#notebook makeover

[lakestar45]

so umm my notebook needs a bit of a makeover

[whoeromcflurry]

Get ready for MORE GELPHIE ANALYSIS because the queer audhd English major brain never rests.

We know that Glinda is trying to get the Munchkins to empathize with Elphaba even though she can't publicly defend or mourn her. But another nice touch from the brilliant mind of Stephen Schwartz is that in telling about Elphaba's childhood,she makes a point to mention Elphaba's father being appointed governor of Munchkin Land. There are LAYERS here.

We know that Glinda was from a wealthy and prominent family. She has gone through a lot of character development at this point,but she is still Glinda Upland. Status and titles mean a lot to her still. Telling everyone that Elphaba was born in Munchkin Land is supposed to humanize her and show she is literally one of them yes...BUT our girl was bragging on her girl. She was letting them KNOW Elphie ain't a common wicked bitch. She's letting them know her bestie is ALSO from a prominent family and put some fucking respect on her name. It goes over their heads,but Glinda tried so hard short of telling the truth (which would be against Elphaba's wishes) or obliterating some munchkin ASS for shit talking her baby. I know seeing her finally get to cry her eyes out about it is going to wreck me

[fish-nailed-to-a-cross]

I spent over an hour putting stickers on my sketchbook and it became pure, ugly chaos. I absolutely adore it. I'm going to brandish it front-side up so people can see how normal I am.

[cherbii]

-> just a something small

thinking about boyfie!Sukuna with creative gf!reader.

“Don’t move,” you said, brow furrowed as you traced yet another swirl of henna onto Sukuna’s already tattoo-covered arm.

“I’m literally not moving.”

“You breathed. I felt it.”

He stared at you, unimpressed. “That’s usually encouraged.”

You didn’t respond. You were too busy drawing a stick man, very deliberately, right inside one of his thick, black tattoo bands. It looked comically out of place. Like someone had graffitied a caveman onto the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

You sat back proudly. “Look at him. Living his best life.”

Sukuna tilted his head to examine the stick figure. “He has no face.”

“He’s minimalistic. Don’t be rude.”

He said nothing, which in Sukuna-language meant “this is ridiculous but I’m letting it happen because I love you or something.”

He didn’t mind being used as a canvas. That much had become clear. You’d started with henna, but the chaos had escalated over time.

One evening, while you were studying on the couch, you realised his hand was resting peacefully on your lap. Completely still. Completely unguarded.You grabbed a pen.“You’re doing something,” he said without looking.

“No I’m not.”

“You’re drawing on me.”

You were. A tiny cat on his thumb, a sunflower on his pinky, a suspicious-looking frog on the side of his hand.

He looked at them after five minutes of silence.“Why is this frog judging me.”

“He knows what you did.”

Later, you sat him down at the kitchen table like you were about to perform a very serious operation. You held up a bottle of pale pink nail polish.He glanced at it. Then at you. Then at his lighter.

“I’m repainting it,” you said. “Your personality is 90% violent and the other 10% is whatever colour your hair is. We’re leaning in.”

He didn’t even argue. Just pushed the lighter across the table like a defeated man handing over a family heirloom. You worked in silence for a bit, tongue between your teeth. “You’re very precise,” he said.

“I trained under the ancient masters of DIY TikTok.”

“I have no idea what that means.”

“Good. That’s how I maintain my mystery.”

You didn’t stop there. Oh no. Next was Labubu. Your slightly terrifying big-eared plush toy. One morning, Sukuna walked into the living room to find you sewing tiny pink thread onto its head.“What’s happening.”

“He’s becoming you.”

Your Labubu now had angry little eyebrows, a tiny scar, and black ink marker tattoos all over his felt arms. You handed it to Sukuna.

“He’s your plush clone. Be gentle. He’s moody.”

Sukuna stared at it. “It looks like it’s planning murder.”

“Just like you.”

He didn’t argue. That meant you were right.

You found a DIY jacket tutorial and decided Sukuna needed a makeover. He was napping. You were in a creative mood. Dangerous combination. You ironed on three patches, one of which said “Menace to Society,” and drew a snake on the sleeve in fabric marker.

When he woke up, you showed him.He blinked at the jacket. Then at you.“I was asleep for twenty minutes.”

“You trusted me. That was your first mistake.”

He was a man of very few words. You were a woman of… too many. Somehow, that balanced. He let you paint his lighter, design his hoodie, and vandalise his body with henna frogs. He let you stitch thread into a plushie’s forehead and call it bonding. He let you use his hands as notebooks when your own were full.

And in return, you kissed his scar without asking, drew hearts on his knuckles, and said stuff like, “You’re the calmest chaos I’ve ever met.”

He didn’t smile often. But sometimes you caught the edge of one when he thought you weren’t looking. Especially when the stick man got a little cape.

“Don’t,” he warned when he saw you giggling.

“He’s a hero, Sukuna.”

“You need supervision.”

“You are my supervision.”

That shut him up. Mostly because it was true.

[lamb-hugs]

soft and cute < 🧁 ~#🤍

adorable craft ideas

Easy (Beginner-friendly, minimal supplies)

Pastel Bead Bracelets – Use stretchy cord and pastel beads for a cute DIY bracelet.

Sticker Collage – Make a pastel babycore-themed collage with stickers and scrapbook paper.

Decorated Hair Clips – Hot glue tiny bows, charms, or pastel cabochons onto plain hair clips.

Cotton Ball Clouds – Glue cotton balls to cardstock and add pastel stars or glitter.

Kawaii Eraser Stamps – Carve simple shapes (like hearts or bunnies) into erasers for cute stamp designs.

DIY Washi Tape Notebooks – Cover a plain notebook in pastel washi tape for an instant makeover.

Pom-Pom Keychains – Make fluffy pastel pom-poms and attach them to a keychain.

Soft Fabric Patches – Cut out pastel felt shapes (hearts, bears, stars) and stitch them onto clothes or bags.

Foam Sticker Decor – Use pastel foam stickers to decorate phone cases, mirrors, or notebooks.

Glittery Babycore Slime – Make pastel-colored slime with glitter and small beads.

Medium (More materials, a little patience)

Mini Clay Charms – Sculpt tiny pastel baby bottles, pacifiers, or teddy bears with polymer clay.

Felt Plushies – Sew small felt plushies like bunnies, lambs, or stars with pastel fabric.

DIY Suncatchers – Use pastel beads and clear glue to make adorable window decorations.

Painted Pastel Mason Jars – Paint mason jars in soft babycore colors for cute storage.

Resin Hair Clips – Create babycore resin hair clips with pastel pigments, glitter, and tiny charms.

Ribbon Embroidery – Stitch small hearts, stars, or clouds onto fabric with pastel ribbon.

DIY Babycore Earrings – Make earrings from pastel charms or shrink plastic designs.

Crochet Babycore Coasters – Crochet simple pastel coasters shaped like hearts or flowers.

Handmade Pastel Candles – Pour pastel wax into cute molds for aesthetic candles.

Cloud Wall Hanging – Use felt, stuffing, and thread to create a soft cloud wall decoration.

Hard (More complex, takes time)

DIY Babycore Dress – Sew a pastel dress with lace, bows, and frills.

Stuffed Animal Customization – Customize plush toys with pastel dyes, bows, and embroidery.

Hand-Painted Shoes – Paint soft babycore patterns onto sneakers or flats.

Decorated Pastel Mirror – Use charms, pearls, and acrylic paint to make a babycore vanity mirror.

Babycore Themed Blanket – Sew or crochet a pastel blanket with soft, fluffy yarn.

Custom Doll Repainting – Repaint dolls with soft babycore-style faces and outfits.

DIY Music Box – Decorate a small jewelry box with pastel paint and add a musical mechanism.

Embroidered Tote Bag – Hand-stitch pastel babycore designs onto a fabric tote bag.

Upcycled Denim Jacket – Add pastel patches, embroidery, or lace to a jacket for a babycore touch.

DIY Canopy Bed Decor – Create a soft, draped canopy with pastel fabrics for a dreamy aesthetic.

[gaybd1]

Here’s a list of some false anglicisms!

A false anglicism, or pseudo-anglicism is a word in a language that sounds English but doesn’t actually carry the same meaning in English.

Wikipedia has a very very good list of examples; pretty much all of these come from there

In multiple languages:

autostop: hitchhiking (French, Italian, Polish, Serbo-Croatian, Greek, Russian, Spanish, Bulgarian, Hungarian)

basket: basketball (Danish, French, Indonesian, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Greek)

camping: campsite or campground (French, Dutch, Greek, Bulgarian, Russian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish)

smoking: dinner jacket, tuxedo, or smoking jacket (Danish, French, Portuguese, German, Italian, Dutch, Greek, Russian)

Korean

one shot: bottoms up (원샷)

hand phone: cellphone (핸드폰)

skinship: platonic hand-holding, hugging, etc. (스킨십)

French

baby-foot: table football

baby-parc: playpen

before: drinks before a party/"pregame" (opposite of after)

blind test: music quiz / 'name that tune'

brushing: blow-dry and styling

box: wifi router or parking space

dancing: dance hall

footing: jogging (though the real English word is also used in French with the same meaning)

pressing: dry cleaning shop

recordman/recordmans/recordwoman: record holder, especially in sports (also in Russian)

relooker/relooking: to makeover/a makeover

speaker/speakerine: rradio or television announcer

Italian

autogrill: rest area

beauty farm: spa

jolly: the joker in a pack of cards

pullman: a bus

smart working: remote work

water: toilet

Portuguese

outdoor: billboard

home office: work from home

Danish

butterfly: bow tie

cottoncoat: trench coat

doorstep: a short and informal press conference

monkeyclass: economy class

speedmarker: a felt-tip pen

timemanager – a calendar or notebook in which one writes down appointments

Dutch:

beamer: a video projector (also in German)

box: a playpen or a music speaker

videoclip: a music video

German

Bodybag: a messenger bag

Dressman: a male model

Flipper: a pinball machine

Funsport: a sport played for amusement, such as skateboarding or frisbee

Handy: a mobile phone

Jobticket: a free pass for public transport provided by an employer for employees

mobbing: bullying

Swedish:

after work: a meeting for drinks after the workday is finished

pocket: A paper-back book

[lizthewriter]

red wine supernova / regina george

SUMMARY  regina george has made you the new victim of her attention. it's a different kind of attention than you expected from her.

QUOTE  "she was a playboy, bridgette bardot, / she showed me things i didn't know, / she did it right there, out on the deck, / put her canine teeth in the side of my neck," - red wine supernova by chappell roan

WORD COUNT  1.1K

WRITTEN  6.3.2024

you've always been introverted and shy - some people were loud, rambunctious, easily likeable. easily sociable. it had never been that easy for you - anxiety rumbling at the bottom of your stomach every time you spoke to someone new, hands trembling and voice stuttering as you spoke in front of the class. it didn't help when others began to tease you for it - it only made you more reclusive.

but then, she noticed you. everyone knew who she was. regina george. queen bee of the mean girls, the plastics, the fake and bake's, whatever people liked to call them these days. and believe me, no one wanted to be noticed by regina george, not the way she noticed you.

it started out as small, targeted comments in the lunch line. on your clothes, on the foos you ate, on the way you did your hair. cute, girly tips hidden behind the pretentiousness of a pig with lip glass. okay, perhaps that was taking things way too far. she was gorgeous and she wasn't completely terrible. you just couldn't figure out why you were so special to be one of the few victims of her attention and insults.

but now she was making it obvious to everyone that she had taken some odd liking to you. swinging her arm around your shoulder and calling you pet, playing with your hair and giving you beauty tips with thinly veiled conceit, things like that.

you tried to stay away from her as much as possible, but unfortunately that was impossible. world history and of course, for your final project, you abaolutely had to be thrown with her.

regina plopped down in the seat next to you as people scattered across the room to find their project partner. aaron was sitting practically next to her, but she wasn't even watching him. she seemed to give all her attention to you lately. "hey babes, looks like we're stuck together."

you laughed nervously. "yeah, looks that way," you responded in a small tone, staring down at your notes. "so i was thinking, i'm very educated in world war two discourse, i was hoping we could do our project on -"

"you know, you should totally come over my house this weekend." most of your classmates around you froze and glanced towards regina. she never invited anyone but the plastics at her house. "i can show you how to do makeup - i'll even let you borrow my lip gloss."

"you never let me borrow your lip -"

"oh my god, will you stop taking things so personally gretchen?" regina responded, not even turning around in her chair to face gretchen, who was sitting behind her. regina gestured to gretchen and rolled her eyes, finally returning all her attention to you. she grabbed your hand and started to trial her fingernail around your hand in circles. "what do you say, pet?"

"umm, i'll bring my notebook so we can work too," you responded in an uncertain tone.

"great!"

-

"and don't worry girls, if you want to have a party, i still have all of my old nas cd's downstairs!" regina'a mother exclaimed as she left the room. you and regina were situated on her bed, sitting rather close to one another. as you reached to pull your notebook out of your bag, regina pushed your hand back down so that your notebook was firmly back in it's place.

"don't be a bore, let's have some fun first," regina responded with a roll of her eyes, popping her lollipop back in her mouth. she grabbed you by the arm and hauled you all the way over to her vanity, turning on the lighting and grabbing all the possible makeup in sight. "we are giving you a makeover."

she grinned at you, and in that moment you couldn't tell if it was genuine or not. you decided to go along, for the sake of it - why upset her now? she could have her fun with you and then you could go back to working on your project. "all right, i guess."

she started to pull out all sorts of makeup application devices you either recognized and didn't use or had never seen at all. she tapped her phone and punk rock music began to blare through the speakers in her room - you found yourself suprised at her music taste but said nothing, only tapping your feet along to the beat.

she began by brushing your hair and pulling it back with a headband, giving her free reign to do whatever she wanted to your face. she started out with skincare, washing your face and applying a face mask.

"so, what do you like to do in your free time, or whatever?" regina asked you in a bored tone, though her eyes seemed rather interested as she looked down at you. enamored, almost, but that must have been a trick of the light.

you started to name a few hobbies but before you knew it, the two of you were deep into conversation about various different things and surprisingly, as she did your makeup, you found yourself opening up to her, becoming louder and louder, while she somehow became more dormant - less mean and commanding and more, understanding and listening.

"okay, take a look!"

you turned around and faced yourself in the mirror. you smiled widely as you felt rather pretty, wearing the makeup regina had put on you, sparkly yellow eyeshadow and pink mascara. you saw regina biting her bottom lip as she looked at you in the mirror - suddenly you felt shy again and felt a blush fall over your cheeks.

"how do you like it?" regina asked as she turned you to face her.

"i feel really pretty . . . thanks," you mumbled shyly, staring down at your feet

"you are really pretty," she told you in a low tone, placing her finger under your chin and raising your head so you met her eyes. "you're so fucking dumb, how long will it take you to realize i like you, pet?"

she laughed at your confounded expression. you felt your face turn a tomato red and you buried your face in your hands, feeling embarrassed. "i thought you were making fun of me!" you exclaimed between your fingers.

"i was endearingly teasing you, or whatever," regina said in a defensive tone, though she was still falling over laughing at your expression.

"this isn't a prank, right?"

"of course not! now let's finish this dumb project so i can take you out on a date, hoe."

[glowettee]

dealing with a bad grade (part 1/5) 🎀

posted by: glowettee

hey sweeties! ♡ mindyyy here

okay so like… we need to have a heart-to-heart about something that happens to literally everyone - getting a grade that makes your heart sink. i totally get it, i've gotten a less than decent grade before and i felt like my whole academic career, life, MINDSETT just crashed. but guess what? i turned it around, and i'm going to share exactly how i did it. this is going to be a 5-part series specifically for helping you with your grade. <333

let's start with the immediate aftermath (because i know you're probably reading this with teary eyes and a racing heart):

♡ the 24-hour rule this is literally my holy grail rule. give yourself exactly 24 hours to feel all the emotions. cry into your plushies, eat that emergency chocolate bar you've been saving, watch sad tiktoks - whatever you need. but when that 24 hours is up, we're switching into recovery mode. i literally set a timer on my phone and when it goes off, it's glow-up time.

♡ emotional first aid kit grab your cutest notebook (mine's pink with gold stars obviously) and write down everything you're feeling. i'm talking full main character energy here - all the thoughts, fears, and worries. this isn't just venting, bestie. we're documenting these feelings so we can look back and see how far we've come. plus, getting it all out on paper helps clear your mind for the strategy phase.

♡ reality check (but make it gentle) let's break down why this isn't the end of your academic journey:

grade weight check: calculate exactly how much this affects your final grade. sometimes what feels like a disaster is actually just a tiny bump in the road

context matters: was this during that week you had the flu? when your bestie needed emotional support? when your laptop died? write down any external factors (we don't need accountability at alll,) (i'm joking)

pattern or one-off?: look at your other grades. is this a surprising drop or part of a trend? this helps us know if we need a total study makeover or just some fine-tuning

♡ the strategic breakdown this is where we get seriously helpful. grab your planner so we can create your recoveryyyy blueprint:

schedule a professor/teacher meeting ASAP (i know it's scary but professors and teachers actually love when students care enough to ask for help)

review your study methods (be honest - were you just rereading notes and hoping for the best? i do this all the time on my lazy days, it doesn't help...)

analyze your test-taking strategy (did you run out of time? panic? misread questions?)

check for extra credit opportunities (sometimes they're not advertised but exist if you ask!)

look into study groups (because two brains are better than one, and four brains are literally a power squad)

♡ creating your comeback toolkit this is the part where we get super practical (please bare with me):

get a separate notebook just for this subject

color-code everything (i use pink for things i don't understand, gold for improvements, and purple for victories)

start a concept map of everything you need to review

make a list of resources (tutoring center hours, professor office hours, study group times, online study resources, books etc...)

create a daily study schedule (even if it's just 30 minutes, consistency is key)

♡ mindset reset (the most important part) here's the truth: this grade is not your destiny. it's not even your story. it's just one chapter, and you're about to write the most amazing comeback story ever. think of it like this - even the most aesthetic, successful study girls have their off days. what matters is how you bounce back. you have drive and power, and using that to comeback from something that makes you devastated shows your resilience. <33 don't give up on your dreams when something hits you, because it's like giving up on yourself.

tomorrow we're diving deep into analyzing what went wrong (in the most organized and cute way possible, obviously). because just like my favorite quote says (got it from pinterest btw): "every setback is just a setup for your greatest comeback." ✨

remember: you're still that girl. you're still capable. and you're about to show everyone (especially yourself) just how powerful you can be. please don't give up, i assure you, once you comeback and end up getting an A, after receiving that C-, you'll literally feel unstoppable!!!! <333

stay gorgeous and focused! xoxo, mindy 🎀

[eds6ngel]

Please friend, I need Eddie and his equally feral grungy little girlfriend. Think like Allison Reynolds from the Breakfast Club before they gave her the hideous pink makeover. I want these two clowns to match each other’s energy, both of them nuts about D&D and metal, and I want her to be the one member of Hellfire who is in charge of drawing these insanely intricate drawings of everyone’s player characters.

being eddie's grungy gf would include ...

a/n: i think this calls for some headcanons! and i suppose this is my reminder to watch 'the breakfast club' as i still haven't gotten round to it ! :')

warnings: SLIGHT SMUT!! (one mention of sex, two allusions.) fem!reader. artsy!reader. grungy!reader. kissing. one mention of people calling eddie a 'freak.' tons of fluff and comfort !!

𝜗𝜚 you guys met in your sophomore year.

𝜗𝜚 eddie had been looking to set up a d&d club at the end of the year, knowing his middle school friends (jeff & gareth) were now going to be in high school with him.

𝜗𝜚 eddie didn’t know that you played d&d at the time, but he had sneaked a glance at your notebook during art class and was very intrigued into your drawings, many which consisted of your own monsters, fairies, dragons, anything magical and mystical.

𝜗𝜚 he knew the opportunity was even greater when you were pinning ‘battle of the bands’ posters in the school hallways. he couldn’t believe it was you making those incredible designs.

𝜗𝜚 asked you right there and then if you could help him design a poster for his new club.

𝜗𝜚 you were unsure at first, wondering what the hell this random dude who was in your art class wanted a poster for.

𝜗𝜚 however, you were immediately on board when he mentioned it was for d&d.

𝜗𝜚 you were technically the first member to join his club. it was you and him against the world at that point.

𝜗𝜚 you asked some of your artsy friends who were also in the drama club if you could rent their space on friday nights for weekly campaigns.

𝜗𝜚 they reluctantly said yes just because it was you. eddie was happy as it was one of the few groups of people outside of his own friend group that weren’t calling him a ‘freak’ upon arrival.

𝜗𝜚 over the summer, you and eddie met up to discuss how the whole ordeal would work. his trailer had basically become your second home by that point.

𝜗𝜚 you had started cooking meals together, you would go out to benny’s for a quick evening bite, you even started sleeping over at his.

𝜗𝜚 you began with bringing over a sleeping bag to camp out on his floor, but it soon turned into the two of you just sharing his bed. platonically, of course.

𝜗𝜚 it wasn’t until jeff and gareth came to visit the two of you so you could start drawing their characters for eddie’s visual reference that they encouraged eddie to grow some balls and ask you out.

𝜗𝜚 it took him a couple more weeks, but he finally got there.

𝜗𝜚 luckily you felt the same and you shared your first kiss that day.

𝜗𝜚 and by the time your junior year rolled around, everything was settled in place.

𝜗𝜚 eddie let you sit on his lap during campaigns, to which the boys always complained about.

𝜗𝜚 and after the boys had left, you got up to some… not exactly PG activities on his throne.

𝜗𝜚 or your throne, should you say. eddie said that the throne was all yours, since you decorated the entire thing.

𝜗𝜚 it was actually a 50/50 split effort.

𝜗𝜚 you were the couple who annoyingly blasted metal music out of his van on late night drives at 2am.

𝜗𝜚 hopper stopped you once as you had been getting noise complaints from locals.

𝜗𝜚 you and eddie both agreed it was only because it was metal music and continued anyway.

𝜗𝜚 eddie didn’t realise how feral you were until you got together. you were pretty excitable when you were simply platonic friends, but this was a whole different level.

𝜗𝜚 he didn’t care though as he loved it (and it also transferred to the bedroom.)

𝜗𝜚 sickly PDA couple alert ! eddie’s kissing you all the time ! the boy cannot keep his hands to himself ! he’s infatuated by you !

𝜗𝜚 always sharing cassettes. the both of you never buy new albums individually anymore. you either listen to them together and nerd out, or you share them back and forth.

𝜗𝜚 friday night dates after d&d ! i repeat, friday night dates after d&d !

𝜗𝜚 followed by some truly amazing sex. thank god wayne took the late night shift on fridays. and you hoped it never changed. because it was always the best ending to your week, and you didn’t want to change it for as long as you lived.

taglist: @cosmorant @ye0nvibezzn @tlclick73 @agxxb

[lostintransist]

Liaison | Part 6 | Galas, Business, and Backroom Deals

Check out part one here. Up to chapter 34/38 on AO3.

Blinking hard at the computer didn’t change the fact the words had all become unreadable. You had started work at four am and hadn’t left your chair since. The phone showed 10:23 AM if you squinted. Pushing away from the computer you shuffled to the kitchen for a cup of coffee.

As the last of the liquid ability to keep going dripped into your cup Kate finds you.

“Ah, Liaison. I’m glad I found you. I’ve cleared your schedule for the day. Go and grab your bag.” Kate dressed simply in jeans and flannel.

“What do you even do here Kate?”

Kate smirked at your exhausted question. “I coordinate teams on the ground. While you line up jobs for the team now I keep them all moving to the goals once we work the jobs.”

“Why did you clear my schedule then?” You focus the majority of your energy on the task of moving your coffee to a to-go cup and adding the prescribed amount of creamer.

“Because you’ve been with us long enough that Shepherd and I agree you can start taking on the networking parties.” The grin Kate has wouldn’t look out of place on a crocodile.

“And if I don’t want to be the face of the 141?” You mumble the question into your coffee. Kate hears you anyway.

“Too bad, you’ll be getting a £50,000 yearly raise and a company card for expenses.”

Spit takes with hot coffee should lead to a fine for whoever made the coffee come out of your nose. You cough until you can breathe again.

“Now much is my raise?” You stare at Kate with wide eyes, mouth agape.

“You heard me. Now go and get your stuff we have a lot to get done today. I’ll wait for you in the lobby.”

Hurrying down the hall you pack up your computer and ensure your workspace is clear. Firing off a quick text to König you head back down the hall.

<I’m getting a raise, so that’s cool. But now I have to go to parties 🤮

A reply pops up on your screen before you can reach the lobby.

>I would rather shoot myself in the head.

<While I understand the sentiment I’m going to like the chance to drink while working.

When you move close enough to see the lobby you see Harold, face red and chin quivering, talking with Kate who leans over the high counter.

“You okay Harold?”

Kate spins around to look at you while Harold sits in his chair, head disappearing below the eye line.

“He got some bad news about his family, ready to go?” Kate replies for him. She ushers you through the front door. You look over your shoulder, seeing nothing amiss.

“Where are we headed first?” You climb into the right side of the car, still uncomfortable with UK cars despite being here a year.

“You are getting a makeover today. Facial, massage, hair colored, among other things and then we are going to get you several dresses. Your first party is on Friday. I will be going with you and introducing you to a few people. Word that you work for us won’t take long to get around. Most people there will already have your number in their phone, so adding a pretty face to the number should help us get more jobs.” Kate drove as she spoke, slipping into traffic with ease.

“Kitty is going to be your hair stylist, she also does makeup. She is good at keeping her mouth shut and because of that has some high-priority clientele. Lana is going to provide your massage and Tia is going to give you a facial. We will be done at their salon in about two hours, which will leave plenty of time to get some dresses and shoes. The ladies will work at the same time to get everything done in time.”

You take note of the names Kate mentions and write them down in a small notebook along with what each woman does. This had been your trick to keeping jobs and people straight as you learn about them. Writing them helps everything stick and allows you to update your spreadsheets.

Kate always struck you as someone who tried to be ‘one of the guys’. Being on a first-name basis with women who fell into more traditionally female-coded jobs felt out of character. You tuck the incongruence into your mental folder on Kate. She did manage the liaison position before you, and if you are forced to go to parties then Kate must have had as well. You wonder if you can get a suit along with the dresses you are slated for.

The turn into the parking structure takes you by surprise, the oh-shit handle becoming one with your hand. Kate drives a bit wild, nothing like the controlled sedation of Harold. Though, as you think on it she drives much better than most of the team. You end up in a car with them for one reason or another from time to time.

Riding the elevator in silence you notice, maybe for the first time that you had several inches on Kate. Her large presence and the fact you slouched in your chair most of the time had left you with the impression you stood at nearly the same height.

When the ding of the elevator alerted you to the arrival of the correct floor you catch sight of a beautiful woman with bright pink hair standing behind the counter.

“Hi, Kate! Is this your new liaison?”

You wave as Kate introduces you.

“And remind me what we are getting ready for today?”

“Galas, business, and backroom deals like always Kitty.”

They laughed as if this were a commonly shared joke.

The next two hours should have been calming. All of your knots are attacked and obliterated by Lana. You must keep a neutral face when Tia is working on removing layers of dead skin. Kitty gives you what she calls low lights. You have no idea what that means but once all the women step from the room you rush to clothe yourself. Kate enters the room without knocking as you are halfway through getting your jeans on.

“Do you have any nicer underwear?” she pulls a face at your cotton undies and plain t-shirt bra.

“No? I don’t need them.” You wiggle your pants over your hips and ass, buttoning them and grabbing your shirt.

“You will, I will add that to our list of items to pick up.”

“If no one will be seeing them then I don’t need them.”

“Not your call, plus the nice underwear makes the clothes sit better, I promise.”

“I can’t imagine you getting all fancy for parties like this.”

“Oh trust me,” a wry tone, “It was not a walk in the park for me.”

Once your shirt is settled back in place you follow Kate into the proper salon area. Kitty has you sit in her chair. She drapes a gown over your clothes and gives you a light trim with some shaping. Kitty talks with Kate for most of the visit.

“What is the feeling you are going for on Friday’s party?”

“Classy, we need to introduce her and let her settle in people’s minds as one of ours before we start making waves.”

“Okay, send me a picture once you have the dress picked out and I will work with my associate Emma to get everything ready. Since there will be two of you I will be needing help.”

Hair cut, face scrubbed, nails buffed and shined, thoroughly assaulted you follow Kate back to the elevator. Going down two floors you are interested to see a high-end shop. The woman dressed all in black greats Kate with an air of self-importance, glancing you over before dismissing you mentally.

You can do no more than try on a dress and present it to Kate and the mistress of the shop before you are ordered back to try on another. After the twelfth dress, you send a message to König. The picture you send him is flattering, the floor-length ballgown hugged your breasts and flowed down in an elegant A-line.

<You wanted to be a sniper right?

>Ja.

<Any chance you could arrange to take me out before I have to try one more gown?

>Nein. You are friend.

The only reply you can think to send is a picture of you flipping him the bird.

@nicroyal02

Part 5 | Part 7

Masterlist

[lilacsbeeswax]

Pairing: Remus Lupin x Reader

Description: Reader dresses up and finally gets Remus’ attention

MASTERLIST

——-

“You going to the Gryffindor after party tonight?” Marlene asked as she curled her hair with her wand and a heating spell.

“I want to but it’ll probably just be Sirius and James being overprotective pricks.” I replied, applying my daily makeup.

“But, Lupin will be there! This could be your night to get it in with him!” Alice interjected, throwing her notebook down in mock frustration. I had had a ‘crush’ on Remus ever since I first met him and have been trying my best to get his attention yet nothing has worked.

“Remus obviously doesn’t like me like that, I’m over trying to get him to notice how I feel.”

“Come on, Black!” Alice groaned loudly. “Remus is the stupidest genius I know. I mean look at how he looks at you! He just needs a little more fuel!”

“Let us dress you up and do your makeup! If that doesn’t work then you can give up on your true love.” Marlene offered, practically begging me with her eyes to let her give me a makeover.

A beat of silence fell against us before I gave in. “Fine… but this is the last time.”

The girls cheered before getting to work.

——-

The hustle and bustle of a Gryffindor party was already underway by the time we moseyed down stairs. My nerves were already practically vibrating with excitement due to the palpable energy of the common room. As I swung open the door, several sets of eyes landed on me. I felt like the star of one of those muggle movies.

Marlene pushed past where I’d stopped in the doorway, with a squeeze of my shoulder she whispered, “Told ya you look hot.” She kept walking making her way into the dense crowd.

I turned around to face Alice who was grinning ear to ear. She pinched my cheek like a grandma and cooed, “My little masterpiece is finally gonna get laid.” With a giggle, she walked into the party, probably in search of her boyfriend, Frank.

——-

It wasn’t too long into the party before I found the famous marauders. Remus was sat on a couch that faced away from me watching James and my brother, Sirius, chugging some kind of alcohol from colorful plastic cups. Sirius slams his cap down first, cheering before his eyes fell on me. James followed suit, his jaw dropping to the floor.

“Who are you and what have you done to my baby sister?!” Sirius dramatically exclaimed, gesturing toward me erratically. This caused Remus to turn his head toward me. As he looked at me his pupils dilated and he smiled discreetly.

“Respectfully, damn.” James said with a smirk.

Sirius hits him in the chest lightly with the back of his hand. “That’s my sister!” He said with a dramatic (as always) gasp and the clutch of his heart with his other hand. James shrugged and gestured for me to come over. I took the offer and plopped down on the couch next to Remus. Out of the corner of my eye, I could still see him staring at me. He licked his lips, the tips of his ears turning pink.

‘Whoa maybe Alice and Marlene are right,” I thought momentarily.

The conversation kept flowing between me, James, and Sirius, especially since James was always extra bubbly and talkative when drunk. However, Remus didn’t make a peep the whole of the night that was until James and Sirius left us on the couch to talk up two pretty best friends they saw.

“Sooooo…” I dragged out my words awkwardly. “What’s up, Rem?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing.” He replied smiling but his eyes never met mine.

“It’s okay if there is, I’m always here for you.” I bumped my shoulder with his.

A moment of silence dropped before he blurted. “You look gorgeous.”

Blood ran toward my cheeks. “Thank you, Remus. You look pretty gorgeous yourself.” A shifted closer to him and his eyes finally met mine.

“I look like a sack of beets compared to you.”

“That’s one handsome sack of beets.”

He blinked at me before asking, “Are you flirting with me?”

“Maybe. Are you with me?”

“Perhaps.” My heart raced.

“Would you… hypothetically like to go out sometime?” I ask, bracing for rejection.

“I would love to.” He smiled softly and placed a hand in mine. “How about a picnic and I could read to you just like you like? Hypothetically of course.”

“Sounds like a dream.” We laughed and I felt once again like I was in a movie.

——-

MASTERLIST

[lightbearcuddles]

Jason Grace and the Canp Half Blood Makeover

Jason Grace could not understand Camp Half Blood. He’d just recently returned to Camp Half Blood after his quest and began to see how things worked here, understanding it a little better. And honestly, some things just didn’t make sense!

Sure they had a lot of cabins so that each kid had a cabin of their parents to stay at, but some were almost empty, with like one or two kids to a whole cabin!

They had rules like only sitting at your cabin’s table, what about those kids then huh? It was wasting a lot of space and isolating people instead of letting them mingle around better! He was so glad it wasn’t that way at Camp Jupiter.

Then schooling, education? It was almost non-existent! All rounder kids learnt things at their own time, it wasn't enforced with lessons run by 2 older Athena kids. There were literal illiterate kids at camp!

Ok, Jason wasn’t saying camp Jupiter was excellent, Camp half blood had its good points too, like a democratic leadership, with cabin heads, or councillors running the whole thing with little help. There wasn’t the problem of if one person became the head, cough cough Octavian, camp may eradicate itself! The other councillors could stop him!

It was just that Jason saw a lot of little things that could be fixed, like having more teachers, using Cabins as temples and having separate mixed lodging for campers, with demigod groups, not siblings! And he’d begun to start talking with Annabeth about his ideas…

So while Leo and Piper worked on the ship, Jason started working with Annabeth on his ideas. Good thing was that apparently Percy had some similar ideas he’d written in a book, so they had something to base their idea off. He’d drawn some camp layout plans and more in the notebooks and some ideas on the leadership too.

By the time Jason, Leo, Piper, Annabeth and Coach Gleeson left to Rome, Will, Clarisse and the twin sons of Hermes’ had begun taking over the project and actually implementing it.

When Percy came back, well, he’d have a surprise waiting for him! Jason wondered about camp Jupiter, would it be any different?

Inspired by @suitedevil04 comment on Shadows of Legends

[infinite-dragon-loop]

good evening/morning/afternoon, mind sharing some Eddsworld headcannons? :D (also AHHHH i think your so cool)

Ok first of all thank you so much 😭🩷💞‼️‼️

To address the headcanons, I have four separate posts with headcanons about all four of the boys, but there are unfortunately more. I’ll just list some off the top of my head (I’ll try to make them consistent) (also Matt goes by feminine pronouns as well so that isn’t a typo if you see a she) (also also I’ll add links their other headcanons as well)

Edd

So uhhh Edd. Pretty calm, chill guy. Not entirely, sometimes he’s the most menacing bastard ever. He’s also a sweetheart sometimes, really the biggest cuddle bug you’ll ever meet. But he’s also a grade A asshole. There are many faces of Edd. When he was younger he was much less laidback and far more blunt and openly rude. If he felt it, he said it. Thankfully he learned social norms as he got older.

Edd has many interests, such as art and animation (obviously), amphibians, plants, architecture, cinema, Sonic, MLP, Homestuck, and old RPGs (he’s perpetually stuck in the early 2010s). He always has a little pocket notebook with him to doodle in mindlessly. Literally, sometimes he doesn’t even realise he’s drawing. What is wrong with him. His doodles range from people, animals, and buildings he sees, to random comics of his friends, to pages and pages of drawings of Ringo. He loves his baby. He has an entire wall dedicated to collecting Coca-Cola memorabilia. It’s the wall behind his door, so if you only open it halfway you won’t see it, but if you take a peak around the corner you get hit in the face with red and white. He has a pretty impressive collection of vintages.

Some of Edd’s favourite music genres (not including influence from the other boys) include classic rock, indie rock, alternative rock, folk rock, soul, and rumba. Rumba might seem a bit out of place, but his mother, Emilia, is from Spain, and she listened to a lot of rumba and flamenco while he was growing up. It reminds him of home <3

Matt

Matt is much smarter than her housemates give her credit for. Of course, he's still rather flighty and forgetful, and has his potato brain moments, but he can be surprisingly logical and level-headed. She’s naturally a very silly guy, however she used to pretend to be more serious to make the other three think she was cool and mysterious (they knew he wasn’t because they grew up with him, but he still desperately craves their approval.) Matt is actually a rather complicated guy, and he doesn’t get enough credit for that.

Aside from collecting shiny things, trinkets, and anything purple, she loves perfumes and candles (and really anything with a nice scent), stuffed animals, women’s fashion, sewing, Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, and bats. After becoming a vampire she became obsessed with bats. He once stayed up until dawn crying about how bats are just sweet misunderstood little creatures and he was so wrong to judge them. What a sap. He holds bi-monthly “pampering nights” for the entire house and turns the house into a spa. Don’t ask how much money it takes.

Music genres he likes include indie pop, indie rock, city pop, jazz-pop, bossa nova, and alternative. While his taste in music is mostly shaped by the people around him, he occasionally discovers music he likes himself, such as bossa nova (which he started to look into after listening to K.K. Bossa in Animal Crossing). He finds it easier to bond over makeovers and music than conversation.

Tom

Tom is the master of conflicting personalities. He’s rude to almost everyone, but can also be the sweetest and most gentle person in the house. He’s stone-faced serious, then he’s goofy asf. He’s an enraged barely-leashed beast, then he’s so calm he’s practically a corpse. He’s simultaneously the smartest and the dumbest, the most mature and the most childish. Importantly, he’s an amazing actor, which means you can never know how he’s truly feeling at any given moment. Is this moment of silliness genuine, or is it simply a deflection?

Anyways Tom likes music and music history, filmography, science fiction (especially about aliens), fishing, dragons, and Pokémon. He goes through different phases of being obsessed with different films and film series and dissecting the movie-making process behind them. He also reads all. The fucking. Time. He always has a book with him. He keeps them in the most comical impossible places imaginable. He also loves comics and graphic novels. He also keeps a pocketbook like Edd, but it’s filled with line paper instead so he can write on the go, whether it’s song lyrics or a potential movie script.

Obviously Tom loves ska music, as well as ska punk, nu metal, R&B, punk rock, skate punk, and hark rock. And believe me when I say I’m holding back here because he has undeniably the widest range of music taste of the boys. Just add the rest of the guys’ music tastes to this list honestly because he loves them all. Just primarily ska.

Tord

Tord’s personality is like a box of chocolates. If you were allergic to chocolate. Bitter and tingly and kind of makes you feel like you’re gonna vomit. If that makes sense. He’s naturally quiet and reserved, but not shy, absolutely not. If you give him the chance he’ll talk your ear off. He’s a very dominating voice when he engages in the conversation. Most of the time, though, he just likes to observe. And take notes. He’s always taking notes. He’s like Tom in that he’s a great actor, and that you never know how he’s really feeling, but this isn’t to hide his feelings and deep-down repressed sadness, it’s just his home-grown military instincts. He also likes antagonising people, and has nerves of steel. He taught himself how to read people by watching them, it’s definitely not something that came naturally to him. I could go on and on about him honestly but I won’t. Too complicated (as his many past therapists say).

Tord loves guns and other weapons, science, robotics, chemistry, anime (and the nasty stuff, ew), war history, zombie films, the Doom series, TF2, and Wolfenstein. He likes anything violent, really, he’s very desensitised to it. His housemates never let him have the remote because he either puts on the most disgusting gory movie you’ve ever watched or the most boring military/war/weapon documentary ever. He started working on his laboratory as soon as he moved into Edd’s house, and it was initially just a small desk in the basement, but eventually turned into a massive underground bunker accessible by an elevator in the basement. The End played out very differently in my headcanon, obviously.

Tord enjoys industrial rock and metal, death metal, black metal, techno, alternative metal, progressive metal, and j-rock. He also likes more international music, as he moved around a lot during his childhood. He especially loves harsh and aggressive sounds like guitars. He can fall asleep to the Doom soundtrack.

This took a long time sorry

[bichitodibuja]

Hi!! I'm back again with some silly headcannons, this time it's book simon and the addiction's turn but I do call them differently so bear with me :3c

DISCLAIMER: This headcannons are made considering them as entities separated from Simon and David !!

Berek Headcannons:

♡ Book Simon's name is Berek and they love the colour pink and red !!

♡ He's always smiling and has a very uncanny laugh but he behaves like a very affectionate cat plus he meows from time to time ♡ He smells like tobacco and a rainy day, he's also quite warm and can move his neck 360º

♡ he's also a bit sticky (because of the blood)and sometimes he also reeks with the smell of blood and gun power almost like burnt (nothing too bad tho)

♡He really likes scaring and startling people, he really likes being uncanny (he just thinks it's sooo funny when people are afraid/nervous around him)

♡ He also enjoys mocking and mimicking people (but he's just messing around and he just does it in a very light hearted way)

♡ He smokes quite a lot and he also has quite a bunch of SH scars and other scars scattered around his body

♡ He's neither AMAB or AFAB, he fluctuates and he also has a heat cycle

♡ He always carries a messenger back with him and he has a notebook, some random pens an pencils, a lighter, a pocket knife, cigs, bandages (new and used), a hammer, a phone, a digital camera and a bigger pocket knife in it

♡ He loves taking photos !! (mostly of cats and scenery) ♡ He's also always approached by cats very frequently

Berek relationship headcannons:

♡ At first he just wanted to mess up with you but when you didn't seem to get easily scared, nor nervous around him no matter what he did, his interest peaked quite a bit ♡ He doesn't understand why do you stick around with him or why you always smile at him and are always so friendly towards him but it makes his chest feel funny ♡ He gives you flowers and takes pictures of you even when you least expect it ♡ you're his muse and loves you quite a lot, sometimes he even stalks you for a little bit, or follows you home when it's dark outside (just to make sure nothing happens to you and that you are safe) ♡ He's always thinking about you, he's infatuated and completely obssesed with you, you're his favourite subject, always sketching you on his notebook and taking pictures of you ♡ He loves it when you two are affectionate with eachother, he loves kissing and having you on his lap plus he also enjoys getting his back scratched ♡He also smiles more when you're around and can't help but hold your hand when you two are walking around ♡ He loves it when he stains you with blood whenever you guys hug or kiss, it's like something that shows him that you're real and that you really are with him ♡ One time you wore his hoodie and he hug you so close to him (he wouldn't let you go) ♡ One day you guys decided to play a little makeover/dress up and you put a bow hairclip on his head and told him how cute and handsome he looked and now he refuses to take it off

Antek Headcannons:

♡ His name is antek and he loves the colour blue and purple ♡ He's mute and comunicates via SMS, writing it down on his notebook or with sign language ♡ Sometimes wears a noose around his neck (It's more of a accessorie than anything else) ♡ He doesn't like being alone nor scaring people ♡ He cries quite frequently and his tears are black, he usually cries when he feels sad and lonely ♡He loves cats but they never approach him even when he tries to bribe them with canned fish and cat treats ♡He has SH scars and other scars scattered aroung his body ♡ He always wears a fanny pack with him in were he carries pills, a little notebook and pen, a lighter, cigs, canned fish and cat snacks ♡ He sometimes carries an axe with him, the axe it's kind of his friend and Antek calls him "his pal/buddy" ♡ He likes writing, specially creative writing and short stories (usually this short stories involve a character that gets ignored or abandonned because people are afraid of them or himself having a lot of friends and having fun, wholesome stuff) ♡ He draws really well and usually draws cats doing human activities for example making cookies or drawing

Antek relationship headcannons: ♡ At first he was surprised that someone would be interested in talking with him or spending time with him; he's very shy at first but with time you really make him relax a little and be more open ♡He loves it when you two hang out and really appreciates your company ♡ You still remember the day he confessed to you he gave a very heartwarming and sweet letter that had a really cute tiny drawing of you two as silly cats in the bottom with a ton of hearts ♡ He's always giving you love letters, drawings and short stories of you both doing cute silly things ♡ The first time you kissed him he turn as red as a tomato and he couldn't stop smiling from the entire day ♡ He's sooo affectionate always holding your hand, hugging you or kissing you ♡ Once you said you were cold and he lend you his hoodie, it was so warm and smells just like him (tobacco, cheap cologne and a hint of alcohol) ♡ When you first invited him to your home he was sooo happy, He was smiling so hard and basically cuddling you on the couch, he eventually fell asleep on top of you ♡ He loves cooking with you even more when you guys make pancakes or bake cookies ♡ You got him a cat plushie keychain once and now he always carries it with him, he called the little cat "joy" because you fill him up with joy when you guys are together

And that's it !! He loves you deeply and you're basically his one and only and if you're dating both of them that's also okay because they don't mind sharing you, you're just their muse and their lovely partner that they love so much <3

[nemo-in-wonderland]

APOLLONIA OF NAXOS

soooo.

as I said previously on my main blog, I have restarted AC: Odyssey after an ETERNITY away from any AC game, and fml, after having been kidnapped by the Brit Gremlin and his beloved Swedish GrandMaster, I *finally* am able to fully focus and indulge in AC:Odyssey.

And because of this, I decided that I needed to do a full makeover of my darling Apollonia, both aesthetically AND in terms of backstory.

I need to find my documents about her (tomorrow I am heading to my storage to find my notebooks with all the notes about her and Alexios), but at least for now, I am done with her restyling and lemme tell you: I am IN LOVE with how she turned out.

You all know by now that I am partial to a dark haired beauty, and I decided to go down that route with Apollonia as well, even though, her most striking feature are her eyes lolo (ngl, when i was working on her, all I could think of was this meme, for her and Alexios

and lemme tell you, I was rofling).

I like to imagine that in this artwork, she has seen Alexios doing something *INCREDIBLY* risky, and cannot believe her eyes lolol

anyway, I hope you will like this <3

--Nemo

[tarralin]

The Descendant

Chapter Eight

Be sure to see my Ayakashi!Kenshin brought to life by the amazing @cailann!

Read Previous

~☆~

The bathhouse was divine! Large tubs filled with steaming, floral scented waters while fresh orchids floated all around her as she soaked and read through the priestess’s journal. After only a few hours under Mitsunari's tutelage, the classical handwriting of the journal was already much easier to read.

Maika began training as priestess shortly after her sixteenth birthday when her abilities awakened in a very non-explosive manner– unlike Haruka's. Maika just woke up one morning and could see, hear, and talk to departed spirits that presented themselves to her. Her parents dropped her off at the village temple that morning and picked her up in the afternoon like a first day of school! Maika’s lovely script continued telling and working through her teenage feelings as her learning and temple responsibilities grew. The normalcy!

Maika’s journal also acted as her studies notebook so there was a great amount of information to work through from basic biology of ayakashi to fact versus theory surrounding kitsunebi. She detailed her daily chores, practices and training. Maybe Mitsunari would like to help make a guide…

“My lady?” A knock at the door frame pulled Haruka's attention to a female bathhouse staff member. “Your clothing has arrived.”

She called her thanks as she carefully placed the journal in a safe spot before rising from the cozy bath and wrapping herself in a provided towel. Upon following the staff member, she found herself in the middle of a circle of women each holding various clothing and accessories. One with red hair darker than Shingen's stepped forward in front of a large mirror. “Hello darling, I'm Chiyo! Shingen sent us to help you prepare for tonight.” Chiyo's wrist circled elegantly as a gale of warmed air swirled like a cyclone around Haruka so quickly it almost snatched away her towel. Her hair lifted and swirled as if she had stepped into a giant blow dryer while Chiyo carefully watched until she was satisfied and the gust died out. “Perfect, time to work ladies!”

The whirlwind continued as the superpowered assistants zoomed about the room. She felt like a wobbly spinning top from them lifting her feet, her arms, her hair as needed to complete their assigned tasks. She hadn't even realized she was pushed into a chair until fingers gently lifted her chin and a voice instructed her to close her eyes where a flurry of feathers seemed to dance across her face.

“All done!” Chiyo's sing-song voice announced as she pulled Haruka to her feet again and the women exited the room. “Lord Kenshin will be here soon. Have a lovely evening!”

Once the room stopped spinning, Haruka was able to review her appearance in the mirror and her mouth gaped upon the reflection. Her hair had been pulled into a half-updo with gentle falling waves. Her eyes had been outlined in a dark red sweeping design that matched her painted lips and a soft rosy powder dusted her cheeks. The kimono base was a light cream painted with blue and purple hydrangea blooms, finished with a wisteria colored obi and a jeweled hanging wisteria pin.

This kind of makeover would cost a small fortune back home!

It was only after twirling like a little girl did she find Kenshin in the reflection gazing over her as well and turned to him with a gasp. He was dressed in semi-formal robes as well, arranged by Shingen no doubt. A sky blue yukata tucked into black hakama secured by his sword belt. The overlying kimono was such a deep blue it could rival the night sky, it even seemed to have the tiniest jewels sewn in that sparkled in the light. His dampened hair had been brushed out of his face over the valley between his horns to give a clear look into his widened eyes as they traveled up and down Haruka's form.

She could feel a blush burn her cheeks as her restless fingers discovered freshly dried polish on her nails and nervously attempted to peel it. Her glance over the nails showed them the same deep blue of Kenshin’s kimono with small faceted jewels in each center. Oops, nope, no picking! She clutched her hands together behind her back and brought her eyes back to Kenshin, who had silently moved inches in front of her. She had to raise her chin to find his eyes again while his hand gently palmed her cheek, careful not to disturb her fresh makeup.

She could see each scale clearly as they lined from his eyes to his yukata. Finely trimmed in black, a sea green center blended into an icy blue perimeter as they layered over the next scale. Her fingers rose to trail the path they led along with the lone scale that peeked through porcelain skin every so often. A soft tremble shook through Kenshin and Haruka couldn't help but wonder if her dreams were true, if those scales led to his navel basin where their numbers increased to cover more of his back and legs than mortal flesh did.

The memory sent a flash of heat to her core and a shiver up her spine that seemed to echo through Keshin. A purr turned growl vibrated under her fingertips as his other hand wrapped around her waist, rolling his hips into hers to leave no space between them.

“Haruka…” Kenshin breathed so faintly she thought she imagined her name on his lips as his head rested against hers, the grip at her waist tightening deliciously. Gods, what would his talons feel like down her back or digging into her hips? Another gasp escaped her as she prayed to whatever deity was listening that he enjoyed leaving marks cause she'd love showing them off. There was no doubting the growl that rumbled from him now as he stepped away, leaving chilled air instead of his warmed hands and breath. “We need to leave now… or we may not leave at all.”

I'm okay with that! She wanted to groan her agreement for the latter but knew he was right. She really did want to experience the festival! So she would be happy with their shared moment for now. Because wow, was that a moment! With a steadying breath, she simply nodded and accepted his outstretched hand as he guided her from the dressing room.

Having entered the bathhouse from the back entrance, Haruka didn't see much of the town in the morning light and couldn't wait to see the village center. She'd been a history consultant for TV productions to help design studio stages and had a clear mental image of a feudal era samurai town. The battle camps had matched that image so far…

Why didn't her imagination take her down a more fantasy route? Right out the bath house door Haruka had to nearly bend backwards as her eyes counted a five story wooden building stretching as far as she could see down the street. Thick bands of water twice as wide as she was poured freely from each floor and pooled into large wood basins that never overflowed onto the street, allowing for koi tailed children to splash around until they darted back up the falls. Orchid petals floated from colorful rooftop gardens and seemingly faded into thin air instead of littering the streets, drifting their lovely fragrances with them in the early afternoon breeze.

Balconies were staggered in a uniform pattern to showcase merchant stalls visible from the streets that allowed rabbit-eared folk to easily jump platform to platform. For those who couldn't jump-- or fly like the winged tengu and horned dragons– bannered baskets hung from long ropes to the street boasting menus and prices from each merchant. A teenaged boy with deer-like antler nubs poking through his hair dropped a parchment and coins into one such basket and waited as it reeled up to the peddler. Once filled, the basket dropped back down to the boy who scampered off after collecting his parcel.

“See something?” Kenshin's voice reminded her that they had stopped in the middle of the busy street. Though it appeared not to matter as every passerby gave Kenshin a wide berth and nervous eyes. “Many of the vendors serve different specialties when an event occurs. Let me know if anything catches your attention. Stay close to me otherwise.”

“Like this?” She wove her arm around his with a sly smile to rest her cheek on his bicep. “Just taking it all in for now. Do you have any favorites?”

His answering smile spilled warmth to her toes as he pointed his chin further up the path. “There's an Inu ahead that has several types of spiced plums, and many varieties of nuts and berries you might like to try. Better than Date's blends.”

A bark of laughter escaped her as they leisurely paced the street. The sneaky dragon has been watching me more than he lets on. “They must be heavenly then! Oh, is that a stationary shop?”

~*~

Kenshin watched as Haruka dashed across the street to where a table of colorfully bound books laid on display, his earlier instructions for her clearly forgotten. Her gaze locked on a moderately sized journal that featured glittering gold dragons embroidered on a red silk base. Her next interest was a larger, thinner subject book with a solid black linen binding very similar to the one she drew in. She continued into the booth and gave cursory glances to most items while trying to hide her excitement at the selection of elegantly crafted writing and drawing implements.

Kenshin had already handed off the two books for purchase when she exited the booth empty handed, to which he raised a brow at her. “Something caught your eye in there, bring them out.”

“Oh no, thank you, but I only thought they were pretty. Brushes are very different from what I'm used to writing with, I wouldn't know how to use them.”

True. Kenshin had noticed the odd slender things she used when studying with Ishida and the Tokugawa boy. It was an ink instrument that didn't require a separate ink jar. Mortal magic as he had come to think of several things she kept hidden in that strange locked bag of hers. Like the slender, handheld box that sang to her and lit up her face when she looked upon it.

“I will teach you,” he nodded to the shopkeeper who then scurried to the same items Haruka had just abandoned. “I likely have many matters that have been neglected since I have been here at the frontlines. You can practice by helping me through them.”

Her nose scrunched while her cheeks reddened. “You're… sure? That sounds like a big job for a novice. I'm likely to have wretched handwriting.”

His lips twitched as he gave the shopkeeper payment and accepted the parcel. “You'll do well. Besides, no one will doubt my signature at the end and they would be a fool to comment on it when we next meet.”

Haruka nodded with a smile as she joined his side again and her hands wrapped around his arm like before. Nearly palm to palm until his fingers twitched the final distance and laced between hers loosely, allowing her space to evade if she wished. He beamed with pride when she tightened their joining instead.

How many years has it been since he's felt the warmth suddenly gushing over him from head to toe like? Felt the ice thawing in his chest and that incessant beast in the back of his mind finally quiet? How long had it been since he felt this… light? He likely would float away into the clouds if she weren't anchoring him as they strolled with her beaming smile and bubbling laughter at the many scattered street performers.

“Oh, I think I see the Inu! Wow, they do have a lot to choose from…”

Kenshin's eyes followed her as she stepped into the booth– lamenting the loss of warmth just as quickly as he'd held it– to gaze over the varieties and test some of the free offerings before the shopkeeper stole his attention. “Ah Lord Uesugi! I heard you were in these parts and stashed aside some jars of Spiced Plums for you. Hadn't heard you had a lady friend however. Is that the Kitsune the whole town's talking about?”

“Haruka,” Kenshin corrected the shopkeeper as he wrapped up several preserve jars. “What’s the town saying?”

“More like praising and praying,” the Inu snorted and shook his head with an eyeroll. “Saying she's the answer to the Twisted Ones dilemma. That she's immune to their attack and can pass their spirits with only a word. She can freely travel all three realms. Blast flames from her hands, shout thunderstorms into existence… Word travels fast and narratives even faster, it's hard to distinguish fact from fiction anymore.”

It was Kenshin's turn to roll his eyes. How could such rubbish be circulating so quickly? “Some truth there but mostly false.”

“No fear of sudden river flooding then?”

“Only during monsoons.”

The Inu was still laughing when Haurka exited the booth with an arm full of several treat bags and an even larger smile than when entered. “These are delicious! I love the sunflower seeds with the dried berries. The sweet and salty reminds me of what my father and I would prep together for hiking trips.”

“Many thanks, milady. I can have them delivered to where you're staying if you'd like to keep your hands free this evening. Same for you, Lord Uesugi.” The shopkeeper took all their acquired items before calling his teen son from the back whose eyes brightened at the chance to see the battle camp and rushed off to complete his delivery.

Kenshin preened again when Haruka quickly joined his side after giving thanks to the Inu and her nose lifting in the air with a soft laugh bubbling over. “Something smells like lunch!”

A brow lifted at that. “Why did you send all you just acquired to the camp if you were hungry?”

Her response had him pondering how an eyeroll could look so adorable instead of vexing. “Those were snacks, not an actual meal. Though I did save a small pouch for later. Your nose is better than mine, don't you smell that amazing something? Barbecue I think?”

“I smell nothing.”

Her eyes widened with alarm. “Nothing?!”

“Nothing,” he lied again while looking to the distance to hide a grin.

“Oh you!” She bashed at his arm lightly when she realized his falsehood before marching off, unaware of the gazes that followed her as others in the street craned their necks to glimpse the woman brave enough to swat the God of War like a misbehaving pet. He chuckled before calling her name and thumbed in the opposite direction she'd been heading.

“It's this way.”

Such a strange coincidence that his new favorite color matched the burning red in her ears.

~~~

❤ Tagging some loves who may enjoy ❤

@cailann @ambereyedsnek @breadcheese444 @redheadkittys @asprettyasarose @dmiqueles ​ @bunkenshin ​ @windermere82 @kitsune-mana @jennacat84 @otome-smut-queen ​ @darkmindsthinktwistedthoughts ​ @ikemenotaku82 @umbralaperture @tsundere-mitsuhide ​ @elievalentine @ikemenfics @pseudofaux @valfraeyja @aromantic-misguide-to-romance @yunohawkeye @alonelyvagabond @princessriver @lordbunshin @ikesenhell @ikesenlemonadestandstories @scummy-writes @tofuoto @emeraldtawny @alloveroliver @rain-n-blue-roses @randomhomosapiens @mineko811 @mkjust1ce @kimi00twin @snow--blanket @blossomoranges @krys-loves-otome @creaky-the-absolute-trashman @reneotomegirl @nad-zeta @alerialumina

((Please let me know if you would like to be added or removed))