#new colo? Maybe?

[a-devious-route]

Eto Migriauli

400*640

(( more ))

[unma]

I thought Dimensional Cleave had been weakened. Little did I know that I was just getting lucky while farming. Today alone I've eaten a few that completely nuked my 50k+ hp team turn 1, and I can confirm, that shit can Dimensional Cleave.

[therealslimscreamer]

afraid to yap too much but. have tiso doodles

hes a little guy

Everyone please feel free to tell me about your Tiso, Bardoons, or Fluke Hermit thoughts, I love those guys so bad

[realisticfanfictions]

Being Sanji's Girlfriend & Baratie's Head Waitress - Part 2.

Sanji x Waitress!Reader: Part One.

Working at Baratie wasn't without its challenges, and the fights that sprung up because of them weren't rare either. You and your boyfriend never sweated the small stuff, after all working in a high stress environment made you, well, stressed. But maybe some things can't be resolved that easily.

Tags: Sanji x Reader, Waitress!Reader, constant bickering, mostly fluff with some angst, (heavy) swearing.

A/N: I'm so glad the first one was well received! I'm pretty self-concious about my writing, but seeing everyone's hearts and reblogs has made me so happy! There's also been a ton of new people following this page, and I'm so appreciative you guys are liking my stuff enough to keep up to date with my writing <3.

Word Count is 5,427. Hope you enjoy!

"What the hell was that?" You knew that this made you look like a crazy girlfriend, dragging your significant other into the cold room and locking the door behind you. You'd gotten a few curious and slightly concerned glances from other staff, but by this point they knew better than to intervene. White fog spewed from your mouth as you spoke, giving you the appearance of a mighty dragon ready to burn down anyone who stood in her way.

Sanji, who hadn't fought you the entire way here, rubbed his face with his hand and shoved the other into his pocket. "I was just trying to be friendly." He shrugged.

A cold breeze caused you to flinch, but you refused to show any weakness. "Bullshit." You hissed and gritted your teeth, unable to fathom this man's arrogance. "I'm not dumb, Sanji-"

"And I never said you were." Both hands were now in his pockets and he finally met your gaze. He looked tired and you could tell he was chewing on the inside of his cheek - a habit you knew stemmed from his nicotine addiction. But his forced eye contact didn't last long and his gaze soon drifted to the corner of the cold room. He let out a small sigh. "I'm sorry. I can't help what I say to women-"

You held up a hand. "I don't care about you miserably failing at flirting. Well, I do care, but that's beside the point." You took a breath, counted to five and stared at your boyfriend's beautiful blue eyes. "I know that you're upset, and though I am very annoyed at you, I will say that I appreciate you telling me you're sorry."

"So it is about the-"

"Sanji." He slowly closed his mouth and subtly nodded. He was listening. "I know that you like women, and that you'll move heaven and earth for one to glance your way. I know that. I knew that when I started going out with you." You licked your suddenly dry lips. "What I get upset about, is that you went over my head and spoke to my customers in a rather vulgar way. I know you think it's beneath you, but I take a lot of pride in what I do. I'm good at it. And when-" God, your lips were so dry. "And when you go over my head, take over my table, insult the place that took me in when I had nowhere else to go-when we had nowhere else to go, and then ignore my discomfort and make a joke of it?" You met his eyes. "I am your girlfriend, Sanji. Something that you're meant to love and cherish- like how- I can't-"

Before you realised it, you found yourself slowly enveloped by the love of your life. "Hey," He shushed you gently as he cradled you against his chest. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel that way." He murmured and placed a kiss against your temple. "My love, you're shaking. I didn't realise I made you this upset. Please, forgive me."

You couldn't help but laugh. "I'm just cold, dumbass. And still pissed at you." Despite what you said, you still buried your head in his chest and soaked up his warmth. It was then you realised how long it'd been since the two of you had been alone like this. Just soaking up each other's warmth and committing the other's smell, touch and the feel of their skin to memory. You're embarrassed to admit you forgot just how much you love his cologne. "Guess this is what happens when we don't have sex for a while."

He gave a breathy chuckle and leaned back enough just to press his lips against your forehead and stare into your eyes. "Well, I'd offer to remedy that, but I'm afraid the cold will affect my performance."

"Like you need an excuse for a bad performance."

"Oh, really?"

"Really."

His usual, charming smile stretched across his face and he licked his lips, before hungrily diving in and punishing you with a particularly brutal kiss. He softly moaned into the kiss, and pulled back enough for you to see the devilish look in his eye as he bent down to press a kiss to your neck.

The door suddenly flung open and Pattie groaned. "I should've known." He exclaimed and threw his towel at the both of you. "Move. I'm trying to get some stuff for dessert."

Sanji grew a wicked grin. "What a coincidence. I'm trying to get me some dessert too." He chuckled and moved in to continue his assault, but was thwarted by an incoming barrage of hits from the disgruntled chef.

Backed by the sound of Pattie yelling in disgust, you laughed and shook your head, worming out of Sanji's hold and skipping out of the cold room with said blond on your heels. You both quickly ducked out of the kitchen and into a small hallway where you turned around to look at him once more. "Thank you for listening to me, Sanji. I may have blown my lid a bit too much back there." You fished around in your pocket and pulled out your lighter. "Go take a smoke break."

"Darling-"

You pushed it into his hand. "Take a break, and have a smoke. If not for you, for me. Because I honestly can't handle you when you're being all bitchy."

His shoulders dropped and a tired smile replaced his worried expression. He wrapped his hands around your own and placed a kiss against your knuckles. "Thank you, my love." He exclaimed and you waved him off with a smile.

"Whatever, you wallowing wag. While you're walking, watch the weather and water, and warn the workers if we're wayward. We don't want any wild winds, or another wreck this week."

He smiled. "You still don't realise you do that, do you?"

You blinked. "Do what?"

A hearty chuckle escapes him and he presses a kiss to your forehead. "Don't worry about it." That damn smile of his made your heart flutter and while you were confused, you returned his kiss with a quick peak of his lips and watched as he walked off. You didn't understand why he was so weird, but you guess it's just part of dating someone.

Before you could go back to serving, a faintly familiar face poked his head around the corner. You squinted your eyes and watched as he walked around aimlessly. "Excuse me, are you lost?"

The boy in the straw hat turned his head in your direction and smiled when he noticed you. "Oh! You're (Y/N), our waitress!" He spun himself around and hastily walked up to you, almost tripping on the aging floorboards. "I didn't get to introduce myself," He tipped his hat. "My name is Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm going to be King of the Pirates!"

That made you pause. "Oh." You dumbly said, not really sure how to respond. "That's... nice. But this is a staff only area-"

"You're a good fighter." The boy- Luffy you corrected yourself, interrupted and leaned in uncomfortably close. "Well, Sanji's a really good fighter, but you're pretty good too!" He made a pistol with his fingers and pretended to shoot. "You seem good with a gun. And the way you backed up Sanji and knocked that guy out? So good!"

Again, you weren't really sure how to respond. "I was only helping out, but thanks, I guess." You put your hands on your hips. "Is there something I can help you with?"

He tilted his head in confusion. "No, I'm fine."

You blinked. "But you're in a staff only area."

He nodded. "I am."

"...And you know you're not a staff member?"

He shook his head. "I'm not."

You sighed and squeezed the bridge of your nose. "I mean, why are you here?"

A smile returned to his face. "Oh, why didn't you just say so!" He waved his hand around as if announcing something great. His eyes wandered around the room, as if searching for something in the distance. You were intrigued. "I'm trying to find..."

You leaned in. "You're trying to find...?"

"Yes, I am trying to find..." His eyes slowly drifted downward until they met yours. They sparkled with great mysteries waiting to be unveiled, a sense of adventure and bravery and fearlessness that you couldn't help but admire. He smiled. "A toilet!"

Before you could stop yourself, you smacked him upside the head. "Don't pretend like it's some big, life-altering explanation, you dumbass!" With each word, you brought your hand down to slap him on any part of his body you could touch. "Besides, there's three signs for the bathroom on the way here!"

He held up his hands, trying to block your attacks. "Ow! I'm sorry! Stop hitting me!"

You rolled your eyes and stepped back, crossing your arms and glaring at him. "You're such an idiot. Fine, come with me. You can use the staff bathroom, it's right down this hall."

Luffy slowly uncurled himself and nodded. "Thanks a lot! I was sure I was going to crap my pants, you're a life saver!"

"I didn't need to know that." You sighed and beckoned him to follow with a finger. "So, King of the Pirates, huh?"

He nodded, his straw hat bobbing with him as you both walked. "Yep! We have a map to the Grand Line, and we're going to find the One Piece."

You laughed. "Only idiots with a death wish go after that thing."

"Hm, not really. I don't have a death wish." He replied with a shrug.

With a dramatic sigh, you playfully shove him. "Sure you don't, straw boy. What's next? You're gonna tell me you don't plunder and raid villages wherever you go?"

He shook his head. "We don't."

You quirked an eyebrow. "Don't yet?"

He shook his head again. "No."

"Fine then, where are you going to get money?"

"Finding the One Piece will give us all the money we'll ever need."

"And until then?"

"I don't know, but we'll figure something out."

You scoffed. "They always say that."

He tilted his head. "Do you know?"

"I do. You can kidnap a princess and random her, rob an orphanage, maybe even take a business hostage and demand money or you'll start executing patrons."

Luffy stopped and stared at you. "That's really dark."

You shrugged and continued walking. "That's what you have to do if you want to find a crazy man's last fuck-you to the government."

His smile turned into a frown. "You don't think it's real?"

"I think that Gold Rodger wanted to bring about the age of pirates, and he did." You explained. "Doesn't matter if it's real or not. Its impact on the world is more valuable than any treasure he ever got his hands on."

Within a second, he was in front of you with a cheeky grin. "Ah ha! So you do think it's real!"

A sigh escaped you. "I honestly don't care enough to believe if it's real or not. What is real is the pain, and death it's caused. Nations tearing each other and themselves apart just to find a glimpse of a shred of evidence that horrid thing is real. And men setting sail and abandoning everything just because they think finding a gold chest is worth losing their family over. Then those same men kill other men with families just like theirs, spreading their filth and disease to every home, town and village just because they can't stand the thought of a man doing the right thing by taking care of his family."

Luffy tilted his head. "You sound like you care a lot."

A tense silence filled the air and you stared at this strange, but oddly charming character. So innocent, so naive. He had no idea of the world you knew, the one that you grew up in. It's rare to find someone this optimistic, or sheltered. You pointed behind him. "Bathroom's there. Leave when you're done."

To say that you were affected by his words would've been both an understatement, and a poor choice of phrasing. You weren't affected, per say. They rubbed you the wrong way, and brought up memories you would rather just forget. It didn't help that they ordered one of everything on the menu, and you were constantly bringing out dishes to a smiling, unbothered Luffy who just shoveled food into his mouth. It was actually really impressive, and you were glad that they didn't come last week when the Baratie did that eating competition. You're pretty sure you probably would've gone out of business.

With a perfectly manufactured smile, you set down the plate of ribs on the only available space between piles of plates and stacked glasses. "And this is the final dish - our limited-time French-Style Ribs braised in red wine and cranberry." You straightened up and the plate was instantly pulled towards the centre of the table. The man in the pirate attire groaned, but he shoved a rib in his mouth and moaned. "I hope everything's been to your satisfaction. Can I get anything else for you tonight? A refill perhaps?"

The orange-haired woman smiled. "We're fine for now, thanks." With a nod, you turned to leave. "When does the bar close?"

"It's open all night, but we do a deep clean around three to four in the morning. So you may not be able to get anything on tap, but prepackaged drinks are always available." The words flowed off your tongue like a rehearsed speech, probably because it was. She smiled and nodded her thanks, before turning back to the conversation they were in. As you walked away, you spotted a certain red-haired pig-tail wearing waitress near the till. "Macy."

Said waitress flinched and slowly turned to you. "Yes, Ma'am?"

More than a little annoyed, you walked up to her and lent against the counter. "Why are you at the till?" She opened and closed her mouth like a fish, trying and failing to start a proper sentence until you stopped her with a hand. "Macy, there was one rule; don't touch the till. What are you doing right now?"

She paused. "Touching the till?"

You nodded. "Good job, you got something right." With a small glare, you pushed past her and looked at the total that she was charging, then compared it to the bill laying on the countertop. "Unless they've agreed to add a ฿65 tip on top of your 10%, I guess we've just found out who's been messing with the till."

"I-"

"You're done for the night." Her shocked expression turned into a bitter snarl and she began to tug at her apron. "Macy, you've got the body of a used fucking tube of toothpaste. No one wants to see you undress here, get the fuck out. You'll make the customers sick." She gasped, but you dismissed her with a wave and she stormed out of the restaurant. You sighed and opened the drawer beneath the counter, pulling out the book of paid receipts and bookings. Both luckily and unluckily, it was getting close to end-of-shift which meant that you had time to fix Macy's mess, but that the mess was probably smeared dog shit on a window at this point.

Grabbing out your pen and a calculator, you mentally prepared yourself for the long night ahead, when you felt something touch your back. "Hello, my darling." Sanji greeted with a kiss to the back of your neck, then rested his chin on your shoulder to watch what you were doing while his hand lazily stroked your side.

With a sigh, you turned your head to kiss him. "Hey, jerkface. Glad to see someone with a shred of intelligence." You greeted, then scribbled down some notes. "Someone's fucked the till again, and screwed the customers' out of at least three-hundred berri from what I can see."

His smile dropped and he reached for the book, tilting it so that he can see it. "Closer to five-hundred than anything. This table didn't even order the Lobster Thermidor, what the hell's going on."

You slammed your pen down in frustration and leaned back against him. "No idea, but I'm going to have to make some calls and refund tables." He wrapped his arm around your stomach and kissed the back of your ear which made you sigh and rub your face. "I need to make a list and figure out how much we fucked people out of money." You happened to look over at Luffy's table. They looked like they were toasting. "Can you bill them? It'd help a lot."

He smiled and took the piece of paper you had offered him. "Of course, my love. And give me a list of the rich pricks you want me to call. We'll divide and conquer."

"What did I do to deserve you?" You asked as he picked up the golden dish used to store cash.

"You, my love, didn't need to do anything." He pressed a kiss to your forehead and then your lips, before turning around and walking over to do as you asked.

Turning back to your mammoth task, now with a smile, you picked up your pen again and started to scribble down the sum total of every receipt that was put in by Macy. It was a good call by Zeff to bar everyone else but yourself from accessing the till. It was pretty easy to differentiate your neat and straightforward ones from Macy's abominations, but it still didn't make it any less painful. The Baratie didn't even serve quiches, so why would she even put that in there?

The telltale sound of Sanji's shoes smacking against the floorboards broke your concentration, and you looked up confused. "That was fast-" You were interrupted by him flashing you what was on the bill. You frowned at his abrupt interruption, but then squinted and jolted back slightly to look at your boyfriend. "What the shit is a 'treasure tab'?"

"We're going to find out." He said with a smile and walked past you to the kitchen. This was going to be interesting.

Just as you thought, the kitchen door slammed open and Zeff's wide, intimating frame appeared in the doorway. "Who the hell is Monkey D. Luffy?"

Luffy, sweet and innocent Luffy, popped his head out of his booth and waved his milkshake. "Here!" Zeff locked onto him and marched toward the young boy.

"You seem to be confused about the rules of the house," You and Sanji, who had just come out of the kitchen, exchanged knowing glances and you placed down your pen. Led by your boyfriend, you grabbed a jug of water while he grabbed a tray of complimentary scones and he slowly walked around the scene that was unfolding. "But Baratie doesn't offer credit. You eat, you pay." You both stopped at a nearby empty table. You started to examine the glasses in detail, admiring the way the light hit the material, while Sanji wiped the table with a piece of lettuce someone forgot to clean up.

Setting down his glass, Luffy looked up at Zeff. "I think you're confused." Sanji and you shared a look. "The meal has already been paid for. I just haven't given you the money yet."

Pretending to look around the room, you caught the stern, no-shits-given look Zeff was offering the kid. "Yeah, and how's that?"

Luffy smiled. "You can add it to my treasure tab."

You and Sanji snickered at the tone in Zeff's voice. "And what, pray tell, is that?"

"A way to get your ass beat." You mumbled and Sanji quietly shushed you with a smile, trying to hear the rest of what was being said.

Still not realising what's happening, Luffy kept talking. "I may not look like a big deal yet, but you're talking with the future King of the Pirates. And as soon as I find the One Piece, I'm gonna come back here, pay this bill in full, and with interest."

Zeff chuckled. "I got a better idea." And yanked Luffy out of his booth, dragging the confused pirate to the kitchen.

A sigh escaped you. "That certainly didn't disappoint." You commented and picked up Sanji's makeshift lettuce-rag, pocketing it to throw out later. "Guess we have a new busboy."

Sanji shook his head, but kept his eyes on the door. "Wouldn't be good at anything besides dishes." He said and paused for a second. You could see the metaphorical gears in his head turning, before he nodded toward the kitchen. "Hold on."

"Sanji, don't-" But it was too late, the love of your life had walked off, probably to rejoin the line. Your fists balled up and you let out a frustrated groan, your heels clicking as you followed after him. "Sanji! Don't piss him off. Sanji-"

The doors swung open as the blond barged in the kitchen with you on his heels. Your words fell on deaf ears and you rolled your eyes at Zeff who looked between you two confused. "Oy, oy. What do you think you're doing?"

You threw up your hands, but helped Sanji shrug off his coat. "I tried to stop him." You said as you wrapped his jacket around your arm and lent against the wall behind you.

The blond scoffed and held up a hand. "Com on, old man. Enough's enough-"

"Put the jacket back on, little Eggplant. You're not done with your shift yet." Zeff's face was tired and stern as always, and all you wanted to do was pull Sanji back and apologise for the extra stress. However, you knew that the two were stubborn and that would only cause more trouble than it's worth.

Sanji's tone suddenly sharpened. "Let me back on the line, or I walk." You almost said something, but considering you said something similar this afternoon, you settled for a glare.

"You can walk right back into the ocean for all I care. You cook another meal like that in my kitchen, it's going right where the last one did."

"You can kick me out of the kitchen all you like. I'll never be a waiter."

"Well that's fine by me, because you sure as hell are never gonna be a cook in my restaurant. Have you got that?"

Your heart broke seeing your boyfriend's face when he glanced over at you. He was so angry, and hurt, and upset. His hands were balled into fists, but you just shook your head. It wasn't worth it. His gaze shifted back to the man who had taken the both of you in, and then he turned heel, storming out of the kitchen via the hallway.

"So it was Macy, then?" When you nodded, Zeff sighed and held his face in his palm. The two of you were alone on the balcony overlooking the ocean. You were all on a thirty minute break before the next service, and you'd stumbled across the old man while trying to get some peace and quiet. The man you both admired and respected more than anyone was sat beside you tiredly rubbing his face. "And where is she now?"

You fought back what you really wanted to say, and simply shrugged, picking up your glass and taking a sip. "I sent her home for the night. Didn't want to see her fucking face, the red-haired bitch."

He shifted in his chair and leaned forward toward you, pointing a finger in your direction. "There is no talk like that in the Baratie."

You rolled your eyes and put your glass down. "It's not a big deal. Everyone here curses-"

"But you never use such vulgar language when talking about a woman." He said, his tone firm and leaving no room for arguing. "I always taught both you and that boyfriend of yours to never speak badly about, or to, a woman. Just because you're twenty-one now, doesn't mean a thing. Get that?" Ever since you were fifteen, he's drilled his way of life into your head. From scrubbing the decks every time you dropped food, to spending late nights learning the difference between the various cutlery the Baratie offered, it was almost like his life's mission to turn you into a mini-him. To this day, you couldn't eat salad with a table fork, even though the minute difference between a salad fork and a table fork were so inconsequential they were practically the same fucking thing.

You bit the inside of your lip. "Well that bitch-"

"Macy."

The condensation floating slowly down your glass seemed to be more interesting than his face. "Macy has ruined all the work I've done to make the Baratie a place where you can just sit down and enjoy a good meal with the best service around. You know, I've had to deal with so much shit. More than anyone in this goddamn place. All the harassment explained away as jokes and if I'm uncomfortable with it, I'm just 'not getting the joke'. And then having to spend hours listening to the most intolerable stories about slick, rich pricks with small dicks bitching about their toxic chicks with plastic tits. And expecting me to not spit or get sick when they talk about me like I'm some quick flick." You took a breath, counted to five, and licked your lips. "But it's not enough that she'll get away with it. You also won't let me complain about her."

He sighed. "She isn't going to get away with it." You scoffed and raised your glass to take another sip, but a hand under your chin guided your gaze to him. "Look at me." Hesitantly, you lifted your eyes to meet his. "She," He spoke slowly, his intense blue eyes piercing into mine in a way that made you feel small. "Is going to be dealt with." His hand released your chin and migrated upwards to rest atop your head, softly patting your head like he used to when you were younger. "You've done well, little Sprout." You sucked in a breath and nodded, but your pseudo-confidence wasn't fooling the old man. "And if any of these 'rich pricks with small dicks' ever bothers you again, tell me. Nothing is worth you being treated like a sack of shit over. Not the Baratie, not anything."

A fake chuckle wormed its way out of you, trying to lighten the atmosphere. "Thanks, Dad."

A smile spread across his face and he wrapped an arm around you, pulling you in and pressing his lips to your forehead. Zeff smelled like a thousand scents, oregano, paprika, and a dash of vanilla extract, but his warm touch and the feeling of his scruffy beard against your scalp only felt like one thing: safe. You hadn't realised you closed your eyes until you felt him pull away. "Now then, I've got some calls to make."

With a groan, he got up to his feet. "Are you sure? My waitress, my mistake."

He shook his head. "My Baratie, my mistake." He walked past, patting you on the head as he left the balcony.

It was time to face your boyfriend, and you were dreading it. With his coat jacket wrapped over your arm, you slowly made your way down the hall to the kitchen. The doors were swinging slightly, so you knew that someone had just walked in, and you took a deep breath, walking over to the entrance - ready to go in.

"...banned from the line." You paused when you heard Sanji's voice float through the air.

"But that meal you cooked was incredible!"

A smile graced your face and you lent against the wall just beside the doors. "The True Bluefin Sauté?"

"Yeah!"

"You tried it?"

"Yeah, of course I did! I couldn't help myself. I didn't think the food here could get any better. You know, you're a really good cook. Why is Zeff making you wait tables?"

"'Cause he's jealous. I should be running this place, but the old man's so stubborn it'll never happen."

"So, that's your dream. To be head chef of the Baratie."

A pause. "I guess-"

"No, it's not." Both men looked up at you when you entered the double doors.

The other voice who you now realised was Luffy looked at you confused. "It's not?"

Sanji laughed breathlessly and looked at the table he was sitting at, flicking open his lighter and closing it again. "It's not." He confirmed. You smiled and walked over to where your boyfriend sat, draping his coat over an empty chair.

"So you love to cook. You just don't want to cook here?"

The blond grabbed out a cigarette and looked to you where you had taken up residence next to him. When you nodded, he ignited the lighter you gave him earlier and lit the end of his cigarette. He took a drag and hummed. "There's... this place," He started and his eyes drifted to yours. You both shared a small smile. "Where you can find ingredients from all four seas. East Blue, West Blue, North and South - they call it the All Blue. Nobody knows where it is, but..." His gaze lifts heavenward. "There's fish there that have never been seen. You know, rare seaweeds, spices that have never been tasted. It's a cook's paradise, and I'm gonna find it one day." He looked back at you and placed his hand over yours. "That's my dream."

Luffy's gaze was soft, but also intense. "If you want to cook, you should cook. Don't let some stubborn old man stand in the way of your dream." He smiled. "Stand up to him! Tell him what you want."

"It's more..." Sanji looked over at you. "Complicated, than that."

The young boy shrugged. "I don't really do complicated either."

You scoffed. "For someone who claims to be a pirate, you don't like a lot of things that pirates are known for."

Luffy looked at you. "For someone who doesn't like pirates, you sure do act like one."

Before you could say anything, frantic banging on the staff exit caught you all off guard. Begging for help, a man tumbled in and fell to the floor, barely having the strength to cling onto the countertop. On instinct, you went to pull out your gun but stopped when your boyfriend raised a hand to you and marched toward the man. Being the good Samaritan you certainly weren't, Sanji and Luffy helped him up onto a chair. "Are you okay?"

The man's voice sounded croaky and scratchy. "I'm so hungry, please."

Sanji nodded and moved to the stove. "Okay, you got it, man. How does some corned-beef fried rice sound?"

Pattie, appearing from his break, quickly stood up and followed after him. "What do you think you're doing?" He demanded.

The blond didn't bother to look at him and you gave the pirate a warning look before moving to the fridge. "At Baratie, everyone eats." The love of your life explained as you rifled through the fridge for the ingredients he would need.

"And who's gonna pay for that? This is a business, we can't be giving handouts to every down-on-his-luck pirate that washes up."

"If a man is hungry, I feed him. Thank you, darling." He said when you handed him the beef.

Pattie looked at you for help, then back at him when you just shrugged. "Zeff kicked you off the line."

"Yeah, well, I don't see the old man here. Do you?"

The other chef looked at you once more, and you shrugged at him again. You both knew it was a losing battle, and so he waved his hand dismissively. "Fine, your funeral."

You couldn't keep your eyes off the strange pirate while he sat and ate, and explained what had happened to him. Sanji was way too nice a person for people like him to deserve. You knew pirates, and a part of you was tempted to hide the silverware.

"He's a good guy." Luffy, who was slowly becoming less and less of a pirate in your eyes, said and you nodded.

"Sanji's brilliant." The words came easily. "He's the kind of guy that only comes once a generation. He's a dumbass, sure, but he's a good dumbass."

He thought for a second, before turning to Sanji. "You know, if Zeff doesn't appreciate you, you should join my crew."

Your chair scraped as you stood and left the room.

A/N: I am genuinely loving writing this! As said above, I normally tend to leave the reader's backstory and personality ambiguous, but this character has just taken on a personality of her own! This one is a bit longer because I felt like there wasn't enough content in this upload to justify it. I wouldn't want to waste everyone's time with like, two conversations. I'm kinda happier with the longer/more in-depth parts because I get to spend more time building up characters and relationships, and I'm less tempted to accidentally write and spoil things that the OPLA fans haven't seen yet.

Also, I've grappled with the ages for a while now, and I've officially decided that this AU will have Sanji and (Y/N) be 21. Normally I'd leave the reader's age ambiguous, but since age is important to this story, it's needed to be put in there.

[ladytauria]

Jaytim for 38?

thank you for the prompt!!!

i took it in a bit of a different direction—i was a little stuck on what to do, actually, lol. @waffleinator-inator made a suggestion they got the wheels turning, though, even if i didn’t end up going in that direction either! <3

it’s also a little bit inspired by this series which is among my favorite jaytim fics ever lol. the inspiration was mostly the tim driving bits; i don’t remember which fic it’s in, but there’s a line in jason’s pov abt tim driving that just… gets me

this is… either a no capes or jason lives au, w/ a side of possible hs au xD

posted & half-written on mobile so pardon any mistakes <3

i hope you enjoy!!

There is nothing hotter than watching Tim drive.

Well—

Alright.

That isn’t true. But something about watching how calm and confident he is in the driver’s seat is… intoxicating. Maybe it’s the way his long fingers wrap around the gearshift, or the steady grip he has on the wheel. Maybe it’s the way his sleeves are rolled up; exposing the corded muscle of his forearm, and the leather bracelet Jason wove for him tied around the sharp bones of his wrist. Maybe it’s the control he has, coolly certain that the vehicle will do exactly as he tells it to.

It’s enough to make his mouth dry.

Cool blue eyes glance his way. “Can’t get comfortable?” Tim asks, the dry humor in his tone bringing a flush to Jason’s cheeks.

“I—uh.” He has to stop and raise his green tea to his mouth, taking a few sips to wet his throat before he can continue. “I’m plenty comfortable, thanks. Just—a little lost in enjoying the view.” Fuck. Normally he’s more suave than this. Or he thinks he is, anyway. He can’t really say for certain. He doesn’t—do this much. Date. Most of the people in Gotham’s upper crust wouldn’t sully themselves with dating a street rat—except for those who can look past it to get at Bruce’s money.

Tim’s—different.

Jason watches his lips quirk—though, gratifyingly, there’s a bit of pink to his cheeks. “What, Mr. Wayne doesn’t take you out of the city much?” he asks.

“It’s different with you,” Jason says—and he. The cheesy romance of the line makes his stomach flip, but it’s true. Everything is different with Tim. There’s a diner he goes to with Dick and Cass, and Damian if they buy him something vegetarian first, but. He took Tim the other day and— It was almost like going somewhere entirely new.

The blush on Tim’s face gets a little brighter. “We’re almost there,” he says, instead of replying to that. Which suits Jason just fine—he likes when they flirt, but it also leaves his insides squirmy, and skin tight and tingly.

Today was a more—spontaneous date than Jason was used to. Tim was like that sometimes; he’d get an idea in his head and then just decide to act on it. An impulsivity that Jason… well. He wouldn’t say he lacked it, he was plenty impulsive but—

He liked plans.

But it was nice, following Tim’s lead, even when Tim was just making it up as he went along. He had a way of seeming so confident and assured in his plans that Jason couldn’t even tell he was improvising.

Today, Tim had decided the plan of the day was to ‘go fast.’ There was a stretch of road between Gotham and Bludhaven that almost no one used—a place Tim liked to go and see just how fast his car could really go.

Jason is excited. It’s one thing to watch Tim drive in the city. It’s going to be another thing to watch him out here. Couple that with the privacy—the lack of cameras or nosy siblings or overprotective fathers…

His heart thrums in his chest. He doesn’t know how far he’s ready to go, but… It’ll be nice to find out, maybe.

Tim turns onto another road. “Ready?” he asks, rolling the windows down.

Jason grins. “Yeah,” he says; wrapping one arm around the door handle. “Let’s go.”

Tim presses harder on the gas pedal. The engine rumbles, no longer whisper-quiet but a low, rolling growl Jason feels in his belly.

The wind whips through his hair, mussing his carefully styled curls. It brings more color to his cheeks, and roars in his ears. The scenery begins to blur together.

Jason’s grin widens. The wind steals the saliva from his mouth, leaving it dry again, but he doesn’t care.

He glances over at Tim—

He’s gorgeous, a crooked grin on his face; eyes bright and shining. The wind pulls his hair from where he tied it back; the feathery strands whipping around his face, some of them getting in his mouth and sticking to his cheeks. He looks— just as calm and relaxed as he does on the freeway, driving down a neighborhood, rolling his eyes at main street traffic.

Jason wants to kiss him.

He wants—he wants to climb over the glovebox and straddle his thighs, wants to feel Tim’s hands on his hair, splayed over his ribs, on the back of his neck. Wherever he wants, as long as they’re on Jason.

He wants—

He wants.

Tim glances his way. His eyes widen a moment, like he can see Jason’s desire written on his face. Maybe he can.

“Do you want to—“ Tim has to shout to be heard over the wind. He doesn’t get to finish his sentence, though, before sirens blare behind him.

“Shit,” Jason says, as he watches Tim’s mouth form a similar word. Both expletives are stolen, though.

Tim’s mouth twists as he slows down, pulling onto the shoulder as soon as it’s safe. “Sorry,” he murmurs to Jason as he rolls down his window. “There usually aren’t any policemen here.” He reaches into his pocket.

“It’s fine,” Jason says, waving his hand. He’s still not the biggest fan of cops—avoids them, if he can get away with it. But the instant paranoia they cause is easier to swallow these days, if only because he trusts that Bruce would raise hell if any of ‘em tried anything.

He glances in the rear view—and swears.

“Motherfucker.”

A very familiar figure steps out of the vehicle behind them. Jason didn’t talk to Dick for a week when he announced he was going to the police academy. He should have held his tongue for longer.

Tim glances up at the vitriol in his tone, license now clutched between his fingers. He glances in his mirror, and Jason can tell the moment he recognizes Dick. Unlike Jason, though, Tim breathes a soft sigh of relief.

Jason doesn’t have enough time to tell him his relief is premature before Dick approaches the window.

He flashes them both a bright, sunny grin. Jason wants to punch him.

“Do you know why I pulled you over?” Dick asks, politely.

Of all the stupid fucking—

“Because you’re an asshole you—“

Tim cuts him off with a gentle touch to his knee. “No, Officer, I don’t,” Tim says; and Jason knows, despite Tim facing away from him, that he’s wearing his polite gala smile.

Dick’s smile dims a bit, but he holds it in place. “This is a forty mile-per-hour zone,” he says. “Wanna tell me why you were doing over a hundred?”

Jason looks in Tim’s mirror; biting his lip to hold back his smile when he sees Tim’s eyes widen, mouth parting. He looks like the picture of innocence.

“Was I? Sorry, Officer, I’ve been meaning to get this looked at,” Tim says, nodding towards his speedometer. “Part of why I drive on back roads; according to it, I was only doing fifty.” He glances at Jason. “Right, baby?”

Jason nods immediately, his shoulders starting to shake.

“Uh-huh,” Dick drawls. “You know it’s a two-hundred sixty dollar fine, right?” He pauses and glances at Jason. “Not to mention the aneurysm Bruce’ll have when he finds out.”

“I think you mean *if* he finds out,” Jason says. “Since, y’know, you’re a cool older brother and will let us off with a warning?”

Dick snorts. “But then how will I know you’ve learned your lesson?” he raises his brows. “It’s a backroad, not a speedway.”

“Like you didn’t do way worse at our age!” Jason has heard the stories. Some of them he wishes he hadn’t.

Dick snorts. “I’ll let you off with a warning this time,” he relents. “But, seriously. If you want to speed, I know of a couple places you can go. No more speeding on the backroad.”

Tim nods seriously.

Dick gives him a pink slip. “Alright, you two. Have fun, be safe, don’t do anything Uncle Clark wouldn’t do. I’ll see you at dinner, Jason—Tim?”

Tim shrugs.

“Probably,” Jason answers for him.

Dick nods, and walks back to his car. Jason pauses, then unbuckles his seatbelt to lean out the window and shout, “And stop following us, asshole!”

Dick gives him a lazy salute before slipping into his car. Jason doesn’t trust him a bit.

He flops back in the seat, buckling himself back in. “Sorry my brother is such a dick,” he says.

Tim smiles at him. “Don’t worry about it, Jay,” he says, leaning over the console. Jason meets him halfway, receiving a short, sweet kiss for his trouble. Both of them linger, breath mingling.

“Sorry your plans are ruined,” Jason murmurs.

Tim hums. “I wouldn’t say they’re ruined. I’d be happy just to drive with you.”

The flush is back in Jason’s cheek. “I, uh. That sounds nice. Maybe, uh. Maybe we could find a nice place to park, too?”

Tim turns cherry red. “I— Yeah. Um. We could. Probably do that.”

Jason grins.

If Dick tries to get them for public indecency, Jason’s going to commit fratricide. Hopefully Tim will be willing to go on the run with him.

[yippeeometer]

Coco headcannons, ye? Do you have

fellas u know that feeling when ur trying really hard to prove to everyone that ur capable of some seriousness but also u keep laughing whenever someone says anything even vaguely near a thats what she said joke?

i call that every day for colo.

oh bc you know he has HATERS on the west coast. these pretentious losers (cali, wash, ore) going into meetings thinking theyre about to look so cool and collected. derailed in four seconds and colo asks them dumb questions and they completely crash out

he knows what hes doing this guy is annoying on purpose

kinda guy to have NO SENSE of personal space. ari will just have to get used to his 6ft blanket bc those are the best friend rules

okay so he has no morals and values, no sense of dignity or self preservation, however he is loyal to a fault so theres some redeeming qualities.

'i'd volunteer as tribute for u utah' yeah pal. you've said that. a lot. you don't need to sign up for any more archery classes we believe you now

he loves connecting with nature, and by that he means disappearing into the wilderness. he and new mex, in the few hours in which they get along, like to hide on hiking trails trying to scare people.

the fights between him and neme must be INSANE. one guy is screaming, crying, kicking the other's singing 'stayin' alive' by the beegees bc he thought the fight needed a backing track. gov rips his hair out in general annoyance.

okay yes the weed has fried all the intelligence he once had. okay yes maybe it is deeply sad to be such a deeply sad person and not know how to show it.

however. the rockies are playing. and theres no way i could let my precious team be alone.

im a massive believer he'd have to be HELD BACK from entering the winter olympics. hes a snowboarder. hes a skiier. he's doing backflips on the snow and utah's having 1932983381 million heart attacks and telling him to stop.

the four corners is so special to me bc its like we are perfect for each other. we hate each other. me and my bestie. watch me rip this mans face off with my mouth. watch me kiss this mans face off with my mouth. who wants to live with me and be my best friend forever. who wants me to throw this stick at them

[mydarllinglover]

Stars Collided || Twenty

Previous

Lovisa, dressed in a new and clean pale pink dress, with a skirt that was puffy, but still kept her frame visible, it had no sleeves, and so she had paired it with a pair of matching gloves. She wore her hair in a half up, half down, braided bun, style, with two small braids flowing down it, leaving the rest of her curls to air dry, a tiara sat on top of her hair, for the first time in a week.

"I'll make sure to speak to Obi-Wan, soon enough, Snips" Lovisa told Ahsoka, as she stared into her mirror, running her hands down her dress.

"Lovey, there is no need to, I will stay here, as your handmaiden, and then we do not have to be separated from one another."

"Nonsense, you are to be a Jedi, you have the gift, there is no use of it here, or at least, untrained." She took her friends hands in hers. "Ahsoka, you have so much potential, and I believe in you, I will miss you terribly, but knowing what I know about you, and holding you back from it, I would hate myself, and I care more about you and what you can offer the universe, than what you can offer my image."

"Lovey." Ahsoka groaned, wrapping her arms around the Princess's neck, hugging her tightly, and Lovisa followed suit, hugging the girl back, tightly.

Eventually, Lovisa and Ahsoka had made it down to the lunch room, with Threepio walking alongside them both, where everyone had been waiting for her, including Obi-Wan, and Anakin.

"Lovisa, are you done throwing your tantrum?" Her mother asked, linking her fingers together, and resting her chin on them. “There are also to be no dogs, in the dining room.”

"Jobal, my love." Ruwee sighed.

Lovisa didn't reply, as she headed towards her seat, choosing the one next to Anakin.

He got up quickly, to pull it out for her, just as Colo had stepped forward.

But Anakin had been quicker, with a little help from the force, due to only having one arm, but he made sure to look smugly, at the Palace guard, as he pushed her chair back in.

"Thank you, Ani." Lovisa smiled kindly, at the boy, as he sat back down, Threepio had decided to lay down, underneath his owners chair, taking a nap, during their meal.

"Well, it is divine, to have our family united, again, and with two special guests, who helped save my daughter." Ruwee raised his glass, at the two Jedi, and Lovisa's brows had deepened.

"Thank you, your highness, but I fear I could not take any credit, on that, as it was the Princess, who fought bravely, in the arena, and took a stand, during the battle, for she had bested us all, with her skill, and even helped Miss Tano, from danger."

"Ahsoka, is this true?" Jobal faced the handmaiden, that was stationed to the wall, with the two others, waiting to be needed.

"It is, your majesty, if it weren't for Lovisa, I fear I would have been turned into beast chow." Ahsoka bowed her head, taking a step back, after addressing the queen.

"That is wonderful news, Lovey!" Ruwee applauded.

"That was very brave of you, my darling, and I am proud of you, I hope you know that." Jobal told her, earnestly. 

Lovisa ignored both her parents, choosing to look away, her arms folded over her chest.

"Master Kenobi, I was hoping to speak to you about a matter of importance, when you have a moment." Lovisa turned to the man.

"Uhm... of course, your highness, perhaps after lunch?" He offered.

"Yes, that will work."

"What's this about, Lovey?" Ruwee asked.

"Hm? Oh, nothing, don't you worry about it, maybe I'll let it slip in the future, but for now, I'd rather keep it from you." She took a sip from her glass.

"Lovisa, you are acting ridiculously childish, there was no ill intention, when we kept Padme and Senator Clovis's blossoming relationship, from you. You're dramatic, you get it from your father, but, being queen won't be awful, I do it, and you don't see me complaining, you will do a wonderful job."

"Except for the small fact, that my parents and sister lied to me! I am not dramatic, and I don't want to be queen!"

"Honey, we're not going anywhere, you won't be queen for a long time, and by then, you may be married, and have your own family, you'll grow mature, and things will change."

"Eurgh, poke my eye out with a fork." Lovisa rolled her eyes, taking another sip from her glass. "Padme, where is your drab of a fiancé?"

"If you must know, he's gone back home, to tell his own family the good news." Padme tried to keep her positive attitude, in front of the guests, instead of snapping at her younger sister, like she wished to.

"What, that they're finally becoming relevant." Lovisa scoffed.

"That's enough." Jobal told her.

"Finally, the food." Ruwee clapped his hands together, as the kitchen staff walked around the table, loading up their plates.

Anakin held his knife in his hand, attempting to cut up his food, with just the one utensil, but had ran into some trouble, though he tried to do it without anyone seeing or noticing.

But of course, Lovisa did.

"Here, let me." She said, in a soft voice, compared to how she had been speaking to her family, since she'd seen them.

"Thank you, Princess." He smiled, as she began to cut up his food.

She smiled back at him, and just the sight of him, seemed to calm down her terrible mood, as she refused to break contact with his eyes, the eyes she could get lost in, for all eternity.

When she had stabbed a piece of steak, he tilted his head, as she fed him, never once looking away from each other.

"The boy can feed himself." Ruwee told his daughter, breaking their silence.

Lovisa dropped her fork, and they both looked away from each other.

The door opened and one of the messengers stormed in.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your lunch, your majesty's." He bowed. "But I was told to bring this to you, as soon as it came."

"Oh, good, bring them here." Jobal, gestured for him to come over, with a hand full of envelopes.

"Whats that, Mother?" Padme asked.

"Just some RSVP's that have been returned, seems it'll be quite the turnout." Jobal said, giddily.

"You're throwing a ball, Jo..." Ruwee asked. "This isn't exactly a time to be throwing a ball, we're in the beginning of a war."

"It's not for a ball, that'll be in a few months, when we announce Lovey as the next heir-"

"Hold on, what?" Lovisa looked back up.

"I'll talk about it, later, when a certain someone, isn't around" She nodded at the obvious.

"I'll figure it out, soon enough." Lovisa raised a brow, poking her food.

After the terrible lunch had finally come to an end, Lovisa had asked Obi-Wan to accompany her on a walk, around the palace gardens.

"What was it that you wanted to discuss, Princess?" Obi-Wan asked, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Well, Master Kenobi, during my "travels" I made a discovery, and I would like to remind you, that one day, I will be your queen, so please keep that in mind, for what I'm about to ask you."

"Will do" He chuckled.

"Uhm... So, I know, typically the Jedi do not recruit anyone over the age of four, in most cases, obviously, Anakin Skywalker was a very different situation. But I have reason to believe that my handmaiden, Ahsoka Tano is strong with the force, and Ani-Anakin supported my claims."

"Hmm, that is curious." He stroked his beard.

"Yes. And I strongly encourage that you take her on, to join the Jedi, or at the very least, train her in the ways, she has all the potential, and I would hate to see it go to waste."

"You care a lot about, Lady Tano, Don't you?"

"I do, Master Kenobi, she's the longest friend I’ve had, and I feel the guilt of her being my handmaiden, a lot, so please."

"I will do what I can, to persuade the council, I promise, your highness" Obi-Wan nodded to her. "Even though you disagree, so openly, I know in time, you will make a wonderful Queen, and leader, I sense it, in the force."

"Just like Anakin is supposed to bring balance to the force." Lovisa joked, side eying him.

"That's what the prophecy says." He sighed, sounding as though he didn't believe it, all too much.

Next

[irelandseyeonmythology]

So I’ve been getting more into broader brehon law, not just marriage law, and is it true they had laws about how many different colors you could wear? I can’t find any sources about it but maybe I��m just not looking hard enough

That comes from one kind of famous (ish?) passage from the Annals, that reads as follows (from the O'Donovan translation):

Do I think it was something people followed? ...probably not, honestly. We don't see much reference to it elsewhere. Not to say there were NO restrictions, but it's to say that I think it's often taken 100% uncritically and you'd think we'd see more reference to it elsewhere, in the actual lawbooks, if that was the case. (Though, naturally, some of it's practical, in the sense that...would a slave be able to have more than one color? Being a slave? Very likely not.) It's the issue with all sumptuary laws, which is "to what extent were these things widely being used?"

To quote from Sparky Booker's "Moustaches, Mantles, and Saffron Shirts: What Motivated Sumptuary Law in Medieval English Ireland?": "In terms of implementation, the success of enforcement of sumptuary laws varied.11 Indeed, historians disagree about whether these laws were intended to be enforced fully, or whether they were 'primarily symbolic,' a method of 'affirm[ing] values' and even actively shaping the social world by enshrining socio-economic divisions in law."

We know that medieval Ireland had a number of colors associated with the aristocracy: purple (like with the rest of Europe) seems to be common, white, red, like in this description from the Táin (Recension 1, O'Rahilly's translation): "He held a light sharp spear which shimmered. He was wrapped in a purple, fringed mantle, with a silver brooch in the mantle over his breast. He wore a white hooded tunic with red insertion and carried outside his garments a golden-hilted sword."

Likewise, the famous description of Etáin in Togail Bruidne Da Derga (Stokes' translation):

"A mantle she had, curly and purple, a beautiful cloak, and in the mantle silvery fringes arranged, and a brooch of fairest gold. A kirtle she wore, long, hooded, hard-smooth, of green silk, with red embroidery of gold. Marvellous clasps of gold and silver in the kirtle on her breasts and her shoulders and spaulds on every side. The sun kept shining upon her, so that the glistening of the gold against the sun from the green silk was manifest to men."

For more on this, see Niamh Whitfield, "Aristocratic Display in Early Medieval Ireland in Fiction and in Fact: The Dazzling White Tunic and Purple Cloak", which she's generously put on Academia.

After the English colonization of Ireland, you have new sumptuary laws being put into place -- Booker discusses the earliest case we have, from 1297, when a hairstyle known as the "cúlán" was banned for Englishmen, with the enactment complaining that the Englishmen were taking it up to such an extent that they were getting killed after being mistaken for Irishmen. (I feel like there is a solution to this that does not involve banning the hairstyle, let me think...)

You had similar fines being imposed on saffron sleeves or kerchiefs for women, or wearing a mantle in general for men, as of 1466 in Dublin -- these aren't as a matter of maintaining social class so much as preserving a distinction between the English and the Irish (what's interesting, of course, is that the English had to have been adopting these fashions to some extent for the law to be needed.) And we see them routinely going back to this aversion towards saffron colors, since it was associated extensively with Ireland and Irishness, and a particularly high value one at that.

So: Eochaidh Eadghaghach -- that section in the annals provides the quote that says that this is a thing that happened -- I leave it to you to decide whether it was ever practiced or even in place in the first place. I think it might have, if only as a societal ideal, but I'm incredibly doubtful. We know that colors often ARE used as a way of marking social standing in the literature, but I don't think it was as regimented as that quote suggests. Sumptuary laws ARE better recorded in a post-Norman invasion context, usually (though not ALWAYS) as a means of marking out the Irish from the English populations (even though we know, both from this and other evidence, that these lines weren't always as firm as the authorities might have liked.)

I know that Kelly also goes into a lot of details re: colors and dyes in his "Early Irish Farming" -- if you're looking to get into the world of day to day life in Ireland, there isn't a better source.

[runwayrunway]

No. 23 - Icelandair (With an Aside on the Role of Flag Carriers)

Sure, let's talk about Icelandair! I think they fit in pretty well with the conversation that's been slowly playing out with other European flag carriers Lufthansa and SAS about the evolution of liveries as we stumble in to the 2020s proper. (As for the second half of this ask, hold that thought for just a minute.)

Unfortunately, Lufthansa snuck its nasty little face into this post as well, and I do sort of want to give a brief content warning, as a...certain sordid point in Germany's history is alluded to, though not lingered on. Because flag carriers are sort of important. They're propaganda - and in Icelandair's case, that's okay!

Icelandair is not a concept that needs much explanation. It's right there in the title. It is an airline, and it is from Iceland. If you want a little more information, here's a summary written in 1997 by John K. Morton for his book "Jetliner Glory". (Scan mine)

As you can see, Icelandair was, at this point, rocking a supersized nothingburger of a livery. With just a cheatline and some paint on the bottom of the nacelles to accompany the logo and wordmark it feels less like SAS's belly stripes or Tibet Airlines, where it looks like a plane painted white, and feels more like they just forgot to add the rest of the livery.

While I do slightly prefer this older take with the more faded colours, the bare metal underside, and the contoured down-sloping cheatline, it's still pretty nothing.

Oh no. Oh nonononono don't do that please don't-

Thank you. That's much less worse.

The blue-and-yellow livery was adopted in 2006. I don't like this but this feels necessary. What stands out to me about Icelandair, above any individual feature of their fleet, is that they are fundamentally incapable of departing from whatever the most simplified and common design trend of the time is.

70s and early 80s. Single rule cheatline, large font wordmark, bare metal lower half.

80s and early 90s. All over paint, text moved forward to just behind the forwardmost door. Beginning of strict adherence to Eurowhite en masse.

Aughts to late 2010s. This is an era of somewhat refined Eurowhite. This allows very specific colored parts of the airframe: a block of color on the underside, a detached floating tail, colored winglets, and colored nacelles.

My opinion of this specific livery is that it is nearly identical to Delta's. Similar dark blue shade, exact same layout. The only difference is that Delta's blue engines make the livery look more coherent and Delta's logo is far more distinctive. I consider Delta to be the platonic ideal of this type of 2000s Eurowhite, and Icelandair uses the exact same layout.

I will say...it could be worse. Icelandair does not fail the Star Alliance test, so I cannot give it an F.

It's getting a D, for Delta.

But hey! Great news! They literally just unveiled a new one! And they've given me a nice webpage describing their thought process. I keep seeing more and more airlines do this with their 2020s livery releases and I think it's awesome.

image: icelandair

And they're jellybeans! I make no secret for my love of jellybeans. These come in five colours: boreal blue, magenta, sky blue, yellow, and green. Each of them is meant to represent a different aspect of Icelandic natural phenomenae, which I would expect at least partially stems from the response to their widely beloved Hekla Aurora and Vatnajökull liveries.

The two colours not pictured above: boreal blue (left) and green (right)

I really like these choices of colour. I think my favourite is ultimately magenta because of how striking its contrast is with the main blue, but none of these look even a little bad.

I do wish there was a little more integration of the jellybean colours into the rest of the livery (maybe the winglets or the engine nacelles, or as an outline on the wordmark, or extended to the underside of the plane), but the concept itself is solid and each colourway is pleasing. While I think this is a welcome change from the earlier yellow-and-blue scheme I am very happy that they kept a yellow variant.

Red engine SAS livery jumpscare in the background.

I would say the main thing I dislike about the new livery is the billboard wordmark. It's fine in theory but I utterly despise the typeface they've chosen and I find that sans-serif typefaces look fine when they're small but get uglier and uglier the larger you make them. It's a very boring downgrade, especially compared to the tasteful little serifs on the very tips of the old one. They were a minor aerodynamic touch but they were very nice compared to this, which is giving corporate brochure in a way I can't stand. At least it keeps the middle fuselage from being blank, I suppose.

I do like it a lot better on the Dash 8, though it's a little too low to the bottom for my taste. They could solve this by just making it slightly smaller, but they've apparently fully committed to a font that is, in my opinion, too large and widely spaced.

I feel like they also missed an opportunity with their logo. I've seen people say that it's a stylised 'F' to represent the company's first name, Flugfélag. I've heard someone else say that it reminds them of a stylised aurora, and I agree with them. I think there was a lot of room to play with both of these, and that it's a shape that's simple enough and dynamic enough to lend itself well to livery design, and that they could have created something so much better had they made more use of it - especially with the jellybean colours.

The final thing I want to point out is the tail. It's very blatant that the 2020s equivalent of the detached tail is the slightly-integrated tail, which loops down and just prevents the tail from being detached while still leaving the majority of the fuselage blank white without really adding much visual interest or presenting much in the way of creativity.

SAS and WestJet are two other airlines from those I've covered which do this. Now, they could both be a lot worse - WestJet has a nice wordmark and I've already talked about why SAS does a lot that's more interesting than the tail - but I can't deny that I dislike this trend. It fixes the ugliness of Detached Tail Syndrome but without adding much. It is the bare minimum. It is an upgrade from bad to nothing. And I think it's worth noting that both of these airlines, and indeed the majority of airlines with slightly-integrated tails, used to have detached tails. The Lufthansa clone of the 2020s is the Delta clone of the 2010s.

But I think Icelandair's new livery requires comparison to one 2020s livery more than any other - our old 'friend', Lufthansa.

The reason I point out Lufthansa is that unlike SAS and WestJet it does not feature a curve, but a straight line downwards. It also features more than one colour on the tail itself, sort of - I mean, it has the contrasting white stripe.

I don't think I particularly need to linger on why I like Icelandair's livery so much better than I like Lufthansa's. But I will point out one aspect in particular. The descriptions of the inspiration behind Lufthansa's livery focus on how sleek and modern it is. It occasionally mentions nebulous 'German values' (a phrase which in context refers to Europe's obsession with the most hideous sans-serif fonts on the face of the planet and soul-sucking minimalist white design but which sort of makes me shudder as a disabled bisexual Jew, a set of traits seemingly min-maxxed for being a target of...well, you know) but beyond that is wholly and almost gleefully corporate, scoffing in the face of the fact that flag carriers are almost by design intended to be unprofitable, to provide air transport to residents of their country and to serve as propaganda.

Air France lost heaps of money on Concorde, Alitalia went fourteen years without turning a profit, and do you think carriers like Rwandair or Air Niugini, which just don't have the demand to operate planes filled to capacity, are able to make money? Of course not, but they operate anyway because people need to get places and it's a statement for a government, especially one without the means of a massive European power with centuries of stolen resources at its disposal or an ultrawealthy Gulf state, to put their names on a plane and say that this is a service they are providing to the people they are, on paper, meant to provide for.

This is not a feature unique to airlines - just think about the way high-speed rail in China and Japan are inherently tied to their national identities, as something these countries have built as a service to their people and as something which makes them better places to live. Think about the Space Race, which was a dick-measuring contest more than it was for science. The US government is notorious for its unwillingness to fund science projects but if it means sticking it to the reds it's worth a couple billion to put a man on the moon.

Any sort of project which invents or builds by necessity becomes a symbol of national power. Sometimes these things are useful, like high-speed rail, and sometimes they advance science, like reaching the moon, but, like...did Ferrari World need to exist, or is the UAE willing to spend a bunch of money to say "look how awesome we are, we have the fastest roller-coaster in the world"? Did the USSR need the Tu-144? Of course not - luxury air transport wasn't a thing, they couldn't charge a premium, and there wasn't anywhere safe to release a sonic boom over, and it was rushed out in a state that couldn't really be considered airworthy just to serve for less than a year while diverting resources from actually useful aerospace projects. The Tu-144 set back Soviet aerospace engineering by decades but it was worth it for the chance to say they built the first supersonic airliner, which will remain technically true forever. Countries are chomping at the bit to displace people and abuse labourers and waste money and resources to build stadiums that will lie derelict for the rest of time just to get to say they hosted the Olympics.

These things are worth losing money for. To say 'we are willing to lose money to give our people transport and to have our own airline with our own flag on it'. Flag carriers do not need to be profitable. If they happen to turn a profit that's a good thing for the country but it's not meant to be the point. That the US has never had a flag carrier feels like a very pointed statement to me - no handouts, pull yourself up by your bootstraps and build your own damn airline. While many large airlines elsewhere have their own founders with their own marks on history and large personalities, none of them have the cultural capital that Juan Trippe or Howard Hughes do. Icelandair's equivalent of Juan Trippe is the aurora.

I cannot imagine a carrier which reflects its national identity less than Lufthansa does. Perhaps they want to forget that they are a flag carrier and by this nature propaganda. After all, despite being largely a different entity, they bear the name of a flag carrier founded by the Third Reich. They had an easy out of this. They could have stuck with their initial name, Luftag. They could even have taken the name and branding of Interflug, the East German flag carrier, but better to be founded by the actual Third Reich than by the Communists, from their perspective. It's probably better to lean as far away from what they were made to be as possible. And from their point of view to be as corporate as possible is actually probably a reflection of what there is to love about Germany, given that this is their background. I find that incredibly sad. If I were German, this would make me furious. There is so much more to Germany than anything Lufthansa has ever been. It is insulting not just to my eyes but to the idea that it is meant to be part of German identity.

Meanwhile, Icelandair's inspiration is Iceland: the natural features which make their country worth visiting. They are aware of this - they actually used the Hekla Aurora livery to promote the fact that they offered free week-long stopovers in Iceland. Their website explicitly lays, interspersed with images of aurora over snowy mountainous landscapes which seem to stretch on forever, that this is what Iceland has to offer.

And since we spend so much time in the sky, we drew inspiration from what we see in front of us, and what we see in our country from above. [...] By extending our color palette, we have a chance to bring the vibrant Icelandic spirit to the world, and to show the world the diversity of our people: The Icelandic spirit is available to anyone and everyone who wants to share in it.

At the end of the day, flag carriers are a form of propaganda. That word normally has a very nasty connotation, but it doesn't have to be things like war crime coverups and attempts to quell rebellion. In this case, it can be an encouragement for Icelandic people to be proud of something about their country as well as an attempt to drum up tourism. Is it still a calculated attempt to sell you something? Sure. But it's an attempt to sell something Icelandic people are proud of, because they live somewhere with beautiful features that don't exist anywhere else. I really want to visit Iceland, and have for years, for the exact reasons outlined in Icelandair's material about their new livery.

And does this livery actually overtly communicate these things? No, not really. I think it's something you can see when you have it explained to you but wouldn't notice at a glance. But the fact that this was considered at all, much like condor's justification for their flying striped nightmares, keeps me from feeling the same sort of disgust I do for liveries like Lufthansa's.

So, Icelandair could do a lot better. But they're doing a lot better than they ever have before. And they have succeeded, fundamentally, at being Icelandair.

I leave them with a final grade of C.

It could be better. Far better. But they're at least using the right equation to get the wrong answer. If they ever get the courage to design something which doesn't follow the dominant trends in whatever the decade's particular flavour of Eurowhite is as if it's copied from a template, I think Icelandair could come up with something really great, and I hope I live long enough to see it.

And, as a final note on their commitment to their national identity, I will be discussing their three non-crossover special liveries: Þingvellir, Vatnajökull, and this blog's first twice-requested livery, Hekla Aurora. But they will get their own post, because this one is already preposterously long, so get ready to see a lot more Iceland very very soon.

(...I really want to visit Iceland.)

[cornus27florida]

GwenDerick/FredDolyn outfits analysis

I am sorry for the mention tagging there but I think you guys are the expert with canon-compliant analysis that I love ><

@the-queen-of-ships also because it'll part of @cpcwiki later

A previous post from @deldeldel90 about comparing Gwen's wedding dress that Leland imagines VS Lilyth's wedding dress make me overthinking so many things at once

^ Also anyone that read this post please help to analyze her dress details, this such very hard details espc around the patterns.. is the one on her waist resembling serpents? what's on the end of her dress? White roses is common for wedding

[to not wandering too wide, I will focus on wedding dress and colot motif theory about the comparisons in general]

Lilyth is the mother of the Pastel kids, the Princesses in nutshell not knowing their mother so much based on the evidence: They (Maria and Lorena) can't gives proper reply to Leland when he confusing them about "your father loves your mother much more than you guys as his kids" /ep154 + we know Gwen truly didn't remember about her mother and only remembers her as "warm and glowy" which she passed away when Gwen is 3 years old = 13 years ago

Leland despite how evil he is IMHO 'unknowingly' gives a much closure about their mother in the form of Lilyth's wedding dress in form of applying all elements of their mother's wedding dress. The most obvious is shape "mermaid style" that given to Gwen. Although not only her but Maria (about sleeves) and Lorena (open chest part) too

To ending the discussion about outfits so not becomes too long and no one gives reply/reblog/commentaries lmao. We moves on to the major characters color motif of the Plaid-Pastel Dynamics, I won't repeat the obvious one like the 'green kid is Gwen, so does Frederick from his eyes'

No offense at all especially as I know I am totally far from the fashionista, but episode 146 panel as following makes me realizes something in subjective personal territory : Gwen is looks much nicer in her color motif which imho are dark green (instead pastel green) and white as her inner shirt, and her first outfit when meeting the Plaid Princes with color motif of light orange and pastel green didn't suit her at all

^ when Frederick comments that dress is abhorrent, imho that's the truth as the orange ribbon is like nuisances. In ep 146 we see the comparison of her old outfit VS new one..

Maybe it's just me that thinking about the old one is 'ugly'?

^ also looking back at Episode 112 we have comparison of her in early era (amusement park) and personally I think she looks so much nicer simply because changing her outfit and hairstyle, she's still the same Gwendolyn but with her looks more tidy = she looks nicer as well in the eyes

^ Also in the same episode, 112.. We have imagination of Gwen 'dressing up' Frederick nicely, as she looks like the very beautiful looking Princess. It's one of the best outfit of them imho that I wish could becomes canon as not only the dream. I am surprised that both of them has black color motif but it's actually really great on them? Especially as we see Gwen with new hair-do (IDK what's the hairstyle of it, help me please)

Also no matter what I feel green plaid is always Frederick's

Black is not only the color of evil like Leland as the ultimate evil villain in the CPC, but also the color of elegance as Prez (Calpernia) that we knows truly kind and epitome of goodness has black as her main color motif. Monika's color motif is also black as a crow, but she's def not evil person

btw despite GwenDerick sharing the same color motif, green (as everything looks good on them if they wear green) - I think black and white as standard 'monochrome' colo fits them well as part. Along with pink for Gwen, while grey and golden/yellow for Frederick /personal opinion

I am one of the reader that see everything in Frederick's eyes as once she's not looking accidentally creepy, she's actually so pretty and cute espc with elfish ears and pair of lil fangs. IDK if seen as offensive but IMHO all braided island's folks is more like serpents if becoming humans instead as seaweed - especially if looking at their nostril and bulging eye... But remember, I am Serpent enthusiast especially as my favorite house in the Hogwarts is Slyterin, the house of snakes. I believe not all snakes are bad, and I find serpents symbolism is not always bad - there's so many good thing meanings like what @saemi-the-dreamer (sorry for ping!) written in the past but I like to add 2 points: "medicine/healing" and "guardianship" for good meanings of the serpent. So in nutshell GwenDerick/FredDolyn indeed the green pair which also the serpent pair (one is metaphorical, one is literal) but didn't means they're representing the bad symbolism. If Severus Snape as the perfect example of equilibrium of bad and good, the ultimate double agent, not in the story of Harry Potter.. I am pretty sure that most of the efforts to completely defeating Voldemort as the main antagonist can't happen. Frederick (especially from his father) and Gwendolyn (from her mother) is could be seen as the serpent but if they're in the Hogwarts setting I believe they won't in the Slyterin house because they're lacking cunningness and ambition

[poupeesdecirque]

Fanon Dolls (Includes Spoilers for Manga & a Doll Project!)

So this entry is ... hard for me as I start it (i started writing it in April '24 ... it has been a while).

You might know I did several own interpretations of characters as dolls, some are just outfit variants some are AU Versions I made up for existing characters and some are based on how characters developed during writing and then there is a very special character the whole fandom was speculating about and we all thought we knew things (at least how they looked like) but it all proofed wrong and that's the part it became hard for me. Because I totally fell in love with my interpretation and the overall setting and maybe this character shouldn't be a doll after everything I should have waited but ... it's my favorite among the bunch. sigh.

As you can see it's hard.

Let's start with some dolls that are easier to explain and a theme I maybe should have used further.

Renaming fandom dolls - Kuzon/Ray/Ichabod (Ray is pictured)

As I started the hobby I had some ideas to name dolls after characters but ended up renaming dolls here and there. As I made my next fandom dolls, namely from Monokuro Kitan, I decided to give them names that have the same starting Letter (Kuzon = Kurokichi, Ray = Raiya, Ichabod = Itsuru), to have a connection but having the option to turn the doll into an OC if i loose interest in the character.

I loved working on them, though, the series got discontinued in 2010 just after a few chapters. I had started on the 4th doll then (I had the female lead as well but sold her), but didn't turn him into Ichabod as I didn't see a reason why. The doll was then super based on another character from the same author but eventually turned into an OC and then into a full other doll.

Years later I got a doll for Itsuru und named it Ichabod, it was an urge that I needed to scratch. It has been quite some years but the dolls are still the characters from the series.

Dolls Referencing Fandoms / Former Fandom Dolls turned OC (Pierre pictured)

Then we have, I mentioned it in before, dolls that were directly characters from fandoms but then got turned into OCs. Some really kept a lot of references to their character some just subtile ones.

The first I did was Fanny, I think? It's a character from a Manga but turned into an OC, though a fox is easy. Then we have Epiphanus who was heavily based on Juki from 'Scuro' as I wanted to keep the mods.

Pierre is a prime example though. I love Violinist of Hameln and especially Orgel and Baroque, as you can see (if you know the series) I actually made him into Baroque but I wasn't satisfied on how he turned out in the end. I also decided he needs to be repainted and kept a few things as reference to the old character like the colos, the hat, and even the mask is from his former form.

But Pierre is a prime example of how a character from a series can be the 'godparent' for an OC for me. Pierre is completely his own thing by now.

Heavy References (Focus on Erwin/Penny)

Then we have someone who is heavily referencing to a character but is taking on the character as a role:

I just wanted to include Erwin here. And also Penny.

Erwin is seemingly a doll of the Joker (2019) but he isn't. His role is to perform as Clown from popular media, so yes we have the HEAVY reference but it isn't the character at all. I did this because I wanted to have free reign to have a doll to change to Clowns I like but he got stuck as Joker somehow. His character is also about wanting to create his own clown persona but not being brave enough to do so.

Penny is obviously referencing to Pennywise from IT. I love the look of the new Pennywise but I am seriously NOT much into 'Horror' Clowns therefore I wanted silly references that are fun but not scary. To take this on a little bird was a super random idea but I truly like it.

Alternative Universe

Okay this kinda borders the topic/doll I want to talk on but also not.

Dyl and Xy are very special AU Variants of two characters from series I adore, I loved their designs but I didn't want to turn them into direct fandom dolls.

Xy is based on Orgel from Violinist of Hameln and his overall design is super close to Orgel's. Dyl is based on Joker from Smile!PreCure and his is just very referenced but quite different.

The series don't have anything in common aside those two characters being clown themed. And I am very much into clowns which is not really news.

Orgel is using a corpse, he is usually just a mask, and we have no information about the life of the boy he uses. Joker is the only one of the villians from the series who didn't get a backstory, you never learn from which fairytale he is and why he wants to drown everything in despair.

I literally have no idea why but this was enough for me to pair them up and give them a tragic backstory to give Joker the reason also to end the life of the boy Orgel is using. They are OC and also not, they are somewhat inbetween.

Direct Fandom Dolls (Kaneki/Alastor/Fizzarolli pictured)

I'm completely ware I could put all the D.Gray-man dolls here but I will go onto them on a seperate note.

Okay then we have me going hard on some fandom dolls with their names attached and all. I don't want to put in photos of them all but a huge one is Kaneki.

Kaneki is a doll I worked on constantly for several years with over a dozen outfits and styled, always changing to the chapter releases, he got several hands, got like ... almost 10 wigs, armor parts etc. I think the only one who is kinda up with him is Allen but only if you count in that he has different doll forms. So yes, I go insane on characters I love.

Different from him were Takizawa and Furuta who were basically 'rescue' projects, Takizawa's doll shell was left over and Furuta was supposed to be an OC and kinda still has the name in my mind (which is 'Minami') I won the head in a contest. They are also not in scale to each other.

Then we have fandom dolls like Vincent Volaju, Sabrina and Alastor which are super close to their reference material. Fizzarolli is an own interpretation of a more human design and my own twist on the overall design (this outfit was made from over 100 single parts I'm still in denial). They are truly fun but I don't 'play' with them as much as I do with other dolls to be honest, they only have their one outfit. While I truly love the characters none of them compares to Kaneki.

Multiple Fandom Dolls for characters

aka D.Gray-man took over.

As I am writing now (October '24) my main doll focus is turning characters from D.Gray-man into dolls. And two characters got several variants and this is so different from what I used to do in before.

To tell the truth here I was about to stop collecting dolls in 2021, I was severly burned out from the hobby and the pressure around everything (mainly myself but also the community itself) and D.Gray-man brought my joy back. My first DGM doll Mana gave me so much joy that it sucked me in.

And not only for dolls but also for drawing, crafting, I got back into Cosplay and even writing!

Allen and Mana are also the first characters to get several doll variants, something that was exclusive for my most important OCs in before.

D.Gray-man also made me craft my own doll head (the Millennium Earl) and I can't even put into words how much the series brought me in regards of mental health.

I think the biggest impact was my Au Fanfic "Warmth" which I published during the last two years BUT also am still(!!) actively writing on several times a week and it's the outtake chapters that focus on my Headcanons around ...

... what Allen's past Life was. And now we are finally at the point why it took me forever to end this entry.

In April we got the confirmation that the character I build a 700k fic on is not existent. Not even the appearance is the character, everything is null and void. As I am so invested in my AU this hit me hard as Ally (as I nicknamed him) became one of my own characters but within a series with one go. He was in before and I knew that a lot of head canons would be void but *not like that*.

It took me several weeks to digest the announcement and while I want to love the character we are given I am still clinging onto Ally as he is ... 'mine'. It's still super difficult and I got told people loved how much live I gave my own pastAllen variant. I'm kinda still mourning.

But I want to walk further I decided to make Bookman Junior into a doll and just finished him. After taking the first photos I have to say yes he is a cool doll and character but I prefer Ally. Ally is much more different to me (I thought Junior would hit the right spots like Ally is super incredible with an autumn setting but ... Junior is apparently horrible with it).

And I am now at least sure I will keep him as a doll - I had the thought of restyling him into the canon pastAllen but was not sure. My AU bby Allen needs his father anyways, right?

I don't know if this entry makes sense overall, but this is my conclusion. I want to keep Ally as a doll, even when he is based on a character that never existed like this in the first place. He is very dear to me. And the thought of letting him go completely feels wrong.

[beardedmrbean]

Records show Boston Mayor Michelle Wu dipped into her $1.4 million campaign war chest to pay for last year’s controversial “electeds of color” holiday party, but did not use taxpayer funds as previously speculated and initially considered.

A series of emails, obtained by the Herald via a public records request, show that while city officials from the mayor’s administration were responsible for planning an exclusive holiday party hosted by Wu at the city-owned Parkman House, the event was ultimately paid out of her campaign coffers — which continue to grow given her prior remarks that it is “very” likely she will seek a second term.

While city funds were not ultimately used, the emails reveal that was not always the chosen case, with the mayor’s intergovernmental relations department — which sent the mistaken email invite to white city councilors that went viral after it was first reported by the Herald — initially set to pick up the tab.

“For the electeds of color party on 12/13, we’re expecting 20-25 people,” Ellen Quinn, the mayor’s director of state relations for the intergovernmental relations department, wrote on Nov. 16.

“I checked with Miriam in our office and IGR can pay for the food for that party, IGR can handle the electeds invites for both 12/13 and 12/14, but confirming that we don’t have to actually do any of the food ordering.”

Ultimately however, the city’s IGR department did not pay for the food.

Emails between city officials indicated that food from a Chinatown restaurant would be purchased for the event, but it’s unclear whether that was the case as there were no relevant campaign expenditures in November, when planning began, and December, the month the party took place.

A spokesperson for the mayor, however, confirmed that campaign funds were used for the electeds of color party.

The mayor’s campaign coffers list a number of holiday party-related campaign expenditures, totaling more than $17,000, including $3,334 on Nov. 16 for Gourmet Caterers, which city officials described as being booked for two separate events in emails discussing the electeds of color and the general holiday party that is open to all city and state officials.

The Herald previously reported that the Attorney General’s office had received four complaints for the Dec. 13 bash that disinvited white councilors by email, but deemed that it did not appear to violate the public accommodation law — which prohibits discrimination in public places — since it was not open to the public.

While not in apparent violation of any laws, a look at 560 pages of internal emails provided to the Herald shed light on the firestorm the exclusive holiday party created, both locally and on the national level.

After news of the event broke on Dec. 12, the mayor’s press office was bombed not only with media requests, but with criticism of what some members of the community perceived as the mayor’s decision to hold a divisive, racist party, including some feedback that directed racist remarks at the mayor.

“Obviously Michelle Wu is a flaming racist,” one anonymous 311 report read. “Maybe she should just go back to China. We do not need her kind here.”

Another unnamed 311 report used derogatory terms for the mayor’s Asian heritage.

The emails also show that the mistaken email sent by Wu’s director of City Council Relations Denise DosSantos, to all city councilors, prompting her to apologize for having to rescind the white member invites, was apparently meant to be a reminder to councilors of color, given that initial invites went out to the relevant city and state elected officials of color on Nov. 21 and 22, respectively.

The invites to councilors of color included Gabriela Coletta, who has some Mexican heritage but was initially thought to be among the seven white councilors not invited, and were sent after an email clarifying that the mayor wanted to also include then Councilors-elect Enrique Pepén and Henry Santana.

Critical emails also went out to councilors quoted in the Herald story, including now Council Vice President Brian Worrell, a black member of the body who defended the party at the time as an annual event that makes space “for all kinds of specific groups” in city government.

“I saw your comments regarding Mayor Wu’s party and felt the need to remind you that there is no home for racism in Boston,” a Dec. 13 email from John Campbell read. “Hosting a party where one group is excluded solely based on the color of their race is the textbook definition of racism.”

Resident Tom Perkins chose to direct his ire at Councilor-at-Large Ruthzee Louijeune, now the body’s president, who was among those defending the party, stating that she had made former Councilor Frank Baker, who is white and called the event divisive, “look like a voice of reason, which isn’t easy to do.”

“There was a time,” Perkins wrote, “when a bunch of the at-large councilors only seemed to care about Southie and West Roxbury. And where are we now? The colors have changed but the parochial, divisive, exclusionary and fundamentally race-based approach to governance remains.

“This isn’t progress.”

[marinerainbow]

Ok I'm too excited, so here's a deatailed post for my new gal

Shiny Weasel

I am not an artist so I don't have any visuals for Shiny. I'll try my best to describe her appearance.

Also, please note that she's still not 100% developed. So there may be changes in the future. I'm happy with what I've got right now, but still.

As the image implies, Shiny is pretty much a flapper girl for the 40's. She drinks, wears whatever she wants from short skirts to trousers, and lives how she wants. She's honest, in that brutal sort of way; unless she's trying to deceive you, she'll say whatever is on her mind, no matter how witty, sarcastic, or brash it may be.

Shiny works as a performer in a somewhat high-end (high-end as in they got nice props) yet seedy club in Downtown Toontown. I'm debating on whether or not she owns the club, or she's just a worker. Though that's her 'day' job. Her real job is making her own moonshine and selling it to whoever seeks her services. From upstanding citizens to lowly criminals. Technically, by the events of the movie, alcohol is no longer prohibited. But moonshine was still considered illegal to make because of how dangerous it can be. Not to mention making it at home, which Shiny does. (I hope my research is correct.)

She's confident, she's loud, she's stubborn, and she refuses to let others dictate how she should act or present herself.

Appearance wise, Shiny's got the body type that the Toon Patrol has. So she doesn't have the humanoid body that Whinnie Weasel does. Her belly/neck/palms are a brown sugar shade, and her back/legs/arms are sienna brown. I'm debating on making her eyes the generic black pupils like Smartass and Stupid, or giving her vibrant green eyes (it'd complete the whole eye color set for weasels if they were green, but I don't want to risk making her look like a weaselfied Jessica Rabbit either)

She doesn't have human-like hair like Greasy, but she does let the fur on her head grow out to make hair like Psycho. It's short, and she styles it when she's working in the club, but leaves it as a fluffy pixie style when she's off duty.

She does wear sparkling/fancy clothes clothes when at the club or just dancing. But when she's at home or just doing her chores/errands, she wears more casual clothes. I can't think of anything specific, I still need to work on her style.

Now, hopefully I was able to paint a clear enough picture XD now, onto tid-bits!

As I said before, Bernadette Peters is my voice claim for Shiny. Both for her speaking voice and singing voice (yes she sings)

Moonshine isn't her only crime. If she doesn't like you and/or you give her a reason, Shiny will steal your wallet and use whatever she finds. Cash, credit cards, you name it. If you really piss her off, she'll put you in debt.

She can be brash, but she can be nice too. Nicer than Smartass at least. Basically, if you play nice, she'll play nice too. And if you earn her trust, she'll be quite the loyal friend and ally.

Shiny has ran into the Toon Patrol plenty of times. They've had to pay her a visit a few times while acting as a police force for the judge. They 'check up on her' and sometimes have had to arrest her for appearances... Though in reality, she pays them for protection to continue her moonshine business, and has even sold them some of her best alcohol. She's gotten well acquainted with them because of it (especially with a certain zoot suited weasel)

I was actually originally going to make her related to Smartass (and by extension Stupid, with my hc that they're brothers). I was thinking about families for the weasels, and I wanted to make him a sister. Though when I started developing Shiny more and more, I couldn't figure out how to make it work. So it's a scrapped concept (I still like it though, so maybe she and him develop a sibling bond? I'm not sure).

The reason why I colored her name purple is because I imagine that would be her color. She'll wear purple hued dresses at work. It's her favorite color. And it could be her designated color if she became a part of the TP.

Her birthday/the day she was drawn is March 28'th, 1913 (making her 34 years old during the events of the film)

Considering that she dances nightly, I imagine Shiny is pretty fit. And she also knows how to move her body to quickly evade danger and wandering hands if needed.

My biggest inspiration for Shiny is Ms. Scarlet from Clue the Movie. Though other characters were her inspiration; Granny Boone from 2001 Maniacs, Wendy from Gravity Falls, Velma Kelly from Chicago, Joy Turner from My Name is Earl, Daisy Duke from The Dukes of Hazzard. Even a little bit of Jessica herself. There are other characters, but these are the ones that come to mind at the moment.

And that's Shiny! Please let me know what you think! ^^

[princessmayday]

Hewwo may dayyy 🤩🤩 I have a new mummy🩷 but 'm too shyyyy to ask 'er to color together 'r play 😔 how do u ask 'ur dada? 🤧 Som' advice pwease 🥺

hewwo there!!! ♡♡♡

hmmmm— i think the best way is to ask them directly? me and my prev dada was in an ldr thingy so we di'nt colo' much togetha but we always watched ca'toons togetha !!!

maybe, try an open communication thing where you ask for what you want or need??? I'm sure you mommy would love to color wif you!!! 🥰🩷

if that's too hard (bec its hard for me to ask fo' things too) why don' u try to be subtle, maybe put out some crayons when you are together? i think that can wo'k! ♡

i hope this helps and plssss let me know how it goes!!! 🩷🎀

[mcharon]

Hi! I LOVE your art so much. How do you draw like that? Like any tips/tricks or rough sketches to see the process? It's alr if not- Have a good day ^^ <33

Thank you so much!!❤️❤️ I've made my color tips before so I'm gonna put them here (but tbh these are pretty old I think maybe I will make something new if I have spare time bc I've learned a lot of new things (just maybe..))

I'm gonna make some speedpaint videos later🤔

[pitty-aegis-parlor]

Drops…a comical pile of rubber hammers on V1 since nothing says that can’t be done.

Bad robot. Bad. You are violating a lot of things right now and your thirst for blood is not an excuse for it. You’ve treaded waters you have no idea how dangerous they are. If Master Hand and Crazy Hand have to intervene, you’ll learn that even the worst of Hell’s offerings are nothing to the Hands.

……Sounds fun.

Is everything to you a way to get your fix in mindless bloodshed and violence?

Of course, it is what I was designed for, and I fulfill my existence that way. I tire of your speech.

*Before Palutena could object, V1 throws several coins in the air and starts charging their piercer revolver. Palutena similar fires a laser blast… but not at V1, but at their coins.*

*The two blasts of energy ricochet off the coins and Impact eachother, causing a large explosion. As the goddess is momentarily blinded, she could just barely see a large electric cannon about to fire, and deflects it with a barrier back at the machine, pulverizing their shooting arm.*

Very well-experienced, seems you’re heard well about me?

*Palutena says nothing as she casts down pillars of light at V1 who weaves, dashes, and jumps around them. Palutena knew full well that firing direct blasts from her staff at V1 would just have them feedback it back at her.*

*As V1 gets to melee range, they switch to their knuckleblaster, which Palutena teleports away from. As she prepares to shoot a barage of fireballs at them, they switch to the whiplash arm, firing a hook on her left arm that drags her towards them. She barely has enough time to soften the blow of V1’s Feedbacker, which causes her to cough up blood… blood that would splatter onto V1’s plating, being absorbed and healing it’s shooting arm.*

Not skilled enough.

*V1 switches to a shotgun, punching the globules of heat at Palutena, which explode on impact and melt down the floor, that or flying in the air like a firework of plasma. Switching to their rocket launcher, V1 rides on the rocket and then then switch to the shotgun again, firing the highly explosive core of it at the goddess.*

*Before V1 could switch to the Malicious railcannon and obliterate her and the top of the building with a core nuke, they get nearly hit by flashes of light from the sky… not from Palutena but to a different individual. Back onto the platform, V1 has little chance to regain their composure as Palutena rushes in, ready to beat down the machine with her bare hands if she has to.*

Unlike with you, I have actual allie’s to depend on! You are outnumbered machine!

*As Palutena says this, two Artifice Colossi fall by her side, clearly a form of assistance from Mythra. Although the two didn’t get along well, Palutena was no doubt very glad that the Aegis was supporting her.*

*Seeing these new machines, V1 jumps out of the way of their punches, stomps, and blasts of lasers, utilizing the Screwdriver to whittle one of the colossi down and then unloading a barrage of nails from their overheat Nailgun on the other. As the first colossi tries to punch V1 before they could be destroyed by the drill, V1 feedbacks them, causing their entire right side to explode. The small machine then finished the second colos sit with a boulder from the S.R.S. Cannon.*

Pitiful… barely worth a fight.

Maybe, but atleast they drew your attention long enough for me to do what I have to do.

*V1 realizes the gravity of their situation, as the trophies they had collected of the fighters have been taken by Palutena, removing any chance of a hostage situation for the machine to take advantage of. They were ENRAGED.*

GIVE THEM BACK.

*V1 charges at the goddess, switching to the pump charge shotgun as they prepare to blow her up. V1 fires as the shotgun overpumps, causing a large, deadly explosion that they dodge through a slide… and that Palutena protects herself from with a barrier.*

*V1 switcher to the marksman revolver one last time, throwing two coins behind Palutena and two in front of them. As V1 switches to the electric railcannon and proceeds to fire, Palutena just about managed to teleport the coins in front of the railcannon… and right behind V1.*

OH SHI-

*To say V1 was in a bad situation was an understatement, as the machine screeches in fear and pain from several powerful blasts of the railcannon ripping them apart. Once it was over, V1 had lost function of both of it’s legs, it’s main shooting arm, it’s lens that allowed it to see, and most of it’s plating was charred and melted. Blood was pooling around them.*

Never thought I’d say this… but I’m very glad Mythra was on my side.

*Palutena thought she could hear a faint “Your welcome!” From the Aegis far below on ground floor, as she carefully picked up the machine, which was still alive, albeit weak. She, along with them and the trophies of her two sons, Mario and Edgeworth, go back to the elevator.*