#to be specific there are 3 affixes

[bookwyrminspiration]

pa is the core verb. this word is 83% affixes and honestly that's just impressive

[miyamiwu]

A Guide to Chinese Names & Nicknames for your Fandom Needs (Part 1)

I made this guide with my different CMedia fandoms in mind, but it should apply to any other Chinese media.

Something that has been irking me a lot since To Be Hero X penetrated the mainstream English fandom spaces is how many people keep referring to the characters by just their surnames 😭. It sounds weird and demonstrates a lack of knowledge on Chinese culture in general. I don’t blame these people, though. A lot of the TBHX fans are new to donghua, and we’re also past the era of fansubs with detailed translation notes.

However, it’s no excuse to stay ignorant. To help you avoid making the same mistake again, here’s a Chinese names guide for your fanfic and meta needs.

Disclaimer: I am not Chinese, but I have been studying the language for years and also engage in a lot of CMedia. So, I do know some stuff. Regardless, if you find any errors in this post, feel free to tell me so I can correct it.

Note: Fandom-specific examples are written in small text like this.

Post last updated: May 29, 2025

Essentials

1. Chinese name order is Surname first, followed by Given Name.

Chinese surnames are usually only one syllable, making it easy to figure out which character in the full name is the surname. Just look at the first one.

However, there are a few two-syllable surnames, like Sima, Ouyang, Zhuge, etc. You may refer to this list for other two-syllable surnames.

In Link Click, Liu Siwen’s partner is named Ouyang, and in some subs it’s written as Ou Yang. However, Ouyang is actually just her surname, since her father is named Ouyang Bubai. We don’t know daughter!Ouyang’s given name. I also don’t understand why Liu Siwen would call her by just surname...

2. Calling someone by both their surname and given name is the neutral, normal way to call anyone.

To those calling Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi as just Lu and Cheng, and Lin Ling and Yang Cheng as just Lin and Yang… Please don’t. Who tf are those 😭

2.2. But in some stories, characters may not have surnames.

In the danmei (Chinese BL) novel Bestial Blade, the setting is a prehistoric-ish tribal society where nobody has surnames. Although some characters may have two-character names, the first character is actually part of the given name and not a surname. In the case of characters with only one-chara given names, affixes/honorifics are added when addressing them. This will be explained later.

2.3. Nobody calls anyone by only one syllable, unless there’s a special reason behind it.

Example 1: In To Be Hero X episode 8, every child in the orphanage has no surname and go by only a one-character given name. But nobody really calls Qing/Cyan as just “Qing.” It’s not always in the English subtitles, but children and adults alike actually call Qing as Xiao Qing (Little Qing). The “xiao” is a term of endearment, and it’s explained later on in this post. At one point, the orphanage director also calls her by the nickname “Qing Qing.”

The one time Xiao Qing was called with only “Qing” in this episode was at the end, when the orphanage director got mad at her. Not using xiao or her nickname at that moment was really chilling.

Example 2: In the danmei novel Your Distance, there were instances where the male lead Bai Changyi addressed the protagonist Ting Shuang by just “Ting.” This sounds weird, but it’s fine ’cause it was on purpose. In the context of the story (two Chinese men living in Germany) and the relationship between the characters at that time (not that close), it sounded as if Bai Changyi was trying to keep his distance from Ting Shuang by refusing to associate with him like how one would with a fellow Chinese.

3. A close family member calling you by full name and without any honorific can be odd.

Like, imagine your mom calling you by full name. Once or twice, it sounds like you’re in trouble (re: Lucky Cyan example in 2.3). But all the time? Your mom hates you.

Nicknames or given name+honorific is more normal.

This doesn’t apply to Cheng Xiaoshi and Qiao Ling from Link Click, even though they canonically consider each other as siblings. Idk, maybe because they have different surnames and aren’t really blood-related? Anyways, how they address each other is fine. And considering how they get along with each other, I also think they’d find those affectionate nicknames cringe 😂

4. If the given name is more than one syllable, then it’s fine to address that person by only given name and without any affixes and honorifics. This is an indication of closeness/familiarity.

e.g. In Link Click: Xia Fei calling Cheng Xiaoshi as only “Xiaoshi.”

However, there are instances where an older person may call a younger person by given name even if they aren’t that close. Like, a preschool teacher addressing their student by only given name is acceptable.

In family, an elder addressing someone from the younger generation with only given name is also normal, regardless of how close they are. But the opposite is not true. It is generally considered rude for someone younger to call an older relative by only given name.

Chinese Nicknames via Name Variation

5. It can be formed by repeating a syllable in the person’s name.

This, for me, is the most affectionate way to address someone. It sounds very cute.

Lin Ling (林凌) from To Be Hero X can be called Ling Ling (凌凌), and that’s why the Chinese fandom abbreviates his name as 00. In Chinese, zero is 零, which is also pronounced as líng.

5.2. However, be careful in choosing which syllable to repeat because you might end up with a nickname that doesn’t sound nice.

In Link Click S1E1, Cheng Xiaoshi laughed when Qiao Ling called Lu Guang “Guang Guang.” This is because Guang Guang sounds a lot like wang wang, the Chinese onomatopoeia for a dog’s bark. (Some subs translated “Guang Guang” as “good boy” to get the joke across.)

In a similar vein, please don’t nickname Wang Qing as Wang Wang 😭. Qing Qing 青青 is much prettier; it sounds like the qingqing 轻轻 that means “softly” or “gently.”

5.3 Also consider how you’re portraying a character in your fic.

Would Vein from Link Click, whose Chinese name is Xiāo Wèiyǐng 萧未影, be comfortable being called Yǐng Yǐng 影影? The tones are different, but if you say it fast enough the sound isn’t that far from the yīngyīng 嘤嘤 which is a cutesy way of crying in text online (similar to “huhuhu” in English).

Xiāo Xiāo 萧萧 also sounds close to xiǎo xiǎo 小小, which means tiny.

Xiao Xiao and Ying Ying don’t really sound “manly,” but they’re not exactly bad nicknames either (I think). Just consider the context of your story before going with any of them. If unsure, consult a dictionary or a native Chinese speaker.

6. Adding the prefix ā 阿 for monosyllabic names.

This is more common in Southern China.

In To Be Hero X, Ahu’s name is actually the prefix ā 阿 + the character hǔ 虎, which means “tiger.”

In Mo Dao Zu Shi, Wei Ying is called A’Ying. In Bestial Blade, every female supporting character in the Black Eagle tribe is named with the prefix ā 阿 + a one-character given name.

You can only append ā 阿 to one character. So, no “A’Wei Ying.” Just A’Ying.

7. Adding the suffix 儿 (-r or -er).

This is more common in Northern China.

Like ā 阿, -er is only added to one syllable

It is often added to the last syllable of the given name

The subtitles don’t show it, but Nezha, from the Demon Child movie, is called Zha’er by his parents.

8. Adding the word 小 xiǎo (little) before the name.

You add this before the name of those younger than you or subordinate to you.

In Link Click S2, Liu Lan actually calls Li Tianxi “Xiao Xi.” But in some subtitles, they put in “Xixi,” probably for English localization.

When done among relatives and family friends, it is a neutral, informal way of calling someone. Cute, but also doesn’t express any special-ness since it’s no surprise for an aunt to call her niece as Xiao + Given Name. Still much more affectionate than just calling them by given name, though.

However, when done in a work setting…

a boss calling one employee with Xiao + Surname expresses some degree of favorability, especially if they still call the other employees by full name.

An older employee calling their younger boss with Xiao would sound like they’re not taking them seriously because of their age.

An old, mature boss calling their reckless new and young recruit with Xiao could indicate they think their employee is childish.

So yeah, it all depends on context as well as the speaker’s tone when they say it.

Xiao + Given Name is often used for children.

e.g. Empress Wu from White Cat Legend calls Li Bing “Xiao Bing-za.” Ignore the “za” for now, but the fact that an Empress is calling her subject with Xiao + Given Name is enough to show how much she favors Li Bing. Or maybe she just thinks he’s like a little kid, since she is waaay older than him. (Don’t be fooled by her young facade; she’s an old lady.) Regardless, “Xiao Bing-za” sounds very informal.

Xiao + Repeated Syllable (re: #5) sounds really cute. A bit childish, perhaps, but it really depends on context and tone.

Not a fandom example, but I used to call my cat Xiao Maomao (little cat cat)

9. Adding the word 老 lǎo (old) before the surname.

This is like the opposite of xiao, and it comes across as more rough/casual. Compared to xiao, it has more of a “bro” vibe.

Lao is often used for those older than you, while xiao for those younger.

But between those of the same age, you can use either depending on the kind of tone you want to achieve (re: #8 for notes on xiao)

If you use lao for someone younger, it could come off as ingratiating or extremely respectful.

Link Click: I can imagine Cheng Xiaoshi addressing Lu Guang as “Lao Lu” when begging him for a difficult favor 😂

That’s all for now! For a more comprehensive guide on Chinese nicknames, check out these resources:

How to Address Chinese People Correctly – Appellations in Chinese

30+ Chinese Nicknames: A Guide to Popular Choices and Cultural Significance

In part 2 of this post, I will talk about Chinese honorifics.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Hello!! So, I saw an argument about Harry's uhm looks? I guess. A lot of people basically headcanon him as someone buff. I digress, I'm part of the uhm more realistic? group. Harry's been starved and abused his entire life. I doubt he'll gain the weight and the height everyone else wants him to have. Years later. maybe. But in 6th year? While on the run? 3 years after the war? Doubt. do you think he would be able to get super tall and buff? Also, do you think its possible he used the same methods the dursleys used to punish himself?

I mean, anyone can headcanon whatever they want, but, I'll try to explain via quotes, what Harry's height and muscle situation is likely to be. I believe the reasons some headcanon him as buff and tall are:

Harry had pinned Mundungus against the wall of the pub by the throat. Holding him fast with one hand, he pulled out his wand.

(HBP)

He lifts Mundungus by his throat with one hand easily, and he practices Quidditch like 3 times a week at least. This implies that Harry has some muscle on him.

And he's mentioned to be James' height when he's 17:

James was exactly the same height as Harry.

(DH)

Which was supposedly tall, according to both, Harry:

tall and untidy-haired like Harry, the smoky, shadowy form of James Potter

(GoF)

And Voldemort:

the tall black-haired man in his glasses

(DH)

Now, let's put Harry's height in the context of other character heights. Particularly of interest are characters taller than him, to get an image of how tall is "tall." And some shorter characters to help figure out his exact height.

Sirius, Ron, Voldemort, and Dumbledore are all taller than Harry and exceptionally tall in general. They are each likely to be over 6 feet tall, making Harry likely less than 6' (183 cm). Supporting this is this quote:

Once the painful transformation was complete he was more than six feet tall, and from what he could tell from his well-muscled arms, powerfully built.

(DH)

This means Harry is less than 6' and isn't super buff. But, I want to get to his specific height, because I have a lot to say about character heights.

Like, Dumbledore is probably the tallest character who isn't a half-giant because he's towering over everyone except Hagrid and Maxime. In book 6, he's literally taller than all the inferi in the cave:

Dumbledore was on his feet again, pale as any of the surrounding Inferi, but taller than any too,

(HBP)

And Abeforth (who's as tall as Dumbledore) is taller than Ron, who's one of the other tallest characters in the books:

Ron looked slightly sick. Aberforth stood up, tall as Albus, and suddenly terrible in his anger and the intensity of his pain.

(DH)

Making the Dumbledores really tall. My estimate is around a whooping 6'5 (195 cm).

Sirius is mentioned to be taller than Snape, and the tallest Marauder:

said Sirius, standing up. He was rather taller than Snape

(OotP)

To Sirius’s right stood Pettigrew, more than a head shorter

(DH)

A head, in height, should be around one foot (30.48 cm). As the average height of a man in England in 1998 was around 5'8 (174.4 cm), this would make Sirius around 6'2 (188 cm), therefore taller than average, and Pettigrew around 5'2 (157 cm), shorter than the average, but still both at a reasonable height.

Ron is almost as tall as the twins at 11:

“Shut up,” said Ron again. He was almost as tall as the twins already and his nose was still pink where his mother had rubbed it.

(PS)

And, just, really tall in general:

He stepped forward. Not as tall as Ron, he had to crane his neck to read the yellowish label affixed to the shelf right beneath the dusty glass ball.

(OotP)

So I estimate Ron at around 6'3 (190 cm).

Voldemort who grew up on war rations is still described very consistently as tall, regardless of childhood malnourishment:

He was his handsome father in miniature, tall for eleven years old, dark-haired, and pale

(HBP)

tall, pale, dark-haired, and handsome — the teenage Voldemort.

(HBP)

Taller than Bellatrix (who's taller than Harry). Voldemort is also considerably taller than Pettigrew, as he has to bend to reach Pettigrew's arm when both are standing:

Voldemort bent down and pulled out Wormtail’s left arm; he forced the sleeve of Wormtail’s robes up past his elbow

(GoF)

I usually place Voldemort at around the same height as Ron, so 6'3 (190 cm).

Fred and George, though, are mentioned to be shorter and stockier, more similar to Molly's build:

Charlie was built like the twins, shorter and stockier than Percy and Ron, who were both long and lanky.

(GoF)

but are mentioned to shrink to become Harry in book 7:

Hermione and Mundungus were shooting upward; Ron, Fred, and George were shrinking

(DH)

I actually place the twins around 6' (183 cm) so they could be taller than Harry, but shorter than Ron. The twins are likely taller than Charlie.

Bellatrix, as a woman, should also be shorter on average, but considering how tall Sirius is mentioned to be, it appears the Blacks are just considerably taller than the average, even the women:

a tall dark woman with heavy-lidded eyes, who had stood at her trial and proclaimed her continuing allegiance to Lord Voldemort

(OotP)

She was taller than he was, her long black hair rippling down her back, her heavily lidded eyes disdainful as they rested upon him;

(DH)

So I place her at around 6' (183 cm) as well, as an exceptionally tall lady.

So where does this place Harry?

During the first 4 books, Harry is short and small for his age. When he's 13, he and Hermione are bit shorter than Pettigrew:

He was a very short man, hardly taller than Harry and Hermione.

(PoA)

(Ron, noticeably, is taller than Pettigrew at 13)

So, so Harry at 13 was around 5'1 (155 cm). And so was Hermione.

Then in between books 4 and 5 puberty kicks in and probably causes a slight growth spurt that makes him more attractive to girls around him:

He was a skinny, black-haired, bespectacled boy who had the pinched, slightly unhealthy look of someone who has grown a lot in a short space of time.

(OotP)

Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown, the last two of whom gave Harry airy, overly friendly greetings that made him quite sure they had stopped talking about him a split second before. He had more important things to worry about, however:

(OotP)

And then he has another, larger growth spurt between books 5 and 6:

“You’re like Ron,” she [Molly] sighed, looking him up and down. “Both of you look as though you’ve had Stretching Jinxes put on you. I swear Ron’s grown four inches since I last bought him school robes.

(HBP)

“And it doesn’t hurt that you’ve grown about a foot over the summer either,” Hermione finished, ignoring Ron. “I’m tall,” said Ron inconsequentially. [Ron is objectively correct]

(HBP)

Post book 6 growth spurt, we know Harry is below 6' (183 cm) but close enough to 6' to be above the average of 5'8 (174.4 cm) and be considered "tall", and grow "about a foot" after said growth spurt.

I personally place his height at 5'11 (180 cm), to make all of the above make sense.

And while he is physically fit, he is likely very thin from years of malnourishment. So, he likely has some muscle on him, but he's very lean with little to no fat during his Hogwarts years (he'd likely gain more weight as an adult living peacefully with regular meals). So, Harry in the books isn't what I'd call buff, but he has some muscle and can definitely throw a punch. As he grows older post-canon, I think he could get buff if he set his mind to it.

(I actually have notes about the height of a bunch of other characters. Hermione is shorter than Harry and Ron, but noticeably taller than Ginny (5'1 or 155 cm - edited Ginny's height since I think she's shorter than the former estimate of 5'2. Bellatrix says “Very well — take the smallest one,” with Hermione and Luna (who's also short) present, so Ginny is really short) and probably around 5'4 (162 cm) by book 7. Draco is said to be slightly taller than Harry "Harry did not dare look directly at Draco, but saw him obliquely; a figure slightly taller than he was" - DH, placing Draco at around 6' (183 cm))

For your other question, no, I don't think Harry self-harms, definitely not in any way related to the Dursleys, but that's a different post because I went off about heights.

[jadeshifting]

❦ … LOCKBOX … OF … (WILDEST) … DREAMS

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆. ࿐࿔

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆. ࿐࿔

if u want the KEY, here it is —> 🗝₊˚⊹♡

.　　. 　 ˚　. ABOUT ME

— i’m JADE, a very typical and normal shifter with too many DRs, too many interests, and too many soulmates (none in this reality, ew.)

— i love books and movies and anything I can devour and integrate into my identity, which I do with all of them. born in ‘05, i’m 19, and pinterest, tumblr and letterboxd haaaate to see me coming. I write— sometimes a whole bunch of nothing, sometimes things I’m convinced belong in the bible, but I still do it like my fingers will fall off at anytime

.　　. 　 ˚　. ( pssst, my pinterest )

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆. ࿐࿔

　　　.   　　˚　　 　　*　　 　　✦　　　.　　.　　　✦　˚ 　　　　 ˚　.˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　 　　 　　　　 ੈ✧̣̇˳·˖✶

i want a yellow diamond engagement ring .. a BIG one. i want a country house with a porch. i want a velvetine bunny rabbit with floppy ears. i want a stone house next to the sea. i want the whole sea.

and I can HAVE it, and so can you. isn’t shifting fun babes ౨ৎ

.　　. 　 ˚　. SHIFTING JOURNEY

it’s likely nothing you haven’t heard before. I found out about shifting when everyone else did (Hogwarts, which I’m sure you can tell stuck to me like tar) and lived with only misinformation for sustenance on shiftok for a loooong time (rip </3) until I had the sense to use amino, some reddit, and finally ended up on shiftblr

.　　. 　 ˚　. MI BLOG

i talk about all sorts of things on here !! like a one-stop shop for shifting & scripting—you may notice that i love to focus on scripting, though. in my ( humble ) ( NOT ) opinion, our community is oversaturated with advice that more often than not overcomplicates the very natural, automatic process that is shifting. rather that putting the simple process of shifting under a microscope, i find it much more fun to explore everything you can do with it. i take emoji anons and i’m happy to chat about pretty much anything !! you can refer to my inbox guidelines below or my “asks <3” tag for more specific examples of the kinds of questions i take

— inbox guidelines ( coming soon, PATIENCE )

— anons list

❦ … ALTERNATIVE … REALITIES

(not DESIRED, because I don’t desire things I already have or places I already go to)

.　　. 　 ˚　. HOGWARTS REALITY … school in the echoing, ever shifting stone walls of Hogwarts, excelling at forms of magic that are unknown to the rest of the world. holing up in dorms, lanterns’ glow illuminating ink-smudged fingers and invented incantations. returning to the manor in the summertime, when the fun really stars, when we twirl absurdly in silken gowns at gala after gala, kiss people our families wouldn’t approve of, take our liberties in between swaths of velvet and drenched in silvery champagne. in the end, though, it all comes down to one thing: power. the opulence, our loyalties, our endless magic. it all serves that one thing

— hogwarts masterlist

— shiftmas masterlist ( 4 hogwarts )

.　　. 　 ˚　. 2006 MYSPACE HOTTIE REALITY … thrust into fame from both my booming myspace blog and a face people can’t seem to do anything but affix their eyes on, my serious acting career does nothing to stop the diabolical antics i put on with my hot friends and my absolutely smoking boyfriend—in the public eye, sure, but mostly in the grainy hot pink sanctuary of my infamous myspace account. they can’t take their eyes off of me

— jare & i keep making headlines ( hot )

.　　. 　 ˚　. THE WALKING DEAD REALITY …

— intro

— 5 senses ( waking up there. )

— things i’m looking forward to

— what’s in my (apocalyptic survival) bag

— walking dead radio

— my DR self moodboard

— trapped with Negan

.　　. 　 ˚　. SUPERNATURAL REALITY

— intro

— hunter log 001

— lookbook

— things i’m looking forward to

— my life ( told through tarot )

— me as a perfume

— why would the winchesters let you join them? ( script inspiration )

— blueberry & sugar lemon perfume

.　　. 　 ˚　. EVER AFTER HIGH REALITY

— a guide to classes at ever after high

— lore blurb

— shoutout to my original s/o (nostalgia, apple ml)

— fairytale parent ideas

.　　. 　 ˚　. SMALLVILLE REALITY

— my dr basics ( pre-intro )

— my dr self moodboard ( Jade Apple LaRue )

.　　. 　 ˚　. NYC STAR REALITY

— musings ( things i’m looking forward to )

— yearning 4 my boyfriend when he’s away

.　　. 　 ˚　. BTS REALITY

— trendsetting

— the 4 seasons

.　　. 　 ˚　. JURASSIC WORLD REALITY

— my DR self moodboard

— a day in my life on Jurassic World

.　　. 　 ˚　. OUTER BANKS REALITY

— my DR self moodboard

— what’s in my bag?

— 5 senses ( waking up there. )

.　　. 　 ˚　. MUCH ADO ABOUT LOVE LETTERS REALITY

— DR blurb

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆. ࿐࿔

　　　.   　　˚　　 　　*　　 　　✦　　　.　　.　　　✦　˚ 　　　　 ˚　.˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　 　　 　　　　 ੈ✧̣̇˳·˖✶

❦ … NAVIGATION

.　　. 　 ˚　. asks are always open and I luvvvv them, i’d be totally happy to write scenarios, blurbs, give shifting motivation or scripting ideas, or really anything else. don’t be shy & feel free to send whatever you want :-)

MUSINGS ( SOMEONE STOP HER. )

𓆩♡𓆪 — the spectral glamour girl

𓆩♡𓆪 — don’t feel guilty for your main character syndrome

𓆩♡𓆪 — there are plenty of fates worse than yours

𓆩♡𓆪 — traveling the multiverse vs traveling the world

𓆩♡𓆪 — why do we use face claims? ( on self expression vs. self acceptance )

𓆩♡𓆪 — “this is the best method” and why that doesn’t serve your shifting journey

SCRIPTING IDEAS

𓆩♡𓆪 — waiting room ideas

𓆩♡𓆪 — hogwarts elective classes to script

𓆩♡𓆪 — places to script (hogsmeade)

𓆩♡𓆪 — scripting your family ( i swear it can work even if they’re not dead )

𓆩♡𓆪 — enriching your life ( adding depth to the mundane in your DR )

𓆩♡𓆪 — the art of moodboarding ( & using it to script )

𓆩♡𓆪 — uniquely characterizing yourself ( small, important details )

𓆩♡𓆪 — luck ( aka the secret weapon to surviving the apocalypse without getting rid of the plot )

𓆩♡𓆪 — 100 scripting ideas . road trip edition

𓆩♡𓆪 — so, you wanna shift to the hunger games? ( no judgement, just ideas )

𓆩♡𓆪 — supernatural scenarios ( romance w/ Dean vers. )

𓆩♡𓆪 — grungy / haunting fem. faceclaims

ITTY BITTY SHIFTING CONTENTS

𓆩♡𓆪 — my favorite shifting experience

𓆩♡𓆪 — my “method”

𓆩♡𓆪 — struggling to escape an escapist mindset

𓆩♡𓆪 — drift & shift ( a teensy nighttime routine for the girlies that have a hard time chilling out )

𓆩♡𓆪 — some of my niche (?) DRs

𓆩♡𓆪 — what happens to my CR body when i shift?

𓆩♡𓆪 — combinations : my CR vs. my DR ( one drink, one eat )

𓆩♡𓆪 — would my DR selves get along if they were separate people? hmm

𓆩♡𓆪 — positive affirmations ( vers. holiday )

𓆩♡𓆪 — my girly engagement ring in the multiverse

FRUIT ASK GAME 🍒

— 🍒 the ask game

— �� what i’m best at in my DRs

— 🥑 the most comforting part of my day in my DRs

— 🍅 secrets i’m keeping in my DRs

SLYTHERIN HEADCANONS

pansy parkinson headcanons

theodore nott headcanons

blaise zabini headcanons

blaise zabini headcanons no.2

lorenzo berkshire headcanons

draco malfoy headcanons

[genshin-impact-updates]

Permanent Combat Event "Stygian Onslaught": Defeat Powerful Foes and Uncover Hidden Treasures!

Greetings Traveler! Version 5.7 introduces the new permanent combat event "Stygian Onslaught." Complete challenges to obtain Primogems, the new Artifact enhancement item "Dust of Enlightenment" (which allows redistribution of Minor Affix upgrades on 5-star Lv. 20 Artifacts, see details below), and other bountiful rewards! During specific periods, completing battles while consuming Resin grants up to 3× rewards from your chosen Domains of Blessing. Begin your combat journey now!

[txttletale]

this is an image i generated using AI with the prompt 'mi-24 attack helicopter blushing demurely'. it is definitionally art and i am the artist (note that i did not say it's good art -- it isn't!). i'm going to ask some questions about it to illustrate why i think a lot of 'AI art isn't art' talking points are silly.

1. why did i combine 'attack helicopter' with 'blushing', when this is not something attack helicopters are known for doing? is there a juxtaposition being drawn there on purpose? what purpose?

2. why did i specify a specific model of attack helicopter? is the mi-24 known for anything?

3. what attitude does this prompt imply towards the mi-24 and the institutions that use it? is it a reverent and respectful one?

4. why is 'demurely' specified? are there other ways to blush?

5. would the resulting image have been meaningfully different if:

a) the type of helicopter had not been specified

b) 'blushing' had been replaced by 'frowning'

c) 'blushing demurely' had been replaced with 'fighting bad guys'

d) 'mi-24 attack helicopter' had been replaced with 'anime girl'

e) 'mi-24 attack helicopter' had been replaced with 'turkish president'

f) the prompt was affixed 'beautiful, high resolution, trending on artstation'

g) the prompt was affixed 'found footage horror movie'

6. does the fact that i have previously said i will make a bing ai image every time someone complains about AI art, sarcastically saying that by doing so i am stealing food out of artists' mouths, impact the perceived meaning and impact of the image? does it offer a new reading of the absurd nature of the prompt?

7. does the fact that i am a vocal communist impact your answer to any of these questions?

these aren't rhetorical or troll questions, to be clear -- they are merely being posed to illustrate that the idea that there is no artistic intent or human expression behind AI generated images falls apart under serious analysis.

[glowup-princess]

ʜᴏᴡ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴀ ᴠɪꜱɪᴏɴ ʙᴏᴀʀᴅ

Creating a vision board is a powerful way to visualize your goals and inspire yourself to achieve them. 

 1. Clarify Your Goals

 Reflect on what you want in various aspects of your life: 

Career

Relationships

Health 

Personal growth 

Travel

Hobbies

Be specific about your goals.

For example, instead of "get healthy," aim for "run a 5K" or "eat more vegetables daily."

 2. Gather Supplies

Board: You can use a corkboard, poster board, foam board, or even a digital canvas to create online.

Materials: Scissors, glue, tape, pins, or software tools for digital boards.

Images & Words: Magazines, newspapers, printouts, or personal photos work well for a digital board. Use apps like Canva or Pinterest.

Decorative Items: Stickers, markers, ribbons, or any creative embellishments.

 3. Find Inspiration

Look for images, quotes, or symbols that represent your goals. (ofc in Pinterest <3)

Think beyond material things: include emotions, values, or habits you want to cultivate (e.g., happiness, mindfulness).

 4. Organize Your Board

Arrange items by category or priority.

Use sections for different life areas, like:

Top-left: Career

Top-right: Relationships

Bottom-left: Health

Bottom-right: Travel or personal development

Keep the central space for your core vision or main goal.

 5. Assemble the Vision Board

Affix your images and words to the board.

Add creative touches, like doodles or captions, to make it personal.

 6. Display Your Vision Board

Place it somewhere visible, like your bedroom, or office, or as a wallpaper on your phone or computer.

The goal is to keep your vision in mind regularly.

 7. Engage With It Regularly

Spend a few minutes daily or weekly visualizing your goals while looking at your board.

Adjust and update the board as your goals evolve or you achieve milestones.

 8. Take Action

Use your vision board as motivation, but remember that action is key to turning your vision into reality.

Break down big goals into smaller, actionable steps.

Happy new year everyone!! <3

Likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated <3

[sinn-bee]

[Excerpts from the studies of the Beast Taming peak]

The Gilded Mane Corpse Wolf

A demonic beast from the wastes of the demon realms, they are solitary creatures who seldom form packs. They begin life as scavengers, the pups setting off on their own and surviving off of scraps as they seek out the strongest demonic beast they can find. They learn to hunt and stalk, waiting for the powerful beast they have chosen to meet an untimely end and on the rare occasion delivering the final blow to carry it to death’s door. The Gilded Mane Corpse Wolf will then make its territory around its chosen one’s resting place, guarding the decomposing monster, feasting on it, and waiting for its bones to be picked clean by vermin as it grows to a size comparable to the dead beast.

When the bones are clean and free, the Gilded Mane Corpse Wolf will arrange the bones and roll in them- tangling them into its long golden fur until they are secure. With a surge of demonic energy the fur hardens into a metallic material, permanently affixing the bones as armor.

It is less of a scavenger at this point, depending on the kind of beast skeleton the Wolf has grown to don, it can range from a sleek and quick deadly predator equipped with sharp spurs of bone to a nigh impenetrable foe with thick armor. It then stalks its territory, expanding its borders and driving away strong beasts, inflicting them with deep wounds.

The pups are often sought out by demonic courts as trophies. Plucked from their pilgrimage for their clean and untangled fur that has many uses from a brilliant conduit for demonic energy to being used for beautiful embroidery to hardening into its metallic form for weapons. Less commonly, they are captured to be trained as war hounds. They are difficult to tame and raise, the confinement making it difficult for them to grow and become suitable for the handpicked bones its captors try to make it don. But on the rare occasion that its owners are successful they make formidable beasts on the battlefield regardless of their unpredictable temper.

It is not recommended to approach this demonic beast alone, given as each one is unique outfitted it is impossible to plan ahead to fight. They are best fought with a team of cultivators that possess a wide range of fighting styles and experiences. The bones of the Gilded Mane Corpse Wolf are potent with Demonic energy but if harvested and cleansed can be used for crafted powerful spiritual objects with a strength for detecting evil. The ivory crafted this way always carries a lovely golden sheen. The fur can also be used as a potent material for weaving spells and talismans into fabric. It is unknown if humans are capable of taming these creatures as the pups reside very far in the demon realm and are experts at evasion. On the few noted experiences of cultivators finding escaped trained Wolves, they do not seem keen on taking human instruction.

[end of excerpt]

Did I write a whole journal entry on the Pidw creature I made up for a fic? Yes. Yes I did <3 Fun fact, I sketched this on paper first and then colored it digitally! The specific wolf here is wearing bones based off of a rhinoceros skeleton a dark moon python rhinoceros maybe…

[ladykailitha]

The Harrington Pattern Part 4

I know I said I was going to wait on posting this one, but it's got the most backlogged chapters so I figured I can at least put out this one for you.

It's extra long, like amount 1000 words longer than my usual. But I didn't want to stop half way through a specific section.

An elf gets his ears, Robin freaks out a bit, and everyone gets a little called out about their pre-conceived notions, but especially Mike.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

@mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @emly03

****

The day had arrived and Claudia had offered to help get them all there, as Eddie’s van was full and Robin still didn’t have her license. She was in driver’s ed right now, thankfully. Her parents didn’t want her going to college without knowing how.

So Dustin, Will, El, and Mike went with Claudia and Robin, Max, and Lucas went with Steve.

Dustin had wanted to go with Steve, but it didn’t make sense as his mom was the other driver. So he pouted all the way to pick up his friends, but by the time Claudia had picked up Mike Dustin was vibrating in the front seat.

Lucas was picked up last.

He still didn’t have his ears so he looked crestfallen when he answered the door. He was wearing the pirate outfit he had told Steve he had.

“He’s being a piss baby,” Erica muttered. “Something about ears.”

“Erica Jean!” Mrs. Sinclair hissed. “We do not talk about your brother that way.”

Erica crossed her arms and pouted.

“Actually, Mrs. Sinclair,” Steve said with a smile. “I have a solution, but I’m going to need your help.”

Both Lucas and Erica perked up at that. Steve patted his pocket with a wink.

“Of course!” Mrs. Sinclair beamed. “I told you Steve and Eddie were going to come through for you, didn’t I?”

Lucas blushed. “Yes, Mom.”

“Where do we need to be, Steve?” she asked.

“The bathroom would be the best place.”

She nodded and led the way, Lucas in the middle and Steve bringing up the rear.

Steve sat Lucas on the toilet seat and pulled out the thin box Eddie had given him. He opened it up so Mrs. Sinclair could see it first.

“Ooh!” she cooed. “I know just what we need. I’ll be right back.”

Steve turned around so Lucas could see them.

Lucas gasped. “Holy shit! What are they made of?”

“Silicone.”

“Do we need anything to affix the ears, Steve?” Mrs. Sinclair asked from her bedroom. “I have makeup glue if we need.”

“That’s fine, Mrs. Sinclair,” Steve called back. “I have spirit gum.”

She peaked around the corner. “Oh that’s even better!” She had her makeup bag in her hands.

“Actually Lucas,” Steve said eyeing the makeup bag. “Go change into your costume. I don’t want to smear makeup on your costume or accidentally knock off one of the ears and have to start all over.”

Lucas leapt to his feet and dashed out of the room.

“It was really nice of you to do all this for him,” Mrs. Sinclair told Steve in the wake of her son’s cartoon speed cloud. “It’s really made him feel special. To stand out in a way that feels good for a change.”

Steve smiled back at her. “He’s a good kid. It was great that I got to do something nice for him.”

Lucas came back a few minutes later, a blanket covering his costume. When his mom and Steve raised an eyebrow at him he blushed.

“I was worried about the makeup getting on the costume,” he admitted shyly.

Steve patted his shoulder. “I would have put a towel over it. A mom approved towel. I don’t think she’s going to approve that blanket.”

“Absolutely not!” She took off the blanket and handed them a ratty old towel to drape over Lucas’s shoulders.

“Thanks Mrs. S.,” Steve murmured and got to work. He applied the ears and then swapped with Mrs. Sinclair.

She applied makeup to the silicone to blend them to Lucas’s ears.

“All done!” she said triumphantly.

Steve whipped off the towel and pulled Lucas to his feet. He closed the door so that they could use the full length mirror that was on the back. He put his hands over Lucas’s eyes and gently steered him toward the door.

“You ready?” he asked softly.

“Yeah,” Lucas croaked.

Steve uncovered his eyes.

Lucas stared in the mirror for a moment or two.

“Baby?” Mrs. Sinclair asked. “Do you like it?”

Tears streamed down his face as he nodded. “I’m an elf, Mom...”

She hugged him tightly. “Yes you are, sweetie. And the best looking elf at the fair, no doubt.”

He nodded and then wiped his tears.

“How did you do this?” he asked Steve.

Steve smiled. “Jeff makes them.”

Lucas’s jaw dropped. “Oh.”

Mrs. Sinclair cocked her head to the side. “Who’s Jeff?”

“Mom!” Lucas hissed. “I like talk about him all the time! He’s the other black member of Hellfire!”

“Ah,” she said with a smile. “You talk about so many of those boys, I get them mixed up sometimes. But I’m happy he was able to help my baby out.”

Lucas rushed out to show the girls who gasped and oohed over Lucas’s outfit.

“How much did you have to pay for those, Steve?” she asked gently. “They can’t have been cheap.”

Steve shook his head. “Jeff did them for free because he knew what it was like to be told no just because of the color of his skin. So don’t worry about it, okay?”

She nodded and the two of them wandered out into the front room.

“Steve!!” Erica screeched. “I didn’t know you could sew like this!” She waved at Lucas. “What the hell?”

Steve threw back his head and laughed. “You could have come, and maybe would have gotten a cool outfit too. Too late now.”

Erica gasped, wide-eyed that Steve would call her out like this.

Mrs. Sinclair patted her daughter on the head. “You’re the one that wanted to sleep over at Tina’s this weekend, sweetie. Maybe next year.”

Erica couldn’t deny her mother’s logic and was forced to concede. “Fine, but just know I’m going to be grumpy about it.”

Mrs. Sinclair kissed the top of her daughter’s head. “I know, dear.”

“Come on,” Max said, “we’ve admired Lucas long enough, I want to go to this fair, please.”

Lucas and Steve shared a glance. “Uh-oh. She said please, we better go before she gets really mad.”

Max rolled her eyes. “Fuck off.”

Mrs. Sinclair bit her lip as she struggled not to tell the girl off for her language.

Max and Lucas piled into the backseat while Robin and Steve slid upfront.

*

The closer they got to the where the Renaissance Fair was being held, the more nervous Robin got.

“Steve?” she questioned. “Why are we heading to the burned down mall?”

Steve grinned. “We aren’t.”

Robin bit her lip. “No,” she mumbled. “I rode my bike on this road every day to get to work. This is the way to Starcourt.”

Lucas and Max leaned forward to see the road ahead of them.

“I think she’s right,” Max concluded. “This is the way to Starcourt.”

They pulled into the makeshift parking lot of the fair. It was pretty much a dust field with people in medieval getups directing traffic.

Steve pulled in where he was directed and they all piled out of the Bimmer.

They stood looking out at the field where Starcourt once stood, but was now a bustling center of outdoor activity.

“What the hell?” Robin gasped. “Where is the mall?”

Steve grinned. “This piece of land was always used for passing carnivals and the Renaissance Fair every year. When the mayor sold it to the Russians to build the mall it put a stop to a lot of summer activities the town once enjoyed. So after the earthquake they bulldozed the area and put back the way it was.”

“What did they do with the underground bunker?” Max asked, vaguely interested.

Steve scratched his cheek. “Filled it with uh, cement.”

Lucas and Max shared an appreciative glance and even Robin nodded.

Steve was the first to spot the rest of their group. Dustin, Mike, Will and El were waiting in neat little cluster for them.

Lucas tugged on the hem of his gambeson and ducked his head. Max looked over at him and rolled her eyes.

“They aren’t going to care,” she hissed.

Steve glared at her. “There has been evidence to the contrary regarding this very thing, so zip it.” He mimed zipping his mouth closed.

Max stared at him wide-eyed in shock. Robin tugged on her sleeve.

“Come on,” she told the younger girl. “Let’s got meet up with the others.”

Max huffed but did as she was told without protest.

Steve put his hands on Lucas’s shoulders and looked him in the eye. “Look, I don’t know how you feel. I can never know how you feel, but let me tell you something that those buttheads will probably never understand because they aren’t like you and me.”

Lucas nodded.

“Being a ‘nerd’ as they call it is not the be all end all of existence,” Steve said. “You can have interests outside of theirs. I know they gave you shit for joining the basketball team, but you are a good player, maybe even a great one if you keep at it. You won’t have the same experiences that they will and that’s okay.”

“But what if we stop being friends?” Lucas asked, his voice breaking.

“It’s going to suck for awhile,” Steve confirmed. “It won’t be easy and it will hurt sometimes when you least expect it, but you’ll make new friends with your same interests as long as you continue to be you.”

Lucas took in a deep breath and let out slow. “You’re friends were assholes though.”

Steve laughed. “And Mike isn’t?”

A small sunny smile peeked out from under Lucas’s cloud of worry. “Yeah, all right.”

They started walking toward the group with Steve’s arm slung over Lucas’s shoulder.

“Take a deep breath,” Steve told him as they got close. “And know I will kick his ass if he says anything.”

Lucas huffed out a laugh. “Thanks, Steve.”

They reached the crowd of their friends and waited for their reaction.

“Holy shit!” Will said. “That is an epic costume!”

And then Lucas fully reached the group and ears could be seen.

“What are you supposed to be?” Mike asked with a sneer. “There aren’t any black characters with pointy ears.”

Dustin scoffed. “He could be a Vulcan. There was a black Vulcan in ‘Search for Spock’!”

“That movie was so bad, dude,” Mike huffed. “It doesn’t count.”

“It totally counts,” Dustin protested. “It’s considered canon, therefore it counts.”

“I’m not a Vulcan,” Lucas said proudly, sticking out his chest, “I’m an elf ranger.”

“Are you a Drow then?” Mike asked. “You do know Drows are evil right?”

Dustin and Will’s jaws drop in shock and outrage.

“Dude!” Will hissed. “His skin isn’t literally black!”

Steve leaned over to the girls. “Does anyone know what a draw or whatever is?”

Lucas turned to Steve. “It’s a race of elves that live in the underdark, deep below where even the dwarves dare to delve. They’re straight up evil and very matriarchal.”

“Well that’s sexist,” Robin said putting her hands on her hips.

Mike rolled his eyes turned back to Lucas. “Well you can’t be Silvain elf, because they’re pale skinned and beautiful.”

“I’m a wood elf,” Lucas said, “my skin matches the woods around me, so I can blend in easier.”

Mike crossed his arms. “Show me one other dark skinned elf that isn’t you and maybe I’ll allow it.”

Just then a large van pulled up to the entrance in a skid, blaring metal music.

The four men got out and everyone was looking at them in stunned silence.

Eddie was dressed as a minstrel, wine dark puffy sleeves and leggings with a black tunic and boots. Gareth was a magic user in long, flowing purple robes that stopped two inches from the ground and beautifully carved wizard’s rod with a deep purple crystal in its grasp. Brian was a fighter with a metal sword at his hip and dressed in actual leather armor. Then the Party saw Jeff. He was dressed all in black with tight leggings, a short tunic and a black silk shirt that was covered by a short cloak. He had two silver daggers tucked into the tops of his thigh high boots.

He dropped the hood on his cloak to reveal that yes, Mike, he too had elf ears.

Jeff spotted Lucas and threw out his arms. “My kinsman! I greet you!”

Lucas turned and bowed low and Steve was forced to turn away to hide the smile at Mike’s stunned expression.

“Lord Kelnic,” Lucas greeted. “I understand these were a gift from you?” He rubbed the tip of one of the ears.

Jeff ran up to him. “Dude! How did you get them to match so well? I’ve tried every kind of glue to make them look like actual ears.”

Lucas blushed. “My mom used her makeup kit to blend the two.”

Jeff turned to the rest of Corroded Coffin. “And why didn’t we think of that?”

Gareth and Brian just shrugged.

Eddie on the other hand looked sheepish. “Because I thought makeup was just for girls?”

Jeff rolled his eyes and turned back to Lucas. “I’ll borrow my sister’s makeup for tomorrow. Can’t have shoddy looking ears next to my ranger kinsman.”

Lucas laughed.

Brian nudged Gareth in the ribs. “What’s Mike’s problem?”

Corroded Coffin all turned as one to see that Mike was standing there between El and Will looking like a rug had been pulled out from under him.

El patted Mike on the shoulder. “My mom says that people who judge someone by anything other than the content of their character are either too young to know better, or are immature. Grow better.”

She turned and started for the line that would grant them entrance to the Fair.

Lucas looked over at Steve and the two of them tried not to laugh at the absolute gobsmacked expression on Mike’s face.

“I’m not being racist!” he huffed and crossed his arms. “I’m not!” He looked around at all his friends, but none of them looked even remotely like they agreed with him. “He’s black so he should be black characters!”

Brian reared his head back. “Dude, how is that not racist?”

Mike looked around again panicked. “It just isn’t!”

Jeff walked up to him and looked him straight in the eye. A feat that was a little hard for most of his friends these days with how tall he’d gotten.

“There’s this thing, Mike,” he said, his voice low and menacing, “called casual racism. It’s where all your upbringing and prejudices come out in casual ways instead of saying things like nigger and that blacks should be separate from whites. It’s oh he can’t play that character, the character is white. He can’t be an elf, elves are white. That’s casual racism and you better check it before it ruins a damn good friendship.”

Jeff stared him down until Mike was nodding his agreement. He turned to Will and Dustin.

“I wasn’t here at the start of this conversation,” he said, “but you two need to be better at calling out Mike’s bullshit. Because a few years on, he should be better not worse.”

Dustin and Will gave confused glances at each other.

Jeff scoffed. “Lucas told me all about the lovely little Ghostbusters incident. He straight up told you he wasn’t going to be Winston, but Mike here assumed he wasn’t going to be anyway because he’s black. So the fact that here we are and he’s still being a racist asshole?”

“We do call him out,” Will said. “And I wasn’t here for almost a year, I don’t know what happened in that year, but yeah he got worse.”

Dustin shrugged. “I don’t know either, man. Don’t look at me.”

Steve stepped forward. “I think you do know, Dustin and I was really disappointed when I heard about it.”

Dustin looked up at him in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“After all, what’s a little casual racism when Lucas ‘betrayed’ you by joining the basketball team?” Steve said, crossing his arms over his chest.

The older members of The Hellfire Club looked chastised. Because they had all given Lucas shit for that.

“You still have time to course correct,” Steve said. “But make no mistake, any kind of bullying, is still bullying. Whether it’s about the color of their skin, the games they play, or the type of school subject they like.”

He pointed at Robin. “Band and orchestra is still people getting together and playing instruments like a metal band.” Eddie winced hard and shoved a lock of his hair in front of his face.

“Playing a sport is no different than DnD, planning, keeping track of stats, and working together are hallmarks of both.” Dustin and Mike shared a grimace and even Gareth and Brian looked uncomfortable.

“Being a genius at math or science doesn’t make you better than someone who is a genius at history or literature.”

To which everyone but Robin and Max looked at their feet. Because they had all made that mistake with Steve before this all started.

“I think we will all need to unpack some pretty garbage baggage,” Steve concluded. “But!”

All the heads shot up.

“We are here for a good time,” Steve said holding up his hand, “and as long as Mike apologizes to Jeff and Lucas I think we can move past this and enjoy ourselves today. Agreed?”

Everyone murmured their agreement, punctuated with nods. Mike looked down at his feet and kicked at a pebble.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered. “I wasn’t trying to be racist. I’ll try to be better.”

Steve looked over at Jeff and Lucas and they both gave him a thumbs up.

“Great!” Steve said cheerfully. “Now let’s get this show on the road!”

“Dirt path maybe,” Robin grumbled. “It’s like an old western out here. I swear to god Steve if I see a tumbleweed I am out of here.”

Steve laughed as they all met El in line.

Now that the heavy stuff was out of the way, it was time for some good fun.

****

My favorite line was El's "...Grow better." Because there is nothing more stinging then your girlfriend telling you to stop being an ass.

Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13

Tag List: @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @danili666 @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @i-must-potato @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog @justforthedead89 @vecnuthy @irregular-child @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @anne-bennett-cosplayer @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten @genderless-spoon @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @dragonmama76 @scheodingers-muppet @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @thespaceantwhowrites @paintgonewrong @mogami13 @beelze-the-bubkiss @croatoan-like-its-hot @retro-vagabond @dolphincliffs @child-of-cthulhu @sani-86

[jusst-you-race]

PLEASE (i know i will die reading this but i love suffering) so PLEASE strollonso and 50 💜

strollonso my beloved <3 idk how i feel about this one but i hope it's alright? hopefully if there's any suffering it's good suffering! prompt list

“I think you’re beautiful.”

Lance looks at himself in the mirror, smoothing a hand down the lapel of his jacket. He hadn’t picked this one out, he was simply wearing what he was told, and he wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about it.

He feels silly, being so worried about the event, but there’s always that low level of anxiety he gets these days. No matter what he says, or does, it just never seems enough. The suit is different, slightly out there, and the knot of worry has something specific to latch on to. What if a comment is made? 

There’s movement in the mirror and Lance looks up. Fernando is in the doorway looking effortlessly handsome as always and Lance almost wants to roll his eyes. He watches Fernando look him up and down, bracing for some sort of terrible joke. Normally he’d love for Fernando to say something stupid, distract him from his own thoughts, but he’s pretty sure now it will only make him feel worse. He tries to cut him off at the pass.

“What d’ya think?” Lance drawls, perfectly practised so as not to give away his emotions.

Fernando meets his eye in the mirror, gaze intense.

“I think you’re beautiful.”

Lance feels heat rise in his cheeks, and this time he does roll his eyes.

“Yeah okay, old man. You’re just saying that.”

Wrinkles appear on Fernando’s forehead as his eyebrows pull into a frown. 

“Lancito,” he murmurs. Lance chews his lip, and Fernando’s gaze catches on the movement. He walks into the room slowly, deliberately, and Lance watches him in the mirror. Fernando reaches him, and slides his arms around Lance’s waist, stretching up in order to hook his chin over Lance’s shoulder. Fond, Lance slouches against him to make it easier. Fernando finds his gaze in the mirror.

“I mean what I say, cariño.” 

Something in Lance settles. He smiles, and brings a hand up to lace his fingers through Fernando’s. 

“Thanks, Nando,” he sighs. “Help me with my cufflinks?”

Fernando kisses his shoulder, which makes Lance’s heart clench, before he pulls away reluctantly. 

“They are over here?” Fernando asks as he pokes around on the cabinet beside the mirror.

Lance hums, fiddling with the hem of his suit jacket. Eventually Fernando turns back around, cufflinks in hand. Lance holds his wrists out expectantly and Fernando chuckles at him. 

“Okay, princesa.”

Lance watches, helplessly endeared, as Fernando affixes the cufflinks with the utmost care. His face is pulled into a little frown of confrontation and Lance aches to smooth his thumb over the crease in his brow. His hands are occupied though so instead he just watches. When he’s done, Fernando holds Lance's hands in his gently, before bringing each one up to press a kiss to his knuckles, painfully tender. 

“Sap,” Lance says, but he’s smiling, and he knows it’s probably dopey. Fernando looks up at him, cheeky glint in his eye.

“For you? Always.”

Lance swats at him and giggles, and when he sees his own flushed cheeks in the mirror he decides he doesn’t look half bad after all.

[supremeuppityone]

This was written for Klaroline Fanfic Week @klarolinefanficweek; Week 3 [April 13-April 19, 2025] – Crime. It was just supposed to be a job to help Caroline keep her childhood home. She hadn’t counted on Klaus having another agenda…

Warning: Angst

“No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself, and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be the true.”

— Nathaniel Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter

Melting Point

The present

            The handcuffs weren’t as tight as they always seemed to look on those TV procedurals. But they felt heavy on her skin. Caroline glared at them as she propped her wrists up on the side table in her studio, wondering if knocking over the rods of colored glass would be worth the cost to her bottom line just to see the smug cops jump a bit.

            Forger. That’s what they called her. But that’s not what happened. 

            Klaus happened.

            He’d come into her shop with several commissions of highly specific measurements and a wad of cash that sufficiently distracted her from asking too many questions. She blamed the dimples.

Three months ago

            Of course Cute Accent Guy wandered into her studio after she’d been working the furnace all morning in an effort to perfect her chain-wrapping technique on a series of glass goblets she’d crafted. Sweaty and soot-smeared, Caroline stumbled into the front of the studio at the sound of the copper bell alerting her to a visitor at the door.

            “Um, hi,” she squeaked, taking in the dimpled smirk and well-formed biceps on display in a navy Henley that was just the right amount of tight. “Can I help you?”

            He eyed her with blatant heat in his gaze, but cleared his throat and the steely gray took over once more. “I come with a business proposition, love.” Reaching into his front pocket, he revealed a thick stack of bills affixed with a gaudy, diamond-encrusted ‘M’. It was impressive — and insulting. 

            “I’d like to commission several sets of glassware to be completed on an accelerated timetable. My contacts tell me you’re the best.”

            They didn’t lie, whoever his contacts were. Caroline’s gaze flicked to the trophies and plaques that decorated the lobby of her studio. She wanted to say no. She should say no. Cute Accent Guy clearly had money; however, there was a nervous energy to him that was a huge red flag. But then she thought about her childhood home that was slipping through her fingers with each missed mortgage payment and set her jaw with stubborn determination. “I am the best. But the best will cost you.”

            He let out a bark of laughter, a hint of a flirt creeping into his voice as he replied, “I’m quite certain you’re worth it, love.” He shook her hand, that distracting, dimpled smirk back in place as he introduced himself. “I’m Klaus.”

_______________________________________

1 month ago

            Klaus would prove to be the most demanding client of her career. Every piece he commissioned had to meet his exacting standards. Considering the timeline he gave her, it was obvious that this was an important gift — maybe for a birthday or anniversary? Whoever it was had exquisite taste — it took much of her advanced skills in Venetian-style glassblowing to properly shape the delicate, symmetrical wings and elaborately flared bowls. It was her finest work.

            Unfortunately, the non-disclosure she’d signed with Klaus had stipulated she couldn’t divulge the details of his commissioned work or display images on her site or portfolio. It was another red flag, but then she remembered the alcoholic historian that had commissioned her to create this simulated ruby gemstone that he was convinced possessed resurrection powers... She’d blocked his number and email the second she delivered the finished product. Maybe she just attracted weirdos.

            “Have dinner with me.”

            Caroline raised an eyebrow, once again secretly irritated that Klaus kept coming around her shop at the end of her day when she was soaked in sweat and smelled like expired yogurt. In fact, he’d been even more persistent than usual now that she almost was done with his commissioned work.

  ��         “Why?” The question was out of her mouth before it could register in her brain how clueless and needy she sounded. Had it really been that long since she’d been asked out that she’d forgotten she was a hot blonde and a sexy artist type? Get your shit together.

            He seemed taken aback, but his expression quickly smoothed out and he smirked, “Because it would please me to. Think of it as a pre-victory dinner since the job is nearly complete.”

            Fuck. Those dimples should be illegal. She swiped at her forehead, embarrassed to find her hand came away with black soot. “Fine. But I’m going to need at least two showers and maybe an exorcism before we head out.”

_______________________________________

            Later  that evening, Klaus surprised Caroline by leading her into an auto shop. It was nearly empty except for a disheveled man in overalls sleeping behind a dusty desk. Clearly amused by her nonplussed expression, he pointedly showed her through a battered metal door at the back of the shop — and suddenly they were enveloped by a growly, moody bassline and a rowdy crowd cheering on the blues ensemble playing on a stage built from a car lift.

            “I’ve lived here for years and didn’t know this place existed! You’ve only been in a town a few months — how’d you even find this place?”

            He smiled enigmatically as their cayenne martinis arrived. “I know some people.”

            She savored the kick from her cocktail, secretly pleased that he’d noticed from barging in on her lunchbreaks at the shop that she liked spicy food. It was rare guys noticed stuff like that. But Klaus did. He brought her the sequel to a book she’d been reading while waiting on her kiln to preheat. A tiny pair of glass shears fashioned into a charm for her bracelet. A fancy spice tin of green cardamom because she liked to sprinkle it on her tea.

            “It’s funny - you’ve been coming by the shop a few times a week and I don’t know that much about you. Did you move here by yourself or to be closer to friends or family?”

            His gray eyes lit up as he teased, “Are you asking if I’m available?”

            Cheeks immediately flushed as she hotly denied, “No!” Yes. She took a pointed gulp of her flavorful cocktail and focused on the burn at the back of her throat.

            “What about you,” he asked, playfully nudging her with his knee as they sat in the car bench seat booth near the bar. “Is there someone special…” he trailed off, gaze darkening as he subconsciously moved closer and stared at her lips.

            This was all kinds of bad. Do not break your rule for Klaus. Never get involved with a client. “No. I’m focused on my art career and expanding my shop,” she told him, hating the hint on regret in her tone. Stop apologizing for being career-driven.

            “I can appreciate a talented woman who is goal-oriented,” he mused, ordering them another round. “I’m sure your family must be quite proud of your accomplishments.”

            After all this time, it shouldn’t hurt this much. Her mom staring accusingly at her from sunken eyes, her skeletal frame deceptively frail-looking, but Caroline knew of her inherent strength and stubbornness. “I think my momwould’ve been happy to see my shop doing so well. She passed away before I could really get it off the ground. Cancer.” And she would’ve been furious to know how close she was to losing their family home.

            “Well, what about you? Are you close with your family?” She couldn’t help but notice how he’d dodged her early questions. Clever, mysterious man.

            An indulgent smile graced his lips and Klaus got a faraway look in his eye as he revealed, “I come from a large, rather complicated family. It seems like I’m always having to rescue someone out of whatever chaos in which they’ve become entangled.”

            Unasked questions stayed on the tip of Caroline’s tongue because Klaus unexpectedly whisked her away to the middle of the oil-stained dancefloor and showed off some pretty impressive moves that nearly made her forget those pesky “no dating clients” rule. Especially if he kept throwing her those smoldering looks.

            It was maddening that he wasn’t easy to read, because she suspected he would be endlessly fascinating. But no matter — she always enjoyed a good mystery.

_______________________________________

1 week ago

            It was stupid to be nervous. And yet Caroline had been pacing her living room ever since Klaus had picked up the final set of her commissioned work yesterday. Their meeting had been incredibly awkward and fraught with this tension that she didn’t fully understand. She liked Klaus. And she was positive he liked her too. What are you waiting for? Klaus always had sought her out first for their bizarrely electric interactions. Maybe it was her turn to make the first move.

            Heart thudding in her chest, she grabbed the original work order Klaus had completed, trembling fingers tracing the elegant script of his handwriting where he’d listed his address. 

            She snorted at the upscale high-rise her GPS directed her toward, parking her car in the last space near the front row. Klaus seemed to have both money and taste, so of course he’d be drawn to this trendy, downtown building.

            Straightening her “casual-but-not-too-casual” outfit, Caroline took a breath and went inside, walking confidently toward the rose-gold-paneled elevators to avoid any awkward questions at the concierge’s desk.

            The penthouse floor opened to an impressive hallway with windows lining both sides to take advantage of the sparkling lake view. Eyeing the numbers, she found the correct suite and had to force herself to walk normally to the door.

            The door that was wide open. Pulse racing for a new and terrible reason, Caroline knocked on the doorframe and the door swung back to reveal a completely empty condo. What the hell was going on? She checked the ornate gold door number against the work order Klaus had completed. This was the right address. Except it wasn’t. 

            She hesitantly walked inside, her strappy heels clicking on the gleaming silver-flecked terrazzo. Nothing. The floor-to-ceiling windows allowed the brilliant sunlight to shine down on...nothing. No, that wasn’t true. Frowning, she saw a bit of paper curled up at the edges, taunting her from where it lay in the middle of the understated charcoal marble countertop. 

            I’m sorry.

            It was written in Klaus’ fine copperplate, but she didn’t understand. Why was he sorry? Because he left without telling her? She was almost certain the note had been left for her, but for what reason? 

_______________________________________

The present

            At least now she knew why. Caroline was pretty sure she blacked out during some of the charges the cops rattled off to her, but she definitely understood the part where she was being arrested for black market forgeries of the extremely rare and ridiculously expensive Arcadius glassware.             The snarling detectives took turns shoving photos in her face that were comparisons of her work to highly sought-after Arcadius pieces. Despite her growing terror, Caroline couldn’t help but be impressed by her artistry - they were mirror images. Which is why Klaus used you. Because that’s what all of this had been about - Klaus had used her to forge luxury glassware and then skipped town so she’d be framed for the crime if the cops started asking questions. 

            All those lingering stares, deliberate touches, and thoughtful gestures — she’d thought it was building toward something beautiful. Something that could last. It wasn’t the first time she’d been an idiot over a guy, but it was the first time she’d been thrown in jail over it. So far, she’d managed to avoid crying, channeling her hurt into a much more productive rage as she told the cops every detail she could remember about Klaus. 

            Unfortunately, he’d been far too clever and had avoided telling her anything about himself or his family. The detectives even revealed that her security cameras hadn’t captured a single frame of Klaus in her shop. Now wasn’t that convenient? 

            Clearly, Klaus was a career criminal and didn’t miss a single detail in this elaborate scheme of his. She wondered bitterly how many other foolish women he’d done this to over the years. She let out an exasperated, frightened whimper as she paced the confining space of the windowless room they’d shoved her in. From all those mindless procedurals she watched, she was pretty sure this was a holding cell — the place they put you while the powers that be determined whether there was enough evidence against you. 

            So far, the cops had just tossed around a bunch of threatening-sounding charges. She suspected all of this was an elaborate stunt to scare her into confessing. Fuck that. The only thing she was guilty of was extreme stupidity over a pair of dimples.

            “I don’t know how you did it, Blondie, but your lawyer is here demanding to see you,” one of the greasy cops that had been alternating between scowling and leering at her during most of her interrogation suddenly told her, grabbing her roughly by the arm and leading her down the flickering fluorescent-lit hallway.

            Lawyer? What lawyer? They’d barely let her out to go to the bathroom. She definitely hadn’t called anyone. She didn’t even know a lawyer. The interrogation room made her instantly want to shrink into herself, but this time she wasn’t alone. Though he had his back to her, she could tell from the expensive cut of that suit that he wasn’t just some random ambulance chaser. What the hell was a fancy lawyer doing here?

            And then he turned around. Klaus looked just as good in a bespoke pinstripe suit as he did in his Henleys. “You,” she shouted, blue eyes glancing to the door as she weighed the likelihood of getting there before Klaus could stop her. Surely the cops would believe her with the real criminal right in front of them?

            “Easy, love,” he replied with a smile that looked far too flirtatious considering what he’d done to her. Gesturing to the uncomfortable metal chair bolted to the dirty floor, Klaus winked and told her, “Let’s see about getting you out of here. And then, if you’re feeling charitable, I have another business proposition for you.”

[alphabetboyluvr]

something borrowed | jjk

VIBES | first loves, a lil angst, a lil... infidelity (don't scream at me!!), no smut (a little teeny lips to kitty moment but no actual smut) jungkook's nose be doing things (smelling <3) cause when is it not?, mafia au

SOUNDTRACK | moth to a flame - swedish house mafia, the weekend ; mirage - elina

HOLLY'S NOTE | (originally posted april 2023) was in a tiktok hell hole of moth to a flame edits, and this is the product of it loool. posted on wp first!!

WORD COUNT |  2.8k

GLOSSARY OF TERMS | all relating to korean gangs 

Gyeongsang - the ancient name for what is now known as the Yeongnam district of Korea. It includes Daegu, Busan, Ulsan, and both Gyeongsang Provinces. It's essentially the South-East of the country.

Honam - the district of Korea which includes Gwangju and both Jeolla provinces. Essentially, it's Yeongnam's counterpart - the South-West of the country.

Pa - the term for a 'mob' in Korean, often affixed to regions or identifiers of specific gangs

Jopok - a term for someone involved in a gang 

THEY SAY you never forget your first love; that it's some sort of earth-shattering, universe-bending, life-debilitating experience. You learn from it; how to behave, how to act, how to break a heart, and - sometimes - how to heal one, too.

They're a funny thing, first loves.

Virginities are given and taken in all aspects of life; sex, declarations of affection, scathing remarks in the midst of arguments.

Jeon Jungkook has all of your firsts, and you all of his.

It had been a too-hot summer, and you'd been rebelling.

Fresh-faced, and terribly bored of the confines put in place by your father, Jungkook had seemed like a safe bet. 

Jungkook had always been a rebel. You made no change to that.

You'd gone to Busan looking for trouble. Like father, like daughter. He usually went there to fuck with Gyeongsang-pa goonies who didn't know their left from their right; to remind them that what Honam-pa may lack in their underground history, they made up for in their sheer moxie.

You'd gone there to fuck with Gyeongsang-pa goonies, too, just in the literal sense. You were on the cusp of nineteen, and still being held prisoner to Honam-pa hierarchy, or so it felt.

An easy target was found in the form of a boy skimming rocks against a settled bay. Leather jacket and a face of thunder, Jeon Jungkook had wanted nothing to do with you. Heard the tone of your dialect and knew you were one of them.

"Ain't no place for Honam bitches," he'd told you. Had made you laugh.

"And who are you?" You'd replied, voice condescending, eyes innocent. "Too scrawny to be Jopok."

He had smirked. Shook his head. "Yeah, and you're too vapid to be asking questions like that in a city that ain't yours." The pebble he sent hurtling into the ocean skipped once, twice, three times before sinking. He turned to look at you. Sighed. Figured you were at least a little bit more interesting than pebbles. "What's your name, Honam?"

As you stand in front of a mirror, seven years since that summer, you know Jeon Jungkook will be getting all of your lasts, too.

You're smoothing down a dress; white, lace, and everything a girl dreams of.

Well, everything a girl who wants a traditional wedding with all the bells and whistles wants.

You've always considered yourself an elopement kind of girlie; last-minute charity shop dress for you, and second-hand tie for your groom, in a city worlds away from 'home'. That's what you would have liked.

But you're Honam's Princess. 

This was always gonna be the way.

You'd never expected yourself to have a Gyeongsang-pa groom, but sometimes life works out in funny ways.

"It's bad luck," you say quietly as Jungkook approaches the doorway. It's a little before noon. Nuptials are at two. You've sent away your ladies in waiting, favouring these final moments alone.

"To see the bride?" he questions. He's not even started getting ready yet. Still in a pair of sweats and an old shirt that you remember from that very first summer. You wonder if he's wearing it deliberately now; if it makes him feel like he's young again.

He'd been so fresh-faced back then. His broad back hadn't yet been tarnished by a dragon, and his eyes had seen far less violence. His hands, too.

You nod. "Remember? I told you. You shouldn't see the bride on the morning of the ceremony."

Jungkook just shrugs. Pushes the door to, and walks further into the room to stand behind you. It's warm, but his presence gives you chills. It shouldn't do. Not when you know him as intimately as you do.

His fingers reach up to toy at the vintage clasp of your necklace. He asks, "Something old?"

You're silent as you study him in the mirror. He's not aged a day. Not really. Not in his eyes. The scar on his cheek looks a little deeper from his face filling out, and he wears his hair differently - he doesn't subscribe to the Gyeongsang-pa standard of short sides, long top anymore - but his eyes are just the same.

"Something old," you nod.

He sinks his teeth into his bottom lip, and lets the very tips of his fingers trail down your spine, until they reach the fabric of your dress.

"Your Grandmothers," he says. "I remember it."

You don't hide your surprise.

"What?" he smirks, when he notices the tiny little hum of confusion you do. "Was that first summer. You left it in my car once. Was karma for you chatting shit about your sister inheriting the opal ring."

"It was too small for her fingers!" you immediately protest, still standing by the fact it would have been cherished by you - though you do have an opal ring, now. 

It normally sits snug on your fourth finger, awaiting a dainty silver band to keep it company, but it's off today. Symbolic. Your wedding band is to be threaded on first, held in place by your opal forevermore.

"The necklace suits you," he offers. 

Thinks it really does; a small silver chain, links twisted with a single teardrop pearl resting on your chest. It goes back generations. Is a status symbol. Losing it in Jungkook's car had left you terrified for you both, no matter who would have found it - Gyeongsang-pa goonies or Honam-Pa. Would have been fucked either way. Fraternizing with the enemy was one thing - but fucking them?

Your father would have had Jungkook's head on a butcher's block within an hour of finding out.

Funny, how things change.

He strides over to the dresser, where a white shoe box sits open. Tissue paper sprouts from the packaging, and nestled inside are a pair of heels that he thinks are befitting of you. They're white, to match your dress, with ornate silver leaves trailing up and around the heels. You'll be a good few inches taller with them on, but he'd still dwarf you if he were to stand across from you.

A little taller than he was that very first summer, Jungkook is far more confident, too. Not in a brash, false bravado kind of way, but in such a way that he's learned his worth. Knows where he is in the pecking order. Works so much harder than you ever will, and yet will never be of equal status. Not in Honam Pa, not in Gyeongsang-Pa.

He sits on the chair beside the mirror and holds a shoe in each palm. His legs are spread, smile arrogant, as he taps the shoes together.

"Something new?"

"Careful," you say, not looking at him, tweaking a little bit of your hair back. "Yes. Something new."

He raises one of shoes, and nods to where the skirt of your dress pools on the floor. "May I?"

"Shouldn't even see-"

"See the bride, yeah, yeah, I know," he says softly. "Next time I see you, you're gonna be one of us. Let me at least spend a little time with you while you're still Honam."

"You've always hated that I'm Honam," you remind him.

He doesn't deny it.

"Just let me help you get ready for your party," he says, stern but gentle. He's always been like that with you.

He calls it a party, because he refuses to call it a wedding. Wedding is too romantic. Too foreboding.

You don't want to smile. He's so abrasive at times, so frustrating. You wonder how you ended up here; eyes full of adoration as you nod. "Alright then, Prince Charming."

You lift your leg just a little bit, but Jungkook knows your body, so doesn't give it a second thought as he reaches down to leverage it up. He strokes at your ankle, the heel of your foot, the arch. Smiles to himself when you shudder a little when his fingers ghost across the tiny ticklish section.

"Don't," you smile. "I'll fall."

He just shrugs. "I'll catch you."

That's the thing about Jungkook; he always does. Trusty, dependable, reliable. 

Sure, maybe occasionally he would be the one to tie your laces, but he would always catch you.

You've no laces on now. Any falling? All of your own doing.

Jungkook doesn't let the sentiment linger. Asks, "Something blue?"

You look down at him as he slides the second shoe onto your other foot, and wonder if showing him really will be pushing your luck - but hey.

He's already seen the bride.

What harm would it do if he sees a little more?

He holds on to your ankle for longer than he really should. Strokes his thumb across the top of your foot. Smiles. You press the pad of your now-heeled foot into the tiny space between his spread legs, keeping it elevated, and give him a look that grants him permission to explore.

Both of his hands stroke up your raised leg, smooth and silky, the fabric of your dress moving to reveal what's hidden beneath. He reaches your knee. Leans forward a little. Presses those lips you know so well against your skin. Keeps stroking upwards, hands spreading across your thighs before reaching a roadblock. Chiffon and lace intertwined, a baby blue garter is hooked around your leg.

Jungkook's lips trail from the top of your knee to just shy of the material that stopped him from venturing further.

"Something blue," you whisper.

He nods. Lets his nose rest against it. You've sprayed it with your perfume. He fucking loves your perfume. You've been wearing the same one since he met you, and it always gets him a little heated at times he shouldn't be. 

Isn't his fault though. He thinks you conditioned him. 

And yeah, maybe you had sprayed it in his car vents on more than one occasion, and maybe you had deliberately layered a pheromone-infused oil beneath it that entire first summer. Not your fault he happened to like it a little too much. Not his fault the scent always takes him back to those stolen moments with you.

Jungkook's teeth sink into the material. Draw it back. Let it ping against your skin.

"Kook," you whisper, as if your hands aren't in his hair.

His hands push further up your legs. Both of them, now. They reveal the lacey white underwear you purchased especially for the big event. It's a matching set.

"Thank God it's not a Church wedding," he husks, a sigh exhaling. His breath tantalisingly chills your now-wet folds. So inconvenient. "You'd burn the second you stepped inside."

Jungkook's lips trail further. Leave little evidence. He's learned how to do that over the years. Has left no traces of himself, well, ever.

There's hustle and bustle in the garden out of the rear window. A traditional-style wooden screen preserves your dignity; hides your Gyeongsang-pa goonie from sight.

The venue wasn't your choice. It's Gyeongsang territory, for a start. Your father had said it would be good. Would help with the treaty. Very little about your 'party' has been planned by you. Like most of your life, your father has an iron vice on proceedings.

Your underwear was the one thing you had total control over. Had even considered wearing none at all, as a bit of a 'fuck you'.

Jungkook pauses. Takes in the sight of you. Grips the flesh of your upper thighs. Curses to himself. 

It feels like he's staring at your lace-covered cunt for an eternity before his lips finally press against it. Your grip in his hair tightens.

You'll need to change your underwear before you walk down the aisle. That's fine. This underwear was never intended for anything other than this, regardless.

Because while yes, the groom shouldn't see the bride ahead of the ceremony, it's not like that matters here. Jungkook was always going to see you before the wedding.

His lips are slow as he withdraws, and simply says, "Something borrowed."

The implication is heavy; heart-stopping. Cataclysmic.

"By you?" You whisper, as his deep dark eyes meet yours.

He looks so pretty in defeat. It pains you - but you both know this is the least painful outcome for you both.

Jungkook shakes his head. Let your dress gather by the floor. Smooths it over. Reclines into his chair.

"By Min fuckin' Yoongi."

Neither of you speak for a moment. Hearing his name, especially uttered from Jungkook's lips, makes your blood run cold. For so long, you've avoided the topic.

It's impossible, now.

See, it doesn't matter if Jungkook sees you before the ceremony.

He's not your groom.

Yoongi is.

He's your counterpart; the son of the Gyeongsang-pa King. A marriage born out of a sacred treaty between the gangs; the promise that together they'll obliterate Sudogwon's unruly mobs that have been making their way south in recent years.

"It's not too late," Jungkook whispers.

But it is, and you both know it. You've come too far to back out now.

Negotiations have been made. Peace treaties signed. Deals across clans finalised.

You're Honam's Princess, but one day you'll be Gyeongsang-pa's Queen.

Jungkook will only ever be a pauper chasing after the big boys.

So you'll say your vows and exchange your rings, and Jungkook won't object.

He'll sit quietly, like a good boy should, and watch you seal your fate.

Will watch Min Yoongi slide a wedding band onto your ring finger.

Will smile to himself when notices your engagement ring holding it in place a few months from now.

Will remind himself of the old tales that go hand in hand with opal engagement rings. If the legends are anything to go by, you'll be a widow within four years. He can wait that long. Has waited far longer, already.

And if, by four years, his time still hasn't come?

Kings can be overthrown. Jungkook is as Jopok as they come. He'll fight dirty.

For you?

He thinks he'll fight to the death.

"You're too good for Gyeongsang," he tells you, neck stretched, the crown of his head resting between his shoulder blades. You're scratching at his hair, looking at him.

With a smile, you shrug. "I'll still be Honam. For you, I'll be Honam."

Jungkook nods. Closes his eyes. Leans into your touch.

"My Honam girl," he says quietly, and it makes you wish that you had just run away with him that very first summer. You'd suggested it after you first thought you had lost your necklace. Thought it would be the only way to keep one another safe - until Jungkook found it between the seats.

You'd thanked the God that you don't believe in at the time. Clutched the necklace over your heart, head tipped to the heavens, all while Jungkook looked only at you. Lucky, he'd said, unaware that it was the worst possible outcome for you both.

You should've run.

Should've fuckin' run.

"Go," you whisper, knowing it's too late for any of that now. "We've got a party to attend, and you can't show up in a pair of sweats."

He likes that you don't call it a wedding, either. Nods. Also knows he can't be caught sneaking from your room. There'd be hell to pay.

Jungkook gets to his feet. Kisses your cheek. Tell you how pretty you look. Slowly walks to the door, then turns to look at you one final time. Spares you from a final remark that could make you feel even worse about the situation.

"Kook?" You call, just because you can't bear to let him leave. Not yet. It's too soon.

He hums a response. Doesn't open the door just yet. Waits for you to speak.

"I wish we never met."

Jungkook looks at his feet. Smiles. Nods. 

"Me, too, babe."  And then, just because he needs it to be known, "I love you."

You don't turn to face him.

"I love you, too."

[kimnowls]

There are a couple specific partner conversations that I want to talk about. I don't have the screenshots on hand to cite, and the Wiki is lacking, but if you remember better than I do, please correct me. (Minor 1.8 spoilers)

1: Felix's Scar Felix mentions that he had a scar on his arm that disappeared upon landing in New Wirral. He has no idea why, and I don't remember if he mentioned when he noticed this change, whether it was an immediate change or something that happened over time. My first thought, given the dreamlike properties of New Wirral, was that the residents' appearances are altered slightly to fit a more idealized version of themselves. Felix doesn't say he hated his scar, but maybe he subconsciously did, which is why it faded away. While the player character's ability to change their appearance in their room is non-diegetic (I'm pretty sure), I think it follows this theme. HOWEVER:

2: Eugene's hair Eugene mentions that Harbourtown has a dwindling supply of hair dye, and he's worried about it running out. So either the body-altering dreamscape doesn't extend to hair for some reason, or that particular theory is bunk. Perhaps the loss of Felix's scar is due to his brushroom tape. Monster tapes can have lingering effects on their users, (in the form of the field abilities mainly, but there might be more understated effects that don't have any obvious indicators.) Brushroom's mycelium nature may have given Felix a subtle regenerative property.

And that's where I stood until just today:

3: Frankie's hair The 1.8 update added new dialog scenes between Frankie and the partners. In her talk with Kayleigh, she claims that she used to dye her hair, but hasn't needed to since washing up on New Wirral so?????? What does that mean? The “idealized body” thing is real except for Eugene for some reason? Some internal conflict that prevents him from affixing to his preferred appearance? It probably isn't even that complicated: Eugene keeps dyeing his hair out of habit and hasn't noticed that he doesn't have to is my take.

I don't know what to do with any of this information, besides write a scene where Frankie clowns on Eugene for wasting his time. Or Cass showing off their magic wardrobe that lets them change their body, clothes, name and pronouns on a whim. This is why this game is going to be stuck in my head for the next ten years.

[bobbimorses]

what are your feelings on winterhawk as a ship? im so very curious

ok so it's wild how it went from like 3 of my mutuals pioneering the ship based on their interactions in the new avengers v1 era/the reunion, what with their shared "i'm trying to honor cap's mantle" "i'm trying to honor cap, and i'm doing it better!!" dynamic, to it gaining a little ground, to tales of suspense releasing and having it really take off (with more ensuing material where they both feature), to what now seems like a new recent explosion.

idk what specifically is fueling the newcomers bc god knows clint has had sparse comic appearances lately (avengers assemble v3 just ended so here is my preemptive @ marvel where is he!!!!!!). is it the shared mask aesthetics of marvel rivals?? i'm assuming there's a tiktok element here but i never downloaded tiktok and never will god bless

anyways. i think recently there's been a little bit of that initial dynamic missing in people's discussion--the cap parallels of it all.

you know, fighting over what it means to honor the cap legacy, competing viewpoints on what it means to take up a mantle, both initially operating with intimate knowledge of the steve rogers they knew, but both knowing steve at different stages, staged differently in their own lives, knowing a different captain america, but both thinking they know what it truly means to be captain america

"are you just saying this so people can remember how clint was technically captain america once too and bring that back somehow" of COURSE not, but since you brought it up: did you know clint didn't get his own cap costume variant bc tony intended for him to be a near carbon copy of steve!cap do you think it would be a more indigo shade of blue do you think it would be more of a tunic to harken back to clint's iconic breechcloth do you think he would affix the shield to a quiver or maybe he would have the wrist crossbows akin to sam having wings and buckycap having A Gun wow too bad no one will surely ever utilize this opportunity of depicting different scenarios with two cap mantle characters to try to draw that

also: we're forgetting that clint and bobbi once lived on bucky's kitchen floor and they barely ever did the dishes. i can't believe he still talks to them

[ranahan]

Mando’a masterpost

Most of my Mando’a linguistic nerdery you should be able to find under the hashtags #mando’a linguistics and #ranah talks mando’a. Specific topics like phonology and etymology are tagged on newer posts but not necessarily on older. I also reblog lots of other people’s fantastic #mando’a stuff, which many of these posts are replies to.

I also post about #mandalorian culture, other #meta: mandalorians and #star wars meta topics, #star wars languages, #conlangs, and #linguistics. I like to reblog well-reasoned and/or interesting takes on Star Wars and Mandalorian politics, but I am not pro or contra fictional characters or organisations, only pro good storytelling. You can use the featured tags to navigate most of these topics. Not Star Wars content tag is #not star wars, although if it’s on this blog, likely it’s tangentially related or at least Mandalorian-coded.

Currently working on an expanded dictionary and an analysis of canon Mando’a. Updates under #mando’a project. Here are my thoughts on using my stuff (tldr: please do). My askbox is open & I’d love to hear which words, roots or other features you want to see dissected next.

#Phonology

Mando’a vowels

Murmured sounds in Mando’a

Ven’, ’ne and ’shya—phonology of Mando’a affixes

#Morphology

Mando’a demonyms: -ad or -ii?

Agent nouns in Mando’a

Reduplication in Mando’a

Verbal conjugation in Ancient Mando’a & derivations in Modern Mando’a

-nn

Adjectival suffixes (this one is skierunner’s theory, but dang it’s good and it’s on my post, so I’m including it) — here’s another great theory (not mine)!

e-, i- (prefix) “-ness”

#Syntax

Middle Mando’a creole hypothesis — Relative tenses — Tense, aspect and mood & creole languages — Copula and zero copula in creole languages — More thoughts about Mando’a TAM particles

Mando’a tense/aspect/mood (headcanons)

Mando’a has no passive

Adjectives as passive voice & other strategies

Colloquial Mando’a

Alienable/inalienable possession — more thoughts

Translating wh-words into Mando’a

#Roots, words & etymology

ad ‘child’—but also many other things

adenn, ‘wrath’

akaan & naak: war & peace

an ‘all’ + a collective suffix & plural collectives

ba’ & bah

*bir-, birikad, birgaan & again

cetar ‘kneel’

cinyc & shiny

gai’ka, ka’gaht, la’mun

jagyc, ori’jagyc & misandry

janad

*ka-, kakovidir & cardinal directions

ke’gyce ‘order, command’

*maan-, manda, gai bal manda, kir’manir, ramaan & kar’am & runi: ‘soul’ & ‘spirit’

*nor- & *she- ‘back’ (+ bonus *resh-)

projor ‘next’

riduurok, riduur, kom’rk, shuk’orok

*sak-, sakagal ‘cross’

*sen- ‘fly’

tapul

urmankalar ‘believe’

*ver- ‘earn’

*ya-, yai, yaim (& flyby mentions of eyayah, eyaytir, gayiyla, gayiylir, aliit)

Dialectal English & slang in Mando’a

#Non-canon words

Mining vocabulary

Non-canon reduplications

Many words for many Mandalorians

What’s the word for “greater mandalorian space”?

Names of Mandalorian planets

Dral’Han & derived words

besal ‘silver, steel grey’

derivhaan

hukad & hukal, ’sheath, scabbard’

*maan-, manda, kar’am & runi: ‘soul’ & ‘spirit’ & derivations

mara/maru, ‘amber-root’

*sen- ‘fly’ derivations

tarisen ‘swoop bike’

*ver- ‘earn’ derivations

#mando’a proverbs

#mando’a idioms

Pragmatics & ethnolinguistics

Middle Mando’a creole hypothesis

History of Mando’a — Loanwords in Mando’a

Mando’a timeline

Mandalorian languages

#mandalorian sign language

Kinship terms

Politeness in Mando’a: gedet’ye & ba’gedet’ye — vor entye, vor’e, n’entye — vor’e etc. again — n’eparavu takisit, ni ceta

Mandalorians and medicine, baar’ur, triage

#Mandalorian colour theory (#mandalorians and color): cin & purity, colour associations & orange, cin, ge’tal, saviin & besal, gemstone symbolism

#Mandalorian nature, Flora and fauna of Manda’yaim

starry road

Concordian dialogue retcon

A short history of the Mandalorian Empire

Mandalorian clans & government headcanons

Mando’a handwriting guide: part 1, part 2, part 3

What I would have done differently if I had constructed Mando’a

FAQ

Can you answer a question about combat medicine? May I direct you to my post about Free tactical medicine learning resources.

Can I use your words/headcanons in my own projects? Short answer: yes—if I shared it I meant for you to steal it. If you make something transformative, no need to credit me; if you want to copy-paste large chunks of my writing, just credit and mark any changes appropriately.

Do you do translations? If I happen to be in the mood or your translation question is interesting. Feel free to bomb my inbox, but don’t expect quick answers.

What’s your stance on Satine Kryze and the New Mandalorians? They’re fictional and I don’t have one beyond their narrative being interesting & wishing that fandom would have civil conversations about them without calling each other names.

Why do you portray Mandalorians as multi-racial and gender-agnostic when they’re not that diverse in canon? Because that’s the power of transformative works: to create the kind of representation we want to see in a world where it’s lacking.

LGBTQIA? I don’t stand for any shade of discrimination. If I say something insensitive, rest assured it’s because I temporarily misplaced my other brain cell, not because of malice.

NSFW? No. This is a linguistics blog, so cursing and some explicit vocabulary should be expected—slang is one of my interests, and vulgar language comes with the territory—but no porn here. I don’t believe in nudity or sex in themselves being taboo topics and I was a medic for a good chunk of my life, so frank discussions about sex education/medical/anatomical/trauma topics might also happen. I’ll try to tag if these topics come up, but frankly my own explicitness- and gore-meter is kinda broken after a career in emergency medicine, so things might slip by.

Asks under #ranah answers

P.s. Let me know if the links don’t work or something else is wrong (some items don’t have links, they are articles in my draft folder/queue which I’ve listed here so they don’t get lost… although that might be a lost cause). Also please tell me if you need me to tag something I haven’t so you can filter it: this blog is for readers—if I was writing just for myself, I wouldn’t bother to edit and publish—so let me know what I can do to make it work better for you. Thanks!

[utopianoverlord]

🎵 playlist cover tutorial (& psd)

In this tutorial, I'll be going over how to make a character-centric playlist cover using my template

✨ Firstly, thank you so much @withered-rose-with-thorns for your kind words on my edits and interest in learning how to make these! 😊

The core of our process is thankfully a simple one. We'll be using the clipping mask function to affix a character cutout and textures to 3 specific primary layers. Here, I'll walk through remaking a cover similar to that of my Vi playlist. To begin, download the following:

cover template (mega.nz)

My template is 400x400px in overall size and mainly features 3 named layers.

1.) CUTOUT — With the template ready to rock, we'll start by working on the heart of the edit, which is getting the character cutout for the portrait layer. (As a general rule, always try to use the highest quality images/shots for projects whenever possible.) In this example, I've used the Pen tool to free Vi from her scene:

For creating precise cutouts I will only ever recommend using the Pen tool, as anchor points allow the most control in achieving the cleanest results. If you're unfamiliar with the Pen tool and its settings, here's a 60-second guide to the basics. (i.e. connecting anchor points all the way around your character from the start to end > Make Selection > set Feather Radius to 0 and have anti-alias checked for smooth edges) Once you've made your selection, if you need, you can change the cutout size by using the Transform Controls or simply adjusting the overall Image Size.

2.) PORTRAIT LAYER — Back on planet template, we'll focus on the "middle portrait" layer. Above each of the 3 main layers is one titled *top clipping mask*, which we'll keep at the top for all. This is a means of ensuring all new layers created beneath it will stay clipped to the primary layer (as indicated by the little arrow pointing downward to the left of each mini thumbnail image). You can simply drag your cutout to the template, or just copy & paste it in a new layer, and use the Move tool to position the image how you'd like. (If any layer accidentally unclips, right click it and select Create Clipping Mask or just hit that Alt+Ctrl+G)

With your image now in position, you can then change the portrait background color by creating a new fill layer > Solid Color. Double-click the Solid Color layer to change the color at any time. Your cutout layer should sit atop the Solid Color layer and beneath the *top clipping mask* layer, as shown above.

3.) BACKGROUND LAYER — The bottom-most layer is our background color layer, which is gray by default. Feel free to adjust this Solid Color layer any time to your preference. Now with the basics covered (your cutout, middle portrait background color, and background color), let's add a texture or two! Since we're on the background layer now, I've downloaded and resized this unsplash texture and made it a new, clipped layer.

Experimenting with the Blend Modes and Opacity is key (and super fun)! Here, I've set my texture layer to Subtract with a 50% Opacity.

On top of the texture layer, I've added a couple of adjustment layers and color layers using the Brush tool for the sizzle.

4.) PORTRAIT LAYER — Back on the middle portrait layer, we can add a texture layer here a s we've done for the background, though if you prefer you can leave the portrait background as a solid color. For the purpose of the tutorial, I've downloaded this graffiti texture from unsplash and added it as a new layer, changing the Blend Mode and Opacity.

By experimenting with the Blend Mode on your texture layer, adjustment & color layers, you can create all kinds of wild effects to fit your subject and mood of your playlist.

In addition to fiddling with the portrait layer, I've also sharpened my Vi cutout and added adjustment layers above it - such as Vibrance, Color Balance and Curves - to make her shine against the saturation of the colors surrounding her.

When you're all done, save your cover as a .png to retain high-quality compression.

You may have noticed that we didn't make any adjustments to the 3rd "white border" layer after all, which is on purpose! Depending on what look you'd like to create for your cover, and knowing how a clipping mask works from previous steps, the set-up has been prepped to change as you please, if you please.

And if you've read this far, thank you! I appreciate you, and I hope you found some useful information. You're welcome to download the finalized Vi psd cover I made for this tutorial.

Happy Creating! 🧡