#shoutout to her for being a fashion queen love that for her

[angelkeitai]

people of tumblr i deeply apologize for never having made a post about Her

[the-flaneur]

matchmaker pets (lh44) | pt1

pairing: lewis hamilton x fem!reader

summary: in a world where one's furry best friend is secretly their cupid, the drivers' love lives are sure to be entertaining for everyone (written from the pov of the pets!)

warnings: none (i think)

wc: 975

a/n: after finishing one miniseries, we go onto another (well sorta, hehehe) - hopefully with better updates, now that life is slightly more relaxed. also massive shoutout to @/giuseppe-yuki whose work has inspired this series (ur amazing queen!!!) - go check out her amazing series here!

[masterlist]

young!roscoe who has been with lewis since 2013 after being adopted by his bestest dad's into the hamilton family. he's also soon joined's by his little sister, coco.

young!roscoe who loves attending races with his dad's and meeting everyone; the mercedes team, his dad's bestest friend, the other drivers on the grid's and best of all's, the fans.

young!roscoe but's his favourite person on the grid's is actually none of these people (besides his dad's).

it's actually you :)

you're mercedes' main social media admin's, and he thinks that you're the best's thing since crunchy watermelon's.

young!roscoe loves following's you around the paddock, watching you snap photos of the drivers and the team's, as well as snapping's the best pics of him.

young!roscoe watches you and dad's get really close - afterall's, you wouldn't be the admin without being super close with's the drivers.

but, roscoe hates that you aren't close enough.

older!roscoe who frustratingly watches for five years. there are small smirks and flirts, and you and lewis tiptoe's around each other but...

nothing happens.

he's fed up, and now he's taking's things into his own hands (or paws in his case).

scheming!roscoe who "consults" sebastian, lewis' next closest friend after dad's bestest friend sadly left the grid's.

scheming!roscoe who learns about sebastian's doggo, bruno, who's never at races, but stays at home with hanna.

scheming!roscoe who tricks dad's into letting him meet bruno.

scheming!roscoe who finds out’s that bruno actually is a cupid! cupid dogs can help’s their owners get with anyone they want. but the love only lasts if it’s their one true’s love.

scheming!roscoe just knows that you and dad’s are meant to be’s. he asks bruno how to become’s a cupid.

dreaming!roscoe that night has a very weird dream - he's taken away from dad's home and sent up into a fluffy cloud.

another dog cloud speaks to him’s.

“are you sure you she will make your owner happy?” the dog cloud booms, the air trembling’s around him.

dreaming!roscoe who nods and barks furiously; you and dad’s would be the happiest people’s on earth if you were together. 

dreaming!roscoe feels a small swirl of wind’s around him, before he falls back asleep’s.

cupid!roscoe who can now see the bright beating hearts hoving above your's and dad's heads at the silverstone circuit.

cupid!roscoe who takes out his favourite tennis ball (now fashioned into a cupid's bow and arrow) and chucks it towards your heart.

cupid!roscoe who sees the tennis ball pass directly through the heart.

he frowns - this wasn't how bruno said it would go?

the ball must be broken - you're meant's to be together

desperate cupid!roscoe who tries again and again,

and again

and again...

tossing the invisible ball above your head, but each time's it passes with a small puff of smoke.

desperate cupid!roscoe who tries pulling you towards dad's by tugging your mercedes shirt, but you gently pull him off of you, before walking away's from him.

desperate cupid!roscoe who tries making's dad's follow him into the media pen, where even he's isn't normally's allowed just to see you's.

but dad's knows what roscoe is trying to do and walks away when dad's sees you.

desperate cupid!roscoe who realises that you have spoken directly to dad's in the past two weeks.

you're avoiding him's.

heartbroken cupid!roscoe who now maybe realises that you and dad's maybe aren't supposed to be together?

maybe you aren’t true love's?

heartbroken cupid!roscoe who pouts and whines the whole's night in the hotel room, but dad's in the bathroom, showering alone.

heartbroken cupid!roscoe who later finds out, cuddled against dad's wet cheeks, that you and him had a big fight.

heartbroken cupid!roscoe learns that you and dad's had a big fight about his photos with's other peoples. specifically, other women's.

heartbroken cupid!roscoe who learns that dad's who was meeting up with an old friend's got a photo taken of him kissing her cheek's in greeting, but the media's made it seem otherwise.

heartbroken cupid!roscoe learns that you yelled at dad's for the first time.

heartbroken cupid!roscoe learns that your stormed's out, not wanting anything else to do with dad's ever again. never again, you said's. you hadn't even tried's to listen to dad's.

heartbroken cupid!roscoe who sees dad's fall asleep sad, big wet tears painting's his cheeks that night.

he never wants you or dad's to be sad ever again.

determined!roscoe who finds you hiding in a corner's of the press conference room during's interviews with the drivers.

determined!roscoe who, despite his small's size, manages to pull you's next to lewis.

determined!roscoe who waits until dad's finishes his interviews (cause he's a good boy), begins barking. loudly.

his barking is so loud's, that you and dad have to both take him back's to the mercedes motorhome.

determined!roscoe who keeps' barking until his throat his sore's, but at least he managed to get you and dad's alone.

determined!roscoe who butts his nose against's your knees, pushing you two's together.

determined!roscoe who huffs up at you and dad's when you both laugh at him, watching him's make his moves.

happy!roscoe who finally gets to see dad's get the chance to explain what actually's had happened.

happy!roscoe who finally gets to see you and dad's reconcile...

oh and now you're making's out.

in front of him...

happy!roscoe who saunters out of the little room to find bono; at least's he would keep him company whilst you and dad's were together in there...

happy!roscoe who finally gets to see his family together at the hungarian's gp. there's a very nice photo of the family.

it's him, dad's and mum's.

all perfect together.

© the-flanuer || do not copy, rewrite or translate any of my work on any platform.

[immortalarizona]

“They say looks can kill, and I might try.” — Taylor Swift, “Vigilante Shit”

an outfit for my beloved Wanda if she ends up going to the 2024 Hellfire Gala (if there is one at all tbh)!! I wasn't personally a fan of her 2023 look, so I decided to try my hand at designing a look of my own despite knowing jack shit about fashion. design breakdown, inspiration photos, and just general rambling under the cut :)

main inspo:

top row: left by REEM ACRA, right by unknown

middle row: sketches by Kevin Wada

bottom row: garments by Zita Moldovan (website)

--

hehe, this is the part where I ramble about my design process!! I will confess, it took me four full sketches before I finally managed to purge the "high fantasy fairy queen dress" brainrot from my mind and arrive at a concept that actually felt like Wanda. given that as of her 2023 solo run, she's a self-employed business owner, a twist on a suit felt appropriate!! it's elegant, it's dramatic, it's sexy, it's powerful, and it's also a garment that, like, real people could wear?? which, I know this is a comic book and she also has magic, but, like. girl deserves a fit that's also reasonably comfortable. girl deserves pockets (I didn't showcase them, but the pants absolutely have humongous magic pockets.) talking fabric, I will confess that I really don't know much, but I picture the red fabric being pretty thick silk and the black fabric possibly being velvet? the shoes are beaded pretty much all over with the same crystal material as the crown.

as I continued to refine my concept, I looked to Kevin Wada's 2015 redesign for Wanda's last solo run for more inspiration. that's how I arrived at concepts such as the use of beaded accessories, floral embroidery, and especially the plunging neckline. I also knew I wanted to pay homage to Wanda's heritage without being stereotypical, so I decided to look to Zita Moldovan, a Romani designer whose site is linked above, to see how she incorporated her culture into her work. (as an aside, there's this other dress from her Romany Dreams collection that I would LOVE to draw Wanda in at some point, but that was not this project. maybe soon.) the dress I included in my (very, very trimmed down) inspo board was my primary reference as I drew the pattern for the pant part of the pantsuit. (I attempted multiple versions where the pattern was in color, but it wound up looking really muddy, so I opted for the slightly more subtle version you see here.) the pose for the final piece doesn't showcase the epaulette well (or the crown pin, which was another reference to the Kevin Wada design), so here's a bonus sketch that came out of the "design" part of this whole project that shows them both better:

anyone who has followed my art knows that I generally draw my Wanda with a high ponytail, but I decided to spice things up and draw her with a half-up like she has circa Uncanny Avengers #27 (this is when she and Jericho are being so very sweet together). the golden hoop earrings are another thing I carried over from my general Wanda design, and the makeup is just a quick thing I came up with on the fly. it's not the spiciest, I know, but I decided there was enough going on elsewhere that she didn't need a crazy makeup look as well. the full-finger ring is specifically a reference to her very first appearance in X-Men #4, where she calls upon her power by pointing her right index finger. I thought it would be cool to accentuate that finger as a result!!

and there you have it--a tribute to Kevin Wada and Zita Moldovan from an artist who knows nothing about fashion but does have severe enough blorbo brainrot to attempt to design an outfit regardless :D

shoutout to @jookpubstock for once again enabling my shenanigans :)

[curseanon]

I’ve decided I’m just gonna be the sole crewmate on this battleship that is adam x eve, no issues here as im plenty used to serving in the armed forces in defense of rare ships. shipping something where we literally don’t even know what one of the people looks like tho is a whole new level-

anyway here’s some headcanons I thought of. special thanks to Abbie0129 on Twitter for her artwork that helped inspire some of these, if u ever see this post I love you

-the only thing adam and eve were able to take out of eden with them (besides clothes) was a set of flower crowns that they made for each other and basically acted like their wedding rings in the garden. the crowns were blessed by the angels to stay preserved and they allowed them to keep them. it’s the only thing they have left of Eden (king and queen of this little slice of paradise on earth ugh)

-Eve was sent to hell because Roo (or whatever this force of evil we saw depicted in the storybook with the big red eyes and creepy smile) influenced her into eating the fruit (hence the red smile. shoutout to another similar theory I saw on twitter that said Roo only made eve eat the fruit and then left her alone, before moving on later to target Lilith, hence the similar smile on that card. So Roo is different from Eve and Lilith but influenced them both). Maybe Roo’s influence was still on her when she died? Idk

-Abel though, I have an interesting thought. My current take is that if he’s in the show and not retconned, he went to hell because despite his efforts to please the angels, he was acting more out of self gratification, at least in secret. Seeking the angels’ approval more than actually trying to be a good person. That and I think he died with enmity in his heart towards Cain (fair enough). But he wasn’t willing to forgive Cain’s actions, while he was dying or after his death. If he can’t do that, how can he expect his own sins to be forgiven? Granted this is more based on the Christian view of sin. Abel’s heart was not light as a feather, and he died hating his own brother, bitter, and unforgiving. Again, I do not expect this level of depth from Vivzie but that’s just my take lmao

-So that leaves Adam showing up in Heaven alone. Cain is probably still wandering the Earth tbh, but im open to him being more of a spirit now who can pass between earth and Hell. But Adam being alone becomes very damaging. After all, it is not good for man to be alone. He just chalks it all up to Lucifer and Lilith’s deception with the apple that created Hell, blaming them for all the evil that has happened on Earth and the loss of his family.

-When Adam comes back as a sinner in Hell, he eventually reunites with Eve (and Abel. And maybe Cain). They work through all the shit they’ve been through and decide to try again being a family. They harvest angelic metal from the weapons and have them fashioned into rings. Eve wears hers normally and Adam wears his on a necklace. They have matching inscriptions on the inside, where one says “flesh of my flesh” and the other “bone of my bone.” If u saw my other post mentioning this, you’re welcome ❤️

-Eventually they get redeemed and Sera welcomes them back with a little gift: the flower crowns from Eden🥰

[backjustforberena]

Shoutout to the costume designers for telling Rhaenys’s emotional journey in clothes.

Honestly, I love the Great Council look because (as Paddy would say) it’s serving Targaryen realness. She’s in deep red and black, the truest form of her house colours as well as having a dragon sigel literally in her hair. Compared to Viserys and Aemma who wear maroon (?) and pink respectively, giving us a visual clue that not only was her claim stronger, but she would have likely been the stronger leader. She even has flipping wings for sleeves. The details, man.

Then when we see her again, she’s in Velaryon colours and it’s pale blue. Ice blue. She’s retreated so far away from the colour palette of the Targaryens and found solace in her new house. She’s showing her loyalties but also steering away of any reminder of her past heritage, and more specifically: her past claim to the Iron Throne, despite her being nicknamed “The Queen Who Never Was”. It’s a retreat, allowing her to observe the court as unnoticed as she can - speaking to her lack of role, as well as a symbol of pride as all of the gowns are blinged to high-heaven and she is proud of her Velaryon home and house and chooses to show fealty and loyalty to that, which isn’t a requirement of married women, as we clearly see from Alicent’s own fashion journey back into her Hightower greens. 

Her dragon-riding outfit (at least we assume it’s a dragon-riding outfit), has scales in the fabric of the blouse and the neckline is simple and kimono-like, evoking the dragonkeepers outfits just as much as Daemon and Rhaenyra’s wedding outfits did. But we keep the gold of the Velaryon that is shown through detailing in previous outfits, and then in full force (as a show of wealth) at the wedding banquet.

Interestingly, over the season, the blues of her dresses get darker and deeper. She remains in blue even in mourning, rather than a perhaps more typical black. But from ice blue, to a royal blue, to a deep navy, she gets darker and darker as events take their toll. The first time we see her in black again is when she has to go to King’s Landing over the Driftmark succession, after previously seeing her in a navy blue dress. As the Dance gets closer, and the time comes where she has to make her choice to go into conflict and pick Rhaenyra’s side and fight for her grandchildren.

Then she’s in black for the remainder of the series. I could wax lyrical about that black doublet outfit. The fabrics, the similarities to other outfits we’ve seen, the buckles and the detailing. And her armour is bright red and it has SCALES. She’s a Targaryen once again. She’s a dragon-rider, and her outfits are making sure everybody knows it. 

It’ll be fascinating to see what the next costume team decide to do for all of the characters, but I’m mainly excited for Rhaenys. Will she ever wear a dress again? Will she get a new set of armour? Will she stick to blacks and red? Will she coordinate with her husband, or clash, or just compliment? 

[rknchan]

shoutout to andrei semyonovich lebezyatnikov being one of the most underappreciated ruslit characters like... almost no one ever talks about him, neither critics or literature teachers (in our school tho we did discuss lebezyatnikov as "another counterpart of raskolnikov along with luzhin and svidrigailov" but as far as i know he's seldom mentioned and even considered as raskolnikov's counterpart). but he does play a part in the plot??? and is a reflection of social movements and ideas of his time???? to begin with, there was a common trope in russian literature: a character who tries to be "progressive and woke" but is actually not, who is shown as foolish, fake and inconsistent in their beliefs, who criticizes the "rotten society" but actually is a part of it; is often a parody of the protagonist - who is indeed progressive and smart and revolutionary and misunderstood and so on (bonus points if they admire the protagonist and try to copy him) we can see this trope in griboyedov's play "woe from wit" (repetilov - a parody on chatsky), turgenev's novel "fathers and sons" (sitnikov and kukshina - wannabe nihilists as opposed to bazarov though kukshina is a literal queen she slays), and dostoyevsky's later works - "the idiot" (hippolite terentyev's gang) and "demons" (verkhovensky's circle); maybe grushnitsky from "a hero of our time" can be counted too, he fits all the traits but he's obsessed with byronism not politics and is treated more seriously

when we first see lebezyatnikov in p5c1, it's exactly how he is presented like: silly and pathetic, with unattractive features, described with usage of very strong and borderline offensive language (how do you like "half-animate abortion"?), dramatic and self-righteous to the point he looks ridiculous... his surname comes from russian word "лебезить" [lebezit] - "to fawn on somebody" sometimes he has a point but some his takes are harmful (beating a woman with tuberculosis because "he seeks equality in fighting !!!" defending prostitution and saying it is empowerment and protest !!! while not knowing how sonya is suffering); even though he has sincere good intentions his ideology, like that of many 1860s-70s russian nihilists, is based on the ideas of nikolai chernyshevsky and his novel "what is to be done" (and other utopian socialists) but inverted and satirized the part where he defends freedom in marriage and "deceptions" ("Your wife will only prove how she respects you by considering you incapable of opposing her happiness and avenging yourself on her for her new husband...if I were to marry, ...I should present my wife with a lover if she had not found one for herself.") is a reference to "what is to be done" and chernyshevsky's own personal life - in witbd the main heroine tells her husband that she is in love with another man, and her husband pretends to commit suicide so that she would be formally a widow and able to marry her lover the "it’s an insult to a woman for a man to kiss her hand" line is also a direct reference to witbd (sorry for the spoilers btw witbd is quite an underaprecciated book if i ever reread it i ought to make a post about it) - chernyshevsky himself had a complicated relationship with his wife; he worshipped her, always put her interests above himself and let her make all the decisions in their family life, while she saw him only as a friend and a chance to escape from her abusive family; chernyshevsky said that if she liked someone else he'd forgive her and suffer in silence but would always forgive her if she came back SORRY what is to be DONE WITH CHERNYSHEVSKY LET'S GET BACK TO THE POINT. YEAH LEBEZYATNIKOV his description is summed up in this line: "one of the numerous and varied legion of dullards who attach themselves to the idea most in fashion only to vulgarise it and who caricature every cause they serve, however sincerely" but there's one important thing. he takes a step ahead. he protects sonya marmeladova!! and accuses luzhin of slandering her, explaining what actually happened and giving proof of luzhin's vileness!! (and later on he also helps sonya and rodion find katerina ivanovna mad and near death from her illness...) even katerina ivanovna says he was sent by god - for saving sonya's honour. the one who desires to fight for equality but doesn't know how and only makes a fool of himself in other characters' and author's eyes - he actually protects the weak, silent and oppressed. no parody sidekick has ever had such a character development, no trying-to-be-progressive character before had a chance to step out of their stereotype and do something good for another person or for the society this scene makes me so happy, not only because i love seeing someone protecting my beloved sonya but it also has a deeply personal meaning to me

i was also concerned about equality, freedom and perfecting the society and all such things, and ofc had confrontations with others regarding my opinions like all of us probably do, but in the end i always looked stupid, uneducated and worthless as i could never shut up, cried when i lost an argument and did nothing but whine about how things are unfair but never knew what to do to change it and so i thought: i don't deserve to call myself a profeminist and a liberal, i am not good enough i wanted to relate to strong-willed, enlightened, revolutionary characters like chatsky and rakhmetov, but i knew that i was a repetilov, a sitnikov, a lebezyatnikov - an useless caricature who is a shame to their ideology

and when i first read the scene where lebezyatnikov protects sonya, it made me genuinely happy to see how somebody who was viewed as an "useless and fake progressist" could also be a help to somebody and become a better person... it made me feel like i'm not worthless too, like im capable of such a character development and maybe even change someone's life for the better too.... ;;;;;

sorry it ended up too long and too personal and whiny in the end ... :c anyway i hope you did enjoy reading this or find something interesting

have a nice day!! <3

[geographerdose]

Moon and Appearance, Pt. 3 featuring the diurnal luminary ruling the first house —> Leo Risings (Aries-Virgo Moon)

⏰ Picture descriptions go clockwise starting @ top left

Leo Rising/Aries Moon: Ingrid Bergman, Eva Green, Selena Gomez, Celine Dion

👃🏻Noses with substance and structure; a cardinal nose thing. There’s a predictable pattern to them as in the hall have a similar shape more or less (vs mutable moons with their unique and varying nose shapes)

👯My childhood best friend has this combo and she was like a lowkey celeb in our small town. Everyone was always so concerned with what she was up to (good and bad). She was super popular on social media, hella likes. I think her 11H Gem Sun helped but overall popular and FUN

🪂Istg she is SO CONFIDENT. She takes chances with fashion too, man. And even if it didn’t really “work”, she still rocked it and played it off like it did. Even if she wasn’t feeling her body or the outfit wasn’t super flattering, you wouldn’t know any different. QUEEN 👸

🌞Have you tried sales? Cause I bet y’all would ROCK at it especially if you too have a Gem Sun! (Since we’re talking Leo Rising but I’m saying in general I think 11th place Sun people are typically well-liked and charismatic… UNLESS it is afflicted/poorly placed/maltreated ofc)

Leo Rising/Taurus Moon: Meryl Streep, Brigitte Nielsen, Frida Kahlo, Demi Lovato

😶‍🌫️Alright so you may or may not recall my thirsty post regarding Sylvester Stallone being 76 and still fine as hell but I since deleted it, lol, sorry. Basically Virgo men are fine af.

💍Well guess who was married to the strapping Virgo man himself but Brigitte Nielsen!

✋🏻The hands though! Lol this is stupid but I’m gonna say it anyways: Leo is associated with the number 5, Taurus with 2 so 5-2=3 and 3 is associated with Gemini and hands… look! 2/4 of the ladies above have hands in their pictures.

🌰 Anddd that’s it. I’m sorry. Y’all are like silent, people probably tell you “you’re a tough nut to crack” often.

🙈No but seriously it’s always gotta be ONE that I cannot think of anything… I’m on it, guys.

Leo Rising/Gemini Moon: Ambra Angiolini, Irène Jacob, Elisha Cuthbert, Tina Turner

💄Id like to start this with a shoutout to Tina’s bitchin’ do up there. I love it so much. Big hair, big life ✅

🍾I have this strong urge to just go up and talk to them, lol, I didn’t have this feeling with any others. Approachable AF. Can probably have a conversation with anyone. Probably get caught into a lot of unwanted convos too bc of this. ☠️

👃🏻Air moons and their dainty, structured and hella cute noses. I think Gemini moons might have the most enviable noses of them all.

Leo Rising/Cancer Moon: Stephanie Seymour, Dorothy Dandridge, Catherine - Duchess of Cambridge aka Kate Middleton, Nancy Sinatra

🪩Something just captivating about these folks. As I have been scrolling through this entire post to update my notes multiple times, I keep finding myself lingering on these folks. Moreso than the Leo AC+Moon. It’s like they have both luminaries going on so they somehow have more of a balanced light that shin

👃🏻 Their noses are so small and cute! They are thin, on the smaller side and have a cute button tip! 📍

🌝Brooooo those cancer moons have such an unmistakable matte GLOW to them. The sun just extra emphasizes this!!

Leo Rising/Leo Moon: Patricia Arquette, Kirsten Dunst, Meredith Clarke, Katie Holmes

🙂I feel like they are all smiling exactly the same. Makes sense as Leo is a fixed sign.

👀 smaller eyes but super bright, almost unmistakable like the sun. Also lighter in color as well… I feel like those with rising/moon in the luminaries in general have lighter features whereas Saturn-dom people have darker features

👃🏻 They all have this unmistakable circle at the nose tip, similar to the symbol for Leo ♌️ “the tippity tip” nose

🧹I think the witch from Bewitched has a Leo Moon. Remember, the one that like twitches her nose in the beginning sequence of the TV show? It’s in black and white... she has a Leo Moon looking nose.

🌙 Pretty crescent-moon shaped eyes, they have such a pretty curve upwards to them. It’s like when you draw an eye “proper” aka not a perfect circle? Idk that’s the type eye shape they have

Leo Rising/Virgo Moon: Betty White, Mary Kate Olsen, Michelle Williams, Summer Bishil

🧼Virgo on the appearance indicators gives such a clean, fresh look!

🐶The eyes say the opposite of the meaning behind “doe eyes” and “damsel in distress”, they’re like 🗿TRY ME: I can handle it and already know your “sneaky” plan, commoner

🎰Betty White was iconic for her ability to cut through BS and say it like it is in a way that others find appealing & amusing: the sun really brightening up that sharp wit, allowing it to be on display to the pleasure of an audience

👃🏻 Mutable moon noses are less structured.

👁Virgo moons have big eyes, fact! I believe I said the same for Cancer Rising/Virgo Moon… seeing a pattern here 🧩

🥸Obscure hypothesizing here —> Virgo moons most likely to have green/hazel eyes? Or some type of green in with the blue or brown. Kate Bosworth (Cancer Rising/Virgo Moon) has two different eye colors. Too lazy to look up the name of the condition but it’s gorgeous.

[sukirichi]

dutifully yours. [01]

Attached to the could’ve been’s of a promised happily ever after with the Crown Prince disguised under a scheme for power and greed, you are torn between choosing your happiness — or abandoning it to fulfill your duty as the future Queen.

→ unedited bcos i’m brave lazy. implied patriarchy. angst in future chapters. pure romance and fluff for now. royalty au. eventual smut. prince naoya !! i love him sm i could cry. this fic will break me, okay. naoya is close to canon but with my twist if that makes sense. drama in future chapters. oh and listen to this while reading <3

→ massive shoutout to my besties for always hyping me and helping me uwu, i present this token of prince naoya being an ideal husband okay cry cry i love him sm im crying. anyways pls enjoy bcos i poured my heart out to this and bcos i want more people in the naoya fucker club :>

one | next (to be posted)

Ever since the day your mother taught you how to read, you’ve had your nose buried in a book. Losing yourself in different worlds, swooning over fictional princes, and fantasizing for a love story ripped out of fairytale itself with such burning, passionate romance – you’d been through it all, dreamt of it all. And yet, you struggled to stop yourself from tugging at your dress.

The tight corset hadn’t even been the main focus of your worries, and neither was the heavy rivière resting on your collarbones.

“Would you stop fidgeting?” Beside you, your mother pursed her lips, fingers decorated with jewels stopping in their movements of fanning herself. The temperature hadn’t been particularly high inside the limousine that evening. You supposed it was the mere sight of you tugging and gulping audibly every now and then, gloved hands running over the hems of your collar.

You ducked your head down. “Sorry, Mother. I can’t help it.”

“Dear, your anxiety is written all over your face,” she sighed, turning your face to her as she cupped your cheeks. Smiling tenderly like a mother always did, your heart felt soothed even by the slightest bit. You wished she could keep holding you like this – like you were a fragile flower she was afraid of breaking; a fragile flower that needed more care handled than most. Tonight, however, you felt a hundred years older. Like you’d accidentally clicked on fast forward and got launched to the future. A future that seemed so unclear yet so...perfect. So right.

“How would the Prince fancy you if you’re sweating bullets like that? It’s not a good look for a marquess’ daughter.”

At the mention of the Crown Prince, your heart sank again. “My apologies, Mother. I’m just rather nervous. It’s the Crown Prince we’re talking about here.”

“He is quite the looker, isn’t he?” she giggled behind her fan, “Strong and handsome, as well.”

“My ladies. You are not fantasizing over the Crown Prince in my presence, are you?”

Crossing her leg over the other, your mother leaned forwards, elbows on her knees as she winked at your father. The marquess had his torso half twisted from the passenger seat, glaring playfully at your mother’s unabashed features. “It is of no seriousness, My Lord. I’m simply easing your daughter’s nerves.”

Your father sighed in worry. “What’s got you so worked up, child? You are beautiful. The Prince would be blind to not notice you.”

Each fibre in your body screamed in desperation for your father to be right. Tonight was not just any other night – the entire Kingdom, including noblewomen, foreign royals, and unwed daughters from honourable families had been invited to the Zen’in Castle for one purpose only: to find his Crown Prince a suitable wife, one that would be fit to be the next Queen as well. As the daughter of the marquess, you’d naturally received the invitation. It felt just like yesterday when the mail arrived and you’d cheered so much in joy the chickens went flying out of their coops, your horses galloping and whinnying at surprise, and now you here – minutes away from the palace where you were soon to be deemed worthy or unworthy to be beside His Highness.

With a shaky smile, you dug your nails into your thighs. “Well, we’ve only met once, Father. I doubt the Prince would remember me.”

“Just smile, darling. You will do great.”

To no one’s surprise, the Zen’in Castle brimmed with people and esteemed guests. Men and women danced with one another as muted chatters and chuckles blended in with the grand royal orchestra, everyone dressed to the nines and making you feel completely out of place.

The moment you’d been welcomed by the knights and led to the palace doors, your dress began to feel tighter than usual, your ribs clenching uncomfortably from the pressure. Your hands had not stopped trembling either, not even when you hid it behind your back and nodded at the people passing by. There were governor-generals, dukes, earls, professors and royal advisors and even families of the royal family’s inner circle of knights. Everyone looked like they belonged here. Chatting amongst one another over the finest of wines or discussing conspiracies on where the Kingdom of Zen’in would be in the next sixty years of the future King’s reign, no one here seemed to be out of place.

Everyone except you.

A warm hand was suddenly placed on the small of your back, making you gasp. Your mother’s smile was nothing short of warm as she held you close to her one last time, leaving a kiss on your forehead. You didn’t even realize how much you shook until she clasped her hands with yours. “Calm down, dear,” she reminded, “You’ll be on your own now. This is where we leave you since we’re not supposed to mingle with potential princesses.”

“Mother!” Your eyes widened in embarrassment. Looking around frantically, you bit your lip in fear someone must’ve heard.

Of course, while it would be no surprise most guests – if not all – hoped that their daughter would be the Crown Prince’s chosen fiancée, it still felt wrong to boldly assume such when you could barely keep up with the events of tonight.

However, your mother merely laughed. “I am proud of you, dear. Never forget that. It doesn’t matter whether you are chosen or not. We’re only here for formality and respect to the King and Queen’s demands.”

“You say that as if the Crown Prince really would not bother with me.”

“We didn’t mean that,” your father cut in, a flute of champagne already nested between his calloused fingers. Ever since you arrived, he’d been snatched away by fellow earls and barons, disappearing into the crowd for a ‘hearty conversation over one’s lands.’ You knew better than that, though. That statement always translated to which leader got to have more chances to wine and dine with the King, to which your family was ridiculously reminded of that you’d been stationed to the most faraway land where even hearing news from the royal papers was but a privilege.

“Just be yourself, alright? And enjoy the party. It’s about time you met with girls your own age and made some friends.”

“I – Father, wait!”

A slender young woman slithered to your side out of nowhere, her golden brown eyes following the silhouettes of your parents. It wasn’t long before they completely disappeared. Left alone with the stunning woman that was – for some reason – dressed in a plain black curve hugging dress too modest for tonight’s appropriateness, you took three steps away in caution. “You must be from way up North,” she noted, her head to the tipped to the side. “I don’t think I’ve seen you here before.”

God, was she beautiful. Long, thick eyelashes and short hair chopped in messy yet elegant curves, you struggled to hold her gaze. “Oh, yes, I come from the Terratian Borders. My family is stationed there under His Majesty’s orders.”

She hummed to herself. “The Terratian Borders are mostly forests and fields, no? The last time my family and I visited there, I came across the loveliest dandelions I’ve ever laid eyes on. Shame they died on the way back,” offering her hand – again, bare and empty with decorations yet still littered with faint scars and cuts – she beamed at you. “I’m Mai, by the way. Mai Zen’in.”

Zen’in?

Hands cupping your mouth, you bowed deep until your back ached. “Lady Mai!” you shut your eyes closed, unable to live with the shame. Mai Zen’in; one of the iconic twin pair from the extended Zen’in royal family, both a fashion icon and a legend for being a rumoured female knight. To have her in your presence was an honour. “My apologies for not recognizing you any sooner, Lady Mai!”

“Stand up, I’m not a royal,” she sniggered, “We’re just relatives of the actual monarch, but don’t let the family name fool you. The Crown Prince barely even acknowledges us being of the same blood.”

Albeit hesitant, you followed her gestures of making you stand up. You straightened your back and cleared your throat, fighting the urge to go haywire the moment his name was brought into the conversation. Not only would you be seeing Prince Naoya again in real life for the first time in years, but you’d also made acquaintances with his distant niece. However, his name was spoken with malice.

Frowning, you faced Lady Mai in all seriousness. “Prince Naoya? Why so?” Lady Mai looked at you like you’d grown two heads.

“He’s an ass, that’s why.”

“I-I don’t think he is,” you defended, “The Prince has been nothing but kind to me.”

“I didn’t know he was capable of kindness,” she muttered more so under her breath, low enough you were unsure whether you were supposed to hear it in the first place. Lady Mai then shook her head to herself before stealing a flute from a waiter passing by. Chucking it your way, her face turned dark and grim. “Take it as free advice: stay as far away from his as possible. The Crown Prince is nothing but good news.”

“Is it because he has lots of lovers?” you inquired with a small voice, “Uhm – well – It was an assumption. With a title and handsomeness like that, it would make sense everyone would want to be the Crown Prince’s lover.”

Lady Mai’s lip curled upwards. “Prince Naoya won’t bother with lovers. He is too occupied for that.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“Heard from whom?”

“The Royal Declaration from His Majesty himself,” you said, “Was it not the purpose of this ball? To find worthy candidates to be the Crown Prince’s betrothed? His coronation is coming soon.”

“Right. I forgot today was technically a bridal market,” she scratched the edge of her brow, falling silent for a moment. Her eyes scanned the lively crowd for a brief moment – watching with you as everyone laughed and danced to their heart’s content – the grand final event of the routine personal dance with the Crown Prince himself slowly approaching to reality. “You are joining in the festivities, are you not? Later, when he arrives, he shall meet you.”

“I am obligated to as a noble bachelorette, though I doubt His Highness would even look my way. There are far richer noblewomen here and even daughters of duke that would be perfect as his wife. ”

“You may have a point for that,” she hummed to herself, unaware that her agreement to the Crown Prince not paying attention to you left a sting both in your ego and heart. Not that it lasted long, for Lady Mai was already tugged on the arm by another equally fiercely beautiful woman – her older twin, Maki Zen’in. Soon to be governon-general of the Kingdom.

Lady Mai smiled in apology. “I need to go now since I’m not a part of this event. But hey, if ever I come around to visit the Borders again, perhaps you could entertain me?”

“I would be honoured to, Lady Mai.”

“You are sweet and innocent,” it was her sister who spoke this time, glasses perched high on her nose that concealed the wariness of her gaze. “I hope the Crown Prince never gets to your routine.”

“I’m sorry?”

“It’s nothing; she was talking to herself. Maki does that a lot,” Lady Mai’s forced chuckles were barely heard from the music. “You enjoy the party now. Don’t drink too much lest you want to embarrass yourself in everyone’s eyes and be talk of the Kingdom. Prince Naoya would hate it if you took the attention away from him.”

“Oh, uhm...”

“It’s a joke, Lady Y/N. Relax.”

You bowed once more. “My apologies.”

“The dance is about to begin,” Maki tapped on your shoulder, making you look up right where her eyes zeroed in. And exactly in the middle of the grandiose hall, under the sparkling golden chandeliers where he made all the gold in the world look incomparable next to him, the Crown Prince stood in his fully glory. Blond hair with the ends stained of midnight gelled back to reveal his forehead, the Crown Prince’s beauty never failed to shine. Whether it be in the papers, in the tabloids, in the billboards that you passed on the way to the city, or from way back when you met him for the first time as a naive, innocent teen – Crown Prince Naoya came straight out of a magazine cover.

In the back of your head, you could hear either of the twins murmuring good luck. Maybe both of them had said it – you had no idea. All of your attention, all the sensibility and coherence of your state had been switched the next instant, as if your heart and soul was born for the sole purpose of being bewitched by your Crown Prince.

And as if feeling someone’s gaze on him, the Crown Prince’s eyes trailed over the crowd. Almost boredly, his sharp eyes bounced from one giggling woman to another, the ends of his lips smirking upwards for just the tiniest bit. It must’ve stroked his ego. Until his eyes connected with yours. The Crown Prince’s eyebrows knitted together. You had no idea how you looked in that moment, and quite frankly, you didn’t care. Because the Crown Prince was looking at you, and you were looking at him with hearts in your eyes along with your heart pulsing at the tip of your tongue.

“Let us begin,” his lips moved from the distance, “Play the music. I shall dance with my bride.”

The air shifted in a split second. Murmurs were thrown over the room, women and men alike turning pale. Even the orchestra was stunned from the Crown Prince’s entrance – and it hadn’t even been dramatic to his standards – yet the whole castle fell mum from just a few of his words. A few seconds later, the crowd recomposed itself, and the strings began to dance along with its bows.

You are pushed into the crowd. Nearly colliding into the arms of another, you quietly thank the masked man who was to be your first partner of the night.

All the men joining the dance floor dressed with the intention of making the Crown Prince shine. Prince Naoya stood out from the throng of white as per the colour code, his blood red uniform as both Prince with the  golden crest of the military leader pinned to his right breast. The other men meant to be filler partners until all the potential brides got to their designated three minutes with the Prince were all dressed in black, faces covered behind a plain black mask. None were allowed to talk. None were allowed to utter even a word, and so your partner pursed his lips in displeasure at your apology.

Whatever. You just had to wait a few more rounds before the song finished and transitioned into a new one; the song where you’d been informed would be your time alone with the Prince.

You’d been so lost in your head you barely breathed the entire dance. From partner to partner, you blanked. Your heart drummed so wildly in its cage it begged to come out, and strings of apologies were let out each time your masked partners grimaced for a brief second when their hands came in contact with your sweaty ones. Around you, all the lovely women smiled and danced graciously, mouths moving in unreadable conversations shared with the Crown Prince. Not once did you look at the six partners you’ve danced with. Not once did you worry about tripping on your own feet. Not once did you care that some of the masked men held you a little too roughly for your comfort. Your entire reason for existing in that moment was to witness the Crown Prince himself, mirroring his frown that got deeper and deeper with each woman retreating to the sea of people he’d rejected.

Not once did you even think about being one of them – the girls who’ve ducked their heads down as their parents comforted them over not being the chosen one, of bringing ‘dishonour’ to their families that the mighty Crown Prince had deemed them unworthy. Tears streamed down their faces until black ink followed afterwards, lips trembling from silent sobs.

Despite their broken prides – although there was that minority who simply sighed in relief after returning to their own families – no one would dare interrupt the Crown Prince’s dances.

All of these thoughts crossed your mind too late and at the exact time your masked partner pulled away from you, body half bent in a bow with his arm outstretched to the side. Following where he was gesturing at, your eyes met the Crown Prince’s tall and lean stature, a few blond fringes now fallen from his movements.

Even though a thin layer of sweat shone from his face, Prince Naoya remained ethereal.

And like a snake charmed by the musician’s seductive tone, your feet moved on its own. Fingers stretching until it met with the Crown Prince’s large and warm ones, you were now in front of him. With him. Holding him, touching him, meeting him eye for eye and realizing – gold. His eyes burned a deep shade of gold, elegantly rich and heartbreakingly stunning your heart ached.

Before you knew it, your hands began to tremble, feeling as if your body had been corded into a corset three sizes smaller. You could not breathe, and the Crown Prince took notice.

“You are stiff. Do I make you uncomfortable?” Good Saint. If only possible, you would’ve closed your eyes and basked in the deep warmth of his voice. It reverberated from deep within, breathed out with an air of natural authority and profound confidence it made your knees weak. As if sensing his effect on you (though for the wrong reasons, it seemed), Prince Naoya hummed to himself. “This routine shall last for a few minutes before I can let you go, I’m afraid.”

You instantly realized the implications of your silence. “N-not at all, Your Highness! I am honoured to be dancing with you.”

“There is no honour in a choreographed dance. Everyone will dance with me. It’s nothing special.”

Your heart fell. Prince Naoya not only sounded dejected, but detached as well. As if he found no pleasure or specialty in this event, at a time where he had every opportunity to meet his lover, and that this ball was merely a task to be checked off in his already long list of responsibilities. It wasn’t disappointment, per se, but rather melancholy that left a bitter taste in your mouth. Not because Prince Naoya held little to no regards for something you treasured, but because he sounded terribly alone. Like he was simply waiting for it to end out of discomfort.

“It’s special to me, Your Highness,” you blurted out faster than you could stop yourself. For a moment, you feared you may have offended him, but the Crown Prince only laughs.

And when he did – saint, when he laughed – his eyes crinkled into half moons, pearly whites flashing against the bright lights and his whole chest shook with amusement.

You’d never seen him smile this way before.

Prince Naoya’s laughter didn’t cease. Around you, your gut instincts told that people were now beginning to look; the Crown Prince’s deep rumbles of laughter sounded exquisitely like music as well, after all. “ Is it special to you because you are now dancing and within the Crown Prince’s proximity? As much as I presume how exhilarating it might be for those who mostly see me in the papers and in the tabloids, I assure you, dancing with your Prince is not an honour. Especially when you are all sent the invitations based on your status and not your worthy traits.”

“It’s special to me,” you mumbled, growing shy all of a sudden when the Crown Prince nodded at you to continue. “Because...because it reminds me of the first time we met.”

The Crown Prince hummed in amusement.

“We have met before?”

“Yes, Your Highness. I’m from the Terratian Borders – my father is a loyal servant of His Majesty. You visited the borders when you were eighteen and I was sixteen. Do you remember it, Your Highness? You stormed in my private library.”

Indeed, the young barely-out-of-his-teens Crown Prince barged into your home’s library years ago. You were not previously informed he and his parents would be visiting since they arrived wordlessly, so you were stuck in your chambers as usual, killing time if not for sleeping and tending to the animals. Perched on a ladder, you attempted to reach for a book on the upper shelf when your foot slipped beneath you. At the age of sixteen, you were dramatic enough to say your life flashed before your eyes. You would’ve screamed then had strong arms not appeared out of nowhere, the Crown Prince staring at you with wide, golden eyes as they were now, his breathy rasped as he asked, are you okay, my lady?

The mere recollection of that fateful memory had your cheeks warming in delight. “You were so charming and heroic back then. Even when I had no idea you were a royal, I would have still believed you to be princely,” you said rather absentmindedly, blinking once then twice at your words. “Of course, it’s understandable if you do not remember, Your Highness!”

“My apologies. I do not remember, though Terratia is a wonderful place. Such a shame I was not informed beforehand they had a lovely daughter.”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” you cheered back, cheeks and jaw beginning to ache from how wide you were smiling. But could anyone blame you? You felt absolutely silly that you were a breath away from passing out minutes ago, and now here you were, dancing with the Crown Prince and sharing memories with him like it was a daily occurrence. The words it’s true love when you feel at peace with them suddenly rang back at your head from that latest romance novel you read, and you turned away, hoping the Crown Prince would not read your thoughts to your face. However, Prince Naoya’s lips pursed into a thin line, all traces of humour now disappeared. “I’m sorry – should I not have laughed?”

“No, I don’t mind,” he mused with his jaw locked tight, “I just haven’t seen anyone react that way before.”

“Like what?”

“Like my words meant the entire universe to them. I may dare even say you look terribly in love, though I cannot blame you on that one, can I?”

Prince Naoya shook his head the minute the words left his mouth. Forcing himself to believe it couldn’t be real, perhaps, you truly did not know anymore. Your only plan for tonight was to see the Crown Prince and get to live out your dream of seeing him once more even for just a brief moment before you travelled back home while he married another, and yet – “Your Highness, I’m in love with you. I have always been since the day we met.”

You could no longer stop the words. The voice at the back of your head begged you to shut up and not cause a scene, that your time had passed up and people were staring, yet you remained in his arms no matter how much you wanted nothing more than for the ground to swallow you whole.

“Please do not misunderstand me, Your Highness. I did not come here to attempt to steal your heart and be your wife, though I will admit I have dreamt of meeting you again for so many moons. I...I only want to tell you this. That I love you and even though it was a brief moment, I think the love I’ve always read about felt real and possible for the first time in my life,” chuckling nervously, you gather to courage to face him, adoration shining for the Crown Prince stood shock still before you, however stunned he may be. “I love you, Your Highness. I love you. And to whoever lucky woman you choose to be your betrothed, I hope she takes care of you and showers you with all the affection you are deserving of. You would make a great King. So God help his Crown Prince, and may you lead us all into a better world.”

Prince Naoya did not budge a muscle. His eyes remained hard on yours, breath warm as his nostrils fumed. With each passing second that he did not speak, you grew restless and tugged your arm away from his hold with a disgraceful smile.

You’d truly crossed your line. The repercussions to be faced for this impoliteness would destroy your family’s honour. You had to leave. “Your Highness? The song has changed. It’s time to let go—”

The Crown Prince inched close enough until his hair tickled your cheeks, his deep voice sending shivers down your spine as he pulled you close, close enough that your lower bodies touched. Skin ablaze with heat, you dared not move an inch. “Do you mean it?” he demanded lowly, his fingers ghosting over your wrist to hold you in place. “Do you truly love me? Not for what I have, not for who I was born to be, but me as a person itself?”

Closing your eyes to shudder in a deep breath, you exhaled. “Of course, Your Highness. Even if you were not born as a Prince, I’m sure I would’ve still loved you in a different universe.”

“But I do not know you.”

“We don’t have to know each other, Your Highness, and we never will. Once you let me go, I’ll return to the shadows where I belong, and I will continue supporting you until the day of your coronation.”

“And if I refuse to let you go?” he clicked his tongue, “What will you do then?”

The Crown Prince’s spicy perfume must be an aphrodisiac or hypnotizer of sorts. Everything he did messed with your mind that it was too late – the music had stopped and people were no longer drinking or chatting. Everyone’s eyes were on you and the Crown Prince. You could only imagine how controversial this position must be; with his lips trailing dangerously close to that sensitive spot in your neck where you nearly moaned. You really needed to leave.

“P-people are looking, Your Highness. You do not want this affair with someone you won’t choose—”

“Who said I won’t choose you?” Finally, he pulled away. But Prince Naoya never once tore his gaze away from yours, nor did he allow you to look at anyone but him as he caresses your jaw so light and feathery you wondered if he was truly there.“Who said I haven’t laid my eyes on you the moment you walked in here? This ball is for naught because of you, Lady Y/N. I’ve already made my choice, and you helped me confirm it as soon as you danced with me.”

“Your Highness...”

“Look at me,” he ordered, your eyes flitting from his pinkish lips to his sharp nose and then to his fox-like gaze. Only this time, Prince Naoya was no longer harsh. “Don’t be scared.”

“But they’re looking.”

“You are with me, of course they’ll look,” he teased, “They wish to be you right now. But ignore them and dance one more time with me.”

It wasn’t like you had a choice, but did it matter? One nod from him was all it took before the orchestra fumbled back to their spots and a new song played, Ode of Moonlight Lovers, and the Crown Prince was guiding you back to where he had originally danced with you.

From the corners of your eyes, you caught a glimpse of your parents with their mouths gaped open; your father looking like he was on the verge of passing out. However, you felt nothing but joy, nothing but the adrenaline pumping through your veins as he danced and twirled you in his arms. When the music stopped and you were both panting for air with silly smiles on your face, it dawned on you that you were with the Prince. No, rather, it was only you and the Prince alone. Even in the sea of people whose faces began to blur, he prevailed crystal clear.

You could recognize him anywhere, find him everywhere.

Prince Naoya stepped impossibly closer until your chests touched, hearts beating as one. Cupping your jaw, he was near enough that he swallowed all your shaky breaths with a small, teasing smile like you both shared a secret the entire world could not know.

“Do I still make you nervous?”

Laughing, you nodded. “Yes, Your Highness. I feel like I’m going to explode.”

“It’s beloved now,” he corrected, face inching closer and closer to a point you could count the number of his lower lashes. “And what do lovers do to seal their union?”

“M-Marriage?”

“Close, but this is much better.”

If anyone were to tell you that you would have a love story ripped out straight from a fairytale, you would’ve laughed at their faces. You were no Cinderella, nor were you a goddess of beauty that could’ve possibly caught the Crown Prince’s eye. Yet, his soft lips were on yours, kissing you with as much passion you could only dream of that you cried.

Strong hands guiding the back of your waist, Prince Naoya dipped you lower to the ground – the grand of finish of his dance. He had chosen his bride.

The crowd cheered and rejoiced all around you, making you smile into the kiss. Fisting his collar to bring him closer to yours, your mouth burst into metaphorical fireworks as soon as his tongue mingled with yours for an experimental taste. He was bitter yet sweet; expensive wine resting on his tongue, yet a delicate vanilla sat heavily on his soft lips that molded with yours. It was a taste you could spend forever being addicted on. And you were crying, crying so much your chest ached and the Prince’s cheeks grew damp from yours. You’d dreamt of this for so long, too long now.

Prince Naoya slowly pulled you away, his thumb wiping the tears away from the pads of your cheeks with tenderness in his touch. However, the Prince was not satisfied. The crowd whooped as he leant down to kiss your forehead. “You are mine now, my princess.”

Looping his hands with yours, the Crown Prince led you out of the castle. The crowd parted naturally to make way for the new couple, and you were left staring at his broad back and the tuft of blond hair where you’d soon find out how soft it would be. Sending one last glance to your crying parents, you waved goodbye. You had no idea where the Crown Prince would take you but you were already bunching your dress up, heart completely filled with trust you did not question it. What mattered tonight and for the rest of your life was that it felt right. That it was him – your beloved Prince Naoya Zen’in and soon to be husband – that you’d follow through the moon and back.

[notyetbulletproof]

I do feel a little sad for Edwina because she got so caught up in the borrowed feelings, she too didn’t stop to ask herself what it was she wanted until Kate and Anthony (and their clowning) made her stop and take stock of all that had happened. Of course me saying “I feel sad for her” is kinda pitying and a tad crappy on my part. Still I feel sad because being caught up in everything, she didn’t read the signs properly. She didn’t see that so much of what Anthony did was for Kate and not her. When she declares she loves him (after the Sheffields’ bullshit at the dinner), she fully believes Anthony stood up to protect her and her family. He did. But it wasn’t for her benefit. Yes, he protected her and Mary but it was all for Kate. He would not stand by and watch them continue to hurt Kate. He initially kept to himself because it WAS CLEAR AS DAY the Sheffields only cared about Edwina and he was raised to be a gentleman especially with company but when Lady Sheffield continued to bully Kate, he would no longer stand for it. He commandeered that entire space! In Lady Danbury’s home! And he wasn’t even angry with Kate (not really anyway) because he knew there would be an explanation and it was clear, it was about protecting her family— a goal Anthony deeply relates to. He too has done questionable things in the name of protecting his family.

Instead it was a shining moment of how he could navigate this silly mistake/knee jerk reaction thing he had done. This forced loveless future he had committed himself to. Committed Edwina to. It was a way out and when we see the last scene and the desperation in Kate’s face where she completely humbled herself— says she was wrong and she won’t let him, her sister or anyone suffer because of her, it’s again clear as day that Anthony makes the decision for Kate’s benefit. Everyone and their mother knows it’s a bad idea. But both Kate and Anthony are so driven by who they must be and are desperate to not let things spiral so far past their point of control. And of course in true anxious fashion when we keep avoiding the truth of things… they always have a way of coming to the surface (at the worst times). Shoutout to Daphne Bridgerton for that quote.

Anthony even moves up the wedding and Edwina takes this to mean he’s really excited but no. Marrying Edwina means Kate will leave and while he doesn’t want her to leave, Anthony knows if there is more time between them and the wedding, his honour will snap. He will not be able to give Kate what she wants and he’ll lose everything. A perfect viscountess (Edwina) and the woman he actually loves (Kate—who challenges him the way he should be challenged). And while he cannot imagine life without her, her plans don’t include him and as heartbreaking as that is, he must accept it. He must accept a life without love because she will leave and if he has to suffer that then let it start quickly so he may adapt. “This was always the plan”. “I have decided”. Trying to control his feelings and pushing anything close to love and affection so far down so he can predict the outcomes. Throwback to season 1- “Removing love from the equation”. “Perhaps he will learn/perhaps not”. Except he did learn. He knows. The argument was weak but he was raised to be a gentleman. He made a promise to both ladies. He must see it through. BUT LOVE IS ITS OWN CHOICE. *insert the Queen’s speech here*. It cannot be controlled or dictated and all 3 of them — Anthony, Kate and Edwina learn that the hard way.

So yes, I feel sad and annoyed for Edwina both because this happened and because she was so caught up she didn’t see this. From the jump, Anthony never claimed to love her or that he would. Action and Duty were literally the words he used. His first dance with her was a damn interview. Of course it’s understandable and that is why I hurt for her but I hate love triangles because let’s be real it was honestly just a straight line between Anthony and Kate. Everyone could see it except the three people in the non triangle.

That is not to say that I wasn’t here for the drammaaaaa. ;) I just mean that, hmmm, you know when you reflect on your actions and you’re like how the fuck did I get myself into this mess? Oh look, I ignored all the fucking signs. That vibe? Yeah, that’s what I feel in regards to Edwina. And I think it’s also because I related to Kate and Anthony and the guilt they feel for essentially using Edwina to hide behind what they really wanted. It wasn’t intentional, they didn’t set out to be malicious but that the thing about denying feelings isn’t it? We end up hurting people by omitting what needs to be said. Things spiral out of our control also because we tried so hard to control the narrative or to correct it to the way we thought it should be not to how it actually is.

However, I also understand why Edwina didn’t see it or didn’t notice it when she should because what was being told to her versus what was actually being done were different things entirely. She didn’t see the signs because the people she was trusting were telling her otherwise so she got caught up in it all and the betrayal of that made me really sad for her because no one wants to be the fool and I have said this before and I will say it again —- I hate certain parts of the sister’s fight but I understand the malice. I may not agree with it but as the audience who was privy to all information, I can’t fault the character for reacting to being treated like a manipulated pawn in her own life as opposed to the captain of it. Even if the intentions of the people around her were good or the fact that they were too scared to admit what they really felt.

**insert Anthony’s “your sister is braver than us both” spiel.

And those are my thoughts today.

[night-is-a-feeling]

Top 5 fashion design house founders :)

ahhh wtf this is such a fun question for me!!! thank you anon ✨ also anon, who are you?? please come say hi! i wanna talk fashion with you 🥺

1. Vivienne Westwood (Vivienne Westwood): i’m a bit biased about her as i wrote a fashion history treatise on her career. it’s hard to really state how much of an impact she’s had on how we dress, because she is so varied as a designer. she’s someone who started out with a small shop called “Let it Rock” who was initially just interested in creating a space where she and other “misfits” could celebrate the intersections of music and clothing. and somehow made it to be titled as the “grandmother of punk rock” this is because she was tapped to create merchandise for The Sex Pistols, more specifically the “God Save the Queen” merchandise. she was scandalous for most of her career, and yet, she’s traversed so many different styles and concepts. from her smaller beginnings as a designer of punk rock fashions made for punk rock kids, to 18th century inspired pirate clothing, not to mention the countless humorous collections she’s made poking fun of the monarchy (not subtly, in the late 80s early 90s) anyways sozzz, i’m rambling 😂 but yeah i love her. forever a rebel and an activist. still to this day.

2. Gianni Versace (Versace): okay these will be quicker now, promise 😂 gianni grew up watching his mother (a dressmaker) work and immediately fell in love with the intricate beauty of it. he worked for several italian ateliers before starting his own company alongside his brother as CEO and his sister donatella as vice president. his fashion empire was built on sensuality and sexuality. a designer who on the surface may look like they are creating for the male gaze, but in reality was creating for women who wanted to reclaim their sensuality and feel powerful within it. sadly he was shot and killed in 1997 by a serial killer, his fashion house has been continued by his sister donatella.

3. Yves Saint Laurent (Yves Saint Laurent): yves my darling! i love him so much. the design house is now called Saint Laurent Paris, but i refuse to call it that (fuck your hedi 🖕🏼) YSL initially got a job working under Christian Dior when he was 17, he got the job because he won a fashion illustration competition for the position. when dior passed away from a heart attack in 1957, yves was thrust into the helm of this pervasive design house. he was forced into the army in 1960, and suffered a nervous collapse because of it. the scandal of him being unfit to serve in the army was enough for dior to remove him from the helm of the house. in 1962 he finally was able to open his own company. where he continued to revolutionize fashion year after year, most notably his popularization of trousers for women. and of course “le smoking” the ICONIC women’s suit. he retired in 2002, and we owe so much of modern fashion to his eye.

4. Rei Kawakubo (Comme Des Garçons): ahhh this queen is basically the antithesis of all the above designers!! a self taught clothing designer who studied fine arts in Tokyo. she opened her CDG label in 1969, and the first shop in 1973. her entire concept was built on her distaste for western definitions of sexiness, whose focus was on revealing the body in some way, whether that was close form, cutouts, short hems, etc. she on the other hand found this movement completely boring. so she built a name for herself creating avant-garde clothing made with mobility and comfort in mind. or an offering that was “like the boys”. her work has often been called “anti-fashion”, but i disagree i would instead like to label her work as “hyper-fashion” just like hyper pop, i feel that she works with fashion rules, but hyper extends them past what might be pleasant for us to look at. it doesn’t make sense, and is often ugly in so many ways, and yet? utterly fascinating and captivating. her refusal to conform to the lines of the human body plus intersecting art in her fashion, is what has kept her just as influential and interesting today as she was during her first collection.

5. Alexander McQueen (Alexander McQueen): “lee” as his friends called him, dropped out of school when he was 16. he dropped out to pursue his hungry desire to work in fashion. he quickly got work at a tailor shop, but was far too theatrical for the elegance of tailoring. he worked under italian designer romeo gigli for a time who allowed him to be theatrical. he eventually went to school for fashion, and immediately had eyes on him. he quickly rose to fame through his bizarre fashions, many seeming unfinished or torn apart. his raw take on fashion was something that could apparently be felt as an energy surrounding the rooms he worked in. he worked briefly as the head designer for givenchy, but hated his time there as he felt he was being constrained creatively (something he HATED). he revolutionized what we see as fashion, he used his tailoring knowledge to create the most intricate, stunningly crafted sculpture like pieces, and then he’d tear them apart, like an animal broke into his work room. but somehow that raw emotion plus his raw skill, was something to behold. i still get chills thinking about his “joan of arc” collection or “VOSS”

honorary shoutout: Patrick Kelly, i just love him so so much, and he absolutely would have gotten one of these spots, but his brand did not continue after his death. so he’s not technically a “fashion house”

ask me my top 5 or top 10 anything

[springday-aus]

Disney Prince!AU with Seonghwa

★ Seonghwa as Disney’s Prince Charming ★

moodboard link

Group: ATEEZ 

Member: Park Seonghwa

Genre: fluff, romance, hints of angst 

part of the Disney Prince Series - could also be a prince!au

Type: Bulletpoint AU 

Word Count: approx. 3k

A/N: I had to spice things up a bit bc after a rewatch of Cinderella, I have realized they have no flavor and got a bit carried away—so enjoy! 

Warnings: family death + mentions of abusive family - you know the classic princess storyline. 

Seonghwa….. is not your average prince

but it’s not depicted in a negative light

so, he’s the prince other nations wished they had

he’s very involved with the state of affairs, often spends time in the villages and conversing with the townsfolk, and often visits schools to read to them or just watch them and it’s so……...wholesome

*cut to him struggling to sit on the carpet with the kids bc his legs can’t fold*

basically everyone loves him because he’s got this angelic aura around him that just makes you feel like you can trust him with anything

and I mean anything

mothers would probably offer him their babies if that was appropriate

he’s just super sweet and tries to remember what he learns in order to take it back and make use of it with the current policies that the parliament is trying to endorse or something

obviously, this is the main image of him to the public

and it’s not fake

but those in the palace know he can get a bit mischievous and sassy

it’s only really seen by those who are close with him, or have been around for a longer time

like assistant!Hongjoong and head butler!Wooyoung

since they’re all close in age and grew up together too, they’re much more comfortable with one another

Hongjoong: *hits his head on a doorway*

Seonghwa: “......... are you an idiot?”

guard!Yeosang and butler-in-training!San: laughing

no, but for real, all of them know he’s basically an angel

the amount of shit he’s putting up with them, but like they make for great entertainment lmao

anyways

the older workers at the palace find him adorable

like when Seonghwa tried to sneak-eat the freshly picked strawberries

“my prince, did you just eat a strawberry?”

Seonghwa with a mouthful of them: “no”

he’s like the grandson they all want (and are trying to get, but we’ll get to that later)

other than his charities and visits and public outings, he’s also known to be a good horseback rider

like real good

Wooyoung: “this is the most princely we’ll ever see him”

he’s kidding, but he’s also not kidding

bc lbr: Seonghwa in a horseback riding fit with the shoulder pads and the helmet and the wind and

Wow

many gather to see him in his glorious, sweaty state afterwards

it’s funny bc he’s so handsome and there are times when he’ll acknowledge it and other times when he doesn’t

especially since the ateez boys just ignore him or tease him

now it just depends on how he feels that day as to how he’d react

since he’s got such a good reputation, you know what that means?

lots of treaties and lots of marriage proposals

on one hand, many nearby countries know how nice Prince Seonghwa is—and some thought he was naive enough to be deceived by them

and that led to a few wars, but they lost real bad bc they assumed he was too nice

when, in actuality, he’s very knowledgeable since he takes a lot after the king and the queen

that allowed much more respect for the kingdom, especially since he’s the first in line for the throne once he’s married

which leads to the second thing: he gets lots and lots of marriage proposals

have you SEEN him?????

do you know how CAPABLE he is????

helloo?????

anyways

the royal family kind of milks this—not in that way tho

it’s in the sense that it’s because they want him to find someone soon and there’s more time for them to learn the ropes about ruling a kingdom

that means lots of balls are thrown in hopes of Seonghwa finding someone to ~catch his eye~ and whatnot

but Seonghwa just uses this as a diplomatic advantage, you know? like a chance for him to meet other royals and build these relationships

and while he has good intentions, the rejected royals are kind of bitter, but they know better than to mess with the Royal Family

meanwhile, party planner!Yunho is lowkey racking in the dough from these events, so he’s fine throwing all these balls lmao

this is where you come in

but, it’s not how others might think

so, you used to be the daughter of a well-of-ish family—you had money for a house and caretakers who adored you and you with parents who loved you dearly

you lived in your own little bubble of love

but then your mother died

when she died, it was almost as if she had taken the lively atmosphere of the household with her

your father buried himself into his work, rarely making time for you anymore and…. there was a drift

one day he came home with a mysterious woman, proclaiming her as your stepmother

along with her came her two daughters, who were as ugly outside as they were on the inside

while you could have done without her passive-aggressiveness, it was nice to see your father happy

but lo-and-behold, you lucked out and he died on a business trip, leaving you alone with strangers to become your only family

it only got worse from there as they openly started to mock you, shame you and push you beyond your boundaries

as they could no longer pay for the staff, they also forced you to clean after them, cook for them, and make all the arrangements that they demanded

or, as your oh-so-lovely stepmother said “you’re below us and you will always be below us”

at first, you put up with it because there’s nowhere else for you

but, slowly, the idea of running away was starting to sound better

and the opportunity came as the palace was starting to look for more servants who would stay in the servants’ quarters

you immediately packed away your things, which wasn’t much to begin with—your mother’s locket being the major trinket you possessed

and ran off to work as a housekeeper, who hid away behind the palace walls and the public eye

since you clean for the palace, it also means cleaning after the balls

other than television appearances, you never really saw the royal family

even as you did work in the palace because……………. they’re running a goddamned country

but, of course, there are rumors and gossip with the other housekeepers which all come from reliable resources

**cough cough definitely Wooyoung cough cough**

so there’s a lot of what you heard, not really from what you’ve seen, despite what some might think when working in the palace

that was until you were called to work at your first ball

which meant you were cleaning after the tables and in the kitchens, going in and out of the ballroom and between dinner tables

getting glimpses of some of the royals

and picking up on some of their juicy conversations

(apparently this one duke almost had an affair with this king’s secret mistress… all the tea)

anyways

you get the point

every once in a while you have to work at the balls when they need the extra help

but, there was one that was…………. different

a lot of the balls are for the royals to take and engage and whatever, but there have been so many and Seonghwa………….

Seonghwa hasn’t been interested in a single one despite the purpose being to help him find someone

Hongjoong: “what’s wrong with them?”

Seonghwa: “there’s nothing wrong with them, I don’t want just someone”

Seonghwa: “I want it to happen naturally—call me old fashioned but if this is someone I want to spend the rest of my life with, it has to be someone who knows me”

Wooyoung, in the corner: “that is old fashioned, hasn’t he heard of tinder?”

advisor!Mingi: “I don’t think it would be a good look for the country if the prince is on tinder”

guard!Yeosang: “we should test it out”

butler-in-training!San: “omg reverse pretty woman”

Hongjoong: “everyone get out, you’re all useless”

okay, but like real talk: he’s such a romantic and the whole unofficial arranged marriage is just………. too much

so, his parents were like: so, you want more options?

Seonghwa: “not what I said”

and they expanded the invitation list for one night, meaning ANYONE had a shot with Seonghwa and

well

he is very popular, so you can imagine how many people were planning on coming and the staff (i.e. you) had to prepare for everything

for the week, the castle was bustling and you were running around to help out and it……. it was all so insane

and then it happens

you’re minding your own business and working and eavesdropping as one does when one works

because everyone is there and who doesn’t love listening to drama that isn’t just from fancy people

but since everyone is here

you failed to remember that a certain group of people were also there

the group of people being your step-mother and step sisters

instinctively, you ducked and hid, moving away from the main room that was swarmed with people who were all trying to obtain Seonghwa’s attention

(who was also trying to hide from everyone else and instinctively failing)

eventually, you found yourself in the gardens, where you tried to make yourself busy

but it ended up being a small walk through the gardens, picking up the occasional liter and small talk with the gardeners

the garden is huge, so you get a bit lost as you wander—physically and emotionally

meanwhile, Seonghwa managed to escape from the others with the help of the other ateez boys

major shoutout to Yunho and Jongho, who insisted on leading the cupid shuffle and cha cha slide

also Yeosang for blocking off people who were trying to shoot their shot with a tired Seonghwa who did not want any of this

he ended up in the gardens as well, walking down a small path with Yeosang trailing a bit farther behind

he spots you on a bench, admiring the flowers under the bright moonlight

and you were absolutely breath-taking

not wanting to disturb your peace, he tried to leave

only to knock into a garden gnome and catch your attention as he tries to not break it

You: “um”

Seonghwa: “I’m so sorry, I was just going to leave, I didn’t mean to disturb you”

You: he looks familiar

You: “I know you from somewhere”

Seonghwa: literally in the most extravagant suit and sparkle make-up as he’s still crouched on the ground trying not to break a gnome that cost like $5 at a Target

also Seonghwa: “have we met before?”

you exchange names and that’s when it clicks

You: “OH MY GOD. MY PRINCE.”

immediately, you try to curtsy or bow or whatever the royals make you do to the ground bc Seonghwa’s still at ground level

and Seonghwa’s just…………. scrambling to try to get you off the ground with flushed ears at you calling him your prince

Seonghwa: “please, you literally do not have to”

You: “I don’t want to be beheaded”

You: “plus, isn’t it like, illegal for me not to?”

Seonghwa: “well, I’m technically giving you orders not to…..”

You: well, can’t argue with that

you slowly get up and dust yourself off, unable to look at him in the eye

even from the corner of your eyes tho, you can see what the fuss is about

bc Seonghwa in that suit and hair swept back is hot™

You: “Prince,  I apologize if I’m speaking out of line, but shouldn’t you be inside?”

Seonghwa: “couldn’t I ask you the same thing?”

You: “but this is in your honor, not mine”

Seonghwa: “is it tho?”

Seonghwa: “I keep telling everyone I would like to fall in love on my own and yet………. everyone keeps meddling and making plans and now everyone in the kingdom is after me when I’m just trying to do my best for our citizens”

you’re a bit silent, unsure as to how to respond

Seonghwa: “I’m sorry for just dumping this on you, but, everyone keeps telling me I shouldn’t be so worried”

You: “well, Prince, I think what you need to hear is that your feelings are valid”

You: “it’s only natural for you to want to find someone on your own—freedom is something everyone wants, which is why it’s so hard to obtain”

there’s a bit of an awkward silence

for one bc you didn’t know what he was really like and if you were allowed to say something like that

two being that you didn’t know if you should leave

but he speaks up

Seonghwa: “you’re right—I did need that”

the air loosens a bit between the two of you

Seonghwa: “so, are you also hiding from an influx of suitors?”

you laugh a little, playing like a twinkling melody to Seonghwa’s ears

You: “no, but I am hiding from people”

Seonghwa: “it’s okay, you don’t have to share if you don’t want to”

you two get to spend a bit more time together, just chatting and getting to know one another

he’s really sweet, but also kind of goofy with a handful of cheesy pickup lines that definitely comes from spending too much time on the internet but also Wooyoung

the time is short but sweet

bc, before you know it, it strikes 12 and Hongjoong has a hold on him by bulldozing past Yeosang who just blinks at the small gust of wind

Hongjoong: “Seonghwa! your parents are looking for you! we gotta go!”

he greets you hastily, before grabbing a hold of Seonghwa and dragging him away—in which Seonghwa is still trying to get one last look at you before you disappear off into the night

or, in your case, back to the kitchen to avoid your stepfamily

the rest of the night passes as expected, at least for you as you busy yourself with washing dishes in the kitchen

but Seonghwa found himself like a mercat, poking his head around trying to find you every once in a while

the time you’d spent together was short, but it was the most fun he’s had at these balls

and it showed, as noted by Hongjoong and Wooyoung with the week that followed after

he was spacing out, wondering what could have been if things were different

basically, homeboy was sulking bc he didn’t know when he could see you again or if you had someone or if you were even interested

Hongjoong: “how are we supposed to help him when we don’t even know who it is?”

Mingi: “didn’t you get a glimpse?”

Hongjoong: “I was busy with other things”

Wooyoung: “so you didn’t even ask for a name?”

Yeosang: “it’s (Y/N)”

all the boys:

Hongjoong: “how do you know that?”

Yeosang: “I was eavesdropping”

San: “um—”

Wooyoung: “wait, we know (Y/N)”

Yunho: “so am I throwing another party or?”

Wooyoung: “we can find (Y/N) first and then throw a party”

so, they kind of hunt you down to where you’re cleaning for the day

and Wooyoung asks you about Seonghwa

lowkey bc he wants the tea but also bc he wanted to make sure you’re not one of those insane people that are completely obsessed with him

(considering what he had to witness during that last ball)

and after passing his vibe check

he sends you to the library “to clean”

which is odd because you already cleaned it for the week but

Wooyoung: “I’m technically your boss, so go”

You: weirded out

also you: “okay”

little did you know, Seonghwa was already there, occupying himself with some new books while Hongjoong and Yeosang were keeping an eye out for you

who was lowkey trying to hide in the shadows and failing miserably bc of all the goddamned windows

Seonghwa spots your shadow, quickly getting up and following you

Seonghwa: “wait! (Y/N)?”

you turn around, a bit startled from the call out

Seonghwa: “I thought it was you”

you give a small bow to greet him

You: “my prince”

Seonghwa: “you can just call me Seonghwa”

Seonghwa: “I didn’t know you were here”

You: “I didn’t know you were here either”

he lets out a small chuckle

Seonghwa: “I meant I didn’t know you were staying in the castle”

You: “I’m not just staying here, I work here prin—Seonghwa”

Seonghwa: “well I guess that makes finding you a bit easier around here”

You: “you were looking for me?”

Seonghwa: “well, I like your company”

You: flushed

Seonghwa: “do you enjoy mine?”

You: “I’d be glad to bask in your presence”

and for a moment, it’s just the two of you

*cut to Hongjoong and Yeosang high-fiving in the back*

after that, the two of you spend more time together

it’s cute bc Seonghwa also likes to clean (which explains why there were never housekeepers needed for him)

so it means he also helps you clean and still have fun doing it

speaking of which, you got to find out how domestic he is and it melts your heart every time

especially when he’s interacting with children who visit the castle

so you can tell he really wants a family

bc he’s so good with kids and knows how to take care of people and what more can you really ask for

he’s also a great listener 

like he really knows what you need based on what you tell him

and when you opened up to him about what happened at home

he was just such a big sweetheart about it, asking if you’re okay and checking with you emotionally and it 

I LOVE PARK SEONGHWA SO MUCH 

anyways

so his parents did find out bc Wooyoung has a big mouth and def blabbed to San and everyone else in the goddamned kingdom who knows Wooyoung

rip Seonghwa

also rip everyone in the kingdom who found out bc again

Seonghwa is very desired amongst many

which also led to a lot of jealous people who gossiped about you but jokes on them bc you still have Seonghwa at the end of the day and they have jack shit :) 

back to what I was saying 

when his parents found out, they were totally accepting of it considering how happy the two of you are

(also you were lowkey fearful they were just gonna straight up kill you bc you aren’t royal, but also, they’re good rulers who care about people) 

which also meant they wanted to train you to help him run the kingdom but that’s a different story

anyways, prince charming!Seonghwa is indeed very charming

and gentlemanly and all that other good stuff

[shepfax]

legendary 03x05

Bob my beloved is here looking beautiful

loved Juicy Couture as usual. nothing new they carried

Revlon caught them off guard with the less mainstream anime choice but I got it. never watched Saint Seiya but googling it they matched the vibes.

Yamamoto please do not disappoint I love you

What did I just say girl :(

how is Law qualified AT ALL to to say whether or not this performance was ballroom enough you are a FASHION STYLIST bitch you don't know what ballroom is

Excuse me why are they disrespecting Queen? Amazon? LEIOMY? girl. respect your fucking elders.

Glad the beef was squashed gracefully

Labeija did good, it was well composed and did the coolest implementation of the challenge

BOB SAID "JOJO SIWA AND HER BLACK FRIENDS"?!?!? SKFJSKJDKSKG

...is street fighter an anime? am I uncultured?

Makaveli was a lot of fun!

Raja dropping into the splits when they got a 9 lmfao

LEIOMY "There's nothing wrong with being a bottom all the time, right Law?" GIRL

delightfully shady to give a house of bald butches the hair whips challenge

why are they doing a lil idle animation

I hate Law self-obsessed ass. Alpha Omega doesn't belong to you and they don't perform JUST for your enjoyment. they are here to represent their house not get your dick hard

Juicy Couture, again, CARRIED

love the music mixing in this episode, it's giving Justice

shoutout to Leiomy for mugging the camera that was dramatic

oh. she left. monkaS

Law admitting he doesn't even like Alpha Omega for performance why is this man a judge

bye Labeija :( much love to them for representing the oldest house on the scene

[percabethfeelsfandom]

Headcanons: Percy and Annabeth as Tik Tokers Part 3

Part 1

Part 2

I never mentioned what Percy and Annabeth’s users would be. Annabethchase1207 + perSEAus

- Annabeth would have a really basic username because she made the account ironically hence why it’s just her name and birthday 

- Percy definitely would make a joke out of his user so that’s my take on it

Back in Cali, Annabeth’s friends are literally about to riot because they aren’t there live to witness percabeth happening

(They’re all avid tik tok users and they’ve started a house/tik tok group called Olympus because Piper did a series where she turned all her friends into different greek gods/goddeses )

Leo makes tik toks about making little inventions/DIYs that are actually useful but his viral video/series was him making his own Iron Man suit, he also does random rants and skits that are half in English half in Spanish because he’s so exasperated at the stupidity of people (Piper turned him into Hephaestus)

Jason doesn’t post as frequently on tik tok but he’s made a handful of his sporting highlights and trick shots he’s done over the years as a prodigy sports kid. Prior to piper’s request he also has done Pov’s with her. His viral tik tok is of him with a staff and doing cool transitions with it as he spins It (imagine him spinning it normally and he’s wearing normal training clothes and then the next spin, he’s in like a suit and the lights go all low and shit and his eyes glow blue) (Piper turns him into Zeus, but she also turns him into Apollo at one point so he can match Thalia) 

Thalia owns punk/goth lesbian tik tok. She’s a pioneer in the LGBTQ+ tik tok community. Going on rants shutting down men who have the audacity. She cosplays as well, and her history in archery means people are always asking her to cosplay as Katniss. She’s always changing her hair colour like every month, but right now It’s a dark blue that looks almost black. as annabeth’s best friend she is also a frequent in annabeth’s tik toks, but only to provide sarcastic commentary. You can also find her lurking on Percy’s comment section providing feedback on his skateboarding tricks (you bet that these two have been DMing back and forth) (piper turns her into Artemis) (Thalia’s girlfriend Reyna is also a frequent appearance in her tik toks, and you can see just how easily Thalia melts in front of the camera when Reyna’s there, it’s so sweet it could give you a toothache) 

Last not not least miss Piper Mclean, daughter of the ever famous Tristan mclean, but manages to make a name for herself by being so amazingly talented as a stylist, makeup artist, and editor. She’s worked with so many famous youtubers and photographers. She makes her tik tok as a place for her to just shut her brain off but it becomes a super easy comfort escape where she can trial some new makeup looks, and new fashion pieces, and POVs (shoutout to @ myangels.percabeth on insta for commenting this on my instagram)  while also showing people how to thrift in LA and do fun photoshoots at home, a queen of self care, and body positivity (she transforms herself into Aphrodite but makes it this huge collaboration with tons of different artists on the app so with each makeup transition it’s a different person because aphrodite can look like anyone…like it starts with piper putting on foundation she turns her head and it’s someone else putting on blush etc. and finishes off with piper again and winking at the camera in full greek goddess glam) 

(piper also transforms Annabeth into Athena and Percy comments on it with 👁👄👁)

When Annabeth and Percy re-emerge from the library and make it back to the hotel she’s staying at they finally check their phones and see that they’ve gone viral (again) 

They decide not to address the rumours because, it’s not the internets business’ to know (AS IT SHOULD BE) 

They spend that week almost completely absent from social media because they want to have something that is just completely theirs. (But there are two posts worth noting, one on annabeth’s infrequently used instagram of someone’s (Percy’s) silhouette and the New York skyline the night before she leaves and a picture of Percy’s pinky wrapped around someones (annabeths) pinky on his stories that is deleted after an hour (but not before the entire internet finds it and it becomes the new standard of what people want in their relationship) (I can already see the tweets #goals finD mE a MaN tHAt hoLDS mY piNKY) 

Eventually Annabeth has to go back to cali and percy stays in NY 

They exchange their goodbyes between short kisses, promises to FaceTime each other soon and promises of building something permanent 

They begin a secret (not so secret) relationship long distance 

They continue duetting each other’s videos and mentioning each other offhandedly in their tik toks

Percy starts a YouTube channel and his first video is a proper vlog of his and annabeth’s adventures together 

(It’s a sweet 1 month anniversary gift to her but only they know that) 

Annabeth starts to post less and less on her tik tok because of school (at least that’s what she tells her followers but really she’s losing touch with her love of the internet because of how intrusive it is and also she’s trying to heal her relationship with her family so that’s taking all her energy. She leaves the Olympus house but keeps in touch with them (obviously, she grew up with them so that’s a no brainer) 

Once she’s posting less, people begin to (finally) lose interest in percabeth so that they can live their life. Percy keeps posting his usual videos but he’s starting to get caught up with YouTube, and starts getting some amazing brand deals and he uses it all to help get his family a house that is their own, (“Surprising my amazing mom with her dream house”) 

On Annabeth’s birthday the next year percy surprises her at cali and the rumours about them start up as she appears more in his socials and vice versa 

One thing leads to another and they accidentally out their relationship when annabeth’s phone is in the background of Percy’s (“surprising my best friend in California”) video and there’s a picture of percy kissing her cheek in a coupley way as her wallpaper

They take it in stride rather than denying (because why would they) and say yeah we’ve been dating lol, we’ve been dating for a while now 

And on some internet awards show they win couple of the year 

Because that’s what percabeth deserves

[anklesalltheway]

👁‍🗨

Questions For My Muse(s) [Accepting!]

👁‍🗨 - what is a secret that your muse hasn’t told or is hiding

Okay, first off, HUGE shoutout to @florilegiumfabularum​ as this is the probably start of an epic collection of headcanons we’ve been developing about Margaret & Joshamee’s Gibbs shared backstory!! 

Okay, so onto the secret... the secret, is quite literally Margaret’s own voice, or more specifically, her accent.

The reason why for being a perfectly Received Pronunciation/Queen's/King's English-speaking noblewoman, Margaret can perfectly understand her brother’s West Country/Bristolian��dialect…

… is because in her youth she too had a West Country/Bristolian accent!

Aye. Envision a littl’ Maggie waitin’ down bai th’harbour for her Papa n’ older brother t’return’t’ shore!!! Loike she’s gon’ grow up t’ become a pretty youn’ layday som’day n’ be th’ darlin’ o’ Lond’n Society’l, an’ come into her own n’ dazzle ‘em all loverly with her wit n’ charisma’l n’ beautif’l music’l gifts.

(I tried)

It wasn’t necessarily a heavy accent per se, but in her childhood through early teenage years, it was definitely there, noticeably there. However, once Maggie reached puberty, along with the rest of her rigorous education fit for an upper-class debutante, her accent was beaten out of her (straight outta My Fair Lady).

Suppose this is a two-for-one secret, this does mean that Margaret wasn’t necessarily born the aristocratic noblewoman we all know and love her as… Her parents were nouveau riche, and like the ugly duckling becoming the beautiful Swann (get it? xD), the kind and noble-hearted rough n’ tumble littl’ lassie from Bristol was cultivated into the epitome of decorum and Darling of London Society she stands today.

But her accent is in fact still there, buried somewhere along with her childhood memories of Bristol. Which, btw, unless you’re Joshamee Gibbs and they’re back home in Bristol not among fashionable society, or she had to be clever to mask her voice in a dangerous situation, or it’s a life-threatening situation at sea and Margaret has to take the helm and angrily bark out orders to the crew... chances are you will never be hearing her speak with her original accent. 

To take this headcanon further, I believe it’s why when she’s angry, she goes silent and takes her anger out physically on vase-throwing rather than anything verbally. Because for as long as she can remember, Margaret was told to be self-conscious of her speech. Even if by now her speech & pronunciation is as flawless as natural as breathing and her Bristolian dialect is gone n’ buried, she absolutely cannot afford even the hint of a slip-up.

[mikauzoran]

Adrienette: Serendipity: Fifty Marichat and Adrienette Kisses: Kiss Twenty-Six

Read it on AO3: Serendipity: Fifty Marichat and Adrienette Kisses: ...lazily.

“I have an idea,” Marinette announced as they sat at the kitchen table staring down at the chessboard between them.

“I should hope so;” Adrien snickered, “otherwise, I’m going to checkmate you in two moves.”

“No.” She looked up. “I meant…about your father.”

Adrien quirked an eyebrow, puzzled. “Ohime-sama, I’m afraid you’re going to have to be a bit more specific. Are we talking about how my father is controlling or how he’s too busy to be bothered with me or the fact that he doesn’t want us to go public about our relationship or that he’s too hung up on my mom still to admit that he has feelings for Nathalie or—”

“—About his opposition to us publicly dating,” she cut him off before he could really get started. “I can see his points about people accusing me of gold-digging and trying to get an advantage in the fashion industry, and I know that he’s right that it will be a lot of unwanted attention for me and I’ll probably get hate mail from your fans and people will invade my privacy and all that, but…I also know how important it is to you for us to be official so we can attend events as a couple and go on over-the-top romantic dates and get some of your rabid admirers to simmer down.”

“So what are you thinking?” he prompted, head tipping to the side in curiosity.

Her mouth stretched into an impish smirk. “We force his hand.”

He went owl-eyed at the thought of getting Gabriel Agreste to do anything he didn’t want to do. “Oh? And how are we going to accomplish that?”

“We get the media to declare us a couple. It’s not our fault if people see us out together and make assumptions,” she reasoned innocently.

A wide grin spread across Adrien’s lips. “Like that time we went to see my mom’s movie together.”

“Only not in my pyjamas this time,” Marinette groaned, remembering the months of humiliation she’d suffered through as a young teen.

“Your pyjamas were adorable,” he assured. “I saved those pictures of us, you know.”

She lost her train of thought as she gaped at him. “You did?”

“Mmhm.” He nodded with an embarrassed smile, cheeks warming. “I mean, it was really a big deal that you ditched your plans with the girls to help me get to the theatre to see the movie. It meant a lot to me, and I enjoyed running around Paris with you. That day was full of good memories, so I wanted a souvenir…. And…I mean…as previously discussed, I think I’ve always been a little bit in love with you, even if I didn’t know it, so…”

He looked up and shrugged, the picture of cherubic wholesomeness.

“You are the most precious,” Marinette cooed, leaning forward to kiss him and knocking over the chess pieces in the process.

When they pulled back, they looked down at the carnage of pawns, rooks, knights, and bishops.

“Well, I mean…you were going to checkmate me in two moves anyway,” Marinette reasoned. “Let’s just say that you won.”

Adrien pursed his lips, deliberating for a moment before deciding, “That’s fair. So what’s your grand plan to get the media to declare us dating?”

“Well…” Marinette quickly set the chess pieces back up in their starting positions and got out her phone. “Take a selfie with me.”

“O…kay.” He shrugged and did what she asked, smiling brightly and wrapping an arm around her, head tipping in towards hers, even though he wasn’t sure what this had to do with the plan.

Marinette quickly uploaded the picture to her Instagram and added the caption, “Hanging out with my good friend @adrienagrestebrand”.

She turned to him and smiled toothily. “We play innocent, but if enough pictures of us in couple-like situations start circulating online, people will talk. If enough people talk, it will eventually become something your father will have to publicly address. Maybe he’ll go on the record as saying that we’re not a couple, but if pictures of us acting like a couple keep popping up, no one will believe him, and we win.”

Adrien’s eyes went as wide as his smile as he shook his head and beamed at his ingenious girlfriend. “You are the most clever, amazing person ever. This is wonderful, Marinette!”

“I’m glad you approve,” she chuckled, looking pleased with herself. “I know it’s been bothering you this past month, us still being a secret and not able to publicly date, so…I’ve been trying to come up with a solution.”

He took her hands in his and gave them a squeeze, staring into her eyes with pure adoration. “Ohime-sama, you are the best. I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

A hint of concern came into his gaze, turning his exhilarated expression into a worried frown. “…Are you sure you want to do this, though?” he inquired tentatively, not wanting to dissuade her but knowing that he had to be honest. “My father does have a point about people who are going to invade your privacy and send you death threats and call you an opportunist gold digger. Life in the public eye kind of sucks, and I don’t want you diving into this for my sake thinking that it’s going to be okay because it’s not, Marinette. Dating me and dealing with all of that is going to be awful and scary and—”

“—It’s not dating you that’s going to be bad,” she quickly corrected. “Dealing with your fans and the media is what’s going to be awful. Dating you is a dream come true, Adrien, and definitely worth whatever I have to put up with.”

“Oh,” he breathed, stunned by the certainty of her response.

“I’m sure about this,” she insisted with a dazzling smile. “You are one of the few things in my life I’ve always been sure about.”

“Oh,” he repeated, his face hurting he was smiling so hard.

She leaned in to give his cheek a kiss. “I’m going to work with our friends to make this happen. We’ll hit it really hard throughout the week, and, then, next Saturday we’ll strike the finishing blow. You’re free for the day until your interview with Nadja in the evening, right?”

He blinked at her curiously. “Yeah. Why?”

 The following day, Marinette kidnapped Adrien to take Jagged Stone’s crocodile Fang out for a walk around the Square de la Tour Saint-Jacques. They took photos cuddling Fang on one of the blue benches with the tower in the background and Fang licking their faces and them laughing together and posted them on their Instagrams with tags talking about how fun it was spending time with such a good friend.

Jagged took some pictures and posted them on social media too, and the general public got plenty of shots of Adrien Agreste and a girl who looked somewhat familiar even if they couldn’t place her walking a famous crocodile.

Monday, Alya just so happened to take some pictures of Chat Noir for the Ladyblog that captured Marinette and Adrien having a picnic in the Place des Vosges in the background.

That same day, Adrien’s Instagram featured photos of the macarons from the picnic and a shoutout to Tom and Sabine’s.

Tuesday, Marinette and Adrien posted photos of their Chemistry study session along with captions about how learning was more fun with a friend.

Wednesday, Chloé posted photos of her newest Queen Bee-inspired manicure with the Pont des Arts as the background.

Clearly, between Chloé’s thumb and index finger, Adrien and Marinette could be seen standing at the railing of the bridge, laughing and smiling at something one or the other had said.

Thursday, Kitty Section updated their website to include new pictures in their photo gallery. One didn’t have to look all that closely to spot Marinette and Adrien in the background.

He had his arms around her as they stood at the keyboard and he positioned her hands to show her how to play the instrument.

Jagged Stone and Clara Rossignol included links to the Kitty Section site in Twitter posts.

Friday, an anonymous source sent a picture of Adrien and Marinette sitting on the school steps, holding hands to the president of Adrien’s fanclub, and “#Who is Adrien’s New Girlfriend?!” started trending.

 On Saturday, Adrien met Marinette at the Trocadero for the grand finale.

“So, what’s the plan, Boss?” he greeted as she came trotting up to him.

“I’m finally going to take you on that ridiculously romantic date you’ve always wanted,” she informed as she touched her cheek to his for the usual air kisses to either side of his face.

“You’re going to what now?” He stared at her in amazement, afraid to believe that the day had actually come.

Just then, a pedicab pulled up to the curb, and Marinette smirked. “Our ride’s here.”

Adrien’s jaw dropped. “We’re going on a romantic rickshaw bicycle ride?”

She laughed fondly at the excitement on his face and nodded. “Yep. Come take a selfie and post it on your Instagram with a caption about how you’re spending the day with one of your best friends and you’re so glad that we’re friends and all that.”

Adrien happily acquiesced.

Their pedicab took them down along the Seine and past the Grand Palais, Petit Palais, Place de la Concorde, Tuileries, and the Louvre on their way to the Pont des Arts.

Adrien took a few more shots for his Instagram en route, including several with his arm around Marinette’s shoulders, their faces close together to fit in the frame.

“You know,” Marinette chuckled as she snuggled up to Adrien, “I’ve had this romantic bike ride scenario planned out for years now.”

“What?” he laughed incredulously. “Seriously?”

“Yes.” She gave his arm a light smack. “I seriously have. Remember my ridiculous crush on you?”

“I still can’t believe you liked me,” Adrien snickered, shaking his head in awe. “I could have had you this whole time if I weren’t such an oblivious dimwit.”

“Be nice,” Marinette scolded.

“No,” Adrien pouted. “I’m seriously angry at myself. If I had gotten a clue back then, I could have had the most awesome girlfriend on the face of the planet. Instead, I spent my youth feeling like an unlovable screwup. I will never forgive myself,” he snorted, only half joking.

Marinette leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to his jaw. “You’re very lovable and definitely not a screwup,” she whispered, hoping their cyclist-driver was concentrating on the road and the music playing through his earbuds rather than their conversation.

“Tell me about this romantic bicycle ride scheme fourteen-year-old Marinette came up with,” Adrien entreated. “That will cheer me up and make me forget what a loser I am. I love fourteen-year-old Marinette’s schemes. They’re brilliant. Marino is my favourite so far.”

Marinette cringed. “Fourteen-year-old Marinette’s schemes were horrendous, shameful failures…but if it’ll make you feel better… The plan was for Alya, Rose, Juleka, Mylène, and Alix to help me make it so that your bodyguard couldn’t park where he was supposed to pick you up after a photoshoot.”

Adrien arched an eyebrow and gave her a devious smile. “And then you were going to lie in wait for me to sweep me off my feet with a romantic rickshaw bicycle ride?”

Marinette nodded, shrugging hopelessly. “We were going to ride to the Pont des Arts to get soulmate ice cream from André, and Alix was going to throw rose petals to create the right atmosphere.”

“I would have loved that,” Adrien whispered, touched that she had put so much thought and effort into a surprise for him.

Marinette shook her head. “You would have had fun, but you wouldn’t have appreciated it as much as you do now. You didn’t see me in a romantic light back then, so it just would have been a memorable outing with a friend.”

Adrien reached down and slipped his hand into hers. “You have no idea how special all those times spent hanging out with you were to me. I grew up bored and lonely, so your friendship really was—is—a precious gift. Things don’t have to be seen in a romantic light to be meaningful…and it would have really meant a lot to take a bike ride and get ice cream with you.”

“Oh,” she breathed softly, admiring the soft glow he seemed to emit. She nodded, feeling like she understood better now.

“So what happened with the scheme?” He pulled her attention back to the present. “Why didn’t I get my romantic rickshaw ride and André’s ice cream?”

Marinette sighed. “Oh. I don’t know. Maybe the plan was a little too overly complicated. There was some miscommunication. Things didn’t play out the way I’d planned. There was an akuma attack. You know. The usual.”

Adrien winced. “Ouch. I’m sorry. That really sucks, especially when you put so much effort into planning everything.”

“Oh, it gets worse,” Marinette groaned. “I ran into you after the akuma attack, and you offered to give me a ride…and I told you no because I was going to get couscous.”

He stared at her openmouthed. “Seriously?”

“Seriously,” she grumbled bitterly.

He tried not to laugh but ultimately failed. “I don’t remember this at all.”

“Thank God for small mercies,” she mumbled. “I hated myself for days after that.”

“You really couldn’t talk to me at all, could you?” he snickered, wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes.

“Nope,” she sighed. “Mere proximity to you made my verbal eloquence plummet. It’s a wonder you didn’t think I was some insane weirdo from all the stuff I said to you.”

He shrugged, pulling her in closer and nuzzling her hair. “I thought I made you nervous because you respected my father’s work. Sure, you seemed a little quirky, but I didn’t really know how people were supposed to behave because I hadn’t been around people my age before. I saw you act normal around other people, so I knew it was a problem with me or something. The Marinette I saw interacting with other people was really cool and selfless and brave. I admired you and wanted us to be better friends.”

Marinette blew out a long breath, shaking her head. “Oh, my sweet, sweet bean. You’re too precious. Too pure for this earth…. Thank you for being you.”

“Right back at you.” He gave her an affectionate squeeze.

 The pedicab stopped and let them off at the Pont des Arts so that they could get André’s sweetheart ice cream and take a selfie with it and the love locks secured to the bridge railing and light posts.

Adrien captioned the photo, “There’s nothing better than sharing ice cream with a friend”.

Marinette giggle-snorted. “Yep. Nothing romantic going on here. Just platonic friends who happen to enjoy sharing ice cream intended for couples on the most romantic bridge in the City of Love.”

“I actually think the Pont Alexandre III is the most romantic bridge in Paris, especially at night when it’s all lit up,” Adrien remarked. “The footbridges over the Canal Saint-Martin are really quaint and romantic too.”

Marinette hummed in thought, mentally storing Adrien’s feedback for use at a later date.

“We should get a picture of us feeding ice cream to one another,” Adrien snickered, going to sit on one of the benches. “Do you think that would be laying it on a little thick?”

“No, that’s perfect,” she assured, joining him. “Here. Say ‘ah’.”

It was then that they noticed the passersby documenting the romantic moment and sharing it online for them.

“Want to go someplace more private?” he suggested.

She shook her head. “It’s okay. They’re not hurting anything, and the whole point is to be visible.”

He bit the inside of his cheek. “So long as you’re okay with the attention.”

She smiled, lightly touching his hand. “Thanks, Adrien.”

He returned the smile with a wink. “Any time, Ohime-sama.”

After they finished their ice cream, they headed to the Pont Neuf station and took the Métro, getting off at Jussieu.

They walked hand-in-hand to the Jardin des Plantes, stopping to look in shop windows and browse through the boxes of old books on the tables outside of shops.

When they got to the park, they strolled leisurely, admiring the autumn foliage and enjoying one another’s company.

“I wish our cat were here,” Marinette sighed with a wistful smile as she looked up at the changing leaves.

“Nyan-chan would like today’s date,” Adrien affirmed, giving her hand a squeeze. “He’d be happy to know you’re missing him even though you’re with someone as magnificent and funny as me.”

Marinette broke out in a laugh.

“Did I mention my charming personality?” Adrien added with an eyebrow waggle.

“Are you jealous, Beau Gosse?” she snickered, bumping his shoulder with her own.

“Why would I be?” Adrien pouted. “It’s not like the woman I love is thinking about other men when she’s with me or anything.”

Marinette shook her head, still laughing. “You can whine to your cat boyfriend about it tonight when he comes over for snuggling.”

“Oh, believe me. I will,” he snorted. “Hey. What do you think of a picture of us holding hands? Maybe just a picture of our clasped hands? Is that too heavy-handed?”

Marinette groaned. “You’re just as bad as Chat Noir with puns.”

 Their next and final stop was across the street from the Jardin des Plantes at the restaurant attached to the Grande Mosquée de Paris where they ordered vegetable couscous to share along with the restaurant’s famed mint tea and a sampler platter of their savory desserts.

“I think this is the best couscous I’ve ever had,” Marinette moaned happily, shoveling another spoonful into her mouth.

Adrien laughed into his napkin, snapping a picture of her for his own private consumption. “Nino did say that they have really legit food here. He said that his mom’s home cooking is better but that this place tastes like the food he eats when visiting family in Morocco.”

Marinette hummed appreciatively through her full mouth, and Adrien shook his head. “I’m going to post a picture of you pigging out and gush about how radiant my good friend Marinette is while enjoying a good meal.”

She glared at him, her narrowed eyes threatening bodily harm.

“I’m sorry, but you are so cute when you’re stuffing your face. Like a chipmunk,” he defended himself.

Marinette swallowed and replied. “Wow. Way to make a girl feel unsexy, Agreste.”

Adrien winced. “Sorry. I was just playing. You’re adorable, Marinette. Did I ruin everything?”

With a sigh, Marinette got up and went to sit on the bench seat beside him, fishing out her phone. “Smile, Bishi,” she teased, using Chat Noir’s nickname for Adrien, her voice husky in his ear.

Her free hand slipped down to give his knee a squeeze, and the resulting picture showed Marinette smiling puckishly at the camera while Adrien was captured in the middle of his turn to look at her with a flustered expression.

“I like the face you’re making,” she chuckled as she reviewed the photo. “You look like I just made some obscene suggestion and you’re equal parts horrified and intrigued.”

“I’m glad you’re having fun pushing my buttons.” Adrien sighed, shaking his head with a fond smile.

They took another picture, one with them both smiling innocently even though Marinette was practically sitting in Adrien’s lap. They included a few pictures of the food and made sure to rave about how good it was and what a nice time they were having together as friends.

 Adrien had barely walked in the door when Nathalie descended upon him.

“Your father isn’t pleased,” she reported blandly, the hint of a grin hovering in the corner of her mouth. “Did you have fun today? You and Miss Dupain-Cheng look very happy together.”

Adrien beamed. “I did. And we are. Thank you, Nathalie.”

A smile flickered across Nathalie’s lips, there one second and gone the next, replaced by her usual impassive expression. “Back to business. Your father isn’t pleased.”

“Where is my father anyway?” Adrien sighed, glancing at the atelier door.

“London,” she supplied. “He had to leave this morning to attend to the closing of a deal in person.”

“He didn’t even say goodbye,” Adrien grumbled, heading for his room to change for the interview with Nadja scheduled that evening.

Nathalie followed to pick out a suitable outfit.

“It was a last-minute trip,” she offered, pretending that that was a sufficient excuse, that this wasn’t just the latest installment in the trend of Gabriel floating in and out of Adrien’s life without stopping to actually be a part of it.

“Oh. I see,” Adrien replied disinterestedly, pretending that it didn’t hurt to be so insignificant.

Nathalie pursed her lips. “…What was your favourite thing that you did today?”

Adrien’s smile came back as he launched into a recap of the pedicab ride and how much it meant to him that Marinette had been planning romantic surprises for him all along.

Nathalie conveniently forgot to bring up the fact that Gabriel wanted to talk to Adrien before the interview. She later apologized profusely to Gabriel for letting it slip her mind. She told him that they’d been in too much of a rush to get Adrien to the studio and get him through hair and makeup.

All the way there, she kept Adrien talking about his eventful day, distracting him from the reality that was his relationship (or lack thereof) with his father.

  “So…Adrien,” Nadja purred toward the end of the interview. “Judging from your Instagram, you had an eventful date today.”

Adrien made his eyes go wide, pretending to be surprised at her word choice.

“Tell us all about your girlfriend, Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” she prompted, leaning forward in her seat.

Adrien blushed and rubbed at the back of his neck. “Oh, that wasn’t a date. Marinette and I were just hanging out. She’s a good friend; we’re not officially dating.”

Nadja’s perfectly waxed eyebrow inched up, and she shot him a look of clear disbelief. “I don’t mean to imply that you’re lying, Adrien, but we have some candids from your outing.”

Behind them, a slideshow of all the soft looks Adrien had directed Marinette’s way that day began to play.

“Do you look at all your friends with such a gooey, lovesick expression?” she challenged.

Adrien laughed and shook his head. “You misunderstand me. I said that Marinette and I aren’t officially a couple. I never said I wasn’t head over heels in love with her.”

Nadja’s mouth dropped open, and her eyes lit up.

Adrien could practically see her getting ready to pounce on the scoop he’d just served her.

Nadja turned to the camera. “You heard it here first, ladies and gentlemen: Paris’s most eligible bachelor, Adrien Agreste, in love!” She whipped back around to Adrien. “Tell us all about her. What do you like about Marinette? What about her made you fall in love?”

He averted his gaze, smiling bashfully. “Well…I mean…we’ve been friends since I started school, and Marinette has always been…just…wonderful. Everything about her is wonderful. She’s smart, funny, selfless, thoughtful, clever, a good leader… I’ve admired her for a long time. …And, obviously, she’s gorgeous, but, if you’ve got functioning eyes, you can tell that much on your own. It’s her personality that really made me fall for her, her compassion, her enthusiasm, her kindness. I think I’ve been a little bit in love with her from the very beginning; it just took me a while to realize that the way I felt about her wasn’t just admiration and friendship.”

“Have you told her how you feel?” Nadja pressed.

Adrien nodded. “In the spring…but she was seeing someone else at the time.”

Nadja winced. “Ouch.”

“Yeah,” Adrien chuckled self-deprecatingly. “Ouch is right.”

“But what about now?” she prompted. “The way you phrased that she was seeing someone else in the spring sort of implied that she’s free now. Why aren’t you two dating?”

Adrien frowned, his face flipping through a series of conflicted expressions, making it seem as if he were reluctant to answer. “…Well…my father doesn’t think it’s a good idea.”

Nadja’s eyes narrowed. “Your father won’t let you date the woman you love?”

Adrien waved his hands hastily, trying to correct her. “No, no! It’s not like that. My father hasn’t forbidden me from dating her or anything. It’s just…he’s concerned. Marinette has always wanted to be a fashion designer, and she’s a fan of my father’s work, so Father is afraid of what people might say about her for dating me. Marinette is extremely talented, and Father doesn’t want her talent discounted or questioned because people think she’s receiving preferential treatment or using me to advance her career. He’s concerned that overzealous fans might invade her privacy or start sending her hate mail or something crazy like that,” Adrien explained.

Nadja nodded, letting Adrien continue of his own volition, not wanting to interrupt.

“My father cares about me a lot. He’s very protective of me, so…he doesn’t think it’s a good idea for Marinette and me to date, and I can see his reasoning. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to Marinette because of me…but…at the same time…” He sighed and looked away.

“At the same time?” Nadja encouraged gently.

Adrien shook his head and shrugged. “The past few years have been really hard for my family…since my mother disappeared, I mean. My parents were soulmates, so I know Mother’s disappearance was a huge blow to Father. I know it’s been really hard raising me without her. I remind him of her, so it’s difficult for him to be around me sometimes.”

Nadja frowned, heart aching as she thought of her own child.

“I understand, of course,” Adrien stressed. “But even though I understand, it’s still hard. …And Father’s always so busy with work. His company is important to him. He’s really passionate about designing, and I’m happy that he still has something he loves that much, even though Mother is gone…but I’m alone a lot,” he sighed, looking down at his hands.

“That must be rough for you,” Nadja whispered.

Adrien nodded. “It’s easy to get discouraged when you’re lonely…” He looked up and gave her and the viewers a weak smile. “…but I have a lot of really great friends like Marinette now that I attend public schooling. Their friendship helps a lot…. I still would like to try dating, though,” he added sheepishly. “I’ve always dreamed of finding the kind of love that my parents have.”

Nadja gave a little “Aww”, smiling wide because she knew that her viewership would be eating this up.

“I think Marinette might be the one for me,” Adrien confided, and then his expression turned sad with a hint of longing. “…But I know that my father knows best and that he only wants what’s best for me. Maybe there will come a day when Marinette and I can be together, but I can’t ask her to wait for me, so…”

He gave a helpless shrug.

 They had scarcely made it home when Gabriel called to give Adrien a dressing down, faulting Adrien for coming across as childish, naïve, whiney, and ungrateful.

Adrien took the chastisement with a bowed head and muttered apologies.

He retired to his room for the night where he showered, changed, and headed out to give Alya an interview with Chat Noir.

“Adrien is the sweetest human being I have ever met,” Chat insisted into Alya’s phone camera. “He’s letting his father control his life, and that’s not okay. He’ll be an adult in six months. He should be free to make his own decisions. If he loves Marinette, he shouldn’t have to have his father’s permission to date her.”

“Ladybug said nearly the same thing,” Alya snickered.

Chat blinked dumbly for a beat or two. “She did? You talked to Ladybug about this?”

Alya nodded, still filming. “She left about fifteen minutes before you got here. I had just posted her video on my blog when you arrived. Ladybug is a staunch supporter of Adrienette.”

“…I did not know that,” Chat chuckled, cheeks heating up in pleasure and embarrassment at the thought of his first love adamantly shipping him and his girlfriend.

 By the next morning, #Let Adrienette Date was already trending, and Gabriel was getting strongly worded emails about his interfering with the course of true love.

A protest spontaneously manifested outside the Agreste Mansion.

Adrien’s fanclub mobilized to do anything and everything to ensure that their prince got his happy ending, even if they weren’t entirely certain that Marinette was worthy of him.

Marinette got her first death threat, but the threat was concerning if she ever broke Adrien’s heart and not about her dating him in the first place, so she took cold comfort in that.

Gabriel returned from London Tuesday morning to be met with the madness that was an unstoppable force hell bent on seeing his son in a relationship with the woman he loved.

Gabriel persevered.

Adrien played innocent.

Adrien was grounded.

Chat Noir and Ladybug spoke out about the unfairness of the grounding and Gabriel’s attempts to keep Adrienette apart.

The mob was incensed.

Gabriel stock plummeted.

 On Saturday night, Adrien posted a picture on his Instagram of him leisurely kissing Marinette on her living room couch. The caption read, “Look who’s un-grounded and hanging out with his GIRLFRIEND! Thank you all so much for your love and support. #Adrienette #True Love Wins”.

[927roses-and-stuff]

Miracles in Gotham: Chapter Two: A Lonely Cat Sits on a Roof...

Hey, guys! This fic is inspired by @ozmav’s Maribat AU. Shoutout to @mystery-5-5 for brainstorming ideas with me for this fic. Hopefully, you guys enjoy it!

I’m sorry for going AWOL for such a long time. I’m going to be honest, life’s not exactly going swimmingly right now, but I swear, I’ll try to post more regularly after I get through these sets of exams. Thank you for your patience and support!

If you want to see more, follow: #miraclesingotham or ask to be added to the tag list.

P.S. I just watched a bit of Young Justice and read a bit of the New 52 so I may have mixed up some stuff. Just to clarify, Damian Wayne is Robin.  Also, I updated this chapter because my dumbass decided to add a bunch of headcanons in future chapters that did not exist while I was writing this. 

P.P.S. There may or may not be Season 3 spoilers for this now that the season has finished…, maybe Felix will pop up at some point?? Hm.... (As much as I love Lukanette, it’s not really a thing here because this is a Daminette fic...haha unless…?)

Tag List: @northernbluetongue @spicybelladonna @zerotosiki @my-name-is-michell @legendaryneckjudgestudent @lokiifriggasonn

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Chapter Two: A Lonely Cat Sits on a Roof...

Dear diary, 

How could this happen? How could I have missed something so obvious, so noticeable, so, so,  so… Ugh! I can’t think right now. As the Guardian it should’ve been my responsibility to ensure that we had everything that Master Fu left in his possession, especially since it was about the Miraculous!

How could I even explain this to Chat Noir? Should I even tell him? What if he doubts my ability to be the Guardian? He did seem upset when I lost the Bee Miraculous that time.... . But, then again, he seemed supportive when I told him about leading Hawkmoth to Master Fu and that was so much worse.

Hopefully, I can make my mind up soon because it’s time to meet up with him!

Hopefully luck is on my side today.

Bisoux,

Marinette

By the time Ladybug landed precariously upon the Eiffel Tower, Chat was already there ready to greet her. Upon seeing him, Ladybug’s heart sped up and instinctively, she stepped back, away from him. Unfortunately, the Eiffel Tower was not meant to have a vast amount of foot space, and Ladybug toppled backwards, a screech dying upon her lips. 

“Ladybug!”  Chat rushed over and grabbed her hand with both hands. With a grunt, he pulled her over the edge, and shuffled the both of them backwards, just for good measure. When they were safely away from the edge, Chat loosened his hold on Ladybug; his heartbeat so fast even she could feel it whilst she was pressed against him. 

Or maybe that was just her. She couldn’t be too sure. 

“Are you alright?” Chat asked, withdrawing his arms away from her, Ladybug couldn’t be sure if it was from what she wanted to discuss tonight or the near-death experience, but it took awhile for Ladybug to get herself together. However, once her heartbeat was beating normally and her breathing steadied, she pulled herself away from Chat and sat across from him, her hands firmly against her lap. 

“Yeah, thanks to you,” she said, forcing herself to grin widely. Chat returned it with one of his own shaky smiles. 

“That’s, that’s good,” he said and exhaled deeply. “I think you might have scared all nine lives out of me, my lady.”

“Pity it didn’t scare you out of your puns instead,” she quipped back. She exhaled, but kept her posture tense. Chat caught her movements, and mimicked her; he crossed his legs and leaned towards her. 

“What’s wrong, Ladybug?” 

She stared at his wide green eyes, and wondered if he would show the same amount of care and concern in the next few seconds. 

“What isn’t wrong would be an easier question to answer,” she replied, already feeling her heartbeat increase again, and her fists clenching involuntary. Chat didn’t say anything, so she continued. “Well, first things first, thank you for your advice with the akuma, and well, saving me right now. I don’t think I could’ve figured out the red string if you hadn’t said anything.”

Chat blinked, straightened, then grinned. His cheeks lightly bloomed. “Shucks, LB. No problem, we’re partners after all!”

Ladybug paused, and averted her eyes before speaking. “Right, and as partners, you wouldn’t judge me, right?” 

Chat frowned and cocked his head. “Of course not.” He paused, scanning her before speaking up again. “Well, maybe I might judge you if you don’t upgrade your costume soon. As lovely as you are, I don’t think the suit flatters your loveliness enough.” 

Ladybug rolled her eyes, but was secretly glad for his quips. “Seriously, Chat. I’m being serious.”

“I’m being serious too. While the spots are iconic, we’re both fashionable enough to know you’re in need for a major upgrade-” 

“Hawkmoth has the tablet we need to translate the Miraculous Journal.”

“-and a belt would help- wait what?”

Ladybug flinched. “Look, you remember Master Fu right? And the whole thing where he made me the Guardian?”  He nodded. “Well, according to Wayzz, there was supposed to be a tablet that had translations for the Miraculous Journal, but it wasn’t where he left the Miracle Box or the other stuff he left with me, so that means Hawkmoth must have gotten it somehow, which means we’re basically screwed! And we can’t use any of the Miraculous we do have because the stupid box is some kind of egg, and Hawkmoth knows all of the identities of the old heroes, and, and, and-” 

By the end of her spiel, Marinette was pacing back and forth in front of Chat, who watched her in stunned silence. She had pulled out her pigtails in anger, and her hair was askew from her fingers grabbing and pulling at it. She was breathing heavily, still unsure if she should go on, because everything  was  a mess, but she was supposed to be the Guardian. She watched Chat as he bit his finger, his eyes observing the ground beneath him. His tail swayed behind him, as if it was contemplating the situation as well.

Ladybug sat down in front of him, curling her knees under her chin. When Chat finally spoke, his voice was throaty, almost brittle. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

She frowned. “Chat, I just found out about the tablet-”

“But, what about the box? Or that we might need new heroes? Or that you were stressing about all of this?” 

Ladybug sighed. “What could have I told you? I don’t even know what I’m doing, but now I’m responsible for all the Miraculous? Look, I don’t even know if you can help, but I think you should know anyway.” 

Chat frowned. “I know you think I’m useless or annoying sometimes, but we’re still partners, right?” I’m no Master Fu, but I’ll always be here to help.” Chat hesitated, shifting his eyes from her to the view below them. “If you want, that is.” 

Ladybug rolled her eyes. “I don’t think you’re useless, chaton. But this isn’t just another akuma, this is something I should've had already under  control!” 

“You’ve only been the Guardian, for what, a week?” 

“Yes, but I’ve been training with Master Fu for months before that! I should’ve been prepared!”

“Prepared? Master Fu’s had a couple of centuries to his name and he still messed up! Why can’t you just trust me to help you?” 

She faltered, biting her lip. “This isn’t about you. Chat.” She trembled. “I don’t know what I’m doing, but the safety of the Miraculous is my responsibility now. So, even if it was just for a few months, I have to be the Guardian Master Fu was training me to be.” 

“You don’t have to do it alone.” 

Ladybug smiled bitterly. “You’re not always going to be there, chaton.” 

Chat adjusted himself so their shoulders were touching. “Well, I could be. Outside of these masks, you know?” 

Ladybug stiffened, and robotically turned to face him. He was smiling ruefully, although his eyes glimmered with hope. She frowned, 

“We can’t.” 

“Who’s gonna tell us no?’

She froze. Who was going to tell them no? Master Fu wasn’t the Guardian anymore, she was. And it would be helpful, knowing who he was… . 

A barrage of memories flashed in her mind’s eye of a flooded Paris and blank, ice blue eyes. An explosion so strong it broke the moon. A silent city, that had been a ghostly reflection of her own. A Chat Noir that wasn’t hers, that would never be hers, as long as she… 

“No.” 

“No?” Chat’s voice cracked. “But, there’s nothing stopping you from-” 

“Didn’t you see what happened with Miracle Queen, Chat? Rena Rouge, Carapace, Queen Bee, Viperion, Ryuko, all of them had their identities exposed and now they’re all in danger! Haven’t you noticed that Hawkmoth only targets a certain demographic? And you want to add our identities in that mess?” Ladybug’s arms were flying around as she ranted, gesturing between the two of them to emphasize the point. “That’s the worst idea you could’ve come up with right now!” 

Chat’s eyes widened, and he slowly retreated further from her. He took a shaky breath. “Alright, alright. That’s a no on our identities then.” 

A long and awkward silence fell between them. They were settled on opposite sides of the beam, their eyes shifting between them, and the quiet city below them. Ladybug sighed. Usually the view of the sparkling city of love was enough to calm her. But not even the bright lights of the streets reflecting starry skies could calm her racing heart. Hey body shook in tiny tremors as she tried to settle herself. A part of her just wanted to give in and reveal who she was. Maybe it would’ve complicated everything but at least Chat would be with her. 

However, the faint whispers of a lonely cat’s melody, kept her frozen in place. Fortunately, Chat broke the silence. 

“Maybe, we could try the Justice League again?” Chat hesitated and stared at her, green eyes on blue. 

“Didn’t we already try that after Stoneheart?” 

She remembered that afternoon. It was similar to them right now. Although Chat had been ecstatic to be a hero, she had still been hesitant. To help, Chat suggested the Justice League, a superhero organization that mostly dealt with crimes in North America, although there had been talk of them going international at the time. At the time, they both emailed videos of themselves, explaining the situation, and she had gone home and sent a separate email as Marinette, citing the Ladyblog as proof. They waited for weeks with no reply, but they had already gotten the hang of it so they had left it alone. 

Ladybug wasn’t too sure about trusting them to pick up a second time. 

“We already tried, remember? Besides, I’m the one that can purify the akumas and even if they’re at risk, we technically still have heroes. What help would they be?” 

“Well, they’re more experienced for one thing.” 

Ladybug squinted at him. “Wouldn’t that just put us in more danger? Imagine if a hero was akumatized and we had to fight them? There are days where casualties happen from civilian akumas.” She turned away from him. “We can’t risk it.” 

“Maybe they can help us from far away?” Chat suggested meekly.

Ladybug sighed. Chat sighed as well. He wasn’t dumb, Ladybug wouldn’t even fully trust her own partner. She wasn’t going to risk revealing the Miraculous’ secrets to an organization full of strangers. Besides, she was right. Normal akumas exhausted them, even with their power-ups. What would going up against more experienced akumas be like? 

Ladybug bit her lip. She knew Chat had a point, but this wasn’t a situation she could cast her Lucky Charm and perform Miraculous Ladybug out of. They were both way over their heads, and her mind was already running through every disaster that could happen by involving superheroes who clearly wouldn’t listen to them, if their response the first time had anything to go by. 

Her stupor was broken when Chat stood up and extended his baton. 

“Look, Ladybug. You don’t have to force yourself to do anything just yet.” Chat turned away from her. 

“Chat,” she whispered, standing up to reach out to him. She stopped when he shook his head. 

“I just wish you could trust me, Ladybug,” he said, before launching himself off the tower. Ladybug watched his form disappear against Paris’ dark skies, slowly lowering her hand and clenching it to her chest. 

She trembled and whispered to the nightly breeze flowing past her, 

“Me too.” 

________________________________________________________________

Chat Noir, despite all faults, was a boy who thought more often with his heart than his head. Thus, as he launched himself home to Agreste Manor, he was already forming tendrils of a small plan to help Ladybug. Although it hurt him that Ladybug couldn’t trust him enough to take his advice at face value, Chat Noir’s instincts were sure that even asking for help would help them more than Ladybug thought. 

Thus, when Chat Noir transformed back into Adrien within the safety of his bedroom walls, he rushed to his three computers and began drafting a plea for help: 

To the members of the Justice League…