#honestly shocked considering how refined your art is!!

[berrybelbakerycrackfic]

Alright, might as well get this out of the way for archival purposes, and also because I don't really feel like spacing these out into separate posts? Eh, maybe I just need to actually produce some more content for this, but getting all old content uploaded is productive in it's own right I suppose. Here's all the art of Maribel I would consider old and outdated. Some even before I came to the realization that "this is just essentially an AU isn't it". My first drawings were done on June 6th, 2023. There's some oddball oldies between then and like, 2/3 months ago where I now have a more consistent style to go toward(though still figuring stuff out), but considering how I held off on this post I might leave those till later.

First drawing, colored and uncolored. A clearly shocked look on her face, yet still cute(at least to me ;) ). Her long black T shirt and blue skirt are reminiscent of Madeline's jacket shape and color respectively, but the pumpkin hair shape thing I didn't decide upon until later. It's just orange here because of a common misconception that Madeline's hair is more orange than it is red. That wasn't intentional, but it did help differentiate the two.

I believe this half marker half pen doodle is the 2nd ever one. Honestly might redraw this one cus the idea of her shrugging like this definitely fits her character. Also with it's color removed like this the skirt and apron combo kind of looks like a maid dress, especially with how many frills I gave the skirt here

This was like a joke about her being self conscious of her weight but I think Maribel is actually the type to be fine with that. Speaking of that I have slimmed her down just a little bit between then and now.

when you want to make more drawings of your cool new idea for reddit but it's like 11 PM

I actually think this is one of the best portrayals of her character despite not having the pumpkin hairdo yet!

Though it does highlight a point where my artstyle(or more accurately, how I think of my artstyle) and Pizza Tower's art differs/clashes a bit, and that's with mouths. Typically I like to imagine giving characters smaller mouths and big eyes so they look more cute, but in Pizza Tower, Peppino and most of the other guys(even Gustavo partially) have big gaping jaws extending down their chins. It's been a bit of a hard thing to get around... While I'm at it, this art isn't this era of old, I made it more recently, but it does show Maribel with a more extended jaw. She's also really, really pissed off at something;

(don't ask why there's a cheese grater there I couldn't answer you if I tried)

Oh right, I almost forgot, the first time I tried to make a proper pizza tower style sprite for Maribel!

It sucks. This sucks so much. The refined sprite I would make later is so much better than this, just please stop looking; (the madeline sprite on the left was made by Ellisbros)

[gb-patch]

Ask Answers (February 22nd, 2021)

Hello! Here’s another collection of anon ask answers all put together in one big post.

This might be strange considering how upbeat yall are about the fandoms for your games in general, but is there any particular trope or ship you WOULDN'T want us writing/drawing/etc. in relation to your stuff? (IE, any canon you don't want us 'overwriting' or something like that?)

Of course we would want the fan content people make to not be racist, sexist, homophobic, bigoted, harmful, etc. But in terms of generally doing non-canon pairings or adding in headcanons or stuff, we really don’t mind that. People are welcome to have fun and explore their own ideas.

for the 1.2 Android update was it meant to download as a  separate app? I really want to keep my previous save files but they don't show up (also thank u for the updates I'm really excited to get back into the game!!)

We had to change the name of the file and unfortunately for some phones that meant it’s treated as a brand new game. I’m sorry your saves didn’t transfer over to the new version. You can try to look up your specific phone and see if there’s a way to access save files for games on your device and then transfer those saves over to the new build manually. It may or may not be possible.

I'm having some trouble figuring out how to get the update from Itichio without losing my save files? Is it the same game or a folder I can put in the properties? Sorry if this question is not worded well or if this isn't the avenue you'd want to take technical questions on

Are you using Android? If so, the above answer may apply to you. If you’re on PC or Mac, the save files will automatically still be included.

Hey. I really loved playing our life. It was a fun experience and I never thought I would like it this much. I do have a question, I am currently replaying the game and I am choosing choices I never chose at first. In step 2 during the road trip arc, I decided to ask Cove about what he liked to see on people. One of his response was anklets and black eyes. My MC have just happens to have black eyes. Do Cove say black eyes cuz my mc have it or it was just a coincidently programmed into the game?

He uses your eye color intentionally! If you changed your eye color he’d change what he said.

Will step 4 have 10 moments like steps 1-3? 

Step 4 is only an epilogue. It plays like the openings/endings of the earlier Steps where it’s a bunch of scenes all in a row, there aren’t any individual Moments.

hi! who was/were the artist(s) for our life? 

&

who is the artist for Our Life: Beginning and Always?

Main Sprite and CG Artist: Addrossi

Main Background Artist: Vui Huynh

Main Interface Artist: Winter Slice

Other artists who helped out can be seen in the credits of the game.

In the new ol, there are two main love interests... Would it be possible to pair them together or is that weird? 

You can’t stay single and pair them together. If we are going to add all the extra content to have a route where the two LIs get together, it’d be a full poly route where them and the MC were all dating. And that’s not a for sure option yet because it’d add a lot of extra complications. But either way, in OL the relationships all gotta be about the MC, haha.

In OL2, there will be extra LIs in form of DLCs? Like Dexter and Baxter. 

Maybe! We’ll see how it goes.

Since Cove will have 2 diff body types in s4, will the storyline and dialogs reflect this? Or all of it will be the same? Btw love the game and sorry for bad english. Hope this doesn't sound rude 😅 

Some descriptions and pieces of dialog will change, but it won’t impact the story really. And you don’t need to apologize! It’s all good.

Will you ever release the transparent sprites of the Our Life characters? 

Probably not, I’m afraid. They’ve got a lot of pieces and it’d just be kind of hard to deal with, aha.

Something I was curious about, what was your inspiration for making a game with so much customization?

Initially, the idea was just about having a romance where you actually grew up with the LI. But it was pretty stressful to try deciding how fast the relationship would progress with it taking place over such a long period of time and with no real storyline carrying it. People might not wanna play a game where the characters don’t get along as kids, but other people might not bother with a game where kids immediately liked each other. So the obvious answer came, just let the player pick themselves how it goes. From there we simply continued to add more flexibly with the MC due to the same thought process of wanting to make sure people were onboard with how their life was going.

What made you decide to change the artstyle for ol 2 so much? I of course respect all your decisions and will buy the shit out of everything related to ol 2, but i love the original style and i m honestly not a fan of the styles shown on patreon, despite me liking the painterly style in general. (I don t mind the style being changed, just that the examples shown so far all feel like there s something wrong with them.) 

We’ve always used different art styles for each of our projects. They all have distinct looks from each other. It’s just nice to do something new. I’m glad you really like how the first game looks, though. And those samples were only general concepts, rather than the exact options being decided between. We wanted to see reactions to different options. The art style we’re going with won’t be exactly like those, though I personally like all of them. I think players are gonna enjoy the style Our Life: Now & Forever when it’s revealed.

Hey! Is it ok to ask what gender ourlife2 protagonist will be and if we'll be given the same opportunity to customize an MC? Totally understand if you're keeping this under wraps for now if u don't wanna say! 

OL2 will have the same type of MC customization as OL1, but even more refined! So their gender will be up to you.

Hi! I happened upon Our Life on Steam by pure chance. It is such a great game, I am super excited about the DLC, and I just want you all to know that you are awesome! :D I have a question, and I'm sorry if it's been asked before. Do you have plans of making more games similar to Our Life, with customizable player character? The customizable player character was probably the one thing I personally have been desperate for in romance VNs. So glad there finally is one and would love to see more.

Thank you! And yep, we do have plans for more games like Our Life, most notably is another game in the franchise- Our Life: Now & Forever. We’ll also likely have other, non-OL, games with customizable MCs, though we may still have some games with set MCs in the future as well.

On the patreon dlc just curious but is it possible to play it without actually sleeping together/getting the nsfw content? I just want to spend more time with Cove 

Yeah, you can still choose not to go that far. Though the event is shorter if you pass on the 18+ stuff.

At the beginning of Step 2, did Cove end up accidentally falling asleep in your bed? Or did he fall asleep on the floor? 

He fell asleep sitting on the floor with his body/head leaning against the side of the bed.

This may seem like a weird question, but what exactly is the difference between "direct" and "relaxed" on the comfort scale?

Direct is blunter and more teasing, relaxed is lighthearted and goes with the flow.

can the MC have tattoos in step 3? 

Not in Step 3, but you can in Step 4.

how would Cove react if he visited somewhere like North Carolina in winter where it can get in the 20s(F) at night sometimes? 

He would be shocked and unprepared for what serious coldness is really like, haha. The poor beach baby would wanna go home.

Hello! I just joined the PATREON!! It’s amazing! I love your games! I have a question, approximately how much after will the nsfw be out? After or before the dlc 3 and step four? Sorry my English isn’t the best!❤️❤️❤️ 

Thanks so much! The NSFW DLC will be out after the Step 3 DLC but before Step 4. And you don’t need to apologize for that ^^.

This might be obvious but, will step 4 have dlcs? Also, where will the nsfw dlc happen? Won't bother me at all if it s in in our or his house but i do think it d be moderately funny 

Step 4 will have the Cove Wedding DLC and the Derek and Baxter romance DLCs each add a lot of new content to Step 4, though they’re also partially set in Step 2 and Step 3 respectively. The NSFW DLC happens in Cove’s room.

I keep wondering what would've happened if Mr. Holden met Lizzie first instead of the MC. I can't see that turning out well somehow lol. 

It wouldn’t have made a difference. He met the MC’s parents first and they told him about their two kids. He wanted the MC specifically to be Cove’s friend because the two were the same age.

Even though we have a way to go I'm really excited for OL 2! I was curious though, is the next main character going to be adopted again? I thought it was really clever to make the first main character adopted so when players are customizing,  they can make them look how ever they like without worrying about pesky genetics. Just wondering! 

The OL2 MC is not adopted. We wanted to go for a new dynamic. Instead their parents are their biological single mother who is partially customizable and an off-screen sperm donor father. So the mom will look generally like the MC and any other traits not from her can be assumed to come from whoever the father was.

—– —– —–

Thank you so much for all the asks ^^

FAQ   If you prefer to just see the main posts without all the asks/reblogs, feel free to follow our side account instead: GB Patch Updates Blog

[ibijau]

Worst engagement AU // on AO3

Lan Xichen puts his new plan into action. Nie Huaisang is unsure how he feels about that.

As soon as he sits down, Nie Huaisang opens his fan and yawns from behind it. A double reminder for Lan Xichen that he doesn't want to be here, even with better tea, and also that some people know how to properly appreciate him, as proven by this perfect fan. 

Lan Xichen doesn't take the bait. He serves tea without even a glance toward the fan even though it annoyed him so much last time. He sits, elegant as ever, and pushes a cup of perfect tea toward Nie Huaisang. 

"Is there any chance we might play Go today?" Lan Xichen inquires in a resigned tone. 

Honestly, Nie Huaisang doesn't know why the other boy still asks. Aside from that one time, they've never played again. His best guess is that it's just a habit at this point, and those Lans are nothing if not fond of their routine. 

"Not in the mood," Nie Huaisang says with another yawn. He doesn't bother with excuses anymore, knowing Lan Xichen just accepts his refusal each time. 

"Then I have another suggestion for a way to pass time," Lan Xichen announces, his usual empty smile a little more nervous than usual. "I'd like Nie gongzi to show me how he paints." 

"I'm not interested in a lesson," Nie Huaisang retorts, fanning himself. 

"I am. I want you to teach me."

That's such an unexpected declaration that Nie Huaisang gapes for a second and stills his hand, certain he must have misheard. When he sees the corner of Lan Xichen's mouth turn up in a more real smile, anger takes over surprise. 

"Lan gongzi is mocking me," he accuses. "I thought that would have been against the rules of Gusu Lan." 

The smile on his fiancé's face drops. 

"Is it so hard to believe that I like the way you paint?" 

Nie Huaisang shrugs. "Lan gongzi paints so perfectly, what does he have to learn from anyone, least of all from me? If you're so desperate for conversation, at least pick something believable."

Lan Xichen frowns. 

"I'm not lying." 

"Of course not. That's against the rules as well, isn't it?" Nie Huaisang taunts with a smirk. 

"I'm not lying," Lan Xichen insists, rising up, "and I can prove it." 

It's the first time he wastes some of their oh-so-precious time together by leaving the room. As he watches Lan Xichen hurry to the back of the house, toward the bedroom, Nie Huaisang idly wonders if it's something he could denounce to Lan Qiren. He eventually decides he doesn't want to deal with that old man. Besides, Lan Xichen does still have some blackmail material of his one, so it's best not to annoy him to much. He returns soon enough anyway, and drops a small stack of papers on the table. 

"I like the way you paint," Lan Xichen says, his face red. "And since I cannot figure out how you do it, I wish for you to teach me." 

Rather than to answer, Nie Huaisang gapes at the paintings presented to him, what appears to be a half dozen copies of the rabbits he gave Lan Wangji. He hesitantly grasps one and inspects it closely, a small frown forming on his brow. 

"You made those?" he stutters, looking up at the other boy who's still standing. "But they look like… You paint so well, why would you try to copy me?" 

"I like the way you paint," Lan Xichen repeats with unexpected intensity, his face turning even redder. 

"But you told me I should stop painting, last year. I haven't forgotten that."

"It was… it was wrong of me," Lan Xichen sighs. "I worded things very badly that time, and I thought that it'd be selfish of me to encourage you to paint. If I hurt you, I'm sorry."

Nie Huaisang blinks dumbly, unsure what to make of that. 

"How could it not have hurt me?" he huffs, holding his fan closer to his face to hide better. "Being told to give up the only thing I love, of course it hurt. But… you made these? Really? They're…" he hesitates, and lowers the fan to peek more easily. "Well, they're not bad, but they're not really good either. You're better than that normally." 

At last Lan Xichen sits down on the other side of the table, grabbing one of the paintings to glare at it. 

"I know they're bad, I just can't figure out how you make your lines flow like that. And I know it's not just that one painting, everything you do is like that. That fan you made, with the birds on a branch? I've tried to copy that as well." 

"You guessed I painted that?" Nie Huaisang gasps. 

"Of course. You have a very distinctive style, I'd recognise it anywhere." 

It's Nie Huaisang’s turn to blush, and again he hides behind his fan. It's quite the shock to realise that all this time, Lan Xichen was maybe sincere about wanting to see his work. Since he lacks formal training, he's just assumed that of course his paintings would be seen as inferior and Lan Xichen was mocking him by faking interest.

Nie Huaisang glances toward the incense stick. Surprisingly, there's still a good chunk of it left. 

"Get us paper and ink," he orders. "And… bring those birds as well, then." 

For a second, Lan Xichen is so still that Nie Huaisang fears he offended him, or that he really was being mocked all along. Quickly though, a large smile breaks on Lan Xichen's face, bright and warm and so happy that it sends Nie Huaisang’s heart racing. 

Lan Xichen looks like a different person when he's smiling for real. 

While Lan Xichen prepares some ink for them, Nie Huaisang checks the other paintings he brought back, the one copied from his fan. These are better, which he points out. 

"I think so too," Lan Xichen admits, "but it makes no sense. For those I had to work from memory. They don't even look that much like your fan." 

Sadly, Nie Huaisang doesn't have that fan with him today. He brought the one from his mystery admirer, which for the first time makes him feel a pang of guilt. It is the prettiest fan he's ever owned, and he carries it most of the time these days because it's too beautiful not to show off, but that can't be pleasant for Lan Xichen. 

Not that he cares what's pleasant to Lan Xichen, he has to remind himself. Having his paintings appreciated doesn't erase all the rest. 

"Paint one now," Nie Huaisang orders.

"Wouldn't it be better if you painted one so I'd see how you do it?"

A few moments ago, Nie Huaisang would have bitten off his own tongue and choked on it rather than to give in to any of Lan Xichen’s requests, just to spite him. As it turns out though, it’s a little harder to hate his fiancé when he doesn’t have that stupid fake smile on, and at the moment Lan Xichen looks sincerely earnest and curious. It's not a bad look on him. Nie Huaisang barely needs to consider his options before he grabs a brush and starts painting the first thing that comes to mind. It is not his most refined work, not by far, but considering he’s working from memory and trying to keep this quick so the incense doesn’t run out, it’s not so bad either.

“A nightingale?” Lan Xichen remarks. “It looks very lively. Its wing, though…”

“It was broken when I bought her,” Nie Huaisang explains. “It still has an odd shape, but she can fly mostly fine.”

Realising just how much information he’s allowed himself to share, and knowing how pets are forbidden in the Cloud Recesses, Nie Huaisang braces himself for some negative remark. None comes.

“Nie gongzi has an eye for detail,” Lan Xichen says instead. “And a hand for them, too. You did this so quickly, and yet I’m sure anyone who has seen your bird would recognise it. It's amazing.”

"Careful, excessive flattery is against your rules," Nie Huaisang grumbles.

"I'm not…" 

"Just try to copy it," Nie Huaisang orders, shoving the brush in his hand. "It's a simple one, you should find it easy." 

Lan Xichen pinches his lips before putting on that empty smile again, for which Nie Huaisang is grateful, since it removes any possible confusion. When he looks like an inhuman jade statue, Lan Xichen is easy to hate. 

Not that Nie Huaisang really has time to think about that. All his focus is on Lan Xichen's elegant hand as it holds the brush and tries to copy his little bird. As expected, Lan Xichen's movements are perfectly controlled, slow but well assured, his strokes light and flowing… But not enough. When he lifts his brush, his copy isn't bad, but it looks stilted and heavy, especially compared to the original. 

Nie Huaisang glances at the incense stick. It's still burning, meaning he won't be saved from having to give an honest critique. 

"Are you perhaps unused to drawing animals?" he cautiously asks. 

"I usually do better than this," Lan Xichen replies dejectedly. "I'm only this bad when I try to copy you."

"Hm. Maybe if you went a little faster? Your movement are a lot slower than mine." 

"I wouldn't control the brush as well," Lan Xichen protests. "I'd probably make mistakes." 

"Probably. But that's half the fun, isn't it? Making mistakes and trying to see if they don't look nicer than the proper thing…" 

Lan Xichen stares at Nie Huaisang as if he's gone mad. In turn, Nie Huaisang can't help tensing. Trial and error is how he's learned to paint, since he's never had the advantage of a teacher. That, and copying every piece of art he could get his hands on. But of course that's not the right way to do it, of course that's stupid, of course it's…

"You're the teacher," Lan Xichen says without a hint of mockery in his voice. "I'll try it like that." 

Nie Huaisang’s face grows hot at being called teacher. Thankfully Lan Xichen doesn't appear to notice, too busy starting another copy of the nightingale. It's worse than the first. It's starting to be fun, actually.

"Try to keep your gestures lighter," Nie Huaisang advises, resting his chin onto his hand as he watches Lan Xichen be bad at something. "You're still trying to control it too much." 

"I'm doing my best!" 

"Your best should be better than that. Lighter, more relaxed. Yes, like th… ah, that line was almost good. You'll get there." 

Lan Xichen pouts as he looks down at his disastrous attempts. 

"I think I just can't do it the way you do, Nie gongzi," he sighs wistfully. "I'll have to content myself with admiring your work." 

Hearing Lan Xichen admit that he thinks he's failing at something is more delicious than a sip of Emperor's Smile. That he would be bad in comparison to Nie Huaisang is better than a whole jar of wine. Ascending to godhood wouldn't be half as satisfying. 

Riding that high, Nie Huaisang decides that just this once, he can afford to be kind to Lan Xichen. 

Jumping to his feet, he walks around the table and comes to sit next to Lan Xichen who startles at the sudden proximity. 

"What… what are you doing, Nie gongzi?" 

"Showing you how I do it," Nie Huaisang explains, covering Lan Xichen’s hand with his own so he can guide him, since apparently just explaining isn’t enough.

The reaction to his touch is immediate and intense.

Lan Xichen flinches violently at the contact and drops his brush so suddenly that it rolls on the table, staining both his failed studies and the bottom of Nie Huaisang’s nightingale. They both freeze, equally surprised by what just happened. Lan Xichen recovers first.

“I’m sorry!” he exclaims, tearing a piece of paper from one of his sketches, vainly trying to blot this mess, as if that’s ever going to work. “I didn’t expect… You took me by surprise and…”

Nie Huaisang grinds his teeth and shrugs. “It’s fine. I should have known better.” He glances at the incense stick, and finds that at long last, it is all gone. It feels like it burned an eternity and a half today. “I’ll be going.”

Without a look for his fiancé, Nie Huaisang gets back up on his feet. As he wipes some imaginary dust from his knees, he briefly wonders if he should grab the painting of his nightingale before he leaves. In the end he decides against it. Lan Xichen ruined it, he can keep it and make more bad copies of it, if that pleases him.

“Nie Huaisang, wait!” Lan Xichen orders, although if it were coming from anyone else, it might have sounded like a plea. “I really didn’t mean to…”

“I’ll see you next week,” Nie Huaisang cuts him, stomping toward the door. “Good day, Lan gongzi.”

Ignoring Lan Xichen’s protests, he strides out of the house and heads for his cabin. He had planned to meet up with Jin Zixuan to tell him what a disaster this new meeting with his fiancé had been, but now it doesn’t feel like such a funny idea anymore.

It was stupid of him to lower his guard and forget for a moment that Lan Xichen is what he is. Just because the other boy said a few nice things about his paintings… Nie Huaisang feels pathetic that this was all it took to almost give his fiancé a second chance. In the end, he’s still nothing more than that idiot kid from last year, so desperate for the approval of someone who will never give it.

It was stupid to ever think things could get better.

Lan Xichen might appreciate his paintings, but he still clearly hates everything else about Nie Huaisang.

[twoidiotwriters1]

Written In The Stars LVI (Harry Potter xF!Oc)

A/N: The ending of this chapter... I really did THAT -Danny

Words: 4,376

Warnings: Punches ig 

Series’ Masterlist

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

Chapter Fifteen: The Final Push.

Hagrid was absolutely crushed after the news, he wanted Buckbeak to live so badly, he couldn't bring himself to keep an optimistic attitude. 

The words of encouragement had soon worn out, and all they could do was assure him that they'd do everything to give him a strong defense.

They were walking back up to the castle with the rest of the class. Ahead they could see Malfoy, who was walking with Crabbe and Goyle, and kept looking back, laughing derisively.

"S'no good, Ron," said Hagrid sadly as they reached the castle steps. "That Committee's in Lucius Malfoy's pocket. I'm jus' gonna make sure the rest o' Beaky's time is the happiest he's ever had. I owe him that..."

Hagrid turned around and hurried back toward his cabin, his face buried in his handkerchief.

"Look at him blubber!"

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle had been standing just inside the castle doors, listening.

"Have you ever seen anything quite as pathetic?" said Malfoy. "And he's supposed to be our teacher!"

Harry and Ron both made furious moves toward Malfoy, but Hermione got there first — SMACK!

She had slapped Malfoy across the face with all the strength she could muster. Malfoy staggered. Harry, Ron, Crabbe, and Goyle stood flabbergasted as Hermione raised her hand again.

"Don't you dare call Hagrid pathetic, you foul — you evil —"

"Hermione!" said Ron weakly, and he tried to grab her hand as she swung it back.

"Get off, Ron!"

With all certainty, Mel would keep that memory as one of the best from her time at Hogwarts.

She was standing behind Harry and Ron, covering her mouth in shocked amusement, pride swelling on her chest as she watched the look of utter fear on Malfoy while Hermione pulled out her wand.

"Wands off, 'Mione!" Mel warned her. "If you attack Malfoy with magic you'll get in trouble. However, as of now... one tiny smack means nothing..."

"You made that up," Malfoy sneered.

"Perhaps," She stepped forward. "Would you like to be the one to confirm it?"

"C'mon," Malfoy hissed at Crabbe and Goyle, rushing towards the dungeons.

"Hermione!" Ron gasped again.

"Wasn't she the best?" Mel snickered.

"Harry, you'd better beat him in the Quidditch final!" Hermione cried. "You just better had, because I can't stand it if Slytherin wins!"

"We're due in Charms," said Ron clumsily. "We'd better go."

"I've never been more proud in my life!" Mel exclaimed, but a sudden worry caused her to frown. "Well, maybe just once– That time when we rescued Harry with the Ford Anglia... Hey, Erick's gonna love this story!"

She whispered the last thing to Hermione only, who mouthed a 'Don't you dare!' as a response.

"You're late!" said Professor Flitwick when they got to the classroom. "Come along, quickly, wands out, we're experimenting with Cheering Charms today, we've already divided into pairs —"

"Oh, lovely!" She smiled. "'Mione, let's pair–"

She turned around, finding an empty spot where her friend had been standing seconds ago.

"Hey, where's Hermione?"

Harry and Ron turned without slowing down.

"That's weird," said Harry, sitting down next to Ron while Mel sat behind them. "Maybe — maybe she went to the bathroom or something?"

"She would've waited," The girl replied. "I don't see Hermione turning around after just arriving without asking for permission..."

She got paired with Neville, who was glad to have her as his partner, so much that he managed to succeed after the second try. She made sure to congratulate him lots about it. They walked together to the Great Hall, which was lucky, considering Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle arrived at the same time.

They threw menacing looks towards Neville and he squirmed beside her, Mel held each of their gazes while guiding her friend to their table.

"You shouldn't worry about them for now," She told him. "Want advice? Stay around Hermione, I assure you they'll want to stay as far as possible from her."

"Why?" He asked while sitting at the table.

"Hermione slapped him," Mel said gleefully, taking a plate.

"What?" George's voice pipped up from her left. He was sitting in front of her, next to his brother and Lee Jordan. "Hermione slapped someone? Who?"

"Please, tell me it was Ron," Fred said, taking a huge bite of his food.

"Blimey, thanks for the good wishes..." Ron scoffed, sitting next to Neville and her.

"Way better," She leaned on the table and whispered with excitement. "She slapped Malfoy!"

"WHAT?" The three boys exclaimed, Lee Jordan even choked on his pumpkin juice.

"It was by far the most glorious moment of the whole year."

"You're telling me that for the first time ever, you didn't start a fight–" George pointed at her with a chicken leg. "And Hermione Granger was the first to throw a punch?"

"Hell must be freezing," Mel chortled.

"I can't believe it," Neville said. "Where is she right now?"

"Watching her back if she's clever," Fred raised a brow. "I don't expect Malfoy to go and tell the rest of his peers about this, but if they found out, Pansy will go after her."

"And I will gladly glue her arse to the spot," Mel replied.

Fred, George, and Lee Jordan laughed. Ron, Harry, and Neville stared at her with wide eyes.

"You can't," Said Neville. "It would start a war!"

"Don't worry about it," She grinned. "They're all cowards, won't get in a fight they know they can't win."

"Remember what Dumbledore told you," Harry replied. "You can't let your emotions take–"

"I know, I know," She brushed it off with a lazy hand movement. "It was a joke, I'm not going to actively look or start any fights."

"See that?" George turned to his brother. "Looks like the lady's actually starting to act like one."

"Such a shame," Fred shook his head. "Soon enough she'll be made a Prefect and won't be funny at all!"

"Don't be mean!" Mel argued, and she didn't know what offended her most, being called 'not funny' or being called a 'true lady'.

When they arrived at the common room, they found Hermione sleeping the afternoon away, both boys sat on each side while Mel stood in front of them, examining the papers scattered around the table.

Harry nudged her shoulder and Hermione jolted awake.

"Wh — what?" said Hermione, waking with a start and staring wildly around. "Is it time to go? W — which lesson have we got now?

"Divination, but it's not for another twenty minutes," said Harry. "Hermione, why didn't you come to Charms?"

"What? Oh no!" Hermione squeaked. "I forgot to go to Charms!"

"But how could you forget?" said Harry. "You were with us till we were right outside the classroom!"

"I don't believe it!" Hermione wailed. "Was Professor Flitwick angry? Oh, it was Malfoy, I was thinking about him and I lost track of things!"

"You know what, Hermione?" said Ron, looking down at the enormous Arithmancy book Hermione had been using as a pillow. "I reckon you're cracking up. You're trying to do too much."

"No, I'm not!" said Hermione, brushing her hair out of her eyes and staring hopelessly around for her bag. "I just made a mistake, that's all! I'd better go and see Professor Flitwick and say sorry... I'll see you in Divination!"

Hermione joined them at the foot of the ladder to Professor Trelawney's classroom twenty minutes later, looking extremely harassed.

"I can't believe I missed Cheering Charms! And I bet they come up in our exams; Professor Flitwick hinted they might!"

"I'll help you study next time we go to the library," Mel patted her shoulder.

They climbed up the divination classroom, sitting together in a small table, a crystal ball right in the middle of it.

"I thought we weren't starting crystal balls until next term," Ron muttered.

"Don't complain, this means we've finished palmistry," Harry said. "I was getting sick of her flinching every time she looked at my hands."

"Well, Glasses, I'd flinch too– they're so skinny and pale they look like a vampire's!" Mel teased, gaining a soft kick on the leg.

"Good day to you!" Professor Trelawney approached them, appearing from the shadows. "I have decided to introduce the crystal ball a little earlier than I had planned, the fates have informed me that your examination in June will concern the Orb, and I am anxious to give you sufficient practice."

Hermione snorted.

"Well, honestly... 'the fates have informed her'... who sets the exam? She does! What an amazing prediction!" She said loud and clear. Harry, Mel, and Ron tried (and failed) to keep their sniggers unnoticed.

"Crystal gazing is a particularly refined art," Their Professor continued. "I do not expect any of you to See when first you peer into the Orb's infinite depths. We shall start by practicing relaxing the conscious mind and external eyes, so as to clear the Inner Eye and the superconscious. Perhaps, if we are lucky, some of you will see before the end of the class."

They sat for twenty boring minutes in silence, trying to see things that were clearly not there.

"Seen anything yet?" Harry asked them.

"Yeah, there's a burn on this table," said Ron. "Someone's spilled their candle."

"This is such a waste of time," Hermione scoffed. "I could be practicing something useful. I could be catching up on Cheering Charms —"

"Would anyone like me to help them interpret the shadowy portents within their Orb?" Trelawney walked past them.

"I don't need help," Ron whispered. "It's obvious what this means. There's going to be loads of fog tonight."

The children's guards were down, and they burst out laughing at Ron's comment.

"Now, really!" The woman stood before them in annoyance. "You are disturbing the clairvoyant vibrations!"

Mel watched as Trewlaney got closer to them, examining the crystal ball carefully.

"There is something here! Something moving... but what is it? My dear, it is here, plainer than ever before... my dear, stalking toward you, growing ever closer... the Gr —"

"Oh, for goodness' sake!" said Hermione, causing the girl to jump beside her. "Not that ridiculous Grim again!"

"I am sorry to say that from the moment you have arrived in this class, my dear, it has been apparent that you do not have what the noble art of Divination requires. Indeed, I don't remember ever meeting a student whose mind was so hopelessly mundane." The woman stood up again, her indignation clear.

"Fine!" Hermione got up and threw her book in the bag with rage. "Fine! I give up! I'm leaving!"

And with that, Hermione moved to the trapdoor, opened it with a hard kick, and disappeared.

Mel turned to the boys and mouthed, 'Never been more proud, I swear...'

"Ooooo!" Lavender exclaimed from her chair. "Oooooo, Professor Trelawney, I've just remembered! You saw her leaving, didn't you? Didn't you, Professor? 'Around Easter, one of our number will leave us forever!' You said it ages ago, Professor!"

Professor Trelawney wouldn't let that pass, of course.

"Yes, my dear, I did indeed know that Miss Granger would be leaving us. One hopes, however, that one might have mistaken the Signs... The Inner Eye can be a burden, you know..."

"The inner eye can also be loads of– Ouch!" She hissed, Harry had pinched her arm.

"Don't make her kick you out too," He whispered.

"Some day Hermione's having, eh?" Ron muttered to them, he looked amazed at their friend's actions.

"Yeah..."

The Easter holidays were not exactly relaxing. The third years had never had so much homework. Neville Longbottom seemed close to a nervous collapse, and he wasn't the only one.

"Call this a holiday!" Seamus Finnigan roared at the common room one afternoon. "The exams are ages away, what're they playing at?"

But nobody had as much to do as Hermione. Even without Divination, she was taking more subjects than anybody else. She was usually last to leave the common room at night, first to arrive at the library the next morning; she had shadows like Lupin's under her eyes, and seemed constantly close to tears.

Ron had taken over responsibility for Buckbeak's appeal. When he wasn't doing his own work, he was poring over enormously thick volumes with names like The Handbook of Hippogriff Psychology and Fowl or Foul? A Study of Hippogriff Brutality. He was so absorbed, he even forgot to be horrible to Crookshanks.

Harry, meanwhile, had to fit in his homework around Quidditch practice every day, not to mention endless discussions of tactics with Wood. The Gryffindor-Slytherin match would take place on the first Saturday after the Easter holidays. Slytherin was leading the tournament by exactly two hundred points. This meant (as Wood constantly reminded his team) that they needed to win the match by more than that amount to win the Cup. It also meant that the burden of winning fell largely on Harry, because capturing the Snitch was worth one hundred and fifty points.

Mel was surprisingly well, she found her lessons enrapturing, and since her exams were approaching, Dumbledore decided to give her a break from their own private lessons, explaining that she was doing a wonderful job and she didn't need to be pressured, having more important things to attend.

She tried to help her friends in the meantime, Neville and Hermione especially. Fred and George from time to time, who were (not so seriously, but still seemed worried about it) study sessions for their O.W.L.S– and though she didn't know much, she convinced them to make cards she could use to ask them questions. They didn't want to, but she insisted so much that they ended up accepting her help, and it seemed to be working. Next time she sat down to help them, Lee Jordan and Angelica were also there.

The only person who seemed to not need her help was Erick. He still attended their study sessions but instead of helping he would keep his eyes glued to his own work the whole time, silently taking notes on a notebook Mel had given him as a Christmas present (she'd also given him a nice muggle pen that Erick thought was the best thing to exist) and mumbling incoherent thoughts while turning the pages.

He wanted to be a Prefect, and he wanted to get there as the only, the indisputable winner of his year. When Mel asked him why was he so eager about it, he looked at her with a stare that caused her to shiver as he replied:

"No one messes with a Prefect."

"No one messes with you," She raised a brow. "I've seen the Slytherins of your year, they revolve around you like moths–"

He brushed it off like it meant nothing.

"Worship from some kids does not equal the freedom and power that being made a Prefect would give me."

"Sounds like something a villain would say..."

"Whatever," He shrugged.

The Quidditch final stood before them as the final straw to break everyone's nerves. Erick and Mel cut off their study sessions because they certainly couldn't risk being found together in such a heavy time. Students were almost always fighting each other, trying to attack Harry or Malfoy, or any other members of the teams.

The night before the game passed in a dream-like state. Fred and George had so much energy that they looked like rubber balls jumping from one side to the other, making jokes without stopping.

Mel was laughing a lot, she even thought about sneaking to the kitchens (the twins had given her the directions since her first year) and ask for a bunch of food for her and the rest of her friends to calm them down, but it didn't look like the best idea, she didn't want them to get sick.

The twins were loving the attention, it clearly distracted them from their own worries, but they weren't the only friends she had on the team. Soon enough she sat next to Harry, who looked paler and perhaps even smaller than usual. Mel tried to find the rights words but nothing came to her mind, she sat there until Wood asked the team to go to bed.

People made a fuss when the Gryffindor team entered the Great Hall, they cheered and applauded, the Slytherins throwing insults and all– At least they weren't fighting violently now. Wood refused to eat but urged the rest of the kids to finish their breakfast.

Just as they were leaving, Mel realized she hadn't wished Harry good luck, (it was the first final he'd be playing, after all) and though she could've done it once he was in the dressing room, she saw Cho Chang wishing him good luck from Ravenclaw's table and Harry blushing wildly at this, so she obviously had to do something.

"Harry!" She ran up to him, pushing her words out of her mouth before she could think it twice. "You got this. You'll win. Good luck." She placed a quick kiss to his cheek.

The former redness of his cheeks meant nothing compared to the way his whole face flushed a deep scarlet after her public show of affection. The whole Gryffindor table whistled and clapped, not helping to their embarrassment. She avoided the twins' eyes and made sure not to look at the rest of the students' faces.

Merlin, why was she so impulsive?

She rushed back to where Ron and Hermione were sitting, and Ron stared at her with a smirk.

"You're doing an awful job at keeping your crush a secret."

"Shut it," She hid her face with both hands. "I don't know why I did that..."

She knew, though. But she'd rather die before admitting she was jealous.

"Come on, we should get going," Hermione stood up. "Before people take the best seats..."

"And it's Gryffindor in possession, Alicia Spinnet of Gryffindor with the Quaffle, heading straight for the Slytherin goal posts, looking good, Alicia! Argh, no — Quaffle intercepted by Warrington, Warrington of Slytherin tearing up the field — WHAM! — nice Bludger work there by George Weasley, Warrington drops the Quaffle, it's caught by — Johnson, Gryffindor back in possession, come on, Angelina — nice swerve around Montague — duck, Angelina, that's a Bludger! — SHE SCORES! TEN–ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!"

Angelina punched the air as she soared around the end of the field; the sea of scarlet below was screaming its delight —

"OUCH!"

Angelina was nearly thrown from her broom as Marcus Flint went smashing into her.

"Sorry!" said Flint as the crowd below booed. "Sorry, didn't see her!"

A moment later, Fred Weasley chucked his Beater's club at the back of Flint's head. Flint's nose smashed into the handle of his broom and began to bleed.

"That will do!" shrieked Madam Hooch, zooming between them. "Penalty shot to Gryffindor for an unprovoked attack on their Chaser! Penalty shot to Slytherin for deliberate damage to their Chaser!"

"Come off it, Miss!" howled Fred, but Madam Hooch blew her whistle and Alicia flew forward to take the penalty.

"Come on, Alicia!" yelled Lee into the silence that had descended on the crowd. "YES! SHE'S BEATEN THE KEEPER! TWENTY–ZERO TO GRYFFINDOR!"

"This is good," Mel assured her friends, though she meant it more for herself. "They only need to be fifty points ahead, thirty more, come on..."

"Gryffindor in possession, no, Slytherin in possession — no! — Gryffindor back in possession and it's Katie Bell, Katie Bell for Gryffindor with the Quaffle, she's streaking up the field — THAT WAS DELIBERATE!"

"Nasty rats!" Once again, she was leaning against the edge of the stands. Hermione, used to this kind of behavior, was already holding the edge of the girl's robes tightly.

"THIRTY–ZERO! TAKE THAT, YOU DIRTY, CHEATING —"

"Jordan, if you can't commentate in an unbiased way — !"

"I'm telling it like it is, Professor!"

Harry suddenly launched forward to one end of the field and Malfoy followed suit. It was just to distract Malfoy, though, cause she caught a glimpse of something golden flying away on the opposite side to where Harry was heading.

WHOOSH.

One of the Bludgers came streaking past Harry's right ear, hit by the gigantic Slytherin Beater, Derrick. Then again —

WHOOSH.

The second Bludger grazed Harry's elbow. The other Beater, Bole, was closing in.

"They're going after him!" Mel exclaimed.

She was about to pull her wand when Ron stopped her, Harry had turned the Firebolt upward at the last second, causing the beaters to collide against each other.

"Ha haaa!" yelled Lee Jordan as the Slytherin Beaters lurched away from each other, clutching their heads. "Too bad, boys! You'll need to get up earlier than that to beat a Firebolt! And it's Gryffindor in possession again, as Johnson takes the Quaffle — Flint alongside her — poke him in the eye, Angelina! — it was a joke, Professor, it was a joke — oh no — Flint in possession, Flint flying toward the Gryffindor goal posts, come on now, Wood, save — !"

But Flint had scored; there was an eruption of cheers from the Slytherin end, and Lee swore so badly that Professor McGonagall tried to tug the magical megaphone away from him.

"Sorry, Professor, sorry! Won't happen again! So, Gryffindor in the lead, thirty points to ten, and Gryffindor in possession —"

It was a nasty show. Everyone had decided to play dirty, their morals long forgotten after what it seemed the tenth penalty of the hour. The score forty-ten to Gryffindor, only twenty more...

Katie scored next, and then both Slytherin beaters threw bludgers at Wood and got another penalty on their favor, now they were–

"Sixty-ten! Fred Weasley throws a Bludger at Warrington, knocking the Quaffle out of his hands; Alicia seizes it and put it through the Slytherin goal — seventy-ten!" Lee Jordan continued.

"Any moment now!" Mel yelled over the deafening crowd. "You can do it, Harry!"

Harry suddenly shoot up to one corner, he was so close... so close...

"NO!"

Malfoy had grabbed a hold of the Firebolt's tail and was pulling it back.

"Penalty! Penalty to Gryffindor! I've never seen such tactics!" Madam Hooch screeched.

"BLOODY BASTARD!" Mel was unable to stop herself. "WAIT TILL HE'S BACK ON THE GROUND, HERMIONE'S WILL BE NOTHING COMPARED TO WHAT I'LL DO TO HIM!"

"YOU CHEATING SCUM!" Lee Jordan was howling into the megaphone, dancing out of Professor McGonagall's reach. "YOU FILTHY, CHEATING B —"

Professor McGonagall didn't even bother to tell him off. She was actually shaking her finger in Malfoy's direction, her hat had fallen off, and she too was shouting furiously.

Alicia took Gryffindor's penalty, but she was so angry she missed by several feet. The Gryffindor team was losing concentration and the Slytherins, delighted by Malfoy's foul on Harry, were being spurred on to greater heights.

"Slytherin in possession, Slytherin heading for goal — Montague scores —" Lee groaned. "Seventy-twenty to Gryffindor...  Angelina Johnson gets the Quaffle for Gryffindor, come on, Angelina, COME ON!"

The whole Slytherin team flew out of their way to get her, but Harry rushed over to her, and flew in across and between the girl and the other team, causing them to scatter in the air and helping Angelina to get the clearest shot of the whole game.

"SHE SCORES! SHE SCORES! Gryffindor leads by eighty points to twenty!"

But Mel wasn't looking at the celebration, she was staring -completely terrified- at Malfoy, who had seen the snitch.

"HE'S SEEN IT!" She pointed frantically. "GUYS!"

It all happened so fast Mel wished she could've recorded the whole thing. Harry dived forward at an alarming speed, he was getting there, right next to Malfoy, he did a quick movement to push him away and suddenly...

"YES!"

He had it!

Harry had the snitch!

Later most of her memories would be too blurry to understand, but somehow she'd managed to be the first to run from the stands towards the team, push them away from Harry, and held him tightly against her, shouting in ecstasy.

"You did it!" She moved only enough to see Harry's face without breaking the hug.

"I caught the snitch!" He replied just as happy.

"Malfoy's face! And the way you dodged the beaters! And when you helped Angelica!" She said excitedly. "It was so impressive!"

"All the team was!" Then, as if he'd just remembered, he added. "I think your good luck kiss really works!"

He meant that in a friendly way, of course. Perhaps slightly teasing, maybe he was so happy he hadn't even thought of what that meant for her. Either way, her emotions took the best of her a second time that day. It seemed that she couldn't resist when it came to Harry.

Mel pulled him close by the collar and kissed the corner of his mouth.

Harry had moved his face without meaning to do it –taken by surprise by her sudden actions– and the kiss had landed there, startling both children for the fraction of a second. Before Mel could apologize, the rest of the supporters arrived and lifted Harry and the rest of the team on their shoulders, dragging them away.

Ron and Hermione pulled her along to follow where they were taking the team and watched McGonagall cry her eyes out next to Wood, even Percy had forgotten about appearances, jumping up and down and pointing to his brothers proudly. Wood passed the cup to Harry and he lifted it above his head, the screams growing impossibly louder. For the briefest second, Harry caught her eye.

During a terrible moment, she thought he would look away. However, his smile only grew when he held her gaze, he looked like the handsome hero from her fairy tales, tousled hair and flushed cheeks, an absolutely fascinating sight.

Harry was as bright as the sun.

Mel had the feeling that things would never be the same. How could they, when her opinion about everything had shifted overnight?

"Is everything all right?" Hermione asked beside her, probably taking notice of her state.

She replied, a mix of happiness and terror in her voice:

"I think I'm in love."

Next Chapter —>

Taglist.

@tiphareth2018​ @vampiregirl1797​ @siriuslysirius1107​ @celestialhayi​ @mikariell95​ @omiwashere​ @tomshollandz​ @steve-thotgers​ @kylosleftbuttcheek​ @thesuitelifeofafangirl​ @reverse-hxlland​

[inexchangeforyoursoul]

@nagasleeps​ ... you unknowingly made me sweat blood upon getting the prompts lmfao 😅 (fake dating?? spo rT S??? so many things, none of which I’m into asgdsfafsd,,,) 

Getting over the initial turmoil and the need to hire a deep web hitman to assassinate me, however, I thought about it… and yes, I’ve always liked the aesthetics™ of figure skating and racing, so it wasn’t ~that~ hopeless of a case,,, All in all, I ended up revamping a scene from a half-done fic to feature the LoV (instead of the Todofam bc latter are the og cast in the other thing so they were out of bounds but sssh)

I was vibrating when you reacted to the Happy Feet joke, so I really really hope you’ll enjoy the rest just as much!! ✨ MERRY LATE CRAMPUS AND A HAPPY NEW YEEEEAH

OH right: have an ao3 link that will likely read better lmao

“Can I?”

The question itself takes everyone for a loop, but the real catch that makes heads turn is the barely contained excitement in Hawks’ voice. Then there’s his face, too, which is that of a kid on their first festival.

It quickly turns into an embarrassed blush that he tries to hide behind the collar of his jacket, but the damage has already been done- not only did he speak up like that, but it happened just a split second after everyone has unanimously started to move on.

“Can you?” grunts Dabi into the awkward silence with a raised brow, nodding towards the ice rink. He was a few steps ahead of them already, targeting what seemed to be the nearest punch stall available.

Hawks tagged along for the Christmas fair visit in Deika because he figured he might multitask and try this buddy thing with Jin and also catch a few snippets of info, but watching the kids slipping around on the ice when they stopped by the rink… did things to him. Nostalgic, dangerous things.

“You skate, Hawks?” Himiko asks with a glint in her eye. She also doesn't hesitate to turn back and bounce towards the rink, obviously interested in… either him, the fact, or the place itself. He's yet to get a grasp on the girl.

“ … ” His brows pull up as he sulks on behind the makeshift barrier. “... I could. A little.”

She hops against the railing, balancing over the dangerously unstable structure. “Oooh, that's neat! What are we waiting for then?”

Wait, we?

Hawks is almost surprised enough to say it out loud, which… nice save. That sounds all kinds of counterproductive.

Doesn't help with the emotion reflecting on his face, though.

“What’s that face for?” she asks with a pout, looking almost offended before hopping back down. “I’m not going to pass up some fun, if you’re going, I’m going, too.”

“Ah---”

“Me, too!! Me, too!!!” pops Twice’s head up from nowhere between them.

“--- I see.”

“Well then,” Himiko says, her grump already forgotten as she's planting a hearty pat on Jin's head. “Can you skate, Jin?”

His brows, if they exist, inch closer as he squints, as if thinking… but he also immediately says a plain “Hell no.”

“Want me to teach you, then?”

That one rouses a confident “HELL YEAH!!” on the other hand, and he pulls on the drawstrings of his hoodie with such force that he not only disappears up to the nosetip, but an audible ripping sound also conveys the hoodie’s dislike of the abuse.

“Buckle up, then!" Himiko states with her hands on her hips. "First we’ll need some shoes, though. Also, you should get up from the ground, can’t skate like that.”

The man jumps straight into a salute upon hearing that. Considering that his coat is hanging off his head like a tent, it's quite a sight. “Aye aye, Toga sensei!!”

Hawks can’t help but let the uncertain hum break free; he is not sure he’s ready to make a clown out of himself… or that he could still stand upright at all, as a baby bird he was quite a midget. And a lot closer to the ground in case he hit it, making it less, well, scary.

“Mister, you coming too, right?” asks Himiko turning back to the two leftovers of the group.

“Oh…? Oh, sure! Ha ha…” he starts, the nervousness hardly hidden in his voice.

A stone falls from Hawks’ heart; there’s another clown in the making…

The old man (?) is so full of it, though. Just look at him. The only thing holding him back from stuttering is state of the art bullshitting skills…

“--- it is a highly refined form of showmanship, of course I---” 

“You’re so full of shit, old man.”

… IT WASN’T HIM. IT WASN’T HIM WHO SAID THAT, RIGHT?!

Said old man’s monologue stops with a soft ‘ah’ of mixed shock and horror… followed by both hands pressed tight over his wounded pride and heart. Not even the mask can hide the damage done.

“Dabiii, you can’t just steal the big man’s thunder like that…” speaks up Jin as he peels a hole for himself on the hood to look out of.

Oh, thank GOD.

The offender isn’t shaken by the callout in the least.

“He should just admit he can’t skate,” Dabi shrugs, turning back to wherever he was headed before the minute disturbance began. “Anyway… I’m off to drown myself in mulled wine or whatever they have for sale. Smell y’all later.”

Yeesh… that’s cold.

… actually, getting Dabi alone out of the picture has made this issue of being seen stumbling around half as intimidating. Which Hawks isn’t gonna complain about.

A few minutes later he’s already received his pair of skates and is mentally preparing for the task at hand. And also trying to calm down, because honestly? He’s excited. 

First things first, though, for a change his wings are more of a liability while doing this, so he gets rid of most of the feathers. Only after piling them up in the corner of the coat (more along the lines of 'bag') check room does he try the skates from a few angles on the plastic covered ground. They may be rented, but in comparison to the pair of battered ones he found by a trash container as a kid, few sizes too big then and now just as small, anything shone as long as they fit the task.

With a deep breath, he decides to give this a try and steps into the rink. One leg, then the other… a slow start at low speed, but he’ll have to remember how to stop as well… Yeah, this will do. 

Having gained some confidence on the field, he also manages to get out of the way of Toga and Twice as they burst onto the ice with reckless abandon, the latter obviously having no experience in the rink as he finishes the action mopping up every person and shaved particle in his wake.

Hawks skates up to him with a raised brow as Himiko giggles on and makes her rounds around the sprawling man. "You okay there, mate?"

His face that peeks out of the fluffy hoodie still pulled closely around his head looks either really focused… or 100% out of it. Maybe embarrassed, or having a religious experience. Hawks can't tell. In the end, he summarizes his status as follows:

"... yes."

“I told you, didn't I?” chips in Himiko, too, now that she’s over her giggling fit. “Can’t skate while on the ground. Though, if someone can do it… it’s probably you.”

"I'd say he's still got better chances with the usual method," Hawks muses out loud before offering a hand. (Not the best idea. Jot that down, Hawks: Bubaigawara Jin not only is nimble, but also heavy. Easily two-times-your-weight heavy if wings are not included. Do not engage in close combat.)

Nearly ending up on the ice aside, he notes that the number of people in the rink has dwindled down quite a bit in the past minute. Whether the masses are intimidated, afraid, or just conscious of the dumbassery of the big guns, Hawks doesn’t know.

Nor care about, really- more space for him to fuck around. Speaking of which…

He leaves the two jokers behind as Toga starts to legitimately tell Twice how to stand on the ice, and picks up just enough speed to test whether he can do another thing he usually can’t because of his wings.

The first attempt doesn’t go all that well, as he nearly slips when the skate he’s balancing on hiccups upon a deeper trail cut by others; on the second, he manages to stand on one leg, which is half of the battle, alright. He takes a second of a breather to stretch his legs before taking the route back towards the entrance again, checking in on how Twice is faring while he’s at it; seems to be going well for him. A little shaky, but he doesn’t fall ass backwards anymore.

He takes a deep sigh to collect some second hand inspiration, then shoots off to where Mister Compress’ hat has entered the field.

Hawks lifts a leg again, but this time, he also reaches behind his back to get a hold of the blade that should be riiight about… there!

Just sliding in a straight line and not stretched enough for this shit so it hurts like hell? Yes.

It would hurt even if he had stretched, to be frank.

But!! One day, he’s gonna do a legit Biellmann spin, you just watch.

“Why, Starling…!” Mister calls out with an air of awe, the doom and gloom finally lifting from his stance as the blonde is shaking his leg loose. He does stay suspiciously close to the entrance all along, though. “This comes to you as easy as flying does!”

“Could be worse,” he yells back as the momentum from the bend takes him the opposite direction.

Frankly, some may see it as cheating… but his feathers are an amazing addition he's gonna use to the fullest when on ice. So what if he has sonars to know how and where he’ll touch ground, or where to look for his feet from behind? Anyone with functional legs can do this without the help, they just need a little more practice. And why wouldn’t they? This is as close as anyone else can get to flying themselves, and boy is it a lot of fun!!

In fact, he’s so psyched that he does a pretty decent, simple Axel, nailing the landing after. Nice~

Hawks doesn’t bother opening his eyes for the next few minutes, just enjoying the chilly wind pinching his face and ears even pinker. Only then does he look up when someone with a whiff of some peach flavored alcoholic drink is about to cross his way… and goes as far as holding him by the waist, even if it’s for the fleeting moment he needs to grab his arm and spin them around in a circle.

“Not bad for a chicken.”

What the fuck, it’s Dabi.

The suspiciously happy man smirks over the baffled expression that appears on the hero's face. “You should check whether there’s a Happy Feet on Ice project, you could even make it.” Having said that, he gives Hawks a spin and joins him for the next round across the rink.

Wait a goddamn sec…

The blonde looks around with mild suspicion; he’s just noticed that Dabi is keeping up with him fine, which means… he can skate? “I thought you didn’t do, like, sports?”

He is pretty adamant on whining and moaning whenever the need to do anything but stand around menacingly arises… which is understandable, since, um… isn’t this a little… painful with a Frankensteined body like that?

Actually, it definitely is painful, because there’s one--- scratch that, now it’s two red stains on the white shirt poking out from under that ridiculous coat, and--- and blood dripping from one of his elbows, what the sincere fuck. Can he not feel that?!

“Spiked enough to do some stupid shit,” comes the enlightening sigh of an answer as they take the curve at rather high speeds, the faint smell of something not punch like also apparent on his breath. Makes the fact of him coming up close again less alarming, at the very least; a drunk (if not high as a kite…) Dabi averages out as more annoying, and less of a threat. And double the creepy, but that’s beside the point.

“You ready, birdie?”

… okay, maybe there is some room left for worry.

“Ready fo… huh?” The villain has his hands firmly around Hawks' waist now, as if preparing to--- no, there’s no way, he’s such a stick man, but still, the mere possibility…

“Fly!!!”

“WhaaAA---?!” By the time he realizes that Dabi really has that exact thing on his clearly not quite lucid mind when picking up some more speed on the straight line ahead of them, he’s already airborne. Hell if he’s counting how many turns he is doing, but damn it all, he has bigger problems at hand- first, he's actually getting dizzy, and he’s never dizzy with the exception of concussions and being sick, which is concerning, but maybe it’s due to fear. Second, he needs to recalculate his fall right fucking now, because this cackling asshat has managed to throw him quite high and he's also off-balance. He has trouble landing on solid ground when plucked near clean like this as-is, fuck, he's falling already, fuck fuck fuck fUCK---

It costs him a nearly sprained ankle, some panicked arm and wing flapping and an instant heart attack, but he manages to stick the landing somehow. He’s shaking like jello as Mister claps on and Jin and Himiko cry an awed WOOO HOOO, though. In fact, his legs that he’s using as something to lean on now are about to finally give in under him.

Hawks also just about gives into the temptation of collapsing on the spot as his momentum dies off at last… if not for some fucker capitalizing on the situation and dipping him for good measure.

Dabi also adds a hearty chuckle while doing so, certainly pleased at the mess the other is right now. “And here I thought you couldn’t be shaken.” 

“I saw… my life flashing before my eyes, asshole,” he breathes between wheezes, contemplating whether he should grab onto the guy, because just hanging around doesn’t make for a stable setup and he’d rather not risk one of the concussions he's been thinking of.

A cock of the head aside, all he gets is an eyeroll. “Sure seem happy about it, don't you.”

Well, now that the villain points it out… Hawks certainly is grinning like an idiot, and has been for a while. For whatever reason, he also starts giggling uncontrollably at that.

“Shut up, will you,” he snickers while trying to find something to hang an arm onto.

It’s little use in the end, because Himiko decides to slide right into Dabi’s leg, both ruining a chance for a comeback and collapsing the unbalanced circus act.

He keeps giggling through Dabi’s moans of discontent and more, though. These few minutes were the most fun he’s had in a decade, if not more.

He's coming over tomorrow, too.

[eyepatchdate]

you should write time displacement 2 now... i really want to know how the other dave is doing and its dragging on a little at this point

This ask is so utterly tone-deaf, entitled, and disrespectful that I've been left honestly in shock as to why you would even send it to me. I've been angry about this for hours now, and just now finally got down at a proper computer so I could actually compose my reply.

I'm going to write at my own pace. Every story I love the most has slow-ass pacing and careful developments and wide worlds with lots of depth to them and the character interactions within them. TD is me attempting to do the same thing to Homestuck in a way that lets me focus on Dave, Dirk, Hal, and this other universe I created to mirror the canon.

Anyways. The pacing and how this story is being published is something I've spent YEARS at this point considering, I have a method to my madness and a reason for everything I'm doing. I'm sorry you're bored or think that its' "dragging on a little" or whatever, but fuck off. This is a passion project I'm doing for myself for free in my spare time and how I want to make my art is up to me and not up to you. I don't owe you anything, so get away from me with that tone.

And if by "dragging on" you mean how often chapters are coming out, then also fuck off. I have a life and a job and other things I'm writing. TD is not my only project or only hobby and I have a social life and work, etc. This last year has been a struggle for me creatively (my most composed work was my SMTIV fanfiction FLED, which I mostly wrote while trapped in the desert with the army. I couldn't write TD in the desert because the continuity of TD requires me to have copious notes on hand that i simply could not have with me there. The first 40k words of FLED were handwritten). Other than that though, my struggle to write has been real, and while I've continued on all of my projects, I've been taking my time with things. It was only two weeks and a half ago that I even got a job that didn't leave me constantly exhausted, and so finally things in my life are actually looking up, which helps my creative mind. But, even with all that, no one is owed anything by a fanfiction author. Fanfiction is for fun, for free, and it isn't something you can demand. I don't work for you. It's a passion project for me that i am sharing because I thought other people would like it too. That's it.'

Also the sequel is SUPPOSED to be hanging in the balance, waiting to show you what's going on. It doesn't make sense to write the story out of order in that way, I have specific plans. And literally the last chapter i fucking POSTED had Side B Dave feature--so it's not like i haven't been giving you fucking hints. And clearly, since Side B Dave is IN Side A right now, in the dream world at least, I'm NOT going to be skipping to where Side B is.

And sorry but you shouldn't feel like you can demand for me to fucking skip content that I've very clearly been planning just because it's what you want to see. Make your own content and let me produce as I will to the plans I've been making for years. I have pages and pages of notes that haven't seen the light of day, extra scenes, future scenes, outlines, narrative notes on the themes and character arcs I want to convey, etc. It's all planned up to the literal last fucking line of the story. There's a lot I have to figure out on the way, but everything in TD is deliberate and nothing is so unplanned as to change my direction of vision the way what you're asking for would.

I'm not just going to skip to the parts you want, hell, I've been hanging Karkat over everyone's fucking head for all these years too, but it's part of the suspense, part of the point, and part of the fucking STORY. If you don't like it you can stop reading.

I'm just so baffled that you come at an author who's completely making something of their free will in their free time for people to enjoy, and to just have this entitled demanding sort of attitude. This isn't even critique, and honestly I'm not even looking for critique, because I'll look for that on my original writing, thank you, not my fanfiction. To say that my story is "dragging on" and to just come into my inbox and demand that I change my attitude like I owe you something is incredibly fucking rude, and honestly, cruel. This is a passion project, and sometimes motivation is difficult, because I don't feel good enough or that my writing needs tweaked for 50+ hours before I can show even a single chapter off. I can't even look at the previous stuff for TD because i cringe so hard because I should have spent even MORE time on it refining, but I know that's a waste of my time--but anyways. This is just. So incredibly de-motivational to read. And it's so irritating to get this sort of message when I was literally trying to ease myself back into TD these last few days, opening the file and messing with some things, and tonight I had wanted to write more of Chapter 23 but guess what isn't fucking happening because I can't even bear to look at it, because i just get so angry. Something I write for fun to share should not piss me off to do.

Fan creators do so much free of charge and share so much with people and it's so disgusting to me that people have attitudes like yours, like, I don't owe you anything, and i spend so MUCH of myself working on this story and all my stories, and to just have all that effort and work thrown in my face as not good enough because some random person doesn't think it suits their specific tastes is just and outrage.

My tone is harsh because this ask has left me pissed for hours. Don't talk to creators like this. It completely takes all motivation away and honestly makes it tempting to fucking go underground and only show what I write to, like, literally only two of my friends.

[tinymixtapes]

Interview: Seth Graham

The music published by Orange Milk, an underground behemoth of experimental music and cassette culture co-founded by Seth Graham and Keith Rankin (a.k.a. Giant Claw), feels like multiple authors contributing their stories to one sprawling space opera. The label has been lauded by a wide spectrum of listeners and critics, and is instantly recognized through a delightful, kaleidoscopic approach to color, sound, and aesthetic identity. Themes and approaches in the collective Orange Milk output seem impossible to define coherently. There are oozing, primordial cultures of bacterial sound, moments of pure, demented bliss; Seth Graham’s own music, especially on his latest album Gasp, refines these abstract elements while rocketing them farther into space. It is intrepid music that deliberately hovers on the edge of order, a space that the composer challenges himself to explore. We caught up with Seth Graham over the phone to talk about Herbie Hancock, the various MIDI instruments he chose to explore on Gasp, and the experiences in his life that brought the album to bear. The album is available to pre-order here (LP) and here (CD), but you can also listen to the full release below before its March 23 release. --- Gasp contains a wide variety of sounds, but it’s very focused too. Some of them appear multiple times, like the woodwind, the voices. Did you have a clear idea of what instruments you wanted to appear, and when? I definitely had a very specific idea… like that composer Gerard Grisey, he has pieces where he records the cello super close to the mic. You can almost hear the rustling, and it’s high-res. It almost sounds like, I don’t wanna say explosion, but it’s a bigger, weirder experience. With classical, when they record it, you hear that typical Tchaikovsky crap; it almost sounds generic. Grisey changed it and put it in your face, and I love that so much. So what I did with the record is any of the instruments that had a really close mic sample [in the VST], I kind of only used those because I liked how they sounded, and I liked how much you could manipulate it. Like for example in the track “Kimochi,” which just means emotion in Japanese, that track starts off with this voice that says one syllable, and that goes into almost sheer metal grinding, and that’s actually just a shit-ton of manipulation of different acoustic instruments with a certain synth. I love to do that and contrast it with that close-mic’d sound. With the flute, you can hear the wind of the person playing. I was obsessed with that. It ended up being a lot of flute, clarinet, cello, and that was kind of it. I think I used some trombone — there’s certain things you can do with the VST where you can hear the whole sample play out, and you can hear the clicking, and I would use that too, people clicking the wind instruments. I was thinking I should just hire people and record it my fucking self. That was something I wanted to ask you about — whether you had plans — or already did — record live instruments and manipulate that? I actually sort of did that already. A record is supposed to come out; it’s pieces from Gasp and a couple of unreleased pieces that this ensemble in Russia asked me to write for a tribute to Philip Glass that they were doing. They asked me and Sean McCann and Sarah Davachi, and I was really honest, like, I’ve never written a classical piece before, I just write MIDI data and mess with it. I just kind of read up on how to write for an ensemble, looked up the instruments they use, re-wrote it all in MIDI. I basically converted that to notation and sent four pieces to them that are pieces from Gasp, but real people. And they did it! They played it at the Museum of Multimedia and Arts in Moscow, and then they played it in a studio, and they were supposed to send us the stems for us to mix and Sean to put out on his label, Recital… and I don’t know, I’m waiting for it. It should be here. But to answer your question, I’ve been trying to think of ways for a new record where I hire people and I write out pieces, and they play it-slash-sing it, because I want really weird things to happen that I can’t make software do. I go to school with someone who’s a trained opera singer, and I want to pay her to sing what I have all notated, her to sing in this key, but then go “Bleahghghg.” I would love to hear that happen, a magnificent operatic voice just shit the bed. That would be awesome. I’ve been trying to think of ways for a new record where I hire people and I write out pieces, and they play it-slash-sing it, because I want really weird things to happen that I can’t make software do. I go to school with someone who’s a trained opera singer, and I want to pay her to sing what I have all notated, her to sing in this key, but then go “Bleahghghg.” Your use of “real instruments” stands apart from other kind of abstract electronic music, like PC Music, where they’re deliberately trying to sound as synthetic as they can. I’m really influenced by a lot of the modern computer music, like Halcyon Veil, or Jesse Osborne-Lanthier, or Rabit, or Chino Amobi… I like all that stuff, but I have a weird aversion to reverb. I feel like reverb makes things cloudy, and in the listening experience, it kind of masks nothing. It could be an art in itself, but I really tried to stay away from it but still be influenced by their aesthetic. That’s interesting you mention that, because Gasp contains lots of open, bare spaces, which really struck me when I heard it. Yeah, and I interpret that as straight-up vulnerability. Just let myself be vulnerable. Vulnerability is such a strength that I admire in people, people who can just admit things and let it be. There’s not even close to enough of that in our world. Even myself I don’t let myself be vulnerable enough, but I think it’s such a beautiful thing, and if the music is kind of awkward and there’s that space, I think it conveys vulnerability. It conveys a sense of drama, too. It does, doesn’t it? I am dramatic, I guess. Ha! Going back to that idea of fate you mentioned earlier, I’m curious as to what the events were that would construct that fate. Like what events took place in your life to form your influences? Well, I had a really crazy life. I grew up in Japan; my parents were missionaries. I went there when I was six, my mom got really sick — I don’t know why to this day, my parents are, uh, really weird. I was kind of shoved into a public school at six; my dad was studying Japanese at a language school. The language school was across the street from a tennis court. The city is Kadiza, in Nagano-ken — it’s kind of considered the Aspen of Japan — is very ritzy and beautiful. And one day I’m at the language school waiting for my dad, and I was just starting to learn Japanese. I was immersed in it because nobody spoke English, and I couldn’t understand anything. And literally, one day I understood everything everyone was saying. It was about seven months in and it was so surreal. I remember thinking “What is my life? This is not normal…” And I knew it, but I didn’t even know how to think of it as a six-, seven-year-old. I’m sitting there, and I’m watching all these people playing tennis, and there are cameras there, but I’m just watching with my face against the fence. Someone comes up to me and says, “That’s the emperor of Japan.” I always remembered that. There was a lot of shit that happened there. I started to be a teenager in Japan, and we moved back when I was 15… So you spent your formative years there? Yeah, my formative years were spent in Japan. I started skateboarding in Japan, became a really avid skateboarder, and we even were responsible for finding a really famous skate spot. We came back to the US when I was 15. I was really into Japanese punk-rock; I remember the day Kurt Cobain died — I was really into Nirvana. The real formative thing was when I came back to the US. My parents were really conservative… like I can’t overstate it enough. So I came back from Japan, skateboarding, and punk rock, to rural Ohio, where everyone played football. My parents didn’t want me to go to school because they thought I would become a corrupt atheist, so I didn’t. I was homeschooled and worked at a movie theater from 15 to 18, and I would pretend to do my homework and finish by 11, and then go work the matinee shift with this old woman named Phyllis. The reason I tell you all this is that the shock of cultural difference put my brain into a spin. Everything became very existential to me at a very young age. I was like, “Nothing means anything.” I realized in 6th grade that the Japanese didn’t like America — I went to Hiroshima on a field trip and they were all like, fuck America — but all my life I had heard about how great America was, so you start to see the dissonance at a young age. Which is true? So when I was really young I started to throw it all out the window, like all of it was a joke to me, but not as a rebellious teenager, it was a true existential crisis to me. I started to notice the deep contrast in everything, and I started to notice all the little things instead of the big things. That changed how I perceived everything, I think. And I think that’s what helps me be creative, if I am even creative. That was the most colossal thing, that upbringing and those events. Goop by Seth Graham You and [ex-TMT contributor] Keith Rankin knew each other in Ohio when you both started Orange Milk around 2010. Could you explain the environment you were in and your ideas of what the label was going to be like? People want like a glorious answer when they ask that, but there isn’t one. It was honestly Keith and I were making music ourselves, and we both kept getting rejected by labels… Probably for good reasons. We were like, “Aw, fuck that, let’s start our own label to release our own stuff.” It was kind of a hybrid between there being certain artists who were only on tape who we thought should come out on LP. One of them was an album called Crowded Out Memory by this band called Caboladies. This band Talkies. That was kind of the Robert Beatty crew, like Eric Lampan and Christopher Bush; they had this band that were kind of spastic, fun electronica. We loved it, and that album in particular came on a really limited CD-R, and we were like, “That should be on LP!” It was like when all that rage with Emeralds was happening in our little pocket scene. And not that it was a competition, but we thought Caboladies was far more interesting, and we wanted to bolster it for that reason. We were just like… I don’t want to hear synth drone. We would send each other clips by a really wide variety of artists. We were imaging things we wanted to hear together, in some weird way. Like the Herbie Hancock Raindance record. All kinds of little clips, like, “This album, but only these parts.” We did have a very conscious conversation to decide where we wanted to go, and then we just started digging it up. We just started searching for things that we liked on SoundCloud. Would you consider that your contribution to music or to your pocket of the music world? Is establishing that family your driving force? I think Keith and I really wanted to be in the music world, and we kind of constantly got rejected a lot. We wanted to find our own. And we were, I wouldn’t say critical, but we were really into this idea of experimental music being really joyous and really accessible. Like folk music or something. And we really consciously saw it that way. We would sit down and listen to Herbie Hancock — I think I’ve mentioned him a few times, but we’re obsessed — and we would listen to his records and say, “This part is pure joy, but it sounds insane.” We want to make that, and we want to hear that, and have a label go full-tilt on making that. It’s one of my favorite things about Hancock. His music is chill and inviting and so weird at times. I just love that. It feels like you can let go — it can be contemplative, it can be deep, it can be all that Tiny Mix Tapes stuff, or it can just be pure fun! I think we both find it really refreshing. And we like releasing our own stuff because it just gives us control and makes it less bureaucratic or political. It’s less about hustling. I don’t have to worry about being judged. That freedom is nice as an artist. You’ve mentioned joy a few times as an important theme in your music… I feel joy a lot, so I was just trying to convey that as much as I could. Vulnerability is such a strength that I admire in people, people who can just admit things and let it be. There’s not even close to enough of that in our world. Even myself I don’t let myself be vulnerable enough, but I think it’s such a beautiful thing, and if the music is kind of awkward and there’s that space, I think it conveys vulnerability. What about the process of making music? Does that bring joy? Your music sounds very playful, so I’m wondering to what degree your process involves discovery or “play,” in the kind of childlike way of working things out? Ha! Making the music is torture. I feel like Keith and I have high standards with each other. If I make a track and send it to him, he’s going to kind of rip it apart. It’s kind of like a professor reviewing your work. We both treat it as a helpful device, we’re not trying to shit on each other, we both really love each other so there’s that trust. It’s a rare thing. But in that sense, my record felt like a master’s thesis. It was so much work, and so much time, and agony. But I still love doing it. To answer your question, I was trying to be super-direct — this is how I feel, a lot of the time. It’s kind of funny, joyous, kind of awkward at times. I wanted those elements to be in there, and I have this kind of aversion to authority. I associate it with pretension. I’m not saying it’s objective, but pretension and authority to me are the same thing. It’s about controlling you, or controlling how you will experience something. And if you let that go, you can make with it what you will, know what I mean? That might sound like pretentious nonsense, I don’t know. Was the record heavily composed our conceptually wrought before you began to work on it? It was a mixture of everything. After talking to people who are actually trained classically, I get the vibe that everybody has a similar method. Some things are conceptually thought out, like I want this sound or that sound, and then you build a structure to execute that sound. I would write MIDI parts that were like, a cello pizzicato, and I would write it until I really liked it, and then let it sit. And I would play with Serum [VST], and be like, I like this sound that sounds like metal is coming out of my eyeball, how can I fixate on this thing? It’s almost like assembling a painting — I like this shape, this color, and then you just edit it and fit it in. OK, now I’m going to add clarinet, like right here. You mess with that sequence forever. That’s what I did, but with Gasp, I tried to take it as far as I could. In that once I had a structure I really liked, I would hate the song. Even though I liked all the parts, I would then edit it down — like how fucked up could I make this? — until it feels barely cohesive. So did this process yield tons of material? How did you decide what would make the final cut? At one point when I was making it, I got so tired that I just wanted to put it up on Bandcamp and never think about it again. I basically revised like 70% of it, and that was like a year in. But I just knew it wasn’t done. So you just keep going with the record. There were moments when I was just completely improvising. I would take Push 2 [the Ableton Live controller/sequencer], just randomly play it, hit things, turn things. I don’t come up with much that way, but every once in a while when I get really frustrated, I’ll just improvise and see what happens. It usually yields like three hours of dicking around. But I always end up in what seems like a final crescendo, where I think back through so many times, you have to do, over and over, tedious. Sometimes you have to delete everything, and you go over it again and half of it is good. And once you’re 80% done, you can’t stand the other 20%, but you’re so sick and tired of it, it’s torture. That’s what it felt like. But I love it, and now I’m all ready to do another one. It’s kind of all I can think about. http://j.mp/2u69i63

[shewhowantsmouseears]

The Son Of Scheherazade, 2

Notes: As always, big thanks to my wonderful editors Drucilla and Blueshifted - i apologize for being unable to write fighting scenes. I loathe them so, yet I always need them.

Apologies for the delay in getting this out - I work retail, and with the holidays coming up, you can imagine how hard it's kicking my butt. In addition, let's just say there's some family drama going on. So thanks for baring with me! Our adventure has finally begun!

Originally the crew was just going to consist of 3 members, but I decided to add two extra birds for more comic relief and shenanigans. And who doesn't like shenanigans? Additionally, the big bad monsters were based off the Heartless from Kingdom Hearts.

Next chapter, we get the gal you've all been waiting for - Minnie Mouse arrives!

Summary: On the day he becomes an official man, Mickey is ready to take on the true responsibilities of being a prince. But is he ready to take on the dangers from an unknown enemy? When it looks like all hope is lost, he'll discover his mother's stories are more than legendary - they're alive!

One of the many luxuries that Councilor Pete had was his own private room in the castle. Sultana Scheherazade had wanted Pete to feel that he was not only a respected man of the royal court, but also family, if he so chose. It would be easy to call her naive, but she wasn't ignorant of Pete's selfish ways. She honestly believed that since she healed the Sultan's heart so many years ago, she could do the same to Pete. Unfortunately, there are souls who don't want to be saved.

That wicked soul was up at midnight, taking his time to carefully open a dark violet chest that contained many secrets. As far as the royal family knew, it was a gift from one of Pete's relatives that lived far away. But Pete didn't have any relatives that lived far away – no, this had been a gift for him and a curse for others. As the heavy chested opened, black smog began to spew forth, and a low voice spoke from within the shadows. “Is everything in place for tomorrow?”

Pete stuck up his thumb. “You got it! I've got it timed down to the second! Everything will be right on schedule!” He then hesitated, drawing out his 'but' as slowly as possible. “Buuut...”

“Don't test me, servant,” The voice growled, a pair of red eyes burning inside the smoke.

“I'm sure it's nothing!” Pete said very quickly, holding up his hands in defense. “It's just – I overheard the Sultana say a special guest was coming tomorrow, for the brat's birthday! But I can handle it! I know I can! It's probably just some fancy diplomat bringing even more gifts! That's all!”

The voice grumbled deeply, considering this matter. “You know I don't like changes to my plans. This had better be the only disruption.”

“It is, I swear it is!” Pete clasped his hands together, hoping the owner of the voice could see him beg. “I made absolutely sure of it! Come on, this is my chance to become Sultan, you know I wouldn't risk messing it up! You can count on me!”

After a tense, silent moment, the voice spoke again, now calmer. “Very well. You've come this far, I don't think you would fail me at our most important hour...for your sake.” Inside the box came the sound of thunder, and a black ball suddenly jumped out, landing in Pete's hands. It was cold as ice, and heavy as marble. “Once you've established that all three are alone, you will take this enchantment and place it under the sunlight. The beasts will be unleashed and will continue to spawn forth until you shatter the orb. One strike with your blade should suffice after the family has been taken care of.”

Pete held the orb up to his eyes, unable to stop grinning. Hard work had gotten him as far as Councilor, and now he had worked up to usurper. He had been chosen for this devious plan, and he was going to see it through until the end. Maybe then those foolish royals would understand that helping everyone and anyone could stab you in the back. His rule would be a fierce one, and if those peasants didn't earn their keep, they would have no one to blame but themselves. When a farmer leads a viper into his barn, he should expect to be bitten.

“You'll get yours, and I'll get mine,” Pete chuckled, watching the black smog begin to evaporate. “I bet even Scheherazade couldn't come up with a story as great as this!”

~*~

Once again, Mickey woke up earlier than he meant to. He didn't feel any different, which was unsurprising yet also disappointing. Manhood probably wasn't supposed to be instantaneous, but even just a hint of authoritative feeling would have cheered him up. He was still sad to have the mural leave along with his mother's stories, but surely in time he'd adjust. He hopped out of bed, checking on his beloved citizens from the balcony – after checking his height, which had yet to improve either, dang it – before going into his usual routine. He knew gifts were coming, and a lavish banquet, and singing and dancing and hooting and hollering, all for his day of birth – but in Mickey's frank opinion it was still another ordinary day. He got gifts and big meals and celebrations daily.

Still, as he entered the hallway and received his morning greetings -

“Happy birthday, oh son of Scheherazade!”

“We have always been blessed to have you with us, son of Scheherazade!”

“May your upcoming years be as happy and joyous, son of Scheherazade!”

- He put on a smile and tried to keep an upbeat attitude. Past birthdays told Mickey that breakfast was delayed until the presents were opened and they'd done at least three silly dances, so he headed to the throne room to get things rolling.

As Mickey began to open the large doors to the throne room, the golden doors in the shape of charging elephants, he could hear his parents talking – they seemed exasperated, but not in a deeply annoyed way. The Sultan was carrying a long, thin, brown box under his arm with decorative swirls of silver in the shape of soldiers battling. The Sultana was holding a large bundle in her arms, a clumsily wrapped heap of something that also had a long curious shape. Al's gift was refined and dignified, but the gift in Scheherazade's hands seemed like someone had tried to wrap it blindfolded and with one hand behind their back. Mickey blinked wildly to make sure he was seeing correctly. It wasn't like his mother to be so messy.

“So if I'm understanding this right,” Al was saying, biting on his cheek to keep from bursting into laughter, “He meant for it to arrive after he arrived here, but somehow it arrived before him?”

“You must admit, it's not a huge shock,” Scheherazade mused, fingering a ripped piece of wrapping. “Why, if it had been on time, I wouldn't have believed it was from him.” They shared a hearty chuckle over this matter. Pete was off in the corner, a large bulge in his upper right pocket, and he seemed to be glancing at the window every couple of minutes.

Mickey cleared his throat to announce his presence, and then tried to make a regal entrance – chin up, chest out, arms rigid, and ow, this was uncomfortable. “Ma, Pa – I mean, Mother, Father, good morning!”

His parents easily dropped the topic of conversation, their faces full of glee and excitement. “Happy Birthday, Mickey!” they chimed together, and Mickey had no doubt if their arms weren't full they would have scooped him up for endless hugs and kisses. Even now they appeared to be resisting the urge to toss aside their presents and do exactly that.

Mickey smiled – for all his hardships and loneliness, he did love his embarrassing family. “Thank you! Today, I'm an official man, one you will be proud of!”

Al laughed, arching his back. “He speaks as if we are not proud of him already!”

“We are proud of you, my son.” Scheherazade smiled a little sadly, still amazed that her baby had grown up so fast. “Every day, we are grateful to have you in our lives. We weren't whole until we had you. You will always be our pride and joy for the rest of our lives.”

Mickey knew they meant well, but the words didn't melt his heart as much as they did when he was a child. How could you be proud of someone who had accomplished nothing? It was just the loving nonsense of a parent. He glanced between the two differing gifts. “So which one of these is the paintbrush that'll be used on the mural?”

“We'll get to that later.” Al stepped forth. “Before giving you what you want, first we get to spoil you. I have two magnificent gifts for you today. The first...” he knelt down and held out the box. Mickey curiously approached it, clicking open a silver latch, allowing him to lift the box's cover.

Mickey's eyes widened. “Whoa! Is this really...?”

“Your pleas have not fallen on deaf ears,” Al assured his son. “But if you truly wish to see more of the outside world, you must be protected. Starting today, you will be trained in the art of the blade, and this shall be your weapon.”

Inside the box was a beautifully crafted scimitar, with blue and red jewels adorning the hilt, and Mickey could see his reflection in the gleaming sword. He let out a whoop of joy and yanked the scimitar out, feeling its weight in his hands. “This is amazing!” Mickey squealed, waving his newest possession here and there, stabbing the air and fighting imaginary thieves. “An actual sword! Oh gosh, look at this thing! Ha ha ha, this is the best!” He was going to look so cool wielding this! No one would dare mess with him when they saw him with this gorgeous beauty in his hand! Mickey the great, Mickey the bold, Mickey the – Only then did Mickey think that official men didn't flail with swords as if they were toys.

Mickey's cheeks burned red, and he cleared his throat once more, trying with great difficult to pretend the last couple of seconds hadn't happened. He put a hand to his heart, and bowed deeply. “Thank you for this beautiful gift, and for the trust you've placed in me. I promise to take this very seriously.”

Al grinned from ear to ear, feeling victorious at the joy he'd given his son. He couldn't help but smirk at his wife. “See, I told you, he's going to like mine the best, my dazzling heart.”

“The day's not over yet, oh key to my lock,” Scheherazade quipped back at him.

Mickey wondered if for his next birthday he could request his parents stop their obnoxious flirting, but thankfully Al was moving on, standing up and addressing Mickey. “As for my second gift, this will also come with great responsibility. I don't want you taking this lightly, because let me tell you, it wasn't easy getting it in here and keeping it in one place.” As fate would have it, the gift wasn't being kept in one place. Everyone in the room heard the sound of shouting guards, yelling at something to come back, slow down, stop, heel, anything to get it to freeze. Al rubbed his temples. “Me and my big mouth.”

Mickey turned around just as the gift barreled past the doors and bowled him over, standing on his chest. For a brief second Mickey thought of using his new blade to protect himself, but just as quickly there came a familiar sensation – of licks and drool and “yeah yeah yeah!”.

“Pluto?!” Mickey yelped, sitting up and letting the pup roll off him. The dog was clearly cleaner, having gone through several baths, and a shiny red collar had been placed around its neck – but there was no doubt about it, this was the same loving scamp from the alleyways. “I don't believe it! What are you doing here? You're supposed to be out in the village!” He paused abruptly, nervously eyeing his parents. “...Not that I would know because I don't sneak out there, no sir.”

As Pete quickly ran to close the doors – and lock them, once he saw no one was paying attention – Al waved a hand to shoo away the matter. “Leave the fables to your mother. The guards have seen you with this mutt enough times to have him memorized from tail to toes.”

Mickey ducked his head sheepishly until he understood, his eyes bright with hope. “Wait, does this mean...? I-I can keep him, I really can?”

Al smiled, moving to affectionately ruffle the fur between Mickey's ears. “I believe an official man is more than capable of taking care of a dog.”

In that instant Mickey completely forgot about his sword, dropping it to the ground so he could hug his new pet. “This is the best day ever!” he cheered, swinging the giddily yapping pup back and forth. “Oh, we're gunna do everything I promised you, Pluto! We're gunna play fetch every day, and you'll get to eat lots of steaks, and sleep on a bunch of pillows, and we're gunna be together all the time, you and me!” Maybe official men didn't act like this, but for that brief moment Mickey didn't care. He couldn't possibly imagine being happier than he was now. “Thank you, Pa! Thank you thank you thank you thaaaank youuu!”

Al grinned at his wife. “I win.”

“There is no winning when it comes to birthdays.”

“But if there was, I would be winning.”

Scheherazade had to call Mickey's name three times before he finally looked up from scratching Pluto's belly and telling him what a good boy he was – and he was such a good boy! Yes he was! - and remind him that she existed. “My sweetest son, I also have gifts for you.”

“Oh. Right.” Mickey couldn't imagine anything topping Pluto, but he didn't want to be rude.

The Sultana knelt down and laid down the present, her face taking on a serious tone that surprised Mickey. “My son, I have both longed for and dreaded this day. There are things you need to know, that I need to say, and I'm not sure how to make you understand. I can only hope I'll have your forgiveness, when you realize why I have held back the truth all these years.” She dug her fingers into the wrapping – it was so thin and loose it only needed one hand to unravel it all. “And so, I reached out to a dear companion of mine, in the hopes that you would understand. I asked him for this gift, and for his presence...” A click of her tongue. “Although he is late on the latter count.”

Mickey glanced at Pluto, who merely shrugged, at Al, who was nodding solemnly, and then at Pete, who was far more interested in the windows. “Ma, what's going on?”

Once the gift was unwrapped, she laid it out flat. “This is my first gift.” After all that mysterious narration, the gift that held the weight of the world was...

… A carpet.

“Huh?” It was out before Mickey could control it. All that build-up for a rug? It wasn't ugly, he supposed – it matched his sword, with bright threads of blue and red, but this time it was in elaborate pattern of intricate flowers blossoming together. It was kind of girly – he liked it, but men didn't like girly things. It was also very small – weren't carpets supposed to roll on for ages and cover the entire floor? It looked only slightly bigger than Mickey was, which wasn't saying much. Pluto sniffed one of the four golden tassels, detecting an odd odor that none of the others could pick up.

At the window, the clouds were beginning to part, and the sun's rays began to shine into the room. Pete began to fish inside his pocket.

Mickey fumbled for more polite words. “It's, uh... it's really nice! Thanks, Ma!” He scrambled mentally to find more descriptive words. “It's... colorful!”

Scheherazade smiled, standing back up, and from the look on her face Mickey could tell she was about to weave another story. “This is no ordinary carpet, my son.”

But there would be no explanation or epic tale to be told. The moment Pete held out the enchanted orb and allowed the sunlight to touch it, it spat out a gigantic massive black hole that stood as tall and wide as the palace doors. It made a horrific roaring noise, and all the warmth in the room dropped into freezing cold. The family members yelled in surprise, having only enough time to do that before the hole began to spin around, making a hideous sucking sound as harsh winds began to force everything and everyone towards it -  elegant tapestries from the walls, the discarded wrapping from the carpet, it even had enough force to swallow the Sultan's throne. Pete was forced to sit, overwhelmed by what he had unleashed. Mickey's mouth was open but no words came out. What was he looking at? What was happening? He was struck numb by the sheer impossibility of what was happening, and part of him wanted to shut his eyes and wake up, because this couldn't be reality. Magic wasn't real, yet what else could you call this awful thing that made no earthly sense?

Sultan Al grabbed his wife, Pluto sunk his teeth into Mickey's pant leg to hold on, and Mickey desperately reached for his mother as all of them began to slide towards the hole. “Ma! Pa!” Mickey cried out, confusion and fear taking over all rational thought. The ravenous hole's roar was so loud Mickey was afraid his parents couldn't hear him, and now it was becoming so strong the windows began to crack before shattering. It was swallowing up the thrones, curtains, and all the decorative vases and paintings lining the walls. Within seconds, it would swallow up the Sultan and those he loved.

Scheherazade looked around wildly, and then pushed Mickey on his shoulders. “Get on the carpet!”

“What? What are you talking about?!”

There was no time to explain things. She reached down to pick up the boy and his dog, fighting as hard as she could against the hole's pull on her, and threw them towards the carpet, which had been mere seconds away from being sucked up as well. Mickey barely registered what happened as they smacked onto the fabric – and then he was up, he and Pluto were up, the carpet was up – the carpet was floating! It then shot into the air, which allowed Mickey to see Pete running for the doors, leaving them to their fate. Mickey held on for dear life, and Pluto held onto him. Mickey yelled for his mother and father who couldn't resist the hole's gravitational pull anymore, their bodies being yanked into the unknown darkness. First went their legs, then went their hips, their stomachs...

“MA! PA!” He reached for them even though he was so far away, a part of him still in serous disbelief that this could be happening at all. Not his beloved family, not his amazing family, they could do anything, and now they were being pulled away by something that had no right to exist. It couldn't be happening, but it was happening, and Mickey had never felt so utterly pathetic and useless in all his life. What could he do? How do you fight something that made no sense?  His fingers tore at the carpet, trying to make it move. “You – you – whatever you are, put me down!  Let me save them! Ma! Pa!” But the carpet remained in the air, unwilling to budge. Frustrated beyond words, Mickey tried to jump off the carpet – but now the carpet did move in order to catch him, and he let out a yelp as he tumbled back onto the familiar colors. “Stop it! Let me go! MA! PA!” His voice became hoarse with screams – he'd take everything back, he'd keep the title of Son of Scheherazade forever, abandon his own name, if he could just keep his mother and father – it wasn't fair, wasn't fair, wasn't fair -

The Sultan and Sultana held each other, their eyes staying on their beloved son.

“Our son-”

“We will-”

And then they were gone, lost to whatever inky blackness lay behind the hole. Mickey cried out once more, tears rolling down his cheeks, and he shut his eyes. Maybe if he wished really hard, he'd wake up from this nightmare, and he'd take back what he said about his mother's stories and he'd let the mural stay up and he'd be a child forever, if it meant he could keep everything the way it was. The winds began to die down... and then reverse.

The hole now began to spin counterclockwise, and a massive shadowy claw emerged. It dragged the rest of its body out in the open – a hulking beast with rich red eyes, a broken heart symbol on its back, a zigzag yellow mouth, and mismatching colors of purple and gold coating its rough body. Mickey had never seen such a creature before, and only then did the carpet begin to descend – which was now the exact opposite of what Mickey wanted. “Now you listen to me!”

The beast moved its dark eyes toward the sound, and swiped its massive paw at the mouse, knocking him off the carpet. Mickey grunted as he hit the floor, and then rolled quickly to avoid a second swipe. When he managed to get his footing, he could see the carpet still flying, this time only with Pluto. “Fine! Whatever you are, protect my dog, or I'm gunna pull out every single loose thread you have!” The beast began to run towards him, and Mickey ran as fast as he could before remembering his father's other present. The scimitar could be of help – if Mickey had any idea how to use it. He pulled it into his hands and waved it back and forth, struggling to block off every swipe from the monster. That one part of his brain continued to insist this couldn't be real – and the rest of his brain finally told it to SHUT UP, because this thing was certainly real enough to kill him! He wasn't imagining the painful claw marks on his arm or the snarling in his ears. This was happening, and no amount of wishing otherwise was going to stop it – which was very unfortunate because Mickey had no idea how to stop it any other way.

Then he heard a great “thud” - a second beast had walked out of the portal, and then a third, each one different in size and form but carrying the same colors and symbol on their back. Mickey's eyes flew around for any way to escape this danger, and he saw Pete reentering the room, this time with a handful of guards.

“These creatures took the lives of our beloved Sultan and family!” Pete announced, his own sword drawn. “But fear not! I will not allow them to harm anyone else!” He then darted into the room, stabbing the second beast in the leg – where the broken-heart symbol had been – and it jerked, freezing in place before dissolving into ash. The guards gasped with astonishment, and Pete soaked in the praise. “Today, I will lead you to victory! All for the sake of our fallen rulers!”

“The Son of Scheherazade!” one guard pointed out, trying to signal Pete that someone was still in danger.

“Yes, yes, sad to lose him too.” Pete rolled his hand, trying to move things along.

“No, the Son of Scheherazade is right there, and right in danger!”

“Huh?” Pete turned his head, and saw exactly the guard had meant. Mickey was trying to use a toppled table as a fort and failing. As Pete watched the beast shred it in two, his jaw dropped. “What the – what's he still doing here?!” He then drew a breath. “I mean... oh! How... lucky! He's still around... somehow... But I'm still the hero! Now if everyone could stop interrupting so I can finish these evil beasts...” He fished again for the enchanted orb – and again – and again – the pocket was not infinite yet he continued to search, the confident expression he was wearing now jerking into frantic fury. “C'mon, you lousy little...” It couldn't have just grown legs and walked away! Pete had it on him when he first used it to get rid of the rulers, he held the orb out into the sun, it spat out the hole,  the force of it knocking him on his butt, and -  and then understood that when he first fell, he had dropped it, and he had no idea where it rolled off. “Ah, crud.” The longer he delayed destroying the enchantment, the more monsters would come. He planned to get rid of one or two – now there were seven, eight, nine... “... This is also not good.”

While Pete quietly began to panic, the guards rallied, “Protect the Son of Scheherazade!”,  storming into the room with their blades drawn. Yet try as they might, the monsters smashed them aside, destroying the room and now having several targets to choose from. Even more beasts continued to spill from the portal, growing in number with each passing minute. If this kept up, the monsters would flood the palace, and invade the kingdom.

Mickey was making another run, trying to lend his help towards the guards. Even though he understood he couldn't possibly fight these monsters, no amount of logic or wisdom would prevent him from helping someone in need. But even if he did save one guard, what would happen next? They'd be in danger within the next minute. Mickey's heart beat with fear, cold sweat dripping from his fur. Is this where he was going to die? His guards, Pluto, he was even concerned for Pete – would all their lives be forfeit by forces they didn't understand? Would he die with no accomplishments to his name, a life that hadn't actually been lived? Was fate truly going to be so cruel?

Mickey tried to turn and stab at the same time, he lost his footing and fell onto his back, the sword sliding across the floor. The first beast pounced on him, Mickey felt his heart stop, his mind now so overwhelmed it shut down, refusing to work , refusing to acknowledge anything but incoming death, and he covered his head with his arms as if that would do any good – the monster raised its paw, ready to deal the final blow...

But instead was given one, as a long sword struck through its back – through the same symbol- and stuck out its belly. As Mickey stared it evaporated into ashes, and his savior slowly held up his blade, blowing off the dust. “Well then...” A country voice clicked its tongue. “Either this is the wildest birthday party I done ever got invited to, or I think you got some uninvited guests!”

There stood a lanky, tall, black-furred dog with long floppy ears and buck teeth as big as his innocent eyes. He was skinny as a pole, his clothes looking ready to fall off if he sneezed hard enough. He wore a giant puffy orange top, and his green pants sagged so much one could almost miss his orange and green stockings. He clicked his black shoes together, and scratched his head, nudging the green bandanna with orange spots that was wrapped around his skull. The color scheme was familiar to Mickey, as if he'd seen it a million times somewhere else, but the man himself was a stranger. He shrugged, and then offered a hand to Mickey, smiling pleasantly. “Up and at 'em!”

Mickey took the hand, but he shook as he spoke, still very much aware of the danger they were in. “Who are... How did you... What is...”

“Name's Goofy,” the man chirped, as chipper as if they were in paradise instead of pandemonium, “Just arrived, and I got as much of an idea about what's goin' on as you do.” Once Mickey was on his feet, Goofy let go to survey the damage being done. The guards had put up a valiant effort but they were all knocked over left and right. It was all they could do to keep from being ripped apart, using whatever weaponry they had left to put some distance between themselves and the monsters. Pete himself was heroically hiding behind a now beheaded statue of the Sultan. “Looks like the weak spot is them funny symbols. I heard of wearin' your heart on your sleeve before, but on your back? That's a new one. We might need a little bit of help.”

“The other guards won't be able to do a thing!” Mickey protested. “Look around, the ones we have don't stand a chance!” The only one who was successfully dodging the beasts was the carpet, flying high enough in the air that it could avoid most swipes and leaps – until the monsters began to pile on top of each other. Pluto snarled, trying to bite at any that came close enough.

Goofy continued to smile. “I'm sure they're doin' their best, but I kinda meant more a different sort of help.” He then stuck two fingers into his mouth, and whistled so high that even Pluto winced. He then counted to five, and that's when ten bullets shot through the throne doors – enough to make them fall over.

“WEEEEE ARE THE TWO CABALLEROOOOS!” The man behind the assault was a red rooster, singing at the top of his lungs as his silver guns smoked. His wicker sombrero was twice as big as his head, and his brown belt appeared to wrap around him in seven different ways with endless bullets of differing variety. He then frowned, and cocked his head. “No, no, that still doesn't sound right.” He then saluted, accidentally firing off one of his guns as he did so – Pete's hat now had a nice little hole and he had a nice little heart attack. “¡Mi capitán! At your service!”

Goofy waved at him. “Hurry on up, Panchito! Aim for the hearts, and find out how these things are gettin' in!”

“As you command! WE HAAAAVE THE STARS TO GUIIIDE US!” The eager bird jumped in the air, firing off several rounds with each joyful jump he made. Each shot hit the target, the heart-broken symbol, causing monsters to fall apart left and right. All the while he continued to come up with sillier and sillier lyrics – any guard that wasn't trying to fend for their own life stopped to stare, deeply grateful and deeply confused at the help that just arrived.

Mickey could barely comprehend what was happening in his own home. “Why is he singing while he's gunslinging?”

… Wait. Why did that sound familiar...?

But the rooster hadn't been alone. “I had so looked forward to seeing the legendary beauty, Scheherazade!” Now at the entrance was a green parrot, decked in pale fancy attire, the brim of his small hat tipped down. He puffed on a dying cigar, and he leaned on his black umbrella, lamenting his woes. “How can I go on? I will never know love again!” In seconds he noticed some of the fighting guards were female. “...What do you know, there it is! Eeeeeiiiii lindo, como você está?” He picked up his umbrella, and stuck his lit cigar on the top – within seconds, his entire umbrella was on fire, and with every swing of his arm it sent a flurry of flames towards his foes. “Out of the way, I have a date!” Pete dared to peek out from behind his hiding place – who were these weirdos and why were they arriving at the knick of time?

Goofy shrugged helplessly at the parrot's antics. “Sometimes I think that José does more charm than harm.”

Mickey balked – that was familiar too!

The last to arrive came as a duo, a  man and a woman, exasperated and exhausted. “Captain!” the lady cow shouted, her purple top soaked with sweat, a cowbell dangling around her neck, and her short leggings ready to fall down. “Why did you run off ahead of us again? We told you to cut that out! It's not a dynamic entrance if we go one at a time, now it just looks silly!”

“If he didn't listen to you before, what makes you think he's gunna do it now?” the male horse grumbled, adjusting his red bandanna so it would stop falling in front of his eyes. His long brown slacks almost passed his feet, and his blue shirt was ripped in three different places. “And great, we got monsters. I'd kill for a week, a single week, without seeing or hearing the word 'monsters'!”

“Oh, all you ever do is complain!”

“You were just complaining five seconds ago!”

“I wasn't complaining, I was giving a helpful suggestion!”

“If that's helpful, I'd hate to see harmful!”

As they argued with each other, a monster from each side jumped at them – but the horse launched one powerful fist, and the cow served up a hearty good kick, sending their attacks flying... and then they went back to arguing, the light glinting off the wedding bands on their fingers, a true killer couple.

Killer couple – yes, Mickey knew that too! Mickey stepped back as he surveyed what was really happening around him – these nutty strangers who were taking down all the beasts with ease, with bullets and fire and fists and kicks, singing and dancing and arguing, like they had done in the stories he'd heard so many times throughout his life. The monstrous numbers began to dwindle, but Mickey couldn't count – Goofy had suddenly lifted him before another beast could tackle him down. “If we could find out where that darn black hole came from...” Goofy tucked Mickey under one arm, and began to use his sword with the other. “In my experience,” he continued, slicing through each attacker and dodging every blow with precise footwork, “Those kinda things come from a source,” With every jump he flew, and during one fight, he tossed Mickey up, stabbed a beast to kill it, and then caught Mickey as he came down, “So if we find it, we're done!” It was all very heroic, dashing, and...impossible.

He couldn't be real. This couldn't be true. Mickey couldn't believe it, not even with all the signs in front of his face. It didn't make any sense. So he tried to shove away what he couldn't conceive, and stuck to what was happening right that second. Where the black hole came from – some kind of extra source – an addition to the room that hadn't been there before – something they couldn't see at their angle and height - “Pluto!” Mickey shouted over Goofy's shoulder. “Fetch, boy, fetch!”

Upon hearing the command, Pluto yipped and jumped from the carpet, bouncing on the floor and running around, trying to find something that had been dropped. He ducked and weaved around the bigger beasts until he found a ball! Ball good, ball fetch, ball give! He grabbed it with his teeth – it was cold and heavy, but Pluto could never give up when his master asked him anything. He then ran as fast as his four legs would take him towards his friend, and Mickey hopped out of Goofy's arms. “Give, Pluto, give!”

Pluto was more than happy to spit out the disgusting toy, and Goofy held his sword with two hands, slamming it down into the orb. The orb shattered instantly, breaking down into colorless glass, and with it, all the beasts fell apart and vanished, leaving dust and ash behind, with the portal itself dying last, swirling around and shrinking until it vanished completely.  Mickey slowly lifted his head to look at the man who had dealt the death blow, who was using his bandanna to wipe sweat off his brow.

Mickey swallowed, unable to fathom the words he was going to ask. “Are you... Are you really...” The legendary hero, the idol Mickey worshiped, the most famous fictional being in all of Sultana Scheherazade's tales, “Are you... Sinbad the Sailor?”

Goofy blinked twice as he put his sword back in its scabbard and began to tie his bandanna back on. “Huh? Oh, well, right, that's my birth name. Without the sailor part, a'course. I'd say I'm more of a pirate. But everyone calls me Goofy! Well, not everyone, but my friends do! And friends count for more than everyone, don't they? So think of me as Sinbad and Goofy! But more Goofy than Sinbad. But don't tell my mama that, she done named me after all, so to her, I'm more Sinbad than Goofy. But she's not here now, so I guess it's okay to just say Goofy! Goofy the Pirate!”

Mickey's mind blanked. His hero was not only real, but he was also a complete goofball. “Oh. Kay.” It was all he could utter. He needed time to process everything that happened and he had no idea how long that time would be. He had a feeling he wouldn't get it.

Goofy offered a hand to shake. “And who might you be?”

Mickey was still so bewildered that he didn't think before answering. “The Son of Scheherazade – No! I'm Mickey, I'm Prince Mickey!”

Now that got the crew's attention. “The Son of Scheherazade!” all four voices shouted at once, and in seconds Mickey lost all his personal space.

Panchito was rapidly shaking Mickey's right hand and speaking so fast the prince could barely make out a word. “So this is the famous son! This is an honor, a true honor, a real treat! I am Panchito Romero Miguel Junipero Francisco Quintero González The Third, but I insist you call me Panchito, for now we are more than friends! In the heat of battle, we are brothers! ¡Hermano a hermano!”

José was shaking Mickey's left hand and while he was going slower and calmer, it was just a different brand of lunacy. “José Carioca am I, and the honor is given to us all! I can't wait to hear all the stories you've cooked up in that little head of yours. Personally I favor stories of love and romance, but look who I'm talking to! I bet you've got enough girlfriends to line around the world twice! By the way, those lady guards, they are single, yes?”

“Awww, ain't he just the cutest little boy you ever done seen?” the cow was cooing, hands to her cheeks. “And look how small he is, he's travel-sized! Don't you just want to eat him up? I have to pinch those cheeks!”

“Clarabelle!” The horse tugged on Clarabelle's long black braid. “You don't pinch the cheeks of a prince! You gotta bow and curtsy! Ain't got no matters, you don't, ain't a single one!” He then cleared his throat and did a sweeping bow so low he nearly fell over. “Greetings, your highness! I am Horace Horsecollar, and this here is my wife, Clarabelle.”

Mickey could barely keep up with this flood, and when he found some control of his body he yanked his hands back. “H-Hold on a second!” He wanted to ask how they got here, why they were here, and about his mother, but what came out instead was, “Do you really have a magical flying ship?”

“Yup!” Goofy answered. “It rides on the wind, and as long as we know where we're going, it never has to stop!”

“D-did you really fight the living dead?”

“An oxymoron, but yes,” Horace sighed, as that wasn't a fond memory. “Took forever to get the smell out of our clothes.”

“Did you really-”

“WHO ARE YOU WEIRDOS AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!” Pete roared, having finally gotten over his shock. He stormed over, pushing the group away from Mickey, his teeth smashing together as he barked. “You... you guys are trespassing!”

“Guests can't be trespassers,” Goofy calmly replied. “Scheherazade invited me and my crew here to celebrate her son's birthday!”

Pete slowly pointed at Goofy, wondering how he was going to explain things to his shadowy superior. “You... you are the special guest she was going on about? That can't be right! Sinbad's made-up, he's just a story, he ain't real!”

Goofy blinked, and then poked his cheeks before nodding affirmatively. “I feel pretty real to me!”

Mickey tried to work his mouth and couldn't, all the questions in his brain fighting to see who would go next. This was what his mother was trying to admit? This was what she was trying to say before she - she – she was gone! “My parents!” Mickey exclaimed, remembering what had happened to his family. “They're gone! I... I don't know what happened, but they're gone!” He then turned to Pete, trying to get any forgotten details in. “You saw it too, didn't you? What happened to them?”

The guards that had begun picking themselves up began to approach the ragtag group, having their own questions. “Councilor, didn't you say the creatures took their lives?”

“Uhhh.”

“No they didn't!” Mickey ran to where the black hole once stood. “They got sucked into this... this... big dark thing! It was the same thing that popped out all those monsters! Pete, you saw it for yourself! They're still alive!”

“Uhhh.” Pete drew this one out longer, sweat rolling down his fur. “Right! Of course. Guess I just... got the details... jumbled up, because of how scary it was!”

“We have to find them!” Mickey turned back around, both his dog and now his carpet laying obediently at his feet. “I don't know where they are, but there was a reason it took them away instead of letting the monsters maul them!”

Goofy snapped his fingers, impressed. “That's smart thinkin', kiddo! Your parents must be held somewhere!” With that settled, he turned to his crew, hands on his hips. “All right, we've got a new adventure ahead of us! Let's head back to the ship and start planning!”

“Another adventure already?” Clarabelle groaned. “I thought we'd finally have a chance to kick back and relax...” But that was all the argument she put up, as she and the crew began to head for the demolished doors.

“W-wait!” Mickey shouted, running up and grabbing Goofy by the hand. “You have to let me come with you! I can't just stay here knowing my parents are in danger!”

Goofy tilted his head, giving this some thought. “But what about your kingdom? Without the Sultan and Sultana, someone's gotta rule in their place.”

Mickey fumbled for an idea, and then turned to gesture at Pete. “You! Councilor! I'm officially putting you in charge until Ma and Pa are home!”

Pete opened his mouth, and then closed it. Had luck finally decided to grace him? “Uh-I-of course!” He grinned, rubbing his hands together. “That's a great idea! You should go and look for your parents.” And hopefully die along the way. “I'll stay here and keep the throne warm until you get back. Take the kid, I'm sure he's good for something!”

“I dunno.” Horace frowned, looking Mickey up and down. “What can you bring to the table?”

“I...” Mickey trailed off. What could he do that the others couldn't? He barely knew how to fight, he couldn't plan, and he had no clues about the outside world. Harsh reality told Mickey that he'd be nothing more than a burden. “I don't... I can't...”

“Didn't think so.” Horace clicked his tongue, and then gently pushed his wife along. “We'd better start charting our next location on the map, get new supplies and all.”

Mickey stared as the crew began to resume their walk, treating this next adventure like it was merely another day in their life. Goofy kept glancing back, as if waiting for something. Mickey's hands clenched up into fists. All his life, he'd never felt something like this burning in his chest. It built, and strengthened, and for once Mickey refused to merely sit there licking his wounds. He wouldn't sit back in the shadows anymore. This was his life, and he was going to live it.

“I AM PRINCE MICKEY, SON OF SCHEHERAZADE!” he suddenly shouted as hard as he could, making everyone around him stop in place. “I DEMAND TO BE TAKEN ABOARD THIS INSTANT!” He couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten this angry, this determined, and he refused to back down. He'd sneak aboard if he had to, he'd threaten if he had to – his parents were in unspeakable danger, and he was not going to be cast aside, not this time!

That's when Goofy slapped him on the shoulder. “There we go! That's all we needed to hear!”

Mickey's anger was snuffed out like a candle hitting the water. “What?”

“We don't take on anyone who doesn't have spirit!” Goofy slapped him again, moving Mickey along. “Now you can join us! Welcome to the crew!”

“A son's love for his family...” Panchito looked ready to weep. “Is there anything more touching?”

José offered Panchito a tissue. “A quest to save a beautiful woman! I think I could die happy. But I'd prefer not to die.”

“Who knows, this might come in handy!” Clarabelle approached the rug that now lay still on the floor and rolled it up.

“Sorry about the little jab,” Horace gave a thumbs up. “But it's like the Captain says – you wanna sail, you gotta have spirit!”

Mickey looked from one happy face to another, momentarily astonished that they all were so happy to have him along – until he realized it was only because he was the son of Scheherazade. Of course, that's how it always was. “I guess... you all must know my Ma pretty well, huh?”

“Nope,” said Panchito.

“Never met her,” said José .

“Same here,” said Clarabelle.

“Ditto,” said Horace.

“Just met her the once,” Goofy finished, shrugging. “And that was a real long time ago. Come to think of it, I dunno how she knew where I was when she sent that invitation, since I'm always sailing the skies.”

Mickey blinked slowly. Something wasn't adding up. “Wait...if she never met you guys, how did she know about all your adventures, and who you are? How did she know where Goofy would be? And why did she let us all think you were all made-up stories?”

Silence fell over the crowd, not having a single answer to any of his questions. The only thing Mickey could conclude was that whatever his mother had been about to confess, it wasn't just about her stories. Did it have something to do with why and how she and his father were snatched away?

Goofy huffed, and then clapped his hands. “Welp! We're not gunna find out by just standing here! We gotta head to the ship and set out for supplies before we hit the road! Or the sand. Or the clouds. Panchito, get out all of our maps!”

Panchito saluted. “You can always count on  Panchito Romero Miguel Junipero Francisco Quintero González The Third! YOU'LL FIND ME BENEATH MY SOMBREROOOOO!” He shot off like a bullet, his songs bouncing with every hot step he took.

“José, set a course for the city of Mawarid!”

José tipped his hat. “I won't let a single pretty face slow me down.” he twirled his umbrella, which was as perfectly normal as before, and set off with a hum.

“Clarabelle, Horace, take stock of our inventory!”

Clarabelle heaved the rolled-up rug onto her shoulder. “That reminds me, my birthday is coming up! You all better get me something nice!”

“Your birthday isn't for another eight months!” Horace snapped, and another argument brewed as they walked, each step a new debate.

Goofy stuck his hands into his pockets and walked on, each step slow and careful so he wouldn't trip. “Mind if I put you in charge of the crow's nest for the day, Mickey?”

Mickey stopped, and looked at Goofy. “What... what did you call me?”

Goofy glanced back at him with a raised eyebrow. “Mickey. That's your name, ain't it?”

Today had been terrible – Mickey's parents were prisoners somewhere, he had to leave his beloved home, and past the palace was a world full of unknown dangers and consequences. On top of all that, his mother, his loving and wise mother, had been keeping secrets from him and the kingdom.

Yet despite all that, Mickey began to smile. Yes, that was his name. “Y-Yeah., He stammered, the smile threatening to cover his whole face. “Yeah! That's my name! Mickey!” His breath came quicker, exhilaration running through his body. Here was his chance to earn his name, to earn his own story and legend. He turned back to take one last look at his people – his guards were bowing low, quietly wishing him luck on the journey, and Pete kept grinning, looking fairly pleased at how events were turning out. Pluto was wagging his tail, Mickey's scimitar still in its mouth.

Mickey gently took the weapon from the dog, twirling it around once. He didn't know if he was ready for such an epic task before him, but he was too excited to care.

A journey to a dangerous place, madcap characters, mystery around every corner – it had every making of one of his mother's stories. But now this was his story.

“This is a new chapter – let's get started!”

[tdrcycle09]

Main Challenge #8 - Suspecting a Clue?

This week, the girls were guilty for being sickening inspirations of the suspects from the iconic board game Clue/do! Let’s see how well the girls did!

Analyse Thropic | Proffessor Plum

Prof. Patricia Plum didn’t expect murder to be on the agenda at tonight’s dinner party, but at least she brought gloves to cover up those red hands. She’s head of the art history department at the local uni and has for years been using her immense knowledge of art to create counterfeit paintings that sell for millions. Of course, she enjoys the other perks of her position… countless numbers of desperate academics beneath her, and sometimes on top of her. Someone at the dinner party is going to expose Plum’s fraud and affairs, so she takes matters into her own hands.

For this look, I took inspiration from the game piece color for Prof. Plum and created a look in purples with a silhouette inspired by the late 40s and early 50s, specifically the Dior “New Look” with a cinched waist, accented bust, and wide hips with a long pleated skirt. I was worried about this skirt, because I knew I was going to have to make it, and it was my first time working with a non-stretch fabric, creating pleats, and installing a zipper, but hey, it stayed on! I liked the character of Prof. Plum, because if you look at the Clue(do) canon, there are so many varying backstories that I decided to just create my own of the promiscuous and corrupt art history professor.

Lila:  You had a great start to the week with your ideas for the challenge, then you kind of panicked and it kind of affects your work when you panic, trust and believe. There are certain elements of this costume that are really beautiful, I love your skirt, really shocked that again, 5 months back you hadn’t touched a sewing machine in your life. It’s probably the closest to the New Look style you were going for, and the gloves aren’t killing me anytime soon either. Your makeup is quite stunning, I appreciate the kind of shift to try and do a more natural look since judges start to nag and beckon you to try something different with your makeup and it’s looking really refined. My biggest upset is that you chose to not use a hat - like, point one, hair that sits laying low and long it’s not cute if you don’t have a feature of a hat or turn it into an updo - like I started to cut out hats from magazines and placed them over your images on the screen to try and make it look better and honestly, adding something like that would’ve really, *really* tighten this together. I’m also hella upset that you used a cardigan - like unless it’s lazy drag for a mini challenge or if you’re going out as a joke and you bought this one crochet dress for like two dollars, really I frown upon cardigans in main challenges. Your monologue was okay, I wish you didn’t put a harsh filter of police lights over it and did have the camera on a tripod or something, the Trisha Paytas hasn’t left you from last week it seems. I think it’s just that since there’s 6 of you left, we’re wanting to hone down on the competition and get you guys to really touch base as soon as the challenge starts - have 3 ideas going into the challenge at LEAST. Remember, you won the first mini challenge regarding concepts and we don’t care if you can’t draw, it’s better than having a wall of text giving us a looser depiction of your concept than Toni’s donut hole. Overall, this was an okay job, Analyse - you’ve shown us that you can do great in look challenges, but unfortunately this one was a miss.

Gluttoni:  Anal, I’d definitely eat your plum. You look extremely beautiful in these hues of purple and I’m gagged your sewed this full, beautiful skirt. I totally understand the subtlety you tried to provide but nothing about this look is awe-inspiring. I just think you could have really took it there with more accents and accessories. You of course look great as blonde but I’m going need to see more control regarding your lace line in the future. I like the really blended, simple smokey eye but I honestly just want more detailing from you. (Break out that clon white for that brow bone henny!) Coming off of your last win, I’ve just come to expect more from you.  Give me more.

Letha:  Analyse, for someone who hasn't made a pleated skirt before, you seem do have done quite well! I'm just a bit pressed how you ended up covering the best part of the skirt with that frumpy cardigan. It spills over the cinched waist and does very little for your shape. The lines for the New Look had to be very clean and structured, and I'm just not getting that with this look. The cardigan just isn't fitted enough, and the sleeves could have been rolled flatter/neater if you didn't want to cut/hem them. I love the overall color scheme, and the pop of the red lip was a nice touch (God, if this wasn't the week for a red lip, idk what would be). The makeup is softer and smokier, which I obviously resonate with, and I quite like it. The lip shape is fun too, watch the messiness of the lines, though. I will say I don't like the nose very much, you were going for a button nose I think, but made the button too low and it just looks off. The hair is OKAY, like it's a good color and I'm sure the bag you popped it out of was nice, but it's not blowing me away. Having the hair so simple could have been saved by a nice purple hat, but it's just a bit bare up top. The monologue wasn't my favorite either. It could have been camped up a bit more, knowing you, and it felt like you were holding back. All in all, I feel like this wasn't your best week.

Toni: Lets just address the elephant in the room, this look isn’t everything it could have been and is below your standard look wise. I really like things about it, the glasses, jewerly, skirt, gloves, but the top really comes in and kinda dumbs everything down for me. I think had there been maybe some jewels on the buttons or something to make them more defined as well as maybe a collar to accent the  top and make it a bit more formal dress (because you are a professor). I also would have loved to see a big hat with feathers and flowers to really help even out the shape of the skirt. Onto the video I thought it was really funny with a nice twist at the end but my only complaint is the way you filmed it seemed messy and very much like a Trisha video but not in a good way. Step it up babe!

Cyber:I LOVE this costume Analyse but the overall look feels unbalanced to me.  I wish that you had an extravagant hat to match your skirt or had gone with an updo instead of just wearing your hair down.  Your monologue, however, was fantastic and had me ROLLING.  Wonderful job this week!

Travisty: Analyse,this puffy skirt works so very well for your character!,it's such a shame to see it paired with that cardigan which I feel really pulls the whole overall look down,it's kinda dated but the rest of your character gives me allot more glamourous vibes. Your monologue however was one of the more memorable ones, it gave me genuine Chris Crocker vibes in all the right ways,with just a nice pinch of comedy in there at the end well done.

Avana Noir | Mrs. White

hey bitches, THAT BITCH TONI HAD IT COMING, long story short, i got mrs white as my character and i wanted to base of her from the movie and during the 1940's. i wanted to go for this elegance gown, which is totes not in my style of clothing BUT it worked! i also like added stones and fur to my gloves and of course my dress. i honestly live for this and hope you do to! I CINCHED TO ( sorry no padding :c )  SO IF I SEE " where yo bod" ima fight all of y'all. thank you so much for literally everything <3 thank you ( p.s- idk who's wig this is, never heard of her)

Lila:  Remember when I said I nearly lost all hope in you last week? Hope RESTORED. The elements of this outfit surely come together in a way that puts Mrs. White in tandem with the version from the film Clue rather than the board game which is fine with me. The accented fur really screams Mrs. White while the styling from your face to your hat and hair shape scream Mrs. White but from the film. Just for future reference, if the bottom hem of your dress is hitting your ankle, you need to either change your shoe height or, in this case, tack on a piece of fur to the bottom to give it that extra-ness of it all. I feel like we’re never gonna get you with a piece of hair that fits, which is why I’m bringing it up constantly. You need to start messaging us about hair because now that it factors in more scoring points than in previous weeks you’ve gotta hone in on areas that you’re not used to doing. I get you on the hair part, hair is usually a last thought for me if I wasn’t planning a look in a sketchbook or anything, but since the first things I draw are the face and the hair, that should be the first thing or essentially the biggest thing that should strike you in the next look challenges. You and your friend are like Yolanda Gamp and her friend (she makes cakes on YouTube and the two together are like the most hilarious thing ever) but it doesn’t help when you try to give a dramatic monologue and we hear snickers and cackling. Please consider this every time you record, because I know your friend does a lot of recording and stuff for you so if we hear cackling and sniffling over your voice it’s like “Oh my god, there’s a ghost in her house that doesn’t want her to win this challenge”. Overall, I loved your look this week, good job!

Gluttoni: Avana, GUUURRRLLL! This is by far the best I’ve ever seen you look. Hands down! You makeup has improved immensely and now I’m seeing what a beauty you are. The eyes are blended well, the contour and lips are right! Keep on flourishing for the world to see because I definitely notice the growth now. The accents to the outfit work really well and  the silhouette is pretty spot on. Remember gowns should hit the floor.  Avana we getting close to the finish line so homie I need you to end this out strongly so don’t doubt yourself and fucking push it. Otherwise you really put on a show for us all this week.

Letha:  Avana! So from the tits up, I really like the look (though contouring on some tiddies would help sell the body a bit more). The hat is great and the makeup is pretty good too. I like the idea of the bob hair cut, it's very Mrs. White from the movie as well, but when you wear a bob it had better be PERFECT, with some freeze spray holding those hairs in the exact shape, but this one needed a bit more of a brush before calling her done. I like the idea of the fur trim on the top of the dress, but looks a bit sloppy on the gloves and could have been smaller and neater, but the black dress itself is quite lackluster for me. If it's going to be as simple as a black dress, I needed some SHAPE, as in cinching and padding. The current shape now is okay, but I'm just not terribly struck by it. The length looks to be about right, though. The monologue fell apart a bit for me, you repeated yourself a lot and it seems as if you aren't really committing, even for the short time of the monologue. All in all, it's okay.

Toni: I really love this look on you! I think it is very on par with Mrs.white as a character and it’s very fitting for the time period you picked. I would have loved to see this with a more dramatic shape (bigger boobs, hips, chinched) as well as maybe with your arms shaved girl. I think that the gloves would have been perfect had they been pushed down a little. Onto the performance it was very cute and campy but seemed very… unthought out, kinda like your were improvising it as you filmed. I think if you had a script you went over a few times and had kept your friend from laughing it would have made your video so much better.  You need to work on fine tuning things to be a bit more polished.

Cyber:This is a beautiful costume, Avana, and I especially love the fur trim.  I wish you'd have incorporated some white onto your hat and the bottom of your dress to add more balance but, overall, the look is great!  The purple hair did feel out of place to me, though, and I would have gone with a black or white to complete your theme.  I felt like the first half of your monologue was great but the second half felt like you lost control of your character.  The background noise really drew me out of following your performance this week as well.

Travisty:  Im kinda pleased to see that you decided to not go full on over the top white for your character,it's a tricky one as full white with a fur can sometimes look cheap if it’s not done correctly,the neckline you have cut into the fur here really suits you!.in your monologue I felt detached and the mild focus on your pearls and jewelry was a bit confusing I felt like had you worn a more elaborate necklace to match the stoned gloves then it would of really pulled the look off allot more, I actually really enjoyed watching your monologue.however had it been less of a strange blur of serious and comedic and had you avoided looking away from the camera then it would've felt much smoother.

Lexi Lamour | Miss Scarlet

Yeah, that's right! It was I, Miss Scarlet, who killed Lila and Mr. Millesime! With a candlestick! In the lounge! After she found out I was the one who killed her husband I just couldn't let her rat me out. So....I took my chance and offed her after the dinner party had dispersed. I stayed behind after the guests were released from the dinner party because I knew Lila was on to me. I attacked her and as she tried to crawl away I followed her and finished her off before she could tell and confessed to murdering poor Mr. Millesime. He caught on to the fact that I wanted the crown. It's just a shame Lila got caught up in the mix. Hi, Judges! I picked Miss Scarlet for myself because I wanted to show a red look...and I felt more of a vibe from this character....it helps that she's always the first player/character to go in the game, *wink*. I was inspired by the 30's sample looks Lila shared with us and the fact that shes described as a young, cunning, and highly attractive femme fatale... So, I went with an old hollywood gown and a headpiece to match on top of a classic short and dark finger wave hairstyle....like a young HollyWood starlet. For the makeup I went soft and feminine much of the time period. For my confession video...I took it from a different point of view. The camera angle is from that of poor Lila as she lay dying. I thought it would be interesting to have the killer coming out of the shadows. Like an "Oh my goodness! Who is coming? Who is the killer?!" kind of feel. I wanted it to be more of a creepy scene/story and not just confessing into a camera. I'm crazy in love with my concept and look this week and this is by far my favorite thing I've done.

Lila:  From what you told us, you were going to do this wide sleeved, fitted silhouette inspired by Claudette Colbert, a more classic touch which I see elements from, but like to the tune of Lexi - some people got caught up in the option of dressing for a character, while you stayed true to your own character and said “what Lexi would look like if ….” which I commend. This is such an alluring look in the essence that you have all red everything - and had the black hair to contrast with it. The fascinator is such a nice touch and really adds high drama to the outfit. The pulling back on giving colour to your cheeks a la blush was a smart decision in this concept - there’s a lot of red everywhere else so you didn’t wanna look like a mascot for like, strawberry yoghurt of something, which I commend you for. On the topic of makeup, your nose is starting to get a little bit wider - always reference what I consider your strongest week for makeup - your Pokemon Leader week - and be like “okay, I’m gonna do this with the eye, and then pull the lips out into a more Fay-Baker look” just for when you pair looks with your makeup. Your monologue was okay, it wasn’t gagworthy in terms of acting and I think you need to remind yourself to have fun with it - You managed to cinch a win in acting before and with you being a bit of an overthinker, you have to say “I’m gonna have fun with this, I’m gonna deliver and snatch their attention”. Overall, I loved you this week, great job!

Gluttoni:  What a fucking starlet you are Lexi. I’m gonna keep this short and brief because you completely slayed this. I love the headpiece but maybe would have simplified it a little since the gown is so grand . So grand that I’m making something extremely similar to this but then again great minds think alike. The short hair was a perfect choice to complete this very grand dame look and the red is very very stunning. Definitely a trigger color of mine. My only advice I could give is get warm toned bronzer to even out the gray of your contour and a better chest contour would be amazing with this neck line. Beautiful work as always though Lex.

Letha:  Lexiiiiiii, I hate to use the "s" word, but I cant help it. I'm shook. It's a classical, striking silhouette, and when you chose Miss Scarlet, you really went for it. It's truly stunning. I also really love the headpiece, it's a focal point for the outfit an it wasn't overdone. I love how the makeup is scaled back to let the outfit shine, except for the pop of red (I'm also digging your lip shape this week, it's concealing the natural lip line a bit better, in my opinion. The monologue was also quite good, I loved the bit at the end. It was less confessional style and a bit more "found footage PoV" but it still really worked. I really don't have too much to say this week because it was honestly so good. Fantastic job this week!

Toni: I’m glad someone has got their fire back because… you’re red hot! I really do adore this look and I don’t think I have any complaints about it (although the cape could be held on in a better fashion) I do wish there was a pendant necklace like gaga had when she wore that beautiful silver gown. The makeup is stunning, i’m glad you fixed your lips for this week, jut watch the nose contour. I really like that you took your video in a direction that no one else thought of, it was creative and really stood out. Good job this week.

Cyber: B I C T H.  This costume is absolutely gorgeous and I'd like one in every color.  THIS is the Lexi that won three weeks in a row.  I really don't have much constructive criticism for you other than I wish your eyes were smoked out a bit more and your lips maybe a tad more defined (with a darker red).  As for your monologue I'm honestly in the same boat.  I literally had to pause about two seconds in because you came ready with an INTRO which caught me entirely off guard.  You brought back the excellence this week and really hit me with that candlestick - wonderful job!

Travisty:  YES.I really do love this outfit and your makeup is so well balanced with it, it's so dramatic while avoiding being too costumey, your monologue was nicely shot with a great idea however I feel like the execution wasn't as strong as you can be, but I got more of a sense of your character from the runway which was really nice to see. Overall I really enjoyed this look had your monologue not brought you down slightly I would of loved the whole shazam!

Marcella Fox | Colonel Mustard

Hello Judges! This week I was given Colonel Mustard for my inspiration. For my chosen vintage era, I took inspiration from 1940’s formal-wear, and put together a look befitting of both my Cluedo character and the time period. As some of you know, even just finding stuff the right colour was a task and a half for me this week! But I scrambled in charity shops and borrowed from friends, and this is what I came up with! The resulting look borrows from both male and female formal attire from the 40’s - The blazer in particular I felt alluded to Colonel Mustard’s hunting outfit, so I added a couple of pheasant feathers to match. The hair and sunglasses are very vintage-looking, and I put on some lace gloves to go with the skirt and class it up a bit. I tried to evoke the era in my make-up as well, with an understated but plump burgundy lip, and rounded, slightly smokey eyes. Overall I’m pleased with the result, it’s definitely the best I could manage under the circumstances.

Lila:  From the get go, I knew it’d be a struggle for you. After telling us how much yellow you could find I was ready to run down to Derby and throw dresses at you, honestly. But like, I didn’t have to - because you, once again, delivered one HELL of a strong look here, honestly. You kind of prove that you don’t have to have such a strong, bright ass colour to be like “look, I’m Colonel Mustard, bang bang you ded” and to be honest, you played with just the right amount of colour to sell to us your character. I see Bette Davis and Marlene Dietrich in this look, really strong bad ass women who would start fucking riots to get what they want and what they deserve. I love how there’s an element of Noire in your choice of undergarments, the hints of black in your look really make the yellows not only pop but also give this look a hell of a lot of power. Your monologue, you’re always gonna be one of the better actresses of the bunch, no doubt about that - I would’ve done more of a shrieking yell about killing someone, you seemed quite timid at first when you admitted to it. I think between this, your Art week, and your Gym Leader week, this has got to be your best look to date. Great Job!

Gluttoni:  Marcella. You by far had my favorite monologue of the bunch because you were well spoken and clear in your intention as that really put you over the edge for me. You just come of as very charming and I think that will take you very far in the drag. Your loo was pretty stellar for me because you give off the essence of an old Hollywood actress with the talent to really back it up. I feel like I say this to you often but I honestly don’t have any critiques but I do have a challenge for you doll. Next week I want to see a adventurous look and mug to match. Take me to another world henny. Amazing work from you this week.

Letha: Miss Marcella Mustard! This look is once again, fashion. It's simple but striking, a bit like how you struck Antonina with your little yellow car. You were given a very hard color/character, in my opinion, but made it work for you. The hair and lips add the perfect pops of color and compliment the look. The beat and hair style are stunning, no complaints from me. The accessories are nice, but I do feel that the feathers on the shoulder compete with your hair a bit (I feel like putting them on a little hat/fascinator would have worked, especially for this week). The elements of black help to ground the look and make it more cohesive, and the gloves are a nice touch (especially because we know your thoughts on nails). You video was very noire, the filter added a lot, and was well acted, so props on that. Great job this week!

Toni: This is honestly the most stunning you’ve ever looked. The makeup is just really feminine and classically beautiful. The hair is styled so it really highlights your face and gives you a nice shape. I really love the way you’ve styled the jacket and under it because it reads a bit masculine and really fits your character while still being drag. I think the skirt throws me off a little but I’m not really mad at it. I think my only complaint for the look would have been to take off the gloves or the tights and show a little skin just to break up the black. I really enjoyed your video I think it was funny, but still gave us realistic old hollywood vibes which I really enjoyed. Good job this week.

Cyber:Marcella you are SO beautiful and this look is screaming Bette Davis at me.  I honestly want to snatch this hair from you.  Something about the jacket and dress clash for me but, overall, I really do love this look and think it  was well executed.  Your monologue was also one of my favorites this week and I thought everything from your scripting to your presentation and acting were on point - great job, darling!

Travisty: This character got me completely involved with the monologue I love it,you really brought it to life  right down to your eye makeup the hints of colonel mustard were subtle but executed strongly enough to make it work, had you went full on mustard everything it could of been difficult to love and take seriously so well done, this hair is also perfect for your character and  just adds to it all. Your runway was a great introduction to the mannerisms and ect. You really made that walk say allot about you, this was really strong well done!

Phoebe St. Jefferson | Reverand/Mr. Green

Hi judges! This week I got Mr Green, a fat balding priest and i made him into a sexy woman. She is on the town ready to spread the word of jesus christ. She may only be a house wife, but she is ready to take on the world. She is loving life in 1935 June but also October in New York, just between monday and friday after noon but also just in time to see the sunrise before lunch. She just wanted something simple, but extravagent, something a little old, but brand new, but made to look old, but also made by hand, last summer 1942.

For my dress I got this cute thing from a thrift shop. I thought it fit in my era and was really cute. I wore gloves and jewels. For my hat I couldnt find one that fit so I said fuck it and made it myself. I used carboard and fabric and lot of hot glue. I like it but its already falling apart lol. I also made a cross necklace to finish off my character and used a book i bought for school but never read to use as a bible. My confession makes no sense but I thought it was kind of funny.

Lila: All these outfits so far have been so strong and yours is no different! Your pairing with black this week works really nicely and it’s nicer to see your hair up rather than it being down. I love your silhouette, I do wish there was some sort of petticoat underneath the skirt to give it more of a flare out, however I digress. The things that are bringing you down this week are your monologue and your makeup. A nude lip would’ve have done miles more better than a red lip for this look, in my opinion. The red’s just not doing anything for me, and I feel as if you’re doing your lips with just lipstick rather than using a liner to sketch out the shape before you overdraw them. Your eyebrows look amazing here, and your eye makeup too, so when you give us precision like you have with those elements, try to translate that precision with your lips too. For your monologue, I mean, it’s getting lost in translation with how scared you look and feel on camera. You need to hone in on your audition tape again, look at yourself talking and making jokes, because you are a funny queen, it just doesn’t translate when you’re given the prompt to be funny or act. It’s such a difficult thing to learn to translate jokes or acting into something that you don’t normally do to be funny, but this competition either makes or breaks that type of person. If this week was an earlier week, say Top 10 or 9, it would’ve been a good week, but since we’re down to just 6, it’s getting tougher and tougher to choose where people stand.

Gluttoni:  You were mint to be in this competition Phoebe ! Hah get it? But seriously I’m so astonished with the strides you are making in your drag. This probably my favorite face you’ve ever done and you look beautiful. The look is very fitting and your monologue was fairly decent but I’m just vying for more from you. Nothing about this submission really stands out and with strong competitors in the competition I fear for you. Show everyone you are here to win because with the strong work ethic that you have I Know you can totally pull through.

Letha:  Pheebs! I actually quite like this look. You picked a character and really stuck with it throughout your whole creative process. The coat/dress thingie was a PERFECT thrifting find, and I think it really makes your look. Any more green would have been a bit garish for me, considering the brief you were given, so having the rest of the look be black was a smart choice. For your makeup, I will say I really enjoy this eye shape on you, but your nose contour is a bit muddy and ill-defined, and your cheek contour starts too low (a good rule of thumb is to start where the top of your ear connects to your head, maybe a bit lower than that but not much, yours is starting at the bottom of your ear). The red lip makes sense as it compliments green, but the top/bottom lips are a bit not proportional, as the top one is a LOT bigger than the bottom, so I would work on getting them a bit more even. As for the video, it went a bit off the rails into kooky-land and didn't make the MOST sense, but it was cute (also, thanks for killing me, bitch). Overall, good job!

Toni:I really love the way this is styled and the way it lays on your body. I think breaking up the green wass a smart move because it does look as if ti was a wall of green. I think if you had a bit more padding in the breast the top part would look more filled out while still allowing it to drape. I think  makeup wise you could have thinned your nose out a bit more and made your lips a bit cleaner (maybe giving ti a more cupid bow shape), but I do fine the eyes very striking and In a good way. Your video was a very cute start but I felt that to the end it shook the boat a bit too much and became a bit lost over all. 

Cyber: I'm kind of in love with this dress, Phoebe, and the overall presentation of your character was very cute!  Unfortuantely I feel like, compared to the other girls, you didn't quite give us enough oomph to really shine in the overcast of their shadows.  The idea behind your monologue was honestly very solid but the delivery didn't quite sell it to me.  There were a few words you tripped over and I didn't ever really believe anything you were saying.  You have to make sure to commit yourself 100% when you're playing off a character or it has a great chance to fall flat to those around you.  Compared to week three when I last saw you tackle a character role you felt much more held back for me.

Travisty:  I  really like how you've thought alot about who your character is and this really shows, does it show quite enough to stop you from being kinda overshadowed by the other girls? Sadly Maybe not. The runway felt a bit disjointed and at times had too much going on that sadly didn't actually help me understand more about your character and just kinda felt like you were doing these movements and actions just to fill time.your monologue however did have a really strong idea behind it and it would've been nice to see this almost campaign like “kill your husbands” idea start much sooner in the clip as this could of been developed much further , however Im pleased to see you took my advice on your makeup it's made your face look allot more balanced.

Sugar Monroe | Mrs. Peacock

Hiiiieeee! So, I was assigned Mrs. Peacock and I chose to give you 50’s Peacock dinner party realness. From the hair, to the fur stole, to the poodle skirt inspired tulle skirt, this look is my interpretation of Mrs. Peacock in the 50’s. Enjoy. :)

Lila: When you do empire waists with the skirt and short sleeve, ALWAYS LOOK AT THIS FOR REFERENCE - because this is STELLAR. Your styling this week is so impeccable and you gave this like renaissance to a character while staying true to yourself. Really, the hair makes or breaks your looks with the silhouettes like this - I enjoy this so much. While my pet peeve is that your blues here are holographic, having that tinge of green and silver making them really off kilter and making me go “huh?”, I look at the peacock feathers placed in your hair and go “OH.” because they are the sort of colours to come out of that variation of feather and it’s just, UGH. Sugar, you make me so proud that this uphill battle of you trying to fight critiques saying your pedestrian and fighting that uphill battle of the competition is slowly starting to benefit you so much, like it’s so impressive. Your makeup, holy shit - like this is your best by far. You literally look like a painted porcelain doll and it’s like I’m looking at visual art. My only critique is that, point A, your black bodice is looking more like an undergarment, billow up more of the stole to douse your blouse (cackles) in glorious white fur, and point B, your monologue had an instance of when you hesitated and nearly broke out of your character when you paused before saying “Fucking stabbed her” because your little transatlantic accent was quivering, take care to rehearse it with the accent or shoot twice incase it happens again. Overall, great work this week!

Gluttoni:  SUGAR. You look incredibly stunning and honestly the best you’ve ever looked. This is a fantastic look if I’m honest. I love the metallic aspects along with that glorious hair. Can’t say you’re holding back anymore but I was underwhelmed by your characterization and confession. That isn’t to say you did badly thould but it's such a tight race at this point. Sugar give these last weeks your all.

Letha: Hey Sugar! So, what I like about this look. I love the hair, it's perfectly coiffed, and I love the makeup, the color story makes sense with your character. The props and accessories are also a nice touch (I did notice the feather wasn't in your pictures, but was in your videos, so maybe some difficulties arose with it).  As for the outfit, between the stole and your silhouette, the shape gets a bit lost, and there isn't really enough COLOR for a character named Mrs. Peacock, in my opinion. I wish the tulle skirt had some more blue in it, because both the light pink skirt and the lighter colored stole really dominate the look and make it sort of blah to look at. I think even adding that same trim around the bottom of the skirt that you used to make the stripe at the waist would have been cool, or even some appliques, like a real poodle skirt. When it came to the video, the joke was there, but it got a bit repetitive (you said the P-word a LOT), and the accent was pretty inconsistent. Overall, I really do see your growth and improvement since we started together, but knowing what you had to work with, you could have done more.

Toni: Girl that hair slays my gay ass, it’s so beautifully sculpted and first your character so well, and I love that you added a bit of peacock feather to it. I have really mixed feelings about this look, because on one hand I really like it, but on the other hand It doesn’t really read peacock at all. I think if you had done a full skirt in a green or blue it would have really rounded out the look to show us who you were, without totally changing the imagine you had planned. The eyes and lips are both very very stunning but I do think you could have blended your highlight and contour a bit more so there aren’t such harsh lines. Also ima just throw a clock at that arm hair cause she wasn’t invited to lilas clue party ;). I think performance wise it was cute, and well acted but there is a bunch of background noise that really distracted from the performance itself overall I think you really need to focus on fine tuning ideas so that they come out flawlessly.

Cyber: THIS HAIR BITCH.  But for me that was really the only big standout about this costume.  I love it, absolutely, but aside from a few pops of teal and a feather in your hair it didn't scream "Mrs. Peacock" to me.  However I LOVED your monologue this week.  Though your accent was... suspicious... your delivery was spot on and your absolutely expressionless face until the giggle at the end was absolutely perfect.  The only thing that ruined it for me was the background noise - it made it very hard to concentrate on your performance and, similarly to Avana, it really drew me out of it.

Travisty:  Your hair is amazing and perfect era wise,I adore the subtle hints of peacock that arent overpowering but certainly help deliver your character and pairs with your makeup really well, your runway however felt a little dead behind the eyes and did not evoke any emotion likewise with your monologue, however it was well executed  just somewhat emotionless, I feel like if this was intentional in order to show that you really didn't care less that you killed her, then this could of been made more obvious with facial expression and avoiding glancing off camera as this can make things less believable and often disconnects the viewer, I genuinely really love your contour here though, impressive look just a few letdowns that could have been avoided in pulling you down.

[gwynne-fics]

[Twisted to a Fault Chapter 93 — banner by mrshobbes]

Lexi has made me lovely banners for some of the chapters. She’s complied them all for us. Please take a look! They are fabulous and she is amazing!

Twisted to a Fault Master List

Chapter 93: 2195 words

=====

By the time lunch came around, Rachel had three more looks to give to her team for critique when she went into work tomorrow morning. Not even the obscenely early morning run with Young-Do could dampen her mood. He was much too cheerful in the mornings. At least she had access to his private gym so she could run without other people listening to her grunt into her handsfree device.

Hyo-Shin set down her favorite smoothie before he took the seat next to her. “You look happy. I hope it is product of last night.” He handed her a piece of paper. “I could probably just email it to you, but I was bored in one of my pre-law classes this morning.”

Rachel eagerly took the list of movies and skimmed it. She raised her eyebrows. “These are mostly independent films. I don’t have that refined of taste.”

“It’s mostly been Bo-Na and I picking. Chan-Young and Eun-Sang listen to her. Ye-Sol and Myung-Soo always text me for advice. Every once in a while, Eun-Sang throws a horror movie in at us and we don’t sleep for a week.” He smiled as he lazily leaned back in his chair. “We’re open to new ideas.”

“You don’t have a single action thriller or romantic comedy on here. It’s all art films to make you think or…movies with Mega Entertainment talent. You didn’t notice that Bo-Na was doing clandestine research on you?”

Hyo-Shin laughed and sipped at his drink. “Of course, I did. We all did. No one likes to call out Bo-Na. She pouts and whines and it’s adorable only to her boyfriend. We’re a finely tuned ecosystem but we’re stuck in a rut and I don’t want to tell Eun-Sang that she can’t pick another slasher film. I assumed you had better taste than that.”

Rachel pursed her lips. “I like action movies.”

“Then pick one. Rachel, don’t try too hard to please all of us. Just pick what you like, from the snacks to the drinks to the movie. We’re your friends. That allows you some leeway. We’re also new at being friends, which means, at the very least, we’ll be polite.”

And talk about her behind her back. Bile briefly rose up in her throat as Rachel remembered the hundreds of conversations she’d overheard about her in bathrooms or around corners. Ye-Sol had some very nasty things to say and while Rachel knew she deserved some of them, it hurt to listen to Bo-Na agree that she was the worst girl in existence. Until her stupid engagement to Tan, she and Bo-Na had been friends. They had matching bows in their hair and everything. It felt like a lifetime ago. Rachel swallowed and nodded at Hyo-Shin.

“I don’t think anyone but you actually wants to be friends with me, sunbae.” She occupied her hands with her drink and tried not to watch him frown out of the corner of her eye. “Myung-Soo is my boyfriend’s best friend and he doesn’t even like me very much. It’s okay,” she said quickly. “I’m not looking for pity. It’s just the truth. I’m terrified of being lonely when Young-Do leaves. If it weren’t for that, I probably wouldn’t care about them either.”

“I think they will surprise you. I think you will surprise them.” He nudged his thigh against hers. “Where did this self-deprecation come from? It’s very new.”

“Is it?” Rachel shrugged and then nudged him back as she pulled out the reason for their lunches—his notes on the class he recommended her for. They only had about fifteen more minutes for him to distill the main points for her. “We found each other outside of a psychiatrist’s office, sunbae. I think we both have dark corners we try to hide behind false bravado.”

“I guess it never occurred to me that your bravado was false. I thought you owned high school.”

“I was engaged at fifteen during a time most girls get to focus on class or what cute boy they sit behind. My mother was divorced and remarrying without any hint of shame. I didn’t have the luxury of being anything but brave. You weren’t there when it fell apart.”

“I know. You’ve mentioned that before.” He put his hand over hers. “I think you’re a lot more courageous than you give yourself credit. I wish I had half your bravery. I honestly didn’t think you would come last night. I’m really glad you did.”

Rachel gave a wry smile and as she opened the notebook. “Desperation looks a lot like bravery on the outside. Come on. We keep wasting our lunches with personal stuff. I need to get a good grade in this class to justify taking it. If I’m struggling by midterms, I’m making you tutor me.”

His grin was closed lipped but she thought there was a spark in his eyes she hadn’t seen since they reconnected. “Don’t tempt me.”

“I always want to tempt you. I’ll always be curious.”

“So will I.” He leaned close to look at his old notes. “I think you’ll enjoy today’s lecture. It’s about picking clear and concise styles that reflect the essence of the character. She’s going to go on a rant about the coordinator picking the wrong things. She’s campaigning to have it be a required course for the production tract.”

Until the bell rang, Rachel lose herself in the soft cadence of his voice as he went into tutoring mode. He must have learned it from the tutor he fell in love with in high school. It was pleasant to listen to. She had to blink and bite her tongue several times so she didn’t lose track of what he was saying.

“Well, today should be interesting then,” she said as they walked to her classroom. “After my next project at work, I should talk to my mother about how PPL works.”

“You’re also going to get your semester project in this lecture. You have to do a design board for the four main characters of one of the upcoming dramas being pitched. If you want, I can bring mine next week. I did alright. You’ll probably be able to see why she wasn’t completely enamored with it.”

“You got a bad grade? I think I’m shocked.”

Hyo-Shin snorted as they paused outside the door. “I didn’t get a perfect grade so it’s basically the same thing. My mother gets irritated when I’m not perfect at everything, but especially my major classes. I still got an exceptional, final grade. That’s all that counts.”

“My mother probably has the same expression. It shows up when I don’t do well in business mathematics. She wants me to take an accounting course before I graduate. She’s probably right but I’ll dread it all the same.”

The warning bell rang and Rachel pulled back from him. She didn’t like that he had to sprint across the campus to get to his next class, no matter how much he disliked it. His professor had a habit of locking the doors five minutes in and no letting late students in.

“Good luck. Let know how it goes.” Hyo-Shin bowed slightly and then took off. Rachel went into class and for the first time in most of her college experience, she was excited about an academic project. She really liked Park sonsaeng-nim’s lecture style and the way she focused the class on the practicalities of fashion design for fictional characters. Hyo-Shin was right to recommend this class to her.

Rachel took her own copious notes and didn’t rely on Hyo-Shin’s despite how good they were. She wanted her thoughts to supplement his academic mind. But it was Park sonsaeng-nim’s final closing that had her heart racing.

“I’ve been contacted by the costuming department in the production company putting together this drama. It is one of the rare dramas that will be completely pre-produced. They will judge your design boards and choose the student whose work reflects the vision most in line with the characters they are creating. It will be a blind presentation. I know some of you are interning at fashion design companies this semester. This could be the kind of thing on your resume to get you a full-time position. Do not squander it.”

Rachel felt excitement burst through her. They would get the script for the first episode. If she could do this and be the design board chosen, Mother would have to be impressed. Team Leader Baek would have to stop looking at her like a parachute. And if Rachel balanced school and work to the success of both, maybe she could prove to herself that she could balance Zeus and RS International.

She knew she was the best choice available to Young-Do. She just wanted to be the right choice. She also wanted to be able to sleep and socialize these next two years. Maybe she should attempt to see another doctor to give her sleeping pills. These nights without Young-Do were getting restless and frustrating.

The rest of her business classes were incredibly dull in comparison. Rachel texted Hyo-Shin that he underplayed the amazingness of this assignment. He sent her back some emoticons just as her school email pinged. Rachel frowned at the request from Park sonseang-nim’s request to meet with her during her office to discuss the assignment.

Rachel clenched her jaw and took several deep breaths that didn’t cleanse her of any anxiety. She replied that she would be there but didn’t ask the reason for the meeting. She already knew—she was the heir of RS International and Rachel wasn’t allowed to do whatever might be considered cheating. This wasn’t Jeguk where she was expected to use her family’s connections to get the highest grade.

It bummed her out. She wanted to text Young-Do to complain but he would just point out that she was preemptively worrying. Instead, Rachel texted Ji-Sun that she wanted to go clubbing. She slept better after exercise and a few drinks. Ji-Sun was delighted and offered to pick her up from Zeus so her car wouldn’t be seen in the scandalous neighborhood.

It felt a little bit like a date but Rachel didn’t really hesitate to agree. Ji-Sun knew she had a boyfriend but Rachel wasn’t ready to tell her that they were just friends. She didn’t want to lose Ji-Sun because she couldn’t like her back.

As she made her way to her teacher’s office, Rachel tried to figure out what she would wear to Lilac Breeze. Part of her wondered how many patrons were like her—straight girls sick of boys groping at them at clubs. Myung-Soo constantly wanted Young-Do to go out dancing with him and the bevy of girls he had around him ever since they were in high school. Young-Do wouldn’t go without Rachel after they graduated high school.

Looking back on it, it felt silly that she hadn’t noticed she was turning him on when they danced, especially now that she knew how large he was, but she hadn’t because, when it came to noticing stuff like sexuality, she was blind until someone else pointed it out.

Rachel sighed at herself and knocked on Park sonsaeng-nim’s door and entered at her command. She smiled and gestured for Rachel to sit down. Thankfully, she got to the point. “I cannot stop you from using the resources of your company for this project or using it for a marketing opportunity. You are not a film or production student but I can see how something like this will appeal to your mother.”

She tried not to clench her jaw. “My mother already emailed you.”

“A personal visit. I’m used to involved mothers. She was more polite and less dismissive than Lee Hyo-Shin’s mother. I know why he recommended you for this course. You are doing well despite not having any of the prerequisites. I just ask that you take care to follow the guidelines exactly and do the project individually without the aid of your trillion won company.”

“I’m a design major, sonsaeng-nim. That is what I want to do because I have decades before I become president. I always do my own work. I hope this means I’m not automatically disqualified from the production company’s consideration.”

“No. President Lee would sue the university. Her reputation precedes her.”

“I won’t lie. I did see this project as an opportunity for my corporate interests. I don’t intend to squander it but I promise to follow all the guidelines. I won’t speak with anyone at RS International about it unless my design boards are picked. I’ve already read the script you gave us, along with the character guidelines. I’m confident in my abilities as a designer. I’m a good student and I’ve enjoyed your class. I hope I continue to do so.”

Rachel stood because Mother would want her to end this on her terms. She bowed and turned to leave. Park sonsaeng-nim didn’t stop her and Rachel hoped she hadn’t broken all good will between them as teacher and student.

And she couldn’t even yell at Mother for being a helicopter.

[cc-hatredisland]

{.Her Amnesia.}

As soon as I agreed to having her around, Chiffon was shockingly on best behaviour; at least, that’s how it felt to me. The rooms nearest to the clinic seemed honestly a bit on the dull side. Maybe they were interesting, sure, but I just couldn’t see an arts room as appealing right now. Maybe it was just me. The most local and interesting place I could see was the pool. It’d be cool just to look at it, you know? Not like I wanted to swim or anything.

With a location in mind, I began moving and Chiffon trailed behind me, occasionally making small talk. There was this huge and grand stair case we had to get through before we got there... two, in a way, as it went up to a little corridor that just had some tableside desks, urns and potted plants before leading to another staircase. The Hanjis sure love their stairs, huh.

I thought I’d take a break and Chiffon followed suit, if only to glare daggers at the urns.

“Ugh, I detest passing through here... I’m a person of taste but I just can’t see the appeal of vases... what do they do? How pointless! It’s the cheapest of the rich that feel the need to show off their fortune...”

I can’t disagree... but the way she was talking made it sound like she was rich too. Then again, she also seemed to think she was an amazing person. One thing was for sure, from what she was saying this definitely wasn’t her first time passing through.

“You’ve been here before, haven’t you?”

“Yes, well... in some vein. I know of it. Ran past most of it.“

It seemed like a stupid realization but as she spoke, it hit me that I didn’t know anything about her. Sure, she lost her memory apparently but where did she come from? She seemed to be expecting us but I didn’t know why... or how, for that matter. Apparently Kuma and maybe Yuunagi had talked to her about it but I was as clueless as ever.

“Where’d you come from, anyway?“

“Oh dear... did your parents never give you the talk? Well--”

“Not that. Try again.”

She thinks for a bit before giving it another go.

“I’m a pure-blooded Japanese maiden.”

Why is this so hard?

“Are you seriously that stupid?”

She huffs.

“If you don’t like my answers, refine your questions.”

I sighed and tried to put this in the simplest terms I could.

“Where have you been all this time? Nobody ever saw you yet you were actin’ all high and mighty ‘bout us being late and all that. Means you were expecting us, right?“

“As I told your friend in the white coat, I was here! Somewhere.“

“‘Somewhere’.”

"Believe it or not I know how it sounds! Hmph.“

“The room I was in was pitch black. As for why I was there, I can’t remember. Obviously. It took me longer than I’d liked to admit to even find my way out. But it fell naturally, like most obstacles, to my natural grace and acumen.”

“Oh, your ‘natural grace’, huh?“

“Jealous?“

“Oh, I’m something alright.”

Skeptical. I’m skeptical.

“I vaguely toured the area. But I didnt stay in anywhere for too long. Everything was so grand and exact, it all began looking the same after a while. Truly a dull affair. Finally, I found that room of computers and I saw all of you! You were supposed to come find me but you never did! I even saw you use that elevator! ... Eventually I was able to use the one on my end and made sure to give you a piece of my mind when I saw you return. Is that specific enough for you?“

“Hmmm. I mean, specific’s a little...“

She whirled around on her heel to glare at me.

“You take your doubtful tone and you swallow it down you boorish beetroot!”

“I wasn’t doubting you! Geez... you get so wound up over nothing...”

Chiffon didn’t speak much after that but I could tell she was kinda sulking. I mean, she didn’t make it subtle. She steps away so we stop taking our break and move again. I paused and did something even I couldn’t believe. I thought about things in her shoes. I thought to myself, ‘what would Anzai do at a time like this’ and I kinda came to that conclusion. And when I did that, I couldn’t help but feel a little bad for her. I mean, I don’t even know what I’d do in that kinda situation. You wake up alone and can’t even remember your name... you’re all alone in a place like this with no one to talk to. Then you see a bunch of people and you can’t reach them at all... yikes.

You know, all things considered, I’m kinda surprised she’s been this easy to talk to. I let her take the lead while I’m thinking but she stares down at me with some suspicion from the stairs. Whether she’s waiting for me to catch up or wants to start something, I have no idea.

“What are you up to?“

“Nothing, just... sorry. Sorry we left you alone.”

“... Oh, that’s disgusting.”

"I’m SORRY? I was trying to--”

“Only a man of true low stature wastes time with words like that. If you have energy to waste apologizing, keep moving! I’m shocked you thought I was such a petty person, to hold such a grudge! I’m not so lowly I’d think like that. If you don’t like what you did, fix it next time. It’s as simple as that.”

Ugh, she makes it so hard to be nice to her... but at least she’s back in high spirits. She seems pretty simple, if nothing else. That makes dealing with her easy. And it means she’s not as much of a threat... seems that way, anyway. After what I saw... after what we went through... that’s kind of a relief. And I suppose... in a way, she has a point. At the very least, she’s speaking a language I get.

Wait, I hope that doesn’t mean I’m simple.

I take back the lead and I manage to get my hand to the pool’s door before Chiffon. That petty victory makes me happy. It’ll be nice to see the area - it’ll be a change of pace. At least, that’s my hope.

[Next] >> [Previous]

[foursprout-blog]

Exactly How Mercury Affects You Based On Your Zodiac Sign

New Post has been published on http://foursprout.com/happiness/exactly-how-mercury-affects-you-based-on-your-zodiac-sign/

Exactly How Mercury Affects You Based On Your Zodiac Sign

Daniella Urdinlaiz

Mercury rules over intellectual energy: communication, reasoning, speaking, writing, and even how you understand and assimilate the world around you.

Aries

These people are outspoken and aggressive. They can be ironic, sarcastic, and very funny, but should be careful to not be tactless or biting (I mean that in their speech but also please don’t bite people…with Aries it’s better to be safe than sorry lol). They usually have no fear of public speaking, and are often great writers as well, as they are very expressive. This position can also make them impatient and impulsive, but lucky for them, Mercury in Aries people are often right in their first decision.

Taurus

These people have a practical, stable, and rigid mindset. They won’t start anything new without being fully prepared. They are very confident in their opinions, but this can be a problem when they won’t consider other’s views. They are very elegant and refined in their manners, and are often great at socializing. However, Mercury in Taurus people can be very shy with strangers, and would feel more at home reading than in the middle of a crowd. This position gives you a knack for handling money…which they need since Taurus loves all things beautiful 😉

Gemini

Mercury is at home in Gemini. These people are the masters of multi-tasking, and they have a variety of interests. It often seems as though they know everything (they probably think they do lol) but in reality, their knowledge skims the surface. They know a bit about everything, but not a lot about any one thing in particular. Mercury in Gemini’s love dealing with facts and information, they excel in school work and are often good at languages. They are quick-witted, clever, and humorous.

Cancer

This position has an almost sixth-sense, and easily picks up on the cues of those they’re socializing with. They can adapt to whoever they’re talking with, making many people feel comfortable when speaking with them. They are very sensitive to what others think of them (surprise, surprise ;)). Mercury in Cancer people can be a bit stubborn in their viewpoints, not easily changing their mind, but they are good at keeping this concealed and maintaining a pleasant social facade. These people have vivid imaginations and excel in writing – especially poetry.

Leo

Mercury in Leo’s are gifted at organizing, directing, and managing others. Their sunny disposition allows them to lead others with eloquence. However, if things don’t turn out their way, these people can turn arrogant, boastful, or even throw a temper tantrum (say it ain’t so!). The good news is, they are so charming and magnetic that people usually forgive them pretty quickly for any outbursts. They are determined to be successful, and would do best in a creative field like the theater and performing arts.

Virgo

Mercury is exalted here, and gives the mind a very analytical quality. Like Gemini, they do best when dealing with facts. Indeed, Mercury in Virgo people want to know all sides to the story, and every piece to the puzzle before making up their mind. They are very quick learners, but often wear themselves down or become hypercritical. These people may be a bit emotionally detached, and certainly have little patience for those who can’t keep up with them intellectually. They do best in scientific or researcher positions.

Libra

These are the people who love making pros and cons lists. They look at all the factors and weigh all the outcomes to make the best choice. Honestly though, most have great intuitions and seem to know things instantly. Socially, Libras shine (of course). They are friendly, sympathetic, and gentle. Even if they disagree with you, they won’t say so, just to avoid confrontation. They are very charismatic in their speech. Mercury in Libra people do their best work in groups or pairs, with someone to guide them.

Scorpio

These people are the investigators, unafraid of digging beneath the surface. They are skilled at questioning and probing to get the information they want. In fact, you could say they are drawn to the things that are hidden, and many get into the occult. They are not easily fooled or mislead, and this could be due to their vast emotional intelligence. Mercury in Scorpio people may be stubborn in their opinions, and often have a bit of a temper as well. They can use their infinite sarcasm to make you laugh…or cry.

Sagittarius ︎

In Sagittarius, Mercury makes a person value life-long learning. They love reading, exploring, and meeting new people. They are quick learners, grasping concepts in a flash, but they do have a lack of concentration that holds them back. This makes them restless, constantly jumping from subject to subject in pursuit of new stimulation. Completing large projects might be hard for them. Some might think they are blunt and tactless, but these people are just trying to be honest. Their speech is bright and breezy, and they value freedom of expression.

Capricorn

People with this placement are patient, calculating, and methodical. They are great at dealing with small details without losing sight of the big picture. Their logical minds make them great in leadership positions, where they exude authority. Their decision making is very rational, and always in pursuit of a goal. They can come across as serious and disapproving when communicating with others, but they make up for this with their often dry sense of humor.

Aquarius

This position makes people inventive, clever, and inquisitive. They are excellent judges of human nature. With their powers of observation, they are able to analyze someone’s character and motivations. They can predict peoples reactions, all while maintaining a detached outlook. This makes these people ardent people-watchers. Mercury in Aquarius makes people favor conversations about the future, philosophy, and the taboo. They may come across as eccentric, and often love saying things for their shock-value.

Pisces

Mercury is in detriment in Pisces, and indeed, these people rely more on their intuition than facts. To others, their mind is a bit of a mystery. Instead of using logic to reach conclusions, these people will just get a feeling, which often turns out to be correct. Some may possess a psychic ability. These people are creative and have an active imagination, but lack self-confidence. They can come across as confused or not make any sense. Socially, this placement is deeply empathetic and understanding. They are very sensitive to their surroundings, and cannot think or communicate clearly if they are upset.

[foursprouthappiness-blog]

Exactly How Mercury Affects You Based On Your Zodiac Sign

New Post has been published on http://foursprout.com/happiness/exactly-how-mercury-affects-you-based-on-your-zodiac-sign/

Exactly How Mercury Affects You Based On Your Zodiac Sign

Daniella Urdinlaiz

Mercury rules over intellectual energy: communication, reasoning, speaking, writing, and even how you understand and assimilate the world around you.

Aries

These people are outspoken and aggressive. They can be ironic, sarcastic, and very funny, but should be careful to not be tactless or biting (I mean that in their speech but also please don’t bite people…with Aries it’s better to be safe than sorry lol). They usually have no fear of public speaking, and are often great writers as well, as they are very expressive. This position can also make them impatient and impulsive, but lucky for them, Mercury in Aries people are often right in their first decision.

Taurus

These people have a practical, stable, and rigid mindset. They won’t start anything new without being fully prepared. They are very confident in their opinions, but this can be a problem when they won’t consider other’s views. They are very elegant and refined in their manners, and are often great at socializing. However, Mercury in Taurus people can be very shy with strangers, and would feel more at home reading than in the middle of a crowd. This position gives you a knack for handling money…which they need since Taurus loves all things beautiful 😉

Gemini

Mercury is at home in Gemini. These people are the masters of multi-tasking, and they have a variety of interests. It often seems as though they know everything (they probably think they do lol) but in reality, their knowledge skims the surface. They know a bit about everything, but not a lot about any one thing in particular. Mercury in Gemini’s love dealing with facts and information, they excel in school work and are often good at languages. They are quick-witted, clever, and humorous.

Cancer

This position has an almost sixth-sense, and easily picks up on the cues of those they’re socializing with. They can adapt to whoever they’re talking with, making many people feel comfortable when speaking with them. They are very sensitive to what others think of them (surprise, surprise ;)). Mercury in Cancer people can be a bit stubborn in their viewpoints, not easily changing their mind, but they are good at keeping this concealed and maintaining a pleasant social facade. These people have vivid imaginations and excel in writing – especially poetry.

Leo

Mercury in Leo’s are gifted at organizing, directing, and managing others. Their sunny disposition allows them to lead others with eloquence. However, if things don’t turn out their way, these people can turn arrogant, boastful, or even throw a temper tantrum (say it ain’t so!). The good news is, they are so charming and magnetic that people usually forgive them pretty quickly for any outbursts. They are determined to be successful, and would do best in a creative field like the theater and performing arts.

Virgo

Mercury is exalted here, and gives the mind a very analytical quality. Like Gemini, they do best when dealing with facts. Indeed, Mercury in Virgo people want to know all sides to the story, and every piece to the puzzle before making up their mind. They are very quick learners, but often wear themselves down or become hypercritical. These people may be a bit emotionally detached, and certainly have little patience for those who can’t keep up with them intellectually. They do best in scientific or researcher positions.

Libra

These are the people who love making pros and cons lists. They look at all the factors and weigh all the outcomes to make the best choice. Honestly though, most have great intuitions and seem to know things instantly. Socially, Libras shine (of course). They are friendly, sympathetic, and gentle. Even if they disagree with you, they won’t say so, just to avoid confrontation. They are very charismatic in their speech. Mercury in Libra people do their best work in groups or pairs, with someone to guide them.

Scorpio

These people are the investigators, unafraid of digging beneath the surface. They are skilled at questioning and probing to get the information they want. In fact, you could say they are drawn to the things that are hidden, and many get into the occult. They are not easily fooled or mislead, and this could be due to their vast emotional intelligence. Mercury in Scorpio people may be stubborn in their opinions, and often have a bit of a temper as well. They can use their infinite sarcasm to make you laugh…or cry.

Sagittarius ︎

In Sagittarius, Mercury makes a person value life-long learning. They love reading, exploring, and meeting new people. They are quick learners, grasping concepts in a flash, but they do have a lack of concentration that holds them back. This makes them restless, constantly jumping from subject to subject in pursuit of new stimulation. Completing large projects might be hard for them. Some might think they are blunt and tactless, but these people are just trying to be honest. Their speech is bright and breezy, and they value freedom of expression.

Capricorn

People with this placement are patient, calculating, and methodical. They are great at dealing with small details without losing sight of the big picture. Their logical minds make them great in leadership positions, where they exude authority. Their decision making is very rational, and always in pursuit of a goal. They can come across as serious and disapproving when communicating with others, but they make up for this with their often dry sense of humor.

Aquarius

This position makes people inventive, clever, and inquisitive. They are excellent judges of human nature. With their powers of observation, they are able to analyze someone’s character and motivations. They can predict peoples reactions, all while maintaining a detached outlook. This makes these people ardent people-watchers. Mercury in Aquarius makes people favor conversations about the future, philosophy, and the taboo. They may come across as eccentric, and often love saying things for their shock-value.

Pisces

Mercury is in detriment in Pisces, and indeed, these people rely more on their intuition than facts. To others, their mind is a bit of a mystery. Instead of using logic to reach conclusions, these people will just get a feeling, which often turns out to be correct. Some may possess a psychic ability. These people are creative and have an active imagination, but lack self-confidence. They can come across as confused or not make any sense. Socially, this placement is deeply empathetic and understanding. They are very sensitive to their surroundings, and cannot think or communicate clearly if they are upset.

[ourhealingbibleverses]

How Reliable Is The Bible?

Is the Bible Reliable?

The Bible is a Book that is liked all over the world. Its fans reside in every country and in every climate. Those who read it regularly like its pages and often do not get enough of it. Lots of people even commit their entire life to the researchand  study of it, pursuing numerous degrees.

However is it a love well-placed, or is it an obvious blind-sidedeness? Is there some genuine evidence that the Bible is dependable? Is it for individuals of today?

If one is sincere, and will make the effort to honestly discover the reality, the response is that there is lots of proof about the accuracy of the Bible. While there are lots of books that deal with the subject (apologetics), a lot of know little about them. This post will handle how you can know that the Bible is reliable.

Its Claim To Reliability

This is most essential, just due to the fact that if the Bible declares to be true and it isn't really, then it is not reputable. Among the lots of places that the Bible declares to be infallible is in Psalms 12:6,7, which states: "The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a heater of earth, purified 7 times. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt protect them from this generation for ever" (KJV). Here the Bible is mentioned as being as purified silver - having actually been refined 7 times.

In that day, a seven-fold filtration process suggested the silver had no dross, or mistake, in it. The next phrase demonstrates how long it will be kept that pure - for ever.After having studied the Bible for several years, and looking at it with open, and believing eyes, numerous find it to be just as was predicted - without error.

Here are some ways that we can know the Bible is indeed the Word of God.

It Is Trusted In ...

1. Its Theme From cover to cover the Bible has but one style - redemption. To have this degree of marriage of thought, by 40 various males, who covered over 1600 years of time, is most extraordinary. Redemption is constantly by faith, through blood.

2. Its Historic Records For several years scoffers mocked the Bible because it pointed out a big and very effective country called the Hittites. They mocked due to the fact that there was not one shred of proof archeologically that they ever existed. However one day, archeology overtook exactly what the Bible taught, and shovel complete after shovel began, around the turn of the last century, to discover the reality. Others have also questioned Sodom and Gomorrah - up until recently. These cities have actually been found - and yes, they were burned by sulfur and brimstone, near the edge of the Dead Sea, similar to God stated. Other archeological findings have actually exposed seashells at the tops of mountains - all around the earth - noises like evidence of a world-wide flood - similar to the Bible states.

3. Its Scientific Facts While it holds true that the Bible is not a textbook for a science class, where it does point out science, it is always clinically right. Remarkably, numerous of the facts of science that are referred to, were composed more than 700 BC! The Bible speaks of the "circle of the earth" (Isaiah 40:22-- composed around 700BC); of the hydrologic cycle (Ecclesiastes 1:6,7-- about 1000BC); of the wind taking a trip in circuits (cells) - Ecclesiastes 1:6; and physiology, "the life of the flesh remains in the blood" (Leviticus 17:11-- around 1460BC!) - which if male only believed its truths, they would not have bled George Washington to death!

4. Its Prophecies Many these days's so-called astrologers make really general predictions - merely since that makes it more difficult to reveal that they are ever incorrect. However the Bible is extremely different here. First, the Bible declares that if any so called prophet is ever wrong - then they were not sent out by God (Deuteronomy 18:20 -22). God is not afraid that He will ever be shown to be incorrect. A second thing is that the Bible provides really detailed prophecies. Worrying the life of Christ, there were numerous predictions. Peter Stoner, as soon as Chairman of the Departments of Math and Astronomy at Pasadena City College and at Westmont College nevertheless, in his book Science Speaks, composed of the likelihood of simply 8 of these occurring. The odds that he determined, which was verified by the American Scientific Affiliation, was said to be 1 in 10 to the 17th power! This indicates a ten followed by 17 nos; or, to put it in plain English, just one male in 1X1017 could possibly have actually satisfied simply 8 of those predictions! And when you consider it, there are presently just 6 billion individuals (6X108) in the world now. However there were really more than 400 predictions, not simply 8! In conclusion, it ought to be simple to state together with David, "Thou art near, O Lord; and all thy commandments are truth. Worrying thy testimonies, I have actually known that thou hast founded them permanently" (Psalm 119:151,152).

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10 Shocking Bible Verses You Won't Believe LIKE, SUBSCRIBE and SHARE this video! Subscribe here: http://bit.ly/11rr1ln This is NOT a pro-Atheist or Anti-Christian Video. It also makes no attempt to be ... Ten of the Top Scientific Facts in the Bible If it's true that the Bible contains scientific facts that were written thousands of years before man discovered them, the implications are staggering. These facts ... 5 Bible Facts You Never Knew! 5 Bible Facts You Never Knew! Telltale Atheist: http://youtube.com/c/telltaleatheist Twitter: https://twitter.com/telltaleatheist. 10 INCREDIBLE BIBLE FACTS to Blow Your Mind !!! This video includes some facts that you may have heard and know, but also some that may surprise you. Once things for sure, this is worth watching and sharing ... 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Bible 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Bible Everyone knows of the most famous book in the world, but here are 10 things you didn't know about the Bible.

The following collection of Bible Verses & Healing How Reliable Is The Bible? is brought to you by Our Healing Bible Verses

[rileynocitiproductdesign]

Reading Review & Innovative Product

In “Design of Everyday Things” the author Donald Norman communicates the things that go into product design that can make a difference on a products success. He talks about engineers and how they find it hard to develop products with easy usage in mind,  which is why he thinks designers need to make the effort to create products with easy usability that just make sense to the user. I have never really put much thought into the usability of everyday products such as a door, but after reading the first two chapters I felt like I could relate to almost every one of Norman’s examples. In chapter 1, Norman talks about affordances, signifiers, constraints, conceptual models, mapping and feedback. My favorite part of this chapter was the sections about affordances and signifiers. These were both new terms to me but there was one quote in the chapter that really helped me to understand their meaning. It said, “Affordances determine what actions are possible. Signifiers communicate where the action should take place. We need both.” I think this helped me to understand their meanings especially since Norman stated that a lot of designers confuse signifiers for affordances. Another section of the chapter that I also found very important was the section on feedback. The idea of feedback enhances a users interaction with an object by confirming their actions by providing a response. An example of this would be for an object to beep when a user presses a button. If the object didn’t beep or didn’t provide this feedback, many users would question whether they actually pressed the button. I know I would try and press the button again especially because when I ring a doorbell and I don’t hear it through the door I often question whether I pressed the button and if I should press it again. Chapter two introduces the topics, blaming yourself, blaming the wrong cause, the seven stages of action, the gulf of execution and evaluation, and human cognition and emotion. My favorite part of this chapter was when he talked about the seven stages of action. What I’ve noticed about this book as a whole is that Norman goes into deep thought about products and the way we use and interpret them that I’ve never even thought about or considered before. I have never thought about what my process to doing an action is...I just do it. So basically what Norman says is step 1: forming the goal. This is when the person establishes a purpose for an action, or what they want to accomplish by carrying out that action. Step 2: Plan the action. This is where the user forms the intention and decides to do something to achieve that goal. Step 3: Specify an action sequence. This is the process of refining the previous step so that an action or set of actions is outlined and prepared. Step 4: Perform the action.  This is where the person performs the action or set of actions they planned. Step 5: Perceive the state of the world. This is when a person observes something around them. Step 6: Interpreting the perception. This is when the person tries to explain what they are seeing around them. Step 7: Compare the outcome with the goal. This happens when the person reflects on the effects of their action. I can honestly say this section was the most shocking to me because I never realized how many steps we subconsciously go through to carry out an action. 

The next book I read was The Art of Innovation. What stood out to me in chapter 1 was the author, Tom Kelley’s, description of IDEO’s “method to madness.” I think that the steps the firm takes when creating products is well thought out. If I were to design a product these would be the steps I would follow. I especially like step 4 (Evaluate and refine) because the designer is given real-world feedback on their prototypes which they can then improve upon. From web design I learned how important feedback from people not directly related to the project is so that the designer is able to see how people in the real world use it. All of these steps are important but the other step besides #4 that I think is super important is step #1 (Understand the market, the client, the technology, and the perceived constraints on the problem). If the designer doesn’t have an idea of who their target customer is and the problem they need to fix it is going to be hard for them to create a beneficial product. Chapter 2 talks about the beginning of IDEO, David Kelley and his decision to start the company, and stories about how the company worked for Apple and other companies. Chapter 3 discusses the way IDEO studies how clients and products interact. Some things I took away from this chapter were... -Go out into the world and watch people. Observation is key. Don’t rely on people to tell you what you need to know. -Pay attention to things that bother you or customers. -There are no dumb questions.  -Develop things for people who are different from you. For example: develop things for kids. An adult’s experience is going to be very different from a kids experience. -Observe products in use. -Borrow ideas from different sources. -Design things that will make your customer a “hero” (things that will make them successful). 

MY PROCESS FOR ASSIGNMENT 1:

For assignment 1 we had to find an innovative product. My plan was to go to Walmart and look around to find something, but I didn’t even have to go that far. I was at the dog park with my dog Maggie and this dog Josie and her owner walked in. Josie LOVES to fetch tennis balls. That’s all she does while she is there. Instead of throwing the ball with his hands, Josie’s owner has this tennis ball thrower that allows him to pick up the ball and throw it without ever actually touching the ball with his hands. I have seen these before but I always thought about them as the owner is being lazy and not wanting to bend down, pick up the ball, and throw it. I was so wrong. After about 5 minutes Josie’s ball was so covered in slobber and dirt I would have NEVER touched it. This product was actually genius. The owner never has to get their hands dirty while playing ball. After thinking about this dog product another innovative product came to mind which is the slow feeder dog bowls. Some dogs absolutely devour their food when it gets put down which is a health problem for the dogs. Someone invented a bowl that has ridges inside so that the dog has to work a little more to get to their food, therefore making them eat slower and safer. This product goes along with our reading from The Art of Innovation because he talks about developing products for people different from you, that have different experiences. In this case, someone developed it for a dog’s experience. 

https://www.amazon.com/Chuckit-Ultra-Grip-Launcher-Colors/dp/B000MW7EUU/ref=sr_1_7?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1504025261&sr=1-7&keywords=tennis+ball+launcher

[jpweb12]

10+ Fortune 500 Companies That Should Invest In New Websites

Needless to say, the website has become the face of any company nowadays, regardless of its size or area of activity. Since the Internet is the go-to choice for most people, every business struggles to achieve an impeccable image online. Moreover, they tend to adopt the latest trends in communication to a certain extent. But have you ever wondered how the world’s richest companies deal with their online presence and representation? Your question is absolutely valid. Last weeks, Fortune released the list of top 500 largest companies in the world. It would be interesting to analyze their websites. Surely, there are better and worse websites out there. But to our surprise, some of these companies could have done significantly better, considering their wealth and status. Therefore, in this article, we have explored the aforementioned list and selected 10 companies that should invest in redesigning their web pages.

Our list consists of two gasoline traders (Sinopec, Marathon Petroleum Corporation), one Healthcare company (United Health), one financial company (Berkshire Hathaway), a commercial vehicle distribution business (Penske Automotive), an electricity provider (State Grid), two retailers (Kroger, Best Buy), a postal service (Japan Post Holdings), and a wireless operator (Verizon).

Frankly speaking, it was somewhat frustrating to see poorly-designed websites pertaining to some of the most thriving businesses in the world. How can we expect high-quality designs from smaller ones, when companies such as these fail to impress their audience? Is it because these companies are powerful and wealthy that they do not pay attention to their websites?

State Grid

This is one of the most outdated websites we have seen lately. When landing on the State Grid’s web page, you feel as if you have traveled 10-15 years back in time. It looks as if it was designed in the 2000s, with zero updates ever since. There are various gaffes here. The two most blatant mistakes were the use of Flash and that of automatic carousels on the home page. Along with these two outdated trends, the company logo is poorly rendered, the text is hardly legible, and the article-preview block has text lines that are not trimmed properly. It’s understandable that a government-owned company would not focus on providing a great user experience. Nevertheless, taking into consideration the scale of State Grid, we believe they could have done a better job with their website.

Sinopec Corp

Yet another website built using Flash… “Add your advertisement here” is the first thought that comes to mind when seeing this homepage. Also, the design seems to be stuck in the 2000s. They could have done a better job at telling more about their company. For example, a video with the company’s latest promo clip or a hero image focusing on the visitor’s attention could have been better choices.

This also applies to the Chinese version of the website. Speaking about the languages in which the content is written, mixing Chinese and English on the same page is not a good option. Apparently, the company does not pay too much attention on providing a great UX to its visitors.

Berkshire Hathaway

  Just what is this? Believe it or not, this is Berkshire Hathaway’s official website, a company ranked no.8 worldwide, having a + $200M revenue. We are speechless. It is, hands down, the worst website we have ever seen, and we have seen way too many terrible web pages until now. Still, some of its subsidiaries, such as GEICO, DURACELL or BNSF for example, have decent websites. We just do not understand why the corporate web page of the parent company looks like someone’s planner from the 90s.

There is nothing to say about this site because there is nothing on it. No vision, no design, no content. It is just an incomprehensible absence. Null.

Verizon

Landing on Verizon’s homepage for the first time gives away the vibe of a minimalist website design. Things are a little bit different, though. The simplicity of this web page certainly contributes to an easy navigation, and helps distinguish among the company’s target audiences. Nevertheless, these easy-going pictures may exhibit a sense of unprofessional identity.

If we take a look at the company’s competitors, such as Vodafone, AT&T, and Orange (in Europe), we see a clear customer-centered design replete with pictures of happy clients.

  Real images with real people allow the audience to relate to the products or services of a company. But a website that only has plans and phones, without actual people, will most likely not engage their visitors as much as it could.

Japan Post Holdings

Templates and stock photos everywhere! Cheap website builders and stock photos are available today, but this does not mean that people have to use them as they are. Especially by some of the largest and the most reputable companies in the world!

Any experienced web designer has a keen eye when it comes to template-looking websites. If a web page looks like a politics column, then it certainly does not reflect the company’s image. Japan Post Holding’s website needs some redesign work lest they shrink their business image.

UnitedHealth Group

Nowadays, most companies focus on delivering customer-centric content and personalized pictures. This is not just a trend in web design, but a part of an efficient communication strategy. But seeing one of the top 50 companies in the Fortune 500 list using stock photos for the whole site seems a bit out-of-character.

UnitedHealth’s main flaw is that it uses just one picture. More than that, it is next to a huge clip-art image, which is a shocking choice altogether. If you scroll down, you can only see plain text. This approach might work well for the mobile version of the website. But why should it interfere with the desktop user experience?

Unfortunately, the UnitedHealth’s website is a classic example of how not to use stock images for your online presence. They clearly do not know that stock photos do not contribute to the company’s efforts in upholding its reputation.

Best Buy

Believe or not, this is the home page of Best Buy’s company, ranked no. 71 in Fortune 500 list. Honestly, we have seen better websites of much smaller companies. Not to mention that after choosing Country and Language, the “Go” button does not work. We always talk about providing a great user experience to the site’s visitors, but it seems that this company does not know how to do this. Definitely, the website needs a redesign. But before doing so, we think they should take a look at Amazon’s website for some inspiration. Can you spot the difference?

Penske Automotive

Yet another trip back to the 2000s. This time it is because of Penske Automotive’s home page. Firstly, the design is extremely outdated. A website centered on the screen, large dark gray unused space, an automatic carousel of images above the fold, and well, that’s about it. There are a lot of old elements that just do not go with a modern, eye-catching website. The latter engages its visitors and provides a great user experience. If you check the Press Release page, you’ll notice just a listing of titles. Taking into consideration their area of expertise and the amount of useful information they could share with their visitors, I was surprised to notice the absence of their blog.

Do you know the worst part? The website has been redesigned this year and it is unresponsive!

Kroger

Not a member? You cannot surf their website! This could be appropriate for a website with restricted content, not for a retail network! Buyers are the main category of users for this kind of websites, so the site’s goal should be attracting new customers. But Kroger seems not to care if their users cannot see access prices and useful info unless they logged in.

Strangely enough, it seems that Kroger wants to engage only particular users. This is suggested by publishing cooking recipes and by sponsoring social activities. But the website’s structure does not properly fit any objective. It tells us that the company cannot decide on the purpose of the website – deal with their customers, act as an online shopping platform, or build audience.

Marathon Petroleum Corporation

Enough with the outdated website designs! According to its own presentation, Marathon Petroleum Corporation “is one of the largest petroleum product refiners, marketers and transporters in the United States”. Surely, their website does not reflect this. It looks rather like an unhappy news web page. Take a closer look at the main picture. Even if they wanted that to be a custom image, the result is poor. And just what is there under “Popular links”? Nothing. Maybe that is because there are no popular links to share?

Also, they did not pay any attention to the content. Again, that may be simply because they do not have any content – just a listing of titles and a lot of white space. Instead of this, they could have used their home page to either provide useful information or engage their audience.

And to make the situation matters worse, they have just redesigned their website. Guess what. It is unresponsive.

Bottom line

So, these are the websites of 10 companies ranked as the most successful companies in the world. Unfortunately, these site designs do not reflect the status of those companies, nor the successful principles behind these businesses. We are sure there are other companies listed in Fortune 500 that have terrible websites in need of redesigning. But before doing so, they should follow the latest trends when it comes to both web design and online communication.

We hope this article convinced you that there is always something to improve, even if you are a top-tier company.

Read More at 10+ Fortune 500 Companies That Should Invest In New Websites

from IT Feed https://webdesignledger.com/10-fortune-500-companies-that-should-invest-in-new-websites/