#hoping to get her trained well enough that I can cosplay Blue and bring her with me to some local cons

[blackbackedjackal]

I contain so much unbridled joy realizing you named a black GSD Blue. Bless the Wolfs Rain stans we shall never die

[crowtrinkets]

Eyes, Lips, Face

Word Count: 2,322

When you get thrown into a different world, you kinda forget to mention that the wig and contacts you're wearing are not your natural color, or that you're cosplaying their knightly order because this is actually a video game and shouldn't be real. But at least you get to share makeup with your new-found buddies.

I tried to keep this fic as reader/gender-neutral as possible. Ty to @alexaplaysgames for giving me pointers! Ya'll should check out their fics ;)

---

I let out a stretch as Anisa walks back into her office, carrying more than enough blankets for my one person. I spy Felix swatting Sage’s hands away from ruffling his hair as they walk out the door to find sleeping accommodations. What a wild day. I never really wore a costume that required more physical activity other than walking around a convention for a few hours. I never intended to get into a bar fight while wearing a wig, contacts, and a decked-out costume I spent months on. Then again I never intended to be transported into the world of my favorite video game...

“Here are some blankets to keep you warm,” Anisa plants the blankets on the couch that would be my bed for tonight. I sigh with exhaustion at the thought of falling asleep, I heard Felix and Sage still echoing in the halls as they left. I thanked Anisa for the hundredth time that day and she left me alone to sleep. Alone yes. I yawn, taking in the room. At least there's a fire going, I wouldn’t be able to see without it. And thank god my backpack made the trip with me I wouldn’t know what to do if I didn't have somewhere to put my cosplay supplies. I reach into my bag and pull out a contact lens case. I thought it would be cool if my eyes had a more alluring color for this costume, hoping the color of the embroidery on my costume would be brought out because of them. Carefully removing my contacts I placed them into their case and tossed them back into my bag. I then reached up and unpinned the seemingly endless amount of hairpins I placed in this wig so it would stay put. It stayed in place in the Saucy Gull so I must’ve done something right. I remove my wig and wince a little when I realize it’s just going to become tangled in my backpack. Oh well, what can you do? After removing my wig caps and giving my scalp a much-needed massage from being confined all day, I go to remove parts of my costume. Thankfully the base of my costume is comfortable and inconspicuous enough to not draw attention to the fact that I'm an outsider. I keep my costumed cloak out, in case I get cold. I do wish I had better shoes however, $20 Amazon boots probably won't last out here.

After removing said shoes I plop down into the couch and pull some makeup wipes from my backpack. I never go without these, and I am especially glad to have them after the day I had. I remove my makeup, allowing the cool damp cloth to soothe my tired face. I’ve been running around all day, going through portals, being told I have a magical relic inside me, being flirted with by a cat boy. What I wouldn’t give for a year-long nap, or maybe just some coffee. After cleaning my face and putting my items away I take one look in my compact mirror, yup just my plain old self. Tossing the mirror away I get comfortable and lull into a dreamless sleep.

—-

I can feel the bitter cold outside the warmth of my many blankets, stirring a little I snuggle into them, nuzzling my face in the fabric to warm my cold nose. I’m half awake but can’t be bothered to open my eyes. Five more minutes. But then I hear... whispering?

“Oh my god, they moved,” Anisa’s voice.

“Relax Annie; if something happens, I can banish it,” Felix, sounds slightly shaken while trying to put on a brave front. Wait did he say banish. I decide that I’m now too awake to fall back asleep. I sit up, eyes blurry from sleep, and look at the two indistinct figures who I am assuming are Felix and Anisa.

“Good morn-” Suddenly I hear the sound of Anisa’s sword come unsheathed, and, I think, it’s pointing at me, for the second time. I blink trying to will my eyes to adjust, then rubbing them to reveal that Anisa is definitely pointing her sword at me, with Felix behind her, arms up in defense.

“A-Anisa, what are you doing?” It's too early for this, my voice is scraggly from sleep.

“What are you some kind of Changeling? Poor job imitating in my opinion, MC doesn't even look like that!” Felix states approaching me, a flurry of green flames forming in his palms. Oh shit.

“What? It's me!” I raise my hands in defense. I clear my throat trying to sound convincing. I’ve barely been here for 24 hours and I have been in more life-threatening situations than my entire life combined.

“Then how do you explain your changed appearance?” Anisa says accusingly. Changed appearance? Oh!

“I was wearing cosplay! You don't think I actually looked like that do you?” I lower my arms slightly, laughing awkwardly. I know Sage has weird eyes and hair but why would someone from Earth look like an anime character? Both faces before me twist in confusion.

“Cosplay?” They question in unison. I nod reaching for my backpack slowly. Anisa flicks her sword and I pull away.

“I-if you look in my bag there's a wig and contacts, and other stuff. I was wearing a costume and I thought it would be more fun if I didn’t look like myself,” I point to my backpack. Anisa nods at Felix who approaches my backpack, kneeling down to open it. He pulls out my surprisingly untangled wig, and yelps dropping it in my lap. I lift to wig onto my head poorly fitting it.

“See?” I then remove the wig and place it in my lap. Anisa's eyes go wide, she sheaths her sword and approaches me.

“Oh MC! I am terribly sorry!” She shoots Felix a look who flinches. “Felix had me convinced woodland creates replaced you with a clone,” she turns her attention back to me and Felix blushes with embarrassment.

“Clone?” I question. Felix stands.

“N-no matter, we both apologize for waking you with such an unsettling greeting,” I nod in response. I unwrap myself from my blankets and run a hand through my hair trying to look a little more presentable. Letting out a sigh, as I put the wig back in my bag.

"I-it's alright, I guess I should have said something earlier," I shrug innocently. Anisa looks down at my bag and then back at me.

"Do many people on Earth change their appearance like this?" Anisa looks at me, eager for information.

"Um not usually, well I guess it depends. I just did it for my costume, I thought it would look more interesting," I shrug.

"You said you were wearing a costume? Then why dress as a Starsworn knight?" Anisa questions. I am about to answer her but I hesitate. How am I supposed to explain that on Earth none of this is real? That this is a video game?

"Uhhhhm," is all I can muster to say but my train of thought is interrupted.

"Gods Anisa! Why did you insist on us being here so dammed early in the mor-“ they stop in the doorway. “Who is that?" It's Sage. He burst into the room without even so much as a knock.

"It's MC, apparently they were wearing a wig and other cosmetic adornments to alter their appearance," Felix chimes in. I suddenly feel insecure about how plain I look. At least Felix looks somewhat normal, well from the neck up. I just wave awkwardly in response.

"But I could've sworn their eyes were a different color, and why do they look so tired did they not get enough sleep?" Sage walks over leaning over the back of the couch. I cringe at his comments.

"No, I was wearing a costume, so naturally I wanted to look less... Natural," I attempt to explain. Who knew cosplay was such a foreign concept here.

"Why were you wearing a costume?" Sage squints at me. Oh god this question again, but just like last time, I am interrupted.

“Ouch! Hells,” I look over to see Felix with his finger in his mouth. He takes it out to speak. “Why do you have needles in your bag?”

“Oh! Sewing needles,” I reach into the bag and pull out a container of needles and the spare thread. “I uh, I packed these in case a bit of my costume came undone, sorry Felix,” a thought then occurs to me. “Why were you rummaging through my bag?” Felix suddenly flushes and avoids the eyes of everyone in the room.

"I um, was merely curious about your items," I decide to brush it off as I put my "items" back, I would probably want to examine inter-dimensional foreign objects as well.

“Snooping through MC's bag aye Felix? What were you tryna find?” Sage’s eyebrows waggle.

“Nothing! Nothing in particular I just… saw something that looked interesting,” Felix looks like he's pouting now, to save his dignity I ignore it. I reach into my bag and pull out the even smaller bag full of makeup. I don’t have much with me, just the ones I used for my cosplay in case I needed a touch-up.

“Was it this?” I hold up the clear plastic sachet. Felix nods in response. “This is just some makeup,” I open the bag and pull out a compact blush and hand it to Felix, then I pull out two eyeshadow palettes and hand them to Anisa and Sage, who has now joined me on the couch. Felix and Anisa sit on the floor and observe the items I handed to them. Felix opens the compact and eyes it curious, he runs a finger along the powder and rubs it between his fingers inspecting it. Anisa knocks on the closed eyeshadow palette.

“What is this material? And why have they spelled “elf” so terribly wrong?” She almost looks insulted. I hold back my laugh.

“It’s plastic, lots of stuff on Earth is made from it. It's cheaper than metal and sturdier than cardboard or wood,” I decide to not bring up how problematic plastic can be, no need to bring up the fact that the Earth is slowly dying.

“Sage that looks terrible,” Felix remarks. I look over to Sage who has rubbed bright blue eyeshadow all over his eyelids. Oh, that is SO not his color. I reach into the bag and pull out a brush.

“May I?” I ask, Sage looks at me suspiciously and nods. “Close your eyes,” I run the brush over his eyelids and blend the color out a little more, it’s difficult with all of his squintings but I manage to finish. Pulling back, I hand Sage a mirror.

“Oh… I look terrible in blue!” Sage laughs. But he continues to admire himself in the mirror. Anisa laughs as she watches Sage tilt his face in the mirror staring at himself. From the corner of my eye I catch Felix looking at me, I turn to him and he has an almost, hopeful look in his eyes.

“Do you want me to do your makeup?” I ask, as innocently as possible. Felix flushes and looks away.

“I-if you insist,” he mumbles out. I chuckle and slide off the couch to sit in front of Felix, I grab a large brush and the compact from his hand.

“Do you mind if I?” I hold my other hand close to Felix’s face, his eyes go wide as he nods slowly. I grab his chin gently and apply blush to his face. It's hard to tell just how much I am putting on considering Felix’s face is about as hot as a fried egg on asphalt, but I make do with what I got. I finally finish and pull back.

“Oh, Felix you look adorable!” Anisa chimes in with a laugh.

“You look like a baby,” Sage teases. Felix snatches the mirror from him, grumbling, and inspects his face, his eyebrows are furrowed.

“I think I look like I've had too many drinks, why is it on my nose?” He looks up at me, I half-shrug.

“That’s what's popular on Earth,” I try not to tease too hard, but Felix really does look much younger with his cheeks pink and rosy. Anisa taps my arm, I guess she wants a turn. I give her a nod and allow her to pick a color she likes. She chooses a nice purple and I apply it on her lids as well. She sits perfectly stoic and still allowing me to apply it gently. Once I finish with her I hand her the mirror and she smiles brightly.

“Oh thank you, MC! I say you did a very fine job,” she gives me a nod and goes back to admiring her eyes.

For a good few hours we end up swatching a lot of the makeup, Sage proceeds to put on the absolute worst colors for his complexion, yellows, oranges, and greens which I didn’t even know I had. Felix keeps his blush on for longer than I thought he would. Anisa asks to do my makeup and she does a surprisingly good job at blending. Eventually, everyone has to go back to business and I hand out makeup wipes to each of them. Anisa is a little amazed at how they work. Sage decides to keep his disgustingly green shade on much to our dismay. Felix cleans off his face carefully but his real blush remains for a while. Everyone eventually leaves me to actually get myself ready for the day. It’s when I'm folding my blankets up that I realize.

I just did the makeup for characters in my favorite video game franchise, this really feels like a fever dream. I laugh to myself, I will remember this day fondly.

[pollylynn]

All in the Family—Chalk Talk,Chapter 3: Uh, I guess it’s a Three-Shot Caskett Future Fic

Title: All in the Family—Chalk Talk, Chapter 3 WC: 1200

A/N: Oops. I guess they wanted to canoodle? Obviously @coraclavia‘s diablerie at work. 

There’s a kind of tired she gets when they’re out here that reminds her of childhood. It is sandy and sunbaked, and it leaves all her skin feeling pleasantly and salty, even after a hot shower or a long soak in the tub. It reminds her of Coney Island and feeling sticky and heavy on the rocking train back Into Manhattan. 

The feeling is amplified tonight by the day—this day spent mostly by the pool, spent sprawled out and dragging chalk meant for little hands against the smooth black ground. It has its edges smoothed by the twilight walk on the beach they’d finally talked Madeleine into, even though her arms ache from it—from hauling her up off the ground between them and swinging her high, reaching out to keep her upright as her feet slapped hard against the wet sand. 

It’s intensified, that weariness, by the thunderstorm wrapping the world in its embrace. Her eyes are closed. She has an arm flung across them as she stretches out across their bed on an angle, but the way the blue-sheeted world slips through her lashes brings a lazy smile to her face every time. The thunder rolls through her chest, almost making her wish she weren’t too tired to reach out and drag the comforter over herself for burrowing purposes. 

“Victory.” His voice comes from the doorway. It makes her jump a little, though probably not as much as ought. She’d worry about her cop reflexes getting dull if she weren’t drifting so pleasantly, so completely. 

“She’s asleep?” She lifts a hand blindly and waits for him to come to her. He does not disappoint, and the kiss he drops against the pulse point of her wrist sends a lackadaisical thrill through her that runs—slowly runs—all the way down to her toes. 

“Oh, I don’t know if she’s asleep.” The bed dips as he lowers himself on to the edge. “She is, however, in bed and out of the trench coat.” 

She peeks at him out of one cracked-open eyelid. “And the trench coat has been removed to an undisclosed location?” 

“What am I, some kind of amateur? It’s on top of the tallest bookcase in Alexis’s room.” He sighs. “I will have to thank my mother properly for that . . . invigorating battle.” 

She feels her lips twitch as though they’re someone else’s. Apparently she’s too tired for a poker face. And he’s not tired enough to miss it. “Katherine Beckett, I do have my mother to thank for that remarkably well tailored child’s trench coat—which, by the way, will fit for about twelve-and-a-half-minutes—don’t I?” He whisks her shirt up to expose the vulnerable skin over her ribs. She draws her knees up to block his wriggling fingers, but not fast enough. “Don’t I?” 

“It was cute!” she pleads, laughing and pulling at his hand as she curls up, tight as a pillbug. “It was just so cute!” 

“Of course it’s cute!” He pulls his hand back, blinking as a flash of her teeth miss his knuckles y by a hair’s breadth. “It’s criminally adorable. That’s not the point.” 

“So what’s the point?” She feigns innocence.

“The point, Captain, is that you used our daughter’s sartorial frailties for nefarious purposes.” He holds a palm out, blocking  his own view of the eyelashes she’s fluttering a mile a minute. “To wit, engaging in flagrant detective cosplay, swaying her unduly toward the cop end of the potential professional spectrum—“

“Hey, you’ve got jammy pants going for you,” she protests, even as she drags her fingernails down the soft flannel covering his thigh. 

“—and,” he rolls on, ignoring her interjection, “and generally making her like you better.” He gives an injured sniff and falls back on the bed next to her. “No wonder I was bath time chopped liver.” 

“Uh, excuse me. You poured concrete to make her a ten-foot-wide storyboard. So who’s really doing the undue swaying on the potential profession front?” She rolls up on her elbow to study him in the firelight with another sudden shot of electric blue through it. “Besides, who was bed time chopped liver?”

“Thunderstorm,” he says as though it’s obvious. He holds up a finger and cocks his head toward the doors opening on to the balcony. The sheet-metal sound of thunder makes itself known and he drops his hand. “We needed to check in on Jacquard. Heliotrope is still furious that he got his finest Turkish robe all muddy splashing all the way out to the stables to check on Llewellyn.” She finds she’s too tired to hold her head up and worms her way under his arm to rest a cheek against his chest. He’s deliciously warm, and she can feel her eyelids gettin heavier by the second. “Is Llewellyn the valet?”

“Excuse me? Llewellyn is Jacquard’s yearling foal. He would be no help at all getting an ascot tied.” He tips his head to slant a kiss across her temple. “Ambrosius is the valet. He trained in cravats and morning ties in the court of Empress Gladiola.”

“Gladiola. Mmm,” she mumbles. “This is why I’m bedtime chopped liver.”

“Well, the good news is,” he pitches his voice low, “i am very, very into bedtime chopped liver.” He falls abruptly silent. “That’s gross isn’t it? Bed and chopped liver are not things that go together.” 

“They are not,” she says, her shoulders shaking with laughter. “They are definitely not.” 

“How about a fruity rum drink?” he asks, sounding hopeful. “That definitely goes with bed, and you had like half of one all day. I really fell down on my plying duties.” 

“No fruity things. No cold things.” She shivers at the very thought, all over her body, though she suspects it’s weariness more than anything. Still, she has a sudden longing for something warm to wrap her hands around. “Tea?”

“Tea?” She can hear his frown, even though her eyes are closed. “Tea is not a very Official Summer in the Hamptons Kickoff Weekend-y beverage.” 

“And that was not a very sentence-y sentence, Writer Boy.” She pokes at his ribs. “Tea? Please?” 

“All right.” He sighs melodramatically as he lifts her head and slips out from under her. “But I warn you.” He leans down, hovering his lips just shy of hers. “There may be bourbon in it. I’m very committed to this plying plan.” 

“And what makes you think—“ She stretches her arms high overhead and arches her spine. The sultry effect she was going for is somewhat spoiled by the enormous yawn that escapes her. “What makes you think plying will do you any good?” 

“I think you might be pre-plied with sun and sand and the  Mad One.” He laughs and knocks her forehead with his own. “I can work with pre-plied.”

“I think,” she yawns again. She stretches her weary, heaving limbs all the way down to the tips of her toes. “I think you won’t find out if you don’t hurry.” “Hurrying,” he calls over his shoulder. The word lingers, then sounds out again as he vanishes from sight. “Hurrying.”

A/N: Ludicrous.

[seven-oomen]

First, I hope you’re enjoying your game.  One of my friends posted about how she’d just gotten her copy of it, and her husband’s response was basically “so, I’ll just bring you food occasionally and see you in a few days?"  Also, I hope you’re feeling better.  And man you are KILLING ME with these previews.  Oh god, Peter, what are you planning now?  How bad is this gonna hurt and for how long?  (Don’t answer that, I’m afraid to know. XD )

I think all those Hogwarts Houses are excellent choices.  I always think it’s fun to see how people sort various characters, because I rarely have any that I feel are firmly one House (maybe it’s because I’m a proud HuffleClaw, myself, doomed to waffle between Houses every time I take a quiz or read an analysis on the subject.)  Side not - can you imagine the furor that would have occurred about a Slytherin and a Gryffindor hooking up in Fourth Year (I think?), and then pulling an innocent little Hufflepuff transfer under their spell?  Would any of them have played Quidditch?  (Peter I feel definitely played, though I can’t decide what position.  Undecided on the other two.)

Poor Peter, having to behave himself.  Although debatably as long as he kept the fangs put away it wouldn’t necessarily be a risk, though I can see him being worried anyway.  That’s why he needs to find someone to spin his fur into yarn he can then make them scarves/gloves/sweaters/etc with.  And why he’s so into the clothes sharing.  Anything to get his scent on them as thoroughly as possible.

And I am so here for PTA Dad Peter.  Helping out at school functions so he can keep an eye on the younger kids.  Building new, supportive relationships with his older kids, helping them with college applications and essays, making up lists of stuff they’ll need for dorm rooms, finding apartments if any are going to the same or nearby schools and can share, making sure they all have pictures and mementos to help combat homesickness.  And now I’m thinking about the memory quilt again.  Goddammit I don’t want to make myself cry.  Again.  "Imagine Peter hearing their heartbeats for the first time."  Oh nevermind, I see you’ll do it for me.  Ugh, my feels.  Peter shifting to his wolf form and curling protectively around them all the time, head pressed up to their abdomen so that he can listen and scent at maximum effectiveness.  Them just gently stroking through his fur until one or both fall asleep.  (Also, how quickly do the other wolves in the family pick up on the changes in scent?  How do they react?  How do the older kids react to the idea of more siblings in general?)

And you know that whichever one wasn’t the one pregnant at the time would be super protective at the time, then turn around and insist they were fine and that the others were worrying unnecessarily when they were the one pregnant.  (Also, glad your brother was okay!)  I also like that it apparently took them nearly 20 years to learn about planning for this sort of thing.  I know you’ve mentioned Peter and Chris being the ones that do the stupid thing next chapter (or something to that effect), but really I feel the biggest moment of "what the hell, guys?” is Noah getting knocked up just two months after Chris.  It’s like, you guys had a huge, in your face, live example of why protection is important, and yet…  I’m also just going to assume that they have at least a king size bed to accommodate that many people, even if many of them are tiny people, and none of them mind piling.  That’s still a lot of bodies cramming into one bed.  (That much room would also come in very handy for…other reasons, which is why I feel certain Peter would insist upon it.) 

Also, omg, I was not expecting to be attacked by those pictures like that.  Tag your porn, dude XD .  But really, can you imagine the poor, unsuspecting college friends their kids bring home for visits getting a triple barrel of that with no warning?  Like they’ve just seen the goofy, weird pics that they have on their phone/on their walls.  They were not prepared for the sheer DILF power of that household live and in person.  But then, is anyone, really?

Loving all the names.  I actually know a guy named John who has a son named Jackson, so that one was particularly amusing to me.  I also noticed that none of the kids have been named after anyone in Noah’s family, at least so far.  And don’t worry, I wasn’t expecting to have those spoiled yet, though I’m happy to know you liked some of my suggestions :D .  Now if I could just remember which all ones I went with…  Didn’t really think to put it in anywhere, but for some reason I’ve always liked Alexander as a middle name for Peter, though I remain undecided on the other two.

And yes, loving the idea of more family cosplay.  Oh god, they would never get ANYWHERE at a con because they’d be getting stopped every 3 feet for pictures.  For Star Trek, I feel like they’d do groupings from assorted series and versions.  Chris, Peter, and Noah are totally OS Spock, Kirk, and Bones (Peter with strategically torn shirt, of course).  I think Melissa would be their Uhura, and Natalie would be Yeoman Rand (she wants to see if she can fake the hairstyle), because I dare anyone to tell them they can’t pull off dresses that short.  Since he has sword training from his hunter background, Melissa makes Julio be their Sulu.  Boyd, Derek, and Jordan would be Picard, Riker, and Data (Derek would totally figure out how to do that weird way Riker sits down, too.)  After much debate, I feel Stiles would be Kirk from the recent films (NuTrek, or whatever they call it), Jackson would be Spock, and Malia would be Bones.  I think Lydia would make an excellent Uhura for them, as well.  Scott would be Scotty because he can remember to answer to it, and it gives him an excuse to do a TERRIBLE fake accent.  I’m leaning towards Isaac for their Chekov, but beyond that can’t think what to do with everybody else, I’m not familiar enough with the different tv shows.

Marvel we’ve talked about some.  DC I have a few random ideas.  I always thought it would be funny to see Peter, Derek, Jackson, and Liam do the assorted Robins.  While I feel Peter is DEFINITELY more of a Jason personality wise, I think he’d be far more comfortable in Dick’s costume that Derek would be, and if Derek was Jason the heights would line up better.  Jackson would be Tim, and Liam would be Damian (because who else would play DC’s tiny and angry than TW’s tiny and angry?)  Also, don’t overlook the fun and variety of villains DC offers.  The last group costume I did was a cross between Bill & Ted and assorted Bat-villains.  We called it Bruce & Dick’s Excellent Adventure, and even photoshopped a sign to carry to help people get it.  Among our line-up was Cleo-Catra, Ivybeth the First, The Poison Queen, Harley Antoinette, Joker Napoleon, Freud Nygma, and Bane-thoven.  (I really need to do something with the various pieces of my costume someday.)  I know there are several girls in the Bat-fam now, too, depending on who all wants to be a part of it, or if they want to skew more Justice League/Teen Titans/Young Justice.

Oh man, Disney.  So many options.  I feel like Lydia and Allison as Ariel and Prince Eric is a given.  I also like the idea of Kira and Malia as Belle and the Beast, partially because of Malia’s issues about having to hide her nature, and also because I think she could absolutely rock that suit.  Ben could join them as Chip.  (Stiles would actually make an excellent Belle, but I feel that might just get weird.)  I can see Danny helping Erica rig up a Sleeping Beauty dress with strands of LEDs that keep shifting from pink to blue to green so the dress keeps appearing to change color (it’s a massive hit.)  I don’t know why, but I really want Stiles and Jackson as Elsa and Anna for some reason.  Scott can join them as either Kristoff or Olaf, depending on the mood he’s in.  Can’t quite decide for the other pack kids.  Since the theme is nominally just fairy tales, I think the dads could just opt for a classier, fancier version of their Red Riding Hood looks.  Maybe go for a steampunk edge or something (I would have included links here, but Google was not my friend today and I couldn’t find quite what I wanted.)  Rich velvets and wools in vivid scarlet and forest-y greens, black and deep brown leather and suede, lots of polished buttons and buckles, loose cotton shirts unlaced at the throat.  Mmm, yes.  And Peter could have one of those super fancy Victorian type nightgowns with the long sleeves and high necks made out of super soft and fine materials.  Instead of getting some kind of mask to wear, he’d just do his partial/beta/whatever you want to call it shift and let them add extra fur on with makeup to blend it in.  Everyone just thinks it’s amazing effects work.  He does opt for some cute wolf paw slippers since cons tend to get snotty about people going around barefoot.  (Applying and removing the fur is also how they learn his ears are particularly…sensitive…to a delicate touch in that form.)  

Lord of the Rings.  Yes.  Like, I can’t figure out who or any real details right now but.  Just.  Yes.

I feel like some years they enter the costume contest and some they don’t, just depending on their moods.  (They totally take the Jurassic Park group to a con and people adore it.  It makes for great skits.)

Random bonus thought for the day concerns dancing.  I was thinking about the whole drag queen thing, and whether Jungle was around in the 90s, and it sort of segued into what types of dancers they are.  I feel like Peter is a very good dancer.  Not quite competition level, maybe, but very skilled, nonetheless.  Like Malia, he’s just very comfortable in himself, in all forms, which helps with spatial and bodily awareness, in addition to his natural grace and balance.  I also feel he’s the most likely to have taken, like, ballroom lessons or similar as a kid, maybe at a parent or grandparent’s insistence.  With Noah I keep thinking about the various videos I’ve seen of Dylan dancing both outside of TW and as Stiles, and I feel his dad would have a very similar style of awkward disaster from the chest up, undulations worthy of a harem girl from the waist down (those Stilinski boys tend to leave a lot of confused boners in their wake.)  In Noah’s case, settling into his frame after that last growth spurt and learning self-defense/martial arts helped smooth most of the awkward out, but it resurfaces every so often.  Chris I think would be the least likely to dance, just because I feel his background would make him very self-conscious about it, whether he wants to feel that way or not.  He’ll dance if it’s just the three of them or just family, or for a slow dance, but that’s normally it.  However, if he’s drunk enough, or if Noah or Peter have dragged him into a dark corner to makeout for a while and gotten him all distracted and relaxed, he can be pursued out onto the floor to show off some actually pretty sweet moves once he lets go.

Anyway, gonna try and wrap this up, because I just realized it’s way later than I realized, and I should try and get some sleep at some point.  Enjoy your game, I hope it’s epic!

When this little paragraph made me realize I had a gaping plot hole in this chapter and I got to go back to fix it. My god my friend, you are a lifesaver!

I also like that it apparently took them nearly 20 years to learn about planning for this sort of thing.  I know you’ve mentioned Peter and Chris being the ones that do the stupid thing next chapter (or something to that effect), but really I feel the biggest moment of "what the hell, guys?” is Noah getting knocked up just two months after Chris.  It’s like, you guys had a huge, in your face, live example of why protection is important, and yet…

Because oh yeah I wanted to make it canon that wolves can detect a heartbeat of the embryo at 4-5 weeks. Which is about a week after the heart starts beating. And oh yeah, Chris is two months along by the time Noah gets pregnant... shit. I wrote something else in that flashback.

And now I got to fix that, so cheers!

I also finished writing my chapter today! Yay! All glorious 13K of it. And I’ll be editing and posting tomorrow (or technically later today as it is past midnight.) Oh, I’m so excited, I’m so excited to see what you think!

As for the game, my god it is awesome!!! I played a few hours today but my heart raced so much I had to pause after two hours because I was getting dizzy because of my heart. But it’s a great game so far, very accessible and it just draws me in completely. It’s so good.

Definitely what I needed after my day at work.

hehehe I’m happy to see my previews and writing and getting emotions, it sounds so bad, but that makes me smile because it’s getting the desired response and that’s awesome. 

“Cue Lego Movie music”

can you imagine the furor that would have occurred about a Slytherin and a Gryffindor hooking up in Fourth Year (I think?), and then pulling an innocent little Hufflepuff transfer under their spell?  Would any of them have played Quidditch?  (Peter I feel definitely played, though I can’t decide what position.  Undecided on the other two.)

I think Peter would’ve been a chaser or beater, somehow those seem to fit him well. Noah played but he was a keeper. (which would be funny if Peter was a chaser since they would get to battle lover’s disputes on the quidditch pitch) Chris I feel wouldn’t play quidditch, he’s too busy trying to keep track of his studies and really just likes to watch the sport but not participate. I think he’d be more into care of magical creatures and defends against the dark arts than any kind of sport. Though he does join and excel at the dueling club.

And the scandal of Peter and Noah dating from fourth year on would be massive, people can barely wrap their heads around it. But they’re happy and they’re just doing their own thing. And they don’t pay attention to anyone else but what they think and what Chris thinks of them.

Peter shifting to his wolf form and curling protectively around them all the time, head pressed up to their abdomen so that he can listen and scent at maximum effectiveness.  Them just gently stroking through his fur until one or both fall asleep.  (Also, how quickly do the other wolves in the family pick up on the changes in scent?  How do they react?  How do the older kids react to the idea of more siblings in general?)

<3 <3 it’s honestly an adorable image. The twins are very active when dad’s curled up around them, knowing just where to kick so Peter’s wakes up by a foot to the face. Though he doesn’t mind and just nudges back gently, letting out a low grumbling noise or whine that he knows the babies can hear in utero. As for how quickly, it depends on whether or not they smelled it before. Jackson, Ben, or Scott wouldn’t pick up on it. They weren’t wolves around pregnancies before. Malia and Derek catch on quickly though. They start noticing the scent change at around 5-6 weeks and hear the little heartbeats of the new family members.

Malia is moderately excited, she’s a little worried about her dad and how he will handle pregnancy at his age. (Although he’s like 35 when he gets pregnant, that counts as a geriatric pregnancy, dad... I’m worried.)

Stiles just flips between the two of extreme worry where he read up on pre-eclampsia and other pregnancy complications and birth complications and omg what if that happens. But he’s also so so excited because omg he’s finally gonna be an older brother!!

(He knows he’s Ben’s older brother, and he adores the tyke, but it’s different when you have a pregnancy close instead of a five-year-old sibling from one day to another.)

Jackson is pouty and a bit grumpy. He feels like he’s losing baby status in the family more and more and he doesn’t know how to deal. (Ben was a bit difficult to get used to for him but Chris handled it well by setting time aside for his baby Jackson. It helped. But now he’s a teen and there’s going to be two more babies and he’s- he doesn’t know how to feel. When Chris breaks the news he wants to have another baby he’s even more torn but he does come around, deciding that he will always be the baby of the family, even when he’s not.

It’s a good compromise. And the three parents set some time for each of their kids so everyone gets attention.

Allison handles it the best out of the teens, she’s very excited for all of them and immediately to volunteers helping with decorating the new nursery. She paints a few awesome looking murals of Winnie the Pooh or Bambi or some other cutesy Disney animals (Or maybe even a space/star wars or a fairy tale ala Fables theme?) and just goes all out. She also convinces Malia to quilt a blanket for the new baby and helps her knit a few cute hats. She’s just extremely excited and happy.

Ben is very happy too, he’s finally not the youngest anymore and he’s happy to be an older brother. He also finds it fascinating to learn how pregnancy works and how those babies got in there in the first place. They let him tell them how it works and explain some basic details, sperm, egg, you need both to have a baby and the baby grows in pops and papa’s belly. But they leave out any details that Ben doesn’t figure out or doesn’t ask about to keep it more age-appropriate for him. 

Though Ben’s smart and he figures out a lot on his own. Noah and Peter are honestly impressed by Ben’s deductive skills. They knew Jackson and Stiles had them, but they hadn’t expected Ben to show them too. He’s a quiet observer.

They were not prepared for the sheer DILF power of that household live and in person.  But then, is anyone, really?

Honestly, I don’t think anyone is. Nobody can resist the sheer DILF power.

Since the theme is nominally just fairy tales, I think the dads could just opt for a classier, fancier version of their Red Riding Hood looks.  Maybe go for a steampunk edge or something (I would have included links here, but Google was not my friend today and I couldn’t find quite what I wanted.)  Rich velvets and wools in vivid scarlet and forest-y greens, black and deep brown leather and suede, lots of polished buttons and buckles, loose cotton shirts unlaced at the throat.  Mmm, yes.  And Peter could have one of those super fancy Victorian type nightgowns with the long sleeves and high necks made out of super soft and fine materials.  Instead of getting some kind of mask to wear, he’d just do his partial/beta/whatever you want to call it shift and let them add extra fur on with makeup to blend it in.  Everyone just thinks it’s amazing effects work.  He does opt for some cute wolf paw slippers since cons tend to get snotty about people going around barefoot.  (Applying and removing the fur is also how they learn his ears are particularly…sensitive…to a delicate touch in that form.)  

I- this whole thing? yes. Headcanon accepted because it is that good. I can literally just see them going in steampunk hunter, red riding hood and the wolf. thank you for putting that image in my mind XD

I feel like Peter is a very good dancer.  Not quite competition level, maybe, but very skilled, nonetheless.  Like Malia, he’s just very comfortable in himself, in all forms, which helps with spatial and bodily awareness, in addition to his natural grace and balance.  I also feel he’s the most likely to have taken, like, ballroom lessons or similar as a kid, maybe at a parent or grandparent’s insistence.  With Noah I keep thinking about the various videos I’ve seen of Dylan dancing both outside of TW and as Stiles, and I feel his dad would have a very similar style of awkward disaster from the chest up, undulations worthy of a harem girl from the waist down (those Stilinski boys tend to leave a lot of confused boners in their wake.)  In Noah’s case, settling into his frame after that last growth spurt and learning self-defense/martial arts helped smooth most of the awkward out, but it resurfaces every so often.  Chris I think would be the least likely to dance, just because I feel his background would make him very self-conscious about it, whether he wants to feel that way or not.  He’ll dance if it’s just the three of them or just family, or for a slow dance, but that’s normally it.  However, if he’s drunk enough, or if Noah or Peter have dragged him into a dark corner to makeout for a while and gotten him all distracted and relaxed, he can be pursued out onto the floor to show off some actually pretty sweet moves once he lets go.

Malia definitely inherited Peter’s dancing skills, I like to think Jackson did as well. Those three are the best dancers in the family. They just move with natural ease. 

Allison is a decent dancer, her gymnastics training really helps but she’s not as fluent as her brother, sister, or dad.

I feel like Noah and Stiles have awkward flailing down to a T but every once in awhile there’s a hip movement worthy of a fucking professional dancer and it’s very confusing. But yeah, totally agree with that assessment of them.

Chris isn’t much of a dancer and neither is Ben. Both of them are very self-conscious. Chris gets better when he’s drunk because he let’s go of insecurity but even then it’s not great. He just doesn’t dance, it’s not his thing. Although he was a very good grinding and hip rotation move. He’s also pretty good at jump style once he lets himself go and just turns his mind off. but the rhythmic jumping just feels natural to him. He also likes to slow dance since he can just bury his face in Noah’s shoulder or nuzzle Peter’s cheek and just forget about everything else.

Also, I like to think they all love to sing. Chris’s voice is best suited for country I feel like. Noah’s more for singer-songwriter. And Peter just loves singing pop songs and he knows how to hit some high notes. 

And now I am going to bed because It’s almost three am XD And I need some sleeps. Thankfully I have the day off this sunday.

[ritsukiayame]

Blue Crystals

Warnings: Implied rape

Words: 7804

Jun scrolled through Instagram as he walked slowly through the chilly classroom halls. After going through classmates’ aesthetic photos, Sailor Moon cosplay, and colorful recipe videos a bright photo of a soft swirl ice cream appeared. It was sitting in a blue and white striped cup with light blue sparkly sprinkles shimmered all over the white swirl.

Jun eyed at the pretty ice cream and looked through the hashtag. There were already aesthetic photos of the new flavor pouring all over the tag. There was even its own hashtag of people cosplaying as Elsa with the matching confectionary. He clicked on one of the of photos when suddenly the entire world went dark.

“Guess who?” Hands covered Jun’s eyes and he almost fell over by the surprise.

He touched the knuckles and smiled when he knew whose hands belong to. “Tuxedo Mask, is that you?” He pulled the hands away and turned around to see a grinning Ruki scratching his head.

He put his hands on his hips and puffed up his chest. “Not as handsome but yes it is I, Tuxedo Mask!” Ruki laughed nervously after making an embarrassing motion.  

Jun giggled and without thinking he hugged him. He hadn’t seen his best friend in so long because of how busy they both were. Especially during the fall season which was at its highest peak and the soccer team’s reputation was on the line. The only time they could really converse was through text or social media. However, because of Ruki’s extreme practice schedule he could only give out a good night text to Jun when Jun waited all night for him to come home safe. Jun felt Ruki’s arms wrap around his waist and held him tighter. “You’re just as handsome as Mamoru shut up,” Jun mumbled proudly knowing he was right as he rested his chin on Ruki’s shoulder.

Ruki chuckled and moved his face to look at Jun without letting him go. His smile was so lovely that it was probably the best thing that happened all day from this cold overcast weather. “How are you doing?” He asked softly. “I’m sorry I haven’t been able to hang out. I didn’t expect soccer season would be intense this year. Our new coach has some… interesting tactics.”

Jun jumped up. He loved hearing everything about Ruki even if it was things that he wasn’t familiar with like sports. “It’s okay! We can talk about it when you’re more free. And you know I’m busy too because we have been training new recruits to our speech and debate team.”

Ruki eyes lit up and slid his hands back to Jun’s wrists and set them to their side. He caressed his fingers across Jun’s knuckles gently. “I want to know about them! Did you find any potential speech stars?”

“Yeah I think so! But we can catch up when we both are free… I missed you.”

Ruki didn’t seem to hear the last thing Jun said but stared at his hand with his phone. He brought the wrist up and looked at the screen and then looked at Jun. “What is this?”

Jun snatched his hand away and turned redder than he was from the piercing cold. “Uh… it’s the new ice cream flavor at Rail’s…”

“Oh my God! We went there for one of our games! Their curly fries are so good by the way. I didn’t know they had ice cream! Wait can I see?”

Jun showed the official Instagram page of the restaurant and tapped over to the ice cream post before showing it to Ruki. Ruki wrapped his arm around his shoulder and Jun realized he was resting his head on Ruki’s shoulder. But Ruki was looking extensively at the phone screen. “Huh… that totally sounds like something you’d get for your Instagram,” Ruki teased.

“No it’s not that! It just looks really good and cute!” Jun retorted.

Ruki laughed. “I know. I’ll take you there and we can try it.”

Jun looked up at him with wide eyes. “Wait seriously?”

“Yup. We need a new place to hang out anyway.”

Jun could feel his heart beating so fast. For some reason this felt like he was offering a date. If only he really was dating him he would have kissed him but he held himself back. “Okay! Maybe then we can catch up- oh also there’s this new show that’s out and it’s called My Hero Academia and it’s really good and-”

“Yo Ruki!” Ruki and Jun turned their heads down the hallway to the source of the booming voice. Manny, one of the forwards of the soccer team, waved his arms with Alex walking up behind him and trying to put his arms down to calm him. “Our meeting is about to start come on!” Manny called again.

Ruki sighed and he pouted at Jun. “Aww I really wanted to hear about this new show.”

“I’ll text you the info later if you want!”

Ruki buried his face in Jun’s shoulder and nuzzled his forehead like a clingy child. “I’m just so sorry… I really wanted to see you.”

“Me too…” Jun replied softly. “But we will right?”

Ruki perked up and nodded. “Most definitely! I promise.”

“RUKI COME ON!” Manny roared which caused a bunch of heads to turn in the hallways.

“ALRIGHT MOM GIVE ME 5 MORE MINUTES!” Ruki roared back. He flashed a cheeky grin and gave a slight wave as the other two boys shook their heads and went into the classroom. Ruki turned to Jun. “I’m really sorry I’ll make it up.”

“Just go it’s okay.” Jun nodded and stroked Ruki’s arm for reassurance. Ruki nodded back and started jogging towards the classroom with his hands in his sweater pockets. For some reason that made him look really adorable. Another thing to add onto Jun’s list of the things he loved about Ruki.

_______________________

Despite it being short, Jun still was happy to see him regardless. Of course he wished it was longer but fate had other things in stored for them. Jun didn’t realized that he had the biggest smile on his face while scrolling through his messages on his phone when Maya slammed her hands on Jun’s desk.

“Jun!”

“Y-yes?” He stammered as he quickly put his phone face down.

Maya blinked. “Were you looking at porn?”

Jun gave her a serious look. He rested his chin on his hands and batted his eyelashes. “Do you really think me, of all people, the cutest and most innocent person in the world, would look at that?”

Maya thought for a second as she put her hands to her chin. “Yes. You're a big contender for watching all the nasties.”

Jun frowned. “How dare you.”

Maya laughed. “So anyways, I was online and I saw this hilarious video and-”

Before she could say anything else, another classmate Neha came up behind Maya and tapped her shoulder. “Hey Maya you coming?”

Maya perked her head to the side. “Coming to what?”

Neha took a step back and had a confused look on her face. “I posted all over social media that I’m having a party tonight. The soccer guys will come with drinks. If you know what I mean… but you in?”

Maya shrugged. “Yeah sure, why not?”

“Alright I’ll see you at 7 then.” Neha was about to leave when she saw Jun and hesitated. “You should come too.”

Jun only responded with nodding but she didn’t even see as soon as she turned. “I don’t think she really meant that.”

“I don’t think she really means anything to anyone so don’t worry.” Maya retorted back.

“But are you going?” Jun asked.

“Probably we will see how much my ambivertness will lead me. Do you want to go?”

“Uh maybe…” Jun looked back at his phone and quickly sent a text to Ruki.

Jun: Hey so Neha says she has a party tonight and mentioned the soccer team is coming with drinks are you going?

“Alright well let me know if you’re going. At least I will know one familiar face if I go.” Maya whipped out her phone and started tapping. “Anyways, this is the video….”

________________________

________________________

Jun was one of the first people at the party. He sat on a couch in the basement feeling incredibly isolated with his red cup of water. He kept checking his phone going back and forth at his conversations with Maya and Ruki if they were coming or not. He hated being in situations where everyone knew each other except him. He knew of them, but not well enough to bring up his courage to have a conversation with them.

His phone buzzed and it was from Maya.

Jun sighed silently. Now he had to stay with a bunch of people that he didn’t know or wasn’t comfortable with. He hoped Ruki would get here soon but he didn’t want to send another text to look annoying. Even though he texts him everyday he still had those tight anxious feelings.

A girl with long blonde hair flung her body on top of the backrest of the couch that startled Jun. He looked closer and realized the girl was Romy, one of the more outgoing and popular girls on the cheerleading squad. Romy looked up and flashed a boxy smile. Jun could smell from her she probably had some alcohol in her system already. “Hey I think I’ve seen you before? You hang out with Ruki a lot.”

“Jun,” Jun quipped. “I’m in your English class.”

“... 6th period?”

“Yup.”

“... Oh yeaah Jun! You’re the kid that argued Mr. Roberts about that one jungle book.”

Jun winced. That was not his proudest moment that he almost made his teacher mad over the symbolism in The Heart of Darkness and he wouldn’t stop talking until he made his point final. It was an embarrassing moment for him. “You remembered that?”

“Yeah the way you talked was so cool! I wish I could talk as smart as you.” Then she peered closer and the alcohol smell intensified. “Wow you know, you’re really pretty up close! Is that why Ruki hangs out with you a lot?”

“Wh-what?!”

“Hey do you know his type by the way?”

A roar of loud cheers echoed through the entire house. Everyone around them looked up and started walking toward the stairs.

“Hey the soccer team is here!” Someone shouted.

Romy whipped her hair up and started squealing as she jumped up and down. “Oh my God Ruki is here!” She bobbed towards the small crowd up the stairs.

Jun was the last one to come out. He headed over to the group of people that were crowded around the kitchen. The soccer team stood in the middle of the crowd as if they were a bunch of movie stars. Some of the players were chattering up a storm and others were having their arms around cute drunk girls. Jun scanned the crowd and saw Ruki standing behind Alex who seemed to be in a deep conversation with one of the stoner guys. Jun didn't know how to get his attention without looking like a fool except throw a small wave. He attempted but he didn't see him. Someone shouted to direct everyone back into the basement and Jun involuntarily moved his body with the waves of the crowd.

There were more people in the basement now and Jun felt like he had no choice except to sit back on the couch. He took out his phone and looked back at the stairwell to see Alex walking and talking with the same stoner guy and Ruki following him with a giggling and ditzy Romy clinging onto his shoulder.

Jun turned his head away. For some reason it made him sick to his stomach seeing someone treating Ruki like he was a toy. He got out his phone and saw that there was an unread message from Ruki.

“Jun?”

Jun turned around. Ruki finally met his eyes and nodded towards his direction with a smile. Alex also nodded towards him and seemed to motion Ruki to go over. He brushed off Romy and waved at her as he walked briskly towards Jun. “Is this seat taken?”

“No but it's yours if you start now at $19.99.” Jun smiled as he felt like his mood was starting to come back.

Ruki dug his hands in his sweatpants pockets and pulled out his wallet and opened it. “Aw dang it I only got a 5.”

“Fine. You can sit here. It's free on Fridays.”

Ruki laughed and sat close next to him. Suddenly everything became so much better because Ruki was here and he was right next to him. Jun didn't realize he was leaning a little next to him but it didn't matter now because he just felt so much better that he was finally here. Ruki turned to him. “You doing okay?”

“Mhm.” Jun nodded not taking his eyes off of Ruki’s beautiful dark pupils.

“I'm really sorry that we came late.”

“It's okay I got your text,” Jun replied. “Things like that happen.”

Ruki pursed his lips and closed his eyes as if he was slightly annoyed at himself. “I know but I still feel bad because you were waiting. I didn't want to keep you waiting for me.”

Manny shouted something that was followed with a bunch of cheers. He fisted a beer bottle in the air and popped the top open and started pouring into the cups.

Ruki turned back to Jun. “Do you want a drink?”

Jun held up his red cup. He laughed at Ruki’s horrified face. Jun would be the last person on Earth that would get hammered. “Calm down officer it's just water. But no I'm good. Are you going to go get one?”

Ruki shook his head. “I'm not really in the mood for it. I think I'm good.”

Jun continued to look at him as he set his cup down on the floor. Jun brushed his hand on Ruki’s forearm. “Ruki is something wrong?”

Ruki looked at him with a small smile but Jun could tell that his eyes were telling him something different. “Yeah I’m fine. Don't worry about it.”

“You say that and now I’m going to be worried.”

Ruki gave him a small smile. “I'll be fine don't worry. I think.. I just really missed you-”

“HEY LOSERS WE ARE PLAYING SEVEN MINUTES IN HEAVEN!”

The crowd shifted towards the couch area as they made a large circle with the couch included. Two soccer players sat next to both Ruki and Jun squeezing the two of them like the insides of a sandwich. Everyone else gathered around or sat in a circle on the carpet in front of them.

Neha held up an empty beer bottle and explained the rules. “Alright ladies and gents! It's time to get a little taste of heaven!” An echo of “ooohs” and giggles followed from the crowd. “Spin the bottle and whoever it points to is who you get to be with in that closet over there for seven minutes.” She pointed towards the door on the other side of the room. “Don't worry it's big enough just be safe! If you know what I mean…” A louder slew of laughter ensued. “Alright who's gonna go first?”

“Me! Me!” Romy shouted.

Whooping and laughter increased as the girls handed over the bottle. Romy rubbed her hands on the bottle in a suggestive way which excited the boys. She put the bottle in the middle of the circle and spun. Everyone kept their eyes glued on the bottle with cheering. The bottle slowed to a stop pointing to…

“Ruki!!” The crowd shouted his name in perfect unison that it made Ruki jump out of his seat. He looked at every direction and pointed at himself to make sure it was actually pointing at him.

Manny went over to the couch and slapped his shoulder. “Alright dude have fun!”

For some reason that made Jun’s heart sink to all the way to the ground. Air almost stopped flowing through his lungs like he couldn't breathe. Tears were about to form from his eyes until Ruki turned to him. “We are not going to do anything. I'm going to tell her that.”

“Ruki are you sure you want to do this?”

“Come on Ruki! Time is ticking!” One of the players opened the closet door to reveal that it was dark and cramped with shelves full of random junk. Romy strutted towards the door and waved at him.

Jun felt a hand on his shoulder. “Jun come with me.” Jun turned around to see it was Alex. Alex turned to Ruki. “Just go. I'll take care of it.”

Ruki nodded as if he understood what he meant. “Thanks man. I owe you one.” Then he turned to Jun and nodded. His eyes seemed to say to trust him and Jun had no choice but to accept that.

Ruki walked over to the closet as the soccer players scooted both him and Romy into the tight dark space. Neha started the countdown as soon as the door shut. “Have fun guys! Don't get too crazy in there!” she called to them.

Alex motioned Jun to come with him to the back of the basement as far away from the crowd as possible. The rest of the party goers were too busy cheering them on from outside of the closet or drinking more beer. Jun tried to turn his head away but it was making his heart accelerate into a cold sweat. “Jun are you going to be okay?” Alex asked. He wasn't very good at showing his emotions but after know him for about a year Jun could tell he cared despite his cold exterior.

“Yeah…” he lied.

“Listen Ruki is not going to do anything to her. He knows how to keep his limits and he won't do anything stupid. He doesn't want to make you upset-”

“Why are you telling me all of this?” Jun snapped. Alex raised his eyebrows because he had never heard Jun raise his voice like that. “I am not the one in control of what he wants to do it's his life it's his choice.” Jun realized how loud he was when the room got quiet. He turned around and it seemed like people started to give up one by one. He turned back to Alex feeling really guilty. “Sorry.”

“It's fine. I just…” He looked into the distance trying to find the right words. “I know Ruki isn't that stupid. And… he really really cares about you. Like a lot.”

Jun looked at him quizzically. “What do you mean?”

“Like… today even. He got really annoyed that practice went over time. He's usually pretty serious when he gives out instruction but he looked like he was mad. He was almost yelling at everyone to hurry up. Everyone was really uneasy too. When I asked why he said it was because he didn't want to keep you waiting.” Alex took a big sip from his cup as if the beer was just water.

Jun couldn't believe that Ruki was actually annoyed that he wasn't able to see him sooner. Before he could ask Alex anything else a drunk soccer player came up and put his arm around Alex. “Hey Alex who's this?”

Alex nodded towards Jun. “That's Jun. Ruki’s boyfriend. The one we were talking about.”

“Alex!” He could see Alex snickering in his cup. “Don't listen to him I am not his boyfriend,” Jun huffed over his already hot reddened face.

The soccer player laughed and waved his hand. “Nah dude the team always jokes that Ruki has a lover because everytime he looks at his phone he looks like he's smitten so we thought he had a girlfriend but Tom over there saw your name so we joke that you're his boyfriend.” Before Jun could process everything he just heard the player took his hand out and tried to be as formal as possible. “I'm Elgar by the way. I'm the second best on the team.”

“Third. Ruki is the second best that's why he's co captain.” Alex corrected him nonchalantly.

“Okay whatever. Third best.” He said raising up four fingers as Alex put down his pinkie finger to end up with three fingers instead.

The rest of the time Elgar started to talk about his practice routine and his bizarre dreams about being chased by a fly monster that Jun tried hard to pay attention but the idea that Ruki was still in the closet with a drunk girl was on his mind. He battled in between thinking everything would be alright and something happened. But if something did happen to Ruki what could he do? It would have already happened and he wouldn't have any control over it.

“3… 2… 1!” The crowd chanted followed by loud cheers. Jun whipped around to see Neha whip the closet door open. Romy jumped out of the closet looking all dizzy and happy with messier hair like she had the most amazing time of her life. Ruki looked like the exact opposite.  He stared at the ground with his hands in his pockets. It was hard to see from the dim lighting but his face looked really flustered and red like after running a marathon. But he also had a look of discomfort and agony as if he went through something horrific. Jun tried to tell himself that his hair wasn't that messy and it was dark so that's why it came out like that.

A couple of guys went up to Ruki and put their arms around his shoulder and started chatting with him what seemed like rounds of congratulations. Ruki only looked up and gave them a smile and one word answers.

Jun found himself walking over. Alex reached out to grab him but he followed him before Jun would do anything rash. Alex grabbed Jun’s wrist and said, “Hold on give it a bit.”

Jun looked back at Alex looking at him with confusion. “Why? He's done.”

“Hey man where you going?” The guy that had his arms around Ruki asked as Ruki pushed him away.

“I just need some fresh air. It was really stuffy in there you know?” Ruki stormed out of his way through the crowd ignoring everyone toward the stairs.

Jun yanked his wrist from Alex before Alex could call out to him. He hurried after Ruki but he couldn't see him anywhere in the house. He walked towards the living room ignoring the gross couple making out on the couch and towards the front door. Outside, Ruki was leaning against the railing on the porch staring out into what was left behind of the setting red sun behind the roofs of the suburbs with the stars starting to appear high above the dark sky.

Jun silently closed the door behind him. When the door locked Ruki turned around and smiled. That sweet smile that made Jun smile back as if it was their secret language. It was finally cool and quiet with just the two of them. The party was behind them now and finally they were alone together. Jun walked towards him as Ruki looked back out into the distance. Jun also mirrored him by slouching on the porch. The sun seemed to sink deeper into the rooftops before the last ounce of light disappeared and it was only the beginning of the evening.

A shiver went up to Jun. He brought his hands up and rubbed his own arms.

“You didn’t bring a warmer jacket?” Ruki asked. There was a slight tinge of sadness in his tone.

Jun had on a light zip up jacket over his thin t shirt but apparently it wasn’t enough. “I thought it would get warmer,” he said as he pulled his arms in tighter. “I get cold easily.”

Ruki chuckled. “I know. And I always tell you that you need to bring a heavier jacket because you’re so thin.”

Jun pouted. “It’s not my fault that I can’t gain weight anymore.”

Ruki got up and locked his arms around Jun. Jun couldn’t stop his giggling fit as he squirmed to get out of Ruki’s arms. But it was so warm and cozy that he felt like this was the safest place in the universe. “You’re right it’s your fault for being so thin so now you can’t get anywhere.” Ruki couldn’t stop smiling as he rested his forehead on the side of Jun’s golden hair.

Jun loved it so much when Ruki did that it felt so intimate even though Ruki was probably playing. Jun scrunched his head up and pretended to be in distress. “Oh no help. I’ve been captured.”

“That’s right. Zhang Junming you’re mine!” Ruki tightened his arms even more around Jun like a barricade and Jun giggled as he turned to face him and wrapped his arms around the waist of Ruki’s plushy sweater. He wanted to be like this for as long as they can, forever if it were possible.

Jun rested his cheek on Ruki’s shoulder. He wanted to ask if anything happened in the closet, but he could feel from him that maybe he didn’t want to know. He didn't know how to even start to ask. In fact, it may have been better to not know what had happened. It might have ended up differently than their relationship now. Even if Jun did find out what difference would it make? It was just one stupid teen game anyway. The Ruki he was with right now, the one that holding so close to him, was the Ruki he knew, not the one five minutes ago.

“Hey,” Ruki spoke softly in Jun’s ear. “Didn’t you say you wanted to try that new ice cream flavor at Rail’s?”

Jun looked up at him feeling the empty cold air from where the warmth of his cheek was. “But isn’t late? And it’s ice cream in fall…”

“But that’s the second best time to eat ice cream! The first one is in the winter.”

“Ruki,” Jun started but Ruki already let go and started heading towards the street. “Can we really just leave the party like that?”

Ruki turned back and called, “If you don’t catch up to the car I’m going to pay for it!”

Jun started sprinting but Ruki already beat him to the car. Jun tackled a laughing Ruki and both of the boys started holding each other for dear life and laughing until their sides hurt.

__________________________

The ice cream was even more magnificent in real life. Pictures didn’t do justice. The ice cream spiraled a perfect swirl with the perfect curl at the top. The sparkly blue sprinkles really did look like it was part of the creamy mixture. It really was like the ice cream version of crystals. It was so pretty and sparkly that Jun was afraid to even poke it.

“If you don't eat it now it's just going to be in a big puddle of shiny goop,” said Ruki coming back from the counter with hot tea.

Jun looked at Ruki wide eyed. “But it's so beautiful. What if I break it?”

“It's meant to be eaten. What else is its purpose?” Ruki took his spoon and rested his head in his hand with a sly smile.

Jun took his spoon and pressed it against his lips. “To look pretty for Instagram?”

Ruki laughed. “Oh my God you would say that.” Then he reached into his pocket to get his phone. “Speaking of Instagram…”

“Wait.” Jun put his hand on Ruki’s arm to stop him but he moved his phone to his other hand to open up the app. “But then everyone would know that we aren't there…”

Ruki scoffed and closed his eyes. “Who cares… no one is going to give a shit,” he muttered.

Jun’s heart almost skipped a beat. That was so unlike something Ruki would say. “Ruki…”

Ruki extended his arm to angle the perfect selfie. “Look up Jun.” Jun looked at Ruki’s camera to see himself and Ruki trying to angle most of the pretty ice cream. Jun quickly posed a peace sign with the spoon awkwardly in his hand. Then Ruki slid his other hand sneakily behind Jun’s back and wrapped gently around his waist and pulled him lightly to get closer in the picture. Jun tried not to show that he was getting red again but kept as cool as he could for the picture.

After a couple of snaps the boys looked at the pictures. Ruki hadn't left his other hand around Jun’s waist but he tried not to think of it. They looked at the photos and landed on one that looked the best out of all of them.

“This one.” Jun pointed. “We look cute in that one.”

“Yeah.” Ruki agreed turning to him. “But you're cute in all of them.” Jun probably lost conscious for five seconds after hearing that. After deciding on a filter they agreed that it was ready to publish. “Let me write the captions and tags. Go ahead and eat first.”

Jun sighed, sad that he had to poke into it. He scooped out a piece and tasted it. He widened his eyes at the first second the confectionary touched his tongue. A shiver went through his whole body but it was a good shiver. It started off extremely milky and creamy that melted so neatly with the after taste of cool fresh mint.

“How is it?” Ruki asked after setting his phone down. He held his other hand around Jun’s waist little tighter and caressed it with his thumb gently.

Jun scooped another bite and nudged the spoon at him, Ruki smiled and leaned down and chomped the whole scoop.

Ruki closed his eyes for a moment to indulge and process the taste. A quick shiver went down his whole body that he let go of his arm around Jun. “Oh man! That is so good! It’s so minty and extra cold!”

“Right?” Jun took another scoop of the ice cream and playfully taunted the spoon of shining blue creamery in front of Ruki’s face. He leaned in before Jun pulled the spoon back into his own mouth in one bite. He shivered at the initial icy bite when the chill moved up to his brain. He scrunched his face at the cold pain. “Arrrg.” He put his forehead on the table trying to internally fight the piercing pain.

“Brain freeze?” Ruki chuckled.

Jun could only nod in pain.

Ruki pushed his steaming mug of hot tea. “Don’t eat it too quick it’s not a race. Here is some ailments to heal you from being frozen.”

Jun turned his head to look up at Ruki who was already scooping himself another bite of the ice cream. He took both of his hands around the warm mug and brought himself to sip the warm bitter tea.

The boys took their time taking in each scoop of the ice cream, sipping tea, and even the basket of curly fries that Ruki ordered later. They sat and talked about whatever was on their mind, even stories of what was going on with the activities they were doing at school. Jun listened intently at Ruki’s locker room gossip and laughing at his attempt to imitate the other players’ distinct voice. When Ruki finished his part of the conversation there was always this silent communication that gave Jun the signal for him to say whatever was on his mind. And as always, Ruki was always listening and commenting when he needed to. Jun finally told him about the new shows he was watching and complaining about all the late night studying he had to do that he realized this might have been the most he’s ever talked in a long time. When he was with other people he was usually closed off like he didn’t want people to get into his life because he felt like he so different from everyone else that people would be turned off from it. But with Ruki, it wasn’t like that. He could tell him anything and he knew Ruki wouldn’t judge or think differently of him. It was a feeling of comfort, something that he cherished everytime he was with him. This was one of the reasons why he loved being with him.

When they were done with the food they noticed that they were the last ones in the entire restaurant. The sun was completely gone with only the street lights that started blinking to life. After a shy bus boy asked them to leave for closing, Ruki turned to Jun suddenly and said, “Do you want to go to the beach?”

Jun blinked. “But isn’t late? It’s really dark.”

“Oh… does that bother you? I’ll be with you the whole time though.”

Something wasn’t right. Usually when it was really late Ruki would ask Jun if he was tired and encourage him to go to bed early. But he didn’t this time. This meant that Ruki really didn’t want to go home. But then again, Jun didn’t want to leave Ruki already either. He couldn’t believe how fast time went by in the restaurant that it felt like they just got there. Jun grabbed Ruki’s arm and nodded.

In a swift movement, Ruki slid his hands and laced his fingers around Jun’s and took him out of the restaurant on their way to the car.

_________________________

____________________________

After a quiet car ride in the dark, they finally reached their favorite spot on the beach. It wasn’t exactly per say on the sandy part of the beach, but it was a cliff that wasn’t very steep and perfectly overlooked the ocean and the rest of the beach. It would have to take a small hike to get to that cliff but was worth it because of the view and no one else seem to have found this spot.

The boys linked arms in silence to rely on each other’s presence in the dark. They listened to the rustle of the grass that glazed against their footsteps. When they reached the edge of the cliff they sat down. The moon was very big and bright that its reflection was so bright that the ocean seemed to sparkle. It didn’t make the night as dark as it was. Jun could see the white beach and the ocean’s crawling waves very clearly. It was such a beautiful sight that he wished that they could go to the beach more often at night. He will have to tell Ruki that later and maybe even more as an excuse to see him.

Jun rested his chin on his knees when Ruki took his seat next to him. “Let me know if you get cold. We can go back to the car.”

“It’s alright I’m fine,” Jun replied. He continued to stare at the scene in front of him. “It’s beautiful here at night.”

“Yeah it is,” Ruki agreed realizing that Jun was talking about the ocean and not himself.

There was a few moments of silence except for the rolling waves in the distance. It was nice that it was just the two of them and the sound of the ocean. Then Ruki broke the silence. “Hey, thanks for not asking what happened back there.”

Jun turned to him. Ruki didn’t look back at him he continued to look out into the distance. He wasn’t sure if the twinkle in his eyes was from the reflection of the moon or it was actually tears. “What do you mean?” He asked. But he knew what it was about, then Jun realized he shouldn’t have asked.

“I mean at the party earlier.”

Jun got up and placed his arms on the grass leaning back. “If you don’t want to talk about it now you don’t have to. You can tell me when you’re ready or even if you don’t want to talk about it you don’t have to.”

Ruki closed his eyes and laid back into the grass. He put his arm across his eyes as if he didn’t want Jun to see what his eyes were emoting. Jun felt like all of the panic rushed to his heart and throat.

“Ruki! Ruki are you okay? I’m sorry if I said anything wrong!”

Ruki grabbed Jun’s arm. Jun’s heart almost broke at the sight. It wasn’t the reflection of the moon that made Ruki’s eyes sparkle. Small tears started forming at the edge of his eyes. “Jun. You haven’t done anything wrong at all. You never have. You’re so amazing and wonderful sometimes I think I don’t deserve you.”

Jun could feel tears welling up in his eyes. He moved his hand and reached Ruki’s hand. “Why.” His voice cracked. “Why would you say that?”

Ruki stared up at the sky. Stars were beginning to appear even though they were hard to see against the bright moon. “Everyone assumes I’m supposed to act or be a certain way because of who I am. I know I talk to a lot of people, I know I get good grades, I know I’m decent at sports, I know I have a lot of girls that ask me out but it’s so overwhelming. It’s like they assume I’m that guy you know? They assume because of that I have to be that person that I play this role and it ends up not being ‘me.’ I’m just pretending to put up this mask in front of everyone because I have to live up to their expectations because they think I am that person. Because I'm ‘nice’ or whatever.” He sighed trying to hold back the tears. It took a moment before he could speak again. He closed his eyes as if he was trying to find the right words. “Romy was one of those people.”

Jun squeezed Ruki’s hand tighter. He tried to push back down the imaginary bile that was up his throat hoping that whatever he heard next wasn’t what he expected.

“I kept telling her no. I kept telling her I don’t want to do this. But she was so drunk. She kept saying ‘But I want this.’” He wrapped his other arm across his eyes hoping Jun wouldn’t see the tears coming down his eyes. “I don’t even know her Jun. I don’t know anything about her other than she’s friends with Amalia and Emily. Yet she kept... kissing me.”

Jun closed his eyes trying to hold himself back. He was prepared but not for what he was about to hear next.

“I kept pushing her back but it was so dark I didn’t want to hurt her either. But she wouldn’t stop. She didn’t just kiss me on the lips. She went everywhere… and….” His words almost became incoherent and Jun could see Ruki’s cheeks becoming wetter that he felt his own tears trickling down his face. “She pulled down the zipper and wouldn’t fucking stop blowing me. I couldn’t do anything I should have pushed her away more but it was like I couldn't move. I never thought… that could happen to me…”

“Ruki.” Jun laid down next to him and wrapped his arms around Ruki’s arm and brushed his forehead against his shoulder. He brought himself into an embrace with Ruki’s arm like curling up next to a pillow. He needed to calm himself down from sobbing as well. He never expected to hear this. It was much worse that he expected. “Ruki I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry it happened to you. You don’t deserve that. You really don’t deserve that. You of all people don’t deserve that to happen to you.”

Ruki turned towards Jun and wrapped his warm arms around him and touched his forehead against his. Now Jun could clearly see the tear stained eyes with blades of grass poking from his cheek. “Why are you apologizing? This isn’t your fault.”

Hearing this made Jun cry even harder. He wasn’t supposed to he was supposed to keep his composure to comfort Ruki. But he couldn’t control it. “But I didn’t do anything. I can’t do anything. Ruki I feel so awful I couldn’t do anything.” He choked in between words.

Ruki wrapped his arms tighter until Jun buried his face in Ruki’s warm soft chest. He kneaded small circles behind his back as he left Jun sob on his chest. “You’re doing plenty. You being here and listening to me is everything to me.” Ruki laughed softly but Jun wasn’t sure if he was also crying more. “This is why I love being with you so much. You’re the only person that doesn’t make me feel like I have to put on a mask. You let me be me. You make me feel like I’m safe and I don’t have to hide anywhere.”

Jun started shaking uncontrollably from the weeping and brought his hands up clinging on to Ruki’s chest. He couldn't believe that someone would hurt him and that hurt Jun more than anything. He held onto the back of his sweater tightly. He quickly wiped his tears but Ruki brought his hands up and gently wiped it for him. It was odd, he should be the one comforting Ruki, not the other way around. “Ruki,” Jun started after catching his breath. “Please. Tell me what you need.”

“What do you mean?”

“If anything like this happens again you have to tell me what to do and I'll do it.” Jun found himself more determined to protect the one he loved the most. His voice carried through that gradual shift of confidence. “I know you always give to others to make others happy but you need them too. You deserve to have the things you want and need. So if there's anything at all, please tell me. Even if it means I have to beat Romy or anyone up.”

“That won't be necessary,” Ruki said quickly. He brought his arms down to Jun’s hands and held them tightly. He rested his forehead again on Jun’s. Jun held his breath at Ruki’s handsome features but felt his heart weep knowing in Ruki’s beautiful eyes more tears were slowly streaming out. “You don’t have to do that for me.”

“Don’t say that!” Jun realized he raised his voice at him and held himself back. “Sorry… I just mean… you give and give to others so much that it will hurt you in the end. I don’t want to see you hurt like this and it’s so unfair that people take advantage of your kindness. You of all people don’t deserve any of that.” Jun could feel tears coming back that was holding him back from speaking in his throat.

Ruki looked shocked from the amount that Jun spoke. He chewed his bottom lip then asked, “Can you promise me you won't tell anyone?”

“Of course.”

Ruki sighed deeply and closed his eyes. A single tear trickled down his eye. Jun brought his finger and wiped it away with his knuckle. Ruki grasped his hand again and caressed it so slowly and so lovingly. “Can I ask you something extremely selfish?”

Somehow that pained Jun’s heart. “Ruki whatever it is I know it is not selfish. Tell me what is it?”

Ruki’s eyes widened in a state of shock. He closed them to let more tears stream down making Jun’s tears follow more. He brought Jun’s fingers so very close to his lips he almost brushed them. “Can you please stay with me? Just for tonight?” He whispered so softly that it was mixed in with the grass rustling in the gentle wind.

Jun brought up his composure, scooted up, and embraced his arms around Ruki’s head and let his forehead touch his chest. It was such a surprising movement that both boys tried to realize what happened. But Jun knew he wanted this intentionally. “I’ll stay with you as long as you want.”

Then he felt shaking underneath his arms. A muffled quiet sob emitted from Ruki. Ruki had always caressed his fingers around Jun’s hair and now Jun was the one to do that for him, It made him feel a little lighter as he comforted Ruki. “What if I asked for forever?” Ruki suddenly asked between his silent crying.

“Then I will stay with you forever.”

Ruki didn’t speak after that. But Jun could feel that he let himself cry because he needed to. How long had he been holding this up? It pained Jun to know that Ruki must have closed himself off like this for so long. Even though Ruki explained the mask he put on for others, he hoped that someday he will take off that final mask and let Jun in to bring him all the comfort he needed in the world. He stroked his hair in circles and without thinking he lightly kissed the top of his head. He buried himself in Ruki’s soft hair and wished to himself that he would never see Ruki hurt ever again.

[forte7]

Forte’s Fan Character Flashback Friday - #11

Name: Kaede Hatake Series: Naruto Background: So, this is probably the last Flashback Friday; turns out I'm kinda out of fan characters to really bring back - at least those that I really remember or have images of. But I will be ending this series off with a bang, I guess, cause today we're going to talk about one of my favorite fan characters who has way more development than a fan character really needs, but hey, I enjoy it and it's fun.

Anyway, I've posted stuff for this character before, but have a lot more I can share and have been kind of holding back for this post.

This is Kaede, my long-lived Naruto fan character. As cliche as it is, she supposed to Kakashi's adopted daughter, who of course, also happened to repress her memories of her actual family and birthplace and thanks to the Third Hokage's permission and whatnot, was able to just more or less seamlessly mesh into living in the Hidden Leaf village.

She was created right after I really got into the series, which was back around 2007, which correlates with one of the earlier images I have of her on my dA. You can see that one here, actually: https://www.deviantart.com/forte-girl7/art/Hatake-Kaede-69525304

Fun side note for that, I had done that image all on the free program GIMP and with a mouse and I'm still amazed at my younger self for having the patience to do all the things I used to do with just a mouse. I've been spoiled by my tablet, haha.

Anyway, one reason why I've been so attached to this character is because, like Rey a while ago, I used to RP with this character on a Naruto RP forum. However, this forum was much more active and the person who RPed as Kakashi was super into the idea and we really ran with the different scenarios we could put the two in. I'm actually still friends with that person and we talk about it from time to time and after the forum itself had gone under, still wrote fanfiction things together, just for funsies.

There's another reason why I got attached to the character and it's kind of a weird, personal, psychological reason, but could really be applied to a lot of my fan characters. As you may have noticed over the course of this series, a lot of my fan characters are either a character's daughter or younger sister. I never did the love interest thing; it wasn't and still isn't a thing that I was into. Not sure why, really, but not my thing.

The gravitation to having characters with older brothers or I suppose "idealized" father figures, however, I can totally explain. The brother thing is simple: I've always wanted an older brother, but as the eldest of the family, that was never going to be a thing. So, I guess I tried to find some kind of surrogate relationship with my fan characters. The same can be said with the father thing, too, but I do still have my dad around and while he isn't the worst dad, I guess he could have always been better. I don't want to paint my dad in a bad light, but he's always been a bit overbearing and had a lot of expectations for me that he pushed so much, I'm sure it didn't help with how my mental state's progressed through the years. Really, it's still a thing I deal with to this day and the more I think about it, the more I understand my younger self's need for "better" father figures to attach myself to.

Kaede was definitely one of those characters, and with someone like my old RP friend fanning the flames, it was hard not to get attached to a source of escapism that I really craved and needed at the time. That and having a set up like that and also have a friend who funnily enough cosplayed as Kakashi at one point saying "she should be canon", well, that's how you make a 14/15 year old's day, haha.

Anyway, I do have a lot of older art for this character (plus a lot of newer stuff), that I'll put next. I'll try and put them in chronological order, starting with some of the older stuff I have.

Old Drawing 1

Old Drawing 2

Old Drawing 3

Old Drawing 4

Old Drawing 5

Old Drawing 6

She's had a few different outfits over the years, though I do have a lot more stuff of her in more random outfits not really connected to her "actual" design. You can tell I was going through that "young weeaboo" phase looking at them, cause there are some of her as kitsune, some of her and Kakashi transformed into dogs, lots of them with bad fashion sense, and even here, she used to have a giant, paper fan as a weapon, cause "they have those in anime". And yes, I know, Temari has a giant fan, but her's is actually like.. a bamboo folding one, while the one here is obviously just a silly paper one that again, you would see in anime as a gag item.

Also, a few notes about some of her outfit inspirations: her earliest outfit looked way too much like Sasuke's, which I wanted to stray away from, but was hard considering I insisted on keeping her color palette the blue/tan mix.

One reason for wanting to stray from that is because of Kaede's odd stance when it comes to Sasuke. Personally, he's not my favorite, but Kaede herself is at odds with him, because of Kakashi's focus on training Sasuke in the earlier part of the series, mainly because of their mutual connection that is the Sharingan. Kaede has a slight inferiority complex when it comes to this relationship and is a major source for her lack of self confidence in her abilities.

Also, one of the later designs is an obvious rip-off of Kakashi's outfit from the Gaiden storyline (the bit where he actually gets his Sharingan). I liked elements from it, but again, would go on to tweak it so it wasn't just stealing from another character. Of course, if you look at the designs (and naming conventions) for a lot of the characters that are related... well, sometimes it seems like they didn't try much harder, hahaha.

And as another note, the reason why some of these images have the dA watermark on it was because I got these from my storage on there and they had those enabled. For the next few, which aren't in storage, I'll just link to the actual dA posts. These are still fairly old at this point, cause I haven't posted a lot of the newer stuff on there or anywhere yet, cause I've been... just going crazy on making new stuff and not posting it.

https://www.deviantart.com/forte-girl7/art/Daddy-s-Girl-126086387

https://www.deviantart.com/forte-girl7/art/Naruto-Kaede-326539607

Those two are from 2009 and 2012, while the ones earlier were posted in 2007ish. Also, the age progression there is pretty similar to the current one, though in the most recent, her older outfit reflects the changes to the general Konoha shinobi found in Boruto.

Now, this is just all visual development for the character. When I say a lot, I mean, a lot, cause there's also a written development to go with this. Granted, a lot of it is more recent, but that's because of me being weird.

Some of the posts there on dA do have the startings of a character profile, but they always say "I'll post most later" or "I'm still working on her profile" or whatever and that never came to light. That's mainly because, as I've mentioned before, I'm oddly pick about how plausible my characters may be in the canon universe. Kaede is no exception and may be the one that really sparked how particular I am about it.

I've been meaning for the longest of times to actually write a fanfiction that more or less adds Kaede to the story, though through research/rethinking, I would now add events not directly connected to the manga/anime, which would be needed either way, cause it's not like I was gonna shove her in the background of every actual scene from Naruto's story. However, because Naruto was still ongoing when I got into the series, I decided to bide my time and wait until it ended and how things unfolded.

While now that it's ended, that means I can comb through everything and actually make sure everything's covered, but it was quite an thing to tough through, considering some of the things that happened in the later chapters of the manga. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone really, but the series is pretty old now at this point and into their next series anyway, and some of the stuff that they pull off and hope you accept in the end game of Naruto is a bit much and trust me, you do not want to get me started on THAT topic, hahaha.

Anyway, now I'll be sharing some of the stuff I've been working on the last bit of time to actually maybe see that long-form fanfiction come to fruition. Please note that a lot of them are still a work in progress, but they have come a long ways since those earlier profile/backstory promises. It turns out that sitting down and combing through stuff, even after the fact, is a lot of work and very time consuming, because again, there's a lot of baloney that Naruto really hopes you'd be fine with, when sometimes they themselves don't stay the most consistent, especially when it comes to their actual time line.

I'm trying really hard not to go on a rant here... so let's move on the links and I'll explain them one by one if needed.

Profile Here's Kaede's current overall profile. It includes the general things on a profile sheet, like name, appearance, personality, backstory, and the likes. This also covers the same parameters for Kaede through the year, because I want to be thorough cause I'm weird like that. I also have little skill charts that use the same ranking system found in the Naruto Character Guidebooks, because I guess I like to waste time, hahaha. The backstory part of this is also kind of serving as a rough draft/abridged version for certain story events I'd like to write out, so sorry if they read... weird.

Relationships This document goes into more detail of Kaede's relationships to other characters. Kakashi's isn't full filled out yet, though it should probably be one of the longest ones, but I've been focusing on other characters, mainly her extended family, that I've been adding to bolster her backstory. There are line breaks between certain groups of characters, and the order after Kakashi should be Kaede's actual parents, her extended family (mainly a lot of her mother's relatives), Kaede's teammate and sensei, Naruto and the others of Team 7/Kakashi, and then other characters from the show.

Supporting Profiles Now, because I'm making up a whole gang of extra characters for my silly little OC, that means they also need profiles for a bit more fleshing out of their own, so that's this document, cause I just don't know how to stop myself sometimes. These again follow an order in their appearance, going from her biological parents to extended family, then teammates, followed up by teammates/colleagues of her biological father.

Technique/Skill List Pretty self explanatory. There are technically two versions of this list, where the other is really just a list. This one is the spreadsheet that covers other parameters of the various techniques/skills/jutsu/whatever and where I keep other notes.

Timeline This one is pretty much the biggest pain the neck for me, because again, it's taking time to cross reference the canon timelines that sometimes muddle themselves up anyway and can be annoying, yet amusing to read. This timeline focuses mainly on characters directly involved with Kaede, such as her extended family/what have you, so it's not the same in-depth one that I've been using on the Naruto wiki. Again, I'm trying to put her into the story, but that doesn't mean she's present and/or relevant to everything, cause she wouldn't be, hahaha, though there are some events present that are only there as kind of reminders for what's taking place in the main storyline.

As seen in the supporting profiles doc, all the characters I've come up with have designs, too, or are in the process of getting them and I've posted sketches and finished versions of them on my Patreon, cause those are also still a work in progress. I want to say I'll post them when they're done, but with me, who knows when that'll be, so I'll just some of them here now:

Supporting Character Drawings

Anyway, I think I'm gonna wrap this one up, cause I've blabbed for long enough. I know not a lot was actually covered Kaede-wise here, but that's because a lot of it would just be repeats of the stuff covered in the way-too-many-documents-for-a-fan-character up there.

Also, like I said, this is probably the last Fan Character Flashback Friday, so I want to thank you all for taking this journey with me to the past to revisit some rather fond memories and fun designs.

[blamebrampton]

Eurovision 2018, Semi Final 2

I’m watching on replay and it’s getting late, so this is going to be as swift as possible. We open with a gorgeous montage and I really do feel like going to Lisboa after this week, were I not broke as a broke thing. The women are back and they look great. The NCIS one has come in an assassin’s cocktail dress, the saintly one is dressed like a tasteful wedding cake, the blonde has come over all black swan and the little one has picked up on last semi final’s sci fi villains theme and is cosplaying Servalan. They are doing nautical allusions again and I will continue to ignore them wherever possible. And also their jokes. They are lovely people, but I am here for the singing. 

1. Norway, Alexander Rybak, That’s How You Write A Song. He’s back! With the air fiddle this time. In fact, a raft of air instruments that are animated in. Look, he’s still cute as a button and charismatic as a puppy, but this song is reminding me of Cliff Richard and that is not something I wish to be reminded of. It’s no Fairytale. ACTUAL violin has just appeared! About bloody time. He nearly transcends the song, but the song is well meh. Watch it win now. Backing dancers exist and are perfectly fine. Let’s move on.

2. Romania, The Humans, Goodbye. White dress, drink. No, it was a fakeout, the lead singer is wearing purple. She’s surrounded by band members in white with creepy white masks. And mannequins in in gimp suits, also with creepy white masks. I’ve got a real Bonnie Tyler vibe here, which is at least a step up from the last song. BIG power chords into the main body of the song. She’s exhorting the mannequins to live their best life and I cannot bear to break it to her. White dress girl is back, she’s the cellist and I respect a band with a cellist. BIG HERO NOTES! ooh, her purple frock has matching shorts. Nice. Song was OK, band was great.

3. Serbia, Sanja Ilic and Balkanika, Nova Deca. Pipes and wailing vocal intro and I am sold already. If I was up this morning, this would have had my vote. Soz, kids. Three girls wailing mystically with a man looming behind Rasputinly. Seriously, his whole outfit is mad monk. Big Taiko style drums with an enthusiastic man beating away — erm, on the drums — and now some dance beats to lift it. I have to say that I would love this on the club floor late at night when you want something a bit slower and trippier. The girls’ outfits are sort of earth goddess meets debutante. I’m not going to lie, I flipping loved this one.

4. San Marino, Jessika, featuring Jenifer Brening, Who We Are. Lead singer in a lacy red frock over undies. Two human girl dancers and a set of robot dancers. Look, Ive seen worse. Jenny B has just stonked out down the walkway rapping determinedly and it’s all … fine. It’s a perfectly fine song and there will be some young folks who love it. A robot is holding up body positivity messages, actually, the poor wee thing just dropped it, but now he’s holding hands with the singer. It’s a bit community centre talent night, but they’re enormously likeable and I wish them well.

5. Denmark, Rasmussen, Higher Ground. Sudden plunge into darkness. Faint mystic chord as of pipes over water. Dry smoke. Backlit bearded man standing on a ramp. Square sails and more bearded men. Yes, we have hit peak Viking for the night and there is chanting and stomping and more beard pomade than is probably safe in an environment with pyro. We’re singing about men laying down their swords and making their mark and it’s all very Scandirevival, but I have to confess I rather like it and they can all bloody well sing. I have a nose full of North Sea wind and my cheeks feel windbitten at the end of this song, Oh, look, a white flag of peace. Sure. Key change! Snorri Sturluson would love these guys. The boy Aussie commentator has just said they remind him of when Durmstrang walked into the Hall in Harry Potter and he is right on the money. Definitely a contender.

6. Russia, Julia Samoylova, I Won’t Break. Set design is from the cousin of whoever did Estonia, so it’s nice to have two iceberg singers in the one contest. Super dancers: ballet this time, with Russian technique, which is always lovely to see. Look, I disagree with her politics and her country, and the song’s another meh one, but I wish her well. Moving on.

7. Moldova, DoReDoS, My Lucky Day. They have brought a whole miniseries in the staging of this song. She’s seeing blue suit, but red suit behind his back. Now she and red suit are official, but blue suit is getting some on the side. Lots of comedy from the dancers in the background, who are working within a white box set. It’s silly, it’s saucy. it’s a lot of fun. It would absolutely be the theme song of a sex comedy from 1959 starring Sophia Loren.

8. The Netherlands, Waylon, Outlaw in ’Em. Steel string guitar, pulsing lights and wailing vocals. I’m sorry, I’m allergic to wailing dead dog country that uses gun metaphors, They’re very talented, just not my thing. I’m sure he’ll make a fortune in America and good luck to him.

Short presenter is down with the audience and why?

9. Australia, Jessica Mauboy, We’ve Got Love. Cards on the table, I love Jess. She is a super lovely person as well as a great singer. I don’t the song is quite as good as Dami’s Sound of Silence, but she can perform like a goddess. She is bringing her inner Beyonce with the hair and squats, and selling the lyrics, which are basically, ‘don’t give up, we’ve got love’ and look, sure, but this is a country that numbers Sia, Nick Cave and Kate Miller Heidke among its leading lyricists and I just feel we could have done better for our Jess. But she is putting it all out there, and getting the crowd in on side. The drapey bit on her minidress is a bit distracting, but who gives a proverbial, she’s a champ and she should definitely go through to the finals.No matter how absurd it is that we are there.

10. Georgia, Ethno-Jazz Band Iriao, For You. My first question is whether that is actually the group’s name or if they added a little descriptor for the booking agent once and it’s stuck. It matters not. Lovely quiet jazz piano opening, then classical vocals soaring over the top, dry ice already, and a chanting backing vocal that is somewhere between Gregorian monks and Il Divo, but entirely pleasant to listen to. The vocals are very tight and the arrangement intelligently spare and restrained in parts to show off the voices. I approve! There is a lot of eyebrow emoting, but I don’t mind that in a dark Eastern European man, it’s like queueing if you’re British or buying sausage sandwiches at hardware shops on weekends if you’re Australian. That was a good three minutes for me, I hope they get through!

11. Poland, Gromee, featuring Lucas Meijer, Light Me Up. They are wearing ridiculous hats. More Pharrel than Devo, but the sort of hat that will stand in for a personality when you’re young and nervous. Fair enough, some of them look about 14. Good performers, strong backing vocals and the sort of winning stage performance I would have loved the first 250 times I saw it. It’s not your fault I am old and jaded, Gromee, but I am. There is pyro, there is hand dancing, he is dancing with the audience, he is counting. It’s all fine. OK, bye.

12. Malta, Christabelle, Taboo. She is standing inside four big screens and now a heart is glowing against her black dress. People writhe on her screens and the world spins out from her hands. She is singing about the need to respect and support each other in a world that can be hard and cruel. I… I really like her. I’m not sure whether I also like the song or if I just find her so committed to it that I think I like it, but it doesn’t really matter. There’s a real dancer inside the screens now, and Christabelle loves us all. I love you too, Christabelle. I would totally invite you to my barbecue with Jess.

13. Hungary, AWS, Vislát Nyár. Going for the risky Lordi without masks vote, they drum their way in and then launch straight into rich, angry, headbanging lyrics that are upset about something but my knowledge of Finno-Ugric languages begins and ends with a song about little piggies. Another performance with sincerity rather than just polish, though, and that counts. CROWD SURFING GUITARIST! He’s been returned safely, bless you lovely Eurovision crowd. Angry shouting, epic pyro, lots of drumming. There we go.

14. Latvia, Laura Rizzotto, Funny Girl. Another red lace minidress, with a train this time. Actually, it’s more a shorts dress. A playsuit with train. She looks lovely whatever it is. Her song is apparently about a girl who just a wee bit of a stalker. You know you can tell a chap you like him and not just hang around waiting for him to notice you, yes? Some nice bits of tricky tempo and big hair singing. It’s not my cup of tea, but it is well brewed.

15. Sweden, Benjamin Ingrosso, Dance You Off. Brief moment to mention it is bloody freezing in Sydney tonight, for the first time in forever. This is another very polished performance from a skilled performer and it’s doing nothing for me. Might go and find a blanket for my wee toesies.

16. Montenegro, Vanja Radonovic, Inje. Man at piano, women in background, intense man in front, who is Vanja. He is upset. Possibly because some bastard has bedazzled the crap out of his suit. Nice vocals in the ballad, though. The girls are striding, the piano is staying still, which is as it should be. Ooh! The girls are playing statues. Nice. There is a lot of emoting, but the girls’ costumes and facial expressions make it a little unfortunately close to ‘help us, we have been enslaved by vampires and need you to stake us to free our souls’. Lighting and key change, but otherwise much as before. The girls are still suffering. It’s probably a complex retelling of current politics.

17. Slovenia, Lea Sirk, Helva, Nei. She has pink hair so I like her already. Backing dancers are muscular and fast, I like them, too. Do not bother any of these women or they will make you regret it almost immediately. Her frock is another curtain over undies number, but with more plastic than most others. Who can explain it, who can tell you why? Their music cuts out at one point and they get the audience to clap their beat and I am not certain that was real, but it was nicely handled. Confirmation that was a faux error on the music. Whatevs. As no-one says anymore.

18. Ukraine, Melovin, Under the Ladder. Before I hear a word, I learn he likes horses, David Bowie and Verka Serduchka, so we’re basically friends now. He opens the song in a crypt, which opens up in a cheerfully cheesy Hammer Horror way. He’s dressed like an old-school vampire and the crypt is really the inside of a giant piano at the top of a set of stairs. Clearly Dead or Alive were 30 years too early for this chap, but I am glad YouTube will let him experience them. As everyone guessed, he is back up the stairs to play the piano, soulfully. And now the stairs are on fire, and there’s random pyro everywhere. Of course there is. Vampires love fire. At least dress your backing singers as avenging villagers, who have finally arrived to free the girls from Montenegro.

And we are done! Voting is about to open. I am fast forwarding through this bit because life is too short. ESCLOPEDIA IS BACK! Hello bearded man! More clips from past songs, and an allegation that there is a link between Eurovision and fashion. That is A LIE. You know, Portugal, you’re no Sweden and the women are no Petra and Mans, but I respect that you have kept these interval bits short and cool.

I spoke too soon. Presenters are back with costume changes. NCIS is in a short blue cocktail dress, Blondie is in a pink line dancing dress, Saintly is wearing a costume from my Grade Two Tap exam and the little one is cosplaying Severus Snape. They are doing dance moves from Eurovisions past. The Little One is actually pretty funny, but you will have to download it as I am not up to describing that much physical comedy. There is a Riverdance moment. Which I believe is obligatory for every third Eurpovision.

They run through the acts again, and Denmark’s lead singer has brows you could crack nuts on. Walnuts. Not the other kind. Though he looks as though he would be against toxic masculinity, so perhaps that would also be OK.

Votes are closed. We are touring through Portugal. It is very lovely. The acts are ding the bits that have preceded every song and coming out through their doors and visiting locations and generally cocking a lot of it up, bless them. They look as though they are having fun.

Little presenter has just turned up at the Aussie table and is handing out pastéis de nata a la Oprah and Jess looks as though she is in heaven. Custard really is that good.

Saintly presenter is talking about Eurovision’s role in Portuguese politics! 1974, the year Sweden won with Waterloo, was the year that the Portuguese entry was chosen to be the signal for a revolution. It was played on the radio in the early morning as a signal to take to the streets and by the end of the day there were carnations in gun barrels.True story.

Black swan presenter has found British fans and I think they may have been on the drink, but they say lovely things about Portugal (and Jess), so well done, kids!

Bridal cake presenter is introducing the tracks from France, Germany and Italy and Little One is with them. The French performers are cute as, and sing last years’ winning song in French. Suck ups. But lovely voice. Ooh, NCIS has taken over with Germany. who looks a little like Josh Widdicombe. He’s doing a ukulele cover of Fly on the Wings of Love and I confess I liked it. The entry is nice, too. Look forward to the full version in the finals. And now it’s Little One again with Italy, who really look 100% drunk. But they have spectacular hair. And do a chorus of Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu, ‘Volare! Oh-oh. Cantare, oh wo-oh-oh’ They are SO VERY drunk. Or just exhausted after sitting through 17 hours of this.

Jon Ola Sand says the votes are in. Thank Zeus!

The winners are: Serbia! Fair enough. Moldova! Excellent. They were hilarious. Hungary, because all those Norwegian Death Metal fans were there for you. Ukraine, sure. Sweden. Really? Look, you’re a lovely country. Australia! YAY JESS! Norway, meh. Soz Sasha. I love your country. Denmark, which is entirely fair. Slovenia, which is good news. Last spot goes to The Netherlands, which is fine, the country and western people need something. That’s it till Sunday morning, Which will probably be Sunday night, let’s be honest.

[docholligay]

Doc, what was your favorite part of the trip? What was the most surprising? What would you want to do again?

I haven’t read Jet’s yet, by design, because I didn’t want to be influenced by her answers, and also I usually read long-read articles in the tub.

My favorite part of the trip, all in all, if I had to pick just one, was the surprise. I love surprises, I live for them, and i love really unexpected surprises, and I knew there was no way she would ever expect that I would do something like this.

(Again, a million thanks to the sponsor who made this happen, who wishes to remain anonymous, this was amazing)

I was on the MAX for as long as my flight was, taking the train all the way out of the city and then taking the bus, the whole time hoping that I wouldn’t accidentally spill the beans.

It’s so funny, I have exact same thing every time I fly to Portland: A small split of prosecco in the airport, 2 chicken strips, and two glasses of the complimentary Horizon wine on the plane. Exact same. Every time. I don’t like to fly, and ritual is very comforting to me.

I WAS TERRIFIED, HOWEVER, THAT THIS TIME IT WOULD GET ME MAGICALLY DRUNK, AND I WOULD SPILL ALL THE BEANS,AND ALSO THE REST OF THE TACO FILLINGS, OH MY GOD I AM MAKING TACOS FOR DINNER.

Also the gal at the airport bar didn’t recognize me because I was dressed up as Lena for the entirety of my flight. TRAPPED IN MY BOY PANTS: THE VACATION.

One of the funny things is Jet KNEW something was being delivered, because she never would have believed I forgot our friendiversary and didn’t send anything at all, so I ordered Chinese to her house with garlic shrimp, a la Winston and Lena, and Mike emailed me, afraid that I’d screwed up and meant the food for me and hadn’t gotten to the house in time (In fairness, the gallon of soup was 100% for me, and I ate the entire thing that night.) But no, I had my bases covered, and she assumed, as I had hoped, that it was my gift for her.

But I didn’t, as astute viewers may note, and i did in fact manage to get off the bus on a pitch black street with no sidewalk, stare at my phone, shrug, and walk to where I thought the little dot would be.

Luckily, a Jedi came crashing through the bushes, whispering my name.

When Jet first saw me, it took her a solid 10 to 15 seconds to even register who I was, thought in fairness I was bouncing around so much that I think a reasonable person might have had a hard time telling through the blur. She, of course, repeatedly called me a shit, because what else was she going to do, really?

That was a great moment, just her utter surprise and my utter delight that she was surprised and I hadn’t ruined it, and it had all worked out, and I knew that it would be a tough surprise to top ever.

Other than that, if we break it down by day:

Wednesday:  Best: Dinner at PokPok. This is a place I’ve always wanted to try, and the food did not disappoint, it was so amazing, and Jet’s delight at the discovery of the Mango Alexander was everything I had ever wanted in life, and also her surprise at how much she liked the food! I had ordered what was essentially a grilled chicken half and rice, in case she couldn’t handle the rest of the food, but she really loved the chicken wings (we all did) and the mussels with the crispy crepe. (I was the only one who lost my shit for the fruit salad, due to its twin sins of being very spicy and not meat, but I would fucking order it again in a heartbeat)

Most surprising: How good the roast beef was at Jet’s butcher! I’m a little jealous, the pastrami was middling, but the roast beef was EXCEPTIONAL.

I also really liked sitting Jet’s ass down and forcing her to work, and forcing her to write, and we’ll be doing that again when she’s here SO LOOK FORWARD TO IT.

Thursday:

Most surprising: THAT OREGON FUCKING SHUTS DOWN OVER LITERALLY 0 INCHES OF SNOW. My whole plan got ruined that day, which I am STILL exceptionally shirty about and will be until the day they lay me in my grave and PROBABLY AFTER THAT IF WE ARE ALL BEING HONEST, so I didn’t get to go see Vista House, we never got to Mount Hood itself, never took the historic highway all the way up and boooooo. So we went to Bonneville Dam, where Jet discovered the fish ladder, and oh my god, her actual delight was so funny and heart warming and amazing. Her telling Mike THEY HAD TO COME BACK WHEN THERE WERE MORE FISH IN THE LADDER.

Best: When Jet stole the pint glass from Full Sail Pub for me, because they were way different and nicer than the ones given out at the tour, and stolen pint glasses with the name of the place on them have the highest ranking on my pint glass system. (Best = I went there, glass was stolen from the table, Second = I was there, I bought it Third = someone else was there, they stole it for me. I generally don’t bother with someone going a place and buying me one or I’d have a million of them) It was just a fun, unexpected moment, and I really enjoyed myself.

I also really loved the picnic at Bonneville, where Mike and Nikki had never had a real picnic, with a full spread.

Friday:

Most surprising: Jet’s absolute love of the blue cheese on honey! It’s one of my favorite pairings, ever, in life, but I didn’t expect Jet to like it as much as I do. But she absolutely loved it. The whole experience of Chizu was exceptional, the way the cheese boards were laid out, the thoughtful pairings with each, even if I found the cheese a bit milder than was to my general liking, but some of that was when we did the cheese omakase, we noted that Jet had never had fancy cheese before, so she was fairly new to it.

And the Japanese garden was absolutely beautiful, just lush with foliage and more people than I thought there would be, but it was thoughtfully laid out and I loved the meandering paths. It would be a great place to hang out for a few hours and sit and think, if one were by themselves and inclined to do such things. The tea place (the Umami cafe, which will never not remind me of umami tits, which will never make anyone but Jet and me laugh) was also lovely, very modern, and I really appreciated that they had pre-paired small bites with tea, so it was very easy to get something that would offset it nicely, which was good for me, as I don’t know overly much about Japanese sweets. I got the genmaicha, which I really love for the earthy roasted flavors it provides, with a little manju cake, which was just this side of too sweet for me but actually worked really well with the genmaicha’s deep flavor, so that was a fun unexpected pairing!

Best: Either Chizu or Bad lesbian advice, which was me cosplaying Haruka and Michiru and was an experience, and by ‘an experience,” I mean neither Jet nor I could fucking breathe at times we were laughing so hard, and have sprung off a million inside jokes that we will laugh about until we die. (Jet, if you’re reading this, I want you to know I can hear you with my Senshi EYES and my senshi HEART)

Saturday:

Most surprising: After taking Jet and Mike to El-Masry, we just discovered that Mike just has a general passion for middle eastern food! This is the second middle eastern place I’ve taken them, and Mike loves the flavors and spices (I do too--never met a style of middle eastern cuisine I don’t like) so I’m working on trying to find other middle eastern places they can go.

Also that I preferred the Chinese garden to the Japanese garden. The Japanese garden was gorgeous and I cannot recommend enough seeing both if you’re ever in Portland, but the Chinese garden is an architectural model, a tiny oasis in the middle of a massive city, and the detail work on all of the building and pathways absolutely captured me, the scents of the garden and the floral arrangements we were lucky enough to be there for, the entire thing almost felt a dollhouse made by a master, a small space transformed into something so much bigger than its own footprint, it had an immense quality to it.

The teahouse was excellent too, though I think I preferred the tea I got at the Japanese place (This was the fault of me trying something new because the tea menu was much larger, and I just find chrysanthemum tea middling, as it turns out.) The teahouse was done in a more old-world style than the sleek lines of the Japanese tea house, which was very modern, and I am very old world myself in a number of ways, and more is more, and I loved the carved dark woods and gilded edges of frames peeking out at me.

ALSO JET BOUGHT A BIG GIRL COAT. We finally just fucking went to Macy’s and I got to have her and Mike buy coats, and I got to talk about cut and fashion and fabric and I fucking live for that shit, i was a bouncy happy little ball in the men’s outerwear section.

Best: Dinner at Nomad. I’m struggling to find the words to describe Nomad, and if I finish all my writing chores for the month, I may sit down and write out course by course my impressions of the entire meal. Jet was legitimately surprised to see me in a suit, though she was really nice and did compliment me on it, because I haven’t worn a suit in years and it was a little odd for me, too. Joyce the bartender was an absolute delight and one of my favorite elements of Nomad, so kind and funny and excellent. The food itself was simply art. It’s so difficult to describe how a few mouthfuls can really speak to you, how it can bring the essence of everything down to one moment, and be perfect in that moment.

Also, note for the next trip I go on: I NEED A FOOD NOTEBOOK TO WRITE IN. I have a very strong memory but no one has total recall.

I have never been a volume eater, and eating for eating’s sake doesn’t really interest me--part of the reason my mom started teaching me to cook is that I was underweight. Because food was boring and I was ready to go run around instead of sitting and eating, and I didn’t care about missing dessert because sweet is just another thing I’ve had, even as a kid. So she started to teach me and I got into food as construction, as art, as something that CAN be interesting and that’s how I got into cooking. Nomad takes that idea of food as art, and elevates it about anything I’ve ever had, even the restaurant with one Michelin star I’ve been to, although I would argue that Nomad would EASILY and HANDILY get a Michelin star if Portland was included in the Michelin reviews.

Anyway you’re not asking about me and the food, you’re asking about me and Jet. It was so wonderful and interesting to talk about the food with her, to get her impressions, we laughed over how she’s so visual, and I’m really not, I’m very texture and scent based, as far as things having an effect on flavor. We sometimes had totally different impressions of things! Including one time where she thought a puree of different beans and vegetables tasted like peanut butter, because it looked like peanut butter, and I swear I looked at her with INTENSE CONFUSION, because it was neither sweet nor nutty--I guess it was fatty like peanut butter, and coated your tongue, but lots of things do that. So we really laughed about that. We got a little table just on the edge of the kitchen, where I could watch them work even though we weren’t at the “chef’s table” so that was such an extra little delight. I think that was the best time I’ve ever had with jet, out of A LOT OF TIMES, but it was just a really nice extended evening with really nice cocktails and fun dress and good company and we made it last all night and it was just one of the best nights of my entire life.

Sunday:

The best thing about me going home is always the Ramen Of Sadness, which is Kizuki Ramen, which is fucking great and I cannot recommend enough, I go to a ramen place in every city I visit (that has one) and Kizuki is my favorite. I always get the chicken rich ramen and the cedar sake, because they are both fucking amazing.

SURPRISE I DON’T GET TO GO HOME.

So the melting pot was the surprise, and I was fucking tired and frayed at both ends because THEY KEPT MY BAG AND I HAD TO SCROUNGE TOGETHER A KIT AT TARGET, but the Melting Pot ended up being such a nice way to end the night, WHERE JET WAS TOTALLY NOT SORRY ABOUT ALL THE MARSHMALLOW THINGS IN THE FONDUE PLATE, it was warm and happy and it’s a silly chain restaurant but one I’ve always wanted to try, and we had a great night there laughing with our server and our lyft driver and we just had an amazing time.

Not to get gross or ‘have a feeling in public’ as the children say, but it was just really nice to have a week with Jet, and it was nice that it was a surprise for her and she had no time to hype herself up worrying about the house being clean enough, so she got to just enjoy me being there and we got to just have fun, and I will always really cherish it, and I can’t wait for our road trip.

[lunakinesis]

Taking Credit

I once had a friend – Amber was her name – who never did anything for herself, never earned anything of her own accord, and never achieved anything from her own work and effort. Everything she had come from someone else:

Her parents – who were not in any way rich, they certainly weren't poor but they weren't middle class either – who did everything around the house for her, who she threw tantrums at to get her own way, who she manipulated into complaining to the school every time a teacher noticed she hadn't done her own work or was failing or being disruptive.

Her siblings, whom she domineered over. She blackmailed and bribed them into doing her chores and every other task she didn't feel like doing. She's the youngest of three, I should mention.

Her classmates, whom she bullied. The smart kids were forced into doing her homework or letting her copy, the same went for classwork. Anyone the slightest bit 'different' was basically a gazelle to a lion with her, and with her leading the charge the general popular crowd-sheep soon followed in their teasing that quickly escalated.

Her teachers, who were powerless to do anything against her lest she raise all hell and cry to her parents. I don't begrudge them for barely doing a thing about her, they had bills to pay and most had kids to feed and they couldn't afford to lose their jobs.

I could go on, but I'm sure it's clear now just what kind of person this friend was. Now I imagine you're wondering why I'd be friends with someone like that in the first place. I can tell you it wasn't really a choice I had, our families were friends going back to our great-grandparents. Whether I liked it or not – and believe me, I didn't – I had to socialise with this girl during joint family vacations, barbecues, parties, the works. My parents knew what a little witch she was, but they dared not ruin a friendship spanning generations by bringing it up to her folks.

So my little sister and I had to endure this human parasite that fed on other peoples' ideas, influence and achievements. For the most part I was spared her bullshit, I think she had been wary of sparking a family feud...not that that seems in line with how she generally was, but it's the only reason I can think of.

For whatever reason, she decided the countless innocents at her mercy were not enough and she needed to add me into the mix. She couldn't do it in her usual, obvious way. No, instead she decided to be as sly as she could manage.

She stole my journal.

Now, this wasn't a journal full of my private thoughts and secrets that she planned to blackmail me with; I fortunately did not have one of those, though what was stolen from me in its pages is arguably just as bad in a different sort of way.

My ideas.

I used the journal for world and character building, as well as setting up the plot for a story I wanted to write. A story I hoped to publish. I wrote it out because it was precious to me, and I was always worried my laptop would die and I'd be unable to recover it. I'd already drafted up a few of the early chapters too, once I was happy with them, I planned on typing them up.

I didn't get a chance.

She took it. Took MY ideas, MY hard work and passed it off as her own. She used it for our creative writing class at first, I didn't know until the teacher passed around copies she'd made as an 'example' for us. That's when I saw my characters, my plot...a piece of my heart and soul, on the page before me.

I could feel tears prickling in my eyes when I realised what had happened. I hadn't even realised the journal was gone; I'd been too busy with homework in the days before to write in it.

There was nothing I could do about it in class; it was my word against hers even if the teachers knew what she was like. They all bent to her will in the end. All I did was raise my hand and say I didn't feel well, I think the fact I was on the verge of tears added to the lie and I was excused.

The school nurse let me go home with what she presumed was a 24-hour stomach bug.

I wanted to tell my parents but at the same time, I didn't. I didn't want to be the one to blame for tearing apart our families, even if it was really her fault. So I kept it inside, cried in my room. My parents just thought it was because of whatever bug I had. I hadn't been sick before, but letting it bubble up within me gave me knots in my stomach that turned into me vomiting into a bucket my mom left beside my bed.

My parents kept me home from school the next day. I thought maybe I'd get over it, maybe it'd be better the next day and I could tell them and get my notebook back. Until a friend sent me a text:

Hey. Amber gave Ms. Temple more of that story. Think she wants to put it in the school magazine!

I don't know what happened to me as I read that, but I knew something broke. A mixture of anger, frustration and sadness flooded me. Hot fury mixed with heartbreak.

I couldn't tell my parents. Not now. It wouldn't be enough.

A plan was forming in my mind as I lay in bed crying. It wouldn't be something I could do overnight, but it'd be worth it.

Let me tell you that years’ worth of cosplay experience was invaluable to my plan. I could dress up as pretty much anyone or anything with the right amount of effort and materials, and I already knew what I intended to do once my outfit was complete.

She wanted to steal from me? Fine. I'd get even.

You see, Amber had this boy she liked. His name is Adam. Adam was...kind of a pig. A pig not interested in her, much to her frustration. No, his interests lay in Mrs. Winter and her 'E's'. Though I'm pretty sure – like all assholes – they'd somehow drift together; that's my experience with these sorts of things anyway.

That's where my plans come in. Now, Amber and I are the same height with the same fair complexion; however she has blonde hair and green eyes, whilst I have auburn hair and blue eyes. These traits were easily fixed by a long, wavy wig and a set of my innumerable contact lenses.

The one other difference was that I was 'blessed with a chest', as it were. A fact I'm sure he'd overlook...or be too preoccupied with staring at to pay much attention to anything else. I did have a plan in mind for that too if I was questioned. Amber always got her way; it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine she'd convinced her parents to let her get a boob job.

I knew he tended to hang out in the alley beside the local arcade, blowing out smoke like he was some 'cool dude' from the 50s or something. He thought the games were too 'dumb' and 'for kids' so stayed there whilst his friends played. As if it somehow made his douchebag self more mature.

I was waiting for him as he swaggered down the alley; the shaded passage was helpful in concealing my identity. It was a good disguise, but not fool proof. The dark helped with that.

"Hey, Adam!" I called out, trying to up the pitch of my voice to the sickeningly-sweet tone Amber had. He barely looked up from his phone as he approached, unlit cigarette held between his lips.

"Hey...Emma...right?"

"Amber."

"Close enough."

I managed to laugh. If it was anyone else I'm sure Amber would've thrown a hissy fit, but with this creep she'd let anything slide. Idiot.

"Think I could bum one of those off of you?" I asked, nodding towards the cigarette.

"What's it worth?" His eyes were trained on my chest as he spoke. Ew, teenage boys.

"What? You want a free grab or something?" I felt gross just uttering those words. Now, I have no issue with any guy or girl messing around however they want. It was just sickening humouring this waste of oxygen.

"If you're offering."

I really wasn't, but needs must and all.

"Fine, but I want that smoke first."

He sighed, but stepped forward, putting his phone away and pulling out the box instead. "Here. You women always want it your own way."

If I had been me, I would've responded to that casual bit of sexism, but I had to keep up the act for just a little while longer. "That's because I know what I want." I said, batting my eyelashes.

It was true; I did know what I wanted. But it certainly wasn't to let this ass fondle my chest whilst he came in his pants.

As he stepped closer I clutched at the purse hanging from my shoulder. Amber and I both had always made sure to carry large ones around, so it didn't look out of place on me here. We also happened to have an identical pair. Fancy that.

Milliseconds passed like hours to me as he drew within touching distance.

Closer, closer...

"I'm sorry."

"Wha-"

My bag came down over his head and Adam fell to the floor.  

I was knocked off balance, stumbling due to the weight of my weapon into the wall. Adam didn't move, he didn't even grumble or swear or any of the other things I assumed a person would do when smacked over the head with a concealed brick.

I took a breath and straightened myself before finally looking back at Adam properly, my body was shaking. His head was bleeding, unsurprisingly, but it wasn't just bleeding on the side I hit it. He'd manage to crack his head on a step leading into a back entrance of the arcade.

He was staring up with blank eyes, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as well as his head wounds. The one from the step was deeper than my hit. I was sure I could see his skull, but the blood was pumping through my body so hard and fast I couldn't be sure.

I'd done too good of a job, but no going back now.

When my legs stopped shaking so much, I ran. As I had always intended to do. Back past the building site where I'd picked up the brick and taking it back from my bag and returning it, straight back into my house and into my room. From there, into my en suite.

Costume dumped on the floor, I let the still-cold water of the shower wash over me. It was done. I couldn't take it back. But it had gone even better than planned, really.

I feigned shock when my parents sat me down the next day and broke the news to me that one of my schoolmates had been murdered. I forced out tears when they told me CCTV footage had caught Amber in the act.

A part of me was proud, I was so convincingly disguised that even my own parents didn't recognise me.

"We'll be keeping you off school for a while, honey."

"If you need to go lie down, Maddy, that's okay. The police might be back to talk to you about Amber but you don't have to talk until you're ready."

I sniffled and stood to hug them both before retreating to my room. Oh, I was ready. But I had to play the part of the shocked childhood friend who couldn't understand how someone who was practically a sister to her could do something so heinous.

Yes, she'd always been prone to aggressive outbursts but they were like a toddler's temper tantrums, she never physically hurt anyone...Well yes, she did prey on some of the meeker kids that were easy targets for bullying but it just seemed like typical teenage assholery, nothing really malicious.

Now that you mention it...she did have a crush on that boy and has never liked being told no. Maybe she snapped. I don't know. He parents could never really discipline her, she walked all over them...she definitely had some issues.

I had it all planned out and delivered my lines flawlessly when a pair of officers came to our home to ask a few questions. Amber's reputation was fuel against her. Even her parents who had understandably been trying to defend their child's innocence ended up questioning it and exactly what she was capable of.

Our families grew apart with the weight of the trial on Amber's parents' backs, but my parents were distantly supportive in their own way even if things were tense and awkward.

Amber continued to deny it even after the 'Guilty' verdict was given. I'm told she was sobbing, pleading with the judge and jury, with her parents, begging everyone to believe she was innocence, that it wasn't her.

Poor, poor Amber. She liked to take credit for work that was not hers, so I made sure she got the credit for my greatest work yet.

[katiebug445]

Donuts and Comic Books

LingFan week day 6

Prompt: AU

A/N: I know I’m a little late getting this up, but I have been so busy that I nearly forgot about it, but I wanted to do something for this prompt because it caught my eye immediately. 

LanFan took a moment outside the door to collect herself, rehearsing what she was going to say over and over in her mind, before heading inside. For half a second, her fingers hesitated on the handle, unsure if she was prepared enough for this or not. What if they didn’t like her? What if she wasn’t cut out for dealing with people all the time like this, despite how much fun the perks sounded? What if, what if, what if…

This was the perfect job for her, she told herself. It was better than working fast food, wasn’t it? At least here, she’d be working with her own kind; geeks were hard to come across in this city. Giving herself a small shake, she pushed her doubt to the back of her mind and pushed the door open.

There was a man sitting at the counter with his arms folded across the glass with his chin resting on them. When he heard the door, he looked up, giving her a welcoming smile. “Long time no see, LanFan!” he greeted, wheeling himself out from behind the counter. “We were starting to wonder if we’d lost you to the normal world.”

“Of course not! Normal people are too boring!” she replied. The smell of ink on paper - both new and old - filled her nose, and it helped calm her down some. This was where she belonged, she knew it. “I actually had a question for you.”

The man raised an eyebrow, his blue eyes shining and a small smirk on his lips. “If you’re wondering if you’re invited to the staff party screening of Wonder Woman, I hate to break it to you, but you have to actually, you know, be staff. No matter how much we would like to have you there.”

“That’s actually what I wanted to ask about.” LanFan made her way over to him, trying to keep the pleading tone out of her voice as she launched into her speech. “You guys have been understaffed here since I’ve been coming in. Three people isn’t enough to run this place - especially on New Comic Day. And I know the ins and outs of how things are run here enough that you wouldn’t have to train me too much… I also really need a job.”

He was quiet for a second or two before letting out a small chuckle. “Are you just wanting to get hired so you can see Wonder Woman a day early with all of us?”

“No!” She exclaimed. “Okay, a small part of me is, but you know me well enough that you know I’m being serious about this. I’ve been coming in here since I was old enough to read. I, personally, have probably been half the reason you guys have been in business this long. My grandfather’s house is full of boxes of comics, figurines, and board games that have all come from this place. It’s to the point he said if i bring another one home, he’s gonna start charging me for rent.”

The man considered this. “I don’t know, Lan…”

“Please, Mr. Havoc.”

Havoc drummed his fingers across the arm of his wheelchair, eyes flashing between her and the display beside her. “Promise you won’t abuse your discount.”

“I promise!”

“And you won’t fight customers on New Comic Day if they take the issues you want.”

“I’ll try my best.”

“You know dressing up is mandatory during Comic Con week, right?” He asked.

LanFan sighed, rolling her eyes at him. “If I wasn’t prepared to cosplay, I wouldn’t have a closet full of fabric and a sewing machine set up in my room.”

Havoc grinned at her, unlit cigarette nearly falling out of his mouth, and held out his hand. “You’re hired.”

~

He needed a job. That was the first thing on his mind after he moved into his dorm. The room was so small, he barely had room to turn around between the two beds on opposite walls. A small desk was squeezed between his bedframe and the window, with a small stool stuck under it. They would have to share it, but that was okay. His roommate, he thought, barely passed 5’0”, and wouldn’t take up too much space.

Ling got to work on setting up his bed, taking careful time to make sure the sheets were just right before plopping down and looking around. He’d done it. He’d broken away from his family and made it out here on his own. He was completely cut off from his father, now, but that was okay. It would be worth it in the end.

His hand reached out, feeling the sheets beneath him, and an odd feeling of pride swelled in his chest. The mattress and the sheets were his first big purchase he’d made on his own. He’d snagged the desk from a thrift store a few blocks away, and found the stool in the trash, so those didn’t count. Everything about his bed was new. It was exciting.

Ling found out pretty quickly that he wanted to keep buying new things to make his stay here a little more comfortable, but in order to do that, he needed work. And work around a college campus wasn’t exactly the easiest thing to find. Still, he figured he’d try.

~

A couple days and a hint from his roommate later, he found out that the small donut shop just off campus needed a replacement after one of the employees got splashed with oil from the deep fryer and was now in the hospital for third degree burns. Despite the panic he felt at possibly being taken out by the same machine that already had one victim under its belt, the prospect of free donuts won out in the end, and he found himself applying immediately.

He was hired within the week.

~

On the slow days, Ling found himself staring out the window, watching people walk by the window and wondering what they where they were headed with their days, what would happen to them after they left his sight, and if they cared they were being watched by bored strangers.

He rested his arm on the counter, his chin in his hand, and leaning heavily against the glass when he first saw her. The girl across the street, at the comic book store, grinning and laughing with a man in a wheelchair. He immediately straightened up, eyes never leaving her face, how it scrunched up a little when she laughed or smiled. Her dark hair was falling a bit into her eyes, and it was falling out of the bun atop her head, but she didn’t seem like she minded too much.

She was beautiful.

~

He found himself watching her every minute he could spare, the mysterious girl that worked across the street. She always had a smile for whoever came up to her counter, and whenever there was a lull in her day, she bustled around the shop, helping out the wheelchair man, or the dark haired woman who worked alongside them. She never seemed to slow down.

Sometimes she would leave work before him, and he would watch her as she unlocked her bike from the front of the store, get on, and ride off. He wished he could see her a bit longer as she rode off, but unless he wanted to be obvious he was watching her, he couldn’t exactly do that.

~

The routine continued for nearly two months before he finally had enough.

On his break, Ling marched himself across the street, walked directly into the comic book shop, and up to the counter. Her back was to him for a brief moment, but she quickly turned around, and he was slapped in the face with the full effect at how pretty she really was.

Dark brown eyes framed by a small heart-shaped face, hair flying in all directions and hanging close to her eyelashes, that tiny, startled smile to show he’d taken her by surprise. It took him a moment to remind him what he was doing there, and he realized right then and there that he couldn’t exactly just ask her out.

“Can I help you?” She asked sweetly.

It took another second or two to remember how his voice worked. Ling cleared his throat. “Yes, I was wondering if you guys had any…” his eyes darted quickly around, looking for any kind of symbol he recognized, before finally landing on a semi-familiar red S. “Uh… Superman comics?”

The girl blinked, as if she hadn’t heard him right, and came out from behind the counter. “You mean only one of the most popular faces in comic book history? That Superman?” She shot him a quick teasing grin and led the way to the back, pointing at a section of the rack on the wall that was stuffed full of the comics. “Anything in particular you’re looking for, or just curious?”

“My, uh, my roommate really likes superheroes… he won’t shut up about them, actually. I just… kinda wanted to know what the hype was about.”

“Well,” she started, relaxing her stance a little, “is your roommate a Marvel or DC kind of person?”

“Uh… whichever one these are..” he pointed to the Superman and Batman comics.

“Well, then, Superman is a good place to start.” Lanfan replied, hoping she was being helpful. “He’s the typical good guy, everything you’d expect a hero to be. But it’s a little predictable, too. Batman is a bit darker, I personally think he’s a bit more interesting. Then you have Green Lantern, Aquaman, The Flash, and my personal favorite… Wonder Woman.”

That was a name he’d heard before somewhere. Hadn’t Edward compared his girlfriend to Wonder Woman once? “What’s her story?”

The girl looked shocked by that question. “What’s her story? You mean you don’t know who she is? How can you not know?! I have to show you.” She grabbed him by the arm, dragging him a little farther down the row, and not stopping until she landed on a graphic novel of her origin story. “Dianna. Wonder Woman. She’s only the greatest superhero of all time, and my lord and savior.”

She cracked open the novel, and began telling him everything she knew about the heroine. He couldn’t help but think the way her eyes lit up as she got into her explanation was completely adorable, the rise and fall in her voice, the way she spoke about this Amazon fighter, was filled with a passion he only wished he had.

When she stopped for a breath, he quickly checked his watch and swore internally. He had about a minute to get back to work before he was in trouble. He needed to get back. Before she could get started again, he held out his hand. “I’m Ling, by the way. Ling Yao.”

“LanFan.” she replied, looking up at him with a light shade of pink coloring her cheeks.

“Well, LanFan, I need to get back to work before my boss realizes I’m missing, but, I work across the street. If you’re up for some free donuts and a continued conversation about Dianna, I’m over there ‘til eight.” Ling took the graphic novel from her, tucked it under his arm, and walked up to the counter.

She rang him up, handed him the book, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You weren’t bored by it?”

“Not at all! The way you explain it, I might actually be able to get a grasp on what my roommate is talking about sometimes.” he shot her a quick smile, and started towards the door. “My offer still stands, if you want it?”

Her only reply was to return his smile before he took off, and she watched him cross the street back to his own shop. She took a breath, and thought that maybe a donut after work didn’t sound too bad after all.

[myselfinserts]

‘ we temper our justice with mercy here. ’

Clangs of swords echoed through the halls. The staff screamed in horror as they ran into nearby rooms to avoid the danger. The shadows were seeping deep into the walls. 

“Had enough, your Highness?!”

Davis hurried down the corridor, trying to make his way to the main entry. He needed the space to fight. That was one of his many faults. He couldn’t fight well in close combat. Perhaps he should have taken his training as he grew up more seriously. If he had, maybe this assassin wouldn’t have caught him off guard.

Though no one could blame him. She looked a lot like his wife.

“What’s the matter?” the woman asked. “You look like you’ve seen the reaper!”

Davis turned a corner, making sure to glance at the door to the cat room as he ran. Didn’t want his little friends to be hurt.

Think Davis. Think. What do you want to do to live? Use your quirk? Not here. Not this floor. You gotta-

“Watch your back!”

Davis turned and blocked, glaring at the woman sneering at him. He could just make out the points of her pinned back ears. No doubt a killer from their sister island. Why was she here?

He didn’t need to hazard a guess. 

“I hate to fight a lady,” he said. “But you proved you’re more than willing to harm innocents when you broke into this sanctuary. So I suppose I have no choice but to handle you with the utmost courtesy.”

She laughed. “About time. I was wondering if I was going to end up killing another coward. Instead, I get a gentleman.”

Davis kicked her back and hard into the wall, sprinting down the hall and hurried down toward the open foyer downstairs. At the stairs, he jumped and slid down the railing, tossing his hair ribbon aside. He wouldn’t need it for this. And he felt more himself with his hair down. More confident. More bold.

More like a King.

The last of the staff vanished just as he began to absorb the darkness within the castle. The shadows began to scream at him, like they’d done before. Every horrible, lonely, scared, despairing thought that had covered these halls for the last century. His mother’s sorrow of his parting. His father’s anger at his immaturity. Kings and Queens and Rulers whose powers ate away at them. 

He took it all. 

“There you are!”

Davis looked up, eyes glowing blindingly as the shadows changed with him. He focused, sending the light he was summoning into his blade. Into his very aura. The assassin leaped from the top and came at him with a spin, attempting to cut him right down the middle. 

The light in his blade began to grow, and he found himself moving on instinct. He raised his sword and blocked her attack, letting the pure white light cover him from head to toe.

The assassin screamed, jumping back and covering her eyes with a pair of sunglasses from her pocket. Davis rushed forward, slicing upward and cutting the glasses in half before spinning on his heel and kicking her in the jaw, sending her flying to the other side of the foyer. She stood again, squinting to try and see him. 

Parry, thrust, dodge. Slash, miss, spin. This deadly fight slowed to a waltz. Two soul clashing together. And Davis never felt more alive.

But now was not the time to bask in the glory of battle. With one last swing he knocked the weapon from his opponent, leaving a decent gash in the woman’s arm. Another kick and she was on her knees. He held the tip of his sword to her chin, eyes narrowed fiercely.

“I take it your people sent you to kill me,” he said. “Seeing as it is self defense and protecting my country, I could just end you here.”

The assassin panted, trying to keep her smile through the bruising on her face. “Then why don’t you? Huh? Get it over with. You said it yourself. You have every right to. Kill me then go declare war on Elspie. After that, you can totally do that.”

“And you’d like that, wouldn’t you.” Davis removed his sword, kicking hers into his hand and stepping back. “Those where the ways of my father King Søren. And his father Aloys before him, and King Galeran before him. But that is not my way. The way of the kings have evolved with me. We temper our justice with mercy here. Though I don’t expect an Elspie assassin to understand that.”

“Mercy? Pfft. Don’t make me laugh. Cursed demons like you know not of mercy.”

“You think you’re all high and mighty just because you’re letting me live? We’ll just send more of us after you, you know. If not me, then the next strongest. Eventually, should you truly prove tiresome, we’ll send the true Grim Reaper after you, your majesty. And when that day comes, you and your kind will be over, Cursed King.”

“You depraved souls and your quirk biases. I am offering you one chance. Either leave now peacefully, or face trial for attempted murder of the crown, endangerment to civilians, unauthorized weapon possession, and illegal trespassing.”

The assassin stared at him an uncomfortably long time. It hurt watching her bleed out there. She looked so much like Isleen. He threw the swords aside and tore off his scarf, tying it around her wound. 

Her snide look softened to confusion. “What the hell-?”

“I cannot bare the sight of you injured by my hand,” he said. “I will gladly pay for your medical bills. A lovely lady like you shouldn’t be in this line of work. You should be free to do whatever it is that truly makes you happy.” He looked into her eyes, trying to mask the hurt buried there. “Does killing someone who has not slighted you truly bring you happiness?”

She stared at him a little longer before standing up, turning toward the door blocked by the guards. They all had their spears aimed at her. Davis waved for them to stand down. He stood, holding out a hand to her. 

“If Elspie’s not making you happy,”  he said. “Then I’d gladly wish to welcome you as a member of the guard. We could use a talented combatant like you to help train. Or if that’s not what you seek-”

“I just want to go home to my husband...”

Davis smiled at the assassin, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a gold coin. He held it out, brushing his hair back. “Take this. And if you ever decide you wish to find happiness in my kingdom, I’ll personally welcome you.”

The assassin stared at the coin before hesitantly taking it, nodding silently before leaving. 

“And what happened after that?”

“I sent her on her way. I don’t think that she’ll be a bother to me again.”

Inkwell shook his head. “My oh my, little king. You really are too soft.”

Davis chuckled. “Is that such a bad thing, old friend?”

“No, it’s a decent enough trait for one to have.” He leaned back in his chair, trying to balance the white king piece on his nose. “Though you really need to catch up with the times a bit more. You only just got yourself a computer system last week? And the first video chat you decide to do is me. You really are a strange boy.”

“I’m a king, Mr. Alberi. You’d do well to remember-”

“Do you still have that Miles Edgeworth cosplay in your closet? I don’t think it suits you anymore.” Davis rolled his eyes. Inkwell could tell. He always knew. “Seriously though, what’s got you calling me, anyway?”

Davis’s pleasant smiled faded to a serious gaze. “Information on your country hasn’t been getting through very well to Estmund, so I need a couple of tidbits of intel. I figured someone as magnificent as you could help a poor little wannabe like me.”

“Flattery will get you only so far, my king,” Inkwell snickered. “What is it you want to know?”

“The hero on the news the other day. The one that had the redebut that’s been all over the net.”

Inkwell paused, raising an eyebrow. “The Technonaut Hero; Renegade? 

“What can you tell me about him?”

“Elspie’s Number One. Worked hard for that title, he did. Strong lad. Little brother to Mither and older brother to an up and coming heroine named Tarren. Trained under Mr. Derezzed in Elspie’s Apprenticeship Program. Renegade is also one of the biggest names in support design at the moment thanks to his quirk. He’s second only to Mr. Allard of good old Atelier Allard in Paris.”

“Anything else?” 

“Current partner is the Peaceful Shepherd; Amaryllis, though I’ve never actually talked to that hero properly outside of work. Always covered head to toe in a formal hero suit when we came face to face. Or, face to mask, I should say. I’m more familiar with some of Renegade’s outside colleagues, such as Mr. Allard, Lady Lazarus, and the owner of the Secret Felines pub and hotel, Mr. Aylward.” He smiled, holding up the king piece to the light. “I do remember Renegade calling them ‘Luci’ oh so fondly. And Luci always responding with ‘Regibyte’.”

Davis seemed to relax, a forlorn, nostalgic glint in his eye flickering slightly. “They must care very much for each other.”

“They own a cat named Meatloaf. Those two are gonna be married by the end of next year, I promise you.”

“Meatloaf?! Oh my goodness-”

“Cat King, silence your oo-woos.”

“But that’s such a cute name-!”

“Do you want this information? Because I will hang up.”

Davis shut right up.

“Thank you.” Inkwell sat up and set the chess piece down. “Why do you want information on Renegade?”

“I want to commission some new clothes from his designer.”

He blinked, bursting into laughter. “Honestly, why didn’t you start with that?! I could get you a meeting with his greatness right away! How soon are you wanting to hear back?”

“Within two months, if that’s alright.”

“Worry not your pretty blue head about it. I’ll pass along your interest to him.” He narrowed his eyes, smirking slightly. “I hope you know he might decline your offer, my good king.”

Davis nodded, pulling his hair back into a ponytail .”I’m well aware of that. But I wish to, at the very least, speak with him one on one. All expenses will be paid, and I can assure you that he will be treated with the utmost respect befitting his talents. And of course, he’s allowed two guests.”

“How generous.”

“I try to be. The people seem rather keen on keeping me healthy and happy. I give back to all when I can.”

“Given that you very well might be the last king of Estmund, I’m not surprised. What’s the crime rate again?”

“0.0005239%”

“And that last not even half a percent is petty littering right?” Inkwell sighed. “Email me the details of what you need done and I will forward them to Mr. Allard. I’m certain you can research him more on your own.”

Davis smiled, holding back a laugh as an ink-black cat jumped onto his lap. “I appreciate it Mr. Alberi.”

“Please, call me Uncle Inkwell. Everyone does these days.”

“Okay. I’ll talk to you later then. Uncle Inkwell.”

They finished their call and Inkwell immediately called Paris, forwarding the details from Davis to the address he’d been provided. He smiled with the no nonsense professional voice of the assistant answered. 

“Thank you for calling Atelier Allard-”

“Chris my child! How wonderful to hear from you-”

“Monsieur Allard does not have time to deal with your antics today, Inkwell.”

“Oh, this won’t take long. I emailed him a request on behalf of a very important client and friend of mine. He wishes to commission Dear E’s talents. Won’t need to hear back for two months at most. He’s free to decline, but I do say he’d like to at least look this over first.” He smirked. “I can hear your eyeroll, Chris.”

There was a long pause. Inkwell could just make out the sound of clicking at a keyboard come to a hault, and a soft gasp. 

Bingo.

“I’ll forward your message to Monsieur Allard. No gurentees.”

“Of course,” Inkwell said. “Thank you for your time, my friend. Passe une excellente soirée.“

“Merci.”

[xcooscosplaycostumes-blog]

Top 10 Popular Cosplay Costumes You shouldn't miss in 2019

There is still going to be a lot of conventions and comic-con this year in 2019, but as an active cosplayer, are you ready for it? And did you come up with what to cosplay? If not, do not worry then, cause there is a complete guide for you, it will tell you Top 10 Popular Cosplay Costumes You shouldn't miss in 2019, with its help, you can feel free to enjoy others praise on your next big event!

Based on this year’s customers:

Having providing professional cosplay costumes for thousands of customers, we kindly figure out what our gods like the best in 2019, and now we are going to list the 2 best sellers for you!

1.DEADPOOL COSPLAY COSTUMES

Deadpool is always hot for these years. Out of 10 orders, 2 of them will ask for Deadpool costumes.

Anyway, the success of two Deadpool movie makes the Deadpool cosplay costume a great derivative. When you dress in the Deadpool costume with face concealed, it’s all possible to imagine yourself being this naughty unconventional hero.

2.STAR TREK COSPLAY COSTUMES

Star Trek is great for providing an optimistic vision of our future, it tells us that no matter how crazy the world may look today, it will get better. We will get better. There will be a time in which doing great things will be the norm.

People choose Star Trek and still seak for beautifulness. The girl on the picture dressed in a transformed version Star Trek dress, expressing braveness and finesse at the same time.

Based on popular Game in 2019:

3.KINGDOM HEARTS COSTUMES

We’ve all waited YEARS for Kingdom Hearts III to finally come out. Believe me, when I say, there’s a ton of KH fans out there. When this game is released at the start of this year, you can bet you’re going to see a lot of Kingdom Hearts cosplays in 2019. We’ll definitely see the classic cosplays like Sora and Kairi. But with new characters coming out in the long-awaited sequel, we’re going to see a bunch of new cosplays from the series. And I personally am looking forward to it because we love Kingdom Hearts!

4.OVERWATCH COSTUMES

This is one of the most popular multiplayer games out there. Why? Because the game is easy to learn (although difficult to master), the characters are interesting and the competitive eSports scene keeps this game relevant.

There are lots of cool-looking characters and unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve already seen a bunch of them at various conventions. If you’re looking for someone easy to do, D.va and Soldier 76 are good choices. If you want to cosplay someone more challenging, then try characters like Mercy and Lucio. With Blizzard releasing more skins and updates, we feel Overwatch will continue to populate the convention landscape in 2019. I’m sure we’ll be seeing Black Cat D.va fairly soon!

Based on films this year:

5.CAPTAIN MARVEL

Carol still has a very passionate fandom, even if not as big as some. She’s being portrayed as the nicest and best superhero, and she’s also a militaristic douche.

Now you can bring her strength to life in this Captain Marvel Carol Cosplay Costume. Let everyone know that you are a force to be reckoned with in this form-fitting jumpsuit, which is made from stretch Synthetic leather. We present you every accurate detail to make the Captain Marvel Costume perfect. You will certainly attract attention in this Captain Marvel outfit.

6.WONDER WOMAN

When a pilot crashes and tells of conflict in the outside world, Diana, an Amazonian warrior in training, leaves home to fight a war, discovering her full powers and true destiny. Can’t get enough of Wonder Woman? You can check out her costume then.

Rock in this high-end replica of Wonder Woman costume, featuring a form-fitting red vest with clear illusion straps and a brown leather bandolier. The short blue pleated skirt edged with gold comes with attached shorts, silver, and gold gauntlets with camel Cotton gloves, a gold armband, form-fitting gold and red boot toppers, and a molded tiara. Complete Wonder Woman’s look with wigs, you are Wonder Woman out of the movie.

7.PENNYWISE (IT)

Twenty-seven years after the events of the summer of 1989, It returns. The Losers’ Club fulfills their promises and returns to Derry to put an end to the evil being once and for all. Unbeknownst to them, It has returned, stronger and crueler than ever.

Wearing in this suit, no naughty child would dare to bother you so it would save some trouble for you indeed. Decorated with these chiffons, the It Pennywise the Dancing Clown Cosplay Costume looks fancy. The whole white style makes it a little bit creepy, but that’s exactly what you need if you are interested in costume like that. Choosing this costume makes you the most unique existence at any party you attend.

Always popular:

8.STAR WARS

As we all know, the Star Wars series cosplay costume is very popular over the years. When you wear a Star Wars cosplay costume for Halloween, the Force will be with you.

9.AVENGERS

We’re all crazy about our Marvel superheroes. The Avengers: Infinity War was one of the biggest films of 2018. And this was noticeable with all of the Marvel/Avengers cosplays at various conventions last year, especially at comic-cons. With another Avengers movie coming out in 2019, you’ll still be seeing a lot of Marvel cosplays. And that’s okay because they’re all awesome.

The Avengers is basically a huge collaboration of Marvel cosplayers so you’ll have lots to choose from, including Iron Man, Spiderman, Black Widow, and Captain America. Keep in mind however that Marvel characters tend to be more expensive to buy or produce because of the character designs. For example, Iron Man is basically a power suit, so if you decide to go fully detailed with his costume, you could be spending thousands of dollars! Of course, you can always do more simple characters like Spiderman and Black Widow as well.

10.SPIDERMAN

If I have to choose one specific cosplay character to call it classic, it must be Spiderman.

When it comes to choosing a Comic-Con costume, true Marvel fans do not settle for glorified pajamas. Many superhero costumes are poor copies made of Lycra shirts and pants or jumpsuits, but a true Spiderman replica outfit has a lot more thought in it. Details such as 3D webbing in all the right places, mesh lenses around the eyes, and contours in all the right places make a Spiderman costume replica look like the real deal and fit like a glove. The right accessories can either make or break a realistic looking Spiderman costume. Props such as web shooters and tracers help you to transform into Peter Parker’s alter ego, giving you a great shot at a “best costume” award at your local convention or Halloween party.

Got any ideas for what to cosplay in 2019?  Hope you enjoy the passage and become the most popular cosplayer at your next big event!

[ask-de-writer]

DARING DO AND THE COMPASS OF DISCORD : Progress Post #2 : MLP Fan Fiction : WORK IN PROGRESS

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DARING DO AND THE COMPASS OF DISCORD

by De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

3192 words Presently written The story is incomplete THIS A WORK IN PROGRESS Because this is a Work In Progress, new writing or changes to older text will be indicated by BOLDFACE TYPE.

© 2017 by Glen Ten-Eyck Writing begun 01/24/17

All rights reserved.  This document may not be copied or distributed on or to any medium or placed in any mass storage system except by the express written consent of the author. ////////////// Copyright fair use rules for Tumblr users Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights.  They may reblog the story provided that all author and copyright information remains intact.  They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions. All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fiction is actively encouraged.

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For those wishing to read the story from the beginning, it starts HERE.

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Chapter 2 Withers

Daring Do sat across the cluttered desk from Withers. The washed out yellow unicorn with a mane and tail to match but even paler, looked over the list of locations, comparing the written notes to many maps. He had a nervous habit of scratching behind his right ear, which he was doing now.

“You are working for DISCORD?” he asked, incredulous.

Daring Do nodded, “Basically so, yes. Actually, she was in her female form as Eris. Still, the same being.”

Withers shook his head in puzzlement. “Why would you want to do ANYTHING for Discord, even if it is Eris in form?”

Daring Do grinned lopsidedly and fished in her briefcase. “Here is why. The Princesses both asked me to.”

She laid out her letter from the joint Crowns of Equestria.

Withers took one look and pointed out, “They do not say what the task is, do they? Did Eris bother to tell you what these places and times mean?”

Daring Do shrugged both shoulders and wings at once. “Partly. We all know that magic is not instantaneous. Especially, long range magic can have quite noticeable delays. The places and first times are where Eris began to do some unspecified task. The second time is when she encountered disruption of her work.

“I hope that you can reduce this data to give me a search area for the source of the disturbances.”

Withers looked up and nodded slowly. “I see.”

He pulled down a well worn volume from the crammed shelves of his office. He opened it and flipped through with practiced ease.

“Let me see, variables and constants of magic, humm, speed of propagation. Here we are. 6000 meters per second, roughly. That will give us a starting point.”

He began to click beads and move a sliding rule back and forth, adjusting a hairline and reading results. Those he entered into a neat table.

Looking up with a bit of a grin, his nervous ear scratching at a total standstill, Withers announced, “This could become a fascinating exercise in spherical trigonometry, or we could just make a few measurements on the world globe in the University Library!”

Daring Do snickered and pointed out, “Much as I would love to sit and watch you calculate for the next week, I think that the library is our best option!”

As she was opening the door to the office, Daring Do heard hooves scurrying down the hall. Checking quickly only allowed her to see a bit of a black tail vanishing around a corner of the hallway.

As they were crossing the tree lined University Commons, Withers commented, “There is a Rom band camped down at the fairgrounds. The commissary found out that they were there and bought a bunch of their famous Ka'check pastries and flavored coffees to go with the Rom tea that they always stock.”

Daring Do almost slid to a stop. “We are going the wrong way! Saving the world can wait! Rom pastries await us!”

She turned onto the path for the Royal University Commissary, almost sprinting! Withers was not far behind!

As they entered the big building, a glossy chestnut colored mare with a single perfectly centered eye, a mane and tail that were so deep a blue as to seem almost black, raised a hoof and called out, “Doctor Do! Professor Withers! Over here! I took the liberty of getting us all big tray full of pastries and got us some of the Rom coffees to wash them down!”

They dodged through the maze of dining tables. As Daring Do pulled up her seat, she snagged the nice hot caramel flavored coffee and an apricot filled Ka'chek roll to dip into it.

She sighed happily and said, “This is how I should be treated! Thank you Cy.” Turning to Withers, Daring Do introduced, “Withers, I would like you to meet Cyrene Yvonne Clopes, special assistant to Eris. Cy, this is Professor Withers, a brilliant statistician. He may have a handle on the problem that you suggested that I work on.” She finished her introduction by dunking her apricot roll into the coffee and munching serenely.

Withers helped himself to one with apple filling and took a simple honey cream coffee for himself. As he was dunking his pastry into his coffee, he asked, “Is it alright if I call you Cy?”

Cy nodded and offered, “If I can call you Withers, sure.” Before he could ask, she replied to his thought, “I am a third generation spell fallout pony from the Great South Bay Invasion Mage/Tech blast. The first generation, the ones exposed to the spell fallout, showed no overt ill effects. About eighty percent of their foals died before or soon after birth from fatal magical mutations. The foals of the third generation, mostly lived, though many were severely affected. I am one of the lucky ones who was affected but not too severely.”

Withers looked down, a bit ashamed, but forged ahead, “I know about the spell fallout issue. I did a major statistical work on the survivors. I never heard of your particular case before this. I am sorry. Seeing you, sort of brings home the abstract numbers.”

Cy reached across the table and touched Withers gently. “It is quite alright. I am used to those who stare because of my appearance. It pleases me in a mean sort of way to know that I make far more than most of them. Eris regards me highly and rewards me accordingly.”

Withers looked up, dunked his pastry in coffee and spoke around a mouthful of goodness, “Thank you for that. Now, I am quite sure that you did not come all the way from the Eris Inc. enclave outside of Ponyville just to get us pastries and coffee, however good those are.”

Cy sobered down. “True. I have three more data points for you and I brought Doctor Do a few things too.” She pushed sealed envelopes across the table.

Daring Do looked to Cy for permission to open hers. At her nod, Daring Do opened the envelope and examined the drawing within, minutely.

Cy nibbled at some of the pastries too, while the others were working. Withers looked up first, frowning slightly.

“Either all this data is wrong, the ones giving the orders are not on the world of Equestria, or the orders being given are going through a relay. To solve this, we are going to need to locate the relay point. It would be a big help if I knew whether the detection at the initiation point was active or passive.”

Cy pulled out a Magic Net mirror and tapped codes. They could see her speaking but a mute spell kept them from hearing either Cy or the speaker at the other end of the connection.

Giving Withers a calculating look, Cy suggested, “Doctor Do, I think that if he is willing to go with you, not only will Withers be a valuable asset, we could risk telling you two what it is that Eris does.

“First, though, the Compass tracks Eris passively. It is somehow being abused to locate where she is doing her works. Does that help, Professor Withers?”

Scratching his ear as he thought, his eyes brightened. His smile was nearly angelic. His pen nearly flew as he added columns to his present table.

Looing up to Cy’s single eye confidently, he stated, “It does make it absurdly simple. The link from the Compass to where the orders are being relayed is approximately a constant.

“The detection leg and the order leg will vary by their relationship to the work site. We will plot the work sites on the globe and measure arcs based on the difference between detection and action legs.

“It will take a few trials but we should have the length of the constant relay leg in only an hour or two. Arcs drawn based on the speed of magic propagation will pin down the areas where the Compass is and where the relay point is.

“It won’t be too accurate, but it will give us useful areas to search, depending on what it is that you want to do.”

Cy sucked in her cheeks as she thought. “We wish to recover the Compass of Discord or, in the worst case, destroy it.

“That last should be reserved as an option of desperation. There is enough non equine magic wrapped up in it that doing so will rival the Circle Lake blast at the end of the Nightmare Wars.

“We do not care about the Discordians as such. Whether some are killed or not is of no consequence.”

Withers mulled that over while they finished off the pastries and coffee. Finally he suggested, “Let us repair to the Library and start plotting this data on the world globe there. Now that we have done justice to these goodies, it is time to save the world!”

As she got up from the table, Cy remarked dryly, “That is more literal than you may think.”

Entering the Library, they were greeted by the silence and the scent of books and manuscripts. With assurance, Withers strode up to the main desk.

“Hello, Morail! I need to use the big world globe again. I have a commission in geographical statistics that I wish to demonstrate to Doctor Do and Cyrene, here.”

Morail gave Withers an almost adoring stare as she replied, “Certainly, Sir! I know that it is not officer training class, but I want you to know that I have burst fire on the MT84 held to fifteen centimeters at 60 meters.”

Withers responded, “That is excellent, Morail! I believe that it is a unit record. I can’t wait to see you shoot when it is time for class!”

To the others, Withers said modestly, “I am a retired Major in the Equestrian Army. I teach both reserves and the officer training program, besides statistics.”

Morail opened a door and they were faced with a room that had five globes of the world in it. The largest was almost two meters across. Withers strode confidently up to the big one, picking up a rack of objects with tags attached, a cloth measure tape and a marker.

He began placing the objects on the globe and filling in the tags. From each object he measured and marked off an arc.

He commented, “These are wrong. They assume that the relay/action is one half and detection is one half. They will give us a rough cut for the action center.”

Daring Do noted, “That rough cut puts things into the Selene Mountains on the border of the Zebra Confederation and the Eland Republic.”

Cy consulted with her Magic Net mirror for a moment. She picked up one of the sticky things with a tag and put it into the Selenes at a specific spot. “Mistress Eris has ordered me to reveal the location of the Hidden Temple of Discord. If they had remained basically harmless nut cases like they were in the past, she would never have done so, no matter how much she detests them.”

Withers took one look and erased his old lines and arcs. He drew new lines directly from each place to the Hidden Temple, carefully measuring each one and entering it into a new table. He began to subtract the new entries from entries in his old table. In only minutes, he smiled.

Withers measured carefully from the Hidden Temple and struck an arc across the Selene Mountains. From each of the other points he struck arcs that intersected his first one. They all came together in one small space.

Confidently, he pointed and stated, “There it is. The Detection center is in that spot. Of course at this scale, that is about a twenty five kilometer circle.”

Cy observed, “That is about twenty five kilometers better than we knew it before. The problem remains, that Eris and I cannot go to get it. They will detect us and move it before we can get there.

“Doctor Do, it is up to you. Can you go to the Zebra Confederation and get the Compass of Discord for us?”

Withers nodded, “Hate to put you on the spot, Doctor Do but if you go, I would be honored to accompany you.”

Daring Do Took a sheet of paper and drew a few small runes on it and laid it over the Selene Mountains. The paper conformed neatly to the globe. A perfect copy of the globe surface with Withers’ intersecting arcs appeared on it. She removed the paper and flattened it out on a table, then folded it neatly and put it into her saddle bag.

Finally she commented, “Can’t go without at least some sort of map! At least now I have some idea of where I am going!”

(To Be Continued)

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