#the actual chapter will be posted soon

[grzybjek]

A collage I made for one of the characters from my newest story. His name is Kundel by the way hes an absolute manfail and a menace

[myokk]

Eloise🥹💓

[cnwolf-brainrot]

Plans got canceled, time to go home and don my Nightcrawler cosplay and sit and write Nightcrawler fanfic

Y’know normal Friday night behavior ✨

[poisonousquinzel]

this is so funny omg skdbskksks and Ivy's lil face

[cinnamontoastcrunch-15]

Red Flags

Oh my god I've been so burnt out I'm so so sorry but I WROTE SOMETHING FINALLY

“Right, so…” Lily starts, settling down in front of the others with a coffee in hand, “what are we thinking?”

“I have a feeling we’re all thinking the same thing,” Mary says, shaking their head to themself. As Lily glances around, everyone nods in agreement.

Remus Lupin has terrible taste in men.

It’s an infamous fact among the group, really. Somehow, Remus manages to find every weird, rude, and downright horrible man on the face of the earth. He's not stupid, but he is impressively good at ignoring all of the warning signs. Lily remembers, more than once or twice, picking up the pieces, shouting at the exes, even stopping Remus from taking them back. It always sucks to see him that upset, and Lily just couldn't take it anymore.

So, they've developed a system.

It involves a lot of internet stalking, going through social media after social media, looking for pieces of evidence, things they can mention directly to the guy in question. If they can figure out if they're exactly the same as the others, which they usually are, they can scare him away before it’s too late. Remus isn't exactly… aware, of their system, but it works, and they need it to keep working. It's better that Remus is a little upset that his boyfriend of two weeks has ghosted him, rather than a painful betrayal.

This newest guy, though? They can't find anything.

“You’d think someone with the name Sirius fucking Black would have something slightly shady on his socials!” Marlene says with a groan.

“I mean, the name’s red flag enough, right? Everyone knows the Black family,” Peter says, but James is intervening before anyone has a chance to agree.

“Hold on, they essentially got rid of him five years ago. I don't know that we can still hold his name against him.”

Yeah, that makes sense. Unfortunately.

“Okay, well… what does he do for a living?” Mary tries, only to get a good few shrugs.

For someone who posts ten times a day, this guy is really quite quiet about his private life.

“I think he's a doctor,” Peter says eventually. “That’s what I found when I looked him up. Pediatric Surgeon?”

“Oh, so he literally saves kids lives,” Marlene says, exasperatedly throwing her hands in the air. “I'm sorry, he can't be Mr Perfect! This isn't how Remus works!”

Lily wants to say that maybe it is, maybe he's turning a corner, but she bites her tongue. They don't actually know anything real, anything substantial, about this guy. All they know is that he grew up in a very prominent family, and can build a careful social media presence. That means nothing.

They need to dig deeper.

“You know what this means, right?” Lily says grimly. “We have to meet him.”

Remus knows exactly what his friends are up to.

They think they're so brilliant at hiding their little… background checks on anyone he even so much as mentions wanting to date. Well, he can't exactly blame them. He's dated some absolutely horrendous people, and he knows that. Showing up at Lily’s as a crying mess wasn't exactly his finest moment, so he gets why they're so concerned.

Sirius, though? God, they’re never going to have to worry again. For a good few weeks, Remus had thought he'd made Sirius up. He's never fallen for someone as quickly as he's fallen for Sirius, even though they're taking everything so slowly. Honestly, he'd move in with Sirius tomorrow, if he asked, but Sirius is too good to ask that so soon.

That doesn't stop Sirius from panicking a little, as Remus keeps setting the table for dinner with his friends.

“What if they hate me? I mean, what if I set a really bad impression and they hate me forever-?”

“They definitely won't hate you. Believe me, you'll click with them. Especially James. I have a feeling he's going to love you.”

James is always the most supportive. He at least tells Remus before the others start to interrogate them.

“But what if-”

“Hey, don't panic.” Remus reaches out and takes both of Sirius’ hands in his. It sends a little thrill through him, the way Sirius’ breath catches in his throat. “Just… don't feel intimidated when they start asking too many questions, and you'll be fine.” Sirius nods once, and Remus squeezes his hands reassuringly.

There’s a knock at the door before they can kiss.

Remus groans as Sirius drops his head onto Remus' shoulder. He takes a breath and takes a step away, as Remus tries to quash the nerves. He knows how much they're going to love Sirius, but it isn't really helping. He doesn't want them freaking him out and scaring him off.

Still, it's too late to give them all the boot now, so, with a slight hesitance, he accepts his fate and opens the door.

“Hey, guys! You’re all here… at the same time,” he says, sticking a perplexed expression on his face. Mary smiles brightly as Remus steps aside to let them all in.

“What a coincidence, right?”

They’re really bad at hiding things.

James is the last one in, and Remus holds him back quickly.

“Please tell me they're not grilling him. Sirius is nervous enough.” He knows the answer already, but James shrugging apologetically only confirms it.

“They didn't find anything online. You know what that means.” Remus nods once, trying to bite back a groan. “They're doing it because they care.”

“I know. Just… please give him a chance. He's… Prongs, he’s amazing.” He watches James’ face soften, and it gives him the slightest glimmer of hope.

Maybe this'll be okay.

“So, Sirius…” Marlene starts, the moment they all settle at the table.

God, it's already starting.

“What’s your favourite thing about our Remus?”

Honestly, Remus is pretty sure that's a tricky question. He's never seen anyone answer it right. There's always something wrong with the answer. It almost feels like a cruel start.

“Oh, wow, I don't think I could pick!” Sirius says with a smile. “I mean, unless you let me pick everything,” he adds with a wink. It draws a smile out of Remus, and James is already positively beaming. The others, though, exchange a confused glance.

“What, so you can't think of anything?” Peter says disbelievingly.

“Oh, I just meant- I think everything about him is amazing.”

A blush immediately spreads it's way across Sirius’ face and, oh, Remus could look at him forever; could watch his face turn rosy until the end of time.

“What d’you think of his writing? Y’know, his breakout piece on euthanasia?” Lily asks, resting her chin in her hands.

“I thought his breakout piece was his intersectionality one?” Remus turns to him, stunned. He didn't even know Sirius had read any of his articles.

He's also right.

Christ, he must be ticking some kind of box for his friends.

“Right, this is stupid,” Mary interrupts Remus’ train of thought, and he's already dreading whatever they're about to say. “If you have any intentions of hurting him, we’ll quite literally kill you.”

“Mary!” Remus says quickly, his hand reaching out to grab Sirius’.

“No, he needs to hear this!”

“Why? Because you couldn't find anything when you looked him up?”

It's enough for the group to lapse into silence.

“Listen.” Remus forces himself to take a breath and slow down. “I know why you do all of this, and I get it. Really, I do. I appreciate how much you care. Sirius, though, he's… guys, he's wonderful. You don't have to worry this time.”

James nods, Mary also seemingly placated. The others, though, turn to Sirius.

Yeah, that makes sense.

“Honestly, I’ve never felt this way about anyone. I wouldn't dream of hurting him. I'm falling in love with him more every single day-” He cuts himself off with wide eyes, immediately turning to Remus.

Oh.

Oh, wow.

“You love me?” Remus asks. It's almost like his friends just… vanish, in that moment. All he can see is Sirius, sitting beside him, telling him that he loves him.

“Shit, I didn't mean to say it like that!” Sirius groans, his face reddening by the second.

Okay, accidentally telling him that he loves him.

“I wanted to plan something nice, think of the right thing to say, not just- God, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for this-” He buries his head into his hands, muffling his panicked rambling.

“Sirius?” He tries quietly. Sirius just shakes his head minutely. It's really bloody endearing.

Remus is going to have to go about this differently.

Slowly, gently, he reaches out and pries Sirius’ hands from his face. He lets himself lace his fingers through Sirius’, as their eyes meet and Remus’ stomach flips.

“I love you, Sirius,” he says softly. “Christ, how could I not?”

Sirius’ face brightens in an instant, and Remus can't help but beam right back at him. He can practically feel the tension in the room lift.

He has a feeling his friends won't be worrying about him anymore.

[teammateswap-au]

deltarune lines stickers if they were fucking good

[spock-adoodledoo]

short translation of a chinese translation of chapter 49 (corresponds to "Beating the Heat" in the LN) in the GX manga because i like how they did this scene and what they added after maomao leaves the room... it feels like it hints a lot more explicitly at jinshi's secret than both the LN and the other manga, which is fun! also basen almost letting it slip before gaoshun slapped a hand over his mouth and again after their whispered conversation is extremely funny to me

[gingermintpepper]

I would really like to read one piece of writing, amateur or not, that features Apollo and Zeus having a positive relationship. One. Any one. It could be 30 words long for all I care. I just need confirmation that one other writer actively producing content in the Greek Mythology sector doesn't think of Apollo as Zeus' toy, sexual or otherwise, or of Zeus purposefully surpressing Apollo because he doesn't want him to surpass his power, or of Apollo only being obedient to his father over all else because of fear and physical abuse, or of any other reason possibly invented except some sort of mutual understanding and respect.

It should not be this difficult to find content where they do not hate each other.

[yinyuedijun]

NIGHT FLOWER: part i — additional end notes

tw: omegaverse, slavery, sexual abuse, racism, gendered violence

hi everyone! if you're here then that means that you read the first chapter of my abomination of an omegaverse fic (thank you and I'm sorry). I understand that slave aventurine fics are very heavily criticised and perceived in a certain way in this fandom because they touch on very sensitive topics. as such, I wanted to explain the intent of this fic in its exploration of these themes, to avoid being misread.

the main reason I chose to make this an omegaverse fic and frame it in the context of slavery is because I wanted to explore how gender-based violence (gbv) intersects with racism, particularly for a character like aventurine (whose canon arc is already couched within ethnic violence and slavery). I did not write these themes for the purpose of eroticising them.

speaking of sexual violence + racism, canon already does actually have some basis for it that may escape EN players. sparkle, during her racist tirade against aventurine, explicitly calls sigonians “交际花” — which can mean “courtesan”, and also doubles as a derogatory term for women who “socialise” to gain wealth/status. so when this fic depicted fetishization of the avgin people, that was partly done out of connection to what is already implied by canon.

one thing that people may find unusual about the interpretation of omegaverse in this fic is that the reader is also subject to gbv as an alpha. while alphas are still alluded to as a privileged, oppressive class here (per omegaverse genre conventions lol), I find it hard to believe that alphas as a class would completely escape gendered violence, especially within fundamentally abusive systems such as slavery (just as how men do not escape gbv in these contexts in real life). I did not create this backstory for the purpose of eroticising these themes; I did it as an exploration of both the genre and real life oppression.

wrt the relationship between aventurine and the mc: while the overall arc for them is going to be a healing and loving one, I want to acknowledge that their sexual relationship is extremely bleak and unhealthy in this chapter. I would not condone a dynamic like this in real life by any means, but in the context of fiction, in the context of this narrative, I really do think their relationship needed to be executed this way.

I shall also say this. while I am not going to eroticize the unhealthy parts of their sexual relationship, I am absolutely going eroticize the hell out of the healthy parts of their sexual relationship 👍👍👍 so aventurine fuckers please be strong… we will someday get to the unrepentant corn in this fic (probably next chapter lol)

[mugmegan]

Go to part 1

This is a comic I made of a scene from the fanfic Imaginary. I recommend it hard!

Op's rambling about comic:

Making a comic on paper it turns out, is hard. But I didnt trust myself to manage to draw warmth and sincerety on my phone because I am just not that good with digital. Pen and paper is where I feel. So here it goes. The lines are smudged and everything is branded with my fingerprint. Enjoy!

Also I didnt look at Second's actual design and just drew what I thought he looks like so he looks slightly chubbier here. In my defense, I forgot he even showed his face for more than 2 panels at the time.

[whohasthecards]

Diners and Late Nights (CH 1)

Ch 1/Ch 2 (Work and Distractions)

Hangman slipped out of the crowded bar, leaving the chorus of celebrating aviators behind him, and started walking towards the Boardwalk. It was quiet, no tourists this time of the year, so barely anyone was milling around. Shops closed, light from dying lamp posts, the beach dark.

He got far enough that the bar was a blip in the distance. He reckoned by the time he got back, most of his classma- former classmates would have gone home to wherever. The bar doors closed for the night. 

He leaned his forearms at the railing, hearing the waves crash on the beach, but only see glimpses of the water due to the moon’s reflection. He sighed as he pulled out a new pack of cigarettes, unwrapping them and pulling one out.

He brought one between his teeth and lit it with a lighter, his other hand blocking the wind. He took a slow deep drag, held it in, breath again, 5 seconds, and out. He watched the smoke dissipate in the air, before he brought the cig to his lips again.

He won Top Gun.

After all those weeks of intense training. All these past few years in the Navy. All the years he spent studying, working, and training his ass off. He got the trophy. He should have been elated. He was, he swear he was, but all he felt was, nothing.

When his name was called he felt elated, as if a weight was lifted off his shoulders, relief. He smiled, laughed with Javy as he hooked an arm around his shoulder. Shook hands. Gave a grin and sarcastic remarks to his cohort. 

It died down.

Not the noise. Never the bright lives of the people around him, smiling, laughing, celebrating. From the classrooms, hangar, to the bar. All of them were celebrating, and he was smiling too, but it felt forced. Everything around him felt out of focus, as if he wasn’t fully there. Going through the motions of getting inside his truck and driving to the bar. Ordering a beer, but letting it get cold and stale. 

He won.

He felt relieved.

Then nothing.

He looked up, the sky was devoid of any stars, the moon was bright though.

He pulled out his phone, and opened the messaging app.

He scrolled down and pressed on his Dad’s contact. 

Stilted conversations. Unsolicited advice or criticisms. One word answers. Last message was sent 6 weeks ago.

He closed the chat.

Javy was probably back at the barracks sleeping. He had an early flight tomorrow.

Hell, he was pretty sure everyone else had an upcoming flight.

He took another drag of a cigarette.

He hoped that winning Top Gun would mean they could expedite his deployment. Better to have something to do, right?

He closed his eyes and leaned forward, groaning as he ran a hand through his hair with his other hand. 

“A penny for your thoughts, Lieutenant Seresin?” a voice asked and Jake turned around 

It took him a second to realise who it was, he’d never seen Admiral Simpson in regular clothing.

“Sir,” he said, straightening up, stubbing his cigarette on the railing.

“At ease, Lieutenant,” Cyclone drawled, walking to lean on the railing beside him. “I’m not in uniform, and we’re off the clock. No need for formalities right now.”

Jake hesitantly nodded, throwing the cigarette bud away in a trashcan nearby.

“Didn’t think of you as a smoker,” Cyclone started casually.

“Not usually one, first time in months,” Seresin said, shrugging.

“A celebration for winning Top Gun?”

“Nah, ‘just needed to clear my head.” 

“Hmm, I get that, you’ll be needing a lot of those times when you go up the ranks in the Navy, try not to rely on that thing too much.” 

Jake felt a flash of irritation, “I don’t smoke a lot. Anyways,” Seresin said before giving the older man a smirk, “You think I’ll go up the ranks, Admiral? That seems like a compliment.”

Cyclone simply grunted in response. “That attitude will both help and curse you up the ranks.”

Seresin simply shrugged, “I know.”

“You know, I got your deployment request,” Cyclone started, making Jake stiffen.

“Yeah?” Jake said, trying to play it casually. He wished he didn’t snub out his cigarette, but he wasn’t rude enough to smoke in front of someone who wasn’t smoking.

“Pretty early timeline, don’t you think?”

“Got nothin’ better to do,” Jake said, shrugging. “Top Gun’s over, time to move-on to the next thing, right, sir?”

Cyclone gave him a look that made Jake hunch his shoulders before straightening up, “What?” He said glaring.

“I probably should have expected it, but I did not think you were a workaholic, Lieutenant.” Simpson said coolly.

Seresin shrugged, “I like to keep busy, sir, what else would I do?”

“Hmmm, you like breakfast Lieutenant.”

Jake looked at the admiral with a raised brow, “... Yes-?”

“Do you have anything you have to do tonight?”

“No-”

“Perfect, meet me in this diner, my treat, I need to properly congratulate this year’s Top Gun winner anyways.” Simpson said.

“You gave me my trophy and shook my hand already, though-?”

“Defying orders, Lieutenant?”

“I thought we were off the clock!”

-----

Seresin stood in front of the brightly lit diner. Before stepping inside. Noticing the classic red seats, 80s decorations, and bright neon lights. A little ring from a bell on the door.

“Be there in a sec!” A voice shouted from the back where the kitchen presumably was.

“Seresin,” Cyclone called out from the counter. “Almost thought you weren’t coming.”

He almost didn’t.

“It was a walk to my truck,” Jake answered instead, sitting down next to the man, opening the menu in front of him.

“Order whatever you want, I already ordered,” Cyclone said, sipping from his mug.

“Coffee this late at night, sir?”

“No, hot chocolate, they make theirs themselves, it’s very good.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Jake said, nodding. “How’d you know this place, anyways?”

“You stay around these parts long enough, you start to know where the best 24hr dining option is. Been going here for years. Tastes better at night.”

Jake couldn’t argue with that.

An older lady came out from the back, “What can I get for you, honey?”

“Just the platter, ma’am, bacon and scrambled eggs,” Jake said, smiling. “And a hot chocolate too, please.”

“Aww aren’t you a polite young man,” she said, making Jake flush and duck his head. Barely anyone in the Navy would call him polite. “Beau, bring him around more often.” She said before going back to the kitchen.

“So you can get along with people,” Cyclone mused.

“I know how to get people to like me, I just choose not to, not worth the effort, most of the time,” Jake said, reaching forward for the case of toothpicks, shaking one out to his hand and bringing it to his mouth.

“So, you usually bring your subordinates to diners?”

“No,” Cyclone said simply. “Just the ones that look like they need a warm meal in them.”

“You’re the airboss, maybe you should do something about the slop in the cafeteria.”

Cyclone snorted, “I tried like many before me, and it remains one of my greatest failures,” Cyclone said drily. “Plus, it wouldn’t be the Navy without shitty food, would it?”

“I suppose not, sir.”

[myokk]

before it felt like a sin, ch. 3

ch.1, ch.2

pairing: Sebastian Sallow x f!MC

word count: 2300

summary: Eloise never wanted to be different.

And yet, her differences are what have defined her life up until this point: growing up as a squib in one of the most prominent wizarding families, being exiled to muggle society, and then attending Hogwarts at the age of sixteen.

She finds herself thrust into the life she should have been prepared for from birth but was denied. As she navigates this new life and her new precarious position in her family, she must come to terms with the fact that maybe what she dreamed of her whole life isn't turning out how she ever expected it would.

a/n: this is how I wish the duel could have gone in the game...😇🙏

I also want to reiterate that this fic is REALLY CANON DIVERGENT!!!!! I will NOT be following the game’s plot at all really with this (it really starts to diverge around chapter 6/7 maybe I don’t remember), and I don’t see Eloise as the game’s MC either.

Eloise was being woken up altogether too soon for her tastes. Something soft was hit her face, and she sat up groggily, pushing it away. She blinked as she looked around, not recognizing her surroundings. It was disorienting not knowing where she was, although, as she rubbed her eyes, it was slowly starting to come back to her…Something happened yesterday, she thought. I…

“Come on, sleepyhead!” exclaimed Imelda, throwing more clothes on top of Eloise. “The house elves left these last night at the foot of your bed while we were sleeping. If you don’t hurry up, there won’t be any more food left for breakfast. And, you know that the first day of classes is the most important…”

As she continued rambling on, Eloise got up and started putting on her school robes. A dark grey tartan skirt with dark green and silver stripes, a cream button-up with puffy sleeves that she tucked into the skirt, a black ribbon to tie around her neck, and her Slytherin robes on top. She didn’t know how to feel about the day that was ahead of her; she felt a strange mixture of elation and apprehension.

“…you’re taking too long. I’ll wait for you in the common room,” Imelda concluded, giving Eloise one last look before striding out of their dormitory. All of the other girls had already gotten ready and left for the morning, which wasn’t really a surprise to Eloise. As soon as her head hit the pillow the second time, she had fallen into a deep sleep and hadn’t heard the bustle of the girls preparing themselves for the day.

She finished lacing up her boots, and after one last glance in the mirror to make sure nothing was out of place, headed out to find Imelda.

When Eloise walked into the atrium, she was struck by how different it felt in the morning. It was truly as beautiful now as it had been eerily peaceful the night before. Once again, light piano music playing in the background - Eloise smiled to herself, recognizing the Gymnopédies by Satie. Her piano lessons had been the only bearable classes at the muggle school, and she had excelled at the instrument, often practicing during her free time.

The piano music blended in with the murmurs of students standing or sitting in small groups around various tables filled with breakfast foods and scrolls of parchment. The greens and blues coming through the windows felt refreshing, and the whole room was glimmering under the reflections of the water playing across various surfaces. She could see plants swaying under the water, with schools of fish weaving between them. It felt…magical.

Eloise’s eyes were drawn to Ominis and she started walking to him, standing by the same window where they had been sitting earlier. Instead of being in shadow, however, he was now illuminated by the rays of sun shining through the water. He was smirking to himself as he listened to the two first-years next to him. As she got closer to them, Eloise heard them speculating about the possibility that they would get to see a mermaid.

“Oh! I think I just saw one!” one shouted at his friend, pointing out the window. “Oh, wait…it was just algae.”

Eloise walked up to Ominis, smiling despite herself. 

“Is this your idea of a good time?” she asked him, while he was simultaneously asking her how she had slept. They both paused as soon as they heard the other start talking, and then both started speaking at the same time after an awkward pause.

“Oh…I’m sorry. I…I slept well,” Eloise said, blushing. “And you?”

“As well as I ever do,” he replied. She noticed that the dark circles under his eyes were still very prominent, although they didn’t look eerie in the morning light. He indicated the first-years with a jerk of his head, changing the topic. “I doubt mermaids find us that interesting. I rather think they purposefully avoid our common room so as to not be treated like creatures in an aquarium.”

Eloise laughed at that and tilted her head playfully. “And just where did those two even get the idea that they might see a mermaid?”

“That, my dear, is a mystery. I surely have never seen one before,” Ominis said, standing up straight and taking his wand out. “I have been hearing a lot of chatter about you this morning, you know. It seems like reality has been mixed with fantasy in the tales of your journey here, and nobody knows the full truth.”

“Except for you,” Eloise pointed out, stepping into place next to him as they walked through the common room. She spotted Imelda, supervising some students playing chess and instructing them on the moves they should be doing. Imelda looked up and saw Eloise, and interrupted her own advice mid sentence.

“Eloise!!” Imelda bellowed as she practically ran across the room. Was this girl ever not purposeful in everything she did? The students around them looked up from what they were doing to watch her, and maybe get the chance to hear a first-hand account of what actually happened to Eloise. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were attacked by a dragon last night?”

“Oh, er…” Eloise couldn’t figure out how to respond to the other girl. Imelda didn’t seem worried or scared about what Eloise had gone through the previous day; rather, she seemed indignant that she hadn’t been told about the attack. Beside them, Ominis was laughing.

“It must have been terribly exciting,” Imelda went on, ignoring any response Eloise may have started giving. “A real dragon and all. I wish I was with you guys, I’ve actually prepared for what I would do in that very situation. I would definitely have diverted its attention away from you on my broomstick, and actually the best strategy would have been to…”

“I doubt you really would have been able to do anything,” Eloise interrupted. “It was terribly frightening, but at the same time the whole thing was over so quickly that I haven’t had time to process it yet.”

“Well, you can tell me about it on the way to breakfast. Maybe once you learn how to ride a broom, we can practice what to do together. You have first-hand experience, after all!” Imelda looped her arm through Eloise’s. She shot a look to Ominis. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’m taking her now. We have a long day ahead of us, lots to do you know. The usual. Anyway, Sebastian’s coming over so it’s not like I’m leaving you completely alone.”

Before Eloise could even react, she was being marched up the spiral staircase that led out of the Slytherin common room and they were off to breakfast.

“Duelists, take your mark,” Professor Hecat said to the two students standing on top of the platform in the middle of the room. The duelists in question looked at each other warily, steadying their wands. Eloise was exhilarated. This was the type of class she had been daydreaming about while she sat wasting her time embroidering landscapes.

Professor Hecat hadn’t wasted any time putting the students to work. Although at first, many of them had scoffed at the thought of Leviosa being a useful spell in combat, Eloise listened attentively and focused on the correct wand movements. Maybe it didn’t actually matter, but she was determined to make sure that nobody would think that she didn’t deserve to be there. She had a lot of catching up to do, but between the books Professor Fig had given her and the knowledge she retained from reading from her family’s library as a child, she already knew a lot. She was quite pleased when the feather levitated as soon as she said the incantation, as there were other students who struggled to get theirs to even twitch in an upward direction.

Now, Eloise gripped her wand tightly in her hand, shifting a bit as she stared Sebastian in the eyes. He had said that she would get ‘a proper Hogwarts welcome’ and she was looking forward to it.

If the rumors she had heard before class were true, Sebastian was the best duelist in their year, and quite possibly at Hogwarts. Although she felt a little apprehensive at the thought of facing him, she hoped that he wouldn’t hold back on her just because she was new. Even if she had fought the guardians yesterday in Gringotts, she wanted to prove to herself that she could keep her wits about her in the heat of battle. 

Maybe her stance was a little too stiff, her movements too by the book. But that could only be changed with experience.

Sebastian smirked slightly to himself, no doubt thinking that this would be an easy victory. In the background, Eloise heard Professor Hecat say they could begin, but she was more focused on her opponent’s face. As soon as she saw him raise his wand and begin to open his mouth, she shouted “Protego!” and the shield blocked the spell he attempted to send shooting her way. His eyebrows raised in surprise - apparently he hadn’t been expecting her fast reflexes.

Quick as a whip, she shouted out “Levioso” and Sebastian was in the air. She hit him with a few more curses before he fell to the ground, breathing heavily. He pushed himself up quickly and went back into position. Wand out, now more wary of her capabilities. He blocked her next attack and went in for one of his own, which hit her shoulder. Eloise hissed in pain and immediately shot out a volley of quick jabs in his direction, a few hitting their mark before he put up a shield.

Sebastian was grinning as they circled each other, looking for an opening. The rest of the class surrounded the platform they were on, cheering them on. Both continued to attack and put up shields, without any clear winner in sight. It was obvious that they were very evenly matched.

“I’m pleasantly surprised,” he said as they were catching their breath between attacks. “I haven’t had a fight this good in a long time.”

Eloise just grinned in response, before shooting off another spell in his direction. It was expertly blocked with a flick of Sebastian’s wrist; in response he volleyed off a jinx towards her.

Eloise crumpled to the ground, yelping as she grabbed her ankle. Sebastian was immediately at her side, crouching down and looking at her with concern.

“Eloise? Are you okay?” He looked down at her ankle and then abruptly looked up and back at her face, a faint pink redness dusting his cheeks. He may have been dueling her, but it was distinctly different to be so close to her like this.

In response, Eloise grinned mischievously and quickly levitated him off the ground, getting to her feet at the same time. With a few quick curses sent his way, soon Sebastian was lying sprawled on the ground outside of the little arena Professor Hecat had erected.

“Not fair,” Sebastian exclaimed, rushing to his feet. He looked at Professor Hecat, who was looking between the two with a pleased smile.

Eloise smirked at him, only responding with, “Slytherin.”

Sebastian laughed and ran his fingers through his hair, making his brown curls even unrulier than they had become in their duel. He held his hand out to her and she shook it formally. “Good duel. You can definitely hold your own and I won’t underestimate you again.”

Professor Hecat clapped her hands together to get the attention of the class. “I hope you all paid attention to these two. Ten points to Slytherin for an excellent demonstration of what we learned today. On Wednesday, we will continue with practical application of the techniques learned during this class. I expect to see flawless wand work and concentration. I demand excellence from my students as I know you are all capable of achieving it. Class dismissed.”

As Eloise was gathering up her things, Sebastian sidled up to her. “Really, that was quite impressive. You seemed stiff at first, but it would seem you have fought before. You definitely give as good as you get.”

Eloise blushed and tucked some strands of hair that had come undone behind her ear. “Well, really, I had only read about the techniques before. Haven’t really had much time to put all of that theory to use yet.” She smiled shyly ad Sebastian, who was looking at her with his jaw open. “You fight really well, too. I had to use all of my focus. It’s kind of exhausting, actually.”

“But exhilarating, right?” Sebastian asked eagerly. The two of them started to head out of the classroom together, dwindling behind the rest of the students. Entirely absorbed by their conversation. “Everything else goes out of focus and the only thing in the world is you and your opponent.”

“Yes! Exactly that,” exclaimed Eloise. “I’ve never experienced anything like it.”

“Well,” Sebastian said slowly, dragging the word out as he thought. “You know, there might be a way. To continue. I normally would never do this, but…you know…”

“Know what?” Eloise prompted as Sebastian trailed off.

“You’re a really good duelist. Intuitive. There’s a certain exclusive club of sorts, one that may or may not be unsanctioned, where you can continue to hone your dueling abilities.”

“Exclusive and unsanctioned?” Eloise asked with a smirk. “You can count me in.”

“Excellent,” Sebastian replied, smiling broadly. “Sometimes, to make the most out of your experience at Hogwarts, you need to bend certain rules. They’re more like guidelines, anyway.”

“Merlin, Sebastian,” said Imelda, walking up to them and crossing her arms. “Don’t let yourself fall into any of his schemes. That boy is in detention practically every other day.”

“Or maybe,” Eloise said, “he’s just not good enough at avoiding getting caught. I, on the other hand… Come on, Imelda. Let’s go to lunch.”

She laughed as they walked away, leaving behind a dumbstruck Sebastian. He shook his head in disbelief and headed off to his next class.

next chapter

[beanghostprincess]

I'm turning that Sanuso Modern AU (In which they meet because Zoro forgets to pay at the Baratie and Usopp and Waiter!Sanji end up flirting all night while they wait for him to come back with the money) into a whole fic called "The very first night" that will approximately have 9 chapters and it's actually about Sanji going on a quest trying to find Usopp again and failing miserably. Congratulations, y'all have convinced me to write a long fic when I usually write one-shots. Let's see how this turns out!

[kyouka-supremacy]

Thoughts on akutagawa being drawn with no highlights in his eyes, hair, coat, or on rashomon,,,like everything is drawn pure black? I like when he's drawn a little bit like not-human--contrasts real well with Atsushi's dilemma of being a tiger, personally thinking. Also like when he's drawn like a void. Little bit like the cryptid creachur he is. I think you wrote something about it in the tags on panels in his introduction in the Manga. I like to think other characters also see him the way we see him so his void ass scares the fuck out of others too. Man's skeevin and tweakin even in his design

I'm OBSESSED with Akutagawa's design. Look at him. This is what he looks like on a white background:

And this is what he looks like on a black background:

It's BRILLIANT. He literally disappears in the black. He's the ultimate monster. In his appearance, he embodies what above all is most scary for the human psyche: the darkness, the unknown. The way Harukawa took advantage of the the art rule of never using pure black by breaking it in the most clever way! No light gets reflected on him, because his form absorbs everything– is absolute darkness. Visually, his figure itself is Rashomon eating everything it encounters, and it's genius.

He is so nightmare coded. I love his big, inscrutable eyes that look like two voids, two black holes. I love how oftentimes you can't tell where Rashomon ends and where he starts, I love how sick and unhealthy he looks. I love how he looks scruffy like an abandoned dog. I love how young he looks– way younger than he is. It gives the impression of a ghost, someone who was killed before growing up and is now stuck with his young appearance no matter how many centuries pass.

I adore everything about these chapter 33 pages. The way he initially appears as just a single black shape, hardly resembling a human. His crunched, unnatural stance. The staggering. The way you can feel with your senses the thick and sticky blood. The top picture is the left page of the manga, so just imagine the visual impact of turning the page to be hit with an almost full-black page- it's meant to impress, it's meant to shake. The way he's one with the darkness: no textures on him, only white making out his outlines. The way you can't tell where his coat ends. His left arm hanging numb, limp, lifeless, inhuman. The spurts of blood on his face. His smile, how you won't notice it at first and how that makes it all the more disquieting; its juxtaposition with the violence that surrounds him and that he is the cause of. The way he covers his face, the impressions of hiding and looming. His face being split, which only adds to the horror elements. Akutagawa's character design as a whole is an ode to the gothic and grotesque.

And then this. Hello??????????????? The progression from how Akutagawa used to be to the last time we saw him alive is astonishing. It's upsetting. It really makes me wanna cry from a technical execution standpoint alone (imagine from a plot related standpoint). All the black is now replaced with predominant white, everywhere. His shirt is white and candid and pure, emphasizing contrast with the splash of blood in a way that almost results sickening. The blood on him is his this time. His face looks rounder, and healthier, and he overall looks more mature. His smile is sincere and genuine, it's light, it's affectionate. This scene is the culmination of Akutagawa's character both visually and thematically: the monster, Akutagawa, too, can be good, and arguably had good within him since the very start. Does it really matter if he lives after this? His character already developed to be the best version of himself‚ and this panel here is the proof.

Further readings: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)

[yolowritter]

Could this be joy?

Hello there everyone! How are you? So, I've been gone a few days because of battling Writer's Block for my fic. Long story short, I'm fine now! And the house didn't burn down! But I'm making this post because of my amazing friend Vega, who is the bestest best person to ever exist in the history of ever! You can find her on Twitter (@vegabegabego), and she and I got to talking about a little something! Low and behold, Vega drew me an aged-up Marinette as Hawkmoth! Because of course she did! I got her permission to share it with everyone, and it's really, really cool! She looks so menacing I love it! And this cured my Writer's Block!

[wings-of-waffles]

i have drawn these two enough to simplify them into like 9 to 15 lines each,, they've never even met what am i doing with my life