#it actually looks really pretty when applied to a mesh but i’m still not happy with the values

[cetoddle]

V1 of my palette btw,..if anyone cares..

i’ve spent like a week refining my own textures and color palette for hairs in the sims..,i’ve been working really hard on them and i really wanna share them but im scared no one’s gonna give a shit

[daisiesforlacey]

The Costuming and Coloring of JATP : Part 1 - Julie Molina

I’ve seen so many of these posts and I wanted to make my own! I love costuming and color theory in film and I thought I’d do my own take on jatp! Please keep in mind that I am by no means an expert and this is only my thoughts, and feel free to add your own interpretations and thoughts :)

Heads up this is a super long post (I won’t be coving all of Julie’s outfits, only the ones that have significant meaning)

And none of this could have been possible without Soyon An, the costume designer of jatp! All referenced quotes and information for her can be found here, here, and here

One of the main difficulties of costume design is having the clothing fit the period, tone of the piece, and the character. The characters have to wear the clothes, not the other way around. Who is this person? What are their conflicts? How do they look at the world? What do they value? How do they grow? Just some examples of what good costume designers ask. 

They can also be used as a subtle tool to show who each character is; how we dress is a reflection of ourselves.

JULIE MOLINA:

Ok so we all know she is an absolute queen with AMAZING fits, even from the start of the show! I’m going to go chronologically, just to make it easier on all of us!

Julie starts off the series in a baggy yellow sweatshirt over her blue and white shirt, her painted jeans, fluffy slippers, and a set of necklaces! (Actually we first see her at school, where she wearing a flannel instead of the sweatshirt, but the same concepts apply) This already gives us A TON of information on her!!

Her necklaces include a Virgin Mary pendant, a nod to her heritage and religion and one of her own name, which we can assume is a gift from someone special to her

She puts on the sweatshirt after she gets home and bombed playing in front of her class. Idk about you, but I always want to wear sweatshirts and comfy clothes whenever I feel down, so I infer that that is what Julie is doing! 

There is also something to be said about the visual irony between bright yellow smiley face on the front and Julie’s own grieving

(Also can I just say that I love that Julie is allowed to be a teen and wear silly slippers because their comfortable clothes. I am so tried of teenagers being over sexualized and as a brown girl myself, it’s wonderful to see these multidimensional non white characters!)

Her own painted jeans, (also pretty baggy) and sneakers as said by Soyon An, are painted by Julie! (We also see her creativity later when drawing a cupcake on her mic for Luke’s bday, but that’s another post)

Her creativity seems to have no bounds, and it’s obvious that from the start that this is how she expresses herself!

If you want to get really analytical, one could say that the bright yellow covering up her blue collar could show how Julie herself is trying to cover up her own sadness

The blue and yellow also come up in another scene of hers with Luke, but that is another post entirely

JUST FROM HER CLOTHES ALONE WE, THE VIEWERS, ALREADY SUBCONCIOUSLY KNOW SOOOO MUCH ABOUT JULIE:

She’s most likely Catholic and cherishes her religion and family

She’s not feeling too confident in herself

She’s crazy creative and talented

She’s trying to mask some sort of sadness

ISN’T THAT INSANE??? A TELL TALE SIGN OF A GOOD COSTUMER!

Julie then moves to plaid pants and a cropped lavender blouse (Which I absolutely adore!!!) 

She has just met the boys, and Luke gave her that little pep talk in front of the studio and is now wearing form fitting clothes!

DON’T TWIST THIS: She’s wearing these clothes because she now feels more confident in herself and is ready to sit down and play Wake Up

Julie is wearing more subdued colors; the focus isn’t on her outfit, that’s not where the color is. The color is lighting Julie from behind. The focus of the moment is Julie and her music.

You’ll also notice the lighting behind her shifts from the cold early morning, to the sun rising behind her, again, very poetic. The sun is literally rising on Julie and it is a new dawn for her, and the start of the show itself

Not to mention Wake Up which is literally about moving forward and... waking up lol

This is maybe one of my favorite performance outfits of her! (Who am I kidding, all of them are my favorite)

Julie is wearing a camo jumpsuit with patches and her signature sneakers

The patches, once again, show us that Julie is creative in many ways along with her shoes

I love that all of her outfits seem like the average person could make them and wear them. Yet, these characters are still teenagers and are discovering their own personal style, which can be sort of outlandish. It really works to ground the show in reality with all of the kooky happenings

Julie is once again wearing her necklaces, and we can infer that she wears them all of the time

In this outfit (with an added Double Trouble tshirt underneath), she also sings Flying Solo. The jumpsuit is a reflection of her friendships with the guys and Flynn!

And this outfit with Bright??? Chefs kiss. This is the subtle characterization I live for!

Julie’s actress, Madison Reyes’, mother is in the armed forces. She and Soyon wanted an outfit to pay homage to her, and I think the camo works perfectly

By this time we already have a good grasp on who Julie is

Julie is wearing a neon blue leotard, silver white pants, fishnets, her drawn on white sneakers and a rainbow chunky sequin cloak. She also find a drum major’s cape from the music room. She has her hair in the same cornrowed way as she does in Stand Tall, with pink, red, and blue ribbons.

While I may be jumping the gun this early in the post, I love this detail. This is her fantasy which ends up coming true in the final number and that is just beautiful

Julie’s fantasy outfit in I Got the Music is so extra and wonderful

This is Julie’s idealized self; it is bright and unapologetic and you can’t help but notice her. The outfit is purposefully outlandish and completely unrealistic

This is the first thing that clues you in that this is a fantasy; she does a quick change from her previous outfit. You can also see that her trio of necklaces aren’t there.

She keeps some elements from her actual school outfit, the pants and presumably the leotard, they just get an upgrade

Ok now onto the breakdown:

These are her school colors

This is the first time we see Julie in blue since the first episode. So far, we have seen her in muted tones. This time the blue is vibrant. This signals to the viewers that she is not hiding anymore and has almost reclaimed the color

Soyon specifically said she wanted a hood for Julie such as the Virgin Mary is traditionally depicted with a head covering

Julie is wearing her school colors loud and proud with a cropped LFHS reddish hoodie, underneath is a bright blue leotard, a blue belt, and white distressed jeans and fishnets

Julie is now fully in her element and has formed a band with the boys!!! Woohoo!

If you recall, in this episode, Julie also interacts the most with Carrie and Nick up until now; the two characters rooted in her school life.

Most everything I said in the previous section is here too, just a little toned down.

One thing that I see in this outfit is that she’s wearing a little bit of the boys’ themes; Luke’s blue, Reggie’s red, and Alex’s denim and grey. 

This is also the day that she gets into the conflict with the boys, they go to Bobby’s to get revenge, lie to her, and bail on the dance. I see this as them becoming closer and then falling farther apart.

Julie is also wearing fishnets and socks, which mirrors Dirty Candi’s performance of Wow. This is a wonderful detail to show that the two aren’t so different after all.

I love this outfit and I will forever be mad that we never got to see her perform in it

Julie is wearing her mothers mesh tie dye top, a black tank top, and loose black striped pants

THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANT: This is the first time we see her wear her mother’s clothes, a physical representation of her coming to terms with her mother’s death!!!

This is also when Flynn comes up with Julie and the Phantoms, another big milestone. This is when they were supposed to make a mark on her school

(Ofc we all know this is when the boys bail...)

The next day, Julie is wearing a powder blue floral dress, sneakers, with a white t shirt and a cream colored cropped fluffy jacket (this is most aligned with my aesthetic)

Again, this shows that she is experimental with her clothes

 It is also worth noting that Soyon does a good job with establishing that she is a sneaker head, I mean have you seen her kicks????

Now is a good time to talk about character colors: good media will establish a color per character. This helps viewers easily distinguish who they are and how they connect to others. Characters may wear these colors a lot or have significant moments in these colors

The colors also have their own meanings which apply (we’ll look more into this in the Stand Tall dress)

Luke is blue, Julie is purple (as we will see later on), Alex is pink, and Reggie is Red

When characters wear another character’s color it signals to us that they will be having a ‘moment’ with the other character (getting along after fighting, learning something new, etc.)

Alternatively, if a character is wearing colors opposite to another, you know they will clash

In this episode, Julie goes to Luke’s house and learns more about him and Emily AND SHES’S WEARING HIS BLUE!!! BIG MOMENT!!!

ONCE YOU NOTICE COLOR IN FILM, YOU CAN LEARN TO PREDICT WHERE THE STORY IS GOING. THESE ARE SOME HELPFUL HINTS:

Notice a character’s colors and when another character wears them, they will be having a ‘moment’

If the color in the scene isn’t on the character, the focus isn’t on them, maybe it’s on the emotions of the scene or other characters

Colors WILL signify emotions; yellow is happy, blue can be sad or calming depending on the shade, red can be passion or anger. If a character wears a lot of one color, you can predict their emotions

Ok no hate, this is definitely not my favorite outfit. It gives me mad Shake It Up vibes, not that that’s bad, just not my thing.

Julie performs Finally Free in a teal and black dress/shirt, silver biker short, a black vest, and arm bands

It has been confirmed by Charlie and Madison that this is when Luke realizes he like Julie, which makes sense as you see that she is wearing blue (She will now start wearing more of these cool tones)

She is also wearing arm bands, something Luke does often

Her vest is also the same one as the girl from the beginning, which we all know by now is Rose, her mother!

She has upcycled the vest and added her own special twists to it! It also helps for us to see connection between Rose and performing

You can also see a dahlia pin, her mother’s favorite flower. These often make an appearance! (They’re also purple)

It’s Edge of Great Time!! This is maybe the most iconic outfit!

Julie performs in a white blouse with butterflies, her hair also with butterfly clips, her pants are constructed beautifully with black and white panels. She finished the outfit with black and white combat boots and more butterflies!

Soyon specifically said that the butterflies represent Julie coming out of her cocoon and coming into herself, like a butterfly would!

This is truly her most powerful and performance worthy outfit and sucks all of the attention to her

Julie’s clean contrast of black and white also make her stand out from the rest of the band! The combination is often a symbol of power and truth! (Think judges robes)

Time to get some tissues, Unsaid Emily, it’s your turn!

This is what I consider Julie’s most average and basic outfit, but there is a lot to analyze here: A magenta sweater and jeans.

This sweater is her mothers; meaning it is probably a comforting item for her, seeing as she is about to have a very emotional moment, calling back to that yellow sweater in the beginning!

Also see how this has blue, pink, and red designs, and I’m sure by now you can tell what I am going to say: These are the guys colors! 

She’s going to have a heartfelt moment involving them, and it fits. This is one of the emotional climax’s of the show and this is when she becomes even closer with the Phantoms

You can tell, just from her standing on the steps of Luke’s house what is about to go down (Well maybe not all of the tears, but still)

Julie goes to check on the guys in the studio in a blue floral shirt and blue jeans

These are once again, Luke’s colors, but are slowly becoming THEIR colors. She wears these when she is saying goodbye to her best friends

This is also the outfit that Julie’ wears when she finds them after the performance and they haven’t crossed over. 

It makes perfect sense that she is wearing all blue when SHE AND LUKE HUG!!! (And then all of the boys too in the best group hug ever)

Of course we’re gonna end the post with this absolutely ICONIC outfit!

Julie is wearing a purple dress with purple tulle, a bedazzled leather jacket, and her hair IN THE SAME STYLE AS I GOT THE MUSIC!!!

Lets go one by one:

The dress is a Balmain dress that Soyon got for $500, then she completely deconstructed it and made it to fit Madison! that’s incredible

This is the climax of the show: the boy are ‘doing their unfinished business,’ Julie is playing the Orpheum, and what color is she wearing but PURPLE! What color are dahlias? PURPLE! What color has had the most significance? PURPLE! What do red, blue, and pink make up? PURPLE! PURPLE IS JULIE’S CHARACTER COLOR

You’ll also notice that her jacket has pink, red, and blue accents, the colors of Alex, Reggie and, Luke, to show that they have become a part of her and she is now a part of them

That’s the same for her hair

It shows how she has now achieved her dream, her make believe world is now her reality

I really think we’ll see more of Julie in purple in the seasons to come, now that she has found herself

I hope that you all have learned a little about color and costuming in this post! Once you get the hang of it, it becomes really fun, like a puzzle!

I hope to do more of these with the rest of the characters as well!

Feel free to add on your own ideas and interpretations!

[oftenderweapons]

The Calm After the Storm - maknae line

Pairing: maknae line member x reader

Wordcount: 1.1-1.2k words each 

Genre: smut, fluff

Rating: 18+

Hello jell-o to everyone again! I usually try to publish by Sunday night but it’s exam season so I’m a bit busy with uni. Also, Jin’s part was super difficult to start but then boom, it turned out to be the longest, so every delay is due to that and I refuse to postpone again so I’m publishing it unedited. Might reread in a couple days and actually edit the post. Every piece is about 1100-1200 words (they’re getting longer and longer!)

The original theme for the week was going to be aftercare, but me being a chaotic mess made me go a little bit wilder than just aftercare. I tried to adjust every scenario to how each boy would approach intimacy with his partner, and how each couple would recover from different types and degrees of interaction, It also depends a lot on the kind of ideal girlfriend I imagine for each of the boys.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: ahem. It’s very descriptive, some parts more than others. So, let’s get this started. Oral sex galore (highly recommended if you’re a fan of being eaten out yay!) crude language, unprotected sex within a safe and established relationship (please be careful guys, use condoms and dental dams I can’t recommend it enough), voyeurism, overstimulation, biting, spanking, some bold PDA, cockwarming (you know who that is), sex toys (more specifically ben-wa balls), slight angst/insecurity/trauma due to toxic masculinity

Member disclaimers: Jimin is a brat and we all know it, can actually dom but need aftercare afterwards, I love him loads, he’s my squishy and I’m gonna protect him for life. Taehyung is an art freak and an overall freak whoa yeah, let’s move on (also, Where, When and How pt.2, The Return of The Sex Toys). JK goes from soft boy to hard dom to soft boy again in 0.2 seconds and I still don’t know why or how. He’s young and wants some fun and loves his girlfriend because she’ll always embrace his softer side and have fun with his naughtier/playful side. Enjoy!

Here you can find the hyung line

And here you can find my masterlist 

Jimin

“Who’s been a good girl?” He teased, the tip of his sex resting on your entrance.

“I have.” You beamed, satisfaction filling your voice as he smiled down at you, his spare hand gently reaching for your cheek, caressing your face and slipping his thumb in your mouth. 

“You have, my princess, indeed.” He pushed the tip inside. It was the loveliest shade of pink, pillowy and thick where it attached to the shaft. You knew it very well since you love looking at it and you were just done having it in you mouth for almost forty minutes. You had provoked him endlessly, keeping him on your tongue without moving, just the tip laying there, your lips wrapped delicately around it. No suction, no friction, just there. In the meantime his hand had started toying with the hem of your panties, finally moving them aside, letting one of his fingers rub on your skin. 

“Please, Jimin. I’ve been so good.” You dragged your vowels as you breathed out, getting adjusted to the feeling of him inside you. His size was all you needed, not too much and not too little. His dick was the most beautiful you had ever seen, the colour, the texture and the dimensions making it look so pretty you didn’t feel the usual embarrassment or fear that you usually felt while approaching your previous partners. 

“It’s all yours, love.” He said with a small grunt. He got relatively more quiet and whiny as he kept pushing in and out of you, staying close to you, the position so intimate you felt like he was becoming your whole world, his hips working their magic on you. 

“Are you gonna cum for me, princess?” He asked, his hips keeping up the pace.

“Yeah, so close.” You gritted out of your closed teeth.

“Good.” He moved his mouth to your chest, your left nipple engorged in his pretty pout. 

“A little faster, please.” You asked.

“Such nice manners. You aren’t giving me any reason to punish you, princess. Such a good girl.” He praised you again. 

This kind of role reversal didn’t happen very often, but sometimes Jimin liked taking care of you, reminding you that he is both your boy and your man. That he can be whatever you want him to be. He needs to feel like you could never do without him. You addressed this sense of inadequateness of his, every now and then, reassuring him and helping him state his own self and his needs. 

“Do you like it? That I’m doing exactly what you want me to?” You asked, but you both knew you were asking whether he felt like being harsher and punish you. 

“You like obeying me, pet?” He asked, his voice dripping in sugar as he pronounced your nickname.

“I love you, Jimin.” You said softly.

He almost mewled at that, reassured by how that sentence, that feeling meant that he was at your own level, how much of a praise it was to be your equal, to be strong enough to match you, to own you. 

“Are you close?” He asked, his thrusts becoming more intense. “I want to take you from behind but if you’re close I can keep going.”

“From behind, please.” You squealed, already eager to change position. 

He grinned and slipped out of you, the shift happening so quickly you felt a bit dizzy when you realised your face was pressed on the pillow, your ass up in the air as he entered you again. He started slamming into you his hands pressing your ass against his hips, the sound warning you that the whole attitude had changed too. 

“You like it like this, princess? You like getting it all dirty and rowdy?” He groaned, his voice anything but his usually loving and obedient self.

You emitted a muffled ‘yes’ as your hand reached your clit. 

“You touching yourself, ____?” He said, using one hand to turn your face towards him. “You better come quick or else you’ll have to lick me till I’m hard again. You’re not gonna cum without my cock inside you, understood?”

“Yes, sir.” The title riled him up enough to get his pace a bit faster, sending you miles deep into pleasure.

His cry echoed yours, signaling his own orgasm. After taking a couple deep breaths he slipped out of you, removing the condom and getting rid of it quickly. He was in your arms again a couple seconds later, laying by your side, one leg entwined around yours, his arms hugging your middle, his head nuzzling in between your breasts. 

“You alright sweetie?” You asked. 

“I feel so good when I see you that happy. Fills me with joy.” He kissed your breastbone, then, as you lifted his chin with your forefinger, he pressed his lips to yours.

“Do you need anything? Some water? A snack? Shall we get in the shower?” You caressed his hair back, looking at how sweaty he was.

“A shower would be amazing. But I want you close.”

“Would you prefer a bath?” You kissed his forehead. He was all small smiles and fidgeting with your fingers. 

“Yes, please.”

“Such manners, always so perfect.” You almost snickered at the contrast between him right now and the man he’d been a few minutes ago. 

“Let’s go.” You said, sitting up before he got too tired to get out of bed. “You look amazing, babe.” You couldn’t help but comment, looking at him sprawled on the covers. 

He smiled, his pupils disappearing behind his crinkled lids, then he stood up, thinking whether he should wear something or not and feeling insecure for a second, but then following your cue he decided to stay naked. 

As you slipped into the tub you let him slide in with his back against your chest, hugging him to you, your nose nuzzling the top of his head. “Is it to your taste?” 

“Yes, thank you babe.” He replied. “I really like your bath soap.” He yawned, smiling some more as you caught him. He looked ten times lovelier right now. You felt that fuzzy feeling in your stomach intensifying, and you began rubbing the tense muscles on his back out of fondness and gratitude. “That's truly amazing.”

“You are truly amazing.” You kissed his nape and continued with your caregiving, washing his hair, rinsing him, helping him out of the shower, drying him and applying some lotion over his skin, smiling at him with your eyes through the reflection on the mirror as you brushed your teeth while sharing the sink. 

“I love you,” you whispered in his ear as you hugged him under the sheets. 

“I love you, too.” That’s bliss. 

Taehyung

“Don’t you dare move, you little demon.” 

With a forceful hammering of his hips against your bottom, Taehyung slammed into you at an impossible pace, finally snapping forward as he lost his regular rhythm and bent down, his head propped on the back of your neck, his breath fanning out along your spine before he grunted the manliest sound you had ever heard. 

You were shocked: laying there, ass up, your boyfriend collapsed on top of you with his exceedingly long dick planted inside you, its girth becoming slightly less bearable as the high of your climax ebbed away. 

“Tae, it’s so good.” You moaned. “Too much.”

“Stay put, love.” He helped you lay down, without any intention of parting from you. 

“We can’t stay like this forever.”

“Watch me.” He replied cockily. 

The whole night had been wildly unusual. It had all started in the afternoon. You had been to an art gallery where the whole exhibition verted on photographs of naked bodies painted into art. He had held you tight, his hand gripping your waist, his thumb fooling around the hem of your jeans, tentatively trying to slither under the fabric. He had asked you about your favourite, pointing out pieces he was very enthusiastic about. You had looked at him baffled as he pointed out the picture of a woman with two big breasts and a Virgin Mary painted on her belly, the model’s pubic hair painted a strange rainbow mesh of colours as if simulating a cloud from which the painting was emerging. 

You had been slightly uncomfortable standing before it, but the rest of it hadn’t been that extreme. Well, except for another couple pictures.

One had also attracted your attention. In the back of the gallery one very explicit picture had sparked something between the two of you. As you walked in you thought it was just an empty room but as you turned around you saw a giant poster of a vagina, every detail so precise that you asked yourself what kind of lens and camera could take a picture with such impressive high quality. On the women's thighs seven lines of paint mimicked two branches of a rainbow leading to the model’s inner labia, while a sun — or a halo — surrounded the clit. The poster occupied the whole wall, at least three metres tall and five metres wide. 

You were standing in the middle of the room, taking in every detail, seriously impressed by the piece. You were as tall as her slit, for God's sake… 

"It looks like you really like this one." Taehyung said, hugging you from behind, his nose toying with your earlobe. His voice made your insides tremble. 

"I really get it." Taehyung said. "I would do that too." Silence stretched as he got caught in his thoughts and fantasies. "Your pussy's so good I would take an absurdly high quality picture of it and have it printed as if it were wallpaper and installed in a private room in my apartment and simply sneak in sometimes and stand in front of it and just admire it." 

You kept looking ahead, too caught by the luscious way his hips pressed against the small of your back. "Your cunt is art, babe." He whispered and pressed some more into you. "Literally paradise. I'd lick it for days and fuck it till I can't even get hard anymore." 

You tried to get your mouth to salivate again. He was playing it dirty. And the fact that you had to go back home and get ready for a nice dinner together and a night at the club with Jimin and his girlfriend made you even more tense. You knew you would have to wait for some relief. 

As you reached your apartment Taehyung decided to pick your clothes and have you get ready right in front on him. He settled on the bed, sitting, as you rolled on your stockings and wore a suspender belt that matched your underwear. Slowly you let your deep green silk slip-on dress roll down your body, and you felt his hands stretch towards you, grabbing you by the waist. You stood at the edge of the bed, his chin propped on your belly. "My dove, I have a question for you."

"Yes," you replied, your hands pushing his hair back. 

He showed you a blue velvet pouch and you smirked. "Do you want to?" 

"You wanna help me wear them?" He nodded. 

And that's how you found yourself grinding on him desperately in the club after he had fed you chocolate-covered strawberries for dessert. Not that you complained about that. But the Ben-Wa balls heavily rolling and rubbing against your g-spot were making it difficult for you to fully enjoy your night out. Especially since every time you closed your eyes you saw Taehyung's lips wrapping around them and lubricating them before he helped you insert them. 

It didn't take long for the two of you to get too desperate to care about decency, but since you needed to think about Taehyung's reputation you decided to call it a night and feign tiredness in front of Jimin's eyes — who called both of you out on your state of arousal and blessed your intentions for the rest of the night, letting you go home without making too much of a fuss. 

When you arrived at the apartment you were both too impatient to reach the bedroom and used the sofa to dull the edges of your needs, Taehyung staring at you wide eyed, kneeling on the floor between your legs while you rubbed yourself passionately. As you reached your first high he dove in between your thighs, his mouth landing on your clit, sucking on it devotedly, eyes fixed on yours. Overstimulation hit you hard, the geisha balls still moving inside you. He made you cum again with his tongue lapping and lashing at your wetness. 

He carried you to the bedroom in silence, his gaze dark and desperate, completely oblivious to the way his long and heavy sex strained against his linen slacks. Laying back, you let him tower over you, teasing the underside of his erection as he took off your dress definitively. "You're so beautiful." You whispered religiously. 

"Are you talking to me or my cock?" 

You chuckled lightly. "Mostly to you." 

"Mostly…" He mused. 

He pressed his hand to your belly, removing the silver spheres from inside you. 

"Mostly, uh?" With that he entered you violently, thrusting in with one smooth, powerful stroke. 

"Tae—" You whined. He kept doing you like that, with evenly paced, blunt thrusts. However, since you kept teasing him with the firm squeezing of your inner walls encouraged by your own fingers brushing your clit, he pulled out of you, flipping you around and pushing your backside up, entering you once more. It didn't take long for him to get lost in his own rhythm, for his hand to come up to your tender spot and rub you until your legs gave out. 

And now heavy with the sleepiness of bliss, you questioned whether your boyfriend was intending to get out of you. "Tae, baby, we should get cleaned."

"Let me stay inside, love. Please. I feel like I'll want to go at it again in a while, just let me stay in." He muttered, his hands pressing against your hips to keep you close. 

"You sure you don't need anything?" You asked again, knowing how needy he could get when he gets sleepy. 

"Just you pressed up and around me. This is heaven." 

A small laugh. How could you deny him? 

Jungkook

You had loved every second of it. The gentle way he had kissed you on the sofa, and how he had carried you to bed. How delicately he had touched you and held you, how he had made love to you. It had all been amazing. Until the initial feelings of fondness and devotion gave way to a hunger deeper and more desperate. Then he had pushed you around, sitting himself up on the balls of his feet, dragging you up with him in the process. You could still feel the echo of the beastly groan he had emitted against your ear as he let your back slide down his chest, his sex entering you and reaching so deep inside you. Your head had rolled back against his shoulder as one of his hands grabbed your breast and played with your nipple. 

“You like it, don’t you? You like me so deep inside you.” He had stated, his tone so arrogant. “No wonder you can never get enough of me.” He picked you up by the waist, using you as if you were nothing but a cocksleeve, dragging you up and down his dick. “That’s it. That’s what you like. Being a lazy princess and making me do all the work. You love it when I force you a little, don’t you.” He dropped you down with exceptional violence, moving one hand to squeeze your breast, the other angling your face towards him. “Answer me.”

“Yes.” You replied, almost unconsciously. You were willing to do whatever could please him, make him start again. 

“Yes what?” He grabbed your other breast, his hand heavy and possessive. 

“Yes, I adore when you use me.”

“That’s my little toy. So mature and composed, but so dirty. You love that I get all those naughty things you like.” The way he propped his hands behind his back and leaned on them shifted the angle once more, his hips snapping back and forth with a mind shattering intensity. 

“Come on. Get it how you like it.” He freed one of his hands to slap your ass. It didn’t take that long for the both of you to orgasm, especially after he moved the hand on your chest upwards, his fingers merely resting around your neck, without even needing to hold it, while his other hand worked your clit matching the rhythm of the contractions of your insides. 

He clinged to you almost desperately when his high subsided, his hold almost too tight. You were trying to compensate for the lack of contact during the latest round, your hands struggling to find any part of him that you could hold, until your fingers intertwined with his over your left breast. 

“I thought I would lose you during the last month. I was never home.” You understood his insecurities. You also thought he would find someone more suitable to his career, someone who could understand what it means to belong to that world. 

“I thought anyone could make you see how much of a shitty boyfriend I am.”

You let him continue. 

“I thought you would meet a smart university kid at campus, or that cute barista at the coffee shop at the end of the street. I thought of how they would court you, all the attentions, the pretty dates, the small gifts. I thought of them taking you out for dinner, of them taking you home. Trying to kiss you. Sometimes, late at night, I asked myself if you would invite them upstairs. It always got me so fucking mad. Once I almost hit my personal trainer because I was thinking of that. He got mad, told me to keep my head in the game.” He was still inside you, you could feel his shaft throbbing softly, as if it was his heartbeat. Maybe it was just an impression. His head fell to your shoulder. 

“I would never, and you know it.”

“I know, but some part of me can’t help but go there. If you could only see the way men look at you when you’re not watching. And our relationship being private only means that they don't know that you’re taken. Makes them think that they’re allowed to look at you like that. I feel so hopeless whenever they act all bold. I can’t be like that. I can’t give you the time and attentions they can give you. Because of who I am, because of me being so fucking shy...”

“I love you.” You said, as if it were a magic spell that could fix all his insecurities. You turned your head to look at him. “And right now you’re inside me. You’ve made me cum twice tonight, with nothing but your body, the way you moved on top of me, behind me, inside me.” He blushed a bit at that. 

You loved talking with him after sex. It was so common for the two of you. Sex was like a key to open a secret place of vulnerability and intimacy. All the confessions Jungkook had offered you in bed, laying close to you, protected by you, had very often come in the aftermath of bliss. “I am with you,” you continued, leading him to lay on your side. 

“I wanna stay inside you, but I also want to face you, look you in the eye.”

“Same here.” You needed to see his face. 

“And I also need a snack.” He considered. He took a long pause. You waited for him to formulate his thought. “If you ever realised you’re no longer happy with me, you would tell me, right?”

“Of course I would tell you. However, I think you should know I don’t think that could happen in this life or in any on the next ones.”

He giggled. “I can’t wait to get you away from anyone. We should do like Namjoon hyung and his girlfriend: get on a private island for vacation. Wear nothing all day. Stay in bed for how long we want. Swim when we want. Make love under the stars. God, that’s heaven.”

“You would miss the guys, you know it.” You smiled knowingly.

“Just a week or so. A quick getaway.” Some part of his mind was already plotting. 

“I’ll see what I can do. But would you resist without working out?”

“We could workout together,” he mused naively. 

“Yeah, yeah...” you conceded, voice dripping in irony. 

“Can I carry you to the kitchen to grab a snack?”

“Maybe if you turned me around and I held on you like a koala bear?” You chuckled

“Do you think that if I lay on my back and you sit up and turn around I can get you to climb me like a koala-bear without me having to get out of you?” He asked, the honesty in his voice getting you to fully laugh out loud. 

“I think that’s called corkscrew — it’s a corkscrew if you turn around me… whatever” You thought out loud.

“Let’s try! Ready? Three, two, one, Go!” You both laughed at your attempt, joy filling your hearts.

—————the following morning —————

“So, uhm...”

“No.”

“But—”

“No.”

“Please.”

“Guk, listen, I love you, but you’re not dragging me to the gym at eight a.m. on a Sunday morning after what we did last night.”

“But I love you. Like, a lot.”

“No amount of love will ever fix the organs you so thoroughly rearranged last night.”

“I’m sorry.” He looked like a scolded puppy. “But it’s not like you didn’t like it. You actually begged for it at some point.”

“So rude of you to remind me of that.”

“Sorry. I love you.” He kissed the tip of your nose. 

“I love you too. Now go back to sleep.”

“Okay.” He palmed your chest lovingly and closed his eyes again. 

[dontrollthedicesideblog]

if you dont mind me asking, why do people ship spifey and tapL? it seems cute and all, but are there some interactions or collabs ive missed because i dont know how the ship actually started ( or maybe just, why do you ship it?)

oh dear anon, you have no idea what kind of pandoras box youve just unleashed on the world. and ofc i dont mind you asking! ive wanted to talk about this for a while <3

if u wanna hear my spifL ramblings, click read more bc i dont wanna clog up everyones feeds:

1. starting off with the thing that got me interested at first: roommates. Spifey, TapL, and Skeppy were roommates for like three months in LA from I think December to February? Or January to March. It’s not a secret that a lot of people love the dynamic of roommates in ships, and it so happened that skephalo has always been super popular, leaving Spifey and TapL as the obvious roommates to ship.

2. height difference. My numbers may be wrong but apparently Spifey’s like 6′2 and TapL’s like 5′6? I’m sure those aren’t the accurate numbers, but it’s pretty clear there’s a big height difference between them and I just thought it was kinda cute!

2.5. On that note, the general size difference between them. This is most apparent when you look at their hands. I’m not gonna go out and actively look for them for this post bc that feels a lil weird to me, but Spifey’s done a handcam for a video and TapL’s shown his hands both on Twitter when he shows off his nails and on YouTube in his 100 burgers video. I wouldn’t call TapL’s hands small by any means, but I’d say it’s clear Spifey’s hands are bigger than his. And like, one of the staples of fandom is smaller person and Tall Person.

3. Then you get into the kind of content they make. Spifey’s main content is using mods and other packs to confuse the hell out of his friends. TapL’s main content is hosting different UHC scenarios. While they don’t seem similar on the surface at all, both are the kind of content creators that need to keep innovating for their stuff to land to an audience, the kind whose creativity is vital to the success of their channels. I’m aware that the creativity aspect applies to other creators as well, but this only plays a small part in why I ship it. They’re both immensely creative people who I think would benefit from hanging around each other and feeding each others’ creativity.

4. They have a lot of history, though not too much is really public since TapL doesn’t do collabs with people outside the PvP sphere very often. They both appear in Skeppy’s 2018 vidcon vlog, so they had to have known each other for at least two years. But they seem close in the video, so tack on another half a year or so and they’ve been friends for a long time.

5. And their dynamic. The ship has a softer, quieter sort of dynamic than a lot of the Big Ships. TapL and Spifey are both on the quieter side of their friend groups (though I hesitate to say they’re quiet because really, they’re not) and tend to be more quietly chaotic than they are overtly (see: all of Spifey’s videos with Zelk and Vurb in them and that one time TapL leashed a fox on the Idots SMP and called it Fundy and actually treated it well compared to how the Idots treated their pets in the game). I think that makes for a really interesting dynamic where they both know how to have fun and laugh with each other, but they also have just as many moments of quiet between them where they’re just enjoying each others’ company. It’s the sort of dynamic where they can either join the chaos others are creating (and their friend group certainly creates a whole lot of chaos) or they can sit back and watch them fight while snickering to each other. Variety of possibilities!

5.5. That being said, TapL is definitely the more loudly chaotic and confrontational of the two of them. Spifey laughs a lot while being chaotic and he doesn’t usually raise his voice unless he needs to. On the other hand, TapL COMMITS to the bit and is quicker to yell (see: that one time Zelk tried to make ZapL a thing). I just think the dynamic of one (1) man trying to rein in his stupid boyfriend’s chaos while still remaining generally supportive is a funny one to imagine.

5.75. As another note on their dynamic, TapL is one to catch onto the bit very quickly while adding his own flavor of humor to the whole situation, and Spifey’s the one to create the bit in the first place. Those sorts of personalities mesh well together. You can’t have a bit if there’s no one to escalate it, and you can’t escalate a bit if there’s no bit to escalate in the first place. (see: that one stream where Spifey started eating a banana sideways and TapL saw him so he decided to take a banana and eat it sideways. Additionally, their collab on Spifey’s channel)

6. this is really stupid but they both also have nicknames? Like, people call TapL Harv and they call Spifey Geo and i just thought that was pretty neat.

7. They’re literally so supportive of each other and it’s so clear they respect each other so much and they’re such great friends i just... ANONNNNNN IVE SPENT TWO HOURS ON THIS POST I JUST LOVE THEM SO MUCH ;-; heres some interactions to make up for my lack of words

“BRITISH PEOPLE ARE NOT REAL” “3 months in la - i was merely an illusion” “You were nothing more than a bunch of mirrors and reflections”

“hey, thanks for existing ❤️“ “anytime ❤️ i miss la”

[picture of a spider on Spifey’s face] “UK spiders be like: “Roight, wots ol this then ?”

“@spifeyy happy birthday 🎉🎉🎉“ “<3″ (i would also like to note that TapL posted the birthday tweet just a bit after it hit midnight BST, not in his time zone)

Spifey’s perspective on vidcon 2018 

the skittles thing on spifey’s vlog channel (tapL shows up near the end)

And also they teaming for MCU along with Vurb and Finn!!!!

anyone, feel free to add onto this! and once again, thank u for the question, anon <3

[pocketseizure]

Super Bowser Odyssey

A silk dress and lacy lingerie aren’t Bowser’s usual style, but he will do anything that Peach asks him to… and he might even like it. This is plotless smut about role-reversal play with a happy ending.

This fine piece of literary fiction is also available on the Hugo Award winning site AO3.

* * * * *

“You look fabulous,” Peach purred into Bowser’s ear as she positioned him in front of the mirror.

“You’re goddamn right I do.”

Bowser grinned at his reflection as he admired himself. He flexed his bare arms and twisted his hips, causing the ruffles of his dress to shimmer as they swirled out around him.

“It’s a good thing they make this in my size.”

Peach smiled. “You’re not the only one who’s been secretly taking measurements.”

“People say that size doesn’t matter,” Bowser responded as he turned to view himself from the back.

“People say that to you, maybe,” Peach replied with a wink, “but I had to make some adjustments to the design.”

“And it fits like a glove,” Bowser said with genuine appreciation. “I could get used to this.”

“You’re quite fetching, but you haven’t said anything about my outfit.”

Peach put her hands on her hips and tilted her chin to strike a rakish pose. Bowser had to admit that she looked devilishly handsome in the white suit she wore, which was modeled after his own.

It turned him on to see her in his clothing. He felt a flare of heat, and his cock pushed tentatively against the delicate lace of the panties Peach had coaxed him into wearing.

“Oh, just try it,” she’d said, insisting on lingerie despite his protest. He was a grower, and he didn’t like the way the string of Peach’s underwear dug into his ass. Still, he had never been able to deny Peach anything she wanted, especially not when she was kissing his neck and cradling his balls in her hand while she asked.

“You’re looking sharp, woman,” he said. “At least one of us has good taste.”

“That’s funny, I was just thinking the same thing,” Peach responded as she straightened one of her cufflinks. “Now put your hands behind your back, Princess. I’m going to kidnap you, and I don’t want any trouble.”

“If you didn’t want trouble, you decided to kidnap the wrong person,” Bowser protested as he crossed his beefy arms over his chest. “I am a strong, independent villain, and I don’t take orders from you.”

“We’ll see about that. And…”

“Yeah?”

“You might want to be careful. You’re peeking out a little.”

Bowser glanced down and noticed that the bodice of the dress had pulled away from his chest. He lifted his arms and crossed his fingers behind his head to put himself on display. “Like what you see?” he leered.

“You’re disgusting,” Peach chided as she pulled a thin twist of rope from the sleeve of her suit jacket. “Someone needs to punish you.”

“That’s not how you treat kidnapped princesses,” Bowser responded, giving the rope a wary glance. “Take it from me, I should know.”

“I’d like to think that I have a bit more imagination than some people.” Peach shrugged as she lowered the rope. “But I wouldn’t want to make a princess upset. I can certainly think of more conventional ways to ravish you.”

Bowser resented the implication that he was boring in bed. “Aw, hell. Go ahead.” He offered his wrists to her. “It’s not a good kidnapping if things don’t get a little rough.”

Peach gave him a sweet smile in response. “Well then, Princess, I’ll make sure to tie the knots extra tight.”

Bowser flashed his teeth in a scowl, but he didn’t resist when she looped the soft cotton cord around his hands. He enjoyed watching the deft movements of her fingers as she bound his wrists in front of him. When she was finished, she ran her hands up his bare arms. He was already half-hard, and his shaft twitched in anticipation.

Peach pushed his hands down and leaned forward to kiss him. She bit his lower lip, and he shivered with pleasure. He wanted to grab her by the waist and pull her closer. He tested the strength of the rope around his wrists, but the knots held.

“You’re not going anywhere,” Peach assured him before kissing him again. She slid the palm of her hand down the bodice of his dress and teased his nipple with her thumb.

Bowser squirmed. “Is this what you do with everyone you kidnap?”

“Not everyone I kidnap is as pretty as you are,” Peach murmured into Bowser’s ear as she buried her hand in the white silk folds of his dress. She found the hard ridge of his cock and began to stroke him lightly. “You look so beautiful that it would be a shame to make you strip.”

“This dress does look good on me,” Bowser agreed, “but it would look better on the floor. Wouldn’t you like to see me in nothing but heels and a tiara?”

“A tiara?” Peach laughed and stepped away from him. “You let Cappy get away from you, remember? Lucky for you, there’s always Strappy.”

“Strappy?” Bowser smirked. “Are you going to bend me over and have your way with me?”

“Yes, actually.” Peach smiled as she unbuttoned the fly of her trousers and pulled down the zipper to reveal that she was wearing a black leather harness.

After giving him a long look at her equipment, Peach removed a silver rod from her sleeve. Bowser wasn’t sure how he felt about that, but he thought he could take it. Yeah, he could probably take it. If he could conquer New Donk City and stage the wedding of the century, he could handle a little buggery. Of course he could. Besides, there was no way that she’d actually –

Peach pressed the silver rod to his lips. “Kiss the dick that’s going to fuck you, Princess.”

That was a bit much. Bowser snorted in amusement and snapped at Peach’s hand.

She giggled in response. “If you’re going to be like that, I’ll just have to sling you over my shoulder and carry you to bed. It’s too bad that you’re too heavy for me to lift.”

That was even more ridiculous than her ‘kiss the dick’ line. “Who do you think you’re kidding,” Bowser said with a grin. “Pick me up and treat me like a princess.”

Peach grinned, flexed her wrists, and obliged, sweeping him into her arms and carrying him across the room before tossing him onto her bed and jumping up after him.

She pressed him back onto the sheets and flipped up his skirt. He leaned back into a fluffy wall of pillows and watched her admiring him as she ran her index finger along length of his lace-lined erection. “These really do look good on you,” she purred. She bent down and kissed the tip of his manhood through the thin fabric of his lingerie. He could feel the warm softness of her tongue through the silk mesh. She licked him slowly, and the gentle pressure was so tantalizing that he lost control.

Bowser flexed his arms and broke the rope binding his wrists so that he could reach forward and bury his hands in Peach’s hair. He knew full well that they agreed she would be in control, but it was impossible for him to contain his desire. He didn’t care how much time or money or magic she spent on any this stupid clothing; he would happily tear it to shreds to give himself access to her body. What were his claws for if not to rip away the layers of fabric preventing him from touching her smooth and perfect skin?

Bowser’s mind was full of thoughts of Peach’s body and sex and smell, and his ability to think deserted him. He sat up and hugged her to him, and –

Peach squeezed his balls in a gentle but firm grip. It wasn’t painful, but it cleared his head.

“Maybe later,” she admonished in a stern voice. “Right now you’re going to be good. I’m the one doing the ravishing, remember?”

Peach began stroking Bowser's cock again, and the lace of his panties created a delicious trail of friction at the tips of her fingers. “Do I make myself clear, Princess?” she asked. The delicate sensation made his tongue feel heavy in his mouth, and all he could do was nod in response.

“Excellent,” she said. She freed his engorged member from the lace confining it before kissing him again, enveloping the head of his cock inside her sweet mouth.

The softness of her silky lips, the maddeningly gentle touch of her velvet tongue against his heated skin – this is what he would give up his kingdom for, over and over again. Bowser would gladly become a monster for Peach. He was her monster, and he would do anything she asked. Take her around the world on an airship, hijack a city. Allow her to play the victim yet again so she could get the attention she craved and the affection she deserved. Peach needed no chains or ropes or gauzy silk ties to turn him into a beast; all she needed was a subtle smile shot at him from across a crowded room, and his body was hers to do with as she wished. Who was kidnapping whom, exactly?

There was a fierce shine in Peach’s eyes as she looked up at him, knowing she held the root of his pleasure in her beautiful and delicate hands. Even if she hadn’t been caressing his naked cock with her lips and tongue, he might have been tempted to climax just from the look in her eyes alone.

“Peach, I’m close,” he warned her.

“I’m glad I got you warmed up,” she replied, wiping her lips with the back of her hand as she sat up. She looked stunningly gorgeous in his suit, which was still as crisp as it was when she suddenly showed up at his castle wearing it. It was nice that she had come to him for once. Bowser had been oddly flattered, and the way she smuggled him home and decked him out in cute clothing that she made just for him made him feel like, well, a princess.

“I could definitely get used to being kidnapped,” Bowser growled, allowing himself to lie back with the ruffles of the wedding dress fanning out around him. He watched as Peach applied lotion to her hand. A rope, a strap-on, and now a bottle of lube? Just how many tricks did this woman have hidden up her sleeve, anyway?

“I don’t want you getting complacent,” Peach said with a grin before bending over him and pushing aside the lacy string of his panties. She applied the tip of her well-oiled finger to his opening.

It felt weird but not unpleasant, and he tolerated it gamely until she touched something inside of him. The intensity of the sensation was unexpected, and Bowser surprised himself by groaning.

“That’s what I like to hear.” Peach smiled. “Are you ready to be ravished, Princess?”

“Oh my stars,” Bowser replied, forgoing a falsetto and speaking in his gruffest voice. “How could you be so cruel as to pluck a delicate flower such as myself? Surely Mario will come to save me!”

Peach laughed and playfully slapped the side of his thigh. “If you’re going to start in on your nonsense about Mario, I think it’s time for you to stop talking.”

Although the voluminous folds of his dress blocked his view, Bowser could hear Peach adjusting the buckle of the harness she wore between her legs, and the bright and heavy sound of metal against leather made his shaft pulse with heat.

He felt the tip of her instrument against his skin, and he only had a moment to prepare himself before Peach slid herself inside him.

It was a strange sensation, being filled like this. Was this what she felt when he entered her? Did she enjoy it? Did he enjoy it? He wasn’t sure, but his body was responding nonetheless. His mind began to grow hazy as other parts of him rapidly grew more sensitive.

Peach used the curved length of silver to give herself pleasure, grinding the lovely pink pearl at the top of her slit against the hilt of the device as she slid it into him.

As Bowser allowed his body to be used for her enjoyment, he imagined fucking her in the same way, stuffing his cock into her tight little pussy until she made the soft moan she always did when he plunged all the way into her.

The lace of Bowser’s panties stimulated his oversensitive skin, but it wasn’t enough. He needed friction against the length of his member, so swollen with desire that it sent a maddening shock of lust through his balls every time it tapped against his stomach.

Peach’s silver rod touched a strange and secret place inside of him with every thrust, teasing him with a delicious sensation that did nothing to satiate his desire. He was spread open on his back in front of her. It felt shameful to touch himself while she watched, but all he wanted was to take himself in his hand until he came. It wouldn’t take long, not with that sweet and unbearable pressure inside him.

The way she was moving against him – moving inside of him – felt incredible, and he was going to lose control of himself again if he didn’t find release. He bucked his hips involuntarily, and a groan escaped his mouth before he could suppress it.

“I always told you... you would bow before me... one day,” Peach panted as she continued to plunge into him. The tempo of her rhythm had quickened, as had her breath. Bowser could hear the arousal in her voice. He imagined how wet she must be, how warm and slick. How he would love to punish her clit with his tongue and fuck her with his fingers until she begged for him to enter her. All it would take would be one thrust for him to be completely inside her, pushing his cock into that soft and yielding place within her as he brought her to climax.

Peach leaned over him, grasping his sides to give herself deeper access into his body. He could feel the light glistening of sweat on her breasts, and oh how he wanted to taste her, rolling her lovely pink nipples on his tongue before working his way up to press the sharpness of his teeth against the thin skin of her neck. He groaned again as Peach’s thrusts came harder inside him, their angle even more acute, bringing him dangerously close to the edge but not over it.

Bowser couldn’t hold himself back any longer. He grabbed a fistful of his dress and wrapped it around the throbbing thickness of his cock. His entire body was flooded with pleasure as he finally found the satisfaction he craved, his rising desire heightened by the intense pressure inside him. He could hear Peach cry out at the height of her own pleasure, and then he came, shooting his seed into the shimmering folds of silk. He climaxed in waves, powerless to resist each burst of sensation that swept over him.

Peach finally collapsed beside him, satisfied and spent. Bowser did his best to catch his breath as he pulled her closer, enjoying the way her body fit against his.

“I think I might have ruined the dress,” he said eventually.

“It’s a wedding dress,” Peach responded primly. “You’re only supposed to wear it once.”

“That’s too bad,” Bowser replied. “I wouldn’t mind doing this again.”

“Really?”

“Why not? I can wear your pink dress too if you like.”

“Do you mean that?”

Something in Peach’s voice caught Bowser’s attention. He sat up and looked at her. She had a curious expression on her face. Her eyes sparkled in a way he found intoxicating. She was more than likely planning another ridiculous heist, and he’d have no choice but to go along for the ride. Then again, he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Because…”

Peach grinned and pulled yet another toy from her sleeve – a small golden crown with a toadstool poof of rosy fabric ornamented with small white dots. Bowser’s eyes widened.

“…if you think you’ve got what it takes to wear my dress, that can certainly be arranged.”

[sheeple]

The intern | 12: Date preparations

GIFS NOT MINE. THIS IS ALL FICTION. Genre(s): intern!au / fluff / mild angst Group(s): NCT / Red Velvet Pairing(s): Moon Taeil x fem!reader Summary: The new Elysion Publishings intern is the youngest they ever had. It’s not a problem until she grabs the attention of the IT guy. Warning(s): Age-gap of five years [Masterlist] [Mini masterlist]

“He asked you out on a date and you’re only telling me this two days before?”, screeches Wendy as I drag her Tuesday morning into the lady’s toilet.

“What’s with you and yelling at me, seriously?”, I grumble and rub my ears at the volume she can produce.

“Well, we’ve agreed on which day yesterday night and I didn’t want to hype you up for nothing”, I shrug and show her the conversation Taeil and I had last night.

[[TEXT]]

“So it has to be something formal? Do you want a dress or a suit?”, Wendy question as she opens the link Taeil send me of the restaurant. “Holy shit, that shit’s expensive.”

“I know! And it makes me feel bad that he wants to waste so much money on me...” I look down.

“My child”, says Wendy as she cradles my face with both hands, “you are worth it. And so much more. He damn right spent so much on you. Never. Ever. Say you’re not worth it.” As she says that, she boops my nose by every word to make a statement.

I smile shyly at Wendy’s kind words and rub my nose. “You’re too kind, I swear.” I engulf her in a big hug and she laughs.

“This is the plan”, she claps her hand together as we walk back towards our desks. “After work, we’re going to do some prime time shopping and tonight, after we’ve stuffed our face with unhealthy food, we’ll put on some facemasks and watch a couple of movies.”

“So... like a sleepover?”, I question, rolling my desk chair back and sitting on it. 

Wendy nods happily. “Yeah, like a sleepover.”

“We’re having a sleepover?” Johnny’s head pops up above the desk dividers and Taeyong rolls his chair over to me and wiggles his eyebrows.  

“We’re having a sleepover”, says Wendy as she points between her and me. “Because this cutie has scored a date.”

“With Loverboy?”, asks Taeyong and I nod shyly, a blush creeping on my face.

“You’re so cute!”, the two guys exclaim at the same time.

I push Taeyonga way with a huff. “I am not cute.”

“Where do you wanna start?”, asks Wendy as she chews on the straw of her iced americano. 

I raise my shoulders. “You tell me, I’m not so familiar with the shopping scene here.”

Wendy frowns a little as she pulls me after her into a shop. “Don’t say in all those months you’ve been here, you never went out on a shopping spree?”

“I did! We went a couple of times, remember? And I’ve been to Hongdae and Gangnam. I’m not a total couch potato!” I give Wendy a soft shove against her shoulder as we browse the clothing racks.  

When nothing piqued my interest, we move on to the next shop. And that’s how our day is spent. 

Until we walk into a cute boutique and my eyes immediately fall on a dress that’s displayed in the middle of the shop.

It’s a dark blue underdress that ends just above the knees with spaghetti straps and a mesh overdress with poofy sleeves and the stars embroidered on it.

“That’s my dress”, I say dumbfounded grabbing the skirt to feel how the fabric feels like. 

“Would you like to try the dress on?”, asks a saleslady and I nod enthusiastically. She grabs the dress in my size and I am shooed off towards the fitting rooms.

“How does it fit?”, asks Wendy through the curtains when I slip the dress on. 

“Perfect. But I can’t zip it up myself”, I grumble as I try to reach the zipper without ruining the dress.

Wendy shoves the curtains away and I turn my back towards her so she can zip me up. 

I take a step out of the dressing room to look at myself in the big mirror. My breath stops for just a moment at how beautiful this dress it.

“You look like a goddess”, says Wendy breathlessly while she walks circles around me. “With the right earrings and necklace is the look complete.”

I turn towards the saleslady and smile. “I’ll take it.”

After I put my own closes back on, I walk towards the counter to pay. I give the saleslady my card and she swipes it across the chip reader.

“A special occasion?”, she questions with a small smile as she bags up the dress.

Wendy bounces behind me and throws her arm over my shoulders. “She got asked on her first date. And he’s taking her to some fancy restaurant so I dragged her with me to make her look presentable.” 

The lady chuckles. “I should keep him.”

I take the bag with a light blush on my cheeks. “I’m not planning to let him go.”

We wave goodbye to the lady and go on our merry way.

“So, what’s next?”, I question as I link arms with Wendy.

“We only have to find some accessories and a nice pair of shoes. Any ideas?”

I bite my lip while thinking. “Ehm... there is this little shop three streets down that sells cute jewellery. I’ve bought there those snowflake earings.”

Wendy hums. “Lead the way.”  

We walk towards the shop and rummage through all the pairs of earrings and necklaces before we find the perfect one. One shop over is where we find a pair of shoes that match by the dress. 

“So, we’re done?”, I question, a mixture of happiness and relieve in my voice. I like shopping, but not when it makes me broke.

“Yeah. Unless you want to drink something,”

“Or we stop at a chicken place and grab a delicious plate of fried chicken”, I propose with a slight eyebrow wiggle.

Wendy laughs loudly and we walk towards our favourite chicken place.

“I can’t do this!”, I cry out over the phone, my make-up and hair not doing what it should. I’m still in my pyjamas as my hair is sticking out all different kinds of sides.

“Hold on babe”, says Wendy as I hear the jingle of her car keys. “I’m going to pick up some help and then I’m right over.”

And not even twenty minutes later, a hurried knock is at my door. I rush towards it and throw it open. 

Wendy pulls Johnny and Taeyong behind her as she looks at me. “Oh darling, are you stressing this much that you can’t even brush your own hair?” She cradles my face and I nod.

I’m on the verge of tears as Johnny pushes me in one of my dining chairs. “Don’t worry, we three will be here to help you.” Johnny gives me a reassuring smile as he’s off to grab who knows what.

“Why didn’t you told us that you had a date?”, questions Taeyong as he whips out makeup from a backpack I didn’t even know he brought it with him. 

“I didn’t want to be teased, oppa...”, I mutter, looking down as I play with my fingers.

Taeyong sighs. “We never meant it in a bad way, that teasing. We do it because you get really cute when you’re flustered. That’s one of the only times you drop your big girl facâde and show that you’re still a twenty-year-old who’s actually far out of your comfort zone.”

I look surprised at Taeyong. “Really?”

He nods. “Yeah. And I just like to make fun of your big fat crush on Loverboy.” Taeyong laughs loudly as I hit him.

“Jerk!”

In the meantime has Johnny arrived back with all my hair products and brushes. “What was your original plan?”

“I wanted to do something like Belle from Beauty and the Beast, but then with a braid around the bun”, I explain while I talk animated with my hands to show what I mean. “I know it’s maybe impossible with my shoulder-length hair, but trying is not bad, right?”

“Lucky you, I can do that.”

“And what would you like as make-up?”, questions Taeyong as he displays the different products he brought with him.

Wendy carries the dress in her hands and shows it to Taeyong. “Is this helpful?” Taeyong nods and grabs a brush and concealer.

“How do you guys know how to do make-up and hair?”, I ask as the two males start to work on my appearance.

“I always was interested in make-up and just started to experiment with my sister’s stuff. I even thought about being a drag queen for a year but that would be too much... glam.” Taeyong knits his brows together as he starts applying a dark blue eyeshadow.

“And I... I don’t know actually”, says Johnny while he brushes my hair. “It just happened, you know.”

“Have you eaten or did you also forget that?”, calls Wendy from the kitchen as she looks through my fridge.

“Yeah, I’ve had a sandwich with cheese for lunch.”

The three of them stop what they’re doing and look at me. “And only that?”, they ask in union and I nod.

“Yeah, it’s pretty common to have only a sandwich with cheese and butter for lunch back home. Most people also have it for breakfast.”

“So no side dishes, no noodles, nothing?”, says Taeyong dumbfounded and I nod slightly, not wanting to mess up their work.

After a while takes Johnny a step back and looks at his work. “Finish!”

Wendy walks towards us and inspects the hairdo. “It’s cute. Good job!” She high fives him.

“Can I have a mirror to see too?”, I question but get a ‘no’ from all three of them.

“You only get to see the finished product. So hold on a little longer.”

After Taeyong’s also finished, I am pushed into my bedroom by Wendy and she helps me into my dress, accessories, and the finishing touches. 

“You look absolutely breathtaking, darling. If he doesn’t marry you on the spot, I will”, says Johnny as he holds hands for my eyes, ignoring the panicked Taeyong in the back as he warns him not to mess up his work.

Once Johnny takes away his hands and I open my eyes, I am speechless. “Is... is this me?” I touch my hair and dress, not believing that that is me.

“That you guys so much!”, I turn around and engulf them in a big hug.

“It was nothing, (Y/n). We just wanted to make sure you looked perfect for your first date.” Johnny fixes a lock that has gotten out of place.

“And you’re just in time ready for your date. Because I just heard a knock on your door.”

I look panicked at Wendy. “Why didn’t you told me sooner!”

I rush towards the front door but stop, taking a deep breath and opening the door with a wide smile.

Taeil looks at me with his mouth agape and drops his hand next to him that was holding a bouquet of flowers. 

“You look... you look absolutely amazing. Wow.”

I smile shyly and let my eyes travel over his appearance. Taeil’s wearing a back suit jacket and pants, a white blouse with a tie in the exact same colour as my dress. His hair is swiped to the side and he has a soft smile on his face.

“This is for you”, he says as he trusts the flowers under my nose.

It is soft pink roses with small pink flowers wrapped in the same pink wrapping paper. “I’ve once seen you retweet a photo of it. So I asked Yuta to recreate it.”

“I love it. Let me put it in a vase.” I grab him by his hand and lead him into my kitchen. 

“Oh, hey... guys”, says Taeil awkwardly as he sees Wendy, Taeyong, and Johnny standing in the living room with smirks on their faces. “I didn’t know you guys would be here too.”

As I see his smile drop slightly I begin to stutter. “Oh-oh no! The-they were to help me get ready.”

“I’ll put them in some water, you two go.” Taeyong shoos us away and I frown.

“Are you sure? I can do it myself too.”

“Just go and enjoy your date. We’ll let ourselves out.” 

We wave at the three and put on our shoes. But as I stand up straight, I notice I’m the same height as him, if not taller.

“Oh...”, I mumble, a blush spreading on my cheeks, “I’ll go and grab some flats, be right back.”

But before I can walk back to grab some ballerinas, has Taeil his hands wrapped around my wrist. 

“Don’t change your shoes because you’re taller. I don’t care if you’re smaller than me or if I have to stand on my tiptoes to kiss your temple when you wear heels. I adore everything about you, even your height.”

I intertwine our hands and smile brightly. Damn, this dude likes even the things I hate about my self.

“Ready to go?”, he questions as I’ve put on a jacket. He leads me down towards his car and holds open the door for me to get in. 

“You’re too perfect. There has to be a catch.” I narrow my eyes and look at him as Taeil smiles.

“Believe it or not, I am one-hundred per cent real, darling.”

The way towards the restaurant is filled with pleasant small talk about how Bong Bong is doing and him asking how my pups are doing.

“I get every once in a while pictures of my mom and dad walking the dogs or them sleeping on top of each other. It helps to ease the homesickness I have every now and then.”

“You know, if you want to walk Bbong-ie or just, I don’t know, hang out with her, you can text me.” As we stop at a traffic light turns taeil to me and grabs my hand, intertwining our hands.

“Hmm, good idea. Gives me an excuse to hang out with you.” I smile brightly and Taeil blushes. 

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

Late to the slapping discourse but I think another thing is, well, p much everybody, be they makoto fans or haters, despise that confidant, especially due to eiko hogging up so much screentime, so seeing makoto slap her was likely pretty cathartic

sfdjkhla I get where ya coming from anon, but sorry you just reignited this fury inside me again I’mma just rant (not at you, just at the void that is tumblr, I’m just mad and I have more to say about this topic apparently laskfdj;af Just know you didn’t do anything wrong, but your ask did make me think of something new so yay!). Tho tbh, I’ve seen other Mako haters hate that she slaps Eiko for my similar reasons (aka Mako is a pretty bad person who gets away with some bad shit because she’s an main character and we need to be “on her side”). But I don’t think that slap should’ve been viewed as cathartic (tho I get WHY people do), or the fact that it is showcases a big (writing) problem.

(also sorry this is all over the place, I’m writing it very quickly, while quickly reviewing her CoOp, before I go to bed)

Y’all know I hate Makoto, and I think her CoOp is hot garbage, but I don’t actually blame Eiko for it tbh (I mean Ryuji/Anne’s are just fine with juggling other chars, despite having their own issues.....not so much are because of said side chars, it’s other things but again the side chars are juggled just fine with Anne/Ryu). I don’t really hate the char, I think she’s fine. She’s a pretty friendly person, maybe a tad airheadish but she’s not mean (at least she doesn’t say mean things without a reason). Hell I think she does her role pretty fine, it’s Makoto who fails to overcome flaws (mostly her hotheadedness and applying these new view points she’s learned). 

If the writers intended Makoto’s slap to be cathartic no offense but fuck those writers yo. Because it showcases Makoto really is unable to understand any other person’s mindset (at least in practice), does her own selfish shit, and gets rewarded even tho she hurt someone or failed to actually do the bare min to make up for shit she’s done (like the Kamo arc, sorry but you had her say it yourself writers “it’s not that I couldn’t do anything, it’s that I just didn’t care enough” your whole “adults make me do things I don’t want to/they are mean :(” bs doesn’t mesh well, you don’t actually resolve or address the flaw of that char, you just shoved responsibility onto someone else....with that something else isn’t really explored/expanded upon either). Basically, if that slap was cathartic, I think the writers failed....I mean they already did fail with them actually writing that slap in, but they failed at their theme/moral to boot.

So when I have Makoto, who’s CoOp literally starts out with her wanting to learn new perspectives (and you know, maybe kinda learning a little EMPATHY) it’s hard to argue she learned that shit when she literally is unable to do just that and slaps someone. As well as reinforce the fact SHE SHOULDN’T BE IN THE POSITION SHE IS IN (aka our planner/advisor/whatever). 1) It shows she can’t control her emotions (and if we’re gonna give Ryu shit, she def deserves it too), 2) she can’t come up with a gd plan to save her life (the best plan the PT came up with was the first dungeon in PQ2 and guess what? She wasn’t a part of it, gee I’d be shocked but....I’m not). 

It just showcases the poor writing ability of that writer. Makoto’s CoOp is about her learning new things about society and her peers she’s failing at, and ability to connect/understand the people around her....and at that freaking climax it just shows.....she didn’t learn shit. She’s been saying she did all CoOp, even basically says she understands why Eiko is acting that way, but what does she do with that info? Does’t apply it when confronting her and just reverts to bullheaded Makoto mode. It doesn’t matter what happens after, we don’t see her reconcile with Eiko, all that is off screen. In the climatic moment, she fails to accomplish the goal of what her CoOp set out to do....and she’s rewarded for it. She doesn’t realize why Eiko is upset, she doesn’t try to think of a backup plan in case her first one fails, she acts only on her own emotions in the moment. And no “her friend is in danger of prostitution so it’s now or never” is NOT a good excuse, you wanna know WHY? The freaking, change of heart part of the ENTIRE GD GAME! Any argument of “we can’t always use hear changes” goes out the gd window with like 90% of any problems we encounter when we can just go to the Metaverse (to even just interrogate tbh!). The only reason Anne/Yoshida work is because Anne’s we don’t know till the literal last second and by then it’s resolved itself, and Yoshida is dead set on fixing it himself! Makoto’s CoOp? No, that guy should be bumped from “shady boyfriend” to “yeah this guy is now on our request lists holy shit does he fit our MO”

But back to Eiko, yeah it’s great Makoto is expanding her horizons, so glad she knows what a cardigan is~! Too bad, despite actually knowing her friend’s circumstance and possibly why she’s acting that way, Makoto doesn’t approach it with the level of tact that is freaking needed. Showcasing she’s learnt nothing, nothing from her past mistakes, not from “these new viewpoints I’ve learnt,” nothing from knowing WHY her friend might be feeling this way. She literally just does what she’s been doing. She just has the smoke and mirrors benefit of saying “well I learnt a new viewpoint” but your actions speak louder than your words. You didn’t learn shit. 

Wait....no I’m not giving Makoto enough credit, haha, you see she did learn something, at the beginning of the CoOp, and that’s actually not ignoring something shady going on. Unlike with the Kamo arc. My bad, so instead of seeing her bull her way through feeling “forced” to do something, we see her bulling her way through “caring” this time. But here’s the thing, that wasn’t her arc for this CoOp, her understanding other viewpoints was. She failed. Somehow she freaking failed. It’s a talent Makoto! It’s a real talent you have there!

You know why I think Makoto/Eiko thing pisses me off so much? I have a friend that reminds me a lot of Eiko. She’s nice, def a girly gal type person, as well as other things. She had just begun dating someone I deemed a red flag (not Tsukasa bad like selling yourself or that she was in any kinda danger, but still a “yeah you should know” kinda thing....like...I’d feel bad if I didn’t know about it and I was in her position kinda thing). And you know what I did? Did I take her out into public on a crowded street and yell at her and say you need to break up with him and when she got (pretty rightfully) defensive I then slapped her and got on my high horse and was like “I’m doing this for your own good! YOU  don’t understand MY position, what I’M going through, but you need to know what I’m doing is for the BEST!”? No. That never crossed my freaking mind cause I’m not a psychopath. I instead, took her out for ice cream, sat in a more remote spot for privacy, and reassured her of her emotions and own autonomy and that I cared and that I understand she cares about things and I’m coming from a place of good faith and I wasn’t there to attack her, and then I broke the news to her. You know what she did? She laughed, was happy I was a normal human being with some tact, said she wished another friend of hers did what I did instead of through text. Said she’d take what I said into consideration. She broke up with him a few months later.....cause he was a twat apparently, but our friendship was well in tact and strengthened. And I was barely a year older than Makoto was at the time, AND a super awkward honor student AND my friendship with her was about as new as Mako’s and Eiko’s (AND we were very much opposites like those two hell even more so).

I dunno, it just would’ve been so much more impactful if Makoto, instead of slapping Eiko after she called Mako a “bitch.” Mako stepped forward (making everyone think she’s going to be physical but instead it showcases Makoto thinking rationally for once), looked Eiko in the eye and said “What you think of me is not all that I am. And even if you hate me, know I still think of you as my friend and will be here for you for whatever reason. But I won’t let you throw your life away, not for this scum of a human being. *turns to Tsukasa* Listen to me asshole, I say this not as some honor student, but as Eiko’s friend. You will be delivered justice, and you will apologize to Eiko and all the other girls who’s lives you’ve ruined” to which we either get Tsukasa’s name via asking around (low key Ichiko could probably help), or by getting it from Shadow!Eiko in the metaverse. The next rank we see Eiko and Mako making up, and Mako explains how she’s more than just an honor student (basically the shit she says after she slaps Eiko), and Eiko apologizes for all the mean things she said in the moment and how she felt afraid or whatever other stuff they wanna add to deepen her char or whatever. And we have a theme kept intact, and Eiko even learns about new perspectives (as well as reinforcing this whole moral/theme to the viewer)....but we legit get to see this development for her, and we learn how to do it with compassion and understanding and not ‘slap to be dramatic~!’ bs (because then it comes off as like....using force to change someone’s behavior.....and like????? probably not the best message ESP for P5′s setting). You can dislike Eiko, but the CoOp technically became just as much as her arc as Mako’s and the fact we don’t see the resolution is poor. (btw the “how/when” it would’ve taken place would’ve been rank 9 still, we just wouldn’t rank up till the mementos mission was done, that or restructure the link but the former is easier)

So....yeah....maybe it’s the fact that Makoto’s CoOP belittles how teens can actually resolve these problems. Maybe it’s the fact we’re supposed to root for Mako’s bad behavior. Maybe it’s the fact when it came down to the wire, Mako didn’t utilize the knowledge she has been bragging about getting over the CoOp. Maybe it’s the fact she resorted to violence when there was another avenue to take. Maybe it’s the fact we never see Makoto actually hit a bad guy/aggressor (instead we have to save her from those) but instead only see her hitting her so called friends. Maybe it’s the fact of her showcasing flaws that she shouldn’t have (her hotheadedness and shitty planning skills). Or maybe it’s the fact we root for a “cathartic slap” in favor of doing what this CoOp is supposed to be: teaching Makoto AND the viewer about learning to see someone else’s perspective, and coming up with a plan that we never would’ve thought of to help fix that issue. Sacrificing a big theme/moral of the CoOp for something “dramatic.”

But I don’t know why I should be shocked, this is P5. Contradictions everywhere, in the lore, in the themes, in the writing, in the morals. Just. Everywhere. 

[nodesiretogrowup]

alrighty, play-by-play recap time!

“A shining civilization, until it fell...INTO THE SEA.” Something about that line/delivery makes me laugh

Kind of wish we had seen them solve to clues to Mervana

Why was this Huey’s quest? He doesn’t end up doing much. Did he chose this adventure?

“I like them.” “We know, Webby.”

Scrooge and Huey nerding out together is ADORABLE

Louie is already done

“Cool, now there’s two people who want to put us in constant danger.” Donald understands your pain. We need an episode focusing on Louie and Donald

I NEED to know why Della hates fish 

Why is Della piloting the sub if she hates the ocean? I feel like Donald would be more qualified

“HEY, KNOCK IT OFF!” That was SUCH a sibling moment

LP isn’t here because he needed a break after last week’s episode OR something went down when he was with Oceanika and he can’t be in the ocean for some reason

Louie knows how this shit goes down

So according to Louie’s chart; Huey has been sacrificed the less with 10, then Webby with 15, Louie at 23, and Dewey at 63 

“DEWEY’S ON TOP!” Sweetie, that’s not a good thing. How many of those times do you think LP saved him?

I bet Donald had/has a tally sheet too

Webby is PRECIOUS

“Life’s not some fairytale filled with happy endings and...” “MERMAIDS!” Webby is SUCH A MOOD this episode 

It’s so cute how in AWE all of them are...

Except for Della

One more Della moment in the theme

Poor Donald

Those things in Aletheia’s headband look like eyes and I can’t unsee it. Also, STARFIRE THE MERMAID!

BEAST BOY THE MERMAN! He pretty much looks like a duck/mermaid version of Greg. It’s great

“So, speaking as a mermaid, WHAT’S IT LIKE TO ACHIEVE MY DREAM?!” WEBBY IS ME

I know the “suffering builds character” line is a joke, but it rubs me the wrong way

How is Scrooge’s hat not floating away?

Della’s reaction to saying fish is how I feel about eating fish

“Look at this stuff, isn’t neat!” THAT’S MY GIRL! I bet The Little Mermaid is Webby’s favorite Disney movie

This was much less dangerous than the last time Webby played hacky sack

Scrooge 100% DONE when they say that he’ll have to give up his worldly possessions

 THERE’S THAT ONE MERMAID THAT LOOKS LIKE GOSALYN! I’m gonna pretend they are distantly related

Why is Honestus’ statue so BEEFY?

 Louie is ALREADY calling bullshit

NO ONE MAY TOUCH THE DONALD

“Wow, a laid-back society where everything is free. Sounds PERFECT for you!” “It’s too perfect.” I love when Louie and Webby are paired off. They have pretty much opposite views of the world

“IT’S. A. TRAP! And take it down a notch, Beakley!” “Sorry, I was trying to drown out your nonsense.” You’re harshing her vibes, bro

 “These hippies are harmless!”

Donald playing drums is adorable

“Operation Flower Power was...groovy.” FIRST THAT SUMMER IN PARAGUAY, NOW THIS! TELL ME YOUR SECRETS! Beakley probably has fucked as many people as Launchpad, possibly more

The face Louie makes after Beakley leaves is great. He knows Beakley fucks and does NOT want to think about that

I want to know all the warnings on the cave. My favorite of the ones I could see was NAAAAAHHHHHHH!

“Those MER-MURDERERS” Alliteration is fun, kids!

Digging the more proactive Louie, even if it is just to keep himself from dying

Donald is digging the vibe and Dewey is SO FOCUSED on playing the drums

FUCK YEAH, ARTS AND CRAFTS! Dewey was like “MY TIME HAS COME!” And Donald seemed pretty happy about arts and crafts too

Donald was TOTALLY checking out his own ass

Dewey is SO FOCUSED. Arts and crafts are SERIOUS BUSINESS

He looks SO PISSED when Scrooge takes the tail

Why do they have toxic markers? Hell, where did they even GET those markers?

“They’re ALL our markers” That face she makes is great

Dude, the harp fucking DRAGGED Honestus! We stan!

“It’s a beautiful castle made of coral and shells...” Webby, those are ruins

I knew that fish monster was Honestus. He had a crown and everything. Also they call him a sea serpent but nothing about him is serpent-like 

“This is a chase” Is that really any better than a trap?

BEAKLEY TO THE RESCUE

“I’ve never been happier to see an adult!”

“Same thing we are-snoopin”

Webby ended up being spot on that the Mervanans had no idea what was really going on

“Something is going on here.” And Louie raises his arms in victory

I want more Beakley and Louie episodes. They are both cynical but deal with it in different ways, especially when it comes to Webby. Plus Louie has a unique position when he’s been the one that had secrets kept from him

“Her optimism is her strength!” “You can’t hide the truth from her forever!” “I kept her in a mansion for a decade, that worked out pretty well.” I don’t know why but this reminds me of how the Crystal Gems and Greg dealt with Steven

I love that Huey’s tail has the Junior Woodchuck Guidebook logo on it

Me and my sister agreed that Donald’s tail looks like an Easter egg

DONALD IS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR! NAMASTE, MY FRIEND

Dewey has flames on his tail because of course he does

“Man, these are hard to get around in. And off I go.” He just accepts that he’s falling

I’m with Louie, FUCK STAIRS

Della has that dumbass energy. We stan. Also, she and LP need to hang out. I feel like they’d somehow both lose in a game of Go Fish. Stupid, beautiful pilots :’)

“MOM LOOK AT MY SUPER COOL FINS!” “*gags* I have no family.”

CAPITALISTS DO NOT GET TO KNOW TRUE PEACE

Donald and Huey nodding after Aletheia calls Scrooge a judgemental boomer, beautiful

“I don’t want inner-truth, I want outer harp!” That’s a good line

“Scrooge, back to the arts and crafts section!” And then his face! Golden!

Louie clinging to Beakley’s arm is so cute

I LOVE YOU, HARP LADY!

“But I only tell the truth, a thing the merpeople used to value.” I feel like that could apply to other (current) situations

Whenever Honestus speaks during the song I lol

Also, what hard work was going on above the sea? Was there like a war or something? I need more!

I think the Harp and Honestus were a thing at one point

If the merpeople become more monstrous the longer they stay in the water, why are the ones who have lived their ENTIRE LIVES in the ocean still humanoid? How long was he gone? How many generations have come and gone? Why didn’t he age? I NEED MORE INFORMATION

Poor Webby. The person she trusted the most has been lying to her for who knows how long! I think we know what Webby’s arc for the season will involve

Louie does NOT want to be in the middle of this

MER-MURDER-MAIDS!

I want to PERSONALLY THANK the GENIUS that had David Tennant use hippie slang. You did the lord’s work

The face Scrooge makes when he thinks that they are gonna take his money is PRICELESS

I feel bad for the Mervanans. They were left to fend for themselves. They did pretty good for themselves all things considered but still

Della taking baby steps only to be pushed right back into her comfort zone, I felt that

She’s just like, nope

“Gotta get harp down. Gotta save family. Maybe sell the harp later.” The kid has his priorities straight

The way the Harp acts when Beakley picks her up is a mood and I ship it

“Is that what I sound like? Oh, boy.” I love the way Bobby says “oh, boy”

“We would never!” “Yeah, we’re vegan.” At least these merpeople actually flat out say they don’t eat fish, unlike other merpeople who act all high and mighty even though they probably eat fish too

I love the one dude who just kinda flaps out of the water

“I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS.” “CORRECT!”

DUDE, DON’T INSULT THE MAN’S COOKING SKILLS! IT’S YZMA, KRONK, AND THE SPINACH PUFFS ALL OVER AGAIN!

I think Donald is just always angry ala Bruce Banner

Donald is me when someone says the wrong thing to me on an already shitty day

He just slings Dewey over his shoulder and drags Huey. I feel like a family meeting about chili is in their future. Though the Harp didn’t say whether or not Dewey was lying so...

“Our king returned and tried to eat us.” In the words of Zuko; that’s rough, buddy

“We’re all monsters on the inside.” “WE ARE?! GET IT OUT OF ME!” Vero is having a very bad day

“Mervana isn’t a place. It’s, oh boy, it’s in your heart!”

Louie and Webby make each other better and that’s what’s great about their team ups

“We need your inner-truths to move from your hearts to YOUR FISTS!” WEBBY WILL FUCK YOU UP

“WELCOME TO MERVANA” BITCH!

Poor Harp. It’s not her fault that she only has one setting

I WANNA RIDE A MERMAID! No, not that way! ok maybe that way too

Webby’s eyes sparkle when the merpeople get to land

DROP ON THE DECK AND FLOP LIKE A FISH

“TIME TO SEND THIS FISH BACK TO SCHOOL!” Della knows how to one-liner

Her Naruto run is great. I bet she’s been watching it with the kids

Della is gonna wash her leg SO HARD after that

I don’t think Honestus should have gotten off so easy. The dude’s a dick who only cares about himself. I know that wouldn’t mesh with the moral of the episode, but I still hate him

Della looks so fucking confused, like LP usually does. THEY ARE MEANT TO BE BESTIES

Dewey kept his tail. So cute!

“She’s kinda harshin’ my vibe.” I know, my dude, I know

“And it’s finally where it belongs.” “Telling shiftless hippies to get a job!” Scrooge is harshin’ my vibe. Stupid capitalist

The head kiss Beakley gives Webby GIVES ME LIFE! SO PURE

Well of course she’s fibbing! Beakley is/was a SPY! Her job was secret keeping!

I really enjoyed this episode. I, like Webby, ADORE mermaids so I wasn’t gonna complain there. I liked that the merpeople weren’t actually evil because that would have been predictable af. It really ties in with the legacy theme of this season. Just because the people who came before you were jerks doesn’t mean you have to be. I think I enjoyed the other episodes a bit more but that’s probably because they were a bit more focused on a single character and only introduced a few new characters. I give it an 8/10, not enough Launchpad and not NEARLY ENOUGH fish puns

[knox-knocks]

hello! congrats on 1k!! can i request a one shot with neil trying out stilettos, fishnets and make up + andrew's reaction? thanks! xx

hello!!! i was super excited for this request, thank you for sending it! it’s in bullet points if that’s alright though! 

It’s Neil’s second year at Palmetto and Halloween is coming up 

Neil has already decided that he does NOT want to dress up in a costume, no matter how much Nicky pleads with him

“You can’t show up to Eden’s without a costume!” Nicky exclaims for the fifth time. 

“There’s no rules that say I have to wear a costume,” Neil says, also for the fifth time.

Neil is debating staying at Palmetto while everyone else goes to Columbia anyway. He only decides to go with because the whole team is going (with the exception of a couple Freshmen, who have their own plans) and Neil wants every chance he can to have all of his Foxes together before Dan, Allison, and Renee graduate.

But still, he’s not going to dress in any of the stupid costumes Nicky keeps shoving in his arms. (An astronaut? Really? Neil looks like he’s wearing a fishbowl on his head).

“I just don’t get the point of dressing up in weird costumes when I can just wear what I usually wear. One night of the year shouldn’t be any different,” Neil says while he’s hanging out with Dan and Allison in their room. He’s slouched against their couch, taking up two cushions, his feet thrown over one of the arms. 

“You don’t have to wear a costume, Neil.” Dan points out. 

“That’s what I’m saying!” Neil throws his hands in the air, nearly knocking over the opened bottle of nail polish Allison is balancing on her knee. “I don’t have to dress up.”

“That’s not what she’s saying.” Allison peers down at Neil with an immaculate eyebrow raised. When he stares at her blankly, she rolls her eyes with a faux-exasperated sigh. “Halloween is the time to try new things, too. You don’t have to dress as a zombie but you can dress up, if you want. If you decide you don’t like it afterwards, you don’t have to wear it ever again.”

Neil scrunches up his face. “What would I wear? My Eden’s clothes are fine.”

“That’s up for you to decide. Just think about it. And if you need any help, you know where to find me.”

Neil thinks about it, but he’s still unsure. 

So he decides to enlist for Allison’s help. 

When he arrives at the girls’ dorm, Allison and Nicky are waiting for him.

“Neil why didn’t you say you didn’t want to wear a costume!” Nicky says. If it weren’t for the joking glint in his eye Neil might have throttled him. He’s still thinking about it.

The three of them spend the better part of the night planning. Allison and  Nicky propose different styles of clothes, compare fabrics, and debate colors while Neil chooses which ones he likes best. After a couple hours, Allison and Nicky have a pretty good idea what Neil might like to try. They order him a couple clothes and send him on his way.

Neil doesn’t quite know how to feel about it. The clothes they ended up picking were a lot different than he’s used to. He’s not quite ready for crop-tops, no matter how Allison pleaded and begged, but Neil thinks he’ll be a bit more comfortable in the clothes he picked out. It’s not jeans and a comfortable hoodie, but it might work. And if Neil is being honest with himself, there is a spark of interest, of curiosity in his chest. It is only one night, and Neil doesn’t have to commit, but it is something different, something new. 

Halloween rolls around and Neil finds himself being pulled into the girls’ dorm once again. 

Dan and Matt were already dressed. They sat together on the couch; Frankenstein and his bride. Matt’s hair is still heavily gelled so that it sticks straight up. He holds strands of Dan’s hair for her while she vigorously teases it up with a comb. When they catch sight of Neil, Matt gives a happy wave and Dan calls out a muffled greeting. 

Allison has set out an array of makeup on the coffee table and is working on applying it to her face, a tall witch’s hat perched on her head. She is about halfway through with the purple glitter on her eyelids when she turns around and motions for Neil to grab the bag of clothes next to her. 

Inside, Neil finds the clothes Allison ordered for him online. 

The shirt is made out of an expensive material; black mesh with a dark red undershirt that feels like silk. It’s soft in Neil’s hands, and Neil sets it down carefully on the bathroom sink. The next thing he grabs is the pair of black shorts. Neil was a little wary about them. They were shorter than his running shorts, and what little fabric would cover Neil’s legs was ripped “artfully” as Nicky put it. Still, Neil didn’t want to just wear the fishnets. 

The fishnets. 

The last thing Allison bought. The thing Neil is most wary about. 

Neil reaches into the bag and drew out the red fishnet stockings. They seem smaller than they are supposed to be, but the fabric is stretchy and doesn’t seem too hard to get on. 

Neil gets dressed quickly and twists around, studying the clothes on his body and deciding how he feels about them. 

They fit nicely. The shorts are tight and high-waisted, hugging his hips and thighs, but not uncomfortably so. The shirt is a bit looser, and while the material is pretty sheer, Neil can’t see any of his scars peaking through. He smooths his hands down his sides. The fabric is comfortable and easy to move around in. 

Allison is right. The fishnets do make his legs look good. He thought perhaps he likes them. 

When Neil left the bathroom, Matt lets out a low whistle. Dan looks him up and down and grins while Allison considers him, a manicured finger tapping her lip. Renee had appeared in the time it took for Neil to get dressed, and she gave him a smile and a small thumbs up.

“Am I done?” Neil asks. 

“Tuck in your shirt and come here,” Allison commands and turns back to her display of makeup. 

Neil does as he’s told and plops down next to Allison. Allison peruses her collection of glitters and shadows before plucking a long tube from a pile of other long tubes.

“How do you feel about mascara?”

Neil squints suspiciously at the sleek purple tube. “I’d prefer not to have my eyes poked out.”

Dan snorts from the other side of the couch and Allison gives him an unimpressed look. 

“Fine. Your eyelashes are already pretty dark, you ungrateful bastard.” Allison sets down the purple tube and grabs something else. “But I want you try some eyeliner. It’ll make your eyes pop.”

“How is that any better?”

“Don’t be a baby and give me your face.”

Allison places a hand on the side of Neil’s face and draws him closer. A couple careful strokes of the pencil later, and she leans back to consider her work. She tilts her head from side to side and adds a couple more strokes below his eyes as well. 

When she releases him, Neil blinks, resisting the urge to rub at his eyes. Allison already has another thing of makeup in her hand when Neil is sure his eyes aren’t going to water and ruin everything. 

“What does that do?” Neil asks. 

“It’s highlighter. This one’s more glittery so it’ll look great under the lights at Eden’s.”

“You’re gonna glow,” Matt chirps, startling Neil. He’s almost forgotten Dan and Matt were here as well. 

“Okay,” Neil says. He trusts her. When Neil got back from Evermore his Freshman year, it was Allison who painted over Neil’s mottled bruises and made him look good as new. A smile curves Allison lips and she flicks open the lid and applies the powder along Neil’s cheeks with a soft brush.

“Lastly,” Allison says “is lip gloss.”

She unscrews the lid and takes out the wand. Neil licks his lips, debating whether he should let Allison apply it on him. He nods his head.

“It’s only a tint,” Allison says quietly, focusing on covering Neil’s lips with a glossy layer, “but it’ll make your lips look nice and pink and,” Allison wipes a bit of lip gloss away from where it got on Neil’s skin, “kissable.”

Neil huffs a laugh. “Kissable?”

“It’s also strawberry flavored.” Allison smirks. “But don’t you dare lick your lips.”

“I wasn’t going to.” Neil scowls. He was absolutely going to.

Dan gives Neil one of her chokers to wear and helps him hook it round his neck. It’s not as tight as Neil thought it would be, it’s actually pretty comfortable. He laces up his boots and straightens up to find the Upperclassmen watching him.

“Okay, you’re done,” Allison says, nodding approvingly. “Now let’s go party.”

Andrew is waiting in the parking lot for Neil and the others to come down. Neil has the pleasure of seeing him before he spots Neil. He’s leaning against the Maserati with a cigarette propped lazily between his fingers and his lips. His hair is slicked back with gel, and the vampire costume is predictably, black. The only thing he’s wearing that isn’t black is the white button down shirt that looks like it belongs in the original Dracula movie and the inside of the cape, which is a blood red. Neil wonders if he even has fake fangs. 

Andrew takes a drag from his cigarette and glances up as Neil approaches. His eyes lock on Neil’s face and the hand holding his cigarette drops an inch from his lips and freezes. Neil tries not to look too pleased when Andrew’s eyes drag down his body and linger on each new article of clothing. 

“What are you supposed to be,” Andrew grunts. He drops the cigarette and grinds it out with the heel of his shoe. 

“Dracula’s boyfriend,” Neil says and earns a supremely unimpressed look from Andrew. 

“Alright let’s go!” Nicky shouts, running to the Maserati in his golden gladiator costume. “Preferably before it gets dark and Eden’s runs out of tequila!” 

Andrew’s gaze is heavy on Neil’s. When Neil grins, a smug smile curving his lips, Andrew’s eyes drop to his mouth. His throat bobs. 

“It’s strawberry flavored,” Neil says. Andrew’s eyes snap back up to his.

The lip gloss doesn’t last throughout the night. Neil thinks he likes these new clothes.

[cottontail20]

In Happy Times, Our Love Does Grow, Chapter 24: Who Needs A Hero?

Summary: Wanda helps Vision with his show at the Hospital.

Ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20601530/chapters/51428566

Wanda cursed slightly when she received her work roster. It turned out, she was supposed to work on the day Vision had asked her to attend his show at the Hospital.

Wanda hated her job at the best of times, but she especially hated it during the Christmas season. Aside from her elf costume, which was a little too small to be comfortable and regularly attracted idiots, the Christmas Carols driving her insane as they played on a loop, and the different kind of idiots who wanted things her store just did not sell.

No, Ma'm, we do not have Christmas pudding.

No, Sir, we do not have Ginger Bread Houses.

No, we will not be getting them in.

Why not?

Because we are a party supply store, not a supermarket. We mostly sell decorations, disposable plates, and a few novelties.

Then why do we have candy canes?

Candy canes are a novelty.

Eugh, it was a nightmare. She would much rather be with Vision, even at a somewhat heartbreaking location like a children's hospital.. And there was still a little bit of hope that that could happen. She scrolled through her contacts and called a number, smiling when the call was answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Mantis. It's Wanda. Do you mind taking my Wednesday morning shift? I'll do your Friday, if you like. I've got this thing with Vision.."

"Your boyfriend? I understand, of course I'll switch."

"He's not.." Wanda paused. "Well, he might be. It's new.."

"Aww, that's such a special time. You two make a cute couple!"

"Thanks.." Wanda blushed. "And thanks for swapping shifts."

"You're welcome. Bye-bye!"

"Bye, Mantis" Wanda chuckled. --

Vision was just about to plate-up Viv's dinner, a basic pasta dish, when he saw Wanda's name flash on his phone. He answered it on the first ring, wincing slightly, hoping it didn't make him seem too eager.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Vizh. Just wanted to let you know, I can make it on Wednesday."

"Wonderful! I mean, uh, that's good."

"Should we meet there, or are you going to pick me up?"

"I'll pick you up, since I already know where it is."

"Alright. See you then."

"See you then" Vision smiled as he disconnected the call. Viv giggled from her place at the table. "What's so funny?" He asked, setting her meal in front of her.

"That was Wanda on the phone."

"How did you know?" Vision frowned.

"Because" Viv grinned, "You're always reaally happy after Wanda calls, Daddy."

"Oh.." Vision blushed. --

When Wednesday Morning came, Wanda found herself standing in her underwear, staring into her closet once again. What the hell were you supposed to wear to a Children's Hospital?

All the usual rules for 'date attire' didn't really apply. Was watching Vision perform for these poor children even a date? She was basically going to watch him, in Vision's own words, prance around in a leotard. She probably wouldn't be the only adult present, as neither a parent, a nurse, or a doctor, Wanda was beginning to think she may be a little out of place.

Just as she was starting to rethink this whole thing, maybe call Vision and tell him she couldn't make it after all, Wanda's eyes fell on her Scarlet Witch costume. Hanging up waiting, Wanda had originally thought, for the next Halloween, or maybe a costume party.

The idea that came into Wanda's head at that moment was probably a little crazy. But, she liked being the Scarlet Witch.. And playing a superhero for sick children would be worth a bit of good karma, right? Wanda smiled, pulling the costume from the closet. --

To save time, Vision was already in his own outfit and make-up, and to prevent any possible embarrassment from walking around in public in full costume, he simply texted Wanda when he pulled up outside her apartment block, to let her know he was waiting out front.

A few minutes later, Wanda hopped into the car in her full Scarlet Witch get-up. Vision's jaw dropped.

"Wanda.."

"Hey, Vizh" Wanda smiled sheepishly. "I know I was supposed to be watching your show, but I thought maybe we could try un act dublu.. a double act. What do you think?"

"I think.. um.." The sound of Wanda's accent combined with the sight of her Scarlet Witch outfit was having a profound effect on Vision. He blushed under his make-up.

Unfortunately, Wanda took this extended pause as rejection. Her face fell.

"I can go change.."

"What? No!" Vision snapped out of it, grabbing Wanda's arm before she could get out of the car. "No, don't change. A double act sounds wonderful. I always thought The Vision needed.. I'm sorry, I just got distracted because.."

"Because what?" Wanda's brow furrowed.

"Because.. you look absolutely beautiful in that outfit" said Vision. "I've always thought so, but now that we are dating, I can, well.. actually say it."

"Oh.." Now it was Wanda's turn to blush. "Th-Thank you.."

"You're welcome.." Vision was still blushing himself as he started the car. "We should get going.."

"We should.." Wanda paused for a moment as they drove off. "Vizh?"

"Yes?"

Wanda leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"I think you're pretty handsome as 'The Vision'.."

"Thank you.." Vision's blush deepened, but he smiled. --

It was heartbreaking, seeing all the sick children, some confined to their beds.. But the smiles on their faces when they saw Wanda and Vision in costume was worth the heartbreak. These little ones wanted to see Superheroes, and that was what they were going to give them.

"Hello, children. I am The Vision!"

"And I am the Scarlet Witch!"

"We heard that there might be some heroes needed around here, didn't we, Scarlet Witch?" Vision grinned.

"Yes. Who called for a Hero?" Wanda smiled as a few kids raised their hands. Things seemed to be going well. --

Wanda got right into her 'character', although of course, since the Scarlet Witch was an idealised version of herself, there wasn't necessarily much 'character' to get into. And she and Vision meshed perfectly, bouncing off of each other.

Once their show was over, they stayed a while to chat to some of the children. Wanda felt a tug on her sleeve, and looked down to see a slightly pale dark-haired little boy in a hospital gown, dragging an IV along with him.

"Should you be out of bed, cel mic?" She asked gently.

"No, but I wanted to ask you a question."

"Well, let's get you back to bed and I'll see if I can answer it for you."

"Okay.." The boy pointed out his bed, and Wanda took his hand to lead him back towards it. "Are you really a superhero, Miss?"

"Well.." Wanda chuckled, thinking for a moment before answering, "I am Today.." --

Vision watched fondly, his heart warmed, as Wanda gently lifted the frail child back into bed. One of the Nurses tapped his shoulder.

"Hey, the Scarlet Witch was great! Can we book her officially for next time? It's nice for the girls to have a hero too.."

"I'll have to check on that one" Vision chuckled "Wanda.. The Scarlet Witch.. doesn't actually do this full time."

"Really?" The nurse sounded surprised. "She's so good with the kids.."

"Yes, she is.." Vision looked to Wanda again, his gaze softening. Even though this was something he already knew about her, he still found himself falling in love with her just a little more.

[calucadu]

The Camping Trip, a Boku no Hero Academia/My Hero Academia One Shot.

This is my piece for the @summerexplosionzine! I love going camping and I couldn’t this year so at least I still got the chance to experience it by writing this. I had so much fun writing it and I'm actually really proud and happy with the result! I hope you like it too ❤ It's a free zine full of incredible content and vibrant colours and I really recommend downloading it!

Summary: Kirishima, Bakugou and Uraraka go on a camping trip together!

Pairings: Bakugou Katsuki/Kirishima Eijirou/Uraraka Ochako, Bakugou Katsuki/Kirishima Eijirou, Kirishima Eijirou/Uraraka Ochako, Bakugou Katsuki/Uraraka Ochako

Characters: Bakugou Katsuki, Kirishima Eijirou, Uraraka Ochako.

Rating: Teen and up

Read on AO3

Or read below the cut

I feel like a little kid again as I kick my legs, enjoying being driven around. I’m in the back seat of Eijirou’s car, and he’s taking us to the campsite where we’re going to be spending the next day and night. We weren’t able to get more time off work, unfortunately, but I’m still looking forward to our small trip.

Since the redhead is driving, he has total control of the music being played. He brought a mixtape he’d made and is now blasting it at full volume while tapping his fingers against the steering wheel to the rhythm of the songs I know he picked for us. I know this because the first one that starts playing is Katsuki’s favourite.

The blond, who called shotgun weeks before our trip, gives an exasperated sigh as he looks at Eijirou before snorting and rolling his eyes. The redhead excitedly slaps his arm, trying to verbally encourage him to sing along with him. The other just looks away, hiding his mouth with his hand, which I know he’s doing because he’s trying to pretend he’s not actually smiling. I squeal, watching as his reflection blushes.

The next song that starts playing is a soft piano melody. The redhead adjusts his rear-view mirror to look at me cheekily before nudging Kat again.

“Hey, sing this one with me.”

“Hell no! This is one of those romantic slow ones. I ain’t singing shit.”

Ei chuckles, but clutches his heart dramatically, belting out the first few words of the lyrics. The blond groans audibly and shakes his head as he feigns having lost interest. The redhead persists, tilting his head towards Katsuki when traffic allows him to and singing romantically to our boyfriend.

“Shove off!” Comes his answer, pushing the other away gently.

Eijirou laughs just as the melody slows down again but continues intoning. “And you’re my sun and my moon, you’re my stars” I croon with it, since I know the song well. The redhead lifts his gaze and our eyes interlock through the reflection in the rear-view mirror. He smiles at me and I feel my heart swell in my chest.

The ballad ends with Katsuki threatening to go back home the moment we arrive if Eijirou plays another romantic song. The latter chuckles but puts another one of the blond’s favourites on to lighten the mood.

The rest of the drive goes by quickly enough. It’s not far anyway, and since it’s not a holiday there’s not much traffic. I spot the sign for the campsite when we’re still on the highway and I immediately start bouncing up and down in my seat excitedly. I’ve never been camping before, and if I recall correctly, neither has Eijirou. We both know Katsuki used to do it a lot with his parents when he was small, and when the redhead decided to surprise him with this nostalgia trip, neither of us missed the glint of happiness in the blond’s eyes. We knew just how important camping and hiking is for our little hothead, and how much he enjoys doing these sorts of things, so we planned this holiday for him. He helped us with the details of it, since he’s the one with experience, but now I’m as excited for the trip as he is. I know he worked hard on it so we could enjoy our first time and I’m very proud of him.

The campsite is gorgeous! The entrance is in the middle of the forest, but there’s a giant sign at the entryway, like in a film. I gape at the parked caravans in amazement as we drive by them. There are also cabins, but we drive past them as well, since we’re heading over to the area reserved for tents. They give you a spot in the middle of the woods and you can park your vehicle there. There are plenty of trees surrounding our section, isolating us from any potential neighbours – although they seem pretty far away so they won’t be much of a problem – and giving us a lot of shade.

The first thing Katsuki does when we arrive is set up his hammock. He lies on it as he watches us struggle to pitch the tent, smiling smugly and boasting about how easy his job was.

“You’re helping with this too!” Ei counters, going over the instructions again. He frowns as he reads. “After all, you’re supposed to be the one that’s good at this sort of thing.”

The canvas is a small four-person dome tent that was the Bakugous until their son decided to take off with it a couple years ago. It’s a bit battered and old because they used it a lot when Katsuki was younger and they took him on camping trips. It’s got a few holes here and there, but it still works perfectly. It’s not really visually appealing, since it’s a creamy sort of colour, but it’s supposed to be functional and practical, not pretty. It seems relatively easy to set up, even though both Eijirou and I are having trouble figuring it out.

Katsuki grumbles and hops off from the hammock, going over to us in two strides and extending his hand to ask for the instructions. The redhead clicks his tongue, frowning slightly as he gives them to him.

Turns out that even the blond finds setting the tent harder than he thought. He complains that it’s been a while since he last used it, and even then, he’d been a child and didn’t recall helping his parents, to which Eijirou remarks a low ‘what a surprise’ that Katsuki outright ignores. I manage to calm him down by pressing my lips lightly to his, and he immediately gets his act together, picking up the poles and instructing us on what to do.

We end up setting it up pretty quickly after that. It isn’t perfect – especially on my side, I don’t think I pulled the corner guyline as far as it could go, and I didn’t have enough force to put the pegs in properly – but it’ll do. Ei makes it steadier by hammering my loose pegs into the ground a bit better and then he smiles at me proudly.

“I knew we could do it!” He announces, tying the door flaps to the side neatly so the mesh entryway is open.

“Don’t do that, you’re going to let the bloody spiders in.” Katsuki scolds, coming over to quickly undo his knots.

Eijirou huffs, rolling his eyes lightly. “Whatever you say.”

“Of course it’s whatever I say. I’m the one with the experience.”

I stop their stupid bickering by asking them if they want to eat, which they gladly prefer to do. Lunch consists of the sandwiches we brought. We all made different types to share with each other, sort of like in a picnic. Katsuki eats his in his hammock, gently rocking himself in the shade. Ei tries to get him out of it – I suspect so he can have his turn – but the blond won’t budge. I eat my tuna fish, mayonnaise and sweetcorn sandwich sitting in the front seat of the car, fiddling with the radio while they’re distracted squabbling.

I feel so content just by listening to a low song play, the musical notes intermixing with the various sounds of nature. I can hear some insects buzzing in the background, and instead of finding it creepy or disgusting like always, I think it’s interesting. My eyes roam over the leaf shaped shades dancing on my legs as I dangle them out of the seat. Everything’s perfect.

We head out for our walk after lunch but not before Eijirou’s finished fussing about us. He always does this, and while I should probably be annoyed about it, it honestly makes my heart swell that he’s there to take care of us in his own way.

Kat and I are prone to getting sunburnt. Ei, on the other hand, easily tans. It’s only been half a day and he’s already a lovely brownish colour, his freckles showing thanks to the sun.

He’s overprotective of us, though, especially about this. He’s the one carrying the cream and applying coat after coat of it all over our skin, tenderly reminding us that it’s for our own good.

I don’t complain; it’s fun to watch Katsuki squirm as Eijirou rubs sun cream on his nose while saying “remember what happened last year?” until the blond finally gives in and stops struggling, crossing his arms stubbornly over his chest.

And he got us hats for this trip too. Mine’s a pretty pastel pink sunhat and Katsuki’s is a rather tacky looking black cap, a skeleton on it probably with the only purpose of satisfying the blond. Ei insists we wear them before going on our walk and puts them on both of our heads after applying a generous amount of sun cream on us. He puts on his own ugly red cap and beams at us.

The redhead offers me his hand, which I of course take. He smiles at me as we stroll, watching as Katsuki quickly overtakes us, grumbling at us to hurry up.

The chirping of the birds mixed with the slight breeze rustling the leaves in the trees makes the walk all the nicer. It’s comforting to hear my other boyfriend treading hard in front of me. Kind of makes me feel like I’m not alone, that he’ll be there in case I need him. I know it’s stupid to think that, especially when I’m walking hand in hand with Ei, but I just feel complete when I’m with them.

I find that the trail is pretty simple. It’s not a long or hard walk by any means, so it’s a nice opportunity for us to relax as we enjoy nature. I amble at a leisurely pace and stop from time to time to have a better look at interesting insects and pretty plants. Eijirou sticks with me, maintaining an engaging conversation as Katsuki marches off on his own, glaring at us from time to time and complaining about how slow we are. I laugh it off because I know he’ll never really leave us behind.

My feet are a little sore by the time we get back. It’s obvious I’m not used to my mountain boots, so it’s comes as a relief when the redhead suggests we play in the little stream near the campsite.

We change into our swimming gear quickly and head over there. Ei is wearing those ridiculous lime swim trunks he likes so much. They’re flashy and tacky, but at least it makes him easier to spot when at the beach. Kat’s are a dark red, a white pattern all over them; and I’m wearing the pink and purple bikini they got me as a present for my last birthday.

It isn’t a long walk to the river, but as we make our way towards it, we cross by friendly people who wave at us and wish as a pleasant day. Eijirou and I answer back cheerly while Katsuki mumbles out a curt hello when the redhead remembers to nudge him in the ribs.

The area we finally decide to relax at is mainly in the shade, and it’s littered with big rocks. We’re far away from the families with kids and couples being all affectionate in public, so we’re in a relatively peaceful spot. I make my way over to one of the boulders and sit myself on it, taking my flipflops off to soak my sore feet in the cool water. A relieved sigh escapes my lips as the cold temperature soothes them.

The stream is nice, and the water is so clear that I can see the little insects and fish that live there play around and do their things. Sadly, their peace is violently disturbed by Ei and Kat, who jump in and start splashing around.

I would normally be annoyed, but I care too much for them to find their shenanigans anything but adorable and charming. The redhead howls in laughter as he chases the other around, trying to get him wet, but the blond is agile even in water and manages to not get drenched.

He goes over to where I am and threatens to use me as a shield. I shriek, playing along, until I have to actually cover my face because the redhead has decided that I’m worth sacrificing for the greater good.

It’s cute how they have fun. I pretend I’m above their childish playing, but I indulge myself and splash them too, which spurs them on. The three of us end up turning it into a competition to see who can wet the others the most and we scream and giggle as we run around.

We play, splash and laugh for what seems like hours until we get tired and go back to sitting on a rock big enough for the three of us. Ei intertwines our hands together and kisses me on the cheek lovingly before rubbing our noses together cutely. Kat pretends to be jealous and starts splashing him again, but the redhead laughs and pecks me on my lips before asking us if we’ve had enough.

Since I can’t feel my feet because of how cold the water is and Kat seems to be getting tired, we get out of the river and dry ourselves before heading back to the campsite. Ei talks excitedly about how lovely the day’s been and how pretty the sun is now that it’s setting as we walk, towels wrapped around our necks.

Katsuki made our dinner at home, which is a relief since by the time we get to our car and tent, the sky’s already dark. When we’d been preparing the trip, we’d gone over the equipment we would need, and found his parent’s old camping stove. He had complained bitterly about how much of a safety hazard it seemed and had forbidden Ei from even coming close to him while he was using it, if he decided to use it. Instead he’d chosen to bring a nice pasta salad that we could enjoy cold.

We take turns to grab a plate and sit in a circle this time; the hammock completely forgotten at this point. The meal is really nice, and unlike Kat’s usual cooking, it isn’t spicy. We devour it quickly and in silence, tired from all the fun we’d had all day.

After we’ve eaten and we’ve cleared the plates up, Ei picks up his guitar and sits on the ground in front of the tent. He strums his instrument, humming lightly to himself. I turn my head to watch him just as his head drops back and his eyes glance at the sky, a smile forming on his lips. He agilely moves his fingers of his left hand to form the chords he needs for his song, and immediately starts playing. His voice starts off low as he glances nervously between me and Katsuki.

Surprisingly, the blond doesn’t even click his tongue. He sits down next to him, his eyes fixed on the ground as he starts to sing along with him. It’s a song I don’t recognise, but it sounds lovely. It’s not slow but it isn’t fast paced either; the rhythm is gentle and sweet.

There’s something about the melody that raises goose bumps all over my arms and legs. It’s not a sad song, but I feel myself being moved by it nonetheless. It looks like they’re both quite fond of it, too, especially since the blond is singing along. It feels powerful for some reason I don’t understand, and, for a moment, I feel left out.

Ei and Kat are glancing at each other. They share this song and whatever memories they formed while listening to it the first few times they did. I’ve never heard it before. I don’t know anything about it.

It’s true that they started dating before they included me in their special relationship, and, sometimes, more often than not, and despite how hard they try to not make me feel like this, I feel weird. I feel like a stranger in their love. Not because they don’t love me – they do, and I know, I can tell – but because of their history together. They did so many things before I arrived that it makes me feel insecure. Like I don’t belong with them, like they’re better off without me.

I try not to let the sadness overcome me as I sit myself on the redhead’s other side. Clenching my fists against my legs I force a smile on my face and wait until they’ve finished.

“Chako.” Ei mutters, his eyes never leaving his guitar. He’s still strumming it, his movements slower and less fluid than before. “That’s the song I wrote for Katsuki. I wanted to confess to him with it.”

“But you never did.” The blond whispers.

“But I never did.” He chuckles, but it sounds dejected and wrong, like he forced himself to do it.

“It’s only ‘cause I did it first, dummy. Don’t get all sad and nostalgic on us.” Katsuki berates him, but his voice lacks his usual gruff tone, and instead just seems tired.

“Yeah. He’s right. And I ended up singing it to him a lot anyway. I don’t want you to pull that face ever again, Chako.”

“Wh… what face?” I stammer, trying to laugh it off.

“I saw you. You looked sad. I’m going to play it again, so you can listen to the lyrics.”

“Ei…” Katsuki warns him, his voice softer than before.

“But it’s okay, I wrote a song for you too.” The redhead whispers, locking his eyes with mine. The melody starts again and they both start singing.

It is about Katsuki. It never says his name, but now that I know the meaning behind it, I can tell it’s about how brave and strong he is, how he looks like he’s hard and undefeated on the outside, but he’s actually as human as the rest of us are. It speaks of how soft he is with the people he loves and how he’ll do whatever he can to make them happy, in his own way. Every word in the lyrics is beautifully arranged to make the most perfect song to describe the most perfect blond I know. Speaking of, when I manage to peel my eyes off of Eijirou, I spot tears running down Katsuki’s cheeks. He wipes them away discreetly, but we’ve already noticed the song brings out an emotion he tries to keep locked away.

The song slowly dies down and the redhead clears his throat before he starts a new one. This new melody is much more upbeat, but the lyrics are no less deep. It’s about a pretty face that doesn’t try to deceive you, because she’s as sweet as she looks; cute, simple and strong in her own way. It tells a story of how she saved two boys and how she never knew just what she meant to them. It’s beautiful, too, far prettier than I expected anything sang for me could be. Tears are rolling down my cheeks by the time the song ends. Ei is looking at me expectantly while Kat is doing his best to avert his eyes.

“We kind of wrote it together.” The redhead mutters, a small smile on his face.

“He wrote it basically. It was also his idea. I just helped.”

“You called her pretty and insisted I added that into the song.” Ei teases him, nudgingly him gently in the ribs.

“Shut up!”

I can’t help myself and start laughing, closing my eyes to try and stop the emotions bubbling out of me. The tears can’t be halted at this point, but it’s okay, because I’m smiling despite them. Before I know it, I’m being pulled into a hug, and I feel overwhelmed by their warmth and love.

When I’ve finally calmed down enough, I ask them to let me go and they do, slowly releasing me from their embrace. Kat looks at me worriedly, but I reassure him that I’m fine with a sweet smile and he ruffles my hair lovingly. Ei picks the guitar again and positions himself once more to continue playing songs. This time he sings some classics and I try to keep up to him, but I can’t remember most of the lyrics, so I just hum along when I don’t. The blond sometimes sings too, but he prefers to look up at the sky and enjoy listening to us.

I mimic Katsuki and tilt my head up. The stars look lovely in the sky tonight. There’s just something in the atmosphere that makes me feel happy, blessed to be there with them and glad to be alive. The gentle music in the background, the lovely sparkling lights, the feeling of love and friendship and being with the people you can’t live without make me feel elated. I don’t want this to end.

“Do you think it’s going to be colder later tonight?” I ask a bit later, frowning as I gaze at the dark sky. I got lost in the songs and time flew by, and now it’s a little bit chilly.

Ei sets his guitar aside before moving closer to me and wrapping an arm over my shoulders. He pulls me in tightly, nuzzling me against his broad chest. “You’re not cold, are you?” He asks, worriedly.

I snuggle closer to him and shake my head. “I’m fine like this.”

“Good!” He hugs me closer to himself, and even invites Kat into the embrace as he whispers: “I’m having the best day!”

It doesn’t take us much longer to crawl into the tent. We’re tired and I can feel my own eyes closing. Once inside, we spread out our sleeping bags and mats, trying to decide how to lay them and where to sleep.

Katsu’s looking at his dark blue sleeping bag in disgust, pondering something. When he finally gives in to his thoughts, he sighs, letting it drop onto his lap.

“It’s going to be hot tonight. In the tent I mean.” He mutters, calmly.

Ei looks up at him, frowning. “So?”

“So, we won’t need these.” He answers back, sounding exasperated.

“What if it gets colder later on?” I ask, unzipping my red one.

The blond grumbles something under his breath before he picks his sleeping bag again and tosses it to me. I just look at him, watching as his eyebrows frown and his lip curls slightly.

“Just… fucking… understand me already or whatever.”

Ei laughs gently, crawling over to the other.

“You okay there, bud?”

“I… just… look. Let’s just sleep together.”

The redhead pulls away and looks at me with his ‘adoring Katsuki’ face. “He wants us to open the sleeping bags and use them like blankets.” He coos lovingly.

“Oh my god, that’s adorable! He’s so cute!”

“He is!”

“Shut up. I can hear you perfectly and it’s creepy.”

“You want to sleep with us so much, Katsuki?”

“Stop talking like that or I’ll change my mind!”

“Okay, okay!” I whisper, unzipping my sleeping bag completely and spreading it. “Let’s do it!”

“Alright!” Ei enthusiastically nearly yells as he forcefully unzips his. Kat does his very unenthusiastically, and still blushing. He avoids looking at us as he lies down next to me and spreads his sleeping bag over me.

“Wait.” I say, pulling his down a little bit and taking a closer look at it. “We could zip them together.”

“That’d be so cool! But is it possible with our sleeping bags?” Kiri asks, searching for his zipper.

It turns out it’s very possible and we link all of them together to form a blanket of sorts. Katsuki pushes me back so that I’m lying in the middle and tells Eijirou to hug me too. The redhead smiles and snuggles up to me, wrapping his arms around my waist, pulling me towards him just slightly. The other grunts as I’m taken away from him but gets up just slightly to kiss me on the mouth and wish me a good night. He presses his lips to Eijirou’s too and turns the light off before going back to my side, where his arm goes to join the redhead’s at my waist.

Honestly, I’ve never been happier.

[artificialqueens]

Five Times People Caught Adore & Bianca: Behind the Scenes (Biadore) - doctor bitchcraftt

Companion to the full Five Times People Caught Adore & Bianca, explaining what the two of them were *really* up to when they were discovered.

Read the original stories: Season six, Courtney Act, Michelle Visage, Shangela, Alyssa Edwards

A/N: As the situations and explanations grew continuously more ridiculous, the explanations had to be almost completely mundane.  Let me know if you’d like to see me write these for Courtney and Michelle’s chapters.  Xoxoxoxo, bitchcraftt

********

Black and White Drama - Season Six

Walking back into the workroom, Bianca took one look at the confab taking place in the corner and made a neat 90-degree turn to her alcove instead.  While she wouldn’t mind talking with Darienne and DeLa, the last thing she wanted to deal with was the oncoming bout of drama Laganja was doubtless going to stir up.

The rhinestoned evening gloves went back into their mesh bag, followed by her bracelet and heavy earrings, then her wig separated back into sections (most definitely not thrown into a pile like some of the other queens).  Rubbing the indent on her shoulder, she unclipped the oversized sculpted bow, leaving her in just the bodice and ballgown skirt.

A quick glance around didn’t produce anyone who could help her out of the gown.  All of the other girls were still across the room focused on the lipsync surprise.  Adore was the only other one in the process of de-dragging, but it looked like she was too busy untucking to bother.

Bianca pulled the stuffing out of her bra cups before sucking in and twisting her arms to reach for the hooks and zipper.  The bodice came undone with a bit of effort and she started in on the skirt.  After hours on stage and in the lounge, she would be more than happy to have its weight off her padded hips.

The zipper slid down a couple of inches before getting stuck, and she rolled her eyes.  Of course.

Turning her back to the mirror, she could see where the zipper was hung up on the crinoline hoop.  She lifted the entire skirt far enough to slide her fingers under the catch, hoping to work it loose by feel.  It seemed to be snagged on several layers of fabric, which meant she was probably going to need help to avoid ripping any seams.

“Well shit,” she muttered, hiking up the skirt again to give it another try.  

She repeated the process again; this time when the zipper came back up, it caught on part of her corset lacing.  Giving a frustrated tug only resulted in pulling the lacing further, cord caught between the zipper teeth and hoop casing.  The sudden constriction surprised her into to dropping the skirt, its momentum yanking things even tighter.

Bianca gritted her teeth and made another attempt at getting free, but everything was too tangled at that point.  

“Ah…” Her voice came out thin and breathy.  Cursing silently, she leaned out to see if Laganja was done with her moment.

Nope.  Maybe Satan was actually here today.

Instead of wasting air to yell, she grabbed the nearest small object (a box of bobby pins) and lobbed it across room.  It bounced off Adore’s back and she jumped in surprise, looking left and right, but didn’t turn around.

The next thing to hand was a large sequined flower, which tangled itself in Adore’s wig.  She finally looked in her direction in confusion before responding to the urgent ‘come here’ gestures, tights halfway down her legs.

”Why’s your neck all blotchy and stuff?”

Even in her current predicament, Bianca had to fight the urge to roll her eyes.  

“ ‘M stuck,” she gritted out, pointing at her lower back and trying to stay calm.  Never let a bitch see you sweat.  “Can’t breathe.”

Adore immediately reached for a pair of scissors, but Bianca shook her head.  Comprehension dawned (thankfully) and Adore stepped behind her, trying to untangle the snag but only succeeding in making it worse still.  Bianca groaned, then grabbed her arm and lifted the front of the skirt.

”Hoop’s caught…underneath.”  

Adore dropped to her knees in front of her, frowning before sticking her head under the skirt, pushing aside layers of tulle until her hands met at the bottom of Bianca’s corset.  

Bianca's ears were starting to ring, and she dropped the skirt to grab Adore’s shoulders for support, breathing in shallow pants.  Sweat dripped from her hairline, and she really hoped that the skirt wouldn’t require a repair job.  

”Oh god, hurry up,” she forced out.  There was no way she was going to create reality tv drama by passing out on camera - particularly when the operators were all too busy filming in the corner to notice.  So much for safety on set.

“Think I’ve got it?” Adore’s voice was muffled by tulle and organza.  Whatever she did next loosened things enough for Bianca to draw in a little more air.

”Yes, almost there…I can feel it.  Watch the teeth,” she added as Adore tugged on the zipper.

“Chill, girl,” came the response from somewhere near her right hip, “I know how to use one.”

The tension in her corset eased all at once, and she heaved a huge breath.   Considering how little she knew about dress construction, Bianca had to give Adore credit for persistence (and not calling the other girls over to laugh).      

Right as the skirt came loose accompanied by a wave of relief (or maybe that was the blood rushing back into her midsection?), Laganja, DeLa, Darienne, and Joslyn tumbled to the floor less than ten feet away with a loud exclamation.  

Bianca really didn’t want to ask.

********

My name is Adore Delano and I’m a messy slut  - Shangela

The door swung shut after Katya, who called out something in Russian and was off in a cloud of blonde hair and eyeball-printed polyester, following Violet, Detox, and Alyssa.

Bianca added a couple more pins to make sure her wig was secure and gave it a last blast of hairspray, eyeing the arrangement of curls with a critical eye.  Beside her, Adore was frowning into the mirror as she dug into her bag of lipsticks.  Several tubes were laid out alongside opened lip liners, but she tossed the last one down with a groan.

”Something wrong?”  Bianca spoke around the bobby pin between her teeth.

”None of these are right.“

Once she could see the other side of Adore’s face, Bianca paused to take in the whole picture.  A series of roughly oval shaped blotches of lipstick covered the side of her neck, in no apparent pattern.  Combined with her red-smeared mouth, she looked like a vampire movie gone wrong.

”Crime scene realness?”

Adore slumped even further in her chair.  

“See, I had this idea for photos.  Like how I’m always saying I’m a messy slut?”

”…right.”  She raised an intrigued eyebrow, not sure where this was going.

”I wanted to make it look like the morning after.  You know, one of those nights you wake up after and don’t remember what happened until you look in the mirror?”

Bianca considered her glum expression in silence for a minute before giving into the urge to try and make her smile instead.  

“Want me to give it a shot?”

Receiving a shrug in response, she grabbed a makeup wipe and reached for a lip liner.  Unfortunately, a few minutes of experimenting with different colors and products left them with only marginally better results.

“None of it looks real enough,” she admitted reluctantly.  “Too bad Katya isn’t here, she’d probably bite your neck for free if you asked.”

Adore paused in scrubbing her neck clean for the fifth time.

”I dunno if the lipstick would show up anyway.  Guess I’ll have to do something else.”

Bianca hated the look of defeat, no matter the cause.  The colors all went on well enough, but it seemed impossible to reproduce the distinctive lip-print texture.  

“Hang on.  What if - let me see -”

She reached out to steady Adore’s chin, dusting her neck with loose powder to create an even surface.  Applying a fresh layer of lipstick, she leaned in and quickly pressed her lips to the freshly powdered skin, ignoring the bitter taste of makeup mixed with remover.

Adore eyed the results in the mirror and perked up. “Huh.”  

”Not bad, actually.”  Bianca had to admit it looked far better than their best attempts at drawing.

”Looks real.  I mean it is real, just it shows up pretty well.”

Bianca nodded and scrutinized her own face, checking for smudges.

“You know…”

”What?”

”Wanna do the rest?”

“Seriously, queen?"  Bianca fixed her eyes on Adore’s best hopefully innocent expression in the mirror.  "The things I do for you.”

Several coats of lipstick later, Adore’s neck was decorated with enough red lip prints that it resembled a Valentine’s Day card.

”That good?”  At this rate, she would have to redo her lip liner.  Again.  

”It needs more, but I dunno how to make it scream ‘messy slut’ to the camera.”

”I thought that would be obvious without the makeup.”

”Fuck all the way off. Although,” Adore tilted her head in a way that usually spelled trouble, “what about hickeys?”

“For real?  I swear I’m gonna go get Katya.”    

“Please B?  Just pretend I’m-“

“Finish that sentence and I really will cut up your wigs.”  

Bianca gave her a dead eye stare, receiving only a pleading pout in response.  

"Fine.  Up,” she pointed at the vanity table, “if I’m doing this right, I can’t lean down that far.”

“You’re the best, B!”

With one more long-suffering huff, she picked a spot over Adore’s collarbone and pressed an open-mouthed kiss onto the skin.  Deliberately not thinking about what it would look like if anyone walked in, Bianca bit down carefully.

Half a second later, she reeled backwards, stars exploding behind her eyes.

“What the fuck?"  Bianca gingerly touched the bridge of her nose where it had collided with Adore’s shoulder when she flinched.

"Sorry!"  Adore sounded simultaneously apologetic and trying to fight off giggles.  "That tickled bad.  Promise I won’t do it again.”

Gripping Adore’s arms firmly to anchor herself, Bianca leaned back in.

“Try not to break my nose this time?”

“Can’t help it, it’s a big target.”

“You’re lucky I love you, bitch, because this is just weird.”

********

The Naked Truth - Alyssa Edwards

Bianca didn’t so much wake up as be bludgeoned into consciousness by the headache.  She might have been able to ignore her throbbing temples if they hadn’t been accompanied by the feeling of her brain sloshing around inside of her head.  Her chest felt horribly heavy, and the sheets might as well be a sauna.

There was a reason she liked to stick to wine.  This felt like the mother of all hard alcohol hangovers.

Opening her eyes didn’t help much, because all she could see was a mass of dark hair that seemed to be covering her entire face.  Last night was a slightly blank spot, and Bianca closed her eyes again and tried very hard not to move.

Did she pass out before de-dragging?  It didn’t happen often these days, but it was always a possibility.  That might explain why she was having trouble breathing, except the constriction stretched unevenly from just under her collarbone on the right down across both hips.  

A low groan directly into her ear made her flinch hard enough that her head started spinning.  

Shit.

What was most definitely not a corset resolved itself into an arm and leg rather effectively pinning her in place, at least until the hangover wore off enough that she could pry the limbs off.  

Bianca tried to turn her head to see who might be sharing her bed, feeling stubble brushing against her cheek.

At least it probably wasn’t a woman.  That would be even more awkward.

Whoever it was had their face pressed against her shoulder, breath fanning hot over her throat.  Another groan that sounded more alert was followed by lips pressing purposefully up the side of her neck and the hand starting to slide teasingly across her ribs.

Great.  A morning sex person.  After whatever night she’d had, that was firmly off the table.

Bianca glanced down her own body and silently thanked whatever deity watched over drag queens as the MEOW tattooed on the hand currently roaming her torso swam into focus.

Identity panic resolved, Bianca set about trying to get free.

”Ahh-“ The name caught in her dry throat, and she tried again.

”Adore.”

”Mmmmm….whuh?”  Adore nuzzled the skin behind her ear.

”Do you mind?”

The fingers stopped mid-caress, and Bianca relaxed when the lips pulled away from her neck.  She’d tease Adore about mistaking her for trade after the hangover wore off.  

“Sorry.”

Her sense of relief vanished as she suddenly became aware of two things.  

One, Adore was naked.  That in itself wasn’t an unusual state of being, although she always wore at least underwear to bed if they were sharing.  

Two, and more distressingly, Bianca realized that she was too.

Frozen in place, she met sleepy green eyes with a look of dawning panic as Adore pushed herself up on one arm and raised the other hand to her face.  Glancing down their bare bodies, she voiced Bianca’s sentiments perfectly.

”Oh fuck.”

****

Being a drag queen meant viewing your sisters in various states of undress with the same disinterest as when they were clothed.  The ABCD shared dressing rooms often enough that most of the time, no one even bothered to go into the bathroom to tuck, and Adore was notoriously unselfconscious about standing around in a skimpy thong or nothing at all.  

A drunk Adore was handsy and flirtatious, and being drunk with Bianca tended to erase their already barely existent sense of personal space.  They’d fallen asleep together countless times over the years in any number of locations (tour buses, taxis, Courtney’s living room floor), to the point that waking up tangled around each other was the closest thing to normal.

None of that made waking up naked in bed together any less awkward.

Bianca yanked the sheets around her waist as Adore scrambled back with what was probably an identical expression of shock.

”Ummmm.”

Adore frowned around the pillow she had clutched to her chest.  One eye still had a mostly intact winged liner and streaks of dried melted mascara ran down her other cheek.  Bianca turned to her own reflection in the mirror above the desk, cringing when it revealed actual raccoon-like eyes from the mess of dark eyeshadow smeared up her forehead.

They stared at each other for a few seconds longer, until Bianca thought she could keep her voice steady.

“Do you remember last night?”

“Uhhh…we did a show.  At that club?"  Adore moved the pillow to her lap and tilted her head in thought.

”…yeah.  After that,“ Bianca groaned.  "Also, where the hell are our clothes?”

“Oh.  Here?” She leaned across to the other bed, lifting a pile of pleather and mesh that squelched unappealingly, water dripping onto the carpet.  “Think yours is over there?”

The sequined mini dress she’d worn to perform in was laid on a towel across the table next to the sections of her wig, tights draped over the back of one of the chairs.  She lifted the dress, ignoring the cold air hitting sensitive body parts.

“B?"  Adore had come around the bed and was standing on the other side of the table, wringing water into the wastebasket. “What are you doing?”

Bianca raised her head from sniffing at the dress fabric.  “Smells like bleach.”

“Is it cum?”

“For fuck’s sake Delano, how much cum would it take to soak an entire dress?  I’m not that much of a whore.  And it looks like water.”

“…actually, mine does too.  And I am that slut.”

“Not helpful.”

Her heels were underneath the chair, one on its side and slightly damp.  The other was upright with a small puddle of water still inside, the smell even stronger than her dress.

Sitting back down on the bed, Bianca felt more pieces slide together in her brain with an almost audible click.

“Alyssa bought us shots.  We walked back after, pretty sure we weren’t breaking any public decency laws.”

“Being naked is natural.  People are uptight.”

“Still not helping."  

"Ummmm.” Adore paused with her tongue poking out of the side of her mouth.  On anyone else, it would have looked ridiculous.

“Hey, I remember!  There were hot guys in the pool.”

“…chlorine.”

“Oh.  Oh!  Right.”

“Bet you went in fully dressed.”

Adore fumbled on the other nightstand for her phone, scrolling to the camera roll, then burst out laughing.

Bianca snatched it from her unresisting fingers and blinked in surprise.  The last photo was a selfie, with a grinning Adore in a sopping wet wig, makeup running down her face.  Next to her, a much less amused and equally waterlogged Bianca, normal pouf of curls hanging limp across her shoulder and eyelashes missing.

“I’m not going to ask how I ended up in the pool, but I’m willing to bet it’s your fault.”

“Hey!  That’s not fair.”

“It’s usually your fault.”

“…true.”

Someone knocked on the door, startling them both.  Bianca checked the clock - 10:30 am.  Probably one of the other queens wondering where they were.

Alyssa’s voice came through the door, loud and clear, and she sighed.  Shifting, she checked for something to put on, but other than the still-wet drag, there didn’t seem to be anything else to hand.  The knocking became more insistent, and Bianca called back a reply.

She looked at Adore, who shrugged and stood up to start digging in her suitcase.

“Great,” Bianca muttered, grabbing a pillow off the bed.  “the Haus of Edwards is going to have a field day over this.”

[multiversal-archive]

((Hello guys, I have some hot fuckin’ tea, and it’s about Yamcha. Come join the tea party and take a sip, babes.

Alright, so for context, there was conversation on @dragon-ball-meta [sorry if you think it’s weird to be tagged in a random rp blog’s post I will delete it from the post if you want me to-] about the potential of a pairing between Android Eighteen and Yamcha, the majority  agreeing that the pairing really didn’t make a lot of sense. No big deal, right?

Then comes one user, I will not name them because I don’t want to turn this into a witch hunt, who basically argued “IT DOESN’T WORK BECAUSE YAMCHA IS SEXIST TRASH”

And it. Really annoyed me, you know? Especially since there seems to be this trend of shitting on Yamcha for dumb or made up reasons.

And if you know me, you know that I can’t stand people shitting on him and Krillin.

Now, Dragon Ball Meta has done a good job in rebutting against their arguments, but I wish to make a response of my own, since this character assassination has been going on for years, and I think it’s time to stop.

Fuck your memes, the only valid Yamcha meme anymore is Yamcha juggling turtle shells.

Now before I start, I’d like to preface a few things.

First, no, I do not ship Eighteen and Yamcha. Not only because of the context that Dragon Ball Meta has pointed out, but because their general characters would really make the ship make no sense. Yamcha’s fear of girls would really not mesh well with Eighteen’s ‘spit it out’ kinda attitude. Not to mention, as much as I like Bulcha, Bulma is proof that bossy women just aren’t the best match for Yamcha. He’s too passive to make the relationship work. Yamcha is so afraid of getting dumped that he just nervously accepts that she’s right, and sometimes your partner needs to be told that they’re wrong. And while Eighteen is quieter, she’s kinda bossy too. So no, I don’t see this ship working, with or without Krillin.

Second, just so there’s no mistake, no, this is not me arguing against Dragon Ball Meta. I might elaborate, or even correct him on a few things on the subject, but in general, I agree with his assessment of Yamcha’s character. This is a response to one of the users that reblogged his post. Please do not think for a second I’m trying to start beef or anything.

Also, the person will not be name dropped because one, again, no witch hunt, and two, this is unfortunately an opinion of Yamcha that the majority of the fanbase seems to hold. So I will be arguing them all to fuck.

And if you find out who it is by going to DBM’s blog, do not, I repeat, do not harass them. If you do, I will block you. No exceptions! I don’t care if you’re following me, I don’t care if you like my writing and my characterization, I don’t even care if we’re mutuals. If you harass someone over works of fiction, you’re fucking dead to me.

Third, I know that being a Yamcha roleplayer might make me biased, but believe me, in order to write for this character, I had to do a fuck ton of research, especially since I’m actually relatively new to the series [I fuckin started binge watching it last year from Dragon Ball to Dragon Ball Super, still debating on watching GT], reading up on anything that I missed so that I can stay as true to his character as possible.

That being said, the research I’ve done on this series and this character is why I think the notion of Yamcha being sexist, a cheater, etc. is erroneous.

Now, Let’s begin.

You really don’t bring up a lot of points, your main ones being one, he sees girls as objects and not people, and two, he cheated on Bulma [ah that classic misconception among fans], So I will shoot them down one at a time.

One; You claim that Yamcha is sexist, that he sees girls as objects and things to be exploited.

... When?

No, I mean it, give me one fucking example. You made the claim, the burden of proof is on you, as the one making the argument. I’ll even provide links that let you view the mangas and animes for free so you can point me to one manga panel, one episode with the time that it happens. Give me one example, and I might, might, take that claim seriously.

You also say that he feels justified in his fear and distrust of women, so he’s sexist.

Uhm....? No??? You’re right that he’s afraid of women, but distrustful??? The fuck did that come from?

Oh, but you might zone in on the fear and be like, “That’s proof enough that he’s sexist!”

Uuuuuhhhhh no.

See, fear can mean different things depending on what it’s bred by. With things such as homophobia, transphobia, and, yes, sexism, those are fears bred by hate.

In Yamcha’s case, it’s clear that that’s not his case of fear. Not only does he express his want to get over his fear so he can talk to a girl without freezing up or being a blabbering mess, hence his motivation for trying to steal the Dragon Balls from Goku and the others, but the other characters’ outright point out that he’s shy. On numerous occasions. Usually by Bulma, but still.

Not to mention that usually his reactions to being around a girl or being flirted with by one, it’s usually very anxious, leaving me to believe that he’s got some sort of social anxiety going on.

If you need proof, look no further than episode six of Dragon Ball “Keep an Eye on the Dragon Balls”, where it shows various instances of Yamcha going into panic attacks over Bulma, even going into an outright catatonic state when he realizes he accidentally grabbed Bulma’s boob. [which also discredits the notion of Yamcha seeing girls like objects, as he’s constantly horrified of seeing and touching a naked girl. If he saw girls as objects, he would have been creeping on her all to hell.]

The only reason he got over his fear with Bulma is because her safety was in jeopardy, and he had to put his fear aside to protect her. Once again, this discredits the idea of him seeing women as beneath him, as well as your other point, which I will get to in a while.

“But why is he only like that with girls?” you might ask. Well, not only is there several real life examples of boys being too shy around girls and feeling more at home with talking to boys, Yamcha has expressed wanting to get married one day. And as someone with social anxiety myself, I do find it very hard to approach people IRL because I’m afraid of being judged, if it makes sense. So it’s very easy to argue that the same could apply to Yamcha, just with girls his age.

Two; Your argument is that he cheated on Bulma and that in general, any ship with him would be abusive.

Uhm??? The only source for the cheating issue was Trunks, who got it from his mother... Who’s known to misunderstand situations Yamcha finds himself in as him cheating. Who’s known to get jealous if a girl shows interest in him, not him showing interest in the girl, but the girl showing interest in him.

Not to mention, does this look like someone that’s willing to cheat?

Because to me this looks more like someone that takes his relationship with Bulma seriously and wants to take it further. And remember, the only prompting was Goku telling Bulma to “take care of the baby” with no context.

Oh, also here’s the link to the manga page so you know I’m not bullshitting.

Oh, what’s that? You’re going to bring up the episode in Dragon Ball Z where it shows him as a baseball player? Where not only were they broken up at the time when he asked someone to go on a date with him and was talking with another girl, but the entire episode was also filler? Once again, think back to his shyness. Even Toriyama confirmed that it’s always going to be there.

“Oh but then you’ll have to say all the fun stuff like Chichi making Goku learn to drive and Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu kicking the Ginyu Force’s ass.” you may say.

I mean. Yeah. It’s not canon. But unless it’s deconfirmed by Toriyama himself or doesn’t contradict established characterization, then we can still imagine that they happened. Most of the filler are things happening during timeskips anyways, or just don’t happen during the main story, so it’s really up to the imagination what all happened, and Toei did just that.

You also claim that Yamcha behaves like a fuckboi, to which I have to say bitch where?

Yeah, he was a bit annoyed that Bulma had Vegeta’s child, but that was never, I repeat, never directed at Bulma, or Trunks for that matter. In fact, by the looks of it, he was helping Bulma take care of him. It’s quite clearly directed at Vegeta.

Why?

Simply put, Yamcha’s ultimate goal was to settle down and start a family. And not only does Vegeta do that, with his ex no less, but he also just... Completely ignores them.

Can you imagine how infuriating that is, not even flaunting something they have that you don’t, but completely ignoring it like it’s nothing.

Vegeta had started this family, the family that could have been Yamcha’s, and he wasn’t even willing to take responsibility for it.

Now I’m not trying to imply that Yamcha was owed anything or that Bulma owed anyone anything. Hell, I don’t think Yamcha thought that either. I’m just trying to illustrate his mindset.

And you know what? After the Cell Games Saga, he stopped being cross with Vegeta. He’s still friendly with Bulma and Trunks, and he’s even friendly with Vegeta. Hell, when Bulla was born, he was excited to meet her.

Pretty sure if he were a fuckboy, he’d be trying to win Bulma back.

But no, he’s content with being friends with Bulma and her family. Because, at least I think, he cares about what she wants and what makes her happy. I think so long as she’s happy with what she has, then he’s happy too.

Does that sound like a fuckboy to you?

“Well then why did they break up? Are you saying Bulma did something wrong?”

No.

Just like in real life, sometimes break ups don’t happen because one slighted the other.

Sometimes things just don’t work out.

Think about it, throughout the series, up until the Android Arc, their relationship has been on and off, usually Bulma accusing him of cheating. And like I pointed out earlier in the post, Yamcha is just too passive to make the relationship work. If he were more assertive and willing to stand his ground and assure her that no, he’s not cheating, then maybe it would have had a better chance of working. 

I think at this point, the healthiest thing for them was that they stopped being in this relationship. For good.

And if their break up was really the result of one of them wronging each other, they would not still be friends.

So, can we end this character assassination? It’s been going on for yeas, and it needs to stop. Same with Krillin’s character assassination.

The memes may have been funny once upon a time, but they’re getting old now. And people are starting to view them as canon.

And that’s it for my tea. If you have something you wish to add or to correct me on, please be sure to share your thoughts. I’d love to know. ^^

Sorry that this is so long and probably all over the place holy fuck-))

[makotokino]

sunguard - one year

It’s mind boggling to me to realize that I’ve been back in WoW for over a year. When I left at the beginning of WoD, I was pretty certain I was never coming back. The game had lost a lot of love in my heart, partially because of personal circumstances but overall, I was burnt out. BFA’s trailer brought me back in November of 2017, and I spent some time on the outskirts until I poked my head into S.O.S. While the experience was great, I do have some mixed feelings on it now - but one thing I am grateful for is that it brought me to the Sunguard.

This past year has been an absolute boon for me in a lot of ways. Being a member in Sunguard has challenged me creatively, and looking back over my writings last year to now - I can already see an improvement. Not just in how I write, either, but how I create. I spend so much time brainstorming with stories I love, and that’s lead to so much more creativity even outside of Warcraft writing. I’ve started writing original content again, I’ve picked up painting; I’m excited to challenge myself in the future because I feel confident and creative. For someone who has struggled with creativity and especially feeling confidence in my work, this is so wonderful.

Y’all have given me a place to create and express my characters, to grow their stories. So many parts of Sanarissa - a character I’ve been writing for eight years - have grown into something more nuanced, complex, and interesting. I’ve also had the opportunity to create more characters who I love, which I’ve never really done before - being someone who focused only on my main.

So I wanted to say thanks - to everyone I communicate with, write with, and share the experience of TSG with on a daily basis. I also have a few special thank you’s because I’m a giant sap. But for now, thank y’all for this amazing year and I can’t wait for more.

The Officer Corp, with special thanks to Felth @felthier, Jess @jessipalooza, Mel @stormandozone, and Azzy @azriah: From the first moment applying to the Sunguard, the officers made me feel welcome and wanted. That was a huge thing for me. Along the way, y’all have always been supportive, attentive, and nice to talk to. Especially the four of you I mentioned, I feel like I can always come to at least one of you with questions or concerns. So thank you, for making the guild a great place for not only me but everyone else - and for always being there to answer my (sometimes) dumbass questions. Not to mention y’all inspire me so much with your work.

Tiah / @forever-afk: Tiah, you are one of the reasons I joined TSG to begin with. Between you and Thomas after S.O.S., that’s really what pushed me forward. I know we haven’t gotten to RP in a loooong time due to our own lives not meshing, but I’m still so glad Sana and Vaelrin are buddies.

Aimee / @thanidiel: I know we don’t talk super often but I am very glad to have you around to jabber at, get advice and critique from, and joke around with. Having you around during S.O.S. was a boon, and I’ve enjoyed being able to make old MG veterans memes with you sometimes. You inspire me so much to be a better writer, creator, roleplayer, dude.

Cari / @retributionpriest: So I was devastated when Lirelle died without ever really getting the chance to interact, besides like one social event with a couple sentences, because of my own Anxiete. But I am soooo so so so glad that we’ve started talking and roleplaying a little back and forth. Being able to chat with you over Elementalist stuff and the brief RP we’ve been able to do has been so fun. I look forward to so much more in the future.

Harm / @thelaughingvulture: Fave Light cultist, bar none. But honestly, Brae is such an interesting character and I love her and despite the constant Brea/Brae confusion, I am glad we’ve gotten to talk and RP more over the last few weeks. I’m SAD that Sana is a traitor again, but the interactions we are keeping were so good - plus we’ll have bards we can write, or Light nerds. I’m super excited to keep on truckin as your buddy.

Veli / @ocarina-of-what: Hi. I love you. RP with me at some point. No, but really, having gotten to know you a little bit over the past few weeks has been absolutely incredible. You’re such a gem and a darling, I love you to pieces already. I hope we get to know each other much better AND ACTUALLY GET TO RP SOON. LOVE YOU.

Matt / @captainswingbeard: Hello, I know I’m a horribly slow RP partner, but your kind words and genuine interest in my stories are so wonderful and great. I was soooo surprised when you took interest in wanting to RP with me but it’s been so fun and interesting. I love reading your stories and I’m so interested in how everything will play out for the Old Man. And I swear, I’ll reply soon (unless I already have because I wrote this ahead of time - ha!)

Larry / @trained-trainwreck: I genuinely cannot like, preface enough how much your friendship means to me. You are one of my best TSG buddies and you mean a lot to me. We are Team Southern America and that’s important to me to have someone who comes from a similar background and history that I can share my experiences with. On top of that, being able to write with you is one of my favorite things, despite us not having much time to do so. Larry and Sana’s parallels are so interesting and I’m sorry she has yet again betrayed his trust. Also, I love big murder boy and I swear, at some point, I will be able to accept your invitation to level in ESO together.

Jase / @veloestian: Hey. You mean a lot to me. I know I communicate to you in gently bullying terms a lot, but you’re a dear friend to me. I love writing with you even though I’m slow and a horrible partner. You were the first person I wrote Melori with and so much of her grew from the interactions we had early on. You help me feel better when I’m sad and you send me dumb memes and I love that. You’re a good bean and I cherish you.

Gibby / @please-respond: Bridge troll or not, you are like my brother. My horrible gremlin brother who I sometimes want to kill, but brother nonetheless. Our relationship has been based a lot more off of friendship than RP, which makes me sad sometimes - but I’m glad we’re getting to RP and write together. I love the things you create, I love the opportunities you’ve given me towards my character arc for Sana, and I’m thankful for all the advice and talks we’ve had. Thank you.

Archer / @pyrosophist: Hey. Hey Archer. Hi. You’re my favorite fetus in the universe probably. I am so, so honored and consider myself truly lucky to count you as one of my closest RP partners. Of course, I can talk about Team Fel and how much I have loved seeing them grow from enemies to tenuous allies to friends to lovers to ENEMIES AGAIN, how much their natural, organic growth has fascinated me, how much their parallels hurt my soul, how much I enjoy writing them with you and what will come of it in the future.

But there’s so much more than that. It’s become routine to just talk to you everyday, about creation and headcanons and ideas - you have such a creative energy and you inspire me by even being near you. Digging into headcanons and character work with you and throwing ideas at the wall to see what sticks has quickly become one of the highlights of my day; right alongside of planning what kind of stupid shit we can do in roll20. I even love hurling stupid pinterest posts and songs at you, it’s all part of the friendship.

Being able to share lore, ideas, AU’s, and RP with you means so much to me. You’ve made such an impact on my time in the Sunguard, and I can’t thank you for that enough. I can’t wait to see the storylines you unfold, now and in the future, and be there to experience them. Also, you always draw me wonderful things and I cry a lot.

Thomas / @jonathan-nevermore-smith: I had to save you for last, goober. From the moment we started writing together a year ago, I knew that I was in for something special. Writing Ash and Sana with you has been a rollercoaster that I have been happy to be on, even now. They mean so much to me. You’ve given me so much opportunity to revisit and grow the character that I love so much.

But it isn’t just Sana. Because of your brilliant ideas, I’ve gotten to create multiple characters that I love and adore. It was your urging that pushed me to make Melori a fully-formed, true character. It was your fanon lore that brought me Zaerise. You’ve always encouraged my ideas and thoughts, even when I thought they were extra. You’re always excited to talk with me about things - and that means so much to me.

You’ve let me take a lot of your fanon and just run with it. Being able to work out the religion, culture, and history of the Ridges - its customs and what makes it tick - has been such a fulfilling thing for me to do. Not to mention the Coven, and how much I love and adore them and all that you’ve let me do with your inkling of an idea.

You’re way more than an RP partner though. You are one of my best friends. Talking to you everyday just feels like part of the routine - always have to check in and talk with Thomas. You’ve become such a common point of reference in my life. You share my Hulu account with the real life squad. You’ve been there for me in some of my hardest points this year; you’ve listened to me cry, heard me drunk, and you’ve been there for me every moment in between.  I’m more thankful for you than I can easily put into words. So thank you, Thomas, for a year of amazing friendship and roleplay, and here’s to so many more.

[brettonio-one-chicago]

Troublemaker

This is a long overdue story.  I owe an anon reader this story.  I was requested to do prompt #16.  Sadly, I didn’t get to know which #16 it was as I have many prompt lists out there.  So, this is a Brettonio story with the following prompts:

- “I ship us.” - “Why are you always so stubborn?” “I’m not.” - “What do you have?” “Pizza rolls & Cup O’Noodles... that’s about it.  So... Popcorn?” - “Aaah... I can’t stop blushing... No... you’re not helping at all.” Please note that for the purpose of this story, Antonio and Sylvie made up and have since moved on since the incident with Laura.  They’re still together.  So without further ado... Troublemaker!

“Sylvie!”  Antonio called out as he came into the apartment.  “Babe?”  He saw her coat was hung on the hook and her boots were by the door.  He hung up his own coat and took off his shoes before going to the kitchen.

Sylvie wasn’t there.  He went to check the master bedroom and saw she wasn’t there either.  That was when he heard sounds coming Eva’s room.  He went over and could see light coming from under the door.  He leaned against the door to see if Eva was alone.

“Eva... you know that your dad’s going to eventually figure it all out.”

“I know Sylvie, but... I don’t know how to tell him.”

“It’s not going to be easy... considering it’s really big.”

Antonio had no clue what was being discussed but the feeling in the pit of his stomach told him he probably wasn’t going to like it.  He took a breath and knocked on the door.  “Sylvie?”

“Coming.”  

There was some more whispering that Antonio couldn’t make it.  He backed away from the door so that neither Eva nor Sylvie would know he wasn’t there.

“Hey.”  Sylvie opened the door and walked into the hallway.  “When did you get home?”

“Just now.”  Antonio wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.  “How was your day off?”

“Zumba... went grocery shopping... met with Gaby for lunch... picked Eva up from school... and I was just helping her with her bio homework.”

“Fun times.  Do I want to know what they’re teaching my daughter?”

“Didn’t you take biology?”  Sylvie chuckled.

“Uh... I can’t remember.”  Antonio smirked.

“Yeah... I bet.”  Sylvie poked him in the ribs.  “So... I was thinking about your offer from the other night.”

“Which one?”  Antonio batted his eyes at her, feigning innocence.

Sylvie smacked him in the chest.  “You know which one.”

Antonio sighed.  “Yeah... I remember asking you to move in with us.”

“I told you I needed time to think it over... and I did.”

“What’s your final decision?”  Antonio whispered.

“I’ll gladly move in.”  Sylvie whispered back.  “I just had to talk to Eva and Diego first... it’s their home too.”

“So, they gave their blessing?”

That was when Eva emerged from her bedroom.  “Hey, Dad.”

“Hey, kiddo.”  Antonio said.  “How was school?”

“It was okay.  I was happy to finally see Neil get kicked out of Chemistry today.”

“What did he do this time?”  Antonio asked.

“Tried to use acid to burn through his textbook.”

Antonio sighed.  He knew that this Neil kid had been a pain in almost every class that he shared with Eva.  “How long?”

“No clue.  Headmaster had him in the office the rest of the day.”  Eva shrugged.  “I got an A on my History paper... and I’m meeting with the counsellor about my college choices tomorrow.”

“Sounds like a busy day.”  Antonio was extremely proud of his daughter.  Eva had been achieving new heights since she’d moved in with him.  Sylvie had been a big help in having her adjust.  “So, anything else new?” He looked between Sylvie and Eva.

“Turns out 51 has a new thing going around for ‘ships’.”  Sylvie said.  “Weird names for them... made no sense to me.”

“They’re talking about boats?”  Antonio knew that Chief, Kelly and Matt fished often, but he was sure that none of them owned anything larger enough to be considered a ship.

“Sylvie... Dad... a ship isn’t a boat... like the traditional meaning of the word.”  Eva spoke up.

“Then what is it?”  Antonio was genuinely perplexed.  

Eva sighed.  “And people think Millennials are bad... okay, a ‘ship’ is a nickname for a couple... like ‘Brangelina’ or ‘Kimye’...” 

“So... a ‘ship’...”  Antonio used his fingers to simulate quotation marks.  “Is what people call couples as a cute thing?”

Eva rolled her eyes.  “It’s not a cute thing... it’s just a way that people talk... those tabloids started it... normal people kept it going.”

“So... what ships were they discussing at 51?”  Antonio turned to look at Sylvie.

“Well, Dawsey...”

“That’s probably Aunt Gaby & Uncle Matt.”

Sylvie nodded.  “That’s what Otis said.”

“Any others?”

“Well, there was Plouch, but that’s obviously Mouch and Trudy...”  Sylvie said.  “Then there’s the bromance going on with Otis and Cruz... they call themselves Crotis...”

“Typical bromance name.”  Eva snickered.

“There was another one, but I didn’t catch it all... probably because they froze when I came into the kitchen.”  Sylvie sighed.

“They probably have a ship name for you and Dad.”  Eva looked to her dad.  “I see it.”

“You think we’re like a celebrity couple?”  Antonio arched an eyebrow.  “Really?”

“Well, you’re way better than ‘Kimye’.”  Eva commented.  “And you’re definitely way cooler than Brangelina.”

Sylvie’s head was spinning.  “Okay, Eva... what would you call your dad and I as a ‘ship’?”

Eva thought about it for a couple minutes.  “That’s not so easy... your first names don’t mesh really well... and well, last names... people could confuse it as a team name for Aunt Gaby & Sylvie.”

“Well, how about this... you think about that while we make supper?”  Antonio proposed.

Eva nodded and headed to the kitchen.

Sylvie kissed Antonio on the cheek.  “No matter what name she comes up with, I ship us.”

Antonio groaned as the two of them made their way to the kitchen.  He was worried about whatever it was that Sylvie and Eva had been discussing in Eva’s room and now this.  He strongly suspected he may need help falling asleep tonight.  “So, what’s for dinner?”

“What do you have?”  Sylvie asked.

Antonio and Eva were going through cupboards and the fridge.  “Uh... Pizza rolls... and Cup O’Noodles... that’s about it.”

Eva held up a box of microwave popcorn.  “Popcorn?”

Sylvie groaned.  “No, no and no... we definitely are not have any of those for dinner.”  She looked at her watch.  It was too late to hit any decent market to get food.  “Okay, coats, shoes... we’ll go to my place... I left all my groceries there...”

“Why didn’t you bring them here?”  Antonio asked.

“Because I was thinking you’d actually have groceries here... and those groceries were partly for meal planning for when I’m on shift... they were going to be a surprise.”

“Oh... oops.”  Antonio said sheepishly.  “Okay... let’s hit the road.”

Once at Sylvie’s apartment, Sylvie quickly whipped up some grilled chicken with a salad.  While they ate, she heated a frozen cobbler for dessert.  After dinner, Antonio and Sylvie cleaned the dishes and Eva went to find something on Netflix.

“You okay?”  Antonio asked.

Sylvie nodded.  “Yeah.  Just long shift...”

“Let’s make some popcorn and go watch a movie.  It’ll be a good way for all of us to unwind.”

“Eva definitely needs to unwind.”  Sylvie sighed.  “She’s worried about getting into a good school... exams... prom.”

Antonio cringed at the last word.  “She’ll get into a good school.”  Antonio knew his daughter was a straight ‘A’ student and had sent in applications for every school possible as well as been applying to a multitude of grants and scholarships.  Eva didn’t know, but Antonio had been putting money aside every month since she was born to help her go to a good school.  He supported her fully in whatever she wanted to pursue.  Prom, that was another subject.  Prom meant his little girl was growing up and he’d have to see her move onto new and bigger adventures.  “I’m a little more worried about this Prom thing though.”

“Antonio, I don’t think Eva is one of those girls.”

“I’m not worried about her... I’m worried about the boys.”

“Antonio... any boy that knows Eva knows that her dad will sic the entire CPD on them if they so much as have an inappropriate thought about her.”

Antonio had to laugh.  It was true.  Almost all of Eva’s class had met Antonio  through the years when he came to do ‘Parent Day’ events at the school.  “Okay, okay.  I’ll ease up on the Prom thing... I just want her happy.  That’s all I’ve wanted for Eva and Diego.”

“You’re a great dad, Antonio.”  Sylvie nodded over to where Eva was browsing Netflix.  “You’ve got two great kids who love you.  They’re happy, but they’re always looking at you and wanting you to be happy too.”

Antonio put the popcorn in the microwave, hit start and then took Sylvie’s hand.  “I am happy.  This... us, the kids... what we have... that makes me happy.”  He sighed.  “You know... you never answered what the kids thought about us moving in together.”

“Oh.”  Sylvie snickered as she pulled the popcorn from the microwave.  “They said it was cool... they just don’t want Laura to find out.”

“I don’t blame them on that.”  Antonio held the bowl while Sylvie poured the popcorn.  “But... she’s moved on, I can too... and I have... and I will not let her come between us again.”

They went to join Eva and watching ‘Stranger Things’.

Halfway through the episode, Antonio’s phone rang.  He grabbed it from his pocket and scowled.  He left the living room and headed to the bedroom to take the call.

Eva paused the TV and looked to Sylvie.  “Work?”

Sylvie shook her head.  “Not likely... I think it’s something more close to home.”

Eva sighed and leaned against the bean bag chair that Sylvie had bought her for movie nights.  “Mom?”

Sylvie nodded slowly.  “I’m pretty sure that’s who it was.  Your dad doesn’t doesn’t usually get that grumpy, that fast for work.”

Eva groaned.  “I think movie night may be over.”

Sylvie motioned for Eva to come sit next to her.  “I know that this whole thing is tough.”

Eva leaned against Sylvie.  “There are days I wish you were my mom, Sylvie.  You listen to us... you’re fair to us... you just care.”

Sylvie had no clue what to do in this occasion.  She cared about both of Antonio’s kids and it hurt her to see them be stuck in this mess.  Antonio had explained a bunch of the things that had been going on.  She knew that Laura was fighting to not allow Diego to choose which parent he wants to live with.  He’d wanted to move in with Antonio but he was still too young according to Laura, to make that decision.  The courts however had to review the report completed by a child psychologist and all other evidence before making any determination.

Antonio came back into the living room, flustered and running his hands through his hair.  “Okay, I’m going to go pick up Diego... be back in a bit.”

Sylvie looked to him.  “At Laura’s?”

He shook his head, fists clenched.  “No... she left him on my doorstep.  A neighbour just called.”

Sylvie knew who he was talking about.  The neighbour across the hall always kept an eye out on his place and knew the Dawson kids well.  “Ah... well, we can go with you.”

“Uh, no... I think we’ll stay here tonight... maybe get a head start on your packing?”

Sylvie knew that wasn’t the real reason, but whatever it was, he didn’t want to say it in front of Eva.  “Sure.”  She turned to Eva.  “How about we pick a movie while we wait?”

Eva started browsing Netflix again while Antonio left to pick Diego up.

6 weeks after the most recent drama with Laura, Antonio and Sylvie walked into the courtroom.  They were here for the judge to rule on if Diego was old enough to decide which parent he wanted to live with and if he was old enough, the judge would listen to Diego’s choice.  Since the recent episode, Diego had spent five and half weeks with them at Antonio’s.  Laura never called Antonio to check on him until the day she showed up on their doorstep demanding Diego go home with her.  Antonio had had enough by then.  He’d called in some favours from when he worked for the State Attorney’s office.  He was tired of seeing his children being used as pawns for his ex-wife in their divorce proceedings.

Another issue that had arisen since that night was that Sylvie had officially moved in with Antonio and was fully into being the kids’ step-mom.  That had further enraged Laura, but it didn’t get to Sylvie.  She stood her ground and stood by her new little family.

Court was called to order.  The judge read the file and then spoke to Antonio and Laura’s respective lawyers.  He then looked to the seats where Antonio, Sylvie and the kids were sitting.  “Diego?”

“Yes, sir?”  Diego stood.

“Come up here, son.”

Diego walked up closer to the bench.

“Now, you are 13 correct?”

Diego nodded.  “Yes, your Honour.”

“And you’ve spoken to both your parents about how you felt?  That you wanted to choose who you wanted to spend the majority of your time with?”

Diego nodded again.  “Yes, sir.  I have.”

“How did those conversations go?”

Diego took a breath.  He wasn’t under oath, but he knew that lying to the judge wouldn’t be good.  “When I talked to my dad and his girlfriend... they said as long as I was happy, they supported my choice.”

“And your mother?”

“It wasn’t so much a talk as her yelling about how my dad was corrupting me and making me go against her.”

Laura’s attorney had to put his hand on her arm to stop her from causing a commotion.  

“Continue, Diego.”  The judge nodded.

“She didn’t want me to live with Dad because then it meant less money for her and that I was doing it to hurt her because Dad was never there for me like she was.”

“I see.”  The judge, as unbiased as he could be, scowled at Laura.  “Well... what would you like?”

“I’d like to live with my dad.  He supports me in my goals... and he always comes to tournaments and school activities if he isn’t working... and when he can’t come, Sylvie and my grandparents are there with my sister.  There’s no yelling and fighting like there used to be.  I feel like it’s a family.”

“I see.  Okay, Diego, you can go sit with them.” 

Diego came back and sat next to Eva who hugged him tightly.

“Detective Dawson.”

Antonio stood and went to stand where Diego had been.  “Yes, your Honour?”

“I understand your work, I’ve had you testify in my court before... do you feel Diego would be better at home with you and your girlfriend, with his sister?”

“I do... not because of the divorce, or because I wish to spite his mother.  I want my children happy.  I only want what’s best for them.  In the past six weeks, we’ve really grown as a family.  They’ve welcomed Sylvie with open arms.  There’s always going to be that part of my work where I may not be home because of a case, but we’ve always made it work.”

“You’ve worked out a plan with your attorney, to allow your children to spend time with their mother as well?”

“Yes, sir... they also contributed to it.  Seeing as Eva is almost 18 and Diego is a teenager, I felt it was in their best interest that they be part of the discussion.”

“I’ve read your proposal, and I feel it is very fair.”  The judge smiled.  “Thank you, Detective.”

Antonio took his seat again and squeezed Sylvie’s hand.  He was cringing to think what Laura would have to say.  To his surprise, she barely said anything, only responding ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the judge’s questions.

“We’ll take a 20 minute recess.  I’ll go over it all and provide my ruling then.”  With that he banged his gavel.

Laura stormed out the courtroom.  Sylvie looked to Antonio.  She could see the worry in his eyes.  She gently stroked his cheek.  “It’s going to be okay.”  She whispered.

Antonio sighed.  Deep down, he knew she was right, but he would have that knot in the pit of his stomach until the judge passed his ruling.  “I know... I just... I want this to be over with.”

Sylvie kissed his cheek.  “20 more minutes... then whatever happens happens and we’ll all learn to live with whatever ruling he comes back with.”

They were the longest 20 minutes in their life.  The judge returned just as Laura took her seat again.

“Now, I’ve reviewed all the information provided by both attorneys, I’ve read Eva’s testimony and heard from Diego as well as both parents.”  He looked over his glasses.  “The only person I haven’t heard from is Ms. Brett.”

Sylvie’s eyes widened.  She slowly stood.  “Me, your Honour?”

“Please.”  The judge motioned to her.

Sylvie moved to the front of the room.  They hadn’t discussed this.  She had no clue what to say.  She took a deep breath and waited.

“Now, Ms. Brett, you’re a paramedic with the CFD?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Your partner is Detective Dawson’s sister?”

Sylvie answered.  “Yes.”

“How has his family reacted to the two of you being together?”

Sylvie was confused as to what this had to do with Diego living with Antonio, but she answered none the less.  “At first, they were a little shocked... seeing that there’s quite an age gap between us... that he’d been married and had children and I never have been married.  But, time went on and people got used to it.”

“How do the children feel about it?”

“They’ve never said they’re against it, sir.”  Sylvie sighed.  “They just asked that we not break up again... that they didn’t want to see their father hurt again.”

“What caused this ‘break up’?”

Sylvie quickly looked back to Antonio before answering.  “Uh, a conflict with his ex, Laura.”

The judge looked to all parties before saying.  “Go on.”

“Laura came to the firehouse... I had picked Diego up from his grandmother’s house because Antonio had been called on a case.  We’d done it many times before and never had a problem.  That day, Diego had told Laura where he was.  She was furious that Antonio hadn’t picked him up, so she ambushed me at work.  She commented that I was blonde.  She also ranted that she didn’t want a ‘strange’ woman driving her son around.  She then went on to get upset because I’d learned to play chess so I could bond more with Diego.”

Laura stood up.  “This is pointless.”

“Sit down, or be charged with contempt.”  The judge ordered.  He looked to Sylvie.  “Please, continue.”

“Bonding with Eva was easier, she’s a teen girl and I remember what being a teenager is like.”

Laura muttered under her breath.  “That’s because you’re barely an adult.”

This earned her a glare from the judge and a loud ‘HUSH’ from her attorney.

“I wanted to have Diego feel like I cared about him and that I would be there too, if he needed me.”  Sylvie took a calming breath.  “I, by no means, want to replace their mother, but I do want to be there for them... be an shoulder to cry on, someone that can just sit and listen while they vent.  I’m not their mother and have no claim to them but I want them to be happy.”

“So I am taking that Laura isn’t happy with your current living arrangements?”

“I would say that, yes.”  Sylvie smiled.  “Antonio and I live together... have been for the last month.”

“Does your work interfere with your home life?”

“No more than it would for any other first responder.”

“Thank you, Ms. Brett.”

Sylvie quickly returned to her seat.

The judge cleared his throat.  “Now, in most situations, the law prefers that the children stay with the mother.  Eva, being almost 18, was able to decide that she wanted to live with her father.  Detective Dawson’s proposal for joint custody of Diego is very generous, and I strongly support it.  Now, why does this need to be settled in court, instead of between two attorney’s in a cushy office?”

Laura’s attorney stood.  “My client doesn’t feel it’s generous or fair.  She feels that with her ex-husband’s career and choice of new partner that Diego will not thrive.”

“Judging by what I’ve seen as evidence provided by Diego... his report cards, extra curricular activities as well as a report done by a child psychologist.  There isn’t anything in there to suggest that living with Detective Dawson and Ms. Brett, along with his sister, that Diego would not thrive.”  The judge adjusted his glasses.  “Diego himself wants to live with his father.”

“He’s just a boy, he doesn’t know what he wants.”  Laura blurted out.

“One more time...”  the judge cautioned her.  “Diego, please, for the record... do you want to live with your mother... or your father, Ms. Brett and your sister?”

“My dad, Sylvie and Eva.”  Diego answered clearly.  “I want to stay with them.”

“Then, it is my ruling that Diego will live with his father and that his mother will follow the terms in the agreement drawn up by Detective Dawson’s attorney.”

Laura just gasped.  She couldn’t believe it.

He banged the gavel one last time.  “Court is adjourned.”

Diego hugged his father tightly.  “So, I’m staying with you?”

“That’s what the judge said.”  Antonio hugged both his children.  “Let’s get out of here.”

Laura stopped them.  “When are you going to come get his things?”

“Tomorrow.”  Antonio wasn’t going to draw this out.

“When do I get him again?”

“Ask your attorney, Laura.  It’s all in the paperwork.”  He turned to leave.

Laura grabbed his arm, stopping him.  “You know she’ll never be good enough.”

Antonio pulled his arm back and motioned to Sylvie to take the kids and go to the truck.  “Laura, we’re divorced.  Done.  What I choose to do with my life and who I want to have in my life is no longer your concern.  And just because you have joint custody, it doesn’t mean you get to dictate my life anymore.  I don’t care who you date or fuck... as long as they don’t hurt my kids.  You walked out on me... just remember that.  My happiness no longer depends on you, but on myself.  So, I will be there with Diego tomorrow at 10am to pack his things.  In two weeks, he and Eva have agreed to spend the weekend with you, starting Friday after school.  If that doesn’t work for you, then you’ll have to wait until it works for them.  I won’t force my children to do anything they don’t want to.”  He turned on his heel and left, leaving Laura standing there alone.

Prom was just around the corner and Antonio was a wreck.  He knew that someone had asked Eva to go to prom with her.  He just didn’t know who and it was driving him batty.  He looked at Sylvie who was helping Eva pulled dresses from the rack to try on.  Part of him wanted to have Atwater or Halstead to do a search on who this guy could be, but he knew he had to trust Eva.

“We’re going to go try these on.”  Eva said as they walked passed him.

Antonio looked to Sylvie.  She just smiled at him.  It was then that Antonio wished Diego wasn’t at a friend’s for a sleepover.

While Eva tried on dressed, Sylvie went and sat next to Antonio.  “Everything okay?”

He nodded.  “I guess... I just... Eva’s almost done high school.”

“Antonio... you knew that that was going to happen, right?”

“Yeah... I just... I guess... I missed a lot of her growing up... being under cover a lot and all that.”

Sylvie hugged him.  “It’s going to be okay... we’re just buying a prom dress, not a wedding dress.”

Those last two words made Antonio’s eyes bulge.  “Don’t.  Even.  Go.  There.”

“Just breathe, babe.”  She squeezed his hand.

“Do you know who’s taking her to prom?”

“She didn’t say... but, babe, it’s going to be okay.  Whoever it is.”

“Hey, do you if we’ve had any mail come in the last couple days?”

“Mail?”  Sylvie shook her head.  “No.  Why?”

“Just, hasn’t been any when I go check it afterwork.”

“Maybe the kids get to it and bring it in if there is any.  They generally get home before us anyhow.”

Antonio had thought that too, but he had been expecting some papers to come in.  Maybe he’d just call to see if they’d been sent.

Eva appeared before them in one of the many gowns she was going to try on that afternoon.  “What do you think?”

“I love the colour, Eva.”  Sylvie smiled.  “Really pretty for sure.  How does it feel?”

“A bit tight.”  Eva adjusted the top of the dress.  “And I’m not sure I like the fact that the dress has no straps.”

“I’m inclined to agree, Eva.”  Antonio motioned for her to spin around.  “The neckline is a little low... and it doesn’t look like you’d be able to dance or move much without risking it falling down.”

“I’ll put it in the no pile and keep trying them on.”

3 hours later, they walked out of the store with Eva’s gown and shoes.  Sylvie would take her for jewelry a little later on.  The jewelry was going to be her gift from Sylvie and Gaby.

Once home, Eva rushed to put her things away while Antonio made supper.  Sylvie put the laundry to wash and went to see Eva.  

“Dad’s onto me?”  Eva asked.

Sylvie nodded.  “He knows the mail hasn’t been getting ‘delivered’.”

“I don’t know how to tell him.”  Eva sank into the bed.  “I don’t even know what I’m going to do.”

“You’re going to follow your heart.”  Sylvie said.  “I would suggest over dinner.”

Eva nodded as she pulled out a pile of envelopes from under her mattress.  “Thanks, Sylvie.”

“You’re welcome, Eva.”  Sylvie smiled before heading out to help Antonio finish dinner.

While they ate, Eva thought about what she would say, or how she should bring it up.  Finally, she went with the band-aid method.  She dropped her cutlery and blurted.  “Dad, I have something to tell you.”

Antonio froze mid-bite.  “Uh, okay?”  He looked to Sylvie then back to Eva as he put down his fork.

“I’m the one who’s been hiding all the mail.”  Eva’s cheeks flushed red.

“Why?”

“I... I didn’t want you to see... these.”  She pulled a pile of letters from her hoodie pocket.  She handed them to Antonio.

He took them and looked at all the return addresses.  “These... are all from universities and colleges... and they’re not exactly thin to be rejection letters.”

“No, Dad... they’re all acceptance letters.”

Antonio knew that Eva had been applying to various programs, but he didn’t realize she’d applied to this many.  “How many schools did you apply to?”

“As many as I could.”  Eva replied.  “Ms. Jones, the guidance counsellor... she said the more options the better.”

“Did she say to apply to every university in the whole country?”

“No.”  Eva laughed.  “I just applied to the ones that had programs that really interested me.”

“Which are?”

“Law or medicine.”  Eva blushed.  “I thought about teaching, but after shadowing a few teachers at school, realized that’s not what I wanted.  You need to be a special kind of person to be a teacher... I don’t think I have the patience.”

“So you want to be a lawyer?”  Antonio arched an eyebrow.

“Maybe... or a doctor.  Maybe a nurse?”  Eva sighed.  “I don’t know yet.  I was thinking doing a year of general studies to figure out what my real calling is.”

Antonio thumbed through the envelopes.  While there was great pride in the schools who wanted to have Eva study there, part of him ached knowing that some of them were clear across the country.  “Eva, some of these are Ivy League schools.”

“I know.”  Eva said.  “I... I didn’t think I’d be good enough for them... I didn’t think I’d get in.”

“Eva, you underestimate yourself.”  Antonio and Sylvie said together.

Eva laughed.  “You two definitely are a ship.”

Antonio, ignoring the quip, asked.  “Which school do you want to go to?”  He handed her all the letters.

“I’m really torn between Northwestern and the University of Chicago.”

“Not Harvard... or Stanford?”

“I... I don’t know, Dad... it would be cool to have a degree from them, but... I want to stay closer to home.  Both schools here are really good... some of the best of the world.”

“You don’t want to just stay here because you feel like you have to, do you?”

“At first, a little... but then I see what you, Sylvie, Tia Gaby and everyone else does to make Chicago a better place... I want to do that to.”  She smiled.  “I want to stay home and keep making Chicago a better place.”

“I support you no matter what.”  Antonio smiled.  “Doctor, lawyer, nurse... or anything in between.  I just want you to be happy with whatever you choose to do.”

Prom night was finally here.  Antonio still hadn’t figured out who Eva’s date was but he hadn’t pestered her.  He was proud of his little girl.  She’d chosen to go to the University of Chicago.  She’d start in general studies before making the final decision of which program.  He was pacing in the living room while Sylvie helped Eva finish getting ready.  Diego was sitting on the couch reading a book.  

“Dad?”

“Yeah, Diego?”

“Why are you so nervous?  It’s not your prom.”

Antonio had to laugh.  “I know, but one day Diego, when you have kids, you’ll understand.  No matter how old your kids get, you’ll always be worried about them.”

“You still worry about both of us?”

“Always, buddy.  Always.”  Antonio stopped pacing and sat across from Diego.  “Even Abuela worries about Tia Gaby and I on a regular basis.”

“I know that... she said she says three rosaries a day... one for you, one for Tia Gaby and the other for the rest of us.”

Antonio knew that this was true.  “Yep, so I’m way older than either you or your sister and my own mom worries about me all the time.  She always told me... especially after Eva was born,  ‘Once a parent, always a parent’.  I never knew what that all meant... until I watch you guys grow up.”

“Dad, you know that we don’t want to make you worry, right?”

Antonio nodded.  “Yeah, I know you don’t... but I’ll still worry... even Sylvie worries about you guys.”

Just then Sylvie appeared in front of them.  She cleared her throat.  “She’s ready.”

Antonio slowly stood up and watched as his baby girl came out of her bedroom.  She looked beautiful.  “Eva, you look amazing.”  He went and hugged her.

Eva did a little spin.  The sparkles and crystals on her dress caught the light.  “You think so?”

Antonio kissed her forehead.  “I know so.”

“Wow, sis.”  Diego whistled.  “You look great!”

“I like how Sylvie did my hair.”

Sylvie grinned.  “It works better for you.  You have natural curl.”

Eva hugged Sylvie.  “Thank you.”

There was a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it!”  Diego bolted from the couch to get the door.  “Uh, hi?”

“I’m a little early.”  A young man’s voice said from the entry way.

“Come in... Eva’s ready.”  Diego came back to the living room.

“Hi, Neil.”  Eva’s cheeks flushed a deep crimson.  “You look really handsome.”

Neil stood there in his tux, clutching a small plastic container that held Eva’s wrist corsage.  His jaw dropped.  “Uh, wow.”

Antonio was still processing his daughter’s date’s name.  “Neil...”  He was whispering to himself.

“You look beautiful, Eva.  Just, wow.”  He awkwardly opened the container and pulled out the wristlet out.  “I got this for you.”

Eva extended her wrist, letting him slip it on.  “It’s perfect.  Thank you, Neil.”  She gave him a small peck on the cheek.  

Sylvie, not phased by what was going on, took some pictures with her phone.  “You two look really dashing.”

“Thanks, Sylvie.”  Eva grinned.  “Uh, Dad... you okay?”  She took Neil’s hand and made formal introductions.  “Dad, this is Neil... from Chemistry.”

The lightbulb in Antonio’s head lit up.  “Ah, yes.  Hi, Neil... it’s nice to meet you.”

Neil cleared his throat.  Sylvie saw that there was a small amount of fear in Neil’s eyes.  It was obvious that Neil knew what Antonio did for a living.  “It’s nice to meet you too, sir... though, we’ve met before... at the career day.”

“I knew you looked familiar... you were interested in the CPD.”

“Still am sir.”  Neil was feeling a little more at ease.  “I actually... just got my acceptance letter to join the next Academy class.”

“Congratulations!”  Eva exclaimed.

Antonio could see it then.  “So... this is what you’ve been so secretive about... that you and Neil are... dating?”

“Dad!”  Eva gasped.

“He didn’t know?”  Neil whispered.

“Not until now.”  

Eva’s cheeks were burning even more.  “Ahh!  I can’t stop blushing.”

“Eva... I don’t think...”  Neil tried to calm her.

“No, you’re not helping... at all.”

“Okay, everyone.”  Sylvie stepped in.  “Let’s not get ruffled feathers now.  Everyone’s happy, yeah?”

Antonio took a glance between Eva and Neil.  “Yeah.”  He extended his hand to Neil.  “Have fun tonight... and be safe?”

“Yes, sir.”  Neil nodded.  “We’re going straight to the prom and then I know Eva promised she’d be home early enough... I’ll make sure she gets home on time.”

“Bring her home when you’re both tired.”  Antonio took Sylvie’s hand.  “Just be safe, and don’t make me a grandfather.”

“DAD!”

Sylvie slapped Antonio’s chest.  “Antonio!”

“Hey... it’s better than what I was originally thinking.”  Antonio whispered.

“More pictures.”  Sylvie said.  “Then they can go dance the night away, and we can eat dinner.”

A/N:  There we go... a very long and very over due story.  Hope you all enjoyed it!

[beardycarrot]

Sunday adventure! I had more that I planned to do on Saturday, but had to cut my day short. As luck would have it, I discovered that my glasses frames needed to be replaced after getting home on Saturday, and the place I needed to go for it happened to be where my other errands were. I’d already ordered a new pair of glasses online before remembering that my frames were under warranty, so in addition to the new frames pictures above, I’ll also be getting an entirely new pair of glasses in the next few weeks.

A picture of me remembering why I don’t bother with collared shirts. Also, I should’ve applied some pomade, trying on shirts really scruffles my beard...

While PetSmart didn’t have any cuttlebones for sale (they’ve stopped carrying them, and have yet to get in the shipment of whatever product they’re being replaced with), a helpful employee was happy to take me into the back room and give me a handful of used cuttlebones that their birds have worn down for free! Since these are for aquatic snails to munch on and will be cleaned and broken into pieces anyway, the wear and bird saliva isn’t really an issue.

When you have a color that you’re really attached to, it tends to catch your eye from across the room... and it doesn’t help that I love mugs as well. Nope, nope, I have plenty of mugs, I don’t need it...

Don’t need it, don’t need it...

...GET IN THE GODDAMN ROBOT, SHINJI!

That bumper sticker is seriously creepy. Why would you ask a two-thousand-year-old undead spirit, essentially a lich, to possess you? Gross.

Let’s talk about shoes. Shoe shopping for me is incredibly difficult, because rather than just having large feet in the shoe size sense, my feet are large in all dimensions. They’re long, wide, and tall, to the point that I’m pretty sure those size twelves would fit inside the shoe on the right that I’m trying to replace.

It’s not even a matter of just breaking them in, this is as far into the shoe as my foot will go. Am I really making a Tumblr post about trying on shoes? Yes I am.

Even when the shoes are more or less an appropriate width, my feet are just too tall to squeeze inside of them. The obvious answer is to just buy sneakers, since the tongue can be pulled forward, but what I’m looking for is a shoe replace the ones shown above, not just any new shoes.

I actually really like the style of these ones, but I’m literally only able to dip my toes in before the elastic reaches its limit. This is why I always wear sandals.

That last pair is actually the same brand as the ones I’m replacing. They say Earth Spirit while my old ones say Earth Shoe, but if you look closely the logo is the same. The next pair is also the same brand, and they DID fit me, however...

They are pretty damn goofy-lookin’, especially with how low they are in the back. Admittedly, that’s the only reason I was able to put them on... but I can’t get over how stupid it looks with the gray heel of my sock exposed. I could always start wearing different socks and eliminate that problem, but it wouldn’t do anything about the weird mesh netting look of the shoes themselves.

I guess I’ll check the Earth Spirit website for styles I like, but it won’t help much if I can’t find them locally to try them on... and unfortunately, with Payless going out of business, I think both of their local locations have closed already. Who knows though, maybe they still make the model I prefer (Gannon 6) and I’ll be able to buy a pair online confident that they’ll fit.