#ty beret!!

[dollsinvogue]

What are your thoughts on the new g3 Cupid doll ?

Also can you make out any fashion references from her design ?

Ps: love your blog

omg hi beret!! how are you?!! tysm <3

I am still reserving some of my judgements until we see her irl because her face isn’t my favourite but also it looks hand painted so I’m curious to see how it looks in the final product

The fashions is growing on me, I’m still not a fan of the red and I don’t love the conversation hearts as a part of this outfit (I think they could be so much cuter if they were used in a different outfit) it just feels like a lot to me, and her headband is just a no from me if I get her that is immediately becoming gold

But dgmw I still think she has absolutely gorgeous aspects to her, her hair, the pillar heels, the cage skirt are all so beautiful and I am obsessed!

As for fashion parallels I absolutely believe part of her inspiration was Moschino fall 2020. I said this in another post but it all just makes sense because Cupid has a rococo vibe to her -> Marie Antoinette -> let them eat cake -> birthday theme like it all just makes sense to me

Another potential reference could be this gift bag, it reminds me of some Dolce & Gabbana purses with the gold designs but I am again not entirely sure

[bloomingbora]

ta úleva, když korejská písnička ve stardance je napal baji a marek eben nemluví o skupinách, ale jen analyzuje kalhoty a překládá

[suwunnysideup]

Any 5 of your choice for the Belladonna asks 🫶

hi pretty boy 🫶

8. what are three songs that suit them?

bc y’all know i’m a slut for character-themed songs :3c. 1) True Faith (cover) by Ashley Johnson, 2) Masquerade by JT Music, and 3) Body by Mother Mother

20. which of the five senses do they rely the most on?

touch! not only bc cleric healing, but think of it like this; when your eyes are covered and your ears are ringing and your nose is burning, where do you find your anchor? does a hand outstretched to you not bring you some semblance of comfort knowing someone else is not afraid of your teeth and claws?

21. do they follow their head, their heart, or their body?

they like to think they follow their head, but truly, she follows her heart. it might be weakness, but surely a mortal can be forgiven for that kind of sin

39. are their hands calloused, soft, or something else entirely?

calloused for sure, rough with years of work and fighting and hurting, knuckles heavy with knotted scars. cold as well, as life no longer fuels their body, lacking a warmth she wishes she could provide to those in need

50. can they sing? can they dance?

can they dance? [looks at 8 DEX] yeahhhh, no. singing however, i’d like to think so! nothing too crazy, but just softer folk songs with their rumbling drawl, as fingers pluck at the strings of a long-forgotten lute.

[skrunktheory]

my theory gone… disintegrated into ash….. funk you shitty deviant art anime lady and your silly little enjoyable catchphrase ….

@skrunktheory Stat is this thing, who has only so far appeared in a few images around the lobby

[plungol]

1 : hair ┃ top* ┃ pants ┃ mitts ┃ shoes* ┃ headphones ┃ belt ┃ piercing

2 : hair ┃ top ┃ pants ┃ bracelets ┃ glasses ($)

3 : necklace ┃ top ┃ pants ($) ┃ jacket ┃ shoes ($)

4 : top ┃ skirt ┃ headphones ($) ┃ shoes* ┃ socks ┃ arm warmers ┃ bikini set

5 : sweater ($)┃ skirt ┃ shoes ($)┃ tights ┃ beret

note : (*) by dogangje (sglynp)

ty to all cc creators !! *ੈ✩‧₊˚ @johnnysimmer @tina-sims @nell-le @pyxalicious @atomiclight @clumsyalienn @korkassims @kikovanitysimmer @sentate @paresims @nany-design @asansan3 @seoulsoul-sims @soju-vibe @charonlee @trillyke @jellymoo @cloudcat and others ♡ !

[skriblee-ksk]

Hello Kris ♡

I come with some cute Jackiyuu winter fluff lol ♡ Enjoy!

Jack unzips his coat, holding it open for Kiyuu. She moves until they are face to face, turning so her back was pressed against his chest. Once comfortable, he zips his coat back up, sharing his warmth with her.

Thank you! ♡

HIHI SHEEPY!! THANK U FOR THIS JACKIYUU WINTER FLUFF PROMPT I LITERALLY AM CRYING

i literally love them sharing clothes so this is so perfect. i put them in a more snowy setting bc!!! it’s almost december!!! and i just KNOW Jack is warm asf. I saw a drawing that headcanoned that his hair and tail gets fluffier in the winter and that’s just. canon to me now. i think that headcanon is canon.

ANYWAY!! Kiyuu fun fact is that every clothes piece she wears has a purple on it. and if it doesn’t, she learned embroidery just so she can stitch a random purple thing on the clothes.

For her ribbon, she just has like multiple of the same kind so she can just. create different stuff w it. earmuffs. around a hat. or a beret, or etc.

ANYWAYS THAT’S IT!! TY FOR THIS SHEEPY!! i had a lot of fun drawing them together like this!!

Taglist (ask to be added!!): @kathxrat-01 @distant-velleity @scint1llat3 @elenauaurs @boopshoops @lumdays @venaue @jewelulu @thehollowwriter

[orxinus]

BEHOLD!!! My (poorly made) drawings!!

Simple Bill getting mad at OG Bill (I can't draw his stupid hand and forgot how to draw a beret)

Simple Bill saying hi (took the picture from my phone, I promise you it's good IRL :'>)

Bonus Bill for your soul (really like how I draw him in this one)

That's all for now (blame my phone for the bad quality) if this does well I might make a daily Bill account, buh bye ^-^)/

these are soo cute ty!

[jeannereames]

Professor Reames, I was looking at the so called burial crown of Philip and I was wondering what’s the relation between that type of crown and the diadem?

Crowns, Diadems, and Headbands

None. They're two different things. First, "crowns" are typically made of plant stems woven together. Later, gold versions of this appear, like the crown in Royal Tomb II. (As you suggest with "so-called," that is probably not Philip's Tomb, whatever tags Greece or the media place on it. Why is a long, detailed story I don't have time to get into but there's literally years' worth of publishing about the identity of the bones in Royal Tombs I and II.)

These gold burial crowns are found ALL OVER the north/Balkan area by the Hellenistic period, but they show up before that (the ossuary of the Spartan general Brasidas at Amphipolis had one). This crown below is from the ginormous tomb of Seuthes III of Thrace, and looked to both Ann and I like a "I can do it bigger and better!" to the Macedonian vault tombs. It dates to the early Hellenistic period. The gold out of that tomb (found in the Kasanlak Museum) is impressive. But you'll see these things a lot. The one from Royal Tomb II is distinctive mostly by its size and attention to detail.

Crowns served lots of purposes. The four big atheletic Games in ancient Greece, including the Olympics and Pythian, were called "stephanic" because the only prize the winner got was a crown. (And not a gold one, either; it was either olive, laurel, pine, or wild celery, depending on the Contest.) It was the HONOR associated with the crown that mattered. (Stephanos = "crown" in Greek, if you or one of your friends is named "Stephen/Steven" or any variation.)

Anyway, crowns show up in all sorts of contexts from drinking parties (symposia) to burials--as with Tomb II. They don't imply anything royal, although they do usually imply some sort of honoring or "dressing up."

"Diadema" just means a headband. We see these all over, even before Alexander. It was designed to keep hair out of your face, often during sports, and might be made of leather or ribbon or some other flexible substance. The first image shows a guy tying one ... the ends are what he's holding in his hands. The pieces broke off the statue, so all that's left is what's around his head and what's in his hands. The second shows in marble the cloth back tie. Many statues had diadems attached in some other material that has since been lost. Remember, these statues were all painted and sometimes had "added bits" like semi-precious stones for eyes, or gold crowns, that later disappeared. So if you see an indention around the crown of a Greek (or Roman) statue? It's missing its diadem!

It was repurposed as women's jewelry too. See below. These start becoming prominent in the Hellenistic Era after ATG, but we do find them earlier, as noted. The diadem as a ROYAL symbol gets connected via Alexander, and then his Successors. (Coin of Antiochus below with his father Seleukos I's image in diadem.)

The diadem as ROYAL symbol seems to be specifically ancient near eastern. The Persian Great King employed it as sort of "action crown," different from the upright tiara that would fall off if he had to move around much (like fight). The Persian royal diadem was either white and blue striped or white and purple striped cloth, and was tied around the head so that the ends dangled.

Apparently, Alexander adopted it instead of the upright tiara (whether he really never wore the tiara is debated). Sometimes, he tied it around his hat (presumably the kausia, a special Macedonian hat that looked kinda like an ancient beret, but there doesn't seem much room on that for a band, so maybe a petasos, or floppy straw sunhat).

Anyway, the gold-covered silver circlet in Royal Tomb II at Vergina is a dressed up version, and one (of several) reasons people have argued it's not Philip's tomb. It's very unclear that the king used a diadem in Macedonia before Alexander. I'd argue they didn't, but admit we lack much evidence either way, except literary.

So while you wear both a crown and a diadem on the ol' noggin', these are two different objects. The later conflation of "crown" with "diadem" = a symbol of royalty, is medieval, or at most, late Roman.

[nebinarni-katastrofa]

kde všichni berete ty šťastné vztahy? já chci taky TwT

[mujsilenejdenik]

Dnes jsem absolvoval další sezení u svého psychiatra. Cestu jsem zvládnul bez Rivotrilu a bez větších obtíží.

“Tak jak to vypadá?” zeptal se mě doktor.

“Rivotril funguje spolehlivě,” odvětil jsem. “Nikterak mě netlumí, můžu na něm normálně fungovat.”

“Tak to je dobrá zpráva,” na to doktor.

“No, jenom mě děsí, jak moc ho potřebuju…”

“A co to znamená v praxi?”

“Že ho beru pokaždé, když jdu do práce. Tuhle jsem potřeboval dokonce dva.”

“Vy ale nepracujete od pondělí do pátku, ne?”

“To ne, mám teď částečný úvazek, takže dělám jenom tři dny v týdnu.”

“A v ty tři dny si berete Rivotril?”

“Ano,” přitakal jsem.

“Tak to bych ale řekl, že není moc. Je dobře, že ho neberete pravidelně.”

“Ve dny kdy neučím, tak vůbec,” přisvědčil jsem.

“Tak to je v normě, řekl bych,” nechal se slyšet doktor. “Tím, že ho berete nepravidelně tady za prvé nehrozí riziko závislosti a za druhé taky pokles účinku.”

“Tak to jste mě uklidnil, pane doktore,” pronesl jsem s úlevou.

Ze vzniku závislosti na Rivotrilu jsem měl právě obavy navzdory tomu, jak moc mi pomáhá. Tím, že mi doktor řekl, že brát ho tři dny v týdnu je v pořádku, jsem se uklidnil. Domluvili jsme si termín další návštěvy, obdržel jsem recept na svoje léky a vyšel ven do slunného dne.

[simpforchuchu]

OMG I didn’t read the HnLTWX, so sorry abt that😭 I do have a req for TWX though! could i please req the Oyakou bois reacting to an s/o who has a talent? (any talent of ur choice n it doesn’t have to be the same for each of them) SORRY FOR THAT AGAIN BUT ANYWAYS LY N TY🥲

How would Oya Boys react to reader who has talent?

a/n: Hii! No need to be sorry and love you too 💕 Here is your request, i hope you like it 🤗💕

Sorry for the grammer or spelling mistakes.English is not my main language so...

Thank you and love you 🥰

Warnings: none

Fujio ♡ ~cooking~

•  I think Fujio definitely doesn't know how to cook

•  No, not because he was looking for someone to cook for him, but because he was such a bad cook that he could set the kitchen on fire.

•  Maybe he knows how to make scrambled eggs...

•  At the beginning of the relationship,when his sweet lover who was visiting him told him that she had prepared a bento and hearts definitely appeared in his eyes...

•  It means a lot for him that someone does something for him.

•  But preparing a bento?  Wow, this boy definitely thinks this is a very difficult thing and he is very grateful

•  When he opens bento, the carefully prepared food will make him very happy and he will eat it with joy

•  He's definitely talking about it to everyone...

• THINKS SHE IS THE MOST AWESOME CHIEF IN THE WORLD AND IS NO 1 FAN NOW

Tsukasa ♡ ~singing~

•  Although Tsukasa has a very calm character, I think he is usually a stressed person

•  In a world of fights, friendships, and lots of violence, there's someone who makes his life beautiful

•  And it's a treasure for him

•  He was quite surprised when he realized the beauty of her voice and thought how peaceful it was as he listened to it.

•  I think he will often ask his girlfriend to sing

•  A slow song they listen to and love together and the voice of his y/n

•  Lying and smiling on the knees of the young girl with his eyes closed

•  He keeps many audio recordings of his lover for when he needs her while she sleeps, and listens to the songs she sings when he can't sleep at night

Todoroki ♡ ~knitting~

•  No matter how tough he looks, I believe Todoroki would be a great boyfriend.

•  A caring, understanding and genius boyfriend

•  He always thinks and feels how lucky he is to have the young girl

•  But now he realizes he's never been this happy

•  He won't be able to say anything for a while when Y/n gives him a beret and scarf she knitted herself.

•  Pretty cute ones...

• He wants to cry from happiness but no, he won't

•  Even though he doesn't show much joy in front of her, I think he will hug his gifts for a long time at home.

Tsuji & Shibaman ♡ ~drawing~

•  Although their characters are somewhat similar, Tsuji is calmer and colder than Shiba

•  But they never show their girlfriends the aggressive side they show to their friends and enemies.

•  They would be quite surprised if they ever saw her sketchbook by chance.

•  No, they weren't going through her stuff, they saw her open notebook on the table

•  I can imagine Shibaman getting pretty excited and looking at the drawings.In fact, he will never stop talking about it. He'll probably ask her to draw him too

•  Tsuji will react more calmly. He's definitely fascinated, but he won't show it. I'm sure his heart will speed up when he sees himself among the drawings...

YasuKiyo ♡ ~baking~

•  I think these two definitely have a soft spot for sugar.

•  I can especially imagine Yasushi eating cake or chocolate every day

•  So having a lover who can bake will make them feel like heavenly

•  I'M SURE BOTH WILL BE EXCITED

•  Maybe Screams and Laughters?

•  I don't think they will force her to bake for them but they will definitely be the biggest fans of cakes

•  When she try new recipes, they won't be afraid to taste them.

•  Maybe they can even help her decorate the cream, but I don't think it's a good idea.

ChunChun ♡ ~dancing~

•  Of course it must be dancing

•  We all know this duo's love for hip-hop

•  That's why the dancer s/o is....

•  God, such fanboys...

•  They're both totally babies so I think they're going to have a pretty cute relationship.

•  And they probably won't find out by coincidence or accident, the reader will tell them and they will be quite surprised.

•  SO WHEN SHE SHOWS THEM UDDHHSJD

•  GOD THEY ARE HER BIGGEST FAN

•  They will attend every show or contest of her and support her

•  And yes, they definitely can't stop talking about her... never.

HnL taglist : @straysugzhpe @tiddly-winx

[faaun]

as someone who is also trying to overhaul their entire wardrobe after throwing out fast fashion pieces,, do you have any specific brands you like, advice on places to get clothes for long-term wear, etc? ty!!

thank you for asking! this is a long post but it's been my life for a bit now so i would suggest reading through it to skip the learning stages that i went through the hard way! there is some important and useful info here :) brand recs at the end

i would suggest looking for vintage or secondhand clothes first and foremost bc that's how you can find quality pieces for a reasonable price :)

if you want pure longevity, synthetics like polyester, nylon, elastane, etc will last not only your lifetime but your grandchildrens' too. they can be quite comfortable sometimes BUT:

they will likely break down in hundreds of years

they are NOT biodegradable and so will break down into microplastics and toxic microfibers

for me and a lot of others, you will notice the difference in quality in synthetics vs fabrics like cotton and virgin wool. i refuse to buy synthetics for the above reasons but also bc they just Feel Worse idk how to explain iykyk (tip especially valuable for autistic ppl)

brands: all depend on style so look for the styles you like/want to dress in on pinterest, then track down the original designer of the dress! from there you can search irl places or plug the designers into apps like:

vinted: cheaper vintage or second hand clothes from all sorts of brands

vestiare collective: more high-end, pieces are authenticated and usually in great condition

GEM: a gem of a site truly, accumulates all the finds from your search from different websites like ebay, etc

depop: honestly not the biggest fan but can be good sometimes! make sure to buy vintage/secondhand and ask sellers for the brand to not get sold an aliexpress dupe for 100 bucks

vintage shops: especially good for accessories like belts and ties. vintage shops usually have much better stuff than charity shops

kilo sales: THE BEST PLACES IRL in my opinion i got a 2k+ virgin wool coat for £20 . honestly in my experience kilo sales are great. check out Worth the Weight if you're in the UK!

remember that brand history matters! for example vivienne westwood has a great reputation as luxury punk but the pieces produced in recent years are actually very low in quality, defintely not worth the money for a lot of people! pay for quality, not just the name :) same goes for jean paul gaultier's recent pieces imo.

additional VERY USEFUL tips:

the standard zipper used by most of the companies making your garments is YKK. if you look at any zipper you're wearing rn and inspect it closely chances are you'll see YKK engraved on it. before buying a piece check that it has opti or riri zippers - this is some indication of a higher quality

one of the first things to do before buying a piece is to immediately check the materials it's made of!! the tag detailing materials is usually towards the bottom of the garment . i immediately dismiss things that have higher than 5% synthetics but i'm just rly picky w materials

EACH MATERIAL HAS DIFFERENT USES !!! BUT GENERALLY: virign wool is the best kind of wool, full-grain leather is better than most other kinds of leather, mulberry silk is better than other kinds of silk

brand recs:

yohji yamamoto, yehufan (i own a skirt by him!!), marina eerrie, ann demeulemeester, jw anderson, solovair for shoes (much better than docs), maison (martin) margiela (esp artisanal line 0), miu miu (i wear their beret i thrifted for £15 almost every day), valentino esp pre 2021 , lemaine , undercover older pieces , early raf simons , ...honestly there's a lot, if you need more send another ask or DM :)

p.s. if u can go runway shows etc go to the sample sales afterwards sometimes the pieces there are gorgeous !! but sometimes v pricey :')

all recommendations and advice, don't take my word as gospel and defintely do your own research + formulate ur own opinions ! hope this helps ♡

[saffron0v0]

Kimetsu Gakuen Nezuko with a lil French beret :3

Ty Anon! I love fashion, and it made me feel pretty cool drawing this.

Sorry it isn't digital, my fingers were shaking too much, so getting a stable line was out of the question. (⁠●⁠´⁠⌓⁠`⁠●⁠)

I hope you like it tho! Thank you so much for requesting!

[sm01-sis]

Just finished up the vinyl transfers on a new shirt!! They are the teeth designs from the Q.Pot x Poppy collab, specifically from the adorable little beret they had!! I loved the whole collection but at the time didn't have the money to get anything ;;-;; but what I have come to realise is that I can just make it LOL

Big thanks to @thatgaykidmorgan for painstakingly creating my PNGs for my cricut to make this possible and to my mum for suggesting to use a holo vinyl on a few teeth to give it a little pop! (+ the necklace displayed with it was a little gift from Morgan too, ty ;;-;;)

[8bitsupervillain]

Higurashi When They Cry Hou Ch. 7 Minagoroshi pt. 26

I suppose, thinking about it, at this point I could probably talk about spoilers from chapter four pretty openly here huh? It seems very unlikely to me that someone would see this post with this title and not instantly skip past it if they’d never read the visual novels, or manga up until this point. Regardless. I'm still going to keep the screenshots and so on behind the Keep Readings, I appreciate the uniformity and not just posts with thirty screens and my paragraphs just dumped out here.

Rather an unceremonious end to one of the main characters. It’s absolutely vicious how off-handed the murders of both Ooishi and Kumagai are handled in this chapter. There was no grand final stand, no last ditch efforts to fight for survival, just sniper shots and down they went.

That being said, I would like to redirect briefly back to Tatarigoroshi. In Tatarigoroshi according to the Great Hinamizawa Disaster report it simply says that Ooishi went missing. Also it lists in the same section a fellow named Kumatani disappeared, who I’m going to assume is Kumagai and they just changed his name between chapters. Since chapter four Himatsubushi starts with Ooishi alive I initially just assumed this was a result of the official casualty report just making an error. Later on towards the end of the chapter Ooishi tells Akasaka that Kumagai disappeared during the investigation of the Oyashiro Curse, and that doctor Irie had killed himself. Making it seem like Himatsubushi is indeed a sequel to Tatarigoroshi.

But with this turn of events where the Mountain Dogs killed Ooishi and Kumagai it makes me wonder if Ooishi’s disappearance in Tatarigoroshi was another instance of him getting assassinated like what just happened here.

Which also makes me wonder, since he doesn’t appear again for the rest of the chapter did Irie “commit suicide” as well at this point? Or is he still alive for a minute until the rest of the chapter plays out? I would assume he’s dead.

I don’t know if it’s going to come up in Matsuribayashi, but I’ve come to the conclusion that the version of Ooishi who met up with Akasaka in 1985 is the one was present during Tsumihoroboshi. Even though thinking about that, it doesn’t add up, because Kumagai didn’t disappear during that chapter. I’m sorry, I wasted your time with these last three sentences.

This is something I’ve wondered for a while, but I wonder if the green ribbon has any significance with anything. Love a woman in uniform though. Just need to ignore the little Nazi skull on the console art version of the beret.

Tying in to the earlier remark about the viciousness of the death of Ooishi and Kumagai, Takano’s casual disregard of their deaths just is the capper on the entire situation. She couldn’t give less of a shit about having them killed.

You know what this little bit reminds me of? It reminds me of the beginning of the movie The End of Evangelion. Right around the time when the Japanese military attacks NERV headquarters, when they’re massacring the base, before everything goes to hell with the Evas. More specifically it reminds me of the manga adaptation of Evangelion that covered the events of End of Eva. One page in particular.

This one.

It’s kind of surprising given how seriously everyone is treating the potential murder of Rika that no one suggests staying the night. But what’re you gonna do, eventually the plot has to happen.

[reverend-dog]

Friday at The Local

Fridays at The Local were usually crazy, but tonight promised to be something extra.

First, it was a blood moon. The eclipse started just after happy hour, which was not planned but surprised nobody, at least not the staff or regulars. Significant astronomical events always seemed to start, end, or reach their peak during happy hour. Once, a major conjunction coincided with a solar flare, just as the first rounds were being poured. The kraken’s beak hangs above the bar, the harpoon tip still lodged in it.

The bell above the door jingled. “Ty!” the other regulars shouted in greeting. They always stretch it out so it sounds like “Tiiiiieeeee!”

Any other night, Ty would return a jaunty salute before tossing her Royal Star Marine beret expertly onto the hat rack and sauntering to her favorite stool. Tonight, the beret stayed on Ty’s head until trudging steps brought her to her stool, then it collapsed unceremoniously onto the bar. Ty herself did a credible imitation of the beret as she slumped onto her stool.

“A pitcher,” she grumbled.

Momo gazed up at Ty with her usual Zen Master look. “Ask again,” she invited.

Ty scowled. “Not tonight, Momo. I’m not in the mood.”

Conversation had already become muted at Ty’s uncharacteristic entrance. At her rebuke of Momo, the only sound in the entire bar was a faint metallic ting of a pin against the floor. Dr. von Drake was delighted to finally test that idiom.

“That,” Momo replied, unruffled, “is why you need to ask again.”

The quiet words might as well have been cold water in Ty’s face. She blinked, and her scowl melted into contrition. “Sorry, Momo,” she offered. “My usual, please.”

Momo smiled, nodded, picked up Ty’s beret and sailed it across the room to its usual peg. “Better,” she judged, and signaled to Lilith to fill Ty’s order, “and tell Myke to send out a platter,” she added. “Now,” Momo prefaced as she turned her attention back to Ty, “what could have made you forget your manners?”

“Yes,” Acatl hissed as he sidled next to Ty, his desiccated features a rictus of concern. He adjusted his ornate golden collar, embossed with stylized snakes, as he leaned one elbow on the bar. “It must be something dire indeed, Sergeant, to dampen your irrepressible spirit. Let us help!”

Ty sighed. “Guess I knew I couldn’t come in here and keep it to myself,” she admitted. She swiveled her stool to face the room full of expectant, eager faces. “Let me have my usual,” she negotiated, “and I’ll spill it.”

“My cue,” Lilith sang, and shoved a flagon from her position at the far end of the bar. Everybody in between grabbed their drinks or plates to clear the vessel’s path, then replaced them once it passed.

Ty turned back to the bar in time to stop the flagon’s journey with her hand. She lifted it to her lips and, with a quick breath, drained the contents in one draught. “Apologies,” she offered to Lilith. “Figured it best to not keep folk waiting.”

Momo emerged from the kitchen carrying an oval platter piled high and steaming. “It’ll keep,” she promised, “while you spill your tea.”

Ty favored Momo with a grateful smile, then turned to the room once more. “I’ve been offered a promotion,” she announced. “A captaincy.”

A few patrons offered uncertain congratulations, but most of the tavern held their silence in anticipation of the other shoe’s descent. “The catch,” Ty obliged, “is that I have to get married.”

“How is that a problem?” queried XB7, a question mark on its faceplate. “You have a romantic unit. Does she not wish to be wed?”

“Oh,” Ty shook her head, “she’d love to! We’ve been planning on it for months!” Sadness weighed her features. “But she won’t do. Royal Star Marine officers have to wed nobility or royalty, and Mila’s as common-blood as, well, as me.”

“Ze solution is obvious,” Dr. von Drake stated. “Refuse ze commission.”

Frustration twisted Ty’s face. “I can’t!” she countered, voice near a shout. “Without an acceptable reason, refusing a commission merits a court martial!”

��What,” Acatl hissed, “would be an acceptable reason?”

Ty shrugged. “A lack of proper suitors,” she conjectured. “I really don’t know. I don’t think anybody does. The decision is up to the Legion Council. Nobody’s ever refused a commission before, at least there’s no record of it.”

“No sweat, dude,” Deke spoke up. “Do the wedding thing, and keep Mila too!” He grinned and nodded as his squad of surf ninjas clapped and cheered his ingenuity.

“I don’t want to marry anybody else!” Ty protested. “I just want Mila!”

“And your career,” Lilith amended.

“A conundrum,” analyzed Dr. von Drake, one finger tapping his bill.

Momo looked thoughtful. “Ty,” she spoke softly, “does your intended have to be of Federal nobility or royalty?”

“I… don’t think so,” Ty considered. “I read through the regulations, and they just state nobility or royalty.”

Dr. von Drake waddled over to Ty. “Do you haff a copy of zose regulations vith you?”

“Yes,” added Acatl. “I would like to peruse them as well, if I may.”

Ty produced an electronic tablet and held it out. The avian scientist and Aztec lich bent their heads over the screen in scrutiny.

Momo nodded. “Your Excellency!” she called, as she turned to a rear corner of the room. “Are you still with us?”

From the corner booth emerged a man of average height, with thick, dark hair and a heavy moustache and goatee. He wore a blue coat and slacks of vaguely military cut, with shiny buttons and fringed epaulets. On his head perched a top hat with a plume, but he doffed his headgear with a flourish as he approached the bar. “At your service, Momo!” he responded. “How may the Empire be of assistance?”

“We need a commission,” Momo told him. “The grander, the better. What can you offer?”

His Excellency harrumphed. “Why, whatever is needed!” he declared. “If the young lady is without kin, I can even declare her my adoptive daughter!” He turned to Ty. “Is she?”

Ty stared, mouth slightly ajar. “Um, I guess,” she replied. “Her parents died a couple years ago, in the war.”

“A war orphan!” His Excellency clapped a hand over his heart. “I would be honored to add her to my line!”

“Vell,” announced Dr. von Drake, “dere does not appear to be any restriction on vat sort of noble or royal title your spouse must claim.”

“And should it come to a question,” Acatl promised, “I will gladly offer my counsel to argue the point.”

Momo tapped Ty’s arm, and Ty jumped as if shocked. “Call Mila,” Momo directed. “We can even hold the ceremony here, if you like. Lilith can officiate.”

Lilith smiled and waved from the far end of the bar.

Ty looked as if she had just dismounted from a high-speed carnival ride. She offered no resistance as Momo plucked her phone from her pocket, found the proper listing, and tapped the screen before returning the device. The tavern held its collective breath as she lifted the phone to her ear.

“Hi, sweetness,” she spoke into the mic. “Can you come by The Local? There’s, um, there’s something we need to discuss. No, no, nothing bad.” She nodded. “Okay, good. See you soon.” Call ended, she looked at Momo. “She’s on her way.”

Momo nodded, then turned to the tavern. “You heard her,” she commanded. “Volunteers! We have a royal wedding to arrange!”