#of course i had to connect her design to the band!

[astros-arts-inthestars]

✿GEMINITAY APPRECIATION WEEK✿

Day 4: Green Life Gem

She's Just Gem!

Absolutely adore her in Secret Life <3 Her and her bandmates wer elike the biggest thing in the WORLD. Like their loyalty and dedication to each other was absolutely INCREDIBLE! Was listening to Cottagecore while drawing this, and honestly? Gem and the Scotts song!!! For real!!!

Thing to appreciate about Green Life Gem: Honestly so impressive how well she adapted to the series! Jumping into the task head on, finding people to make an alliance with... Ohhh her and her bandmates!! Her protecting Scott and Impulse, solidifying their band, ALREADY MAKING HOUSES!! Well, of course, it's Gem! In a server known for builds not lasting too long or simply being practical or bit-orientated, hers was as Gem as it can be: pretty and perfect <3

✿Reblogs would be greatly appreciated!! Spread that Gem love!!✿

[shadowdaddies]

Oh please make a fic of the funny reader and Cass. Imagine they've been friends for so long and are secretly pining for each other but the tension gets worse as time passes by. Imagine the almost kisses, the almost confessions and the longing and one day they give in and the bond snaps. AGHHHHHHHHHHH IT WOULD BE SO CUTE!!!!! the FLUFF, the angst ugh ITS A NEED MAAM

Okay I got a few requests to make the Cassian x funny reader head canons into a fic so here y'all go. This is when the bond snaps💜

Life of the Party

Cassian x Reader fluff

It was another night at Rita’s where you and Cassian designated yourselves as the party starters. While you took up residence on the bar top encouraging everyone to get on the dance floor, Cassian paid off the band to play the perfect music to set the mood. 

Rita’s was the most lively it had ever been, as was any place where you and Cassian went together since you’d joined the Inner Circle as a spy and emissary. Despite the demanding job, you felt more yourself than you ever had been since you came to Velaris. You were close with everyone in the IC, but you’d connected with Cassian immediately. 

He understood your sense of humor in a way that others didn’t, he was always happy to have a wild night out or a quiet night in with you. You’d never felt that way with anyone in your life, but as coworkers, you ruled out anything beyond friendship. Besides, Cassian was the handsome, renowned general who could have any female he wanted.

You looked over from where you stood on the bar to see Cassian motioning you over to the dance floor where he danced with Mor and Feyre. Mor grabbed your hand, smirking as she spun you right into Cassian. You laughed as he jokingly bowed to you as if for a formal dance, returning his goofiness with a curtsy of your own before the both of you began dancing wildly. Others around you were staring, but you never cared about that with Cassian, as you laughed to the point of tears having fun with your best friend.

Once you’d worked up enough of a sweat to warrant a break, you went over to the bar to get water for you and Cassian and met him at the booth where he now sat with Rhys, Amren, and Az. The booth was too small to comfortably fit you, so Cassian pulled you into his lap, the both of you giggling as you slung your arms around his neck. “Oh, my hero. Thank you, sir knight for saving me from having to stand,” you said with a dramatic flair as you pressed the back of your hand to your head in your best “damsel-in-distress” impression. 

You had just adjusted to a comfortable spot in Cass’s lap when he leaned in to whisper something to you, but he was cut off by a dramatic groan from Amren. “By the Cauldron, you two, get a room!” she huffed out, rolling her eyes as she stood up to join Mor and Feyre. Azriel and Rhys shared amused looks with each other as you sputtered out your lame excuse. “You guys know it’s not like that, we’re just friends right Cass?” You said, turning around to look at Cassian, waiting for him to crack a joke. 

Cassian let out a soft, forced laugh as he gently sat you down in the now open space beside him. “We’re just friends, of course,” he said with a soft smile to his brothers. 

“Oh, well in that case, would you care to dance General?” You turned to see where the unfamiliar voice was coming from, to see a stunning high fae female approaching Cassian, looking like a lioness on the hunt. Your vision turned red as you heard a vicious snarl, and all heads turned towards you. You turned beet red as you realized the snarl came from you, and the realization of your feelings crashed into you. Heart pounding and tears forming in your eyes, you searched for the quickest escape from the booth when Cassian grabbed your arm, holding you back. 

You reluctantly looked in his eyes, and a gasp left you as lightning shot through your body. It was as if you could see the invisible string that connected you to Cassian. His expression reflected yours, as though he just had the same realization. Your mate. Time froze as you stared at each other, unsure of what to do next. You were snapped out of your daze by Rhys’s laughter as Az slapped money in his outstretched hand. “I told you so,” Rhys said to Azriel, smirking at you and Cassian as he spoke.

You whirled around to face them. “You had a bet on if we’re mates?!” Az scoffed, “not if, just when you found out.”

[riddles-n-games]

Do you have any headcanons about averyjameson getting engaged when they're older?

Okay, let's get to business. In all honesty, I'm kind of not ready to think about them older and engaged and yet I literally have an idea for a fic with their first child. Here you go:

Jameson proposes in Tuscany when they're on a trip to Italy (don't know why, just feels right).

When he was planning for the ring he was going to get her, he asked Libby and Max for their input. They happily helped him create a list of things before heading off to a jeweler. At this point, he hadn't told any of his brothers he was planning to propose but he did have a talk of sorts with Nash at a previous 911.

Nan helped him look through designs in her collection and connected him with an old friend of his grandfather's that helped create some of the most valuable pieces for his grandmother. The final design of the engagement ring is an oval emerald on a gold band with some fancy engravings (elegant but simple as put by Max).

Once he had the ring, he finally confirmed to Nash that he was planning to propose but let him know to not say anything to Xander or Gray yet. His brother promised and gave him tips on how to approach Toby for his blessing since that was his next step.

Now, this part of the plan is delayed for several weeks as all confident Jameson for once in his life is not feeling confident and so, after drinking a shot of bourbon for a boost, he made his way to a diner to meet with his adopted uncle.

After some small talk, Toby made him cut to the chase and although he gave Jamie a hard time, he tells him that he has his blessing and that he's grown to be a better man than him or his grandfather. Jameson cries just a little on the way home but he tells himself that was just the wind biting at his face because it was cold.

Fast forward to him planning a summer trip for him and Avery in the Mediterranean and he's finally told his other brothers. They congratulate him and eagerly give him suggestions along with Libby and Maxine and soon they share a Pinterest board with all these plans and aesthetics. And soon, it's time to jet off to Italy.

With a week long affair, Jameson is both excited and dying on the inside. Avery is pretending to be none the wiser.

Before they left, he packed her an emerald green summer dress for the day of the proposal.

They have fun at the beach, go to Florence and Pisa, make funny poses at the Tower of Pisa, horseback riding at the winery, eat overly expensive gelato and cannolis, and consume as many pasta types at they dare (no, seriously, it was a dare; you guess).

Meanwhile, every day of the week, he goes to practice proposing in the bathroom mirror. His hands get clammier with each passing day as Friday comes near.

He calls Nash and Gray for reassurance to calm down. Unfortunately, he wanders the halls more restlessly at night with the ring in his pocket.

Finally, Friday arrives. No going back. He has the day set; another day in town, then a romantic wine dinner looking out over the mountains at sunset.

He tries his utmost to keep himself distracted from the evening ahead but hour after hour goes by and soon they're back at the house, washing up and getting ready for dinner.

While Avery is in the shower, he sneaks out the dress and puts it one the bed and writes "Wear me if you dare." on a piece of paper.

He leaves for the living room and practices his lines again as he waits for her.

After a long hour, she comes and they head out to the area he set up dinner. Of course, Avery has been suspicious this whole time but hasn't called Tahiti because she is certain he's going to finally break without her even asking.

She thanks him for the dress and kisses him on the cheek, secretly wondering what the special event is. Was it the special lady's intuition telling her that there was a ring coming out soon?

They talk and talk while they wine and dine on his grandfather's finest white wine. She is itching to ask but the pasta dinner is hitting that good. Jameson is barely able to eat dinner from being so nervous.

Just as she is about to make him spill the beans, he literally just shouts, "Marry me!" Avery is taken aback, her mouth wide open and for a long moment, she doesn't say anything as her boyfriend is staring at her panicked, realizing he messed up.

Before he could start hating himself, Avery literally dives into his arms without a word and hugs him. Confused, he hugs her back and they sit like that for a long moment, her on his lap. Then, she whispers, "Yes, Jamie. I'd love to marry you."

When she pulls back Jameson is staring at her in wonder and as he's about to reach for the ring, she kisses him. A bit dazed after the kiss, he's still holding the ring box unopened and she asks if she can open it. He nods and then lets her.

She starts crying when she sees the ring and he gently takes her hand, asking if he can put it on her. Avery just nods and holds out her shaky hand as Jameson tries to stop his own hand from trembling while he puts it on.

The two kiss again and then Avery decides to go run through the vineyard, Jameson chasing after her as she heads for the stable.

They go riding and then stop in the middle of the field, spinning in circles until out of nowhere, they just start swaying to invisible music.

They don't sleep a wink that night as they whisper excitedly the whole time until early morning when they finally are too tired.

Little do they know that Xander has planned an entire engagement party waiting for them when they return from Italy.

The last two days they travel for a weekend beach date.

That took everything I got to make this. Thanks for the request, I hope you enjoy reading this long ass list.

[ghoultrifle]

it's mushy may time, bitches !! thank you @forlorn-crows for the prompt list and general organisation <33

prompt: cuteness aggression

relationship: sunny/swiss

word count: 750

summary: sunny sleep talks and swiss finds it unbearably sweet. it's very silly.

please be kind, i am not very practiced with writing anything that isn't porn. rbs are appreciated and will hopefully mean i do more than one single prompt in the whole month sdjhfskjfhk (feel free to play the game of 'what funky word did i learn today ?' eheheh)

read on ao3 or below the cut :))

“No you can’t delete the watermelon, it’s in the desk!” Sunny mumbles, her mouth partially blocked by the pillow she’s unceremoniously shoved under her.

Swiss awakes, ready to whack his love with said pillow. “Shine, it’s early, go annoy Mountain please?”

“The shoes can’t go in the wall, they’re too hot!”

A smile creeps onto Swiss’ face. It’s a uniquely vulnerable experience, being on the receiving end of a sleep talker. Sunny has no idea what her unconscious brain is feeding her- or perhaps vaguely catapulting towards her in the hopes that something will stick. Yet Swiss has the honour of being there for the barely-formed, mismatched set of words that leave her mouth. He knows they’ll giggle about it in the morning as they always do; Sunny attempting, to no avail, to connect Swiss’ feedback to her hazy memory of the dreams her brain concocted for her viewing pleasure. It never works; the nonsense she spouts seemingly untethered from reality altogether, plucked from a different plane of existence, perhaps one where footwear temperature is a real concern for its occupants.

Sunny continues to lie fast asleep, the tendrils of sleep latched onto the depths of her mind, keeping her peaceful while her brain whirs, stirring her thoughts but not her vessel. She’s sprawled out on the bed. Head to the side and mouth wide open, in what looks like an effort to chew the pillow. In reality it’s acting as less of a neck support and more of a drool-catcher as spit tumbles its way out and onto the floral design.

Swiss only looks on in admiration, the moonlight creating a shimmer in the puddle as it soaks into the fabric. His smile grows wider, fangs catching on his bottom lip. He likes to think Sunny’s body wouldn’t let her talk in her sleep if she didn’t on some subconscious level feel safe with him. It’s a testament to the bond they’ve created topside, inseparable since the day Sunshine was summoned; partners in crime, wizards of whimsy, goofy guys. All silly ways of saying ‘I love you’, which is exactly what Swiss wants to shout from the rooftops.

“It’s not my fault you flew into the glove,” she snarls.

“Is too! You had the map, sunflower,” Swiss tuts under his breath playfully. He’s careful not to wake her when she’s like this but he can’t help joining in on the shenanigans once in a while. He’s imagining a tunnel, for fighter jets- or perhaps drones would be more suited to his skillset- it’s got one entrance and five exits, each one representing a finger on a glove. In his on-behalf-of-Sunny-dream, he’s in control while Sunny’s frantically trying to unfold a comically large map that supposedly holds the secrets to navigating The Glove. He’s asking her where to go but the map is unfolding ad infinitum and before they know it he’s flying through a finger hole (the middle one of course) lest they crash into the purlicue (The webbing between your thumb and forefinger, Swiss, how do you not know that? He thinks back to Aether and his endless list of things you didn’t know had names).

Jolting out of his trance, Swiss realises he may not have been as awake as he thought during his own dream-like sequence. He leans into his weary state, the dumb smile on his face returning. As he shifts on bed, carefully trying to manoeuvre his mate’s hand, Sunny decides she has other plans. A small hand with not-so-small claws abruptly finds itself on Swiss’ face, nipping him ever so slightly.

“I really love him, Lus, he’s always there for me,” she whispers, and Swiss can’t take it anymore. His internal jar of love is spilling over and his nervous system is screaming at him to let some out. So he does what any normal person does and bites Sunny, in the little nook that’s just the right size for him to gently sink his teeth in. 

“It’s a purlicue!” He mocks in a hushed tone, as best he can with Sunny between his teeth, hoping his wave of quintessence is strong enough to puncture Aether’s sweet dreams with a million images of weird hand parts.

In the morning Sunny will admit to Swiss that she did remember the dream where she was talking to Cumulus. She’ll leave it there though because she doesn’t have the heart to tell him it was actually about a sentient grocery bag that followed her around to carry her shopping.

[rintarousgirl]

i wanna be yours -- 3. arabella

✦ - Y/N is a small business owner, offering her services not only as a designer but an at-home makeup artist and cosmetic producer as well. She's perfectly content with her small life when she's approached by the manager of the INARIZAKI band, asking for her to fill the position of backstage artist on short notice. Needing the money, and wanting the experience, Y/N agrees. Little does she know of the fatal attraction she will share with the band's lead, Suna Rintarou.

»»————-　★　————-««

Shopping had been surprisingly easy for you, and you'd managed to save some of Kita's money to buy some more makeup supplies that you may need. You were certainly going to need a surplus of it if you were going to do four guys makeup every day.

You had packed all the outfits you'd bought into a suitcase, giving yourself more to drag along behind you. Rubbing at your face, you stared at yourself in the mirror. You hadn't bothered much with your own appearance, but you were due to leave in an hour and you looked like a mess.

Sighing, you grabbed some concealer and lip-gloss and put it on, so you didn't look as exhausted as you felt. Your hair was thrown up to be out of your face, so you weren't constantly trying to brush it out of your face while applying. Your outfit was just as simple, a white tank-top and some black jeans. You didn't want to wear clothes you cared about as you knew makeup made a mess, and you'd probably be running around.

Pulling out your phone, you send a quick text to the groupchat.

Despite showing up a good hour and a half before the show started, you found yourself weaving through crowds of people, dragging your suitcase of clothes and bag of makeup behind you. You manage not to grab much attention thankfully, swiping the backstage card you'd been giving and checking in with two security guards by the dressing room.

It's large, is what you noticed first, and dimly lit. Though you have multiple mirrors that light up, so that should be enough. There are two costume racks for you to hang up the clothes you'd bought.

Placing your stuff down, you open the connecting door that led backstage. The stage was big, or at least, the biggest you've seen in person. You hadn't been to many concerts, but you remembered going to one with Bokuto a while back. It was in a small little space, not too overwhelming, but as you looked past the stage and into the crowd you felt that familiar rustling of fear grows in your gut.

You shouldn't be scared, you know that. You were doing what you did best, after all, you weren't even the one preforming. Your fear was stupid, but you couldn't help the worries that floated through your mind. What if your makeup gave one of them an allergic reaction? Or you didn't have the right foundation and concealer for their skintones? Or you made a big mistake somehow and there wasn't enough time to fix it?

Kita's appearance snapped your out of your worries, placing a warm hand on your shoulder. "Y/N," he greeted warmly, "I know you've just arrived but I'm gonna need you to start working immediately."

You nod, "Of course, send them my way," you giggle, trying to keep your own mood light. Kita smiles, before drifting off to yell a few orders at some crewmen. You shuffle your way back into the dressing room, propping the door open with a chair before beginning to set up your station. You pull out four chairs and set them up along the long desk with mirrors.

You organize your makeup, putting them into categories along with the brushes and blenders. You'd cleaned them all extensively, and even bought some new ones. Once you were satisfied with that, you began to hang up the clothing on racks.

Aran walked in first just as you started hanging up the clothes on the second rack, the Miya twins and Suna slinking in beside him.

"Ah," you hum with a small, stressed smile, "take a seat!"

They listen, and you can hear the social media audios playing on their phone. On tiktok and instagram and twitter. You wish you could talk to your friends like they could, but you didn't want to waste any time.

After all the clothes had been hung, you divided the group. You were going to have Suna and Aran do makeup first as the twins tried on outfits for you to decide. Atsumu seemed to be delighted that he'd get to do a little fashion show, which you agreed. You loved trying on new clothes yourself.

You start on Aran, seeing as you were able to be more comfortable with him. If you got relaxed on your first client, you should be good for the rest. You work swiftly and dedicatedly, only stopping to judge which outifts you liked.

You dab on concealer and swipe minimal amounts of blush onto his cheeks. You manage to brush on some mascara, though he isn't up to the idea of eyeliner. You put some chapstick on his lips, seeing as you'd bought a whole new pack just for tonight.

You pause, brushing his dreads out of his face as you brushed his eyebrows.

"Uh, Kita never said anything about doing your hair..."

Osamu, emerging from the attatched bathroom, waved a hand in dismissal. "We're guys, it doesn't matter." You huff, shaking your head with amusement. "How's this outfit?"

You look up, and a smile crawls across your face. He's wearing a simple white and black striped shirt, with some beige cargo pants. You'd dress it up with accessories, of course, but otherwise it's perfect.

"It's great," you say, "I'll get to your makeup after Suna."

It was great timing that Aran had finished just as Osamu found the perfect outfit, so you sent Aran in as Osamu sat down. You could hear Atsumu's complaints about "nothing looking good on him" from the bathroom, wincing a bit.

You shift over to Suna, who was already looking at you expectantly. You give him a small smile, and his lips twitch. "Can I have your wrist?" you ask, holding out your hand. Slowly, he offers it up, and you begin to swatch shades on his skin.

You go through about three, before settling on an ivory tone. You paint small triangles on his skin, on his main spots that would be hit by the stage lights. You blend them softly, fighting to ignore the way his soft breath hit your throat and how his eyes kept trying to meet yours.

He smelled of tea, you noticed. Hot tea and fresh cookies. It was kind of comforting, reminded you of a lazy summer afternoon in some weird way. You felt yourself relax more and more.

Atsumu and Aran came out at the same time, both having decided on an outfit. "I don't care if you don't like it, Y/N, I am so tired of changing," Atsumu complains. You look up, trying not to judge too harshly. He wore a dark grey jersey with the number 5 on it along with some ripped black jeans. It was fine, maybe a few necklaces would bring some shine to it. You nod your consent, and he sagged into his seat.

Aran on the other hand had some baggy black jeans as well, with some chains hanging from his belt loop. He had on a simple white t-shirt and a red flannel. You'd accept that too. You figured the theme they'd keep to was black, whites, and greys, so you got a lot of those along with some pops of color here and there.

Suna did allow you to do eyeliner, which you tried not to shake too much as you dragged the pencil on his waterline. You smudged it ever so slightly, giving him a natural smokey eye without any actual eyeshadow necessary. You dab on a bit of highlighter to his cheeks and nose.

When you dragged the chapstick across his lips, your heart skipped a beat. The way he stared at you felt completely unprofessional, even though he hadn't done anything but meet your eyes and stare at your lips. The stick caught on his lip, and due to your trembling, you had to occasionally swipe a finger across his lips to wipe off any globs of chapstick.

"Thanks," he rasped, when you gave him the go to find an outfit. You hummed shakily, before waving Osamu and Atsumu over. You figured you could do them both at the same time considering they'd use the same shades.

Suna came back around the same time you finished Osamu and Atsumu's makeup, dressed in a black t-shirt with some white thin floral designs with a white-long sleeve underneath. He wore some gray cargo pants to blend in the clashing white and black easier.

"Uhm," you stutter, checking the time. They had thirty minutes. You needed to accessorize then let them warm up quickly. "Stand in a line, please."

They listen, and babble as you go around. You give Atsumu a few layered necklaces to put on, and Osamu a black baseball cap. Aran already has the chains on his belt loops, so you deem him fine, thankful that he'd dressed himself up, even going as far to put beads in his hair.

Turning to Suna, you open up a package of rings you'd bought with him specifically in mind. His pretty hands, uncalloused where they plucked the strings of his rhythmic guitar or held onto the mic stand as he sang.

You individually put them on his fingers, not trusting him to decide where they'd look good. They were all silver, and relatively simple. You knew they'd drag a positive light to his fingers, just as the belt loops would drag attention by fans to Aran's hips and the baseball cap to Osamu's face and the necklaces to Atsumu's throat.

They were all features that you knew people would be attracted to, especially their online following. You'd seen how people reacted to twitter to pictures Akaashi and Kuroo posted. It was part of the reason Akaashi now had a private account, he got tired of dealing with all the people in his dms and replies.

You stand there awkwardly, trying not to cower with their eyes on you. You adjust a few things here and there and brush a bit of setting powder on their faces.

"Good luck guys!" you say, giving them one of your best smiles and a thumbs up. Aran gives you a little smirk, and the twins give you identical beams. Suna instead tilts his head, amusement clear on his face.

"Thanks Y/N," he whispers, his hand brushing your arm. His skin was cold on your feverish skin, and you feel your heart pound in your chest. They leave backstage, and you hear the feedback of the mic and the pounding of drums as they begin to rush through their warmup.

Kita meets you backstage, handing you a water bottle that you accept gratefully. You take small sips from it, the cool water feeling great on your tongue. "You might want to bring your supplies out here. During breaks you'd want to touch them up and you don't have much time to pause."

You nod, and head back to grab some setting powder, mascara, blush, and concealer. You place them on a small table beside the stairs leading backstage, next to a bunch of water bottles and small snacks. You steal a carrot off a veggie platter as you set up your supplies.

Soon enough, the band is walking off stage as the security guards begin to let people in. You notice the band's target audience seems to be teen girls and young adults. You hadn't heard their songs, but their audience was still ranging from young to people almost your mother's age. Biting down on your lip, you look back to the boys who look completely in their element.

Aran seemed very relaxed you noticed, an easy-going smile on his lips as he talks softly with Osamu. Pre-concert jitters didn't seem to get to him like they were to Atsumu, who was peering around the curtain anxiously. He twirled his sticks in his hands, clearly hoping to play soon.

Suna slides up next to you, stealing a brownie from the tray.

"Are you nervous?" he asked, with that sweet-smooth voice of his. His words were quiet, you noticed, even when he was talking casually. You didn't deem him the quiet type to be honest, but the more time you spent around him the more it made sense. Suna just wasn't the type of guy who yelled, he wasn't like Bokuto and Hinata.

You were very excited to hear him sing, to see how that raspy voice translated into a loud enough belt to overpower the other instruments and the crowd, microphone or not.

"A little," you admit, hugging your arms around yourself, "though it's kind of stupid. I'm not even the one preforming."

He shrugs, taking a bite of the brownie. "Kiy--our old makeup artist got the same way," he says, and you decide to ignore the pause in his voice, "she was always nervous that we didn't look our best, and that'd she'd done a bad job."

"Did I?" you ask softly, looking up at him. Even though the lights were off, his eyes shone like emeralds. You had done good to your standards, but you hadn't seen the old artist's work. Who knows what kind of miracles she was pulling off.

"No. You did good, Y/N, really good," he compliments, and you try not to blush as you bite down on your lip.

"Thank you," you say bashfully, bowing your head.

"Does it come natural to you? Putting on makeup, I mean."

You sigh. "I guess? It didn't at first, but after so many years I could probably do a natural look in my sleep."

"It looked natural," he said, meeting your eyes. He looks at you softly, and you feel your breath hitch in your throat. Suna's smiling, you notice. He's giving you a small genuine little smile. "I watched you. Didn't even look like you were struggling."

"Well, thank you, Suna. It means a lot," you giggle, struggling to hold eye-contact.

There's a moment where you're both silent, just staring at each other. His eyes drift from your eyes to your lips, then to your trembling hands. His own hands lift from his sides, as if he was about to touch you, before falling back down and shoving into his pockets. "You're welcome," he says slowly.

And then there's nothing else you can say to each other, because the curtains are closing and the band has to take their spots. As he stands in front of the microphone, guitar strap across his shoulders, he looks over to you.

Reasonably, he could've been looking at anybody behind you, but you still lift up your hands and give him an enthusiastic thumbs up. He lets out a chuckle, though you can't hear it, and turns back to the curtains as they begin to open.

The crowd is borderline roaring, phones raised high and people shouting names.

You catch sight of Atsumu's wicked grin, before he begins a pounding drum solo to start off the first song.

Your heart catches in anticipation as you watch Suna strum his guitar slightly, and his mouth open as he begins to sing.

»»————-　★　————-««

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fun facts! :

★ - when picturing how the band sounds it’s obviously inspired by arctic monkeys but also think like chase atlantic and maneskin.

★ - suna’s really trying to talk to y/n, but he isn’t the best conversationalist 😭

★ - osamu’s baseball cap is supposed to be like the one he has in the canon time skip

taglist:

@mannaornot / @gojoscumslut / @sunarots / @alienvarmint / @fleoresies / @tkooooop / @cheriesdear / @shotenvinsoot / @wolffmaiden / @riiceandsoup / @thebrownemo / @vivian-555 / @effmigentlywithachainsaw / @rukia-uchiha-98 / @weird0o0 / @seiamor / @rory-cakes / @blue-violin / @reveusecherie / @hellokittylover9 / @yourlocal-bunny / @keniza / @cerberuspuppy1

[acesofspadess]

Winner of Hearts

a/n: this late upload was not planned I'm so sorryyyy, but updates will be like everyday again so yay. and get your tissues ready.

 Next week quickly turned into 2 months. One Direction was in the Finals. Over the past few months the band had become a family., with you all deciding to stay in your tiny room over splitting up. You couldn’t imagine life without all 5 boys in it. Of course the nicknames stuck and you really enjoyed each of the boys having their own nickname for you - though you think they liked it more than you.

“Hey bug, can I draw you?”

“Bow, why are you still in bed?”

“Only Petal can have my food.”

“Bear? Can you play with my hair?”

“Oi! Bunny’s cheating! How does she always win?”

 Bentley and Beverly came to visit with your Nan and Pap a few times. You were so proud of how far Bev had come in her schooling and was soon gonna be an apprentice for some designers. Bentley had changed career paths and decided being a model was truly what he wanted to do. He had the looks, and the height, he just needed the connections. He had one job for a local clothing shoppe that you made sure Bev sent you pictures of.

The bakery was even better. Nan and Pap had got so many people to come in (they know it was because of you) that they had to hire people to help around. They still did most if not all the baking but they definitely had help and you were thankful. They were only in their late 40s, (47) after having your mom when they were 16, and then your mom having you when she was 16. They were around the same age as the other mothers in the band, but to you it felt like they had lived two lives. 

Being able to go out and see everyones old lives was a special moment for all of you. You were glad something was arranged for Niall after the weather prevented from you all heading to Ireland. Louis' old school definitely was the biggest surprise. He had you stay by his side the whole time claiming ‘ I need my best friend by my side’. And you were more than happy to be there with him and the rest of the boys.

Seeing where Harry grew up was so special. Over the course of the past two months you had definitely gained feelings for him and Niall and it seemed to you that they were in the same boat, but you knew it wouldn't go anywhere for a long time. Harry made sure you and Niall were holding onto him as the mass of people around his front drive were mad. You and Niall found a picture of baby Harry and asked the fan if you could steal it, to which they screamed and showed the paper into your hands. You knew how much Harry missed his mum and Robyn and it was so special watching him reunite with them.

Next was your home town of Hazel Grove. You knew you wanted your first stop to be the bakery. Swarms of people - more than the other boys- were waiting outside of the bakery and as you and the boys stepped out the cheers could have made you go deaf. They were chanting your name and had signs of all different things, even baby pictures that you knew all the boys would try to sneak pictures of. 

Seeing Beverly, Bentely, Nan, and Pap all together again was too much for you to handle. You knew that after this that there would be a ton more people waiting to get to this bakery. “A free pastry on me!” you yelled standing on a chair by the front doors to everyone who was standing around. “But only if you promise to come back!” They all screamed and laughed and the boys helped pass out pastries to everyone in line. 

You finally made it to your cottage a little while away from the bakery and the boys marvelled at how perfect the cottage reminded them of you. The Williams parents had moved to Australia and had lost connection with the three of you, but Beverly and Bentely were unbothered as they knew your grandparents treated them like their own. After Beverly and Bentely helped show all of your baby pictures to the boys -especially Niall and Harry- you went and stayed in your room for the night before you were off to Bradford. 

“Oh my god.” Zayn muttered next to you holding onto your hand tightly. You giggled at his reaction to all the people. Zayn’s outcome was so special knowing he was really a quiet kid and that seeing all these people where he used to go for fun was such a shock for him. 

Last but not least, Wolverhampton. We had a gig there and Simon joined you guys for the last leg. The performance felt so real and it made you all really want to win this. 

The next big thing after that was your birthday and the boys made sure to cause havoc on your birthday, starting by waking you up super early. 

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUTY!” they all screamed pulling back the privacy protector. You knew they were going to pull something so you decided to get them back. “Except today isn't my birthday.” Your voice was scratchy and you saw all but two faces drop. “No today 9 December you were born, Bear.” Harry now whispering informed you. “Yeah Petal, today's your birthday. You’ve got a picture of you and Beverly with balloons and cake that say ‘9 Dec’.” 

You couldn't help but smile and open your eyes to see all them smiling at you with party hats. “Thank you lads, but it's still dark outside.” you whispered with a shaky laugh at the end. They joined you laughing quietly. “I will ask you where you managed to find those party hats later. But right now i'm going back to sleep.” they all laughed and Liam, Zayn, and Louis kissed your head before getting back in their own beds. “Wait Petal.” Niall and Harry were now sitting at the edge of your bed. “We want you to open your gift now.” Harry handed you the small -decently- wrapped gift. You opened it sluggishly and smiled widely when you saw what it was.

“We remembered you saying you needed a new one. So we put our money together and got you one. Do you like it, Bear?” You looked at it in its full glory. A new bonnet for your hair… with Niall and Harry’s faces on it. “Where did you manage to get this?” you chuckled while switching it with the one you had on. “We’ll tell you later. Go back to sleep Petal.” They were getting ready to get up but you stopped them. “No, stay with me.” You slid into the middle of your small bed and patted either side of you. They each chose a side and you snuggled into them both while Harry pulled your blanket over you all. 

A few hours later Liam and Louis woke Zayn up, and when they went to wake you up (you had to wake up Niall and Harry. They only ever woke up if it was you) they saw you with both boys heads snuggled into your neck and chest. “I'm calling it now. Those three are getting married.” Zayn pointed out and the L’s agreed. “Let them sleep a little longer.” Louis spoke softer than he would ever admit looking at the tiniest hint of smile on his best friend's face as her boys snuggled further into her. “Bunny, do we have a lot to catch up on.” he spoke to himself getting back in this bunk on top of you.

Then it was the Finals. The first performance was so exhilarating. Seeing the winter wonderland come together and hear all the harmonies under the solos. It was perfect. The second performance was even more magical, being able to do a duet with Robby Williams was even better. You all sounded so good and looked even better in your best dressed.

But, besides everything joyful outside of X-Factor, inside was getting more serious. 

It was the morning of 12  December and you were all sitting between you and louis bunk, and Harry and Nialls. “We’ve come so far… what happens to us if we don’t win?”

The topic had never been discussed yet and by the way everyone's face turned, you knew it was one that needed to be held. 

“I guess because we made it so far I didnt think about what happens after.” Liam offered up as everyone was sitting in silence. “So what do we do if we don't win?”

“We stay together.” Harry spoke up with no hesitation. You looked up at him to see the desperation in his eyes and softly pulled his head into your shoulder, you knew he needed comfort in this situation. “We stay together.” you confirmed and you felt Niall's head nod against your lap while looking at Liam and Louis also nodding their heads. 

“Then we have a final performance to get ready for.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“We are so so happy to be in the final. It’s unreal. We can't believe we're here.” You all sat around Liam as he spoke.  “It's kinda crazy to believe we all came in as soloists. So much time has passed.” You added on. 

“I think if we won our lives would change forever and we’re ready for our lives to change.”

You and Liam had the first Solos

I thought I saw a girl brought to life

She was warm, she came around like he was dignified

She showed me what it was to cry

Well you couldn't be that man that I adored

You don't seem to know, or seem to care what your heart is for

I don't know him anymore

Then you all sang together for the last chorus

I'm all out of faith

This is how I feel

I'm cold and I am shamed

Lying naked on the floor

Illusion never changed

Into something real

I'm wide awake and I can see the perfect sky is torn

You're a little late

I'm already torn

Torn

You walked down the stairs and when you all got down you couldn't help but hug each other like it was the last time. As the judges talked the audience cheered the band's name and you couldn’t help but smile. “Only formed a few months ago, you know, pretty much put together for this show, and knowing now you're all best mates. How does it feel to be here on Finals night, Louis.”

You looked at your best friend from across the group as he answered. “You know it's an absolute honour to be here and that song that we did, it was the first song we ever did together. It was- it was just great. Perfect.”

Dermot had watched the live stream from Louis' hometown of Doncaster and everyone was screaming to vote for One Direction. 

````````

“Please lets welcome back the finalists and the judges.” You walked out when Dermot called you guys and the anxiety in your chest made you want to run back to the dressing rooms. You stood next to Niall and Zayn and could feel them both fidgeting while Dermot talked. “I will now tell you the two acts with the most votes and will compete head to head for the X-factor title. The act who has received the fewest votes, finishing third, will be leaving the competition tonight. Good luck to everyone.”

You could feel everyone holding their breath around you. “The first act going through to the next stage of the final is…”

You were happy that Matt got through, but that meant you were only one spot away from staying or going. 

“So, One direction and Rebbeca. One of you has made it into the top two. And one of you has received the fewest votes from the public and is out of the competition.” You held your face in your hands anxiously and Louis reached over to comfort you the best he could. 

“The second act who will be in the final is… Rebbeca.”

You didn’t know what to do. You all just stood there before the cheers around told you that Rebbeca had won, and she was a friend. You all walked over to her to congratulate her before Dermot was calling you back. “We're gonna talk to you in a second but first let's watch your time on the X-factor.”

You could barely watch through the tears. The blurry images of all you coming in as soloist to when you were put into the band flashed first. You guys getting through the judges round and your first Live performance, followed by all of your excursions and meeting Emma Watson and your final performances. Louis and Zayn hugged you a little harder when they saw you wipe your tears. 

“I can tell by all of your faces you're absolutely gutted, but how has this experience been for you?” Since Louis was closest he answered first. “It's been absolutely incredible. For me the highlight was when we first sang together at the Judge’s House. It was incredible and unbelievable and you know we’ve done our best, we worked hard." Everyone cheered at Louis' answer and Dermot moved onto you.

“Autumn, the only girl in a boy band.” that gave you a laugh and Zayn shook you softly as a tease. “What's gonna happen to One Direction now?”

You looked at all the boys before answering.

“We’re definitely gonna stay together, and this isn’t the last of One Direction.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you have any ideas for what you want to write in future my inbox is open!!!! i would love to hear what you guys want to see happen in the trios future

tags:

@youcan-nolonger-run @ravenclawdirectioner

@luxiorchive  

[spagheddiesquash]

so today i was in the mw oc server talking abt some stuff i noticed about jawbone (+ some other theory stuff as well!!)

so first of all. two kind of obvious details:

he is green (“yeah no shit sherlock” i hear u thinking. trust me there is a reason why im pointing it out)

his pupils are triangular. nobody else in the show so far has had triangular pupils. (well. i mean commander tezzoree’s eye has a triangular pupil but she hasnt made an appearance in any episodes yet and i doubt the two characters are connected)

just making this point known for now. we will hold this thought for later in the post.

another thing: so in the ref sheet of him posted to the mw tumblr back in september i believe(?), his name is written as “jawbone (a.k.a. scythelord)”

you know where a character by the name of “scythelord” has shown up already?

on a wanted poster, thats where!! he has a bounty on his head!!!

which means that tyneen and her crew are probably after him, which probably explains why they’re at the thicc chicc casino. (how do i know jawbone is there? because ricket is there, which i know because he is shown interacting with both shrike and tyneen, who we know are both there)

now. remember that thought from earlier that i told you to hold until later? now is the time to bring it back.

ok so. we already know that colors and shapes each have their own respective significance in this show, and colors and shapes are chosen deliberately.

with that said:

correlation?? maybe???

ADDITIONALLY:

this further cements my belief that ep 4 will have a LOT in it regarding the cataclysm or some other related thing. why?

(2nd pic comes from the VA application doc. unfortunately i dont have any better quality pics of it)

despite the poor image quality in the second pic, you can still tell that both of these characters have some sort of magenta (or pink i guess?) type of theming going on in their designs.

also if we look at campions, like, the flower

you can see where im trying to go with this idea.

i did a whole bunch of examining colors today in light of this, actually!!! quick fun fact for those unaware: RGB and CMYK invert into each other.

and then after i made that image i started sorting things into what colors they are. (white and black have been omitted from the screenshots simply because there doesnt seem to be any significant things tied to them)

obviously this list is probably incomplete and i will continue to add to it, of course.

(my main inspo for even thinking about CMYK for theories in the first place was @toastedclownery btw!! GO CHECK OUT THEIR BLOG IF U HAVENT ALREADY THERES SO MANY COOL THEORY POSTS THERE!!)

one final not-as-relevant theory that’s really more of a prediction: i really think joel vargskelethor is gonna be in this upcoming episode, whether it’s in whole or in part. i mean, he already voiced the duende in ep 3, so it’s not like its impossible or anything. also “scythelord” happens to be the name of joel’s band as well (which you should DEFINITELY check out if ur into metal!!!!! absolutely amazing stuff) OH OH AAAAAAND

id like to direct your attention to the title of this update, which is “the bone zone,” which i believe to be a skeleton metal reference.

also jawbone/scythelord has the little sweden viking helmet thing on the wanted poster. AND HES GREEN! LIKE FREN!!

for those who dont know, this is fren (also known as vargfren i think)

so yeah. these evidence pieces combined with the fact that zeurel has made dozens of “vargskelethor animated” videos (which is how i got into zeurel’s animations in the first place actually!!) are what led me to make this prediction.

anyway, i hope you guys liked this theory post. it’s not an update on the web, but i figured id try doing something new. though, if youd like to see the web, here’s a view of the full thing currently:

but yea thats all i really had. ill reblog with some additions if i think of anything else. bye for now!!! :^D

[nczaversnick]

Mega OC Questionnaire

Got this tag from @the-golden-comet

Wasn’t sure who should answer this but I realized I haven’t done much with Caspian so here we go

Five things that make you happy:

“Oh five things? I guess Adrian, Faith of course. I like helping people and fighting with the rebels. Oh! I love ramen too.”

If you could save just one other person who would it be?

*cue Caspian strangling N.C. with his bare hands* Sorry guys this one is major spoilers

Tell us one of your funniest jokes:

“Oh cmon I’m not the funny one in his group. Most I can do is tease Audrey about her affairs with senior staff”

Where would you like to visit?

“If Quinn ever finds their people, I’d love to visit them. Utristan is great and all but I want to see what else is out there.”

When do you usually go to sleep?

“When I was a student, I went to sleep when I was done working. Nowadays I don’t go to sleep until Adrian comes back from his recon missions”

Are you a jealous person?

“I….dont want to answer this”

Have you committed a crime?

“Kinda hard not to when the system is designed to arrest you.”

Do you have a chore you usually hate?

“I mean nobody loves chores. But almost all the work I do is in my proffered field so it’s not really a chore…. But I hate practicing with firearms. It’s brings up unpleasant memories.”

Tell me an embarrassing childhood story

Athena: “Hell I’ll tell you an embarrassing story about him. When we were kids he once kidnapped a baby chick from the class project. He said he didn’t want it to live somewhere without air conditioning”

Are you a good person?

“I mean, I think so? Adrian once said that he looks up to me because of how kind I am but…I think he’s exaggerating”

“When have I ever exaggerated?”

What’s the worst thing you have ever done? Do you regret it?

“Of course I do. But it doesn’t matter now. All I can do is do everything I can not to be in that position again.”

What’s the quickest way to make you laugh?

“When Adrian asks about multi syllabic words. I know he’s still learning and I know it comes off mean but it’s so cute… I just can’t help it.”

What is your favorite song right now?

“Achilles Come Down”

Do you sometimes wish to be someone else?

“Only in the sense that I know I am not my best possible self. Tomorrow might be different.”

Do you push forward or take time to rest?

“Oh I’ve always been a push forward guy. But meeting Adrian changed that. That guy never stops moving and it’s hard to ignore it when you’ve seen what it looks like.”

What is your favorite drink?

“I’ve always been a big fan of green tea.”

If you had to pick an item of clothing or accessory to wear for the rest of your life what would it be?

“I’m legally required to say my wedding band.”

If you were forced to forget one memory, what would you choose?

“As if you really need to ask. I’d forget the day he died.”

What is a positive thing your worst enemy would say about you?

“Knowing Lucia she’d call me good bait. She really only cares about putting Adrian down and he’d do anything to save me.”

Tags for writing games (comment to be -\+)

@honeybewrites @wyked-ao3 @kittrrrr @zackprincebooks @theverumproject @fractured-shield @poppycat-writes @illarian-rambling @finickyfelix @kuebiko-writing @yourpenpaldee @willtheweaver @the-letterbox-archives @moltenwrites @davycoquette @drchenquill @leahnardo-da-veggie +open tag

[sysakiddo]

I am so insane about this AU I made a moodboard for it. If anyone knows how to make the quality unfucked, hit me up please. Èze bit is already halfway cooked. first part second part

"Do you usually take all of your interns here?" Daniel asks doubtfully. He is wearing a silk shirt under the blazer. On his hands, he is not only wearing the usual wedding band but four other diamond rings. The Harry Winston one, sapphire set in diamonds on his right ring finger, is his favourite. A gift from Max for their third anniversary. He wears it only for special occasions. 

Max furrows his eyebrows when he sees it shining brightly in the restaurant's lights. A dinner with an intern is not a special occasion. 

"Marais is the place for youngsters." Max shrugs. Daniel's answering laugh is too loud. It makes him cringe a little. 

"Youngsters, oh my god, Maxy," he shakes his head disapprovingly. "You're too young to talk like this." 

"Not again with the age talk." Max snaps, can't help but remember how Daniel looked in the dim light of their bedroom when he said China might be his last chance. "Besides, what's wrong with Marais? I thought you liked it." 

Daniel looks like he belongs here, anyway, with his tanned skin and designer clothes. 

Before he can answer, Max's phone beeps, and he stands up to find their guest in front of the restaurant. When they arrive at the table, she is shocked to see Daniel already sitting there. 

"Your excellency," she says, her voice rough with nervousness. "I did not know you would be here." 

Daniel smiles broadly, shaking her hand. "Please call me Daniel. I hope I won't be interrupting." 

She blushes a bit, amazed. "No, of course not, your exce- Daniel, I mean." She sits down when Max pulls the chair for her. "I am Anne; it's a pleasure to meet you." 

"Let's switch to English," Max proposes, even though Anne's French is immaculate. He doesn't like talking to Daniel in French, only connects it to work in his head. 

Daniel knows this, but it doesn't stop him from smirking at Anne. "It's because he thinks my French sucks," he tells her, this time in English. 

Max flips a page of the menu, not taking his eyes off it. "Don't take him too seriously," he tells Anne in Dutch. She keeps looking at them with wide eyes like she can't believe she had the luck to see this. She has heard many stories about them in the office and back home at uni, the rockstars of Parisian diplomatic life. Now, a bantering couple having dinner on a busy Friday night. 

Daniel knows enough Dutch by now not to be sidetracked. "Oh, yes, Anne, please do not take me seriously at all! I am here only for the oysters and gossip." 

Anne laughs lightly, closing the menu. "I fear I won't be very helpful in the gossip area." 

"Oh no, I'd like to hear everything! Is he quite dreadful? Does he make you triple-check the daily update for the ministry? Do you still have to send him the media digest every morning? Did you know he subscribes to four different types of newspaper and refuses to go to bed without finishing the crossword in each of them?" 

Max scoffs while Anne shakes her head. "No - I enjoy my tasks," she says, sneaking a look at Max. She doesn't want to seem like she is trying to kiss his ass. "I like that we actually get to do the real work. I mean, it's great to see that someone thinks I am able to do more than just take the minutes."

Daniel sees the soft blush coating her cheeks and looks at Max, who is smiling at her. He is shocked to see it's his genuine smile, not the one he uses at work. 

"I heard those stories, yeah." he nods. Daniel doesn't like managing his interns, makes the chef of the protocol do it. Max, however, likes being close to his staff. Daniel privately thinks it's just a way to control them better. 

"It's even worse as a woman, I think," she continues, more confidently now that they seem interested in what she has to say. "In Cairo, they wouldn't let us do anything else than make coffee and filter the mail. The ambassador told us only the men had access to the conference rooms." 

Max furrows his brows, leaning closer to her subconsciously. "What?" he barks out. 

The unexpected reaction makes her freeze. Daniel sees the moment when it dawns on her, a shadow setting on her face. She has never connected the dots, and it got away. She did not realize that the ambassador in Egypt shares a surname with her current boss. 

Daniel clears his throat. "I wouldn't let my interns make me coffee, Anne, that's for sure. Nobody knows how to make it properly for me, not even my husband," he says with a big smile, kicking Max's foot under the table. 

Max blinks, still waiting for more words to come out of Anne's mouth. The distraction doesn't work; both of them awkwardly quiet. The waiter comes out of nowhere as if he felt they needed something to save them from the sticky situation. 

Daniel orders twelve oysters and only then Max snaps out of it. "You can't be fucking serious-" he mutters, kicking him back. 

"I bet Anne will split with me, right?" he winks at her and she smiles thankfully, nodding. Thank you, she mouths while Max is ordering for himself. 

Max can feel Daniel's phone vibrating in his pocket, the constant buzz audible even over the loud chatter in the background. Daniel makes no move to answer it. Instead, he moves to top up their glasses with more wine, smiling broadly at Anne. When he sits back down, he squeezes Max's knee, waiting until Max squeezes his hand back before moving it away. 

Max insists they walk home after dinner. They are quiet for a while, the sounds of the streets distracting enough. 

"You really like the kid," Daniel says eventually. 

Max nods. "She asked me to be her mentor, actually." Daniel hums. The request is nothing extraordinary. Everyone wants to get mentored by the best. "I think I'm going to say yes." 

Daniel raises an eyebrow at him, tonight full of surprises. He has never agreed to do that before. 

"I also thought I would invite her to Èze with us. What do you think?" 

"Èze?" he stutters, shocked. Èze is for the closest friends. And Charles, Max would always add begrudgingly. He would rather eat an oyster than count  Charles into his 'closest friends circle'. 

Max furrows his brows in confusion. "You don't like her?" 

Daniel shakes his head. "You've never done this, that's all." 

Max is walking a bit faster now, shrugging his shoulders. "I thought it would give me something to do, y'know. In Beijing or whatever. I was thinking about it and - yeah, I could mentor the kids and write a memoir. That way, I wouldn't be so bored." 

This is not the first time Max has mentioned wanting to write a biography. Daniel tried to persuade him that writing a memoir at 25 is a bit too cocky, even for someone like Max. 

This is, however, the first time Max mentioned Beijing since Daniel's big revelation. 

He is not ready to have that conversation yet, so instead, he asks him what's been bothering him throughout the night. 

"Your father-" 

"Don't." Max stops him before he can breathe in, holding his palm up. Max's father has been a taboo in their household since The Catastrophe. And because The Catastrophe was the reason why Max moved out of their flat for two months, the only time when Daniel used the word 'divorce' and Max couldn't stop talking about jealousy and holding grudges, he lets it go.

Daniel rolls his eyes but takes Max's hand in his. "Invite her to Èze. Pierre is also bringing an intern, so she won't be alone." 

Max hums, squeezing his palm as a silent thank you. 

At home, Max is brushing his teeth when the DHoM calls. He spits out the foam and rolls his eyes. A call on a Friday night has never been a good sign. 

"The President cancelled the visit of the Netherlands, I am afraid," she says, straight to the subject, just as Max has urged her to do every time. 

"What? Why?" He spent weeks trying to negotiate the visit. The preparations started five weeks ago. 

"They did not give me an official reason. But David told me, in confidence, of course, that they've added Australia to his Pacific tour. The submarines are long forgotten."

Max paces in the bathroom for a few minutes after hanging up. 

When he finally enters the bedroom, Daniel doesn't even have the decency to look guilty. 

"You've seen the dates of the visit in my diary." he accuses him, a thunderstorm in his eyes. 

Daniel knows what he is talking about. Of course he does. He is just glad Max did not get the call while they were still in the restaurant. "How was I supposed to know they would cancel instead of postponing?" Max is breathing fire by now, but Daniel isn’t wearing his glasses so all he sees is a figure that could be his husband but also could be a very handsome burglar.

Max waves a finger in his face, looking menacing, even when wearing nothing but his sleeping shorts. He knows Daniel is full of shit. "You should have had the decency to inform my office." 

Daniel has the nerve to roll away from him. "No work talk in the bedroom." 

Max grinds his teeth together and grabs the duvet, rolling it up into a ball and throwing it at shocked Daniel. "Then get the fuck out." He also throws the pillow, his finger pointing to the living room. Daniel huffs but stands up and gets out of the bedroom nevertheless.  

In the morning, Daniel's back is fucked from sleeping on the couch, and he spits a few harsh words in the general direction of Max's still-sleeping figure. When he returns from the market, Max is sitting at the kitchen table with a tea in his hands. He blinks a few times to make the morning fog disappear and is only partly successful. Daniel is sheepishly holding ten teddy bear sunflowers in his hands. 

Max lets Daniel kiss him with a soft apology, standing up to get the vase. "Your coffee is next to the toaster!" he says before turning around. He misses how Daniel's face glows up, smile small and real and only for Max. 

fourth part

[anneapocalypse]

On Dragon Age II's Ending

The ending of Dragon Age 2 has always felt to me like the least morally ambiguous of any of the games' mage-templar decisions and frankly one of the least ambiguous "big" decisions in the series.

DA2 makes it extremely obvious that the Circle mages are about to be executed for something that absolutely none of them had any part in and no one, not even the Knight-Commander, is arguing that that isn't the case. You can feel whatever kind of way about what Anders did, and still recognize the staggering injustice of killing all the Circle mages for something that everyone, including the Knight-Commander calling for their deaths, is fully aware they did not do.

And just in case that wasn't clear, someone made a point of dropping in that bit of ambient dialogue telling us that Meredith is already trying to get clearance for the Right of Annulment before the explosion; she's just looking for an excuse. The game is pretty clear about the injustice of this situation, regardless of how many demons and blood mages there may or may not be in Kirkwall.

I'm a chronic replayer who enjoys making up new characters every time to see things I haven't seen before and I didn't have a particularly difficult time coming up with in-character, circumstantial reasons why a character might annul the Circle in DAO or recruit the templars in DAI and believe they're doing the right thing. For the former: dwarven noble who knows little about magic and believes what the Knight-Commander tells her, and chooses the wrong dialogue option with Morrigan in the party so Wynne attacks and therefore is not present in the party as an emotional anchor and a voice for the mages, and listens to Cullen when he says it's too dangerous to let any of the mages live. For the latter: non-mage human noble from a Chantry-connected family who just implicitly trusts templars, as he was raised to. Or Dalish elf who walks into Redcliffe, sees a magister stinking up the place and says "Well, the Dread Wolf take the lot of you then" and turns around and marches straight to Therinfal, conscripts the templars, disbanding the Order in the process. Just a couple of easy examples I've actually played.

But the ending of DA2 is a choice between "Yes, I will help to execute these people for something everyone knows they didn't do" or "No, I will not do that and I will help them defend themselves and escape." Of course it's possible to come up with in-character reasons to make the former choice, and I have! But it's much less of a choice a character could just stumble into, and you have to do a lot more ideological contortions for a character to do that and believe they're doing the right thing.

Yes, there are a lot of blood mages and demons in Kirkwall. While we don't get a lot of opportunities to treat blood mage NPCs with much nuance apart from Merrill as most blood mages are programmed to attack on sight (and this is likely a product of the game's tight development deadline), the game itself offers an explanation for this in the writings of the Band of Three, the Enigma of Kirkwall codex entry that you can collect throughout the story. While you have to look to find it, this history does make it clear that Kirkwall is meant to be an outlier, for reasons both political and historical (which is another post for another day). And Merrill herself, whether you agree with her viewpoints or not, does offer an important counterpoint: a character designed to be sympathetic while giving a more nuanced perspective to the player on why a mage might choose to use blood magic.

And yeah, even with the fact that the game makes you fight Orsino in the mage ending, I still think this. It's clumsily executed, yes, but Orsino going all blood magic harvester abomination is just one more example of what the game has been showing us all along: that mages (like most people) turn to extreme measures when they're backed into corners with no sense of hope, and the templars then use those extreme actions to justify further abuses of mages. I don't think it was strictly necessary (and for what it's worth, Mark Darrah agrees with that; it's a decision that was made out of concern for gameplay balance more than narrative and in hindsight he's said that he thinks it was a mistake), and I definitely think it could have been executed better, but as it stands it does fit an ongoing theme, and Orsino's actions still do not justify the murder of every other mage in the Circle.

And then there's that thing where Hawke can only receive the support of the nobility and become Viscount if they side with the templars, thereby agreeing to uphold the existing power structures in Kirkwall. It's easy to miss if you've never played through the templar ending (and also because Hawke doesn't hold the position for long and Inquisition doesn't really acknowledge that they ever did Correction: It is actually mentioned in the Champion of Kirkwall codex entry, and possibly other places as well, my memory just failed me), but to me that outcomes is absolutely inspired. It serves to highlight how deeply intertwined the nobility are with the Chantry. The nobles of Kirkwall want Meredith deposed because they feel she's overstepped her bounds by denying them a proper viscount, but they are not anti-Chantry or anti-Circle; they still want mages locked up, and they probably also remember what happened the last time Kirkwall's nobility decided to try and contest the Chantry's power in their city (see: Perrin Threnhold).

I find the templar ending genuinely interesting to play through in terms of seeing the story from that angle, and in terms of what it has to say about power structures and politics in Thedas generally and in Kirkwall in specific, which I also wrote about recently. (To say nothing of how differently it frames Varric in Inquisition when the Hawke he idolizes is the Hawke who slaughtered Kirkwall's mages to a one.) I would honestly recommend playing it at least once for lore reasons if you're into that sort of thing. But I would hardly say that you as a player come out of that ending feeling like you're playing the good guy.

And I'm not even arguing that all choices in the games should be this in-your-face. On the contrary, I don't think they all should. I like it when it's possible for a character to make a choice with unintended outcomes, or get accidentally locked into a worse choice because of previous decisions (like annulling the Circle and then being forced to kill Connor or Isolde). Those are some of my favorite kind of choices in these games. In this particular case, I do think the extreme nature of the choice is important to the story, both as the catalyst for the mage rebellion and to underscore why Anders did what he did.

So when people tell me that DA2 "both sideses" the mage-templar conflict... I respect that it's possible to feel that way about it, but I just don't see it. The game allows the player to role-play a character who might make various choices within its narrative; that is not the same thing as presenting all choices as morally equivalent in-universe, and it has never been the same thing, in any of these games.

If you're looking for one mage-templar choice that puts the injustice squarely in your face, I think the ending of DA2 is very much that.

[moreespressoformydepresso]

Guess who just had the most hijinx filled AU in mind? Imagine if the mentors from TBOSAS are all high society elites (like in canon) while the tributes are several shades of impoverished lower working class? Not like canon, because at least they’re seen as humans here :p. Despite them all working in different industries and not really living in the same area, the poor kids are all somewhat connected. I will fuck around with the ages here, but they may be a little older than in canon. What started all of this is wedding shenanigans so I’ll try to briefly summarize what’s happening:

Persephone is getting married to Festus. She’s a teacher/mentor to Mizzen, who is the little brother of Coral, one of the bodyguards for the event. Coral’s girlfriend Lucy Gray is the lead singer of the band that’ll provide the music at the event. Said lead singer is friends with the head bartender Jessup, who is friends with the maid of honor Lysistrata. Both Jessup and Lucy Gray have loose friendship ties to the waitstaff. This web of connections runs deep and I’m gonna make a family tree type thing for it at some point lmao. Now for the fun part:

The mother of the groom shows up in a truly gorgeous, expensive, exquisite designer dress. A white one. Persephone is, of course, in tears, but Festus can’t get his mom to change and for social status reasons they can’t kick her out. Luckily for them, they won’t have to. See, Lysistrata goes to Jessup to get Persephone’s favorite drink to help console her and tells him what’s going on. Jessup passes the information on to Lucy Gray, who gets an Idea. See, she is friendly with Treech, one of the waiters. They met when her band the Covey played orchestra in the theater where Treech works as an actor. It was a show where he had a starring role and they interacted a lot because of it. So she tells him what’s going down and asks if he could… put an end to this little problem. Treech happily agrees and ropes the other waiters into plotting.

Not even ten minutes later, when Persephone comes out for the pictures, Treech “stumbles” with a platter of red wine and very accidentally falls. Right on top of the mother of the groom. Oh no! What a coincidence!! He’s near tears he’s so sorry for what he’s done as he “helps clean her dress” and very unintentionally rubs the stain into the fabric, spreading it out further. Whoops. The mother of the groom (MOG) screams at him for minutes and goes to hit him, but Lamina distracts her by moving in close and starting to “clean up the dress” with a dark napkin that was soaked in more red wine earlier. Treech nopes away long enough for MOG to forget his face and then helps escort her to change into a new, non-white dress.

The entire staff gets a massive tip that day.

[nadiajustbe]

A music band HMC AU, but no one actually plays in this band.

See, Howell was put there because of his connection to Suliman, the band's main singer and guitarist (Justin is the second singer and sometimes adds some sparkle, and there are rumors that they are together, but no one can be sure because it's the 80s), with the addition of Megan's screams about how Howell can't find a decent job. Well, he did. And there he's...no, not playing. He's not even a full-fledged member, a he was born an unmusical Welshman and he's terribly upset about it, but still carries that guitar with him, just for it to be. And he tells all the others, especially the girls he's courting, how cool he is and how strong his connection to this cool Suliman's band is, but in reality he's usually just there. He hangs around backstage, gets ready for hours in front of the mirror only to sit at a table eating sandwiches and complaining about his incredible life because yet another woman, whose name he will forget tomorrow, doesn't like him. Oh, and of course, he does some orders, paperwork, sometimes helps with lyrics or costumes, calling himself an expert in everything (but he especially loves costumes, yes).

In general, he lives his best and worst life, sharing Welsh jokes with Suliman™.

Michael got there as a 15-year-old orphan who desperately needed some money. Howl was undoubtedly the author of the idea to invite this unknown sad boy, who had been sitting on the bench for an hour after the concert had ended. He decided to try his hand at mentoring, to elegantly take the boy "under his wing," but it didn't work out well, to put it mildly. Because, although Michael's job is to actually carry things back and forth and be Howl's second assistant, in fact, it is he who is trying to be the voice of reason for this piece of Welshman, because "you can't spend money on another guitar you can't play because Ben bought a new one for himself. No, I don't recommend buying a skull either."

(He complains about this to their local fiery red cat with yellow and blue eyes named Calcifer, who purrs as if he agrees, and then stares at Howl with his eyes burning eyes)

Sophie was miraculously put there by Fanny, because in all universes, Sophie Hatter is destined to be exploited for labor for a pittance because of Fanny. She was personally assigned to the task of sewing costumes, hats, and general decor, and in fact, she was the only one of this team who seemed to have a clear job in this under-troupe. However, over time, she accidentally moves away from hats and becomes (of her own free will) the cleaning lady behind Howl's mess, oops...

At first, she behaves quite quietly, trying not to draw too much attention to herself: she is the eldest of the three, and it is her fate to be stuck somewhere here, behind the scenes and out of the spotlight of the good life and fame, without even thinking about regrets. But over time, seeing how much the crowd really doesn't care about her, and perhaps after breaking a few bones and walking around with a cane, she finally decides to screw it all and goes on all kinds of adventures.

And - oh, yes - she and Howl can't stand each other. So much so that from the moment Sophie arrives, they can't stop arguing about the fit, or the colors, or the look of the performance, or the fact that the little hint of a bathroom they're given was designed for the band members, not for Mr. Howell Jenkins, who has already spent hours in his home shower. And, of course, Sophie continues to involuntarily look at Howell's writing and threaten to remove the spiders he has safely hidden somewhere in the corners, for which she will be called "Ms. Nose" by him (she responds by calling him a slither-outer because, God, man, when are you ever going to face anything but your own reflection?)

Of course, one day she finally finds the moment to go into the bathroom for a second to get something she needs and accidentally mixes the cans of dye Howell left there (it feels as he just leaves his stuff in the bathroom like that on purpose to make Sophie complain, about how his trash shouldn't be there) and OH SURE, the day after that she has to stay up all night cleaning up the scene after Howell throws a horrible tantrum, smashing everything in his path, with good-natured Michael helping her. (And, OF COURSE, this idiot will then say that the color is actually not bad and go on about his business)

And - finally - they can't stand each other so much that they can't spend a second

not to get into a fight with each other (and just be without each other, it seems), so much so that it took Sophie a long time to lose her confidence that all her feelings for him were solely because of the professionally tailored suits she makes, which he always steals from Suliman and Justin, and that stupid damn smile. So much so that they end up kissing somewhere in a secluded corner right before the eyes of the unfortunate spiders.

Obviously, they can't stand each other enough to repeat it more than once.

[bluegekk0]

Manifesting the biggest hug for you. I don’t know if you’re still having a hard time, but just in case, I’m going to offer some words of encouragement. I’m not the best at this sort of thing, but imma try. Just know this: everyone who’s stuck around for this long adores you and what you contribute to the Hollow Knight fandom. We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t. You’re loved and appreciated, and while we are simply the gay little people on the other side of the screen or even the other side of the world, we’re here to back you up and support you in whatever you do.

What was the design process behind the modern clothes for the FPK family? Lewk in his onesie is absolutely adorable. Holdable. I’d love to know how you arrived at each fit! They all look amazing!

;; thank you so much, this really means a lot to hear. i really do appreciate everyone who's here to support my silly little au, and words like these really brighten up my mood. thank you

---

as for the question, i think it all mostly came down to finding combinations of clothes that would fit their personalities. in general, most of them prefer comfortable clothes, so that's why you see a lot of loose shirts and pants. also, most of them have buttons or zippers on their clothes, primarily because it would be difficult for them to squeeze their large heads with all kinds of horns and spikes into a regular tshirts or other clothes like that

i'll start in the order they appeared on the drawing, so that means lewk is the first one. i had a lot of trouble with his outfit due to his wings. they connect to his body all the way from the shoulders to the tail, and that significantly limits clothing options. i couldn't give him pants with a built in tail sleeve or a band extension/back hook, like i did with fpk, since the wings would get in the way. similarly, the top part of his outfit was just as problematic, especially since pants were out of the equation. so instead, i chose a zipped onesie with a tail sleeve, and two long slit type sleeves for the wings. and i'm very glad i did, not only does it fit the fact that he's the kid of the family, but it also makes him look really adorable hahah

as for grimm, i knew from the start that i wanted him to wear a loose, half unbuttoned shirt. it's just what he's like, he's the flirtatious type, of course he's going to go for this kind of look. i imagine he'd wear suits quite often, but since this is what their everyday clothes are like, he instead opts for something more comfortable. not sweatpants kind of comfortable, that's not his style, but still relatively loose. comfortable, but stylish. that's what he aims for

for fpk, it had to be something that would make you go "yeah, he's an awkward nerd". my friend suggested suspenders, and my mind immediately went to the 11th doctor. and so that was my man inspiration, particularly for the colors. naturally i left out the bowtie, cause that would be too on the nose, but the colors are very similar to one of his outfits. as for his pants, they include a tail sleeve with buttons at the top

(something like this)

now, holly. i knew they would like very comfortable clothes, so i went with a loose shirt and sweatpants. i also knew i wanted the sleeves to be quite wide, so that they have no trouble putting it on with their prosthetic arm on (since it has the junk aesthetic as opposed to a more sleek and modern look, it has a lot of parts that would inevitably get in the way). and, of course, the shirt is buttoned. there's no way they would fit that giant head into a button-less top hahaha. as for the colors, i wanted to keep the green of their regular cloak, so i went with greenish brown pants and a light shirt to give it a nice contrast

hornet is definitely a bit of an outlier. she's a bit of an angsty teenager personality on the au, she's never really matured past that point, so this kind of outfit fits her. she's a bit of a skater type i imagine, she would without a doubt shred it on a skateboard. additionally, i always saw her as someone who would dislike feminine clothes and aesthetic. mostly just a personal preference, but she has a reason to. the white lady and her weren't very close, but she would still try to force hornet into more elegant and royal clothes, usually fancy (and uncomfortable) dresses. not surprising that she ended up hating anything that even resembles a dress, and why she was very insistent on calling her previous outfit a cloak as opposed to a dress. it also explains why her new outfit looks the way it is, and i wanted to reflect that in her modern clothes as well. plus i think it just really fits her personality haha

zote was a bit troublesome. i wasn't exactly sure what kind of clothes he would wear, it's hard to imagine him in anything else than his purple cloak. i wanted to find something that would give the impression of a "wannabe cool guy who gets bullied a lot", and somehow ended up with this sans-esque fit. not complaining, i think it suits him lmfao

also, both hornet and zote have shoes. it's something that's also present in their regular designs. as for the reason why, i'm not sure. part of it is probably because i don't know what their feet would look like (for hornet, i imagine it's a mix between fpk's cat-like feet and something closer to spider feet, but i have no clue about zote), but i think it also fits their outfits. who knows, maybe their feet are just more sensitive than the rest hahaha

[fyodoro]

oddly specific but can you do the wansho characters making rubber band/bead and string bracelets n necklaces with the reader lol ty in advance

Paper Rings

Featuring Tsukasa Tenma, Emu Otori, Nene Kusanagi and Rui Kamishiro

Bullet point format this time :,) sorry anon. But i hope it’s still to your liking… also sorry for the wait

Tsukasa Tenma

Tsukasa loves doing crafts. Although it’s not his real task at the Wonder Stage, he often helps make the props

So when Tsukasa found a bag of beads with strings next to it, he had a brilliant idea.

He brought home the bag and string and presented it to you with a childlike glimmer in his eye, he actually looked really excited!

“(Name)! Let’s make each other bracelets with these!”

Of course you accepted, who wouldn’t? And even if you didn’t want to, it’d feel like a crime not too

You and Tsukasa sat on the floor of his room for a good few hours making all different kinds of jewelry, ranging from bracelets to necklaces

It was sweet quality time with one another, and when the accessories were finished, you two would never take them off.

Knowing that these were handmade and specifically for the other, you both loved to brag about them. Especially Tsukasa

If someone were to ask him where he got his bracelet and or necklace from…

“Ah! My s/o made it just for me! Isn’t it perfect?”

Emu Otori

This is of course Emu’s idea

You went over to her house to help clean her room, and in the process, finding an old bag of beads with rubber bands and string

When she caught sight of what was in your hands, Emu forgot entirely about cleaning her room. That was too boring- this isn’t though

“(Name) (Name)! Let’s make a bunch of bracelets!”

You wouldn’t decline of course, never would you dream of declining it. Emu dragged you to a clean corner of her room and emptied the bag on the ground

Neither of you really cared about the bigger mess that would need to be cleaned up in a few hours, so there was a bit more freedom with how much you two could make

Of course, you made those bracelets. Not just for you and her- but also the rest of WxS and Emu’s friends at the Girl’s Academy

But you also made necklaces, anklets, rings, and a weirdly shaped dinosaur?

Emu would wear and display what you made for her with pride. She’s keep a bracelet on her wrist but also another connected to her bag, so if anyone were to ask…

“It’s from my s/o! Do you want one as well? I have plenty!”

Nene Kusanagi

Nene didn’t expect her day to be spent like this, not at all.

This was your idea- to make bracelets for each other as well as other accessories. Nene of course accepted your offer, though she doesn’t know crafts that well…

So you needed to teach her how to make a simple bracelet, guiding her hand to the string and connecting them with different beads

Once Nene got the hang of it, she enjoyed this quite a lot!

“(Name), I didn’t think this would be so fun… thank you..”

You told her there’s no need to thank you, and to just enjoy the process and quality time, to which she did

Nene made more bracelets than you thought, even more than you made!

She wouldn’t say it out loud, but she felt accomplished by making you smile

You two didn’t pick and choose which ones you wanted, and only took all the ones the other had made. Unless there was one you’d want to keep-

Nene will wear multiple of your bracelets at once, stacked on her wrist. It’s quite noticeable when her sleeve is slightly rolled, so when she’s asked about it…

“Oh these… they’re from my s/o. Do you also think they look good?”

Rui Kamishiro

Rui has plenty of experience with crafts- after all, he is an inventor and director

This wouldn’t really be either of your ideas, rather something that just happened naturally

Rui was working on a new mascot for the Wonder Stage, and was trying all sorts of designs. One of which being an arm full of beaded bracelets

You saw this and how much work it would be on his own, so you of course assisted him

“Ah dear (Name), you really don’t have to. But if it’s what you want to do, I don’t mind.”

You two are creating these bracelets for hours, focused on a perfect bracelet not only for the mascot, but also each other

Rui at this point is determined to make you multiple of these bracelets as well. Not only for helping him but also because he just wanted to

Your behalf is doing the exact same thing. You two chuckle at the fact you were thinking the exact same the whole time

Rui is not ashamed to wear all the bracelets you gave him, or hook it onto his bag. He feels pride swell up in his chest when someone asks him where he got it from

“I didn’t get this from anywhere, in fact, it was my s/o who made it for me. It looks lovely, doesn’t it?”

[dreamangcls]

⊹₊⟡⋆ laura kariuki + she/her ⊹₊⟡⋆ blasting cleo by shygirl through their airpods is sapphire dixon . oh , you don’t know them ? they’re the twenty - five year old musician who just went viral for allegedly being the reason the girl group she was in split up . yup , the one that drives a 2022 alpine a110 in rose bruyère. i hear they’re pretty imaginative , but others have claimed that they’re quite naive . that makes sense , considering they’re often labeled as the wannabe .

stats.

full name: sapphire faith dixon

nickname(s): sapph and sapphy mostly

gender: cis woman (she/her)

sexuality: bisexual

dob: 16th of october 1998

age: 25 almost 26

zodiac sign: libra

occupation: musician

career claim: i didnt want to lock her in with one specific discogography but for pararelles think normani and leigh-anne. she wants to be beyonce but she's not beyonce (yet)

positive traits: candid, intrepid, captivating and exuberant

negative traits: self-absorbed, impulsive, overly optimistic and ditsy

personality markers: esfp, sanguine, type 7-the enthusiast , chaotic good

counterparts: cher horowitz (clueless), hilary banks (fresh prince of bel-air), london tipton (the suite lufe of zack & cody) & alexis rose (schitt's creek)

aesthetics.

long nights spent in a recording studio, an apologetic sorry shouted  through the window of a bright pink car after reversing into a trash can, the tap of acrylic nails on a phone screen, spending thousands of dollars on one shopping trip, a notebook full of unfinished song lyrics, neon blue cocktails and embarrassing moments spun into engaging stories

bio outline.

as a child sapphire's dad often lovingly referred to her as his good luck charm. he was right she was born lucky. but she wasn't born lucky because he won the super bowl three months after she was born. sapphire dixon was born lucky because she was born to two wealthy and loving parents. most people only have parents who are one of the two.

sapphire's parents moved to new york permanently when she was 12. before then she had three major cross country moves. some children would have been distressed by the lack of stability but sapphire thrived off it. every new move was an exciting new adventure. of course she missed the friends she lost when she moved to a new city but moving was a chance to make new connections. she was the type of kid who found it easy to form friendships. maybe it was because of her famous father but she like to believe it was because she was kind and had a sparkling personality.

no matter where she moved music was always a constant in sapphire's life. she developed a passion for music at a young age. she loved getting the opportunity to express herself artistically and be the centre of attention. her parents fully supported her ambition.

sapphire's mom doesn't have the same name recognition as her dad but as the head of an interior design business specialising in luxury homes she's well connected. it was sapphire's mom who discovered that a record label was looking for members of a new girl band while working for a music exec client in la. when her mom told her about the opportunity eighteen year old sapphire packed a wide array of suitcases and travelled to la as quickly as possible.

the audition process for the band was longer than sapphire expected but she was a perfect fit. she spent seven years in the band touring and making albums. she loved it and she still loves her three former bandmates. they're the closest she has to sisters. but she had enough of being a small part of a larger whole. she felt stifled creatively and like she was often overlooked by the fanbase. nine months ago she quit to work on her solo album. she's still dealing with the media fallout. she understand why ex fans and tabloids are calling her selfish. who else is she supposed to focus on ?

connections.

girl squad who get into chaos together please

a woman the media pits her against. what that did to their relationship can be plotted out. give her a girl so confusing moment

platonic soulmate

childhood friends. could be somebody she spend her teenage years in new york with or somebody she lost touch with

a person who finds her annoying but she's completely oblivious

exes on good terms, exes on bad terms one night stands, a messy situationship ect ect

people she's worked with professionally somehow

neighbours

[witchesoz]

A queer Oz

Oz is queer. There is no denying it. The land of Oz, the world of Oz has been embraced by gay and lesbians and was included as part of the LGBT community long before this acronym even appeared. Oz-related medias have shaped the homosexual communities, and there is no better way to prove it than to point out a common term most people know by now… FOD. “Friend of Dorothy”, an expression to designate a gay man and was used very often in the second half of the 20th century in Northern America to speak of homosexuality while avoiding any of the nasty side-effects these kinds of talks could have in this time. It isn’t used much anymore, thanks to LGBT communities becoming much more open, known and accepted in more times, but it still was a very important part of gay culture and history, and a clear mark tying it all to the world of Oz, and the character of Dorothy Gale.

And when talking of the queer people and Oz, it is the 1939 movie that has to be talked about. It is THE catalyst, the landmark, the focus point of the gay connection with Oz, and one of the classic “queer movies” of the 20th century. The movie’s plot and style resonated deeply with gay people: it was about escaping a rigid, small town and an unpleasant black-and-white world, to enter into a fabulous and magical universe filled with extravagant characters and vibrant colors ; it was about a group of outcasts banding together as a group against threats and dangers ; it was about a young girl trying to escape into a world without any kind of troubles and who embraced openly the seemingly-flawed male characters she met along the way ; it was about learning that sometimes you do not need to change yourself to be who you want to be… Lines of the movie have been famously reinterpreted, such as the Cowardly Lion’s self description as a “dandy lion” or Glinda’s “Come out, come out, wherever you are!” ; and while the idea of a “rainbow flag” for the LGBT community would only arrive much later, the movie’s heavy emphasis on rainbows (and its most famous song, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”) is thought to have played a key role in the queer communities decision to pick the rainbow as their symbol. Of course the fact that Judy Garland was the main actress of the movie also helped fuel this whole thing, since Judy Garland was one of the “gay icons” of the first half of the 20th century, adored by generations of gay men that made up a good part of her regular audiences (and let’s not even get in for example the number of gay men in her personal life, or how some people theorize that her funerals being held so close to the Stonewall Riots might have had some emotional influence over the incident).

The interesting thing is that, beyond the 1939 movie, the original Oz material, the book series written by L. Frank Baum, is also extremely queer-friendly (to the modern eye at least) and has been reused as an LGBT symbol. I can’t talk of Baum’s personal stance on gay people because I don’t think he ever brought up the subject – and anyway, we are talking about 1900s-1910s America, what do you expect? But the liberal use of words like “queer” and “gay” in their original, older sense in the stories, especially when talking about the inhabitants of Oz (and particularly about Dorothy’s recurring friends) has not escaped the modern eyes. The relationship between Dorothy, recurring heroine of the Oz books, and Ozma, the girl-queen of Oz, has also been re-interpreted in the light of modern sensibilities: the two girls are stated repeatedly to be good and great friends, but their relationship as “best friends” is also depicted with a lot of proclamations of “love”, used in a broad and more innocent sense than today, and with a lot of physical contact between the two, ranging from simply hands holding to actual kisses… The fact social and friendship norms back in early 20th century America were different back then has a lot to do about how what was just seen as two girls being best friends become easily reinterpreted as a lesbian relationship in modern days. A very similar case happens with the “queer friendship” of the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman.

But there is one thing we cannot forget, it is the existence in the very second Oz book, The Marvelous Land of Oz, of one of the earliest “trans” characters of modern literature, Tip “Tippetarius” that is revealed to be Ozma, princess of Oz…

Overall now you will find “Oz” included in the name of numerous gay bars, dance clubs or gay-oriented business (ranging from small gift gay gift shops to charity organizations for the AIDs crisis) ; Ozian characters and imagery often appear during Pride parades ; and the fact the Oz stories have been massively used in the world of musical theater (a very predominantly queer and gay form of media in America) keeps reinforcing this connection – the “Wicked” musical being a good example of this. And by focusing on Dorothy herself, and her actress Judy Garland, the gay community actually poured in a very strange and dual feeling – as Dorothy embodied some sort of joyful, queer-embracing, free and colorful innocence the gay men strived towards, while Garland with her infamously sad and tragic life reflected eerily the sufferings and despair felt by the very same community, with as a result the song “Over the Rainbow” becoming as much of a sweet gay ballad as an anthem of queer pain.

- - - - -

Two additional facts about “Friends of Dorothy”.

One is a cultural one: “Friends of Dorothy” might not just be a reference to Dorothy Gale, but also a nod to a real-life Dorothy, Dorothy Parker, a critic and humorist socialite who was very close to the world of gay men in the 20s and 30s (who were frequent among her personal audience as well as among the guest of her renowned lavish parties).

The second is a fun trivia: Between late 70s and early 80s, the NIS (Naval Investigation Service, future NCIS) started an investigation in Chicago about homosexuality in the military services, and upon learning of the expression “Friends of Dorothy”… took it as a literal code name. As in, they seriously believed that there was a woman named Dorothy who was some sort of central figure or secret leader of the entire network of homosexual military agents in Chicago, and started hunting down for her, in hope of catching her and forcing her to give up the name of all the gay members of the military services. And the fact this “Dorothy” figure was a mysterious and elusive one they had a hard time tracking just reinforced them in their belief that she was truly the beating heart of some sort of secret homosexual ring or gay conspiracy…

Well, actually three facts – but the third is a bit less fun. The same way the “FOD” term was used less and less as the queer communities changed, and even came to be considered as more of a “slang” than a safe euphemism, newer and younger generations of gay men actually started… half-rejecting half-breaking away from the entire Oz tie to gayness. Half breaking away because the Oz and Judy Garland obsession is perceived by some as a truly “generational” phenomenon and as being more relevant to the gay communities of the 20th than the 21st century, and the 1939 movie and books themselves are getting much less prominent place in popular culture as time passes by. But I also include “half-reject” because some people actually take offense to the whole “Friends of Dorothy” business and some younger gay activists view this whole Oz connection as an embarrassing stereotype or shameful part of the gay community past that contributes to a feeling of overall silly campy caricature of the gay man. While not going into an open debate, an “anti-Dorothy” feeling seems to appear in the 21st century gay generations… Though in parallel, the 21st century generations actually completely rediscovered and brought to light Ozma of Oz as a trans character (while she had been hidden in the shadows for most of the 20th century), and while gay men might reject the Dorothy etiquette, the lesbian elements of Oz are going strong and popular today, so maybe the “Friends of Dorothy” phenomenon is simply shifting away from men and male homosexuality to rather solidify itself again around trans and lesbians.