#the level of detail they put into both the designs and animation of the outfits is insane | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

gaymer-hag-stan · 1 year ago

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Okay so, now that the situation has settled down a bit, I would like to put my two cents in.

In case you are unaware, some weird Twitter drama went down the other day regarding Lara's sexualisation that resulted in a beloved community member, Nicole Bounxe, who is always positive and seems to only have nice things to say about all eras or the franchise and all versions of Lara, and makes some of the greatest edits and content in the community, being called a "porn addict".

Nicole shared this post on Twitter.

First of all, yes, if Tomb Raider: Underworld had at least one more year in the oven to get polished out it would have been peak Tomb Raider gameplay. Period.

The video in the above tweet is gameplay from the first location of the game, a submerged temple in the bottom of the Mediterranean sea.

Obviously, since this is an underwater level, Lara is wearing a wetsuit. Now, this is arguably a much more sexier wetsuit than the ones she's worn before.

Here are all three Classic wetsuits. The one on the top is from Tomb Raider II, bottom left one is Angel of Darkness and the one on the right is the one featured in the above video.

We can all definitely see that, while all three serve the same practical purpose of exploring the games' respective underwater areas, the outfit chosen for the same purpose got sexier and sexier across the years. The second wetsuit is unzipped to reveal her breasts and then Underworld's wetsuit retains this detail and also completely removes the leg part of the outfit. These changes serve zero purpose other than to make Lara look sexier.

And that's fine. I have in the past shared my view on female sexualisation in games. It's perfectly fine to enjoy sexualised female designs if we, at the same time, also accept that there's a huge possibility of over-sexualisation devaluing the brand. Some people, Tomb Raider fans in this case, have a huge problem with even accepting that Lara was ever sexualised. Or, only acknowledge it when it's convenient for them.

Core purists for example insist that it is only Crystal Dynamics who sexualised Lara in-game and that Core never did and that the only sexualisation present during Core's era was in the suggestive pin-up style promotional material that Eidos, the publishers, not the developers, started creating after TR1.

That is false.

Core design gradually deepened Lara's cleavage in her main outfit, first in the TRII redesign and then even more in the Last Revelation redesign (see comparison of TR1, TRII and TLR Lara's in-game models below). Judith Gibbins, the TRII & TRIII voice actress, said that she was instructed to "sound sexy" while recording Lara's death clips. Her crawling animation across Core's games is pretty suggestive and not at all practical, she's just crawling on all fours. An FMV of teenage Lara almost getting topless in Chronicles. A cutscene of Lara being groped all over by Kurtis in Angel of Darkness in the pretext of him disarming her / frisking her for hidden weapons on her very exposed arms and very exposed navel. Angel or Darkness, an unfinished and rushed game, featuring fully functional breast physics both in-game and in cutscene.

TR1 In-Game Model - TRII Model - Last Revelation

You can also see how they started making her shoulders and waist smaller to make her breasts look bigger. Last Revelation's model even features a "shiny" texture on her right breast and you can see the outlines of her butt cheeks on her shorts.

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Judith Gibbins' interview where she mentions how she was instructed to "sound sexy" while dying. It's a great interview in general, give it a watch!

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The introductory cutscene for Chronicles' Ireland levelset where a teenage Lara almost removes her top.

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The very awkward first interaction between Lara and Kurtis where he gropes her and she, uncharacteristically, does nothing about it.

Worth noting that a lot of Core purists like to point out that these cutscenes were outsourced and that, for the latter in particular, the animators responsible misunderstood the scene and thought they were meant to be lovers (which makes zero sense to me and you can clearly see how uncomfortable Lara looks throughout the whole ordeal). But even if that is the case, at least ONE person in Core Design must have had to inspect them and they either thought that these two scenes were fine (they're not) or, even worse, that Core didn't check the cutscenes that would go in their own game at all. Even if both of these specific titles were made under extreme duress and are the two least critically acclaimed games in the series for very good reasons, saying that Core didn't make the cutscenes is at the same time both not an excuse and also makes them look incredibly stupid for not at least checking them.

Crystal on their part are responsible for Lara's most sexualised main outfit in the form of the Legend outfit (cleavage, midriff exposed, shorts considerably shorter than any other pair she has ever worn), ironically designed by Toby Gard who, allegedly, left Core Design after work on TRII began because he did not agree with Lara's sexualisation, among other reasons... Even though he was also responsible for the size of her breasts in TR1...

Yeah Toby is a gem 🤣😅😭

They of course also retained breast physics throughout Legend, Anniversary and Underworld, and even included idle animations where Lara stretches and bounces up and down, making her breasts visibly bounce alongside the rest of her body. They included the notorious evening dress in Legend (plunging neckline that goes below her breasts, whole back exposed and she then proceeds to rip it on the sides, fully revealing her see-through laced boxer-style panties), the aforementioned Wetsuit in Underworld and, of course, bikini DLCs for Underworld! In Legend you could only wear two unlockable bikinis in her manor, but in Underworld you can wear them in the Mediterranean, in rainy Mexico, in the Arctic circle etc.

In conclusion, all companies responsible for the development and publishing as well as licensing of the Tomb Raider and Lara Croft IPs from 1997 to 2008, steadily and surely sexualised Lara progressively more, resulting in a very false narrative according to which Classic TR and Lara were nothing but a sexual fantasy created for the male gaze, a narrative which was in the past adopted by certain Crystal Dynamics executives themselves while promoting the Rebooted games and redesigned Lara and often weaponized by Survivor fans to diminish Classic Lara as nothing more than a sexual fantasy.

This is also factually untrue, because although sexualisation was present in the games and not just in the promotional material like many Core and / or Classic purists suggest, it was never the main focus.

Lara is presented at all times as the most clever and capable individual in the room, always bests female and male allies and adversaries alike, both in wit and skills and has never had a sexual partner, male or female. The only form of media where Lara is actually engaging in sexual acts with men is the Top Cow Comics and the Angelina Jolie movies, and while both are a big part of the overall brand, they are non-canon, as far as the games are concerned.

Then there is a whole other subset of Classic fans who refuse any sexualisation ever took place, which, as I've already stated, is not true, either for Core's or Crystal's games.

I think it's also worth pointing out that a huge portion of the hardcore Tomb Raider fanbase is made up of gays and women. So even if we accept that Classic TR and Classic Lara were made with nothing but the male gaze in mind, she sure as hell managed to win tons of loyal fans who love and idolize her and her games in spite of that. Various female fans have also expressed how Lara's classic look and demeanour is very inspiring and empowering to them. Lara can be sexualised and an inspiration at the same time. This is clearly far from a black or white, this or that type of issue.

Now, let's go back to Nicole's clip. Another issue other than the outfit itself, is that whenever Lara starts to climb walls or ladders or even sprint, the camera will zoom right up her butt. This is an issue prevalent in Legend and Anniversary, and even Last Revelation to a smaller extent, but is made extremely obvious in Underworld. Fun fact, the camera work for Underworld? Also Toby "I-Don't-Agree-With-Lara-Being-Sexualised" Gard's work.

Now, I am very grateful for what Toby has done for both Tomb Raider and Lara Croft, but I do feel like he can come off as very entitled sometimes. To me it feels a little bit like he may not be ok with Lara being sexualised... When it's not done by him 👀

Anyways, that's mere speculation on my part.

So, what happened next is that this person quote retweeted Nicole's above video and had this to say

I wanna make this 100% clear, she has EVERY RIGHT to say this and in spirit I do agree with it. Under no circumstances, do not send her any unnecessary hateful comments. That is not the point to be made here.

Once again, my personal belief is that we should acknowledge that female sexualisation is rampant in video games but that it's also ok to enjoy said games and characters. However, I am a gay man. I am not a woman so I will never experience any of the effects of sexualisation of women in games and media in general.

My only issue with this tweet Is that it seems to completely ignore the context of why Lara is in a wetsuit. The fact that she is in a sexy wetsuit and that the camera automatically zoomed in on her butt is nothing but sexualisation. But like I said before she is exploring an underwater temple. So the wetsuit itself as a concept makes perfect sense.

Furthermore, many of the people who replied to this tweet and the ones who proceeded to directly attack Nicole's own seem to have no context at all and make assumptions of this being a modded outfit and that therefore this can only be a horny person putting Lara in ridiculous outfits just to get off. Which Is of course not true.

In conclusion, context matters. In this case, Lara being sexualised is a fact, but at the same time the people who attacked Nicole ignore that she is wearing a wetsuit because she is exploring an underwater area and proceed to make assumptions while continuing to ignore the fact that, if the camerawork wasn't ridiculous and the wetsuit itself was similar to TRII's, practical and not made sexier for the sake of being sexier, this would't count as sexualisation.

Nicole's response to this whole mess was perfect. Couldn't expect Nothing else from her.

If you made it this far congratulations.

I have nothing more to say other than you should preorder the Tomb Raider I-III Remaster collection that will be released on the 14th of February (Lara's birthday!) for PC, PS4, Xbox One and Switch, and that you should also campaign on the official Tomb Raider social media for a Tomb Raider Legend, Anniversary, Underworld trilogy remaster to follow next!

Thank you and happy new year 🎊🎉

#Tomb Raider #Lara Croft #Lara Croft Tomb Raider #Tomb Raider: Underworld #Twitter #X #Nicole Bounxe #Drama #Feminism #Sexualisation #Objectification #Male Gaze #Sexism #Discourse #Video Games #Gaming #Youtube

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isopodshenanigans · 2 years ago

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The discord server voted for meet the stuffed animal(kind of, it was a big tie) so here we are! In trying to take pictures for this I ended up with three separate days worth of material, so there'll be more stuff from this photo session next week and the week after!

Meeting Exxa! My crocheted Centaur stuffed animal. She has 1 white foot because I wanted to give her one white foot. Her tail is also white and brown streaked! Kitsune, Cosmic, Isolotl, Axo, Ace, and Squishy had to stack up high just to try and get vaguely level with her. Too bad they're so smol. (They had to be stabbed onto toothpicks to get them to balance like that, trying to stack small not at all flat things is hard without internal support. Don't worry, they're all okay, they don't have internal organs)

Whoops they fell over, oh no.

Meeting my look-alike doll Alexis and my mom's doll Clara! Aren't their couches cute? Both of them have numerous clothing choices, but aren't their current outfits adorable?

Kitsune over here getting awfully close to Clara's face, Squishy intruding on her lap, Axo on the back of the sofa, and Ace sitting like a reasonable isopod. Cosmic's investigating the books on the table, and Isolotl is happily sitting in Alexis' lap.

A lil close up shot of Isolotl and Alexis! (Note on this one, I had to basically tie Alexis to the chair so she'd stay sitting like that and not straighten out like she wanted to. Clara didn't have this problem because she has a wire skeleton)

Closer up shot on Clara and the other lil isopods. Note the detail that's nigh impossible to see on the books and just pretend they look really cool, because they do. They're home-made tiny books too, mind you.

Clara was trying to put the blanket *on* one of them, but it seems Axo and Ace have misunderstood and now Axo is ontop of the blanket, and Ace has moved to ontop of the couch.

This is Kaiju! He's a close cousin of these little tiny isopods. I do have another couple isopod sizes, but this is the most dramatic size difference. Kitsune and Squishy of course have no fear and have hopped up ontop, while the others look on in some worry. (Fun fact here is that Kaiju isn't for sale because of his size! Big yarn comes in large skeins, yes, but there's a lot less yarn in those skeins. So while he doesn't use much more yarn then the lil guys, compared to how much yarn is in a skein, he does use more. Also trying to make him made my hands hurt, so that's also no bueno)

Another friend! This is a seal I got from a zoo gift shop. Isn't it cute? It's a very good cuddle buddy as demonstrated by Axo and Isolotl under its fins, and Kitsune and Squishy balanced precariously on its head. Ace and Cosmic are reasonably a bit more cautious.

Having fun using the seal's back as a slide! Who knew seals made such good slides? First picture has Isolotl at the seal's head while Kitsune is at the bottom fins, second pic has Isolotl in the process of going down the back, while the third and fourth pictures have Ace on the head and Isolotl getting to the bottom.

Also from zoo gift shops, although from different ones, we have Emperor and CT! Emperor is an emperor penguin chick, and CT is a black-footed penguin by design but is named after a humboldt penguin in the zoo I got him from, also named CT. The penguin he was named after was such a hoot to watch and really enjoyed the tassle on the end of my pen. It was really funny and adorable.

Finally, we have my Waddles family! Yes I have three Waddles, all in different sizes. No regrets. The smallest Waddles in the middle is actually well over a decade old, I got em back when I was very little while I was taking piano lessons. The clip on its head has long since broken off, but that's alright. If you'll note the eyes aren't sparkly, that really notes how old these beanie boos are lol. First picture is the three isopods lined up in front of the three Waddles, the largest one on the right, medium on the left, and the smallest one in front. Second picture has Squishy ontop of the medium one's head, Kitsune on the biggest one's head, and the other four in a row on the bottom going Axo, Cosmic, Ace, and Isolotl.

#Includes Not Isopods #crochet isopods #kitsune #squishy #shenanigans of the highest order #shenanigans #Axo #Ace #Isolotl #Cosmic #CT #Emperor #Exxa #Clara #Alexis #Seal #Waddles

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ewingstan · 2 years ago

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Worm and Costumes, pt. 1

(pt. 2 here!)

I’m really starting to admire how well the costumes in Worm say so much about their characters. You’d obviously want this, since a good superhero/villain costume is always supposed to represent a person well, but this can often get lost due to aesthetic trends or demands for matching outfits or a need to have a level of asthetic cohesion for a group. Worm uses its “no themed teams” rule to let costumes’ symbolic meanings shine, giving us a masterclass in how to use costumes both for blunt metaphor and subtle characterization.

Looking at each of the core Undersiders’ in turn: we have Brian’s motorcyclist outfit, almost unrecognizable as a costume if not for the sculpted skull visor. This makes it feel almost ad-hoc; you could picture Brian starting out his criminal career, not having anything to protect his identity, so just putting on his helmet and calling it a day, modifying it with the skull once he had enough money from jobs. It helps sell how the Undersiders started out as something approaching goons-for-hire, with its leader looking like the souped-up version of the comic book henchman wearing their usual duds plus some clown makeup/animal mask/whatever they need to nominally fit their boss’ theme. At the same time, like Brian, it’s incredibly practical—it protects the head and provides great anonymity while still being intimidating. The way it seeks to intimidate, too: the intense machismo of the outfit, motorcycles and skulls and darkness, all of which is ultimately just hiding him, is really indicative of his specific damage. Grue’s outfit is the most imposing, but it also is the most covering, the most padded, the one that reveals the least of its wearer.

Then we have Tattletale’s domino mask and purple/black skintight bodysuit. Its probably the most stereotypically “comic book”-looking costumes of anyone, just loud and colorful and completely impractical for crime, which works with how much she commits to the cops-and-robbers theory of capedom. The out has very little obvious utility—it doesn’t even seem like it would do a good job at hiding her identity!—but that itself is a statement of confidence. It says “I know you’re not gonna do any lasting damage, and you know I don’t need to get physical to hurt you.” And the seeming failure to protect her civilian identity is misleading: yeah, she only has a domino mask, but its specifically designed to highlight parts of her face to suggest a whole different structure (not to mention her being meticulous about keeping different hair styles for her cape and civilian identity). It’s much like how Lisa’s seeming openness is a steel trap: she’ll delight in giving you all the details, and then you’ll end up blindsided learning “oh she’s only been letting us think she’s a psychic” or “oh Lisa Wilbourn isn’t actually her real name” or “oh she knew about my plan to betray her from the beginning.”

On the other end of the spectrum, we have Rachel’s incredibly minimal costume: just a cheap dog mask from the dollar store bin, worn with her civilian heavy coat and boots. Its brash, its crude, the effect worn together is more a slasher villain look than a supervillain ensemble. Its a nominal costume, less a nod to the rules than a thumbing of the nose towards it, which is appropriate: Rachel has no cape/civilian identity split, what with her identity and background being public knowledge, and she has the least patience for the cops-and-robbers game than any of the Undersiders. If she wasn’t reigned in by Brian and the others, she probably would have been in the birdcage or on a kill list by the story’s start. Its no wonder she doesn’t bother with the mask half the time; she has little understanding and no patience for the unwritten rules of the game they’re all playing. For her, its not a game at all.

In contrast, its clear from Regent’s costume that its all a game to him. He wears the carefree dress of some young prince out of a story book, what with his loose white shirt and silver diadem. His Venetian mask makes it seem like every caper may as well be a trip to the masquerade. It suggests a spoiled demeanor, undue confidence built from a privileged upbringing, while also hinting at a cruel and hedonistic streak often seen in the wealthy and aimless. At the same time, we find out quickly that his costume has a purposefully misleading exterior: his mask is padded, his loose shirt hides a bulletproof vest and his scepter doubles as a taser against the unsuspecting. Jean-Paul himself narrates for us how his tuned-out, playful demeanor lets him hide the more horrifying things he gets up to, and his costume similarly is used to paint over a man with more skin in the game than he lets on, ready and eager to strike out against the unsuspecting.

Most tantalizing for analysis, we have Taylor’s costumes. The way its initially presented (ooh, its grey because I haven’t gotten better dyes yet, I mostly just worked on it in the garage during my free time, I haven’t actually worn it out on patrol or anything) makes it seem slightly dinky and novice-level, and it is—as a hero costume. As a villain costume, it ends up working perfectly. It’s shortcomings as a hero costume just create more opportunities for it to work as a statement for the Warlord of the Boardwalks; just like Taylor’s shortcomings do the same. Her costume is too dour to be light or inspiring, so she uses it to seem inhuman and frightening. Her powers don’t lend themselves to easy takedowns of her opponents, so she opts instead for ruthless takedowns. Her costume can’t let her mimic the beautiful, statuesque features of heroes, so she leans in the other direction and becomes as unsettling as possible, covering her gangly body in an always-writhing mass. She’s not a great public speaker, so she speaks through her minions, or through a jittering mass of bugs in her vague silhouette, or she gives patient, logical-sounding explanations that make you hate her even as her arguments sit in your head like a tick, growing larger as you feed it your doubt.

The match between appearance and methods only grows once she adopts the Weaver persona. The grey-and-electric blue color palate is supposed to signal her adoption of heroism, and while the color scheme is certainly more approachable and familiar, it also lacks the warmer colors of the old costume’s yellow goggles. And one of the aspects of Weaver that make people want more time devoted to this portion of the story is how despite now working for the “good,” Taylor is at her coldest, holding her new teammates at arms length while working them to the bone. At the same time, she has her fingers in more pies than ever: she is taking on dozens of criminal operations and wearing them down with attrition, confronting new and terrifying endbringers on a much more frequent basis, and trying to line up as many pieces as she can for the prophesied doomsday. What better way to symbolize how much she’s juggling than literally giving her more arms?

And then there are the parts that just scream their meaning at you. How she finds the initial version of the weaver costume ill-fitting and generic. How she now has a beetle emblem facing towards the sky, but it’s actually turned upside-down from its old orientation. How she goes back to the Skitter costume whenever she has something personal to fight for, when the undersiders are with her in the fray. Its great. It’s loud, it has no trace of subtlety, it is yelling what it want’s you to take away. Just like the best costumes do.

(pt. 2 here!)

#worm #wildbow #parahumans #this might be pretty surface-level analysis #but it was fun to write about all the same #leo says #leo reads worm

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doodlegirl12345 · 2 years ago

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Promise? {One Shot}

Ever had a project that it seems no matter what you do it seems that you can’t get it right. So when you finally do you get the biggest rush of euphoria when it finally clicks? Yeah that happened to me. Hello my everyone, here’s my last story of 2022, “Promise?”. I hope you like it. 💕

Also available on Wattpad

Promise?

Sentimentality.

Often people put deep meaning into material possessions to the point that some may feel entitled to dismiss others feelings due to that connection. From one person’s point of view it appears to be just a bracelet, a stuffed animal or even a tattered article of clothing. It could be seen as shallow, even distasteful, to place so much worth into one item. However for the owner in the event where the item either gets lost, stolen or destroyed. It would be on the same level of losing a piece of themselves. Due to the fact that a simple trinket can represent beloved individuals or the tribulations that one person can through.

It was the first Friday afternoon of the school year as Sabrina Raincomprix leaned up against her locker while chatting with her best friends: Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Alya Cèsaire and Kagami Tsurugi. The girls were surrounded in the Collège Françoise Dupont’s locker room as other students were packing up their things since the school day had ended mere minutes ago. Instead of her usual outfit, the redhead was wearing a soft yellow v-neck tulip sleeve blouse, a white floral patterned black knee length skirt, a thin black ribbon headband and simple silver stud earrings. Propped against her locker was a lemon yellow backpack with white roses patterned across the bag. Almost as if they were creating a new habit after packing up, her friends had convened at Sabrina’s locker to finish discussing the final details of the party they were attending later today.

“So what time should we arrive at Liberty for the twins’ party?” Sabrina asked Marinette.

“Since we are bringing the desserts Juleka had suggested around three thirty,” the designer replied. “So there’s a little prep time before the party around four. Kagami, Tatsu is still picking us up at three, right?”

“Correct, my mother scheduled Tatsu to pick us up at the bakery around three,” the fencer answered. “It did take a lot of convincing but she promised to follow through.”

“That means that everything should be set as my dad was up this morning working on the cupcakes,” Marinette assured them. “They should be already packed up when we get there.”

“Sounds like everything is finally aligning up for us,” Alya smiled. “That’s a good sign since what usually happens when we all get together.”

“Please don’t remind us,” Kagami sighed. “It took me nearly a month to eat pizza again after the Pizza Creature attack at Marinette’s slumber party.”

“I felt the same way even though I didn’t see much. But based on what everyone told me,” the designer shuddered. “I had to turn down Luka when he suggested going to that pizza place near the Seine during a date a week after. He understood but it was way too soon.”

“I will say that was pretty bad. But things turned out alright in the end,” Sabrina admitted. “Let’s try to be more optimistic here. I’m sure that Kitty Section is excited to perform today.”

“I know Adrien is,” Kagami played with the strap of her red and black checkered messenger bag. “He was elated after he finally convinced his father to cut back on the photoshoots and let him become an official member of the band.”

“I’m glad that he’s getting more freedom. It also benefits the band as both Rose and Luka have been waiting to add keyboard tracks to their music for a while but didn’t know anyone else who could do it,” said Marinette. “Both of them have been working on a new set of songs since early August.”

“You sure that is not the sole reason why this party is being thrown?” Sabrina teased.

“You know the party being thrown to kick off the new school year. Especially since not everyone is in the same class this year,” the designer lightheartedly nudged her. “Plus Luka invited some of his old classmates he had kept in touch with. The performance is just a perk.”

“I know I’m just messing around,” Sabrina chuckled. “Honestly, I’m just excited to be invited.”

“Perk or not, this will definitely give Nino some great shots for the Kitty Section documentary he’s been working on for that contest,” mentioned Alya. “He’s probably on his way to Liberty right now.”

“When is the deadline for that?” Kagami asked.

“It’s the thirtieth of next month, however he’s been using the majority of his free time to work on it,” Alya explained. “Right now he’s doing interviews with Kitty Section’s friends and fans.”

“He already got me to do it yesterday,” the redhead held up her hand. “We have to do so many takes since I’m not that great on camera. I probably wouldn’t have agreed to it if he wasn’t a friend.”

Things change, a sentiment that Sabrina had heard throughout her life. Although it wasn’t until a few months ago she truly understood what it meant. Over the summer, the redhead had broken off her toxic friendship with Chloé. She had befriended Marinette when paired with her for a history project during one of the weeks of the previous school year. At first there were mixed feelings with Sabrina integrating into the friend group but things overall smoothed over. To the point it wasn’t much of a surprise when she was invited to the twins’ back to school party on their houseboat.

The redhead had gotten particularly close with Alya and Kagami to the point she has considered them as her best friends along with Marinette. But one accomplishment that had to keep to herself was her status as the second bee miraculous holder. It happened the day that she and Marinette started to work on their project in the local park. Ladybug had approached her with the bee miraculous after her father was attacked by the villain, Lord Justice.

After some hesitation, Sabrina accepted the mantle becoming the heroine, Honeybee.

A mantle that she still holds today as this previous Wednesday Honeybee had to fight the villain Gator with Ladybug and Chat Noir in Paris’ sewers.

“We should head over to the bakery to wait for Tatsu,” suggested Marinette. “Is everyone ready to go?”

The other girls confirmed while Sabrina picked up her backpack, noticing that the front pocket was left completely wide open. Her stomach began to twist while she shoved her hand into her pocket, feeling nothing between her fingers. Panic began to blossom all over her face.

“What’s wrong?” the designer questioned as the redhead looked back at the girls.

Although the two had only been friends for just a few months Marinette could always read her panicked face.

“My bracelet isn’t here,” she told her.

“Bracelet?” Alya looked puzzled. “I don’t remember you wearing one today.”

“I kept it in my backpack. It’s a gift I got recently…from Delmar. So I can have it with me as often as possible. I had made a promise to keep it,” Sabrina explained. “It was in this pocket when I grabbed my stylus after lunch but I apparently forgot to zip it up and now it’s gone.”

“It must’ve fallen out,” the designer figured. “What does it look like?”

“It’s a black and gold crystal beaded stretch bracelet with a silver rose flower charm,” the redhead described. “It’s really sparkly.”

“That sounds easy to picture, so how about we look around the locker room since I might have fallen out,” instructed Kagami. “Sabrina check your backpack and locker just in case it was misplaced. Is that good for everyone?”

The others agreed as the group broke apart to search. Sabrina remained where she stood, opening up backpack and pulling out all the contents. After a few minutes the items laid on the wooden bench behind her. Side by side lay her school issued tablet in a yellow fabric sleeve case, her phone, a modern history textbook, a purple pencil case that had her stylus, a yellow spiral notebook, a travel size bottle of hand sanitizer and a plastic baggie of snickerdoodle cookies. She moved onto her lockers but got the same results as the backpack.

No bracelet.

While Sabrina returned her belongings back in her backpack, her friends returned with solemn looks on their faces.

“We didn’t see anything,” Marinette informed her.

“Neither did the few people around here that we asked,” added Kagami.

“Personally, I think that it’s in the back of the classroom,” insisted Alya. “We should go there next.”

“What about the party?” questioned the redhead. “The last thing I want is everything to be sidetracked because of me.”

Kagami pulled her phone from her blazer pocket, checking the screen. “It’s only two fifteen and Tatsu will stay idle at the bakery until we come.”

“I can text my dad that we are staying here longer than expected since he’s waiting on us because of the cupcakes,” Marinette grabbed her phone from her trademark pink backpack. “I doubt that he would mind.”

“I’ll also send something in the group chat about the possible delay,” Alya pulled her phone from her jeans pocket. “Don’t worry Sabrina we got your back.”

After the girls finished on their phones, the four friends grabbed their things and walked to their new classroom. On the way they had discussed possible methods of spitting up to search. Meanwhile Sabrina carefully retraced her steps under the thinly veiled hope that was just simply in the middle of the hall. But once the girls got closer to the classroom that hope vanished causing her to place a new one on the classroom. If not, she would be unsure how to forgive herself. She remembered the promise that she had made about that bracelet to keep and cherish it. Already she mentally kicking herself as unintentionally she had broken that promise in less than a week.

The four friends entered the classroom, it had a similar layout to Ms. Bustier’s classroom from the previous year. It had the same shared desk setup and the teacher’s desk in front of the blackboard. The teacher’s desk had a few things scattered across it such as a cup of wooden pencils with a silver pair of scissors that had a black leather blade cover. An opened grade book in the center, a small stack of papers and a black travel coffee mug. Alongside the desk stood a woman in her late thirties. She had long jet black hair pulled back into a low ponytail, ocean blue eyes and fair skin. The woman wore a black short sleeve blouse, a black and white vertical striped midi length skirt, simple black high heels.

This was Mrs. Burke, their new teacher for the school year.

“Oh hello girls,” the teacher smiled. “I did not expect to see you four until Monday. Is there something that I can do for you?”

“Hi Mrs. Burke,” Sabrina greeted. “I recently realized that my bracelet that I had in my backpack is gone. Is it possible we can look around here for it? If that’s okay with you.”

“Of course, I haven’t seen any bracelets but you all are welcome to look,” Mrs. Burke told her. “However, I do need to make copies for next week’s assignments. You can manage this without me, right?”

All the girls verbally agreed.

“Fantastic, I hope you can find your bracelet Sabrina,” the teacher scooped up the stack of papers into her arms. Once she approached the doorway the teacher called over shoulder before leaving. “Oh Chloé, I expect you to continue working on your sentences. Remember you owe me one hundred. Do not let your classmates distract you.”

At that moment all four of the girls whipped their heads around to see Chloé sitting at a desk in the second row near the windows. Suddenly a frosty presence was transmitted into the air. The mayor’s daughter’s glared at them, practically shooting daggers. If looks could kill all of them would’ve instantly faced a full blown massacre.

“Um let’s start searching,” Marinette instructed, attempting to cut through the frosty tension.

With that all the girls put their bags up against the classroom’s walls before scattering across the room. Sabrina started at the desk that she shared with Kagami. Alya stayed on the ground floor searching around Mrs. Burke’s desk. Marinette checked the steps while Kagami checked the desks near the windows. The goal was to leave no stone unturned. But it seemed that all four acquired a secondary goal: not giving Chloé a scrap of eye contact.

But for Chloé that was simply just a challenge.

“So, it’s nice to see that my shadow couldn’t stay away from me for too long,” piped up the mayor’s daughter.

Sabrina flinched, almost banging her head as she looked underneath her desk. For the past couple days when Chloé was around her there was the muttering of the word shadow. The animosity between them was palpable so the redhead tried to ignore it, knowing that this was Chloé’s way to get a rise out of her.

Although it would not be a lie to say those words do not still stung.

“But again it makes sense considering all those years that you’ve been following behind me,” the mayor’s daughter cackled. “You know what they say, old habits die hard.”

More like bad habits. Sabrina thought, wanting to tell her that out loud before shaking her head. No, I can’t let her distract me especially since the girls are willing to help out.

Sabrina took a deep breath while realizing that the bracelet was not under the desk. She moved down to the next desk in the row as Chloé continued her vile remarks. Each one felt like a tiny cut attempting to get underneath her skin. But after a moment of the mayor’s daughter tirade Alya quickly cut in.

“Chloé, don’t you have something better to do besides spitting all that venom?” the reporter questioned. “From what I heard you have sentences to do for Mrs. Burke. Much more constructive use of your time don’t you think?”

“You have a lot of nerve since you four caused me to serve after school detention in the first place!” Chloé snapped. “All because everyone can’t take a joke.”

“A joke?” Kagami called out from the back of the classroom. “You’re lucky I did not send you the dry cleaning bill for my skirt!”

The mayor’s daughter smiled. “Just think of me doing you a favor. One less chance of making a fashion mistake. Red plaid is so last season.”

“That response shows you haven’t learned your lesson,” the fencer insisted. “No wonder Mrs. Burke had to write it out on the chalkboard.”

Sabrina looked up from the desk she was peering under to see on the blackboard written largely in chalk: I will not play pranks on my classmates. They’re mean sprinted, disruptive and unnecessary.

All this had started on Monday, the first day of school. Sabrina had outright ignored Chloé to sit Kagami to become desk mates for the school year. The mayor’s daughter was stunned from what seemed a complete betrayal.

Especially since she had told Sabrina that she needed to return to her senses by the start of the school year. However the resentment did not fully materialize until Wednesday. When the class had returned from lunch. Kagami sat down at their desk only to leap up in shock.

The back of her skirt was drenched with a thin pink liquid. The class was confused while Sabrina noticed the bench was covered with strawberry and banana smoothie.

“It’s only fair, you were one of the people who brainwashed Sabrina against me,” Chloé told her.

“Is that what you think happened?” asked the redhead.

“Of course why else you mentioned to Mrs. Burke that strawberry and banana smoothie are one of my favorites drinks linking me to what happened,” she told her. “Instead of keeping your trap shut like usual.”

“I’m not brainwashed. I did that on my own volition.“

“That sounds like what a brainwashed person would say, Shadow.”

“Or it’s because she doesn’t believe your self centered conspiracy theories,” said Marinette while she stood in the back of the classroom. “Also stop calling her that. You of all people know her name. By calling her Shadow just shows how petty and immature you are.”

“Shut it Dupain-Cheng,” the mayor’s daughter hissed. “You and Cèsaire didn’t help being one of the first pointing fingers at me.”

“It wasn’t that hard considering you were the only one cracking jokes at Kagami’s expense,” the designer reminded her.

“Not only that, you were the only one who wasn’t in the cafeteria at lunch. You also have a driver on call and there’s a smoothie shop a few blocks away from here,” Alya added. “Besides you pulled a similar stunt this time last year. It’s just this time you didn’t have anyone take fall for you.”

“At least the class got to watch you clean up your mess with the supplies from Mr. Haprèle,” said Marinette.

“Too bad I had to miss it because I had to change. Luckily, I had some clothes as I was going to do some practice with Adrien after school. Since fencing starts back again next week,” Kagami approached Chloé’s desk. “But I’m actually surprised that you got detention. From what I heard you’re made out of solid Teflon. Nothing usually sticks to you.”

“Don’t act so smug,” Chloé snapped. “The reason why I’m serving detention is because my mom wants to look good for Mrs. Burke. So in her words she won’t be embarrassed.”

“I never would’ve thought that your mom was the type that cares about teachers,” said Marinette.

“She doesn’t, Mrs. Burke was an old work colleague of hers before going into teaching. Her mother also works in the publishing industry and even gave her an internship during university,” the mayor’s daughter folded her arms across her chest. “She’s practically an old family friend. If this was anyone else the whole thing would’ve been wiped off my record. So, what do you have to say for yourselves?”

“That Mrs. Burke is now one of my favorite teachers and I haven’t known her for a full week,” said Alya.

“Why you little-“ Chloé started to hiss.

“Girls, can we have a word please?” interrupted Kagami.

The three remaining girls exchanged confused looks with each other. But still followed the fencer as she walked down from the desk platform and toward the classroom’s open doorway.

“Kagami, is everything okay?” Sabrina asked. “Did you find the bracelet?”

“Sabrina, this bracelet we are looking for. It’s not rare or unique is it?” Kagami asked. “You can just find it at any boutique downtown right?”

“No, based on what I was told. It’s pretty unique and was made specifically just for me,” the redhead told her. “Why do you ask?”

The fencer frowned. “I think that Chloé is wearing your bracelet.”

“What?” the redhead whirled around to face Chloé had returned back to her writing.

The mayor’s daughter’s dominant hand was busy holding the pencil she was writing with. While her other hand rests on the desk, around the wrist of a gorgeous black and gold beaded bracelet with a sterling silver rose charm in the center.

It was her beloved bracelet.

The redhead stood there baffled, wondering why she hadn’t seen it before. The feeling of dread surrounded her like a cape. She looked at her friends who had concerned expressions on their faces. It’s like they knew exactly what she was feeling but seemed unable to articulate what to say.

Sabrina’s feelings of dread quickly burned into anger. “Of course it had to be with her! It couldn’t be on the floor or the middle of the street. No, it would be too easy. It had to be with Chloé Bourgeois!”

“Did someone say my name?” called out the mayor’s daughter from behind her.

The redhead flinched realizing that she had summoned her former friend. She took breath before plastering a pleasant smile on her face and whirling herself around to Chloé.

“Uh…hi Chloé,” she said.

“Yes Shadow, what do you want?” Chloe demanded. “Have you come to apologize for all that you had done these past couple months?”

Suddenly Sabrina’s hands balled into fists causing her fingernails to dig into her skin creating half moons indents in her palms. “Actually I would like to know where you got that bracelet? It’s really pretty.”

“Isn’t it?” Chloé beamed, holding up her wrist with the bracelet. It sparkled in the sunlight that streamed from the windows. “Unlike what most people think, I only deserve the best.”

“Can I ask where you have gotten it?”

“That’s on a need to know basis and you of all people you certainly don’t need to know. You have been pitifully trying to copy my color scheme for months. The last thing you need is more ammunition.”

“I like to think that it is important for me to know. Since that is my bracelet on your wrist.”

The mayor’s daughter’s eyes widened for a few seconds before it shifted into a frosty glare. “Well we know what people say finder’s keepers.”

Marinette scoffed. “Why am I not surprised that it came out of your mouth, Chloé?”

“It’s because in many places possession is nine tenths of the law, Dupain-Cheng,” Chloé pulled her wrist protectively towards her chest. “That’s something I figured your friend would know since she’s the daughter of a cop and all.”

“This is really rich considering the stir you caused on career day last year,” Alya pointed out. “If things went your way the whole class would’ve been arrested if that meant finding your bracelet.”

“Well that’s different since that was then and this is now,” the mayor’s daughter told her.

“Hypocrite,” said Kagami.

“It’s better than being a loser like you,” Chloé snapped back.

“Alright, Chloé can I have my bracelet back please,” Sabrina attempted to do damage control. Even though she agreed with her friends’ statements. “I would really appreciate it.”

“I don’t think that’s not a good idea, especially since I found it on the ground here, completely discarded. It would be better if I just kept it. Since I take good care of my things.”

“It was an accident!” the redhead hissed before taking a deep breath. “Look Chloé, we are not doing this again. It was already getting old when we were little.”

“Do what? I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“Don’t act dumb, you know what I’m talking about. Throughout our friendship every time that I had something you wanted. You would convince me that I didn’t deserve to have it and force me to give it to you. Or the item would suddenly disappear to never be seen again. Do the gifts from my aunt and care packages from my grandparents abroad not ring a bell? I let it slide since we were friends but not now. So give me my bracelet back!”

Chloé just smirked. “You seem upset. What’s so special about this bracelet that got you so worked up?”

“It was a gift…from Delmar,” Sabrina sighed. “It’s specifically made for me in mind during the process and design. So you see that was never meant for you to wear. At this point it only makes sense for you to give it back.”

“Oh so this is from your boyfriend in New York? No wonder you’re so frustrated by the idea that a heartbroken Delmar realizes what a terrible girlfriend you are for losing his gift. That must be tearing you up inside.”

The fencer injected. “Chloé can’t you give this a rest?”

“I’m just vocalizing what she’s probably thinking,” said the mayor’s daughter.

“That’s one thing I know about Shadow that you three probably don’t. She’s always so hard on herself. Isn’t that right, Shadow?”

Sabrina glared at her. “I just want my bracelet back, Chloé.”

“Well that actually can be arranged depending on what you are willing to do for it.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means that I’m offering a proposition. If you make me promise and follow through. I’ll give you back the bracelet without any further questions asked.”

“That sounds like blackmail especially coming from you.”

“What was your first clue? So do we have a deal?”

“Depends on what you are asking for.”

“It’s not much, it’s just I heard from the grapevine that Luka and Juleka are having a party today. Now I don’t know how those silly twins thought they could have a decent party without inviting Chloé Bourgeois.”

Sabrina’s face bloomed with complete panic. “No.”

“Let me finish, the details are important,” the mayor’s daughter wore a malicious smirk. “I want you four to take me to this party and make sure that I am allowed to stay. If you are able to do it, I’ll give you the bracelet back at the end of the night.”

“Chloé, I’m only a guest. I have enough control of the guest list as you do. There will be a higher chance of me being asked to leave with you than you being allowed to stay.”

“Wow you hanging out with those losers really had made you soft. You were so much more cunning. It seemed that you forgot your besties with one of the co-hosts’ girlfriends. Everyone usually gives Dupain-Cheng whatever she wants. I’ll doubt her boyfriend would be any different. All she has to do is say a few sweet words and flutter her eyelashes. After that I’m sure Luka wouldn’t mind one more guest.”

“The problem with that plan is unlike you. I don’t manipulate others to do my bidding, Marinette glared at her. “And I wouldn’t manipulate Luka especially on your behalf!”

“I guess that means you don’t care about your friend like I thought,” the mayor’s daughter told her.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that!” the designer cried out. “I do care about you, Sabrina. She’s just twisting my words-“

“It’s okay,” the redhead assured her. “I knew what you meant.”

“Well if that’s too much for everyone there’s always a second option you can do,” Chloé interjected. “There are a few things that I need done for a while. My closet needs to be organized and my magazines are out of order. Not to mention since school started homework needs to be done.”

Sabrina felt her stomach twist into a knot. “You want me to reprise my role as your little lapdog. That’s what you are trying to say, aren’t you?”

“When you put it that way it sounds mean. But at the same time reprise seems like the right word. So do we have a deal?”

“Uh…I…” the redhead was completely shaken. “I need to talk to my friends since depending on what I choose it will affect them.”

Chloé returned to her writing. “Fine, but don’t take too long since my detention will end soon. I will need to notify my driver about a possible change of plans.”

Sabrina turned to her friends, who all three of them shared the same stunned expression as her.

“I’m so sorry I got you all in this terrible situation,” she apologized to her friends.

“No need to apologize,” Marinette reassured her. “I think that we all agreed that the first choice is the best option.”

“Definitely, no way we are doing option two,” Alya added. “The party is only a few hours while we don’t know how long Sabrina will be indebted if she agrees.”

“Personally, I think we should just charge and grab it back,” suggested Kagami. “It would be four against one.”

“With our luck we might break the bracelet in the process,” the designer warned. “Plus if Chloé screams she may alert the teachers who are still here. With Chloé’s influence we might get suspended or expelled if caught.”

“If that is the case we should notify Luka and Juleka of the situation immediately so they would not be blindsided,” said the fencer. “Tell them that we will owe them one.”

“We are going to bring Chloé,” the reporter groaned. “We are going to owe them at least one hundred.”

“We should take shifts watching her,” Marinette suggested. “I wouldn’t put it past her to pull something since she wasn’t originally invited.”

“So much for having a good time,” Kagami sighed.

This is all my fault. Sabrina thought. None of this would’ve happened if I was more careful. Now everyone’s afternoon will be ruined because of me.

She looked up at the clock that hangs over the door frame. Time had somehow slipped past her since it was already two forty five. The redhead felt eyes on her causing her to realize that Chloé was just sitting watching them. Glee filled her face like she was deriving pleasure from their panic.

At that moment Sabrina felt something inside her snap.

Her facial features sharpened as she stepped away from the group calling out to her former friend. “How long are we going to be doing this Chloé?!”

The mayor’s daughter looked stunned. “Excuse me?”

“I’m asking how long would I have to work for you if I choose option two?” Sabrina answered.

“Sabrina, what are you doing? We had already agreed you don’t have to do that,” Kagami asked, completely baffled.

“Yeah whatever you do don’t sell your soul to Ursula!” Alya exclaimed.

“Ursula!” Chloé slammed her hands on the desk. “How dare you compare me to that sea witch!”

“You two may not look alike but both of you sure have a knack for convincing redheads to accept crooked deals!” the reporter told her.

“Sabrina, don’t do this to yourself. The bracelet isn’t worth this,” the designer told her. “I’m sure that…Delmar would not want you to go through this. In fact he doesn’t even have to know.”

“But I will know. Look, I am the one who made this promise. So I should be the one to own up for this,” Sabrina told her friend.

“Do not think that I don’t appreciate what you three were willing for me. However this is my battle and I need to face it alone. So you need to trust me that I know what I’m doing.”

Marinette stared at her. Almost if she was reliving this conversation from a different life. After a few seconds of deliberation she gave a simple nod. With that the redhead turned away from her friends, taking her stride toward the mayor’s daughter’s desk.

“Glad to see that you had made a decision,” Chloé smirked, taking Sabrina’s hand once she approached. “Now we can pick up exactly where we left off.”

Sabrina yanked her hand from her former friend’s grip. “Except that will not be happening.”

“What? You promised to reprise your role.”

“As your unpaid servant. But I’m not your friend. Mainly because I don’t appreciate you using my friends as canon fodder. If you have a problem then take up with me directly as Sabrina not Shadow.”

“But I…”

“You what, you’re surprised? If that is the case you shouldn’t be. When I said that we were done after you came back from your trip. I take promises very seriously, including the one that I made to myself to never be your punching bag ever again.”

“What about my magazines and closet?”

“Oh don’t worry I will do that for you. I’ll even bring you some snickerdoodle cookies as I picked up baking over the summer. I can do that with no complaints.”

“What are you trying to prove here?“

“I’m just stating facts here, as this moment onwards this situation is transactional. I’m not doing this because I’m some sycophant that can’t last a day without a whiff of your lavish perfume. I’m doing this because I made a promise to someone special. And I’m sure as heck not going to let you interrupt that more than you already have. So if this deal is because you want to save a few euros by not going to the salon. So I can do your nails or it’s because your servants refuse to do my rainbow color coordination scheme for your closet that’s fine. But if this is what I think it is. For you to relive your glory days back when I was dependent on you. You will be wasting your time.”

“How dare you accuse me of something like that! I would never!”

“That the thing with you Chloé I’m unsure that you even know if that’s the truth or not. For years you thrived on having someone else underneath your heel,” Sabrina’s voice sounded like a blend of domineering and frustration. “Especially since the old Sabrina did nothing but give and give. Even the things she didn’t give you stood took. And how you thank her was treating her less than a person, practically subhuman. Do you know it’s like trying to understand algebra in a dark closet for multiple hours?”

“No I,” Chloé squeaked.

“Of course you don’t, as I would never have done that to you. It’s hard writing with one hand while holding your cell phone flashlight in the other trying doing two people’s work. It took a long hard reality check and being surrounded by amazing people that actually care about me to realize how toxic our relationship was. And you dare to try to hurt them through me?”

“You mean our friendship.”

“No, a friendship isn’t one-sided like we had. I was your friend Chloé but you were never mine. I have real friends now who were willing to sacrifice their whole evening to babysit you because of my mistake. That is one thing you need to realize. If I had to choose who saved first, the person in front of me or the three people behind me. I would pick them every time. So if this because there’s some chores that need to be done. That’s perfectly fine but my days of being in your shadow are over. You acted like this choice was that I would be stuck with you. Well it goes both ways. So you still haven’t answered my question. How long are you willing to do this?”

Chloé looked completely stunned before hissing. “You think that you are so special don’t you?”

Without another warning the mayor’s daughter stood up leaping over the desk sticking the landing on the classroom’s ground floor, surprising everyone. She darted toward Mrs. Burke’s desk pulling out the pair of scissors from the pencil holder and ripped off the cover. The girls ran over circling around her as she slipped off the bracelet and held it against the scissors.

“Don’t come any closer!” Chloé shouted. “One wrong move and I’ll cut it up in bits!”

“What are you doing Sabrina agreed to your terms!” Kagami exclaimed. “You owe her that bracelet.”

Marinette narrowed her eyes. “Except this was never about the bracelet, was it Chloè? This did not go as you imagined it, right?”

“I…I don’t know what you are talking about, Dupain-Cheng,” the mayor’s daughter stammered.

“Sabrina is right isn’t she? You really can’t thrive without someone under you. It explains your behavior this week with the smoothie, the blackmail and now attempting to destroy the bracelet. This is all about finding a new to hurt Sabrina to maintain your previous dynamic since she walked away. So this became your last resort, I’m I right?”

Chloé just glared at them, appearing unsure how to exactly answer. However the scissors still moved toward the bracelet.

“No!” Sabrina cried out.

“What in the world is going on here?” said a familiar voice from the doorway.

All the girls turned to see Mrs. Burke standing in the doorway with a large stack of papers in her arms. Her blue eyes were practically cracking with disapproval.

Chloé instantly dropped the scissors while wailing to the teacher. “Mrs. Burke, thank goodness you’re here. These girls have been harassing me since you left!”

“Oh you are such a liar!” said Alya. “If anything you’ve been harassing us!”

“All of you have been bullying me since you got here,” the mayor’s daughter slid the bracelet back on. “You tried to steal my bracelet!”

“If that’s the case why did you have scissors to chop it up?” the fencer questioned.

“I thought that was the only way you all would leave me alone,” Chloé turned to the teacher. “You have to believe me, you have known me for years.”

“I’m not sure that much of the accomplishment you think it is, Chloé,” said Mrs. Burke. “But girls, is what Chloé said true?”

“Of course not, Chloé found my bracelet and refused to give it back,” answered the redhead.

She told Mrs. Burke what had happened when she was gone. Although the mayor’s daughter attempted to interrupt multiple times Sabrina got her point across.

“Well it looks like we are at an impasse here. Now force someone else to hand over property unless I know for sure it belongs to another person,” Mrs. Burke sighed while placing the papers on her desk. “However, I do have a strong feeling of who’s telling the truth. Do either of you have any proof that the bracelet belongs to you.”

“Oh I do. It’s in my purse,” Chloé smirked before running over to her desk and pulling out a slip of paper in her purse. She walked back handing it to Mrs. Burke. “Here it is.”

“It’s a receipt from Gabriel’s Boutique,” the teacher read the slip out loud. “It has yesterday’s date and time stamped for last night at eight o’clock. Along with the word bracelet with the price tag two hundred and fifty euros.”

“See! It’s mine,” the mayor’s daughter told the teacher.

“That can be for any bracelet,” said Marinette.

“Maybe, but unless Sabrina has something to counter that,” informed Mrs. Burke. “I will have to take it.”

“I don’t have the receipt since it’s actually a handmade gift,” the redhead admitted.

“Oh no, Sabrina is caught up in a lie,” Chloé taunted. “I wish I had this on film!”

“Film!” the redhead exclaimed as an idea had struck her. “Mrs. Burke, can I make a phone call please?”

“Is it about the bracelet?” Mrs. Burke asked as Sabrina walked over toward her backpack and fished out her phone.

“Oh yes it is,” Sabrina selected one of her contacts and pressed her phone to her ear as it rang. “I may not have proof on me but I got a friend who does….hello Nino, thanks for picking up. Quick question: do you still have the outtakes of me from yesterday?”

A few moments later everyone huddled around Sabrina’s phone placed on Mrs. Burke’s desk as a video of the redhead started to play. She was wearing a bright yellow v-neck blouse with tiny black polka dots, black skinny jeans, a silver headband and black flats. She was nervously twirling the ends of her hair with the infamous bracelet around her wrist. It appeared to be mid-afternoon as Sabrina leaned against a brick wall while the sun rays caused the bracelet to sparkle.

“Are you okay?” asked the voice behind the camera.

It was Nino, after explaining the situation to him. He did not hesitate sending the outtake that she did previously for the Kitty Section documentary after hanging up.

“I’m just nervous,” Sabrina replied. “I just didn’t expect to see my Thursday afternoon like this. I’ve never been that good on camera. Are you sure that you want me of all people to do this? The last thing I want is to ruin this for you.”

“Don’t worry I’m not looking for world class acting here. Just act natural, since you’re a friend of Kitty Section not you qualify. Especially since you’ve been hanging out at a lot of practices with the others.”

“So that’s what I get for being a supportive friend, huh? Well it wouldn’t be the first time that has got me in trouble.”

“You’ll be fine, what we are doing right now can be a screen test to get familiar with the camera on you. So practice with what you are going to say.”

“Oh okay,” Sabrina took a deep breath while looking at the camera. “I have known the majority of Kitty Section for a while and I would like to think they are all great tens…”

“Wait, did you say tens?”

“You heard that too?” her face turned a deep shade of red. She looked down at her wrist almost as if she had gotten caught. “I mean to say friends. I thought I just heard wrong because I’m nervous.”

“It’s fine, even professionals need multiple takes. Besides, I’m thinking about changing the camera angle.”

“It’s probably the best since this bracelet has been sparkling too much,” the redhead slid off the bracelet. “I should’ve taken off after they approached me to do this. It’s not like I was wearing it the whole day anyway.”

“You sure? It looks fine on my end.”

“Yeah, I just don’t want to risk it especially since you said that you were going to put it on YouTube. Let me just put this in my backpack.”

Right at that moment the video cut off.

“Well that’s definitely more proof compared to a receipt,” Mrs Burke looked up from the phone toward Chloé. “Care to explain.”

“This video has to be edited!” the mayor’s daughter exclaimed.

“So you’re telling me that this video was edited to make it look like Sabrina was wearing a bracelet no one saw you wear until nearly an hour ago?” questioned the teacher. “Is that what you were trying to say?”

“Yes, because they’re all jealous of me!”

“Chloé stop, you’re done. It’s clear that this is Sabrina’s bracelet and you were using it to antagonize her and the others. Those foolish acts will not be tolerated in my classroom. So give Sabrina her bracelet back and apologize to her right now.”

The mayor’s daughter looked stunned; as if the teacher had just ordered her to run into oncoming traffic.

“I would like to think that you had heard me, Chloé,” Mrs. Burke spoke sternly. “Now apologize.”

Chloé grumbled while sliding off the bracelet and dropped it into the redhead outstretched hands. “I’m sorry that I took your bracelet and refused to give it back.”

“Well, I really appreciate your apology even if you needed a nudge in the right direction,” smiled the redhead.

The mayor’s daughter shot her a venomous look as if she wanted everything to burn.

Clearly this was not over.

“So Chloé please return to your seat as you and I will be having a long conversation about your actions,” the teacher folded her arms.

With that things came to a close. Time passed as the girls walked out of the Boulangerie Patisserie. Each one carried out a white bakery box filled with an assortment of cupcakes while approaching Tatsu who was sitting idle. Prior to carrying out the boxes the girls went upstairs placing their bags in the family living room. Sabrina placed her bracelet back in her backpack double checking that the pocket was zipped. With the acknowledgment the fact that large bodies of water and sentimental jewelry did not mix.

The four friends piled into the car as Kagami took the front passenger seat while the rest sat in the back. Alya took the left window seat, Marinette sat in the middle and Sabrina took the right window seat. Once everyone was buckled up and securing the bakery boxes on their laps Tatsu started to pull forward towards their destination.

Marinette checked her phone. “It’s only a little past three. We should definitely make it to Liberty prior to four.”

“I’m glad this nightmare is over,” Sabrina let out a sigh of relief. “I also want to thank everyone for helping me out and standing up for me.”

“It’s no problem,” said Alya. “That’s what friends are for. But it’s clear that you didn’t need too much help when you put Chloé in her place, yourself.”

“Oh definitely, I had never seen that side of you,” the fencer agreed. “It was like you were a completely different person.”

“Well you know what everyone says,” the redhead twirled her hair. “Everyone has a limit and Chloé has surpassed that. Especially since she was trying to pull you three into this. I rather deal with her myself then let everyone else suffer. But one thing that definitely got to do is thank Nino once we get to Liberty. I owe him one.”

“I’m sure he would consider you two even for yesterday,” the reporter assured her. “But if you want to get him something he likes Milo’s gummy worms from that corner store a block away from the school.”

“I’ll have a bag for him on Monday,” said Sabrina.

“I’m just keep thinking about that look Chloé gave you during her forced apology,” Marinette told her. “I don’t want to worry you but knowing Chloé this won’t be over. Especially depending on how harshly Mrs. Burke will chew her out.”

“You’re probably right but there’s at least a few things that Chloé knows now. I’m not scared of her anymore,” Sabrina smiled. “That I got at least four people who got my back. In addition, I will always value my friendships and possessions before even thinking about her. Refreshing since this time last year it was the other way around.”

Her friends smiled at the sentiment before switching to a more positive subject such as the party which Sabrina joined in. Tatsu paused at a stoplight as a group of kids crossed the street with backpacks presumably coming from school. Sabrina recognized a familiar face from the group which caused her smile once the car was allowed to coast through.

Two days ago.

Waves of ladybugs flew the afternoon sky of the city of Paris fixing the recent damages and misdeeds of the recent akuma attacks. A wave ran through a city block releasing the heroes Ladybug, Chat Noir and Honeybee. Along with the heroes was a young man who appeared to be in his early twenties. He had wavy brown hair, bright green eyes and fair skin. The young man was wearing a blue polo shirt, tan khakis, red canvas sneakers and a white lab coat. Pinned to his lab coat was a name tag with the name Chase written in black ink.

All four of them were brought from the city’s sewer that once was the domain of Chase’s former villainous persona, Gator. All the heroes had spatters of gray muck from the sewers on their suits. However, Honeybee had gotten the worst of it as she was covered head to toe in sewer muck.

So imagine her relief when the ladybugs washed over the heroes cleaning her off. The ladybugs ran through Honeybee’s black collared yellow jumpsuit with black full length gloves that had yellow fluffy pollen like cuffs. The suit’s bright yellow torso had a large black v-shaped stripe across the chest with two thinner stripes underneath. The lower half was black with knee high boots with yellow triangular bands at the knees and triangular at the bottom.

Before moving onto her face with her yellow and black mask with the colors divided longways. Lastly finishing with her long fiery red ponytail with jet black highlights that was pulled back by a black headband with ribbon like antennas and the golden bee themed hair comb on the right side of her head in one swift motion.

This lifted her spirits for only a few seconds before returning to the melancholy mood from before. Ladybug pulled out a green and yellow magical charm from her yoyo. She walked over to Chase to explain the charm properties. Meanwhile Honeybee stood waiting twirling the ends of her ponytail while thoughts of Chloé prank cloud her mind. Her hair comb let out a warning beep.

Chat Noir walked over to her holding up his hand for an fist bump. “Nice work, Honeybee.”

“Thanks,” the bee spoke softly while bumping his fist.

“Hey is everything okay? You’ve been acting down since the moment I saw you today.”

“My mood really gave it away didn’t it?”

“That and you screamed ‘this day just got worse’ when you landed in that lake of goo in the sewers. Besides, you don’t look like someone who wrestled an alligator man and won.”

“Oh please it was the venom that did him in.”

“You were the one who body slammed him into a wall.”

“It’s because it looked like a Gator was going to bite off your head like it was an animal cracker. I like to think that I speak for everyone that you look better with your head on.”

“Oh what is that a challenge?”

“Chat Noir, I swear if you get yourself hurt with you being reckless based on what I just said. The moment I find out head or not I’m gotta-“

“Do what? Depending on what happened, something or someone already did me in.”

Honeybee looked at him realizing the ridiculousness of this conversation causing her to laugh while shaking her head.

“Well, I got you to laugh,” Chat Noir smiled. “Did that make you feel a little better?”

“A little, it’s really not what anyone here did. It’s just some former friend trouble in my personal life,” Honeybee admitted. “That’s much that I can say without going into too much detail. Obviously it’s not as important compared to keeping Paris standing.”

“Well sorry about that. But as there’s always a chance today can get better,” the cat told her. It just happens when you usually expect it.”

“He got a point,” Ladybug approached them while Chase walked away in the opposite direction. “Things will get better.”

“Thanks for the sentiment but honestly we should get going,” the bee pulled the trompo off her waist while her hair comb beeped.

However before she could toss her weapon Honeybee heard someone calling out from behind her. “Wait Honeybee, please don’t go!”

The heroine turned around to see a young girl who looked about eleven years old running toward the heroes. She had deep brown skin, bright brown eyes and long gorgeous curly black hair that went down her back. The girl was wearing a lilac babydoll top, faded blue denim jeans, silver flats and had a purple messenger bag on her shoulder. She looked practically out of breath once she reached the heroes.

“Thanks for not leaving,” said the girl as stopped in front of them. However the moment she glanced at Honeybee she appeared starstruck. “Oh…uh…I mean hi.”

“Hi,” the bee looked confused. “Is there something that I can do for you?”

“Oh no, you have literally done enough. No I don’t mean that,” the girl put her head in hands. “Oh my gosh I didn’t expect to get so flustered when doing this. You know what never mind sorry for wasting your time-“

However before the girl could walk away the bee gave her a small smile. “Don’t worry, I know what that’s like. Just take a deep breath then speak.”

The girl appeared surprised but took a long deep breath before breathing out. After that she looked a little more relieved.

“So what do you need?” asked the bee. “If I can’t handle it I’m sure my teammates can.”

“Always wanted to talk to you. My name is Lydia, you probably don’t remember me. You saved me from that collapsing building near the park a few weeks ago.”

“Right, I think I remember. It was during that Collision Man attack, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah! There was so much going on. I never got the chance to thank you.”

“Oh it’s okay, trust me the reason why I put on this mask is not for praise. Just knowing that you didn’t get hurt is enough.”

“But I have something to give you,” Lydia opened her bag and dug through it to pull out a small black box with a mini gold bow on the top. “I’ve been carrying it around for weeks since I didn’t know the next time I was going to see you.”

She handed over the box to Honeybee who opened it to reveal a sparkly black and gold beaded bracelet with a silver rose charm.

“Wow, this is so pretty,” the bee lifted up the bracelet from the box causing it to sparkle in the sunlight. “Thank you!”

“Really, you’re not just saying that just to be nice right?” asked Lydia.

“Of course, this is gorgeous. I love the combination of the colors. Where did you get it?“

“Actually I made it.”

Honeybee was positively stunned. “Whoa you’re serious? That’s amazing!”

“I did have help from my mom. She owns a jewelry shop that makes their own beads. So I designed the bracelet and my mom did the beads. After she was done with the beads I put it together. It was specifically made just for you, so it’s one of a kind.”

“Thank you, I feel really honored. In fact this is the first gift that I ever got as a hero. I’ll definitely be cherishing this forever.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

The End.

Thanks for reading. 😊

So, I hope you liked this story. I really appreciate you reading this especially since I will admit this is a long one. But to be honest it didn’t seem right to break it up in two parts. I also wanted to showcase how much development that Sabrina got. Especially since there was so much happening in this story.

I gave my golden girl so much: she got besties, she got invited to parties, she put mean girls in their place, was filmed in documentaries and beat up an alligator man. Definitely a departure from the original source material but I kinda like that. It’s like comparing my work and canon in the same vein as comparing cats and dogs. Both animals have similarities but I think we all agree they aren’t exactly the same thing.

This so is also available on Wattpad:

The song for this week is a cover of “Still Standing” (Elton John) by Annapantsu. I hope you like it.

youtube

Author’s Note 📝: Hey it’s Doodle here. As mentioned in the header this is my last story of 2022. I plan to take a break to enjoy the holidays. I will still be on the platform so I will be interacting with others/ posts such as liking, commenting and so on. But posting won’t resume until 2023. Don’t worry this break should not be as long compared to 2022 especially since that was because of school ( At least I hope. Life throws curveballs.) I would like to wish everyone who’s reading this happy holidays and have a fantastic new year! 🎉

See you next time! 👋

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mooncarrotpies · 3 years ago

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Miraculous Ladybug & China

i’ve seen so much Discourse about how miraculous interacts with the east asian aspects of its characters and worldbuilding. and most of it is negative. while i agree that there are lots of things miraculous could do much, much better in terms of its representation of east asia, the show as a whole has been so validating for me as a half-chinese person living in the West and i thought i’d make a list of reasons why.

1. It shows that you don’t have to look or act stereotypically east Asian to be considered east Asian. Marinette doesn’t look completely Chinese - in my opinion, she looks very obviously mixed. When she stands next to her parents, she looks like a very even mix of them both (if not more like Sabine). Lots of mixed Asians don’t “look” Asian. But because mixed Asians often don’t conform to a “typical” Asian look, they might find it a lot harder to be accepted into Asian communities. Personally, while I recognise that i have a lot of privilege as a half-white Asian, I also was never white-presenting enough to be treated as white by white people. But when I tried to integrate into Asian communities, I often found myself having to ‘prove’ my Asianness - e.g. by speaking fluent Chinese. Seeing parts of the fandom invalidate Marinette’s Asianness just because she doesn’t “look” Asian has been super discouraging for me. Firstly, what does it even mean to “look” Asian? We don’t all look the same!!!! Secondly, she doesn’t have to “look” Asian or speak Chinese in order to be perfectly valid as an Asian character. She has nothing to prove.

2. Details in the show make it obvious that the creators and writers have really done their research into Marinette’s background. I grew up in Shanghai (spent 14 years there). In fact, I grew up in the part of Shanghai that was shown most often in the Shanghai special (Former French Concession/Jing’an/Bund area). And when the Shanghai special aired, the level of detail that went into the design of the city brought me to tears. The signs were written in clearly legible Mandarin, the characters (except Adrien, lol) spoke completely correct Mandarin. I could recognise streets and areas because they were drawn so accurately that I instantly knew which part of town the characters were passing through. I was also very grateful that the Shanghai special showed Shanghai as it really is - a modern, cosmopolitan metropolis that still retains lots of traditional cultural influences. Too often, Asian metropolises are stereotyped as either cyberpunk, dystopian megacities, or ultra-traditional places full of pagodas and temples. Not only was the Shanghai special immaculate, there are details in the show that prove that the writers and animators have put a lot of thought into Marinette’s Chinese background. The paintings, little bamboo plant, and rice cooker clearly shown in her home! The qipao detail on her new Lucky Charm outfit! The jade details on her Marinette Lucky Charm bracelet! The flower embroidery on her self-designed T-shirt that clearly echoes Sabine’s qipao! So many things that you will instantly recognise if you are Chinese.

3. Marinette’s parents’ relationship is positively depicted. As a child of a white man and Asian woman, growing up I was exposed to mostly negative stereotypes about this type of couple. (Miss Saigon comes immediately to mind). These stereotypes are too often accurate. Lots of white men DO fetishise Asian females or act superior to them, and there are lots of mixed Asian children that are a product of such relationships or, even worse, of American imperialist invasions of Asian countries. These are all very important things that need to be addressed. But Tom & Sabine’s relationship is equal, loving, and faithful - and it was the first time i saw onscreen parents and family environments that resembled my own. This made me feel ‘normal’ in a way that other media that portray White male, Asian female couples certainly don’t. Also, Sabine is pretty much the antithesis of a tiger-mother - which is the way Asian women have been negatively stereotyped for decades. I know that Kagami’s mother unfortunately falls into this stereotype, but Sabine is a much bigger, more representative character in the show. If anything, Sabine is even more tolerant and supportive than Tom, who can be a little over-protective.

4. The subtly subversive way in which Miraculous tries to disrupt racial stereotypes and educate children about race. For me, the episode Bakerix is most characteristic of this. Marinette’s grandfather broke with the family because he didn’t like how Marinette’s mother and father ‘mixed rice flour’ into traditional French bread. This metaphor is so obvious to me that I’m astonished it’s not more widely discussed. It’s SO CLEARLY referring to Tom marrying a Chinese woman and having a mixed-race child. In fact, they explicitly have Tom and Sabine’s wedding photo in frame multiple times during that episode. In the end, the lesson Marinette’s grandfather learns is that Marinette is not a traditional granddaughter, but she is loveable and valuable all the same. Obviously Miraculous as a kid’s show can’t outright say, ‘mixed race marriages are valid’, but they pretty much said it in as obvious a way as they could without outright saying it. Besides this, there are so many subtle subversive moments! I don’t want to overstep any boundaries and speak about races I don’t belong to, but another example that comes immediately to mind is Kim (the Asian) being the class ‘jock’, while Max (who’s Black) is the class ‘nerd’. And both of them being best friends instead of having a rivalry.

5. Marinette can’t speak Chinese and finds it difficult to learn - but is actively trying. Lots of half Asians (and not just half Asians, but full Asians who grew up in the West), have the experience of not being able to speak their mother tongue, and not being able to communicate with parts of their family. This is a pretty integral part of the experience of being Asian in the West. Even as someone who is fluent in Chinese, I still find it difficult sometimes to communicate. One of my favourite scenes in Miraculous is the scene in Kung Food where Marinette tries really hard to speak to her uncle via a translator app. The reason lots of us can’t speak our mother tongue well is because it wasn’t seen as something ‘cool’ to be able to do, growing up. For example, most Western schools don’t offer Chinese courses, even though all schools in China teach English. People get laughed at and called nicknames and racial jokes made for having a Chinese name instead of a Western one. But in Miraculous, Marinette is really trying very hard to learn Chinese, even though growing up in France means that she hasn’t been able to access the resources she needs. Learning Chinese is framed as something ‘cool’ and ‘desirable’ - e.g. it’s a skill Gabriel wants Adrien to have.

So in summary, Miraculous Ladybug is certainly not perfect. But it depicts Chinese culture and the experience of growing up half Asian in a way that really resonated with me personally, as a half-Chinese girl growing up in the West. And I really think that the way they’ve shown this experience deserves more praise and recognition.

#miraculous ladybug #asian #china #chinese #mlb #miraculous

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jolyneswife-anime-reviews · 2 years ago

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Citrus anime review

Spoilers for citrus and tw for stepcest, non consensual touching, a teacher being engaged to a minor, cheating and sexualisation of queer women (this anime is definitely not worth watching)

“I felt bitter to the people around me and I closed off my heart. And a heart that lets nothing in will become empty before you realize it,”- Mei Aihara

Disclaimer: I have watched all the episodes out so far, and I despise this anime with a passion. I tried very hard to like it, but I just couldn't because of several very irritating aspects of it. This WILL be somewhat of a rant because of this.

Genre: Yuri, romance, high school, fanservice

Where I watched it: Funimation

Characterisation: 7/10 (Let's start with the things that the series did well on. I quite liked the cast, and the characters themselves were reasonably well designed- the ideas behind personalities, mannerisms and backstories were good, but I felt like in most cases, characters were lacking when it came to complexity and development. They didn’t change much or show many different sides as the series went on, they stayed very much the same for the most part, except from Matsuri, who grew to accept Mei after realizing that love wasn’t a competition or simple, and recognising the good things about her. Harumin was my favourite character, personally- she was funny and light hearted, as well as being the kind of best friend every girl needs. I also adored her more “public school” mannerisms compared to those of the prim and proper private school girls. Yuzu was also quite a good protagonist- she was an outsider in that upstanding school, where the things she considered normal and fun were seen as improper. As well as that, she was kind, as well as being determined- when she put her mind to something, she achieved it, which is shown by the improvement in her grades and and effort she put into making a cake from scratch for Christmas. However, when it comes to more emotional and complex matters, Yuzu is so clueless that it’s almost irritating. If I’m being honest, Mei just felt a bit like the overused serious character with a tragic backstory, which, I have to admit, was reasonably well developed. She herself wasn’t very developed as a character, her personality lacking depth and complexity.)

Setting: 7.5/10 (The setting is another thing that the show executes quite well, despite it being pretty basic. I love the idea of Yuzu, this extroverted and somewhat rebellious state school student, arriving in a luxurious private school and being completely out of place. Yuzu and Mei’s bedroom also has a nice design, with half of it clearly belonging to Mei and the other to Yuzu; the furniture reflects the girls’ interests and lifestyles. The idea of taking a school trip towards the end was a good one too, and it provided an opportunity to introduce new characters as well as a much needed change of scenery, with exciting new things to explore and incorporate into the plot.)

Art style: 8/10 (Probably the only noteworthy high of this series. The way the characters are drawn, as well as the colour pallets chosen and the attention to details, is astonishing. Outfits are also modelled to suit characters and their personalities, which added to that appeal. Settings are drawn with a similar care and in a picturesque way.)

_ Ranting starts here_

Plot: 2/10 (I found this anime while searching for anime with wlw relationships, and I was really excited to watch it- it was the first time I had encountered an anime where the protagonists were both queer girls. What really stings is that on the surface and after watching the opening theme, it seemed like a good anime which portrays a relationship the way straight ones are often portrayed- with care and adding complexity. However, this isn’t really the case at all. As well as lacking development and not being dynamic, the plot also fails to develop Yuzu and Mei’s relationship on a deeper level, with things like quality time spent together or deep, honest conversations. On top of that, after first meeting Mei at her new school, Yuzu discovers that she’s the daughter of her mother’s new partner, which makes them step-sisters. This made me incredibly uncomfortable, because they referred to each other as sisters but often made romantic advances, sometimes hesitating but ultimately deciding to date regardless of the fact that they’re step-sisters. This was a difficult, sensitive topic and needed to be handled properly, which the series totally failed at doing. Also, when Matsuri entered the picture and admitted to her own romantic feelings for Yuzu, she too referred to her as a “big sister”- personally, I’m really uncomfortable with the way the series romanticised this particular type of relationship. Another problem I have with the plot is that when Mei and Yuzu made advances, it was sometimes non consensual, but still presented in a romantic and rose tinted way, which was disturbing to see. Lastly, I hated that their relationship was presented in such an overly sexualised manner- sometimes, they either didn’t interact much or made out intensely. It feels like their relationship was created more for the sake of fan service than to make something romantic. Sexualising women is already very common in many anime, but queer women experience a lot of sexualisation based on the fact that some men fetishize wlw relationships, so the fact that these two queer minors were portrayed in such a sexual light sometimes was annoying. I don’t mind “spicier” scenes, but, in my opinion, to make a romance anime good, these need to be coupled with a complex and deep relationship, and scenes of the characters bonding and growing close in other ways. Citrus simply didn’t have enough of that, so it just felt like a way to sexualise wlw relationships for the sake of fanservice rather than good representation. Another terrible aspect of the anime was the relationship between Mei and that teacher at the start of the series. The two were engaged, despite Mei being a minor, which is horrifying to think about. Not only is it illegal, it’s disgusting. Later on, Mei claims that didn’t enjoy being kissed by him, and doesn’t seem too affected by the end of their relationship after she finds out he cheated she doesn’t seem too bothered, which implies Mei was unhappy in that relationship. Apart from that, the show did a poor job at actually addressing this theme or expanding on why it was happening and the potential impact on Mei’s life, as well as neglecting to paint it as something harmful that should be condemned. The whole thing just kind of dies out as the focus shifts to Yuzu and Mei, which is an unrealistic and harmful way to portray such damaging relationships.)

Addictiveness: 3/10 (There was nothing about the series which kept me hooked, mostly because it felt like there was no actual plot, and the episodes felt monotonous. You also do not become invested enough in the characters due to the poor development to care about what happens next. There were a few twists, but overall it was not engaging.)

Comfort: 4/10 (This anime deals with several topics I’m not comfortable with, with an unhealthy relationship being just the tip of the iceberg. This, along with the lack of light and joyous, yet gripping moments, is why I gave it a low rating. The only things which comes close to saving it are Sarah’s wholesome outlook on life and her selflessness in prioritizing Yuzu’s happiness over her own when she realizes they both like the same girl, and Yuzu’s ride-or-die friendship with Harumin, which is a friendship all viewers would probably want.)

Originality: 5/10 (Nothing in this series really struck me as original or innovative, apart from maybe the idea of Yuzu coming from a completely different background to the new prestigious private school one, and what that means for her when she starts attending that school and becomes legally related to the director.)

Consistency: 5/10 (The quality of the anime seemed OK for the first part of the first episode, but it soon took a nosedive. It stayed consistently low throughout the rest of the series, being bumped up a little by the introduction of Harumin and later of Sarah and Mina, two very different twins with a realistic relationship as sisters. Sarah’s perspective on her sexuality is refreshing and simple after Yuzu’s own confusing love life and her complex relationship with Mei. She simply loves who she loves, and that’s all there is to it.)

Philosophy: 4/10 (The anime, and its characters, lack depth of thought, so it’s not surprising that it gives viewers nothing really substantial to think about.)

The plot

Yuzu Aihara just transferred to a new school after moving house due to her mom getting a new partner, who’s away due to work a lot. Yuzu is optimistic, relaxed and extroverted. She loves fashion and fun, and she really wants a boyfriend. As soon as she enters the new, prestigious all girls school, she realises she is somewhat out of place. Everything about her outfit violates the uniform rules, and she is told that having her phone on her is forbidden. After Yuzu refuses to hand it over, the student council president, Mei Aihara, unexpectedly feels her up until she finds the phone, before confiscating it and leaving Yuzu flustered. Throughout the day, Yuzu tries to make friends with other students, but they’re all very reserved. She then meets Harumin, another girl who transferred in high school; Harumin explains that thing are different at this school, as all the girls have been taught to “mind their ps and qs”. She and Yuzu quickly become close friends. When Yuzu returned home that day, she found Mei there, and made an astonishing discovery- the girl was now her step sister: she was the daughter of the man her mother had married. The two girls start their life of co habitation, learning more about each other and developing increasingly strong feelings for each other, despite their circumstances. Both are confused, and their relationship is rocky and unhealthy throughout the show. After a while the two get to know each other a bit better and they realise that they are faced with an extremely complex situation, one where the wrong choice seems to be the “most tempting”.

#mei aihara #citrus anime review #citrus anime rant #anime review #anime and manga #yuzu aihara #himeko momokino #yuri anime #matsuri citrus #sarah tachibana #nina tachibana #harumin citrus #jolyneswifeanimereviews #citrus review #citrus anime #sarah citrus #nina citrus

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maddgicalgirl · 4 years ago

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Paracosm Resources <3

Need help bringing your paracosm to life? Try these free resources!

⚠️ Updates always pending! Suggestions always welcome! Feel free to message me any tips or questions <3 ⚠️

(Cont. below cut, or with real time updates on this google doc!)

Art Programs

FireAlpaca - 2D Art Program, Animation. Where I make most of my digital art, and paint the frames for my animations :) It is free to use, and easy to learn and use! It can make basic animations as well, such as gifs. It requires download.

Krita - 2D Art Program. Professional, free digital paint software :) I have not used it before, though I have heard good things.

GIMP - 2D Art Program, Photo Manipulation. It's free to use, but I do not like it/recommend it highly. But! If FireAlpaca and Krita don't float your stoat, try Gimp! For 2D art, but also able to emulate Photoshop to a degree ^^

Inkscape - 2D Art Program. Free to use digital illustration software. Makes 2D art :)

Of course, who can forget classics like good old MS Paint, and the new and exciting 3D MS Paint, which can both be used to create some really neat things! Classic MS Paint is available here in browser form! If you need that. I just think it's neat!

Art AI

Petalica Paint - Coloring Software. An in browser, watercolor manga style coloring software, which can (almost) effortlessly color in any of your line art pieces! I've played around with it for my Thorn illustration style piece, and enjoyed it! It is free to use, and can take user input to make the colorations more precise.

ArtBreeder - 3D Realism Software. Using Artbreeder, you can create lifelike images of your paras, planets, or potentially even fursona, using the intricate AI they let you work with for free! A premium version exists, but most functions are fully usable without - though I recommend donating ^^ You can randomly generate, or prune and shape what you make until its perfect! Slow to use and get the hang of, but very worth it! Artbreeder is also pioneering an intriguing animation software to go alongside their product! Browser based.

3D Software

Blender - 3D Modeling, Animation. The best (in my opinion) free 3D modelling software.

MagicaVoxel - 3D Pixel Art. Free to use! Could be interesting :)

MikuMikuDance - 3D Rigging. Anime style rigging and animation software, free to use, and certified internet artefact! Has stood the test of time, and is still used and loved today. Can support ports of many kinds of assets, including, I believe, those from Blender, and of course those that are downloaded. DA has a bunch of old MMD communities you can raid for assets!

Animaze - Face Rigger. Use 3D models and a webcam to watch your paras talk! Models can be made in Blender, downloaded online, or even from CHARAT V, CHARAT GENESIS sister app!

Character Creators

CHARAT GENESIS - 2D Character Creator. Browser based anime style character creator, with multiple crops and poses, and infinitely customizable options. It is legitimately insane. Has a 3D function called CHARAT V which can apparently convert characters made in CHARAT GENESIS into 3D models compatible with Face Rig and Animaze!

V-Katsu - 3D Character Creator. Free on steam! Anime style, intensive character creator, by the same people who made Koikatsu, and Koikatsu Party, two amazingly detailed 3D hentai makers. While V-Katsu is a SFW VTuber maker, if you're looking for NSFW anime content, you could always spend roughly $70 on the full NSFW versions. V-Katsu requires a translation mod (free online as well) which you have to install, or the ability to read Kanji <3 Works with VR tech.

V-Roid Studios - 3D Character Creator. Free on steam! Anime style, fairly in depth character creator, that allows for some degree of digital 3D hand sculpting, particularly with their amazing hair engine, to get your paras looks perfect!

And, of course, Picrew has thousands of character creators of various styles and quality uploaded by the artists who made them! Also, honestly I think we as a society should embrace making dinky chibis in Gacha Life. IDK why everyone is mean to the gacha kids, like we weren't all cringe at some point,

World Design

HomeStyler - 3D and 2D Room Designer. Make a model of an interior for a home or building, using real 1:1 furniture of IRL brands! Apparently this is free to use, though there is a premium version, and it offers 3D and 2D models.

Map to World - 3D Planet Maker. Turn your fantasy world into a 3D model of the planet. Put maps directly on, or design the surface and textures of your world. Takes a lot of getting used to, but it is AMAZING. Free to use, and browser based!

PlanetMaker - 3D Planet Maker. Make a customized 3D planet! Free to use browser site! I have never used this, but I would love to mess around with it sometime! Allows you to add orbital rings, change textures, and more at the click of a mouse.

If on sale, I also recommend snagging a copy of the Sims, particularly 3 or 4, for character creation and world design. Maybe not the best gameplay without mods, but it's also a load of fun, and very easy to add custom content to! Minecraft also. But you just need Minecraft, in general. Beyond its ability to fairly faithfully recreate structures from your paracosms, it's just Good.

Game Creators

Maybe you wanna turn your paracosm into a cool game idk, just thought I'd put these here!

Construct 3 - 2D Game Creator. Beginner level game making :) Drag-and-drop if/then style programming.

GameSalad - Codeless 2D Game Creator. Drag and drop style/no coding, beginner friendly. Free version available!

Solpeo - 2D Game Creator. HTML5 based game engine for 2D and isometric game development. Some programming knowledge needed. Platforms supported: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer 9+. Free version available.

Stencyl - Codeless 2D Game Creator. Drag and drop style building/no coding skills needed. Has editable templates!

Scratch - 2D Game Creator. Very easy to use and totally free, though relatively basic!

Unity - 3D, 2D, and VR Game Creator. Make games with 3D software. Import your own assets (Blender compatible) or download free options, or buy the rights to models. Works for 3D and 2D games. Free version available, and now works with VR tech!

Unreal Engine - 3D Game Creator. Extremely advanced 3D game developer. Highly customizable. Free to use!

Twine - Text-based Game Creator. Use a map to make a branching paths text-based story game. Free to use.

Squiffy - Text-based Game Creator. have used Squiffy and it can make some really, truly incredible things. Can take a while to pick up, and learn how to use to its full potential. Free to use! Has an online and offline library of player creations you can get inspiration from!

Quest - Text-based Game Creator. I've never used this, but it seems cool! Use it to make interactive text-based DND game adventures in browser.

Ren'Py - Visual Novel Creator. Visual novel engine, that is well acclaimed, and of course, free to use!

Companion AI

Replika - 3D Companion.

Kajiwoto - Chatbot Companion. Customizable, learning AI you can shape into a personality. Communicates via Discord like chat box.

Organization

Toyhou.se - Character Gallery. A customizable library where you can upload all of your paras and characters for the public to view! Free to use, but requires a premium member to invite you!

Refsheet - Character Gallery. I haven't used it before, but I've heard good things, and that it's a suitable alternative to toyhou.se if you can't get an invite!

Notebook.AI - Character Gallery. I haven't used it before, but I've heard good things, and that it's a suitable alternative to toyhou.se if you can't get an invite!

World Anvil - World Building Toolset. Like character galleries, but for worlds and their lore :)

Scabard - World Building Toolset. Aimed at DnD campaigners, but I reckon it'll be useful for many!

YARPS - World Building Toolset. More focused around story and lore than Scabard or World Anvil, and looks beautiful! Still in its prototype stage, however.

Pinterest - Photo Organizer. Look at, collect, and sort images into boards. Personalizes your feed based on that, and is free to use and join! However, unlike their myriad of wonderful recipes, DIY tutorials, and the likes - a lot of the images are uploaded by second parties and not credited, so be careful reuploading anything you find! Also great for finding outfits and art inspo for your paras!

Generators

Fantasy Name Generator - Name Generators. Does what it says on the tin! Generates fantasy names. Is a lovely website, run by a purportedly lovely woman.

Fantasy Map Generator - Map Generator. Randomly generates a fictional map, which you can view in 2D or 3D.

Donjon RPG Generator - Multiple Generators. Can make maps, weapons, items, etc.

Seventh Sanctum - Multiple Generators. One of my favorites from high school! Does all kinds of things - the standard items, spells, and names - but also prompts, backstories, characters, and even comedy generators!

ShindanMaker - Multiple Generators. User created and uploaded, any kind of generator you can imagine, of varying complexity. And when I say any generator? I mean ANY generator.

Audio

Audacity - Record and Edit Audio. What can't Audacity do? I love Audacity to death. At surface level, it records audio. I've used it to record voices for my paras, and get audio for animations and games I've worked on. I cannot recommend it enough. Comprehensive editing, and with some investigation, it can do so, so much more than just record simple dialogue.

FL Studios - Compose. Compose music with an unlimited free trial. Upgrades available for purchase!

Indie Game Music - Royalty Free Music Library. Free to use Indie Game Music. What it says on the box!

AudioJungle - Royalty Free Music and Audio Library. Thousands of free to use audio clips!

Online Piano - Someone could use this, for recording, or just messing around. I've seen plenty of paras who play piano, this could just be used for fun!

Online Guitar - Same reasons as above, but this site looks kinda sketchy. Use at your own risk or reward! Audio

For real, if you ever need music, sound effects, or really any MP3 clips that can be used without infringing on copyright laws, just search 'royalty free' (music/audio/insert thing here) same applies for photos! Make sure the source is reputable, however.

Tutorials

W3Schools - Coding. Learn the basics of coding, for free, online!

Miscellaneous

Debut Video Capture - Screen Recorder. Record game footage and let's plays for free! Professional and home versions. I see a few of our community members have paras who run YouTube channels, and I thought these might help! It could be a nice way to connect your parames. YouTube quality <3

Pixton - Comic Maker. Comic making website. I have no experience with this at all, but some may find it useful!

Picfont - Image Editor. Puts customizable text on an image. I used these for @paraesthetics paracosm header edits <3 It has a premium version (???) but the free version has all functions, but it crashes regularly (honestly seems timed :/) but once you get it down, it's a very quick process, and you won't have to worry about that at all.

Itch.io - Publishing. You can publish your self made games here :)

Korsakow - ??? Described as, "The Future of Storytelling" and is apparently a way to create interactive films. I *just* found out about this, but thought I should include it for someone who may know how to use and appreciate it! Free? Unknown, at the moment.

Tips and Tricks

Animation Done Easy

Our forefather's of internet animation used MS Paint, Windows Movie Maker, and Audacity. All of these, or their equivalents, are free on standard computers. I, personally, use FireAlpaca - which works just as well, if not better, than MS Paint for animation - but takes longer, and definitely lacks that retro feeling. I also use my trackpad to draw and animate everything, so its doable, but probably not totally comfortable, to animate like this for most people :)

⚠️ Updates always pending! Suggestions always welcome! Feel free to message me any tips or questions <3 ⚠️

#immersive daydreaming #paraportal #paracosm #paracosms #paracosmonaut #madd art #art resources #masterpost #free resources

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nat-20s · 3 years ago

Note

#10?

prompt 10- recognizing the other's voice in a crowded room

so uhh u didn't specify this being a pairing, and it ended up jonmartin lol

this is like? an au where one of the domains of the lonely (and also maybe stranger) plays off the specific loneliness that comes with parties. u kno the one, where you have fun for about an hour and then realize that you're fundamentally isolated and you need a breather?

anyway

~*~

Upon opening his eyes, he is not where he last remembers being. He is not sure how long his disorientation will last, but considering he's standing up right, at the edge of a crowded ballroom, he suspects it may be the entire time that he's here.

He had fallen asleep on the couch, the TV blaring away on a program he didn't know any of the details of. It hadn't mattered what was playing, as long as it had some of the natural rise and fall of other people speaking. He had been severely mising that lately, those gentle rhythms of conversation, and trying to listen to an audiobook while staring at his bedroom's popcorn ceiling just wasn't cutting it. So, TV dreaming it was.

Oh, that could be what was going on. An elaborate dream, constructed from the sound of a scenario he hadn't paid any attention to. He didn't think he'd fallen asleep watching anything to spark this kind of dreamscape, but that didn't mean much. It'd be oddly lucid, for a dream. And oddly sharp. His dreams, much like his memories, were always somewhat clouded over, and never as colorful as reality. Even his grayest waking days, of which there were many, had colors more distinct than what appeared in his mind's eye.

Simple test: he could never read or write in dreams. The words always swirled and distorted, and he somehow lost all manual dexterity. He needed a book, or a pencil, or both. He began to wander the ballroom, and abruptly realized that this was a masquerade, everyone wearing elaborate costumes with animal shaped masks. Did he fit in? Did he belong? He hoped he wasn't in what he fell asleep in, the worn hoodie and sweatpants barely worth making a grocery run in. The outside world wasn't supposed to see him looking comfortable, but presentable. He liked to think that if he left the apartment appearing at least somewhat put together, maybe people would believe that extended to other areas of his life. That it would be easier to ignore the increasingly dark circles under his eyes, that his nice sweater had been getting gradually looser as the tool of everything literally wore him down.

Small mercy, he wasn't like that now. A glance down showed that he was, like the rest of the guests? Captors? dressed to the nines. He has a suspicion that his own elaborate outfit, dark blues with gold and pearl embroidery, was a part of it. It was not a mercy to blend in here, it was a design element. Standing out would result in being noticed, being noticed meant being seen as an individual, and they can't have that.

It is with that line of thinking that he suddenly becomes aware of the weight of the mask on his face, the restriction of his sight through eyeholes. Looking into a teapot that's been polished to a mirrored shine, he see that he bears the incredibly crafted face of a field mouse. It would almost be plain, if it didn't have matching embroidery to his coat.

Fitting, he thought. It made him look smaller than he was, and he had so often wished to go unnoticed. A fly would've also worked, but he imagines it would be rather hard to make that into a suitably beautiful mask. Either way, he was level with the rest of the crowd. Even believing it to be part of the trick, even knowing that the masquerade was meant to make you false, there was some level of comfort to it. He was not going to be seen here. Instead someone more handsome, more charming, more even with his peers was allowed to take his place, as false as they were. Best of all, that's what all of them would be doing here, the whole appeal of a masquerade in leaving behind the person you loathe most and can never be free from.

Seems lonesome, for a party. So structured around the theater of it all. You can connect with countless people, and you don't get to actually connect with any of them at all.

Oh.

Oh, now this made all made sense. Crave interaction, and get a warped version of it.

He could see the napkins, emblazoned with a name that he didn't recognize, presumably the host, and, in much smaller font, the company name. Every one of them was consistent.

Easy enough to receive the message. This wasn't a dream. This was a punishment.

Hmm. Well, no, punishment might be the wrong term. Punishment implied that it was a consequence, a direct cause and effect of doing something wrong, by someone's definitions of "wrong". No this was. Torture is too strong of a word, and again, has the problem of making this seem willful. Deliberate. And maybe it was, but more likely, whatever this was had just sort of happened. A cruelty that comes with being in the universe they all happen to occupy.

This wasn't a dream. This was a consequence.

He doesn't know how to get out of here. He can't see any doors, and exits. The only approximation of one is some giant frosted glass that seem like they might lead to a balcony. They're only on the other end of the ballroom, but that lengths feels impenetrable, like it spans for miles and miles of harsh terrain.

There's a few options available to him.

One: Try to fall asleep, and see if he can get back to where he started. Lowest effort option, but he's pretty sure he hasn't been this fully awake in months. Maybe years. Something about the environment makes it feel as though electricity sparks throughout his entire body. It's an interesting sensation, certainly, akin to anxiety taken to an extreme degree, yet it's not particularly conducive to sleeping.

Two: Make a break for it. He doesn't know if there's anywhere to make a break for, but he also isn't sure how high up this place is. Maybe the balcony is a viable option for escape. Or maybe he'll find a door that had previously been hidden from him. Hell, maybe he won't fully escape, but he'll find somewhere quieter at the very least. Somewhere that he doesn't leave him so thoroughly dazed. This is probably the best option, even account for the wall of people surrounding him. But.

Option Three: Join the Dance.

Inadvisable. Foolish, really. The best outcome is..what? Is there a best outcome? Worst outcome is he's dancing forever, until his feet wear down to stubs of bone, until he dies, until he cant remember anything but the dance. Never a connection with any dancer, all of them, eventually, a blur of activity and nothing more.

Yet, it's what he's going to do. He's not the most curious person he knows, that honor goes to a man that he's been in love with for years, but can't grasp any of the details of while he's here. That can't be good. What was his name?

Anyway. He's not the most curious, but he's hardly immune to a detrimental sense of interest. He wants to know what the dance is like. He wants to see the intricate costumes of the others stuck here, and see if there's anything behind the masks. He knows it will, inevitably, leave him lonelier. He knows, inevitably, that he does not care. At least this version of loneliness is more interesting than sitting in his flat, wondering whether having thin enough walls to hear the echo of his neighbors' voices would make things better or worse. So, when someone approaches, adorned in a shrew mask, hand outstretched to pull him into the fervor, he accepts.

The dancer is competent. Neither of them steps on the others foot, and he lets himself be led. Even better, the dancer is willing to talk. A man named Tom, his voice cheerful even as he confirms that he doesn't know how he came here either. Tom shrugs when he asks if this bothers him, saying if you're going to end up somewhere mysteriously, gliding across a ballroom with a handsome stranger is hardly the worst place to be.

It takes a second for him to register the fact that Tom's flirting. It makes him laugh, and it feels wrong in his throat. The sound is unfamiliar, almost belonging to someone else, but it's brief enough not to hurt. He'll grieve all the time he's lost later, for now, he says, "How would you know if I'm handsome with this mask? Or are you just making a flattering guess?"

Tom opens his mouth to answer, a grin on his features that suggest something playful and wry is about to come out, but then the song ends. They both know, somehow, that the brief rapport they've gotten to enjoy has come to an end. They swap partners, and as much has he would like a second dance, when Tom gets swept into the throng, he knows he won't be seeing him again.

The next dancer is at a higher skill level at him, which results in nerves encroaching on what limited ability he has. Perhaps the peacock mask should've been a tip off. He doesn't speak to them, more focused on trying to keep up. He doesn't regret that they'll only have one dance, but he is slightly remiss that his own costume doesn't have feathers after watching the way they move.

The dancer after that catches him for a slow dance. Her name is Shelia, and he's never seen such a dazzling smile. He tells her as such, and she tells him that she would tell him the same, but she hasn't actually seen his own, yet. He makes an attempt, and she tells him, "Oh honey, you're waiting for someone here, aren't you?"

When he states his confusion, that nobody comes to mind, or at least, that nobody is going to come, she shakes her head. Apparently, she can always tell when her dance partners have somewhere else to be, and she doesn't resent it, but it does mean she's not going to give him her number for after the night ends. He's amazed she believes this night will end, but it's a sentiment that seems far too rude to voice out loud.

He also knows that he doesn't have somewhere else to be. If he did, he would've never joined in.

The music continues, and so does he. He tries to get names, tries to get connections. He flirts with Mark, and Nadia, and Jamie. Those people are his favorite during the dances, but losing the also feels the most acute. Robert is his least favorite, even more so than the peacock, for how incredibly small the fox makes him feel. Nothing is even said, it's just the entirety of body language screams that Robert doesn't think he belongs here, that he's not worthy of the clothes he's wearing or the hall he's haunting. Ironically, he's right. He doesn't belong here. These clothes, these people, are not his. Only Robert is quite so skilled at making that seem like a bad thing.

About ten dances in, long past the point he should be winded, he realizes two things. One, there's no pain in his feet, no heaviness to his breathing, confirming once again that no aspect of this environment is natural. Two, is that he's actually had a path. Sometime in the spins and leads and follows, he had been making his way towards the center of the floor. He denies the next partner, likely the worst of a faux paus in this environment, but he needs a moment to stop. Taking in the scene, he has yet to find the source of the music, but he has found the host of this party.

There's nothing to physically show that he's the host. His costume isn't particularly ostentatious, at least not compared to the rest of them. He's not surrounded by a horde of people clamoring for his attention. He doesn't glow or sparkle or have a spotlight on him. The only reveal of his status is the fact that the second he looks at the man in the owl mask, fear floods through him.

Now he needs to run. He needs to leave, he needs to get out, he can't let the man in the owl mask see him, let alone approach him. Pushing his way through the crowd is a bad idea, will bring too much attention to himself. However, he's not in a state to think about that sort of thing, panic gripping his actions. As he shoves his way past one person, he swears ten more people tke their place, and he, oh so close to despair, is unable to tell if there's any actual distance being put between him and the owl masked man.

As he's about to start biting, clawing, screaming his way out any way he can, he hears something that makes him stop.

"Let him go, or I will make you let him go."

The statement is cold, filled with vitrol and determination. It should only make him more afraid. But as he turns around, he sees someone he never expected to be here, someone who has come here anyway. In an all black outfit, the man's face is covered with that of a cat's, but he has not a single ounce of doubt as to who it is. And he's facing off against the owl man, the absolute fool. He's facing off against the owl man, and Martin knows that it's on his own account. What the hell? He can't...he doesn't know what's going to happen to him, what exactly the owl man is going to do, but he can't let Jon get hurt. Begging his voice to pierce through the pandemonium of people and noise, he calls out, "JON!"

Jon finds him in an instant, eyes locking. They only have a second before the crowd pushes in, before the owl man reaches out, wing-like cape ready to wrap Jon up and snatch him away. Jon simply calls out, "Balcony!" before he's once again out of sight. Martin wants to go towards him, wants to follow the instinct to try and protect the one he loves, but going forward is impossible.

The tempo and volume of the music has swollen, and he's surrounded by hands reaching out, trying to pull him in. One of those hands, much to his surprise, belongs to Tom. He stares, uncomprehendingly, and Tom shoves his hand out even further in an act of urgency. He has to participate to make progress.

He holds on tight, all the basic skill of their first dance lost. It doesn't matter, as long as Martin participates, he is rewarded. When the next song begins to play, Tom strengthens his grip, and they manage to prevent the switch. In a manner of minutes, or perhaps hours, they make their way to the edge of the crowd. Martin can see those beautiful frosted doors only about 10 meters away, mostly unobstructed, and releases Tom from their dance. "Thank you. I seriously didn't think..just, thank you."

Tom gives him a nod, his expression much more solemn than it had been during their initial meeting. "After our first dance, I remembered my kids. A daughter and son. If they're out there, wherever out there is, I need to get back to them. If you can get yourself out, maybe there's hope for the rest of us, yeah? I think you might be a tipping point."

Martin had no idea if that was true. Sounded a bit too..center of the story for him. The hero, the chosen one, he was never going to fufill those roles. But. But he doesn't know what a denial would serve, and if he can go through those doors, who knows? "Yeah...yeah, maybe. I'll certainly try."

Tom clasps one of Martin's hands between both of his own, and with a quick shake, tells him, "That's all I ask."

In a blink, Tom has once again been swallowed by the fray, and Martin strides to his goal. He catches glimpses of the owl man out of the corner of his eye. Despite the sight making his heart race, the owl man never makes it to him, almost as if the dancers had forcibly blocked his path. Fascinating, isn't it, how a crowd can turn against someone in a matter of moments. Fascinating, isn't it, how a crowd can decide to help someone in the same span of time.

As Martin stands in front of the exit to the balcony, he has to take a breath. This could be a trick. A trap. A cruelty. If it is, he'll deal with it. If not, well.

Well.

The doors are heavy, but he's still able to push them aside. The sight outside is incredible. The stars are dazzling, brilliant, and numerous, resembling themilky way that Martin has only ever seen in pictures.

It's wrong. It's obviously wrong. Martin's never been anywhere remote enough to escape the effects of light pollution, and he's pretty sure a brightly lit manor isn't the exception to that rule. Yet, that's not what's bothering him about it. He can't quite articulate why, but the sky in general should be..different. Worse, maybe. Greener?

Jon is staring up into the night sky with a fascination that confirms Martin's suspicion. After he takes a step towards him, Jon turns towards him, and a smile appears that knocks the breath right out of Martin. When has Jon ever smiled at him like that? It doesn't make sense, feels like another trick of the party, but Martin decides he doesn't care, he'll enjoy it while it lasts. "I have to say, this is definitely one of the nicer looking domains we've wandered through. Always a plus when we end up somewhere without any bloodstains."

That's not... "Huh?"

With an aftertaste of a laugh and a shrug of his shoulders, Jon tells him, "Just that, for as much as I despise the loneliness, it does at least have cleanliness going for it."

He knows of the fears, at least, but the way that Jon is talking about them doesn't make sense. He's going to ask about it, try to get some clarification, but then Jon takes off his mask. There's more grey at the temples than he remembers, more eyes than the average person, and he's stunningly beautiful. Martin's always found Jon rather good looking, even when he didn't particularly like Jon himself (god, what a fool he was. Maybe what a fool they both were). Combined with the softness in the line of his mouth, the adoration in his eyes, it leaves Martin breathless, speechless, thoughtless. Feet moving of their own accord, he drifts closer to Jon. Once he's standing in front of him, Jon reaches up, then pauses, as if asking for permission. Half in a daze, Martin nods, then leans down. Ever so gently, Jon lifts Martin's mask off. The pinpoints of contact between his face and Jon's fingers almost burn, and he realizes that despite the electrified sensation under his skin, he's been cold this entire time. Mask fully off, Jon beams at him, and lets out a quiet, "There you are."

It's too much. It's the tipping point for him to go from enamoured back to properly baffled. "Jon, I don't..what are you doing here?"

Jon smile drops, and Martin almost wants to take it back. Almost, because he needs answers, because if this is a dream, if this is a nightmare, it's more wicked than he could've ever expected. Being stuck forever in a dance with only partners whose greatest talents were being alone in a crowd is one thing, but having a..a false Jon, one that regarded him with...that acted like...that felt anything close to the same as Martin was so..exacting. When it got taken away, when the illusion shattered, it would hurt. It's already hurting, anticipation of the wound causing a phantom pain. Jon's brows are furrowed, and at least that is familiar, expected. "I..thought you would want to leave. I came to get you out."

"I do," did he?, "but that still..that's not the why? Why would you come for me?"

"Because I love you? I know I'm not much for the swashbuckling hero role, bit I figured that would make me rather uniquely qualified."

Martin sucks in a breath through his nose and his eyes go wide. Ability to read be damned, this is a dream, and mean one at that. He's going to wake up, and he's going to remember, and he's going to be as alone as he's always been. "Since when? You're not..I think we've just started being friends, and it's not even, fuck, we're not even that close! And even if..if things were in development, which they aren't, you're supposed to be in America right now. Or, no, wait you're in a coma, or maybe..no, that's not-"

Martin's spiralling is abruptly cut off by Jon taking his hands. Looking at his face, he finds Jon staring back, his eyes, his two eyes, are searching him, and Martin realizes he might not be the only one that's lost right now. "Martin...what's the last thing you remember?"

A mostly empty flat, the delightful mix of insomnia and exhaustion, and the TV with the volume turned down low enough to not bother anyone but himself. The context around that scene is a bit fuzzier. "I..was at my place. It was..I dunno, it was boring."

"Anything else. Do you remember Jane Prentiss?"

"Of course I remember Jane Prentiss. Not likely to ever forget the worst two weeks of my life."

"What about Scotland?"

Scotland? "I'm mean, I've never been, but I, uh, am aware of the concept."

Except that wasn't quite true, was it? He had been to Scotland, and Jon had been there, but when? Why? What had they..

Jon's frown deepens. "Martin, do you trust me?"

He did. Despite everything, or maybe because of an everything he couldn't quite access, he really, really did. His response of "Yes" is more of a breath than a word, but Jon understands nonetheless. Jon reaches up, places his hands on the sides of Martin's face, and tells him, "Close your eyes."

Martin does as told, and Jon brings their foreheads together, an approximation of a kiss. There's a buzzing at the base of his skull, not painful, but not particularly pleasant, either. As Jon leans back and he opens his eyes, the sky is wrong, but it is the wrong that he has become increasingly accustomed to.

He remembers.

Jon hasn't fully released him yet, asking still ever so gently, "Back with me?"

Martin nods, and Jon drops his hands. Immediately, Martin grabs one of them with his own, because while it may be the apocalypse, at least he can do that as freely as he likes. "Yeah, yeah, I'm good, " he looks down, and sighs, "Eugh. Do miss the clean clothes though."

Jon gives a hint of a smile, and as he begins to move forward. "Now you understand my point about the lonely having a tidiness to it."

"If it's all the same to you, I think I'll take grime over memory loss any day."

"Next domain is a corruption one, so we'll see how much that holds true."

"Of course it is."

They walk in silence for a few moments until Martin gives Jon's hand a quick squeeze. "Hey Jon?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for getting me out."

Jon replies, "Of course," as an easy statement of fact, and Martin believes it. He has to add, "And I love you too."

The responding smile he gets from Jon makes him think he might be one of the few people in existence to feel lucky after the end of the world.

#replies #fluff prompts #tma #jonmartin #martin blackwood #jon sims #anon

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