SDC in her arsenal. It is strong and elegant, like Lucy herself.

Significance: 10/10

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Evolution

My series could not end without me adding my personal ideas and touches to it! So what other moves or powers could LeoXVirgo SDC have?

Earth Manipulation

I don't have an image for it, but it would be lovely to see Lucy manipulating a huge chunk of Earth and hurl it on her opponent or maybe even some mud rope that can bind the opponents from all sides?

Huge Quick Sand

Something like Azeel had, from the Alveraze arc if you can recall. It was said that it could swallow entire cities! If only Lucy had something like that....if the opponent cannot fly, there is just no escape! What's better is that Lucy already had a smaller version of this move with her Virgo SD and it's called pitfall. So what if she can incorporate the same thing just on a very large scale?

Flying?

Put her fairy like wings to some good use and make her fly!!! It reminds me so much of Erza's Heavens Wheel that I can't help but imagine her flying. Don't ask, just do it!

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My Overall Opinion

As far as the SDC goes, I think it was a very neat concept. Even before the 100YQ made it official, it was suspected by many fans that she should be able to use it sooner or later. I think the concept of SD itself should have been introduced earlier in the series, so that we could have seen it evolve more but anyways.

I wish we could get a more detailed explanation on how this thing works and what other moves she can use, if any.

Otherwise, I'm always up for Lucy getting some power ups to show how capable she really is.

.

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So with that, I end the part #01 of my SDC MINI SERIES! Make sure, to look forward to more!

~Thanks for reading

Cheers! Aashi🌻

[catsafarithewriter]

Day 2: Masquerade

A/N: This is very much in keeping with yesterday's ficlet, except this time it's a variation of Cinderella, centring Haru and Baron, neither of whom are the fairytale's protagonists, but are determined to make the best of it anyway. Enjoy!

x

When Haru Yoshioka had received the invite to the prince's ball (open to all eligible ladies in the kingdom) she had – if only for a brief moment of indulgence – imagined being swept off her feet by the young royal and into a fairytale romance.

This, of course, hadn't happened.

What had actually taken place was a demure dance with the prince (after waiting an hour in line because – naturally – she wasn't going to attend this ball and not dance with royalty) and then two hours of mingling and dancing with the other attendees.

And the prince had been nice. Polite, in a kind of customer service way. He'd said all the socially-expected comments (how are you finding the ball, how pretty your dress is, what an exquisite mask) and hadn't even winced when Haru had stepped on his foot. It wasn't, she had to admit, the stuff of which fairytales were made.

It was, however, a decent excuse for a good night out and plenty of gawking at the palace's interior. And so she'd browsed through the buffet and chattered with her fellow guests, and was quite content to continue browsing and chattering for a good few hours more, when she spotted him.

It was his stillness which caught her attention first – in a ballroom of swaggering and dancing and general revelry, his quietude was as out of place as a crow among peacocks. And once she had noted him, it became impossible to not, her gaze flickering back to him between dances.

It might have been his stillness which caught her eye, but it was the intricacies of his mask which really cinched it. It was a two-layered creation, with a slim, starlight-blue mask around the eyes, and a larger one fitted about the head to mimic a ginger cat's. It was obviously crafted by some magician, and startlingly lifelike.

It was a mask made to garner attention, and yet its owner favoured the ballroom's edge, shunning the limelight in preference of shadows.

Eventually, Haru took matters – and a buffet plate – into her own hands, and approached.

"You do know you're allowed to eat on duty, right?"

The man started, tearing his attention from the prince and his favoured dance partner. "Pardon?"

Haru raised the plate, piled high with an assortment. "Food," she reiterated. "You haven't moved from this spot for at least the last hour. I don't know what a cat such as yourself might favour," she said with a teasing smile, "so I brought a selection."

The man blinked, and Haru had to stop herself from asking if the mask's eye holes were bespelled too, for even his eyes had an uncanny feline shape to them. "For me?" he asked.

"I figured you might be hungry," Haru replied. From this proximity, she could see that his morning suit was at least a generation out of fashion – his father's, maybe? – albeit carefully cared for, despite the age. It was in stark odds with the obvious money spent on the mask.

She realised her gaze had notably drifted from his, and snapped her eyes up from his suit. "Sorry. The plate was probably presumptious of me, but I didn't want you starving out of some misplaced sense of propriety and – okay – I know some of you here have been hired out to fill up the place. Gotta give the eligible ladies someone to dance with while the prince's dance card is full, and you can't all be nobility."

For a moment, she thought she had accidentally insulted some down-on-his luck earl, but then his evident surprise cleared into curiosity.

"What makes you so sure?" he asked.

"Well, for starters, most nobility are either networking" – either with other nobility or the eligible ladies, but Haru didn't add that – "or making a dent of the buffet. Also," she added, and pointed across the room, "I'm fairly certain the local blacksmith doesn't moonlight as a lord. So, fish cracker?"

A ghost of a smile flickered on his feline lips. Uncannily realistic. "Are you offering me one because I'm a cat, or because they genuinely taste good?"

"They're the simplest thing on the buffet and, given the King's penchant for novelty, that makes it one of the safest." Haru rolled a few of the rice buns across the plate. "These seem to be a variety of flavours, so you could try your luck at them instead. The chilli and chocolate one was surprisingly decent."

The man took one of the fish crackers. Haru tried not to stare as she caught a flash of sharp feline teeth, and then again as a fraction of his tension lifted from his shoulders.

She grinned. "See? Food always helps."

The smile she'd seen a shadow of earlier now took a tentative foothold. "You sound like someone else I know."

"Well then, obviously you are surrounded by wise people." Haru felt the sudden urge to tempt that smile out, abruptly aware she hadn't seen a hint of it while she'd watched him from afar. "I understand why you may be keeping to your corner," she added conspiringly. "With a mask as impressive as that, you'd probably be inundated with dance offers."

It was immediately clear it was the wrong thing to say. The blossoming smile froze, the eyes glazing over to hide whatever emotion she'd unknowingly unearthed. "Thank you," he said. "Unfortunately I cannot take credit for my mask. It was... bestowed upon me."

Obviously some history, perhaps even some bad blood, there. Haru's mind skimmed over the possibilities, from patrons to over-ambitious parents, and then decided it wasn't really any of her business. "Even so," she said instead, "you wear it very well."

She tore her gaze from him, not wanting to see the tattered remains of the smile she'd ruined, and instead watched the prince sweep his glamorous partner across the room.

The moment the lady had arrived – late and devastatingly beautiful – the prince had had eyes for no one but her. Who she was was a mystery, for she'd come with no entourage and had entered too late to receive an announcement. The rumours around the ballroom spoke of her carriage being made of pure silver, and the coachman being eerily silent with strange, otherly eyes.

She was the real reason – the nail in the coffin – that Haru had accepted she wasn't going to be having any princely fairytale ending. Haru wasn't even disappointed; at least she was losing out to someone who looked like she'd walked straight out of a storybook.

The cat-masked man must have followed her gaze, and read her face accordingly, for he said, "You don't seem particularly heartbroken by the prince's besottedness."

Haru snorted. "You say that as if the idea of my attracting his attention was anything less than absurd to begin with." She swayed her skirts, highlighting the simplicity of her dress – lovingly tailored by her mother, but still notably second-hand. "The invite may only have specified eligibility, but I think we all knew that wealth was going to skew the scales in the end." She shrugged. "So I'm here for a good time, not a life-changing one."

The man looked on her with a shadow of that sadness she'd glimpsed before approaching him. "There are some things more valuable than wealth."

"I think if you're the prince," Haru pointed out, "you have enough choice to pick someone with wealth and the rest of it. I mean, look at her." And she gestured to the prince's favoured dance partner, whom he hadn't left since her belated entrance. "She's probably a princess, with that dress and that mask, and those shoes..." Haru had only seen the latter momentarily, but she could have sworn they were made of glass.

"Do you wish you were in her place?" he asked. His voice was gentle. Sad, in a strange sort of way.

"Only if I don't think about it too hard," Haru answered honestly. "I mean, it'd be nice not to have to worry about making ends meet, but running a kingdom? Dealing with politicians? Having to pretend to the king that, yes, I love the taste of chilli and chocolate in my rice cakes?" Her last remark teased the beginnings of a smile from the man. "I think I'll stick to the life of seamstress, thank you very much."

"A very sensible decision."

"I do have them sometimes." Emboldened by that returning smile, Haru set the buffet plate to one side and offered him a hand. "Would asking you to dance be another?"

He hesitated. "I... shouldn't."

"Oh." Haru withdrew her hand, her cheeks heating up. "Probably a wise choice. I think the prince is still limping from the toes I trod on during our dance–"

"I would love to dance with you," he said, and he sounded heartbreakingly sincere in such a way that Haru believed him, "but I can't."

"If this is because you're a terrible dancer, then let me assure you we will be perfectly matched," Haru said. She watched his gaze – those uncanny feline eyes �� flicker to the dais, to where the prince danced and the king watched, and she couldn't read the expression there.

"I can't dance with you tonight," he said softly. "By rights, I shouldn't even be here. But... if things were different..."

A clock struck midnight, and the gentle waltz music was upturned by a rumble of scandalised muttering and the tap-tap-tap of glass slippers racing across the ballroom floor. Haru spun in time to see the prince's partner fleeing for the grand doors, her flight set to the chiming of the midnight clock.

Haru looked back to her companion – but the cat-faced man had gone. The only hint that she hadn't imagined him was the swaying curtains, rustling in a breeze that didn't exist.

Now, Haru had done some stupid things in her time (including that time she'd nearly been flattened by a carriage while rescuing a cat) but clambering out of the palace ballroom windows after a mysterious (possibly-not-even-invited) cat-masked stranger on the premise of a half-decent conversation and some shared fish crackers, was possibly taking the cake.

This only occurred to her as her feet landed on the palace lawn. About ten seconds too late.

She saw movement towards the palace gates and – committed to this stupid decision – ran after the shadow. She'd just realised she was chasing after the prince's dance partner instead her previous companion when her right foot landed on something sharp – and breakable.

Something glass.

She raised her foot and – whatever it had been before – saw only shards of glass now. The sole of her right shoe was shredded, and all she could do was kick the shoe off before the glass could embed into it any further.

Behind her, there came a cacophony, and Haru slipped behind some bushes before the guards could spot her. They clattered down from the palace and, upon admitting defeat in pursuing the mystery woman, gathered on the other side of the bush. Haru crouched down as far as she dared without risking ruin to her lovely, second-hand dress. She could hear their muttering, unease trickling through them, which only quietened when another pair of footsteps joined them.

"Your Highness," stuttered a guard. "The lady has vanished into the night – there's been no sign of her carriage or her past the gate – it's like she disappeared into thin air!"

"She's gone?" the prince asked.

"Yes – the only thing she left behind was this slipper."

Haru glanced through the bush to see the guard hold up her shoe, its white outer layer now dirt-flecked from her detour across the lawn.

There was no way this could end well.

[wonderwriters2024]

Looking back, how does it excites you to dress up on your own? to go out on your own? to decide on your own?

People often say that when you grow up, you'll be able to do anything you want—it's a promise of freedom and independence that adults love to make to kids. I bet you also heard that from your parents, and yeah, it's true. However, that “do anything” phrase are more about the potential to make your own choices and responsibilities to face rather than a life without boundaries.

Her name is Cha, a second year BSED student. A responsible daughter of her parents, an ambitious, and a hardworking student.

When we arrive on their place, we found her taking care of her cousin while folding their clothes. She was shocked because we arrive earlier that what we planned. She told us to sit first and make ourselves comfortable while she's in hurry finishing her work. "Ay hiii! hala wait sa ha, lingkod sa mo kadali lang jud. Pag pasensyahi na ninyo ang balay kay medyo kalat kay ako raman gud isa diri" - she said. We wave our hands to say hi and gave her a smile.

Before we started our interview she jokingly said that she might cry because when it comes to talking about her self/life, she's very vulnerable. With that, we make sure that if things get uncomfortable, we will not proceed on finishing the interview.

"Daghan kay kog insecurities sakong sarili, dili ko confident. Maka ingon nalang jud kog nganung ing ani man akong appearance oy, dapat ing ani, dapat ing ana. Masuya jud ko".

When she started having menstruation, she became more conscious about herself. Her face, her odor, her posture changes. She started being "maarte" to boost her confidence and to fit in with what she sees on other girls. But no matter how she tries, she feels like she can't keep up with others and instead of feeling empowered, she felt lost, overwhelmed by the pressure to conform. This made her lose her confidence and constantly comparing herself with others. Though she's aware that it's really bad and she need to overcome it, she can't help her self because her family would also compare her to others.

Her relationship with her family is pretty tough because she can't even decide for her own. Though she's already on the right age, she always need to get the permission of her parents before she proceed on doing things she wanna do.

"Maka sakal pud usahay na murag wala kay right mag buot para sa imong sarili"

This constant need for approval prevents her from learning how to trust her instincts and make decisions independently. She constantly seek advices to her friends, that made her second-guess her own abilities. She struggle with fear of making the wrong choice and feel uncomfortable making decisions without approval, even in simple situations. Because of her situation, she chose to focus on her schoolworks instead. She make sure to perform well at school so that she could have good grades—the only thing that she can make her parents proud. Imagine, how strong she must be for handling all of that? A very resilient woman.

"Source of joy nako ron is akong mga friends, may gani naa sila"

In a world where family is often seen as the primary source of happiness and support, some people find joy and fulfillment somewhere else. Cha, said that she finds joy when she's with her friends rather than when she's with her family.

Growing up, she have felt like an outsider within her own home. Her family doesn't understand her passions or the things that make her unique, or perhaps they’re simply too busy to notice her personal struggles because they always compare her with her cousin, Kathleen. For that reason, she barely attend family gatherings cause she knows that she and her cousin will always be the tea of the discussion.

This made her feelings distant from her own family and hold back from expressing herself, fearing that anything she achieved would still fall short of her family’s expectations. That's why she prefer more to be with her friends because with her friends, she feels appreciated, valued, and important. Her friends even surprised her on her 19th birthday last month. "Wala jud ko nag expect kay busy kaayu mi ato na time pero nag laan jud sila ug oras para ma surprise ko, gi agda ko nila mag dagat and gipalitan ko nila'g cake ug uban pa na pagkaon" - her respond when we ask her what someone did recently that made her happy.

Her story serves as an example of what others experience as well. That sometimes, family can unintentionally be the source of self-doubt, whether through constant criticism or unmet expectations. This shows that happiness doesn’t always come from the people you expected, sometimes, it's from the people we never thought would matter to us that'll bring us the most joy and understanding. Life teaches us that happiness can come from anywhere, often to those people we least expected.

[culttvblog]

Number 6 Was a Plant: Living in Harmony

The introduction to this series of posts considering the theory that Number 6 didn't really resign and is a 'plant' in the Village may be read here: https://www.tumblr.com/culttvblog/738540162388213760/number-6-was-a-plant-introduction

Spoiler: this blog post spoils the identity of Number 1.

Just to recap what I've been thinking when considering the series in this light: I've been thinking it more likely that Number 6 planted himself in the Village having heard terrible things about it, because of the absence of support from his previous employers, who are clearly up to their necks in the shenanigans. Since he has clearly given his working life to a responsible job, I have surmised that discovering that all his former colleagues were either psychopaths or cabbages and that the whole thing is happily supported by the authorities in London, must have been very distressing. Seen in this light, the show isn't about the influence of society on the individual, it becomes a rogue male scenario, where the unnamed protagonist has a mission. A rather confused and confusing one, admittedly, but still.

I had also predicted that the show would fit the 'plant' theory less well as it went on. I have a theory that McGoohan thought along the lines that if Lew Grade wanted more episodes he could damn well have them and made them barmy on purpose. Of course there is no evidence for this, but the fact remains that any theory of the show always tends to get derailed by Living in Harmony and The Girl Who was Death, because they are out on their own.

Imagine my surprise, then, when I found that I had no trouble at all fitting my existing train of thought about the 'plant' theory to this episode. In fact it slipped in like in to a glove. I'm still rather gobstruck by this.

On one level I was going to say that since Number 6 is a plant and is investigating former intelligence colleagues we could look on the events of Living in Harmony as history's barmiest team building exercise (hallucinatory drugs, anyone?). Hear me out, but the Village already has the residents dressing up strange and doing strange things: getting them to act out a scenario in a fake Wild West village isn't that much weirder than anything they've already done. Alternatively, of course, you could say that Harmony is an allegory for the Village or for the world or intelligence services.

However the themes I outlined at the start are fully contained in this episode, so if you want to understand Number 6 as a plant, you can continue to do so with no trouble and explain the change of set in any way you like.

Consider, for example, the way Number 6 says he doesn't like the way Harmony is run. This line is obviously familiar from the whole series, and I'm sure he frequently expressed his dissatisfaction with his employers until appearing to resign. However instead of the 'Why did you resign' theme, this continues the theme where Number 6 is criticising the Village/Harmony. He continues to investigate rather than being questioned, exactly as he would if a 'plant'

When Catherine is found guilty of aiding a (significantly) 'prisoner' to escape, the judge tells Number 6 that 'When you work for me I'll let her go.' The judge makes him sheriff. Here, Harmonyh is trying to find a weakness in Number 6 and compromise him by giving him a gift. Did I happen to mention that virtually everything that has happened in the Village displays a complete absence of understanding that you can't bribe someone like Number 6? He has already commented that he's not for hire and tells the judge he might regret making Number 6 sheriff. Like everything else NUmber 6 does, he finds out more about Harmony by his new role. It's almost as if finding out what's going on and intervening where he has to is the point of everything he does, not any desire to go on holiday and be left alone.

Living in Harmony actually takes the scenario that Number 6 is investigating and the only one who is able to do anything about the situation, a step further. This happens at the point where the man approaches him and tells him they have decided to clean up the town but the townsmen and Number 6 can't do it without helping each other. Up to now in the series the help he has apparently been offered has tended to revolve around escaping or sabotaging. I think sorting it out would be far more up Number 6's street.

I wouldn't go to the stake for this idea, but I think there is another hint as to the end of the show in the judge's indication that Number 6 works for him and he'll kill Number 6 before he goes to work for another outfit. Immediately after he says that Number 6 tries to strange him only to find out that he is strangling a paper cut out and find himself back in the Village. This suggests that the authority figures that Number 6 spends the series fighting against aren't real or don't have real authority and the real authority is him. This episode continually refers everything back to Number 6 himself, and from that reality there really is no escape.

The only real difficulty I would suggest is that it is not possible to fit the details of this episode to the plant theory given that so much that happens isn't real. However, this difficulty may be avoided by assuming the episode is all allegorical pointing to a reality in which Number 6 is a plant. You may consider this a fatal flaw to the idea, of course.

To my surprise I am going to conclude that it is very easy to fit the hallucinatory events of Living in Harmony to the 'plant' theory, because it continues all the other themes of the series when seen in this light.

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Archives from 2013 to September 2023 may be found at culttvblog.blogspot.com and there is an index to the tags used on the Tumblr version at https://www.tumblr.com/culttvblog/729194158177370112/this-blog

[tumblingxelian]

Mhm solid insights all round here and they left me musing on how I think it could all fit together and here's my thought process:

Audrey doesn't leave.

Or more accurately, she splits her time between Paris and New York based on her work schedule, fashion weeks and other such things. This means Chloe is more exposed to Audrey as opposed to contemptuous neglect with the occasional fly by tear down of Chloe's efforts, treating her like staff & rejection of her reach out efforts.

It has a few effects, she is slightly less inclined to blame herself for Audrey's absences, and more to the point is more exhaustively being struck down at every turn to the point where she starts to dread her mothers returns. Eventually they reach a breaking point and she pleads with her mother, "Why don't you love?"

& Audrey, well Audrey is not in the mood to entertain the girl at this point so she bluntly informs her the following:

"Because I don't love you, I only had you so people would strip wagging their fingers and Andre would stop whining. If you had some worthwhile talent you might at least be an investment, but you are far too content being Andre's dress up doll to even be marginally useful. Now stop blubbering, I am busy."

Naturally Chloe has a breakdown but goes to tell her father, he, he cares right? He might always prioritize Audrey when she's around but so did Chloe. He'll listen he has to.

But he doesn't. Oh he offers her a comfort present or two, handwaves away what Audrey said as :Well you know how sharp your mother can be." & when Chloe is insistent, "She is hurting me" he simply tells her she can't talk like that, it will make them look bad.

Which is when it start landing that Andre doesn't care either, he just bothers to dress it up better. That of all people Audrey was right, Andre sees Chloe as an amusing dress up doll and ego boosting proxy when she his wife is away. She is at best, some kind of talking pet or doll, or toy and it breaks her.

There's an ensuing period of disintegration and despair which only ends by sheer force of will when she realizes her parents are debating boarding school & both Adrien & Sabrina's parents are pulling their kids away.

She can't stomach the idea of being without them, in some new place, she knows she has no idea how to make people love her. Losing them would surely kill her.

So she bits her tongue until she tastes blood, plasters on a smile and gets things back on track. If this family is just a sham, a con, a lie built on people using each other then she'll use them to. She's fine with that, she hast to be, at least now she knows what game they are playing.

If I tried to mesh it wit that AU I mentioned then Marinette may have found Chloe in a moment of weakness & gotten whole 'thing' dumped on her and then sworn to secrecy over it. Hence their weird "We have a history no don't talk to us about it" vibes.

As to your other points, whether it be this version or another, I do see your insight regarding seeking other parental supports.

However, I also think the staggering nature of the neglect and rejection would leave her very wary of growing close to any parent replacement. Jean and Bustier are paid to take care of her after all, how can she ever trust that anything they offer her is genuine?

As to your second point I completely agree, I think that was sort of the emphasis point of the idea even. She doesn't care about them, they use her, she uses them, she is OK with that, because she has to be. She pretends it doesn't hurt, that at least she knows and can therefore exert some influence on the relationship but it is less tangled. Though be it instead its more overtly callous, empty and hostile, so its more like a different kind of toxicity I guess?

Either way, I imagine that in the context of the show, it'd initially come off as her being borderline evil and callous in regards to her family.

Like imagine there's some "The kids are lost, but the parents are looking for them, but there's an impersonator Akuma too!" BS going down. Chloe can instantly peg imposters cos she knows damn well her parents wouldn't put themselves at risk to go looking for her.

No one believes her and thinks she's just projecting but then a bunch get caught because of it.

Broadly, I think this version of Chloe would as you say, be a bit less tangled, but not strictly better off save more self aware. She's also just like, straight up depressed a lot of the time. It doesn't turn off her fight response, so she's not exactly doing much better socially, she just doesn't go after people in the same way but she's still snappy and standoffish at the best of times. & deeply suspicious as well, like any overture is looked at from the perception of "My own parents don't love me, so this person must also just want to use me."

Sort of an aside on the Aware AU, but there was a fun AU project someone was working on with some neat art. Plus Chlogami :3c

In it there were two factors I found especially intriguing, one being that "Chloe & Marinette have a history, don't ask them about it, neither will talk."

The other more pertinent one for the Aware AU is that Chloe is 100% self aware to the fact no one in her family love's one another. They all use one another and she's OK with it, really she is... Because she has to be.

Which just felt interesting and kind of in line but through another lens for the Aware AU, while contrasting it.

IE in the Aware both Audrey & Andre are more deluded & view their actions a acceptable. But also think of themselves as, ya know, parents, or otherwise as justified decision makers who are in the right in whatever they do.

While in this it'd be more like "Oh no we only had you to meet social expectations and cos kids play well in photo-ops." While ignoring unlike them Chloe never asked to buy in on what amounts to a con, that has her as little more than a side piece. Unsurprisingly she has issues but also seems more depressed & also likely knows there's a limit to what her parents will indulge. So any acting out is more tied to her temper & lack of general respect than an Audrey impersonation.

I can see it. Though, in that case, I could see her developing other parental relationships. Cause like, part of what makes Chloé's abuse the way it is in canon is that both her parents are still, ya know, being her parents. They still think of themselves as her mom and dad. If they straight up TELL her "we only see you as a set piece, not a daughter", Chloé would probably look elsewhere for that affection. Like, her butler, Jean-Armand, is implied to have been on staff since Chloé was at least a toddler. So, in this AU, he's probably closer to an actual parent to Chloé, Mme. Bustier is probably more explicitly seen as a mother figure.

I also feel like Chloé's relationship with Audrey and André would . . . I can't think of an exact phrasing, tank sooner? Die out faster? Not get so tangled in the first place? Like, if André and Audrey are both explicit with Chloé about how "we don’t actually care about you, we just had you for appearances sake", I feel like by the time Chloé's a teenager, she's indifferent to them. Like, Audrey and André were never her parents, and Chloé knows that. It’s more like a business relationship. She does stuff for them, they pay her in allowance, room and board. If she wants more money, she does more public appearances. Like, she CARES, inasmuch as anything happens to either of them, that will affect Chloé. And she might have some mild affection for André, because she sees him more. But otherwise, these aren’t her parents. They're her bosses.

[mackenzielovee]

burnout: part three - rafe cameron

a/n: hi hello welcome!! so excited for this part. as usual, please let me know what you think! enjoy xoxo

warnings: swearing, underage drinking, mentions of abuse

italics represent the future!

wc: 5.3k

series masterlist

my writing

By the time Jenna shoves herself into her Midsummers dress, she's ready for the entire night to be over. She can't imagine how the hell anyone in the world might enjoy events like this, how they can all stand the white noise and shallow discussions over a few vodka tonics and champagne.

The Tuckers arrive at the Island Club together, Jenna giving everyone her best bitch face so that nobody tries to speak to her. A few family friends stop them and and gush over how good they all look, but Jenna's too busy glancing around the Club. Two boys she's trying to avoid means fighting through every minute of this frustrating event and keep her head down.

Josh starts to step away from the family to find his friends, but Jenna grabs his arm before he can get far.

"Where are you going?" she asks him, her voice quiet to avoid her parents overhearing.

"Find my friends," he shrugs.

"Friends?" she clarifies with a raise of her eyebrow.

Josh groans, "Dylan and Alex."

"Good," she smiles, reaching up and straightening Josh's tie, "Have fun."

Jenna adjusts her dress, then turns and looks around. The sea of people, the sea of Figure Eight adults who have been stressing and preparing for this event for months. And she can't help but think about how much none of this matters.

She shifts in her stance and, with one last glance to her right, she finds JJ, holding a tray full of empty glasses and taking an order from an older man. He nods and starts to move away, his eyes meet hers. She smiles, letting his words from earlier exit her mind.

"Hey," she greets him.

"Wow, um, I mean, shit - hey," he stutters, almost dropping his tray, "Hi, Jenna."

She lets out an involuntary laugh, "Hi, JJ."

"You look, like, really good," he says, eyes raking over every inch of her body.

Her light blue dress hugs her body just perfectly, as it should. Her mom had made sure she got it altered just right, just to be sure it would fit the way it does.

"Thank you."

"Um, do you - can I get you something to drink?"

She nods, giving him her best friendly smile, "I'd like that. Vodka tonic?"

"Coming right up," he nods, and is gone just as quickly as she'd found him in the crowd.

Jenna walks over to the bar to wait on JJ, heels clicking against the floor with every step. Thankfully, she doesn't see Rafe anywhere. Rafe, however, certainly sees her. He's standing with Topper and Kelce, drink in hand.

"She's such a brat," Rafe grunts, "Yelling me me for crashing my own goddamn boat, like I'm not already upset enough about it-"

"Don't call her a brat, man, come on," Kelce sighs. Rafe lets out a loud, incredulous laugh.

"No offense, Kelce, But Jenna Tucker doesn't strike me as the type of girl who wants her boyfriend to be a pussy, all right? Man up, grow a pair."

Truth is, he'd seen Jenna come in with her family. He pretended not to notice that her dress matches his suit almost perfectly, or how good it looks on her. He had downed three drinks since then, only relaxing when the ground beneath his dress shoes start to spin.

"Shut up and drink, Rafe. I'm going to talk to her."

Kelce walks away, ignoring the shove on his shoulder from Rafe. Jenna's staring around, observing the flower arrangements Rafe had brought in earlier and how beautiful they are.

"Hey, Jenna," he says gently. Jenna smiles tightly as he sets his glass down on the bar, leaning on it and staring up at her.

She'd been attempting to keep her distance from everyone that had been on the boat that night, all of them playing some role in the irresponsible behavior that led to endangering her brother.

"Hey, Kelce."

"Can I get you a drink?"

Before she can bother thinking up a reply, JJ sneaks up behind her, setting hand hand politely on her shoulder so as not to scare her. She stands up straight, turning her back on Kelce to face JJ.

"Vodka tonic," JJ grins.

"Thank you," she smiles back.

"You got it," he replies, glancing quickly at Kelce.

"Can I get you anything, Mr. Smith?" JJ asks.

Kelce opens his mouth to answer, but a drunken voice ringing through the air from several yards away makes Jenna shut her eyes.

"Hey, JJ," Rafe raises his voice, waiving the boy over, "Just because me and my girl are in a fight doesn't mean you can flirt with her. Need another drink, brother."

"That's the last thing Rafe needs," Jenna mutters, watching Kelce bite back a laugh.

JJ's head snaps over to Jenna, who opens her eyes and shakes her head at him to deny the 'my girl' comment. He just shakes his head, then looks back up to Rafe and nos.

"Yes, sir, Mr. Cameron," JJ calls back, holding in his attitude, "Mr. Smith?"

"I'm fine, JJ, thanks," Kelce smiles kindly.

JJ nods, removing his hand from Jenna's back and hurrying off to collect Rafe's drink.

"The place looks nice," Kelce starts off, eyes scanning across the Club and observing all of the decor.

"Yeah, it does," Jenna agrees.

She starts thinking about how she can escape this conversation, if she can text Josh and have him pull her away. His inability to take a hint for when she's not in the mood to talk has graduated from annoying to full on irritating, enough for her to want to leave him. She continues glancing around, finally seeing Sarah and catching her glance. Jenna widens her eyes slightly, giving Sarah the slightest hint that she wants away from this. Sarah, inebriated by the wine being fed to her secretly, just shrugs.

"So, there's a party at Topper's later," he informs her, "I was thinking, like, if you're there, and I'm there, maybe we could have a drink or something."

Jenna smiles at his attempt, placing her hand gently around her glass. She considers his proposal for only a minute before ultimately shaking her head.

"I don't think so. Doubt Topper wants me to attend," she says, bringing her glass up to her lips.

"Come on, Jenna. It will be fun. He won't even see you, probably," he attempt again, which makes her frown, "Just come with me to the party. If you're not having fun, I'll take you straight home. Promise."

"Is that what you said to Josh? You know, to get him on the boat?" she asks, then picks up her glass with the intent of walking away.

"I had no idea your brother was even coming with us until he got on the boat, seriously," Kelce says, stepping in front of her to prevent her from leaving.

"You didn't invite him?"

"No. Of course not, Jenna. I know you'd never let him get on a boat with us like that, and I'm sorry for the part I played in it. Believe that."

She takes a deep breath and sets her glass down again, ignoring Kelce's victory glance as she does so. She watches as he desperately stares into her eyes, and she softens in her stance.

"I believe you," she nods, voice barely above a whisper.

"Good. So, how about that party?"

"I'll think about it," she replies, giving him a little smile as her way of telling him she's got no hard feelings any further.

She picks up her glass once more, taking a step away from him. When she looks forward, she finds Rafe, glass full and devilish smirk all over his face.

"Damn," he mutters as she passes him.

She stops and turns, "Excuse me?"

Rafe chuckles, patting Kelce on the back before turning to Jenna, "I said, damn. As in, damn, you look beautiful, sweetheart. Look even better on my arm, though."

Jenna feels her blood boil in her veins, flowing throughout her body. Every negative word she's ever thought about him flows through her mind in that moment.

"Way out of your league, Cameron," she says with a smirk, then turns her back on both boys.

"Don't I know it," he calls after her. She can practically hear the smirk on his face as she walks away.

Jenna watches from afar as Josh runs around Midsummers with his friends, and can't help but wonder about the party Kelce had offered. She knows she should have fun, do something for herself, but she's just not sure about him yet.

Just as she swallows the last of her second vodka tonic, she hears a shout a few yards away. Rafe had fallen on the steps from the deck to the grass, taking a waiter down with him. Topper tries to discreetly stand him up, which proves to be harder than necessary given the amount of drinks Rafe has had.

She watches as Topper leads Rafe over to the bar, shoving him in one of the chairs there and barking out an order for a water. He points at Kelce and then to Rafe, then runs a stressed hand through his hair. When Kelce catches Jenna's eye, he walks over to her, ignoring Topper's gesture to care for their drunk friend.

Silently, he takes a seat beside her, setting his hands firmly on the table in front of him. Her patience with him has returned, it had done so when he'd assured her he had nothing to do with Josh being on the boat. He seemed genuine, like he really understood the mistake. Choosing to look past the slight annoyance she gets with his pushiness, she speaks.

"Surprised he doesn't have alcohol poisoning by now. Or, at least doesn't break more bones than he does."

"He's a lucky motherfucker," Kelce agrees with a nod of his head, "I, on the other hand, am not."

"What makes you say that?"

He moves his gaze over to her, then down to her empty glass.

"Want another?" he asks.

"No, I don't think you need to be taking care of two drunk people," she jokes.

Kelce grins, "I would only have a problem with one of them."

Jenna glances back over to the bar, where Topper is singlehandedly dragging Rafe out of the Club.

"So, when's the party?" she asks him, turning back to look at him.

"You're in?" he questions.

She nods, "Yeah. I'm in."

The grin on his face makes her smile. Despite his ability to annoy the living shit out of her sometimes, she certainly doesn't mind looking at him. She's not sure if it's the alcohol coursing through her veins or the quiet voice in her head demanding that she check on Rafe, but her agreement to go is out of her mouth before she can even fully think about it.

"I'm heading out now, actually," he says.

Jenna smiles and stands up, then promises to meet Kelce out front in ten minutes. She tells her parents she's going out with some friends, then finds Josh and threatens him if she finds him anywhere near Topper's. Thankfully, she'd brought along a change of clothes, just in case, and grabs them from her dad's golf locker before she rushes out front.

When she walks out of the Club, she has to suppress her smile when she finds Kelce leaning up against his car, aimlessly flicking his keys around his finger.

"Ready?" he asks, holding the passenger door open for her.

"Ready," she agrees, climbing inside before she can think too hard about this.

The ride to Topper's is short, the ride anywhere on Figure Eight is short when you ride with Kelce. Jenna tells him to slow down four times on the ride over. He just laughs, not bothering to listen.

"I've never been to Topper's before," she admits as Kelce leads her inside.

"Nothing special," he assures her.

When they walk in, there's not a ton of people there yet. Kelce shows Jenna the bathroom so she can change, then promises to meet her in the kitchen in five minutes. When she emerges, she finds Rafe and Topper in the kitchen, but no Kelce.

"Brat, where's your dress?" Rafe frowns, eyes trailing down her body and savoring the image of her legs in those shorts.

"Is there any beer?" she asks, ignoring Rafe altogether.

"Check the cooler," Topper remarks, pointing to it on the floor.

She rolls her eyes and steps over to it, pulling the beer out and twisting off the top, downing as much as she could in one gulp.

"Oh, she's pissed at me, Top. Like, extremely pissed," Rafe informs him.

"Your fault probably," Topper glares at him, tonight's events annoying him due to the fact he has to babysit Rafe, "Unless you harmlessly asked her to Midsummers."

He glares at Jenna after his last comment, making her shake her head. The beer bottle presses to her lips once more.

"It is," Rafe agrees, "It really fucking is my fault, bro. But, what the hell else would anyone expect? I'm a Cameron, remember?"

He looks to Jenna when he says his last sentence, the hurt evident in his eyes. She frowns and bites her bottom lip, not sure what to say. She had no idea Rafe had taken that remark to heart, even if she was pissed beyond belief when she said it.

"How about a water, Rafe?" Topper breaks the silence.

He shakes his head, "Tequila. Tequila will fix it."

He's slurring his words as he crosses the kitchen, grabbing the tequila bottle and then stumbling out of the room. Jenna swallows as she stares at the doorway he exited through, debating only for a moment about going after him. She doesn't even notice Kelce slip into the kitchen until he presses his front against her back under the pretense of reaching over her to grab a beer.

"Good?" he asks, voice a little too close for her liking.

Uncomfortably, she slips from her spot, leaving Kelce to press himself up against the counter, instead. His touch, while seemingly harmless, feels all wrong on her skin.

"Fine," she replies.

Kelce coughs awkwardly and then nods, "Good."

"Wow," Topper laughs, eyes shifting between the two, "Intense."

Kelce shoots him a glare, "Shut up."

Topper just smirks, then reaches for the Svedka bottle beside him. Jenna doesn't hardly notice until he lays out three plastic shot glasses and pours into them.

"What?" Topper asks her when he catches her eye, "If you're gonna be walking around here all night, I need to be drunk."

She just shrugs, accepting the first shot. They take it without a cheers or anything, because the three of them together is weird to every single individual. Jenna lets the alcohol burn her throat, hoping it will make her forget all of her stress.

Before she can object, Topper pours another for them. She accepts it without complaint.

After two shots with the boys and getting tired of Kelce attempting to be too close to her, Jenna excuses herself by telling them she has to use the restroom. Kelce makes her promise to come back, but doesn't notice when she turns, rolls her eyes, and grabs her beer bottle off the counter. She's starting to feel the alcohol, the way it makes her mind feel a little fuzzy, and considers fresh air her best option.

She has no idea how wrong about that she is. When she steps outside, it turns into the Rafe Cameron Show. He's holding that same bottle of tequila he'd taken from the kitchen, only slightly emptier now. That doesn't seem to bother her as much as the blonde girl he has pressed up against him on his lap, drunkenly mumbling in her ear and putting his free hand on every square inch of her body.

A few other people linger outside, so Jenna takes a seat on a chair resting on the other side of the patio. She's hoping he'll be too drunk to notice her, and she can slip back inside in five minutes and try to scrub this image from her brain forever.

Of course, Rafe Cameron seems to have a good radar for her, even when he's drunk off his ass.

"Jen," he calls over the blonde girl's shoulder, "Hey, Jen."

She finally looks up at him, stern glare plastered on her features. He grins, as if he's so familiar with that look that it actually makes him feel as if he's doing something right.

"Don't call me that."

"Why? Suits you."

"That's because it's my name."

"Yeah," Rafe nods, very sloppy and slow, "S'cute."

Jenna rolls her eyes, ignoring the fire that lights in her stomach. It's just the alcohol, she tells herself, cursing that she shouldn't have taken a second shot.

She takes another sip of her beer, doing her best to ignore the boy. The fresh air feels good in her lungs, makes her feel less suffocated.

"Jen," Rafe repeats, "Why're you out here?"

"I'm not," she replies, standing from her chair. He's too drunk for her to want to put up with this.

"Get up," Rafe orders to the girl on his lap, who shifts against him but doesn't listen, "Up, now."

"Rafe," she moves her head, looking up at him, "Kiss me."

"No. Get up."

Jenna laughs and starts toward the door, and just as she reaches the handle, she feels a hand on her arm. Her stomach tightens at the sensation, and she pretends to ignore how he slowly moves his fingertips down her arm, trailing to her hand.

"Jen," he says once more, "Tell me why you're out here."

She turns, yanking her hand from him in the process, "Your best friend won't leave me alone."

"Want me to take care of it?" he asks, swaying slightly in his stance.

"You couldn't even take care of yourself right now, Rafe," she retorts.

"Yeah. Can. Watch."

She sighs, watching as he slowly takes a step, then another, then sets the tequila bottle down on the nearest table.

He turns back to her, holding his hands out to his sides as if he's proven something. When she raises an eyebrow, he smiles.

"See? No more drinking!"

She rolls her eyes at him, her staple response, then turns. She can hear Rafe shuffle forward quickly, and before she knows it, he has her pressed against the wall beside the back door, arms resting against it on either side of her head.

"Jenna," he looks at her, eyes serious now. She can tell how drunk he is by the way his lips are parted and he can't seem to get a steady breath in.

"What?" she practically whispers, unable to find her voice in such close proximity to him.

"I'm sorry."

She'd heard him say those words, sober, the night of the accident. They'd meant nothing to her then. But now, they seem to carry a different meaning. She stares into his eyes, knowing immediately that he means that more than anything he's ever said to her.

"You could've killed my brother," she pushes, voice still coming out weak. He sighs and leans in even closer, the tequila on his breath evident.

"Could've. Didn't. Forgive me?"

"No," she whispers.

Rafe laughs, which seems to ease some of the tension, "Figured. Y'always make me crazy."

"Not trying to," Jenna counters, and when he furrows his eyebrows, she adds, "Not now, anyway. I just don't know if I can forgive you."

He sighs, the overwhelming scent of tequila sitting in the air between them, "Yeah. Should've said something, should've told Kelce to take him back home-"

"Kelce?" Jenna questions with the raise of a brow.

Rafe, who doesn't catch on to her tone, just nods, "Yeah. When they pulled up together. Should've told Josh to beat it. M'sorry."

"Wait," Jenna shakes her head. Her mind feels fuzzy, foggy, as she tries to recall her conversation with Kelce earlier, "Josh showed up at the marina with Kelce?"

"He brought him," Rafe confirms, "I'm sorry, Jen, I-"

"Okay," Jenna nods, "Believe you. Relax."

"I'm sorry," he repeats, only guiding his body closer to hers. His scent fills her nose, and it makes her heart stop momentarily in her chest. She never thought she'd feel so good having Rafe Cameron so close. The voice in her head takes over after a moment, screaming at her that this is a bad idea.

"Rafe," she says quietly, "You're drunk. Put some space between us, okay?"

"But," he stops to hiccup, then looks at her again, "Like being this close. Wanted to be this close tonight. At the thing."

"Midsummers?" she questions, setting an innocent hand on his chest to try and push him back a little. He looks down at it and smiles, but doesn't move.

"Yeah, Mid.. whatever. Saw the dress you were wearing. Matched me."

"That wasn't intentional," she informs him, as if he's unaware.

"Wish it had been."

She swallows at his confession, but runs her hand down his chest just the same. He can feel her warmth through the fabric of his shirt, and it makes him feel like a king. He just hopes she doesn't feel how fast his heart is beating.

"You're drunk," she repeats.

"So? M'always drunk."

"That's not healthy, Rafe."

"Know that."

She nods, then pushes on him slightly with her hand. He groans and stands up straight, giving her only about five inches worth of space. He keeps his hands on the wall beside her, fearing that if he moves them, she'll leave him.

"I'm gonna go back inside," she tells him, watching his face fall.

"Back to Kelce," he grunts.

"No," she says quickly, not sure why she cares about what he thinks about her and Kelce when he'd had some random girl in his lap five minutes ago, "I'm gonna go home, I think."

"Did you drink?" he asks her, moving in once again.

"Yes."

"Can't drive."

She sighs, "Kelce brought me."

Rafe laughs sarcastically, then clenches his jaw, "He's not taking you home. Won't let him."

"He's been drinking, too," she reminds him, "I'm just gonna walk. It's not that far."

Rafe shakes his head, "Can't walk alone in the dark. I'll go with you."

"Rafe, you can barely stand up on your own. I'll be fine."

"No, Jenna," he argues, inching even closer, "Never forgive myself if..."

He trails off, and Jenna never knew she'd be so desperate to hear the end of a sentence. Her expression softens as she watches him, his brain working hard to find a way to get Jenna home safely. He takes one hand off the wall and snaps his fingers together when he figures it out.

"Sarah!" he exclaims.

"What about Sarah?"

"She'll come. Wait here."

"Rafe," Jenna groans, "Don't bother your sister."

"Not a bother. She's just with her boyfriend."

Rafe calls Sarah, and after a five minute argument about what he owes her in exchange for this favor, he tells Jenna she'll be there in ten minutes.

"Are you coming, too?"she asks him, watching as he collapses on the outdoor couch.

"No," he shakes his head slightly, "Crash here. You'll be safe with Sarah, though."

Jenna crosses her arms over her chest and takes a step toward him, making no attempt to sit down. He stares up at her, shamelessly, not bothering to look away when she looks back.

"Why's that so important to you? Me getting home safe?"

Rafe considers this question for almost a whole minute, then exhales, "My best friend likes you."

"Really?" Jenna raises her eyebrow, not buying that for a second.

"Well, yeah. Talks about you enough. Should've seen him at fuckin' Midsummers tonight. Going on and on about how good you look like I'm fucking blind."

Both of Jenna's eyebrows shoot up this time as she takes in his comment.

"Oh," is all she thinks to say, not wanting to push the conversation further by any means.

"Yeah. Oh."

She can feel herself sobering up and wonders if Rafe is feeling the same. She doubts it, considering how much he's consumed tonight.

"You, um," she hesitates, finally taking a seat beside Rafe on the couch, "You didn't look too bad yourself."

"You looked at me once," he shoots back, but grins just the same.

"Yes, and you looked very nice," she smiles back.

Rafe shakes his head at her, taking their cheerful exchange as an opportunity to scoot closer to her. Their legs brush against each other, and Jenna pretends not to notice when he wraps his arm around the back of the couch.

"I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me, y'know."

"Probably is," she agrees. Rafe's heart rate speeds up when she leans in, ever so slightly, eyes scanning over his side profile. She lowers her voice, barely above a whisper, "Where's your friend?"

He turns to her, furrowing his eyebrows, "What?"

"Your girl. The blonde."

"She's not my girl, Jenna. Trust me," he promises, licking his lips as he stares down at her.

"Mhm."

"You don't believe me," he phrases it as a statement on purpose, already knowing the answer.

"I heard her over there, you know," Jenna says, smirking as she mocks the girl, "Kiss me, Rafe. I just love sitting on your lap."

Rafe chuckles, shaking his head as he speaks, "God, I wish you were being real. Not fair."

"Sorry," she laughs, gently setting her hand on his knee.

He looks down at her hand on his skin and swallows, then turns his attention back to her. His blue eyes flicker down to her lips, which look as though they have remnants of her beer still resting there.

"I need you to get home safe because," he pauses, moving his eyes from her lips to her eyes, "Nobody's ever given a shit about me before."

"And you think I do?" she jokes, nudging him with her shoulder.

He keeps his voice and expression serious, "You asked me about my dad. Nobody else's ever done that before."

"Is that why you're crashing here tonight? Because of your dad?"

Rafe nods, "He's going to kill me for my stunt at Midsummers. Our family friends saw my drunk ass eat shit on the stairs. Comin' home like this would make it worse."

"Rafe," Jenna sighs, leaning in closer, "I'm sorry. He shouldn't-"

"I know," he nods. He sets his hand on her arm, stroking up and down her soft skin. His phone vibrates beside him and he glances down only for a moment to read the message before he speaks again, "Sarah's here. I'll walk y'out."

"You don't have to," Jenna murmurs, not moving from her spot or taking her hand off of him.

"Yeah. I do. C'mon."

He stands up, holding his hand out for hers. She licks her lips, hesitant on accepting it. The way she'd felt about him when she came out here is entirely different from the way she feels now. She finally accepts his hand, letting him pull her up off the couch.

He doesn't let go of her hand when she's vertical; instead, he knots his fingers in hers and tugs her toward the house. He leads her through the living room, past Kelce, who goes wide-eyed, and stops only for Jenna to grab her bag. Jenna shoots Kelce a glare, the truth about the night of the accident looming in the air above them.

Sarah stands in front of her Volkswagen when the two emerge from the house, raising an eyebrow at their tangled hands.

"Fun night?" she asks, directing her question to Jenna.

"Shut up, Sarah," Rafe grunts.

"Thanks for coming," Jenna smiles to her.

Sarah nods and smiles in return, peeling herself off her car and walking around to the driver's side. Rafe opens up the passenger door and holds it, watching as Jenna climbs inside the car. The window is rolled down, so when he closes her door, he leans his head inside.

"Drive carefully," he glares at his sister, then looks down at Jenna, "Seat belt."

"I got it," she rolls her eyes.

Sarah stares at her brother for a minute, waiting for him to back away from the car. When he doesn't, she sighs.

"Get in or get out, Rafe."

"All right, I'm out," he says, ducking out of the window, "G'night, Jenna."

"Good night, Rafe," she says, and gives him a wide smile.

He smiles back and pats the side of the car twice, watching as Sarah pulls away. Jenna exhales, finally feeling herself start to completely relax. She turns her head and looks at Sarah, who's got a shit-eating grin on her face.

"What's that look for?" Jenna asks, watching as Sarah's expression turns to a full on grin.

"Seat belt," she mocks, "He's quite literally never cared about anyone's seat belt before."

"He's drunk."

"Yeah," Sarah agrees.

Jenna just shakes her head, residing to leaning her head on the window and watching as they pass all the large houses.

"Hey, Sarah?" Jenna says after a few minutes of silence.

"Hmm?"

"Your dad see Rafe fall at the Club?"

Sarah scoffs, "Um, yeah. Course he did. Came home screaming about it Rose."

Jenna groans and sighs, closing her eyes and trying not to imagine what's going to happen to Rafe when he has to go home.

"Please, don't let Ward hurt him," Jenna whispers.

Sarah shoots her head over to her, only for a moment, before she looks forward again.

"He told you?"

"Not exactly."

Sarah pulls into Jenna's driveway, shutting off her headlights so as not to disturb her family. Jenna removes her seatbelt but doesn't make any effort to get out of the car.

"There's nothing I can really do, Jenna. But, if it makes you feel better, he knows people will ask questions if he goes overboard. Rafe can handle himself."

Jenna gives Sarah a sad smile, then reaches for the door handle, "That doesn't mean he should have to."

Sarah opens her mouth to respond, but Jenna climbs out and closes the door before she can speak. Brushing through her hair and trying her best to put on a completely sober smile, she unlocks the front door and steps inside. Thankfully, the house is dark. She heads upstairs, finally in sight of her bedroom, when Josh's voice makes her jump.

"So, you can party with Rafe Cameron, but I can't?"

Jenna spins around, meeting her brother's eyes. His hair is totally messed up from how he had it at Midsummers, and he's shirtless with athletic shorts. He clenches his jaw, as if he's trying to prevent himself from saying anything else.

"I wasn't partying with Rafe," she lies.

"Topper, then. I'm not stupid, Jenna. It was Kelce's party. And I know Sarah wasn't there, so don't even try to tell me you were with her. I ran into her and John B at The Wreck. She got a really interesting phone call from her brother while I was talking to 'em."

"Josh-"

"Don't. I get that you're pissed about the boat thing, or whatever, but I've had enough of the overprotective bullshit. If I want to hang out with Rafe and Topper and Kelce, I will. Stay out of my life."

"Oh, my God, Josh-" she starts, but gets cut off when he slams his bedroom door shut.

With a groan, Jenna forces open her own bedroom door, slamming it shut the same way her brother had. Deep down, she knows Josh is right. She knows she was too hard on Rafe in the beginning, and she should've had a more open mind. She wonders if she made the wrong decision by telling Josh to stay away from those boys.

However, she'd never tell Josh that.

Tags: @lurkymurker @scenesofobx @mardema @girlsneedloovee @kookkyra @pogueslandia @sarahwasfound @morganwilliams @lilgoddesshines @proactivetypeofperson @abrunettefangirlnerd @the-chaotic-cow @absolute-fcking-chaos @kaatelyyynn @jordynsharum @anonymousobxfan @premixed-margarita @princesspogue @gasolinesavages @outlaw-abby @samcaniglia @marveloussensations @dr3aming0utl0udx @thisisthewayrose @iammirrorball @r0und3bitch @thesimpletype @fashphotolife @notdisneychannel @gillybear17 @solllaris @lilacsandwhiskey @i-is-for-inspiring @sksliz @drewstarkey @luversgirl

*if you would like to be added/removed from my taglist at any time, please send me an ask!

[aliceyabusamesoneball]

there’s not as much official art of her but rouge for the fashion analysis thing maybe?

rouge!! (kidfoundonstreets dont open this it will probably spoil parts of the game)

this is her regular outfit and to be honest it also kinda looks like a school uniform to me but maybe its just because of the plaid pattern and the collar..

speaking of the pattern its not really something i would expect rouge to wear knowing her character and looking at other art??? but maybe im just a little dumb however it is red and she does wear a shit ton of red (which isn't surprising considering her hair and eyes are red and her name literally means red in french)

yeah but in general it might be because there's just not much official art of her but this doesn't really seem like something that reflects her style much looking at other pictures of her but she does have the same color scheme overall and it is a very nice outfit

also another note i am making is that her socks are like a deep purpley and i think other than red (which she wears a lot of in almost every shade) regarding other colors that aren't neutrals (black, gray, white, brown) she seems to wear darker and muted versions of them

like for this halloween outfit she's wearing shades of muted purple and also red

+ shes wearing a corset which is cool!! it has gold details and she seems to wear gold stuff a lot too i think she prefers gold over silver

also the way the sleeves look (idk how to explain it because its not quite puffy but its not like a tight fit either they look really comfortable) is similar to the outfit that she wears in the photobooth

the outfits look really similar with details like the sleeve details, the corset, the ruffles, and the bows in her hair + i think the red is the same color so those elements are probably things she likes to wear frequently

also she's wearing a collar (although it's not attached to anything) so that might be something she likes too since she's also wearing one in her regular outfit

AND ALSO the crown is super cute and like cartoony and makes me think maybe she likes to wear accessories that are the same sort of style??

like even though this is technically not an outfit she wears... the crown is sort of similar with the cutesy elements like the heart and also the bow on the bodice (?) of what shes wearing

also she has pretty elegant black gloves

shes also wearing black gloves here (she looks so beautiful here btw) AND ALSO HER DRESS I NEED TO TALK ABOUT IT

first of all this is definitely the type of dress i would expect rouge to wear considering her personality and the colors are all colors she frequently wears

she also seems to like black lace trim because i think shes wearing it in her photobooth outfit (on her boobs) and also here (on her boobs again and her gloves)

ALSO THE FISHNET PART OF THE DRESS??? THE STYLE OF IT???? ITS SO PRETTY AND I THINK THE RED PART IS LIKE SILK OR SOME OTHER EXPENSIVE SOFT FABRIC IT LOOKS SO NICE SHE LOOKS SO PRETTY (also speaking of silk for some reason i always imagine rouge would have a red silk nightgown or something its just floating around in my litle head)

i am very normal about this outfit

anyways this can lead us to believe that she likes wearing fishnet stuff 🤗🤗 and also she likes to wear dresses that are more revealing with being able to see her cleavage and also the leg slit

you can't see much of this one but i'm still including it because i think it's interesting

i think this is another halloween one and she's like.. a goat or something idk?? she has horns around her pigtails and i feel like i know what it is but i dont remember the name of it

anyways she is wearing her classic two black bows with her pigtails too and also im a little confused about what the gold circles are?? maybe like some sort of gold chain that like drapes around her body i'm not sure

but anyway her sweater thingy looks super nice it's the classic red color that she always wears and its also off the shoulder she seems to like showing her shoulders a lot (that sounds weird im so sorry 😭😭) and also the black tank top/bra (?) straps look nice with the sweater she looks very lovely

i think this is literally just her normal outfit with sunglasses but i had to add it in because i thought it was silly (also i have no idea what the context of this photo is i think they're swimming or something like that)

okay i know i already talked about her regular outfit BUT I HAVE TO TALK ABOUT HER HEELS. THE WIKI SAYS SHE'S 5'2. NOEL IS 5'11. HOW TALL ARE HER HEELS FOR HER TO HAVE SUCH A SHORT HEIGHT DIFFERENCE WITH NOEL??? LIKE THEY SHOULD HAVE A 9 INCH HEIGHT DIFFERENCE BUT IT LOOKS LIKE THEY'RE ALMOST THE SAME HEIGHT DO I JUST HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HEIGHT DIFFERENCES LOOK LIKE OR IS SHE WEARING REALLY TALL HEELS

anyways speaking of heels she'd definitely like wearing black or red heels (i'm pretty sure she's wearing black heels in the photo) and she'd probably wear ones that have really pointy heels (not like block heels) and that are taller

and heels are one of her accessories along with her bows I NEED TO TALK ABOUT HER BOWS THEYRE SO CUTE

in her regular outfit she has one black bow and one plaid bow (theyre mismatched) but in pretty much every other outfit she has two matching black bows in her pigtails so she probably would have a lot of those along with some rose details because in some of her outfits the bows have roses on them!!

speaking of roses she'd probably like to wear roses on her dresses like the rose claire has on her dress because she really loves roses

overall this is how i would style her:

definitely a lot of deep red and black clothing with occasional pops of like muted colors (like purple)

off-the-shoulder necklines and also some popped color shirts

maybe red plaid accents on some of her clothes and some black lace trim?

sort of puffy but not really sleeves on a lot of her dresses too along with ruffle details

a couple of black corsets with gold/red laces? i think thats what theyre called

a red silk nightgown jjst for fun

a cute crown with a heart on it for special occasions 😊

long elegant black gloves

LOTS OF BLACK BOWS and some red ones too

[softersinned-arc]

She laughs at that, and she holds up a hand to halt him, closing her eyes for a moment as she pictures it. "Imagine it with me, just for a second—the both of us dressed to the nines, me ordering the best wine on the menu, you hitting the mask over and over again with a fully loaded fork—"

It's a brief moment's normalcy in an existence that is anything but. Astoria opens her eyes again and she grins, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket. Her job is done; it's a matter of getting to her car without incident, going home, and eating leftovers on the couch while she tries to pretend that she hadn't spent the evening doing something spectacularly dangerous, again. She's done it a million times by now. At least delivering a duffel bag full of cash doesn't end with her trying to get bloodstains out of her favorite shirt, so really, it's far from the worst job Roman's given her.

She could go now. She doesn't. She has experience enough by now to know when she's on the losing side, and the longer she stays with Roman, the clearer it becomes that she might not be able to jump ship before it sinks. Still, it's not as though she has any other options, is it? She can't exactly show up at the office and say so sorry but I think it's time I sought out other opportunities. I've had a great time with you, though, and I'd love to be able to list you as a reference. You leave the Black Mask's employ when you're dead. Leaving sooner is a quick way to end up... well, dead.

So she does the next best thing. "Indulge me for a minute, if you don't mind?" And she chews the inside of her cheek for a moment, wonders if she's doing something monumentally stupid. She probably is. She doesn't really care. "Let's say I thought the no kids rule was a good one and I thought somebody might be breaking it, but I wasn't sure, and I wasn't able to look into it, and if I brought it to Roman he'd just tell me it wasn't my responsibility to manage his men, and that you'll handle your rules however you see fit. Like, the guy we've got working Eighth. That's something you'd look into, right?

"Because I've got this friend from college. Sweet girl. Her uncle's a senator. And her little sister—she's sixteen—was at a party and I guess she took something and had a really nasty reaction to it, but since the Senator's got some pull with the hospital it was easy to keep it quiet. And if I told you about that, and that I don't have any proof but I know who works where and that unless it's someone totally unrelated to us it's got to be him—you'd look into that, wouldn't you? You'd take it seriously?"

he  almost  feels  bad  for  her  —— having  to  do  roman’s  dirty  work.  to  any  other  lowlife  thug  in  gotham  she  looks  like  she’d  make  an  easy  target.  walking  around  in  the  night  with  a  duffle  bag  full  of  cash  with  a  boss  that  didn’t  give  two  shits  whether  or  not  she  made  it  back  from  their  little  meeting  alive.  he’s  pretty  sure  roman  would  be  more  upset  over  the  lost  cash  if  anything.  the  man  was  already  volatile  and  with  the  way  red  hood  had  become  an  ever  increasing  nuisance,  cutting  his  business  down  &  taking  over  his  territory,  the  masked  man  can’t  imagine  roman’s  become  any  easier  to  work  for.  with  the  way  the  redhead  seems  almost  relieved  to  see  him  emerge  from  the  shadows,  dramatics  be  damned,  jason’s  certain  that  assessment  is  right.

she’s  at  least  safe  with  him …  for  now.   he  wasn’t  in  the  business  of  shooting  messengers;  unless  he  needed  to  send  a  message  himself.

a  gloved  hand  takes  the  offered  bag  with  a  small  grunt  of  acknowledgment,   unzipping    it  to  do  a  quick  count  of  the  wads  of  cash.   ❝   i’m  sure  it’s  all  there ,   ❞   an  unspoken  ‘ if  not  i  know  where  to  find  you  and  him  ’  behind  his  words  as  he  rezips  the  bag  and  lugs  it  over  a  shoulder.  by  now  roman  should  know  the  lengths  jason  was  willing  to  go  through  and  he  would  find  him  if  he  had  been  shorted.  blowing  up  the  man’s  office  wasn’t  even  near  the  tip  of  the  metaphorical  iceberg  of  things  the  vigilante  was  willing  to  do.

❝   what’s  with  the  sudden  interest  in  my  restaurant  reviews  ?  you  askin’  me  out  on  a  date ?   ❞    behind  the  mask,  a  dark  brow  raises,  lips  quirking  up  in  amusement.  he  knows  it’s  small  talk,  anything  to  make  their  meetings  seem  even  the  slightest  bit  normal.  ❝   now  people  will  really  talk.  roman  sionis’s  right  hand  woman  asking  red  hood  out  to  dinner ?  you’ll  have  them  clutching  their  pearls.   ❞

[purplehoodiesimon]

Brain still doesn't want to write so I'm here to talk about my nonbinary Wille headcanons

First off, I say nonbinary loosely. I like that they're not labeling his sexuality in canon and I think it fits his character very well to be like, "fuck boxes, fuck labels, I just want to be a person". So I think they'd be the same about gender. They know they're not a girl or a boy, and I think they'd be okay using nonbinary to clarify things to people but for the most part, they just don't want to use any labels. Like if someone asks he'll say he's nonbinary, especially if he's explaining the concept to someone, but he never outright labels himself as nonbinary.

That being said, he makes it 100% absolutely clear to anyone he ever meets that he's not a boy. They have had e-fucking-nough of people speculating on their identity and Kristina hates it but pretty much the first words out of their mouth to anyone new are, "Hi I'm Prince Wilhelm, I'm not a girl or a boy, gender is fake and my pronouns are he/they. How are you?" (In Swedish, I think it would be han/hen? If Google is telling me the right information? If I'm incorrect please let me know). They lean more towards masculine and neutral language, but they also don't really care if someone uses she or princess or something.

(Unless it's from Simon, they absolutely ADORE him calling them princess. He hates being royalty, but almost no one actually calls him princess cause they're all more in the habit of using prince so it feels special coming from Simon.)

Madison gives him half her closet when he comes out because she knows she buys way too many dresses on shopping trips anyways and they've got similar body types. She's a bit shorter but they're both tall and thin so with a few modifications, it works. Most of their clothing is hand picked by a designer at the palace so they can really only wear stuff from her at Hillerska. However, they totally give the designer Madison's number and before long, a few more creative, feminine pieces start getting woven into their public wardrobe. Simon also paints his nails all the time in various colors, partially because Wille likes how it looks and partially to help him stop biting them.

Obviously I like to imagine things going a bit better (cough cough Erik's alive, August didn't videotape them, if that did happen then Wille didn't deny it, etc etc) but even in a timeline that follows canon, I still see him ending up a point where he just does not give a fuck what people think as long as they're not putting him in one box or another. That's kinda his predicted character arc in canon anyways and I think it would be the same, it just might take longer for him to come out without a decent support system (as canon has clearly shown with the sexuality thing ahem ahem).

Also in an AU where August is a decent person who didn't do highly illegal morally fucked up things I can totally see the two of them getting closer as time goes on and maybe Wille helps August out with those obvious body issues that may or may not be related to gender cause August just gives me such big they/them agender vibes and I hate it cause they suck but you can't stop the Vibes™ and holy shit they need help in canon like someone please address the fact that this kid is clearly depressed with body issues and addiction problems to high hell, they may have done shitty as fuck things but everyone deserves help and holy FUCK August needs it

Anyways uhhhhhhh basically he/they Wille rights and thank you for coming to my TEDtalk.

[sterkeyra]

Tsugaru's bouquet flower meaning

In Tsugaru's Epilogue he gives his girl a flower bouquet, saying that he wanted to match it to her dress. However, he also nags Kaga about how important flower meanings are if you gift flowers to a girl and mentions that he did some research on it.

So I thought about what his bouquet could mean. Sadly it is not mentioned which flowers he used, but based on the CG I'd say it's blue roses, a poppy and an anemone. And it really fits his trails of thoughts well :'D

Anemone:

The most significant meaning of Anemones is anticipation. With Tsugaru's route being the ultimate slowburn route, it's save to say that he's curious about what's going to happen. Anemones also symbolize fragility and protection from evil, which underline perfectly Tsugarus deepest fear. He knows that happiness can be fleeting and is afraid to get close to anyone again, because he would not be able to live through losing his loved ones another time. With MC already almost having died twice at this point, she doesn't necessarily manage to calm those thoughts xD

Still this wildflower is a reminder to live in the moment and to take opportunities as they come at the right time. It's often given to persons for major changes in their life, and... MC sure is a whirlwind in his :D

Poppy:

Poppies are very common and have several kinds of meanings from peace to death or just sleep. Tsugaru however, used a blue/purple poppy, that symbolizes dreams, success, imagination and luxury. While wishing for her success after he betrayed her in the story, I think the poppy also symbolizes that he likes to imagine/dream to have a chance with her or maybe that he can achieve a peaceful life as well.

Even the poppies other meanings could fit his thoughts. His trauma from losing his family is one of the reasons that keep him from getting closer. The poppies calming effect also applies well to his girl, since Tsugaru is shown to sleep peacefully around her. (when he passes out in her room or they are on stakeout together in the VIP stories). He also likes to reference The Wizard of Oz in Ishigamis route, where poppies make the characters sleep forever.

Blue Rose:

As blue roses cannot naturally produce blue dye, they have to be genetically engineered. Thus they symbolize a mysterious romanticism, unreachable longing or even one-sided true love.

Compared to other guys he also doesn't really know how his girl feels, getting insecure and jealous of other guys around her and sometimes wonder if he is the only one in love.

Tsugaru himself doesn't really understand why he is so drawn to her, but even when he tries to distance himself, he can't let her go. He realized that it's his first true love, but because of several reasons it feels impossible for him. They are living two different kinds of lives and he doesn't want to drag her down into his darkness. Furthermore, he doesn't live for himself but for Shirogane and just waits for his destiny to come true and to be killed. He cannot dare to think of finding happiness, that would make him hope for bright future. For having a family of his own - even if that is his deepest wish.

The number of the roses given also has a meaning. In the bouquet we can see three roses, which stands for the three words: I love you.

But since it's blue roses it would be like: I love you, but it would be a relationship against all odds.

Bouquet

TLDR: Overall the bouquet probably means something along the lines of:

"I care about you, wish the best for you and hope nothing bad happens to you. I love you and I know it's most likely unattainable, but I still want to dream about the possible happiness we might experience together."

Break my heart with flowers, why don't you :'D

Still blue roses fit them well, because you know what else is genetically engineered in their life?

RIGHT!

Noa! The child they raise together.

So if that is no indication of there being a way, I wonder what else is.