#in his sassiest era

[allysketches]

in his primadonna girl* era 😌✨

(*playing the damsel in distress and getting locked in a tower in the middle of the french revolution so his boyfriend can rescue him from being beheaded 😏)

[sapphicseasapphire]

Since he’s my favorite to love and angst, what’s Warriors’ backstory in your Chain as Cryptids AU? Does it involve a lot of angst? Is Linkle (personal hc her as Warriors’ sister) involved? It’s fine if she’s not but is there angst?!

I don’t know why but he and Wild are the best to angst. In my opinion, others are different.

Hmmmm Warriors. Sword Spirit. Cool guy.

I will make a post (eventually) with a detailed backstory for him, but here’s some little bits of information!

He was created, not born. No family, because that’s not how spirits work. (Linkle is there, though. They’re close but not blood related because Sword Spirits don’t have blood). I think his sword is wielded by his Zelda until he’s discovered by the rest of the Chain.

And OH are they confused by him. Wars is pretty distant from the others simply because they have no idea how to interact with him. He probably gravitates towards Time, because Time is a literal God and even if the others don’t know that yet, Wars recognizes that he’s the most powerful in the group. So Time wields Wars’ sword.

Okay okay so I said that they don’t know how to interact with Wars at first. Like they stumble across his sword after being teleported to his era and they’re just like “but where’s the hero?”

It’s Sky who recognizes that he’s a Sword Spirit, and Sky who knows how to deal with (take care of) Warriors. The others (Four) mostly see Wars as a sword and have a hard time understanding a sentient sword. And (namely Wild) will see him more as a spirit, disconnected from the sword. Wild and Wars, both being spirits, can communicate telepathically with one another but they are polar opposites. Wild, the Child of the Mountains, a being made of light and attuned with nature vs. Wars, Sword Spirit, metallic and rough and industrial.

Sky, however, has experience with Sword Spirits. He’s met two of them in the past, and has respected both. Fi? Was very young for a spirit. Only a few thousand years old and was asleep for MOST of that time. But through Sky’s adventure, she helped him greatly. He depended on her. And as she spent time with him, she adopted his traits and developed a personality. (Seriously, towards the end of Skyward Sword, she’s so sassy. And Sky is the sassiest Link. She learned that from him!!! My heart). And then there was Ghirahim. Ghirahim was a Sword Spirit, much like Fi, but he was much older. He was awake for all those thousands of years- awake and independent of his Master. So he developed a very STRONG personality. And even if he was terrifying and creepy and tried to torture Sky at every opportunity, Sky respected him.

So immediately, Sky respects Wars. Warriors’ story is about finding independence and learning to be himself. What he is, without a Master. In the beginning of his adventure with the Chain, he is very much like Fi. He calls them all Master and he spends a lot of time retreated into his sword. In the time that he’s outside of the sword, he’s in his Hylian disguise since he believes that it makes the others like him better. It’s easier for them to understand if they know what they’re looking at haha!

Sky detests this, by the way. He’s always telling Wars to be himself. He encourages him to speak his mind, even though he talks in percentages and calculations for the most part (which is weird to everyone else but Sky gets it). The others also aren’t super comfortable with being called Master but Sky gets it. Sky’s a pretty understanding guy haha.

BRO THIS ISN’T AT ALL WHAT YOU ASKED FOR I’M SORRY. But yeah there’s some information about Wars. And a little bit of angst I think. I personally think that Sky and Wild are the easiest to write angst for, but that’s just because they’re my favorites haha. But yeah, Warriors’ main conflict is to learn about himself and accept himself. Only then can he be accepted by others. And it’s a rough road, but he’ll get there. Eventually.

[luimagines]

:0 I have an idea!!

So, I can see Legend as someone who doesn’t hate kids but doesn’t exactly like them, when the chain are discussing their futures he says he refuses to settle down and have a family, he just doesn’t want to suffer the same pain as when he realized Marin was nothing more than a dream.

Weirdly enough however is he is extremely good with children, he knows how to take care of children of any ages. The chain only find out about his ability with kids when he offers to take care of a baby from a very tired mother so she could sleep, he thinks they’re not paying attention but they most definitely are.

Then when the chain is thrust into another adventure and era of Hyrule, Legend is unusually distraught at the prospect of having another adventure after a few months, they find out why. When they unexpectedly find themselves in Legend’s Hyrule, he’s extremely giddy and excited, he immediately runs off in the direction of his house, the chain chase after him to find him staring at two people in particular.

A heavily pregnant person who was playing with a child, suddenly the child turns to see him and shouts “ DADDY!! ” and runs over jumping on him causing Legend to laugh. He picks them up as he holds them close before going to the person and kissing their head, then their pregnant belly and saying “ Hey Blossom, hey Marin ”

The chain are just standing there dumbfounded at the moment in front of them till one just asks: “ Who the heck is this? What is happening?! ”

He turns and just awkwardly smiles at them, finally introducing the two with an awkward “ Oh…Uh, this is my spouse ＿＿＿ and this little guy is my kid Din, the one on the way is Marin, sorry I didn’t tell you guys, it kinda slipped my mind 😅 ”

And the chain are all like “ WHAT?? ”

Any thoughts on how each hero would react to the news?

Warrior gives out the most obnoxious wolf whistle known to man.

Twilight and Hyrule both cheer and laugh while Wild puts his hands on his hips with the sassiest look ever. "Didn't you say you'd wait until you were 117?"

Four, Time and Sky are too busy looking over the house and greeting Marin like decent people and friends and appearing normal.

Wind is a little too stunned at first to do much of anything other than stare. But then he starts asking heaps of questions, inappropriate or otherwise.

[viperwhispered]

Warning: heavy angst ahead with some fluff at the very end.

Ngl I think that no matter what route he takes, Jamil will have to reconcile with the fact that his parents will never prioritize his happiness or mental health and they'll never see eye to eye.

Hell even if Jamil is freed in a manner that doesn't bring shame upon the Vipers, even if he becomes one of the greatest of his era, or even just being much happier doing what he wants I bet his parents will still be disappointed/upset he didn't uphold the "noble Viper tradition" and shame him for "betraying his master/family".

If we're going with the timeline where this happens then I'm sure by the time Jamil has to come home then their relationship will be pretty much dead. Only speaking to each other when absolutely necessary. Any attempt to bring up what happened just leads to arguments because his parents just don't see things from Jamil's perspective. Unsurprisingly, they refuse to meet Jamil's s/o.

I bet Najma is the only he stays in contact with during his travels cause his parents just refuse to accept Jamil doesn't want to be a servant. They'll probably put away any and all newspapers that talk about all the accomplishments Jamil made and smile awkwardly when even the whole town is congratulating them for having such a talented son. It gets worse with Kalim constantly bragging about all his bestie is doing with his freedom and shutting down anyone who argues.

When Jamil comes back as the grand vizier, some hope comes back that he might've accepted his "place" buts its squashed when they see all of his reforms and his rather casual attitude with Kalim. What's worse is that Jamil is very popular with the servants as he's actually granting them workers rights instead of treating them like slaves. They still refuse to talk to him and instead refer to him very formally as their superior.

Jamil accepts it. But does silently cry in his beloved’s arms that night.

The parents still hear a lot about Jamil's lover, mostly from Najma, and do see them occasionally visiting. But they never really acknowledge them.

The Vipers are still invited to their wedding though. Najma spent months hyping it up and convinced them to at least show their faces.

It's a very joyous occasion. Most of the cheer coming from s/o's side with their friends and family who have fully accepted Jamil. Kalim had to be held back from bringing a parade.

Jamil has accepted that he'll never be forgiven by his parents despite committing no sin. It's been years, so he barely feels any regret when he officially becomes Jamil L/N. His parents leave during the reception. Jamil can't really bring himself to care anymore.

If they ever break, it'll be because of grandchildren. Jamil's, Kalim's, and Kalim's wife’s efforts have paid off and their world has become infinitely times safer. Finally Jamil and his Dearest belive its time for a child.

Be it boy or girl, I feel like they'll be the sassiest child on the block with the classic annoyed viper face. Either way, there is clearly so much of Jamil in them and it breaks the Vipers.

They can't stand to look at the grandchild they threw away because of their stubbornness. It's been years and everyone around them (servants and nobles) agree that Jamil was right and that Jamil helped make things better. Only their pride is stopping the Vipers.

It hurts especially when they see Najma babysitting and fully embracing her role as an aunt. It hurts even more to see Jamil and his s/o be much better parents than they were and to see such a happy child.

It shocks them to see how close their grandchild is with the Asim kids. It's a genuine friendship untainted by rules and class systems.

It all comes to a head when they see the child playing mancala with an Asim. The Asim child lost and their grandchild is playfully teasing them and rubbing the loss in their face. All in good fun, as children do, and the Asim is quick to request another match.

But it's too late. The child looks so much like their son and suddenly they're back in time. They barely register when one of them slaps the child and angrily scolds them for daring to win. The child, young and not understanding why they're being treated this way, starts crying. The Asim is quick to defend their friend and take them away to the infirmary.

The Vipers are called into the Vizier's office in less than an hour and left to face an enraged deadly venomous true viper. The couple is banned to from stepping anywhere near the child again and if they dared think to raise a hand again "so help me Allah I will bury you!"

Najma gives them stern disappointed looks as they walk out. From a distant they spot their in-law lovingly comforting their grandchild and distracting them with a new game.

From there on they only watch from afar, wondering how things could ever escalate like this.

Nikki bonus: they do the paperwork/legal ceremony in Jamil's world and have the official wedding in Nikki’s. The wedding itself is relatively small (only about 20 people on Nikki’s side compared to the standard hindu wedding with 150+ people) and does a good job of blending Bangla and Scalding Sand traditions. Though the ceremony itself is strictly Hindu. Another bit of culture shock the Vipers are struck with. So far in my brainstorming Jamil and Nikki have a daughter named Rohini. Though I admit this is probably due to my bias of being a daddy's girl and also being a fan of the "scary edgelord/villain being absolutely terrifying but still a complete softie for his daughter".

Can you imagine Jamil at his desk meeting with a bunch of officials being the untamable ruthlessly efficient serpent Vizier, intimidating others with just a glace. Then the door suddenly opens. He's about to glare at whoever came in without knocking when he's faced with the classic viper annoyed face on his 8 year old daughter. Jamil, to the shock of the officials, just somehow stops being intimidating and goes completely soft.

Jamil: Rohi, dear, what's wrong? You know better than to interrupt while daddy's working.

Rohini: I'm hungry and we ran out of snacks. Ma and Grandma are at work so there's nobody to make me more!

J: *playfully going along with it* Now that is complete unacceptable. I'm assuming that the snacks the world class chefs made are not up to par.

R: *shakes her head no* Doesn't taste like Ma's. Watcha working on anyway?

J: Well Rohi *gently picks her up onto his lap*, one of the bosses for the clothing business has been stealing funds from us and thought we wouldn't notice.

R: He sounds stupid if he thinks he's smarter than daddy.

J: *chuckles* Yes, he is very stupid. Now what should we do about him?

R: Chuck him in jail and take all his stuff.

J: Excellent idea, Rohini. *turns to the officials" You heard her, have him arrested and sieze all his property.

Officials hurry to scramble away. Just because he's a good boss doesn't mean he doesn't scare the hell out of them.

J: *checks clock and sees its almost the end of his working hours* Well how about you and I head home early for snack time and the we can get started on dinner, hm?

R: Can we get baked rasgulla?

J: Of course princess! You got top marks on your grammar test, you deserve it.

R: Yay!

Also, you know how people often hcs OB!Jamil's snakes also kissing his lover? Imagine OB!Jamil's snakes just giving little snake kisses to his daughter as he tickles her. A manifestation of Jamil at his absolute worst still being so gentle when making his daughter laugh.

It really is unfortunate we’ve seen so little of Jamil’s parents, as it makes it difficult to guess just how they would react. Like, yes, especially in the English version of the game, they very much are enforcing Jamil’s position. But we can only begin to guess on their exact motives, and in the nature of their family life outside this. Like, even the snippets we got with the Firelit Sky event were focused on the relationship between Jamil and Najma, rather than Jamil and his parents.

Then again, twst kinda seems to have a tendency to keep the more strenuous family relationships away from the hometown events, so…

But yeah, it’s hard to tell how difficult it would be for them to accept their child doing their own thing, rather than going for the path prepared for them.

Also oof the tension and sadness of Jamil & his parents existing and working in the same place but just brushing past each other as if they barely know each other. 😢 And this bit… “Jamil accepts it. But does silently cry in his beloved’s arms that night.“ You just had to go for my heart, huh?

The gall to be disciplining a child that’s not even theirs, for goodness’ sake. That would be some gall indeed.

Hasdhf I love the idea of that scene with Jamil in the negotiations with his kid tho.

And oh boy the thought of like a baby / toddler just giggling and grabbing at the snakes (I can imagine it being cute but also with my snake phobia kinda stress inducing ngl).

[sherrymagic]

i loveeeee your new layout. i do miss your 23.5 layout greatly though ಥ_ಥ just dropping in to say your layout is super cute (´▽`ʃ♡ƪ)

aaaaaaaa thank you so much Claire, i was still wondering if it looked cute enough 😭🥹

I KNOW it was so strange to take off my 23.5 era layout after months but a girl needs some change every once in a while & here comes my newest sassiest princess babygirl son Khaofang and his bf ajsgsjsh (and let's be honest most people on this website know my ViewJune obsession and how long it's been there, we all know they're coming back eventually)

thank you again btw that's exactly the effect i was going for so 🩷🩷🩷🩷

[dark-nekofear]

tagged by @kukiyuuri ur so sweet ty for the tag <3

ONE. Are you named after anyone?

*Office stare* whatever gave u that impression? :3c

yea my queer ass swiped Roxas' name as my own. I had a major identity crisis after leaving a cult a decade ago so it kinda felt fitting to pick the name with his own history with cults & identity issues hehe

2. When was the last time you cried?

couple days ago, tho I have a very hard time crying anymore. thaaaat's probs not good ^^;; I used to be a huge crybaby.

3. Do you have kids?

thankfully not. I'm enough work as is tyvm

4. What sports do you play? have you played?

I played street hockey with my neighbors quite a bit growing up, tho it was rather short-lived when they suddenly had a problem with playing with a girl (boy do I have news for them). in high school I joined the tennis team. I wasn't stellar at it but I had a blast. wish there were more opportunities to play but that requires other ppl wanting to play.

these days I've been reconnecting with my childhood love of rollerblading. I'm close to being as good as I used to be which is so exciting cuz there's so much I never mastered! so I'm about to cross over into new territory!

5. Do you use sarcasm?

what's sarcasm? ovo

6. What is the first thing you notice about people?

looking at the world thru an artist's lens, I notice things like posture, expression, body language first. which can tell u a lot about a person in the moment without a word being spoken.

7. What's your eye color?

blue! I think they're turning gray as I get older which is kinda cool but also a little sad.

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

depends on my mood; both are good. so long as the story is told well anything goes really.

9. Any talents?

I suffer from the good at the arts but bad at everything modern society deems useful disease. my main talent is probs drawing, writing coming second (if I ever get the spoons to do it again). I'm also decent at singing with my long history with choir & leading worship services.

10. Where were u born?

the most boring place on earth -- the US Midwest. Siri, play "Sidewalks" by Story of the Year.

11. What are your hobbies?

a lot of my free time lately has been getting back into studying languages. I'm mostly focused on Japanese atm but I'm also at an intermediate level in German & conversational in ASL.

I game quite a bit too, primarily retro games. *screaming crying throwing up that PS2-era is now considered retro* seldom do I play things upon release except of KH.

oh, I'm also a casual fashion doll collector (mostly Barbie & Monster High). old media as well (vhs, retro games, music, etc). lost media & preservation of the arts in general really interests me.

I play guitar a bit too but lol I suck at it.

other hobbies previously touched on in earlier q's include drawing, skating, singing & writing. :3c

12. Do you have any pets?

I have a kitty! she's a dilute calico & a huge diva cuz she knows she's gorgeous. she's loud af just like me & loves talking to her fave humans in the sassiest tone possible.

13. How tall are u?

not tall enough. 165cm

14. Favorite subjects in school?

German (easily my best subject), art & English.

15. Dream job?

I've been thinking a lot about circling back to an old dream job. something utilizing my knack for picking up languages. maybe interpreting or teaching? I'd really like to go back to school so I can maybe have a decent shot at something overseas. where? I'm still deciding. being trans kinda complicates it a bit. with that in mind & having several instances of homelessness this past decade I've concluded the US isn't a viable place for me to continue living. I have a unique opportunity to rebuild rn & I intend to utilize it. even if that means allowing my art to return to being just a hobby.

ahh! sorry I'm totally ending this on a bummer note huh? uhh uhh... puppies! think of puppies!! & kitties!!!

anyway, I'll tag uhh... whoever wants to do this? >w<; u can obvi say I tagged ya.

[1shirt2shirtredshirtdeadshirt]

“And Bones was equally a wildcard -- the sassiest one of them all. The whole trio was chaotic.

The Trek Trinity of Troublemaking, if you will.

Bones just out here casually drinking on the job, yelling at his own boss, never being where he should be. Always bitching and moaning pure piss and vinegar. Cantankerous Diva and armchair critic extraordinaire. Never lets Jim or Spock live an inch despite being as much if not more dysfunctional himself. Refusing to use transporters.

Had a Bee Gees beard and medallion era when he went off the grid.

He that "The Government Puttin' Flouride in the Tap Water" type paranoid bitch. Tin hat wearin' cringe ahh ahh Barry Gibb lookin' country bumpkin maf.

Mutinying with Spock one second, then slap-fighting with him the next.

Meanwhile Kirk is like an exhausted single parent on a long road trip with two kids acting out as he begs for decency.  

Dr. Leonard "why are you on the bridge or in a restricted area again?" McCoy.

Jim explaining to whoever asks why Bones is anywhere but Sickbay: "Oh that's just my buddy Bones. He's a doctor."😊

*Pans over to Bones, the angry scraggly housecat that will claw anyone's eyes out, especially Jim*

Them: Great, uh . . . why is he in the torpedo bay though?

Of course McCoy was the last man standing. Even if his particles were scattered across space, he'd still be complaining out there.🤣<3"

Someone posted this in a Trek group:

Counter theory:

"My theory was always that Spock was the unhinged and wild one -- a rebel by Vulcan standards -- and he radicalized "stack of book with legs" Jim Kirk.😂

Spock was the one out there mind melding with every Horta, Nomad and V'Ger while Jim and Bones absolutely panicked in the background.

Then Jim usually ended up being the one to get Spock out of it, too. The Apple, Operation Annihilate, A Private Little War, The Infinite Vulcan, TMP . . . How many times did we see Kirk have to carry Spock body and limb and slightly on fire back to the ship after he got into it?

The amount of shit Jim has to do for Spock in Star Trek III alone.

Spock is like the Enterprise housecat who stubbornly insists on being an outdoor cat and keeps escaping, later having to be carried back indoors. He keeps causing mischief but everybody loves his ass anyway.

Kirk and Spock were chaotic messes who loved their frontier first contact work in TOS and onward -- they deserved each other.😂👌

Shit, cat got out again.

[sevynchaos]

why luka is in his sassiest bitch era 😭😭😭

[reidyoulikeabook]

48 from touch prompt list and 75 from prompt list 5 🥺🥺🥺 im so proud of you love such an amazing achievement i love you

-efirstly i love you thank you so much 🥺 secondly the PERFECT two prompts together you have a galaxy brain and i can truly not thank you enough for this!!

Ship: Fem! Reader x Spencer Reid

Word count: 1.4k

Warnings: Some mentions of alcohol consumption & brief olden-time being married young talk.

Prompts: #48 - Dancing with each other & #75 Talking in an Elizabethan style to woo somebody

A/N: I listened to the ‘So Close’ song from the Enchanted soundtrack the entire time I was writing this so...put that on if you want!

A reminder I��m taking prompts for my 1k celebration until May 21st! :)

If Penelope Garcia loved two things in this world - Derek and science fiction aside - it was costumes and parties. So it made sense that for her birthday, she’d decreed she’d be throwing an Elizabethan-style ball. And that everybody had to dress up accordingly. Derek, always eager to put a smile on her face, had offered to throw it at one of his houses.

So it was there that you were headed, on this glorious Saturday night. In a not-so-glorious and infact, quite heavy, Elizabethan era gown. It was a good job you’d elected to take an Uber, because quite frankly the dress weighed a ton. It would have been impossible to drive in.

Good job they didn’t have cars back in the Elizabethan era.

Not that women would have been allowed to drive them anyway.

You’re only a little late when you arrive. Fashionably late, you’d go so far as to say.

“____!” Penelope greets with a squeal, rushing out to embrace you into a hug. You don’t even make it all the way through the door before she’s on you with a flurry.

If you thought your dress was a lot, you have to hand it to the birthday girl. She could never be upstaged. How her gown actually fit inside the house was a mystery, it was huge - puffy with a corset that cinched her in tightly at the waist. Her hair was coiffed into perfect curls. She looked stunning; like she’d stepped right out of a painting.

“You look amazing!” You tell her, squeezing her tightly.

“So do you! I’m so glad you took the theme seriously!”

“I take all themes seriously when it’s you threatening me about them.”

She laughs. “Well Derek did too. And Spencer, the others...” She frowns, “Well, I’d like to say they tried, but Rossi definitely didn’t. He did, however, pay for a gazebo and a live band so I’m willing to let it slide.”

You smile, allowing her to take you inside. She babbles some more on her way in about all the decorations, food, and how next time she’s going to make everybody send her pictures of their outfits beforehand.

She’s right about the gazebo though - it’s beautiful. It has elegant fairylights adorning it, illuminating the place in a candescent glow. The live band is an instrumental one - there’s even a fiddle.

Where the hell did Dave find a fiddle?

He’s rich.

That has to be the satisfactory answer for now. There are far more pressing matters at hand: like everybody’s costumes.

Horch is wearing some fancy suit, Emily has one that’s similar, Rossi clearly is just dressed in his normal attire. J.J appears to have picked one up from a fancy dress shop, but if anyone could make that look good, it’s her. Derek looks an absolute dream - clearly dressed by Penelope. It’s Spencer though, unsurprisingly, who has gone all out. He has a miniature version of one of those puffy collars on, his suit a gorgeous maroon colour. He even has white tights on, with the boots that matched. If there were prizes for best costume - which knowing Penelope, there might well be - she’d be up against some fierce competition.

“Spence!” You chime, opening your arms to greet him, “I love your costume!”

“I love yours too!” He beams, hugging you tightly, “The skirt of your dress is very fitting to the period.”

“Thank you!” You say, reluctantly letting go of him to greet everybody else in turn.

It’s hard to keep your eyes off him though, and everybody knows it. You and Spencer had been dancing around each other for months, the epitome of the will-they-won’t-they, and you can’t help but hope that tonight you might finally cross that threshold.

It’s Penelope’s birthday.

Who are you kidding? Penelope would be ecstatic to claim credit.

***

You’re giddy, not just with the glass of wine in your system. With happiness, the exuberant kind that comes from watching all your friends exist among one another. It doesn’t hurt that Spencer barely leaves your side the entire night. He’s a veritable treasure trove of Elizabethan era facts. You’ve learnt more than any history class could possibly teach you.

A slow song comes on, which is when you decide to seize your opportunity.

Now or never.

You bump your shoulder against his. When you have his attention, you nod towards the dance floor, “Come and dance with me.”

He furrows his brows, clearly weighing up his options in his head.

You affect an Elizabethan lilt, “Thou art going to leave me alone at the ball, fair Lord Reid?”

“I could hardly dream of it,” He says, imitating you, “Would thou care to dance with me?”

He offers out his hand. You take it, noting how he gets the barest blush on his cheeks.

“Thou had me practically petrified, I thought you may never ask,” You tease, accepting his hand, squeezing it once for reassurance.

He laughs, nose crinkling. He rests his hand on your hip hesitantly, only solidifying his grip when you rest yours on his bicep. His other comes to rest on the other side, just above where your dress puffs out. The song playing sounds vaguely familiar, although it’s harder to place with it being an instrumental version.

You lean into him, side-stepping in time with him. He’s not a dancer by nature, that much is clear, but he is surprisingly good at leading.

It’s easy to let him guide you around the dance floor. You stutter a bit, almost tripping. His grip on your hip tightens.

“Be careful fair maiden,” He reprimands teasingly, “Thou wouldn’t want to fall.”

“Thou wouldn’t want to be seen with a maiden who has made a royal fool of herself.”

He shakes his head, “I could hardly bare it.”

“I do not know how you can bare to be seen with me regardless. I’m practically a haggard spinster,” You say, with a dramatic sigh.

He twirls you around, voice slipping back into his normal tone, “Actually it was mainly women from wealthy families who would marry young, from age 12. With poorer or middle class families it was most common for women to be in their mid-twenties by the time they got married, the average age was about 24.”

“Still younger than me,” You retort, stepping in time with him. You’re pressed up against his chest now.

His breath fans over your cheek, from the way he’s bent, from the way you’re leaning in to him. His big hand spans over your back, holding you close to him as he steps to the right.

“Well,” He says, affecting the English accent, “Thou art a lady of the highest stature. A commoner could not possibly hope to marry one such as yourself.”

You giggle, “Oh fair Lord Reid. Whenst will I possibly find a husband?”

With surprising ease, he dips you, allowing you to fall gracefully into his arms. He’s study, supportive. Before you know it, you’re back on your feet.

“Thou might be looking in the wrong places.”

“Pray tell, wherest would one suggest a lady like me ought to look?”

“Perhaps closer to ones home,” He says, English accent - if you could call it that - slipping a little, favouring sincerity.

“How much closer?”

His hands return to your waist, and yours to his chest. There’s only an inch between your bodies. He looks down at you with sincerity brimming in his eyes, “Perhaps a little closer.”

Your hand trails up to his chin. It dips at the mere weight of your thumb resting on it, “Gallant Lord Reid, perhaps this close?”

“Perhaps,” He swallows, voice morphing into the accent again, as if he’s afraid to be vulnerable, “Thou art a maiden, thou art to be courted before marriage.”

“And where would one court a fair maiden like me?”

“Where would the fair maiden like to go?”

“Wherever, as long as you’re the one taking her.”

He swallows. His eyes scan your face, watching how you deliberately look to his plump lips. He hesitates for only a moment longer, before leaning in and planting the most delicate kiss upon them.

If it wasn’t for the elated drunken giggles of everyone else around you, you’d have been lost in the bubble of a moment forever. It’s okay though, because at your wedding, Penelope is sure to tell the tale of the Elizabethan ball where you - the fair maiden - finally got together with your perfect Lord. You have to admit, it’s a good one.

Permanent Spencer tagslist: @ssa-m-187 @reidingmelodies @cyanide-mustard @shesalatesh @sapphic-prentiss @geostarr @kathrynisadogperson @rem-ariiana @spoonielivingfree @starsandshit90 @spencerreidat3am  @takeyourleap-of-faith @sassiest-politician @calm-and-doctor @ssa-m-187  @averyhotchner @muffin-cup @purplewaterbottles082 @reidsnose  @wheelsup @ellesgreenaway @sunlitspence @spencerreid9 @drspencerreidd @reiding-recs @bauemily @cmily @retrxbarnes @jhillio @txmhoelland @spenxerslut @im-autistic-not-stupid @amoeebaa @veridianluv @sad-bitch-h0ur @nighttimerain123 @ytj2304 @reidtome @converse-spence @randomfavtingswall @bethc54 @hubbybowenss @sebstan-is-the-man @justanothercrazyfangirl @eli-side-blog @vntgreid @reidmeastory @reidemandweep @ggublerss @s1lverhand @cigarette-day-dread @newtmyheart @i-understood-that-reference @willowrose99 @v-is-obsessive

(message me to be removed - visit my taglist form to join!)

[refinedbuffoonery]

5x14 Thoughts

Not only did that episode stress me the FUCK out but then it made me SOB at the end. 

Oh god. Where do I even start. 

BOZER’S PARENTS. I love them with my entire being. They are wonderful. Every interaction between Bozer and his mom was priceless—both funny and heartfelt at the same time. My favorite part of the episode, for sure. Likewise with Bozer’s dad and Mac. Mac never really had his real dad, but Bozer’s dad filled that hole, whether Mac knows it or not. (That’s the kind of parent I want to be some day.) Anyway, it was so refreshing to see someone finally have a healthy relationship with their parents on this show. 

I totally lost it at three different points in the episode, so here we go: 

1) Bozer’s dad talking to Mac about his problem-solving as a coping mechanism and how Mac uses it as a crutch to avoid processing his trauma. 

HOLY COW I did not expect that to ever be addressed so directly. Hats off to whoever wrote that scene. THIS is the Mac character development we’ve been waiting for. Personally, as a writer, I would’ve put it sooner in this season, but it is what it is. To anyone who has ever complained that the writers were hurting him with no resolution for no reason: I told you so. The writers knew exactly what they were doing, and Mac’s lack of trauma processing is 100% in character for him. 

2) Riley touring the pharmatech company and learning about the full capacity of the nanobots. 

You could just SEE the fear in her eyes, even as she shoved it down over and over to play along and dig for information. And then when the guy said the nanotech stays in the body indefinitely, Riley stopped breathing and holy fuck I did too. Tristin’s acting is so powerful. I felt Riley’s fear. I felt the helplessness, the desperation to do SOMETHING. Fuck. 

Does anyone else think there was originally a scene where we got to see her freak out (alone)? It’s just a hunch I have based on how close she was to losing it during the tour plus Parker’s comment back in the war room. The episode clearly worked fine without it, but it would’ve been interesting to see what Riley does when she loses it (because you know she only does it in private). 

Also, that was super ballsy of her to put her real identity + Artemis37 out there so publicly. I feel like that’s going to come back to bite her in the ass someday. 

SIDE NOTE ABOUT HER HACKERS: Riley coaching her hackers—especially when Brooklyn snuck into the company as a pizza delivery girl—was incredible. She’s so good with teenagers; she knows when to push, when to back off, when to be supportive, and when to clap back. I wish we could have a whole episode revolving around Riley and Brooklyn (who I’m guessing is both the sassiest/most challenging of the girls and Riley’s secret favorite) so we could see their relationship blossom. There’s something special there. 

3) THE HUG. (Let’s be real.....THAT WHOLE SCENE.)

Oh man. OH MAN. Listen. Obviously I am excited about it for Ship Reasons™ but I think the reason it hit home is because it wasn’t about MacRiley, not in a romantic sense. Not in a friend sense either. Because the way Riley looked at Mac when she said “You’ll never lose me”...that’s the kind of love that transcends all others. It’s when you look at a person and know, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are your family, regardless of what other labels your relationship has, whether that’s friends, siblings, or romantic partners. 

Family transcends all of that. 

That scene broke me. For the first time ever, they were both completely honest with each other, about everything they were feeling. Confiding your deepest fears in another person is such a deeply intimate thing, and I’m so glad Riley and Mac can do that with each other. 

I know there’s a massive chunk of the fandom that’s not into the ship(s), but y’all...hear me out. We all want the same thing, and that’s for these characters to find happiness. We want their little found family to grow and thrive. And while there is something to be said about Mac and Riley as the Spy Siblings, I truly think the show going down the relationship road for this is ultimately the right choice. Because as fulfilling as family is, finding love with someone you trust completely and can understand on every level is indescribably powerful. To be loved is to be seen, really seen, and Riley and Mac look at each other with eyes wide open, learning and understanding. And never once have either of them blinked. 

That’s the kind of love worth waiting for. 

That’s the kind of love worth risking it all for. 

That’s the kind of love that lasts, till death do us part. 

And who are we to stand in the way of that? 

.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS:

I’ve said it before, and I’m saying it again. If this is truly how MacGyver ends, then what a way to go. The early seasons will always be near and dear to my heart, but the Monica Macer-era episodes are truly the show’s best. 

[thegoldheartlocketandkey-blog]

#It was his sassiest era

Ngl I like Eddie’s lego hair 😪

[seungkwan-s]

Heather!! I'm getting into Enhypen properly and my first biases are always the beautiful-to-the-point-it-hurts ones and my first wreckers are the badass cool looking ones from my first impressions, it usually changes to the cutest most smiley sunshine and the sassiest one respectively as i get to know them. But I just started liking them so guess my bias and wrecker plss! Also who are yours, i am a bad stan idk yours hehe.

OH MY GOD THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY

ok so i watched them when they were on i-land and back then, sunoo was literally my favourite. he was just so passionate about his dancing and his smile just brightened up my day completely. when they debuted, jay stole my heart, he just came out of nowhere and I was just like ok yes you can take over my life jsjsjsjzj THAT'S FINE and I suffered GREATLY 😫😫😫😫😫😫

That was all fine until fever era hit and then out of nowhere heeseung just destroyed my bias list COMPLETELY, he slid his way into my ult bias list and I just kinda accepted it???? 😫 even though I struggled 😫

After these concept photos and teasers, i'm all over the place with my bias list; heeseung and jay are both in my ult bias list, and i suffer every. day. sunoo is literally my SUNSHINE 💛 he is so precious and adorable, and his personality gives me serotonin because he is so sweet and kind and he is my favourite idol 🥰

jake and sunghoon are bias wreckers, but sunghoon has literally been taking over my life and idk how to handle it? and the TEASERS THAT WERE RELEASED TODAY AAAHHHH sunghoon is so so PRETTY 😍

jungwon is also a bias wrecker, he's also my favourite leader—no disrespect to the other leaders of other groups i love but jungwon is just my favourite, he's adorable and he was also one of my favourites in i-land 😁

ni-ki is just that little angel that i want to protect forever, his dancing is amazing HELLO???? he's 100% one of the best dancers in the world right now, seriously. and he's freaking 15, like he's so young but so freaking talented 😊😊😊

plus the fact that they are literally one of the funniest groups, they never fail to make me laugh. i get my sad days and bad days and enhypen always put a smile back on my face 🥰 they're my favourite 💜💜💜💜💜

welcome to the engene fandom, we're all cool, and chilled people <3

[mirai-change]

Yashahime ep 23 thoughts well how should I began I love inukimi mocking zero bitch her sarcasm and sassiest is top class win best sassiest mom award wish her official name was sassy love how zero hoe was insulted throughout the entire episodes called that women by the cousins even her brother and queen sassy was mocking how pointlessly petty and stupid her revenge is just because she can't handle a rejection gracefully got killed by sesshomaru daughter and got roasted by queen sassy with how she old and she brought her own self fulfilling prophecy of doom and karmic death in the most stupid ironic way lol gets killed by sesshomaru daughter and how stupidly petty her jealousy is lol and just when she finally start hoeing like a bitch/witch/wretch

About how she finally has her stupid revenge on draging rin with her to death only to get revived by the fang of Toga who rejected her called weak with all her tears in his death place lol

As for riku i don't really know how to feel about him he at least doesn't want to hurt towa he strong handsome and charming and honestly I feel a bit bad for him it clear he was never raised well by his master and madam never was taught and had true genuine love and care like a person the only 1 the ever truly got that from was towa and was taught all the twisted on idk love feeling by that bitch and got messed up in the head according ep 24 he going to stab kirinmaru in the stomach I don't think that enough to kill him since It probably not a fatal wound I don't know if I should feel bad for him since I don't really know much about him other than he respected and care for toga and instead of wanting to kill the yashahime he seems to want to fight a worthy battle and surpassed them as the granddaughter of his rival he seem to want them to prove that they are worthy of toga blood and surpassed them I don't if I should feel bad for him getting stab by riku since he abandon him and idk I hope he not responsible for setsuna perilous condition the episode 24 poor towa and setsuna I don't think they will truly kill her off since she is 1 of the main cast I was starting to like kirinmaru since he really respected toga and isn't trying to kill the girls out of personal grudge it more of trying to see if they are worthy of being able to kill and surpassed him i used to have nothing but hate for him and I am not really charmed by him since he always wear a mask that hide his face he look better without it other than he look surprisingly cute and child like when he immediately fall asleep after destroying the comet seems like he connect to maybe his future self and seem to lives fine among humans don't know if he grew to kill them in the future or that a clone whatever if is responsible for setsuna condition in ep 24 my admiration of him get thrown out the window idk if he intends to influence the girls till they are strong enough to destroy the comet on the Morden era he just wants to do something about it by time travelling

As for rin nearly dying I blame mostly sesshomaru for not telling the main cast about rin life being link to zero seriously ik he doesn't talk much and is keeping his distance to keep them uninvolved in his deal with kinrimaru and zero by they are targeted by them may have not expect setsuna to kill zero but they are his daughters and niece can't he at least tell them to not kill zero when that wretch is targeting them and he never once thought they could kill that bitch

They deserve to know about Rin condition she the twins mom when are we going to see inuyasha and kagome and shippo again they better be alive

[the-games-changing]

newsies band au seen as apparently i’m emo now

so this is danger days era mcr style type music heehaa, i probably won’t do anything with this but here you go i Guess, i wrote this i went and like didn’t look back lol i dunno if i repeated anything or whatever

sarah - vocals

katherine - bass

jack - drums

davey - electric guitar

crutchie - electric guitar

head canons under the cut!

crutchie, kath, and davey do the writing for the band, lyric wise and music wise it’s a group thing

jack gets really high on adrenaline during performance

davey mostly does his thing, bit of headbanging on the side

katherine 100% has crowd surfed before, she gets really into it and moves around the stage a lot

sarah tries her best, usually hits davey at least once

crutchie can’t move around a whole lot, because leg, but he tries to sit nearer the front of the stage and gets in a cheeky bit of headbanging

jack draw all their album art and merch

to sum up their music it’s basically “fuck the government” among other things like “be gay, do crime”

sarah’s in charge of the social media accounts, though they’re all logged in to them, she shares random videos and photos of them all doing dumb shit

like the time jack tried to cut katherine’s bangs (because they didn’t have time to go to a hair dressers before a thing or something) and it went well, but it took a while and in the background crutchie can be seen hitting davey over the head with their guitar

katherine goes on their twitter a lot and posts random thoughts she has

they’re all really tight, they all cuddle on the tour bus and just in general

i haven’t thought about any relationships? they’d probably try and avoid them because it could wreck the band, but if you really wanted to think about it uhh sarah’s pan, kath bi, jack bi, davey bi, crutchie omni

they’re always seen out and about wearing each other’s clothing, which sure sparks fan theories sure but they don’t respond to any of them

in regards to sass, either jack or crutchie are the sassiest

crutchie’s social media is a lot like frank iero’s?? by that i mean they roast their fans

katherine always wears sunglasses in a performance to keep her anxiety a little bit more chill (funky headcanon of mine: she has anxiety xoxo), and then at the end she’ll throw them into the crowd for someone to catch

self care is a big thing for all of them, they make sure to take time between shows and albums and stuff to relax

they do a secret santa style thing every holiday season, though they don’t call it secret santa because 3/5 of them are jewish, they just anonymously get one other person a present, they do this on the day after all their holidays have finished

katherine has a motorbike that she calls ace, as in ace of diamonds or whatever the cards say

she is the only one trusted to drive any vehicle

someone falls over every performance, and if not during then walking off stage someone will fall

someone always ends up injured during a performance, usually a bruise but sometimes a broken toe or something if they’re really unfortunate

jack would be the most chaotic if he wasn’t sat at a drum kit, so the most chaotic is katherine

kath no homos/no hets it with anyone on stage, sorry i don’t make the rules

jack, again, would also do so if he wasn’t at a drum kit all the time

i feel like i’m contradicting myself with kath,, so she has anxiety and shows make her anxious, shades chill her out a little bit? it’s very much a 50/50 chance about whether or not she’ll go feral or not, depending, but the no homo/no het thing is a thing that happens every show (she loses herself and thinks “well SHIT do these guys know how much i love them???”)

that’s all my tiny brain can get out for tonight so yeehawww hope y’all are doing okay, like dead ass though if you wanna send me asks about it,,, go for it but my anon isn’t on so like sorry lol

[womanlives]

❔ mayhaps......

send ❔ and i’ll list a couple muses that i’d like to throw at yours! (feat: plot bunnies)

hmmmmmm why yes hmmm hmm yess hmmm

locke & any of my gb muses/ocs : u know i love gb, it’s emplied. locke and jean doing dumb pirate things with the rest of the crew sprinkled here and there as characters. can we explore the sinspire more? jesus. tal verrar was bitchin’. young baby threads with locke, jean, and sabetha pulling off schemes here and there. aloof princess beth slowly but surely grumpily accepting the rambunctious boys running all around their elderglass little cellar. inner monologue threads processing the events of the books and the trauma these mfers have endured. HEY can we get threads exploring the fuckin magi of karthain and, oh, i don’t know, THE ELDREN? HMM? threads where we just worldbuild on top of this already-fleshed-out amazing badassery of a universe and make our own elderglass wonders, or hc what all of this bs was that was left behind eyes.jpg

elias & sharhzad : i need to finish sharhzad’s about info, but essentially she is a shadhavar (or ‘persian unicorn’ if you will). she’s heavily inspired by the arabic interpretations of ‘’’unicorns’’’ and quite different from the cutesy white do-gooders we see in european literature. she was a powerful figurehead in the persian empire; her the height of her power was ~2300yrs ago, but that hasn’t stopped her ego. give me weary immortal threads where they bicker over coffee about which era was the best to live in, or which was the dullest, or how stupid the normal slang is. shapeshifter threads where they just Prankin’ as the two sassiest and angriest horses of all time. magic threads where they have to bring down a perceived big baddie invading their turf or space in a way that none of the mortals ever become wiser of. 

elias & paloma : just let paloma read his dreams and get bonked into a coma for 2weeks from all the memories and information she gleans and has to sift through. rude. warn a girl first.

any of the tellers & red : reveal the ability to manipulate souls to her and watch her Squirm as she tries to come to terms with the fact that there is the potential in that bloodline to do what she perceives as one of the deepest violation(s) of self there is (steal souls). i’m not saying she has bad memories of it from the otherworld but: she absolutely has bad memories of it from the otherworld. 

 honestly any of your ocs. let me love them, even if i do not know much about them. 

@vagomvndo

[princessselene126]

Wedding of the Era 1: We’re Done Saving the World

I love brotps and Cinder and Thorne are one of my favorites. Three people requested very similar cinwell fics, so naturally I combined them into this masterpiece. 2279 words of bonding where Thorne finally helps pick out that tiara and they talk about relationships.

masterlist

Cinder was going to regret this. She knew she was, but a promise made in the midst of a revolution was still a promise. At least that’s what Thorne said. She was more… uncertain on the subject.

When she told him, “you can help me pick out a tiara when we’re done saving the world” it was meant as a sarcastic remark. A way to brush off whatever ludicrous thing he’d said at the time. She couldn’t remember exactly what he said to make her reply with that--it was impossible for even Iko to remember every strange sentence that came out of that man’s mouth--but somehow he remembered her saying it three years after the fact.

So here they were, walking arm-in-arm through the halls of New Beijing palace to the vault the crown jewels were stored in. It was honestly a miracle that they would even let Thorne onto this floor given his criminal past.

“You really didn’t have to fly here all the way from--wait where were you again?” Cinder asked.

Thorne grinned, “Budapest.”

“Right,” she said as they turned a corner. There’d been a few minor outbreaks of letumosis lately. Thankfully they were acting fast enough that no one died. “You didn’t have to come all the way from Budapest. We could have just done this next month before the wedding. I’m sure you and Cress were plenty busy distributing antidotes and sightseeing.”

“Cress wasn’t with me. And we can’t pick out a tiara last minute, Your Majesty! Picking the wrong one could send the wrong message to the nation.”

“I’m not a queen anymore, don’t call me Your Majesty.” Cinder rolled her eyes at the mischievous glint in his baby blues, but something he said made her pause, face contorting in confusion. “Wait, where’s Cress?”

“Last time we visited Red and Wolfie she decided to stay and have some… alone time. Figure things out.”

That confused her even more. They’d been glued at the hip since the revolution.

Stars, she wished Iko was here to ask Thorne all the right questions, but she was with the tailor working on Cinder’s dress. Iko would merely ask what was on her mind instead of worrying about it like Cinder was then. 

Taking a breath, she gently prodded, “figure things out?”

“Yeah. I don’t think we’re,” he paused, looking for the right word, “clicking anymore.”

“Oh.”

“I mean, I love her, and she loves me, but something feels different. Off. We both want to travel the world have adventures, but I think she’s starting to feel like she has to settle with me. Which she doesn’t. She should see what’s out there, do things without me constantly at her side. So she is. I think she’s really enjoying herself.” 

Thorne looked genuinely happy for Cress.

“That’s good then,” Cinder said. “Do you think you’ll…”

She wasn’t sure how to finish that sentence. Stay together? Go separate ways? It was impossible to know what would happen, and Cinder had never been good at judging those types of things.

They walked down another corridor, getting closer to the vault.

He smiled fondly, like he was remembering something. “No, no I don’t think we will. I’ve changed a lot, and definitely for the better, but I still don’t think I can give her what she truly wants. When it comes down to it, I think she’ll want a nice house in the suburbs or country where she can raise a few kids with someone who’s home more often than they’re away.”

“And you’d rather be away, always on the move,” Cinder said, now understanding.

“Exactly. I love going from place to place, not knowing where I’ll be one, two, three months from now. I always know I can stop by here, the farm, or wherever Winter and Jacin are when I feel like I need some friendly faces. Otherwise, I like the nomadic life.”

“We know, Thorne. We all know.”

He smiled so bright it would put the sun to shame. Removing his arm from hers, Thorne put it over her shoulders instead. “Oh how I’ve missed you, my mechanical majesty.”

She huffed a laugh, wrapping her own arm around his waist so they could walk better. “You comm me almost every day, but I’ve missed you too, cadet crazy.” 

And she really did. She missed his smiles and his witty remarks. Don’t get her wrong, Kai was still the sassiest in all the galaxy, but there was something about Thorne’s goofy humor that made her nostalgic.

“How many times do I have to remind you I’m a captain?”

“According to your military record, you’re still a cadet.”

He gasped. “I can’t believe you brought that up!”

They finally made it to the guarded door of the vault so Cinder let go of him. She greeted the guards by name--something she’d made a point to do here just like she did on Luna--then asked for them to open it up. Both scanned their left eye then stepped back so Cinder could do the same.

The metal door hissed and clanked as the gears turned took a few seconds to open it. One of the guards handed Cinder a plastic card that contained the ID chip required for accessing the jewels.

Thanking Yao and Sakata, Cinder grabbed an awestruck Thorne’s wrist and pulled him into the room.

The decently sized room had a dozen or so glass cases each containing several pieces of jewelry. There were emeralds and diamonds, rubies and pearls embedded into gold or silver. There were necklaces and earrings paired together. Crowns and tiaras sat on red velvet cushions. Rings were displayed on angled cylinders that looked like fingers which were lined with even more velvet. Brooches and hair combs were laid out neatly.

Cinder had only been inside this room one other time--when Kai was giving her the official tour once she moved in--and it was quite a sight to behold again. 

Although they were all beautiful pieces… she’d never been a fan of jewelry. Maybe it was because Adri never let her have any, maybe it was because she felt like it didn’t fit with her metal extremities, or maybe it was because it felt restrictive because she was a mechanic. The idea of wearing things from this room made her feel uneasy, like she was going to break some priceless artifact and be shipped back to Luna in shame.

Kai wouldn’t do that of course, but Torin might.

Thorne whistled. “Damn, in another life I would’ve loved to rob this place.”

“Thorne,” Cinder scolded with absolutely no malice.

He walked over to the first case and peered inside. “Oh, you have got to try this one on.” He reached out to touch the glass, but Cinder swatted his hand away. “What was that for?” he whined.

“They’re temperature controlled. If you touch them before unlocking them, the room locks down.”

“Gotcha. No touching the cases.”

Cinder bent down and tapped the card to the red light on the side of the case and waited for it to turn green. Once it did, she looked up at Thorne. “Alright, go ahead. But for the love of the stars please don’t break anything. Future empress or not, Torin will have my head.”

“Puh-lease, you’re speaking to a criminal mastermind, remember? Well, ex criminal mastermind, but you get the point.” He tentatively reached inside the case and pulled out the tiara he saw. He inspected it. “And you’re being dramatic, Cinder. Stop trying to steal my thing.” 

“Trust me Thorne, wouldn’t dream of it.” 

“Oh speaking of dreams.” He motioned her forward so he could place the crown on her head. “How’s your casanova, your emperor charming, your dear husband-to-be?”

She shifted under the weight of the crown. The thing was too damn heavy. If she had to wear it though an hour long traditional ceremony, surely she’d have a headache by the end of it. “He’s been busy, but so have I,” Cinder admitted.

He wiggled his eyebrows. “Gettin’ busy, or--fuck!” Doubling over, Thorne grunted.

Cinder elbowed him in the ribs. The golden crown wobbled on top of her head and she quickly brought her flesh hand up to steady it. 

“Can’t you keep your mind out of the gutter for one day? Or better yet, an hour?”

“I was only joking.”

She sighed, taking the crown off her head and setting it back in the case. “I know, Thorne.” Her fingers twitched. Cinder stared blankly down at the crown for before shutting the case. She didn’t turn around to face him.

He always made jokes about it, and they never actually hurt her, never made her feel bad about herself, but they always managed to accidentally strike a chord. She’d always felt so… unloveable.

Intimacy of any kind was still difficult for her despite the last three years of attention Kai had given her. And he wasn’t the only one either. Iko, Thorne, Cress, Scarlet, Winter, and aces, even Wolf were so physically affectionate that sometimes it overwhelmed her.

And that’s what she worried about.

Cinder and Kai had yet to take that step in their relationship, so she worried that she would tense up just like she did when anyone so much as hugged her for too long.

It’d gotten easier. Of course it had. Kai hugged her every day, kissed her every day. And Iko sometimes held Cinder so tight she thought her metal ribs might break off. There was still a piece of her that still felt--

“Cinder?” Thorne asked. “You’ve been staring at that case for three minutes.”

She blinked a few times and checked the clock in her retina display. He was right. She’d been standing there doing nothing for the last three minutes. Cinder cleared her throat and turned to face him. “Right, sorry. Just… lost in my thoughts.”

He took a step closer and gently rapped his knuckles against her skull. “You need a new memory chip or something in there?”

Cinder scowled at him and pushed his hand away. “My memory is just fine, thank you.” She glanced around the room at more jewelry. “I think that crown was too much. Too big. Maybe try to find something more subtle.”

“In this room? Not likely.”

He walked around the room, examining more pieces as he went. He pointed to a different one. It was the opposite of subtle. Rubies and yellow sapphires covered the delicately woven gold.

Cinder shook her head. “No that’s the empress’s coronation crown. I can’t wear it before then.”

“Damn. I liked that one.”

Of course he did.

They continued to wander. Every once in a while he would point to a tiara and she would try it on. None of them really seemed to fit her though. They were either too big and ostentatious or too small and modest.

She would have been more than fine with a modest tiara, but every time she brought that up to Thorne he would shake his head and say “You’re going to be an empress, Cinder. You can do better than that.”

Finally their eyes both landed on the same case and they knew it was perfect. Cinder tapped the card to the red light. Thorne pulled the golden crown out and carefully placed it on top of her head with a smile. He took a few steps back admiring how beautiful his best friend looked.

“Well?” Cinder asked. “What do you think?”

Thorne smiled, brushing her bangs out of her face. “I think it suits you. But you should try it on with the dress to make sure it doesn’t clash.”

“Iko won’t let me look at the dress until the day of. She said there was this old western tradition where the groom wasn’t allowed to see the dress until the wedding day and decided that instead I wouldn’t be able to see it until the wedding day.”

His smile widened, eyes sparkling once again. “Then you won’t see it.”

“What?”

Before she could ask anything else, Thorne was leading her out of the vault, promising Yao and Sakata that they’d be back in less than an hour with the tiara, then taking her to Iko’s room.

Iko was pleased to see them. She crushed Thorne in a hug then yanked them both inside. She agreed to let Cinder try on the dress with the crown so they could make sure they looked good together as long as she didn’t open her eyes.

Cinder rolled her eyes. What would it matter if she saw her own wedding dress? She didn’t believe in superstitious mumbo jumbo like bad luck. Besides, it didn’t even apply to her. It was supposed to be about Kai seeing the dress.

Iko persisted though, so Cinder agreed. 

She kept her eyes shut as Iko helped her put the dress on in her large closet. She almost fell over a few times, but Iko steadied her. The silk was soft on her skin.

“Alright. We’re walking now.” Iko opened the closet door her hands over Cinder’s eyes to keep her from peaking. She stopped and Thorne once again put the tiara on her head. The weight of this one was much easier to bear than the others she tried on. 

“Now keep your eyes closed.”

“I am, I am!” Cinder sighed. She wanted to see what she looked like, but she knew Thorne and Iko were better at style and matching and anything else beauty related than her.

They stood in front of her, smiling wide. 

Cinder kept her eyes closed, anxiously waiting for them to say something. “Well?”

“You look gorgeous.”

(Here’s the dress and the crown I imagine Cinder wearing.)