#went with a different colour scheme with shading this time around

[towelclips]

The final curtain!

Was listening to My Way and I thought it oddly fit well as a villain song for Henry, I could imagine him singing it before permanently ruining Lloyd's life and scaring Feng

[chirpycloudyrobin]

"Saving one person is child's play. Saving the world is as hard as reaching the Heavens."

Do I press forward? Or run away?

"... back when he made the decision, he fully understood the situations that he had to face."

...although he thought that his heart was like a stone, in the end, he was still human, not some emotionless grass or plant.

In which I make connections between MDZS' Wei Wuxian and Honkai Star Rail's Jiaoqiu solely because both are pretty much my blorbos. I'll start off with the easiest connections and I will inevitably end up making the longest of reaches so come along for the ride ! :D

Contains spoilers ahead for both Mo Dao Zu Shi and Honkai Star Rail ~ Be warned :3

The quickest and easiest connections are the most surface-level ones. Both characters are attributed with the colour red (or shades/variants of), foxes, and spice.

Jiaoqiu is a Foxian, an in-game humanoid species with vulpine (fox-like) features, Wei Wuxian has been connected with foxes by the fanbase (see: popular fox!Xian and dragon!Ji type fanfics)

Both characters favour spicy dishes, so spicy that no other person could withstand their spice tolerance. For Wei Wuxian, canonically it's because he grew up eating spicy dishes. For Jiaoqiu, trauma numbed his sense of taste and only the spiciest dishes could make him feel alive for the first time (see: Jiaoqiu Character Story III)

Jiaoqiu's in-game abilities' aesthetic is also based heavily around the Yuanyang Hotpot, where the hotpot resembles the yinyang symbol and one of the broths involved is a spicy broth.

Their character designs feature the colour red as a significant colour. (Jiaoqiu's in-game abilities, top, fan, and phone case; Wei Wuxian's hair ribbons and clothing accents [and his powers in the donghua])

Yes, I do completely admit that my brain went "omg jiaoqiu = wwx" when I saw that Jiaoqiu was a fox connected to red and spices. What can you do?

For a while, the connection stayed that way: Surface-level and with a bit of reach. But now Jiaoqiu has been released, we can see his Character Stories, and we've seen him in action in-game !

Our Foxes and their Wish to Help

The biggest and most important shared character trait they have is their dedication to helping/saving other people. Some people call this a "saviour or hero complex" in regards to Wei Wuxian, but that's just not what it is. I'll explain.

This lifelong dedication is not something you can immediately see at first glance. Both Wei Wuxian and Jiaoqiu look and feel like the archetypal trickster character with their pleasant smiles, natural charisma, and that vague sense of 'hey maybe this guy may have something planned but we don't know what'. Wei Wuxian is definitely seen by others as a lax troublemaker, while Jiaoqiu has been described in his introductory blurb as "greeting people with a smile on his face and a scheme in his heart".

They're both devious little trolls ! In the Primaveral Swordsage Event, Jiaoqiu literally slipped laxatives to IPC workers so March 7th can win and if that isn't the most Wei Wuxian thing ever then I don't know what is.

But as you go through their stories, you realise that beneath all that is a soul who just really wants to help people. Jiaoqiu walked a different path from his Alchemy Commission family to become a combat medic because "it is ultimately not compatible with my wish to practice medicine for the masses" (Character Story I). Wei Wuxian risked his already shaky position in the gentry to save the Wen Remnants who have been condemned by the rest of their society.

Both are also well-acquainted with the phrase "no good deed goes unpunished".

Jiaoqiu watched so many of his patients walk directly back to their death after saving them that he literally had to quit practicing medicine. Each death whittled away at his heart piece by piece until he was left questioning his purpose as a healer.

Wei Wuxian stuck with his decision to help the Wens until the very end. He died reviled by the Cultivation World and people still curse his name over a decade after his death. The very people he risked it all for are also gone, save for two.

The tragedy of their lives are intrinsically connected with their entirely selfless desire to help others, especially since they both have the skills to do so and, in Wei Wuxian's case, because no one else wanted to do so.

The difference between the two of them is how they coped after their respective tragedies. Jiaoqiu ended up pretty jaded by the war he went through and quit practicing medicine. In his words, "Those I saved only ended up as another dead soul when they dived head-in back into the battlefield." His retirement doesn't last long though. He was then approached to become his General's healer and he accepted. Despite it all, he still wants to help. His heart is terribly broken, but even it couldn't squash his innate wish to help and heal.

Meanwhile, Wei Wuxian is introduced and he immediately jumps into saving a couple of strangers. A couple of teens, because he had the assets to do so and because no one else was around who could. And he continues to help even after the contract that brought him back was fulfilled because he can and he wanted to. He went out of his way to help those who he thought hated and condemned him because that's just who he is.

They don't go around helping people because they want to be the hero. They aren't looking for any kind of glory or prize for all their efforts. They just happen to be people who want to contribute to the betterment of the world. They both feel that they do this best by helping where they can. They're not reckless or neglectful of themselves. Jiaoqiu left when it became too much for him, Wei Wuxian exhausts all possible avenues first before he goes for the last resort. Their perceived mistakes and losses weigh down on them by the time the audience meets them.

This dedication is their biggest asset and at some point became their worst detriment. Wei Wuxian's story is finished and we know it ends in a hopeful note despite all the losses and heartbreaking revelations. Jiaoqiu's story is still ongoing and I can only hope that my boy gets the happy ending he deserves :(

Smaller Connections

Jiaoqiu and Wei Wuxian have a few more traits they share !

They're both good with kids ! Wei Wuxian is pretty fond of the juniors and they are very fond of him right back. Jiaoqiu's interactions with the younger characters are soft and cute, and they fuss over him as much as he fusses over them !

They're both inventive lil dudes ! Wei Wuxian's inventions have improved the quality of night hunts by the time he is summoned into Mo Xuanyu's body. Jiaoqiu has been mentioned to continuously improve upon his family's medicinal formula while in the midst of war and his medicines have been described to be "unusual but profoundly effective". His Character Story I has an old man say "Others can hardly even invent a few decent medicines in their lifetimes, yet a single day is all you need to achieve that and more." in regards to his medicines

They both don't like plain foods because they're "boring". Though Jiaoqiu's may just be a side effect of his diminished sense of taste from trauma.

BONUS: They both have a quieter companion who are perceived by others as "cold and distant" and are known to be particularly clean and tidy.

So, that's it ! :D This is literally me peddling my WWX-IS-JIAOQIU-AND-VICE-VERSA agenda for funsies ~

[sanhatipal]

"Noble d'Apchier"

A little watercolor painting of Chloe,with the Zorn palette! I found out about this palette a while ago and I really wanted to try it out! (More on that below )

Chloe's hair is something I adore, it's gotta be one of my absolute favourite character designs ever,I love how swirly and fluffy it is,very fun to draw. I've drawn her normally before,I wanted to do one with her vampire eyes and fangs too. I decided to try to draw a white fuzzy rim around the foreground against the plain background,for a change,like in some of the VnC panels.

The Zorn palette,or Apelles Palette was a colour scheme used by Anders Zorn in the late Victorian/Early Edwardian era. It ,or something similar,might have been used by artists of old civilizations too, because it avoids the use of blue and green entirely: which would eliminate the need for rare pigments . It's essentially a colour mixing challenge,to draw the entire paintings with 4 pigments,2 basic colours: Ochre yellow, Vermillion,and Black and white,which can be mixed into different shades. It can be an excellent exercise and means for portrait painting

Modern artists use red instead of vermillion,but the essence is the same. So that's what I did too. I considered using vermillion,but I realised that it would introduce a lot of yellow tint, making the picture very warm. Which is usually something I prefer honestly,but not what I was going for here. Also,I need to consider the fact that I'm a watercolour artist,which is very different from the original intended palette. Zorn used oil paints,but other artists use it fine for gouache and acrylic too, however,that too is different from watercolor, because instead of mixing with white, I'll be diluting with water,which changes the composition of the palette considerably. So I went with these supplies: ochre yellow and red watercolor pencils (for me, basically watercolor pigments,I don't use them to draw,I grind and dissolve them in water),white and black watercolor tubes,and white ink. In addition: lineart with sepia,grey and black brush pens,which are well within the bounds of the palette

To be honest,I ended up not using the white paint tube at all,water makes more sense to me. I didn't use anything else though,and stuck with the original materials.And the results:

Does it work? Hell yeah. It's not perfect,but I'm happy with how she turned out

Was it restricting? That's kind of the point,to paint with some limitations

Was it hard? Honestly? No. Not at all. It's definitely very different from what I'm used to,I use a lot of colours both as is and mixed,but this was surprisingly easy. Perhaps because of my subject,which didn't have much colour to begin with

Do I recommend it? If you want a small challenge,or to experiment or practice colour mixing,definitely

Will I do it again ? Absolutely. I feel like I haven't utilised much of the potential of this palette. I ended up using mainly red and black, hardly any yellow at all. So I'd like to do something more colourful with this palette, perhaps a sunny painting of a gingerhead girl with flowers,and for this I'll probably use vermillion,not red

Anyways, that's all! If you read all this,thank you for your time!!

[tothepointofinsanity]

I have a similar-ish art style to you in the sense that a lot of my art just by the way I stylize certain features makes my it look creepy. This is a huge problem for me because I do genuinely love drawing cute stuff but I can’t because of my art style. I don’t want to completely change my art style because one that would take forever but two drawing things that are scary and creepy help me cope with my agoraphobia and paranoia. I know this is more of a do you have advice than a proper question but what would you suggest I do?

(side note: I ADORE YOUR ART!!!! I especially love your Sayaka work as a massive pmmm fangirl)

Hello, firstly, thank you for taking your time out to write out a long ask. (/ _ ; ) <- Grateful. I’m not a reliable person to ask things about in terms of art given I’m not a professional or good at it, but as usual I will try my best to answer your question here.

I suppose there is a perspective that what constitutes as “cute” differs from everyone, and often I’ve noticed that things that are cute can also be creepy simultaneously depending on context, not just by changing styles alone. Kyubey is an example of this, if you must. It has all the markers of “cute animal design” - round eyes, large bushy tail, cat-like ears, and in the show it behaves like a cat hopping around and perched on the shoulders of the magical girls. Yet it’s not restricted to the interpretation that it’s just cute, since later on there are different things which make it creepy. The context of what the alien creature represents, for one, or the way shots of it are accompanied by a gloomy, industrial background which contrast its bright, supposedly cheerful colour scheme, or how there’s nothing humanly sentimental in it whenever it focuses on Kyubey’s eyes. These transitional details are what balances something that can be deemed both creepy and cute, although not everyone might share this perception.

You don’t have to change your art style, just the way you want to stylise cuteness in your own way. This could mean cutting down “realistic” details for the subject but still keeping the way the background is coloured or textured, for one. Cute things can be achieved also by being simplified. I think Kyubey would look terrifying and not cute at all had they went with a realistic cat design and not an “anime” styled one. One reference I often think about is the way Gekidan Inu Curry captures the dichotomy of Sayaka.

In this example, the highlight is the “size” or composition of the subject. Sayaka on the left is closer to the audience, so we can see her details clearly (how tall she is, how her eyes look, the shadows coloured over her heart). It makes her seem menacing because she’s so close and doing strange things. Yet it has a retain “moe” charm to it because the way it’s coloured and being sketched that it seems…cute. In its own way. Sayaka on the right is sitting further away and enjoying a drink atop a mountain of fluffy Anthony balls. It’s worth noting as well how her eyes in the second picture are more simplified, being drawn on as dots, but the style does not outright lose its creepiness [the weird, dated shading on the umbrella, her hair being textured darker, the background being a fuzzy red].

What you could do is try thinking about how something that is cute would look like in your style. If that makes sense. It is a sort of attitude that affects the approach of your art. Thus it’s strongly encouraged to experiment with what you can draw in your current art style instead of needing to change it. If a rabbit is cute, can you find a way to make it look cute in your style? What is the core appeal of the thing you like? What elements are making current results unsatisfactory by your standards? What do you have to adjust? — Those are questions you’ll venture the answer yourself, and the more you draw, the more your style changes on its own, organically, so don’t worry about it. You may not be able to draw cute things today or tomorrow, and you will likely struggle to get the process of it, but eventually you’ll certainly be able to draw the diverse things you really enjoy without having to sacrifice the personal components of your art’s identity and what it ultimately means to you. With all that said, I’m not sure how realistically useful my suggestion or advice will be, but I will nevertheless be supportive of your endeavours. Good luck!

And thank you! I love drawing Sayaka, so I’m happy people like seeing her just as much. ٩(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)۶!

[celestialgaea]

hello, noticed ur requests r open! is it okay if I could ask for a fic of Ezio/F!Reader with the theme of jealousy coming from Ezio? thank you if you accept my request! your works are amazing!

I have been wanting to fulfill this request for such a long time but I went through quite a rough period and I always felt the guilt of letting you wait linger upon me. I am so sorry for letting you wait. I have not forgotten you, your request was always in the back of my mind and I'm grateful for finally being able to write again!

I hope you enjoy the fanfiction!

(Request) Ezio Auditore x F!Reader // Jealousy

Warnings: (slight) mature content

Pairings: Ezio Auditore x (Female) Reader

summary: You are Leonardo's apprentice and have gotten the assignment to draw the naked male body from different perspectives. But when Ezio is paying a visit to Leonardo he doesn't seem very delighted with his lover drawing another man's private part.

You had underestimated the assignment. When Leonardo first told you about drawing a naked man you hadn't perceived the false comfort of your own assurance, who convinced you into thinking that seeing a fully bare stranger is nothing but the nature of a human being, as an illusion. Until the horrific scene of the young male, probably in his early twenties, slowly discarding himself off his clothes manifested itself behind a wooden changing screen.

Your mind kept replaying the former scene of the young male talking in slight shock to your maestro about how the apprentice was a women. A women that would create an image of his private part underneath the blunt end of her charcoal stick. During the open conversation, as the man was not ashamed of his shock whose cause leant more towards the fear of visible arousal than the mysogenistic side, his face and neck began to change into a more reddish skintone.

'Y/N,' Leonardo whispered, pointing towards his chest. 'Cover a bit of your chest, Ragazza. The poor man is quite...weak. I don't want you to get horrified.' You scoffed as you pulled up the fabric of the nightgown underneath your dress. 'Forgive me, maestro, for showing fertility.' You mocked. Leonardo shook his head, as if he were trying to remove his excessive thoughts to make more room for your shameless remarks. 'Ragazza, you know that I have no problem with your breasts, and i'm sure you know why, But this kid is as mature as the mosquitos that flied above Cleopatra's head during a scorching summer night. Be prepared that his "pride" might show itself."

Your heart began beating faster at just the mere thought of it, and the rustles of the male's fabric rubbing against each other as they fell onto the ground, entangled into one big flood of linen and leather, made his presence very clear and thus brought tension in the air that encircled you. 'Giovanni, Dannazione, are you almost done, boy? You're taking too long!' 'Maestro, no!' You whispered as annoyance took a hold of your voice. 'Ragazza, time is precious. And in these times of uncertainty I cannot lose any more.' And with that he turned his back to you and walked towards his desk not far away from your seat. You noticed how Leonardo's slouch has grown heavier over the past months, and his neck was more bent, as if it was bowing to his brain; the holder of his talent and geniusness.

Even though your eyes kept flickering through the various parchments filled with unfinished sketches and scrabbles you were still able to see the faint and disorted sillhouette of Giovanni walking from behind the changing screen towards the small wooden stage in front of you. His feet seemed humid as they loosened themselves from the floor with a sound similar to wallpaper being pulled away from a tacky wall. The boy slowly uncovered his private part, exposing a dark bush of intertwined curls, but when a knock on the door disturbed him he quickly covered himself again as the door was getting pierced by his anxious eyes. You regretted looking at it.

'Maestro, who is visiting?' You heard the sighs of parchment before Leonardo scurried towards the door.

'Ah. It's good to see you my friend!'

'It's good to see you too, mio amico.' The sonorous voice whose melodious words and promiscues groans swiftly danced towards you to embrace you in its tenderness was only able to come from one person only; Ezio Auditore. And it seemed that the young man wasn't fond of Ezio's presence.

'Maestro, I thought no one was allowed to disturb?' Giovanni's voice was a batter of shame and growing annoyance as he stood there with only his hands to cover his private part. Ezio glared at you. He saw you, he observed you, viewed you with spurned astonisment and the displeased look in his eyes made you grasp onto the understandment of why he was as fearsome as he was charming.

'I am unsure wether to turn to leonardo or you for an explanation, mia cara.' Leonardo had his hands up, almost touching Ezio's chest. 'Ezio, I have given her the assignment to draw a naked man.' 'Then why didn't you ask to draw me in nudity? There would be more flesh to capture than what that boy beholds.' Ezio surrenered himself uncontrollably to his impulses and attacked the poor Giovanni with his spit-filled words . 'Ezio, leave the boy out of this! He hasn't done anything and secondly; do not begin with the "Then why didn't you ask me", Because you know how scheduled you are. This is merely for educational reasons.' It felt sinful to get enraged with Ezio, but he had never behaved this attacking towards an innocent man. Along with his birth came his short temperance and even during the scorching season of maturing the searings left by his short temperance refused to heal.

'Educational purposes?' Ezio pulled at the leather skin of his gloves on top of his index finger as if he was planning on slapping the vulnurable model with it. 'Since when did looking at a cazzo become an educational enlightment?' The gloves were put on the table -Thank the Lord- together with his defected hidden blade. Ezio walked, no, he stomped towards a wooden chair that stood desolated in a corner collecting the flying dust and bits of dried paint that fell of a "failed", as the old man is still a perfectionist, da Vinci painting that towered above the chair.

Ezio let the chair ballance on its two front legs and allowed his dissatisfaction to guide his hand as it smacked the pieces of paint and dust particles off of its sitting surface. And how surprisingly odd it may seemed, you felt the muscles around your lower stomach contract in an ebb and flow that left trails along the flesh of your womanhood. He was angry, and so were you, and yet you felt aroused by him just uttering his jealousy to a lonely and motionless chair. For a few seconds you visualized those same rough hands whispering against the surrface of your weeping arse before turning them into a lovely shade of red. Ezio carried the chair and let its feet hit the ground next to you.

'Ezio, what are you intending to do?'

'Accompanying you.'

Oh, how he liked blending himself within the schemes of colours so his robes of red and white were the most appealing to look at.

'I do not need company. I'm doing very well on my own.' Ezio's fingers ran along your clothed thigh and gripped it sturdily. The lack of shame was transparant on him, removing the presence of Leonardo and Giovanni out of his realm of reality, as the humid warmth of his breath hugged your ear lobe.

'Ragazza, stop being hard-headed. I'm surprised that the boy is able to remain his excitement in custody. When I was his age,' 'Your cazzo had impregnated almost half of Firenze's youth. Not everyone is as rebellious as you were.' To your surprise, Ezio had remained silent. It seemed as though the sudden flare up of the middle aged consciousness had possessed him again and the teasing hand was removed from your thigh to fill in his crossed arms. His boyish teases were vanished. The man in his mid forties had appeared again; the outer corner of his eyes were folded into deepened curtains, the corners of his mouth were surrounded by the crescent-shaped smile lines which vitalized the apples of his cheek and if you looked at it with a certain view, not through the eyes of a classical artist, but through the eyes of a daydreamer, a madman, or a child you could play with the lines and follow it until his cheek slowly transfomed into a smooth segment of a rock being caressed by the spirals and curls of waves or maybe strands of hairs or whatever can be curly and spirally. Ezio grunted, focusing on the model, especially his croth area.

'Come one,' Ezio leant in to whisper in your ear, again.

'My cazzo is way more appealing to look at than his.'

'Ezio!'

[morganayenneferburnham]

Have I Known You 20 Seconds or 20 Years? – Nikolai Lantsov Series

Chapter 2: You Did a Number on Me A very short summary of the fic: Y/N has been working with the crows for a few years. Her life feels complete until she meets the insufferable Nikolai Lantsov. She finds herself forced to work with the King of Ravka on one of Kaz Brekker’s crazy schemes. Word count: 2.1k A/N: Here is the 2nd chapter! If anyone wants to be added to my taglist just send me an ask or a message 😊

Chapter 2: You Did a Number on Me

“I’m going to bed. I can’t work on the more difficult tailoring for either of us until I’ve had at least a few hours of sleep.” Everyone else had gone to bed about an hour ago, leaving her and Nikolai alone for the first time since they’d met. While he had been a lot more pleasant in the last hour all she could think of now was her bed.

She slowly got up and left the room. Her head felt like it was going to implode. She was already dreaming of crawling in bed under her soft blanket, letting her feet navigate the familiar hallways and stairs.

“Y/N! Wait.” Nikolai had followed her down the hallway and caught up to her before she had a chance to reach her room. So much for my well-deserved rest.

She whirled on her heels “What do you want, Sturmhond?” Her tone had been harsher than she’d meant but she was exhausted. The last thing she wanted was to spend one more moment in the privateer’s company.

“Please, call me Nikolai.” His easy-going flirty tone was gone. He sounded genuine now, almost pleading. “Listen, I know I haven’t made it easy on you. I need you to know that this job is important to me too. I am taking it seriously despite my natural devilishly charming demeanor. My country depends on our success.”

She took a moment to consider this new version of the man standing in front of her. He had almost slipped back behind his mask, but she could tell he was sincere. She understood the urge to hide all too well. “I’m sorry Sturm – Nikolai.” She amended. “I’ll try to sleep for a couple of hours. I should be better company when I wake up.” She genuinely smiled at him for the first time since they’d started working on Dirtyhand’s crazy scheme. “I’ll do all I can to make this job a success. If only so that Kaz won’t kill me.” She laughed softly “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Y/N.” he replied with a quick bow. He left her standing in front of her door and walked back towards the slat’s main floor.

She would have to consider the different personas Nikolai had shown her, at some point, if she hoped to understand him. However, that was a problem for another day. All thoughts of the privateer left her mind when she slipped into sweet unconsciousness. — She woke to loud knocking on her door. She groaned. She was going to kill them. Whoever the idiot was. It felt like she’d only just gotten to bed.

She opened the door with enough force to almost rip it off its hinges. “What the fuck do you – ?” She was standing face to face with Zoya Nazyalensky. Oh, she thought, guess I just shut my chances straight to hell.

Zoya smirked at her. “Good morning to you too. Everyone’s waiting for you downstairs.” She turned to walk away but shot a glance over her shoulder before disappearing down the stairs, her eyes trailing Y/N from head to toe and back up appreciatively. Raising an eyebrow, she added: “You might want to get changed before joining us.”

Y/N had forgotten she was only wearing her short lacy, somewhat see-through, nightgown and felt her cheeks heat up. “Yeah, sure, tell Kaz I’ll be there in a minute.” She stammered. She leaned back against the door as soon as it closed. Oh, well maybe not straight to hell? She quickly got dressed and tailored her cheeks back to normal before making her way to the others. The last thing she needed was to be teased by her friends for being so flustered over Zoya fucking Nazyalenski. She took a deep breath before entering the room.

“How long did I sleep for? Feels like I just went to bed.” She grumbled walking through the door.

Nikolai looked at her apologetically “Judging from when I last saw you, I’d say you probably slept for two hours?”

“Alright” She ran a hand through her tangled hair. “I guess that’s all I could really hope for.” She let herself fall on the couch next to Nikolai. Kaz raised an eyebrow at her. Interesting, he thought. There had been an empty armchair, but she’d chosen to sit next to the privateer. Maybe there is hope for the job yet. Torturing her is just a nice bonus.

She turned in her seat to face Nikolai. “I’m going to get started on the more advanced tailoring. It might get a bit uncomfortable. Changing bone structure always is. Let me know if you need a break.”

He’d only nodded at her in reply. She raised her hands to his face cupping his cheek with her left hand and running the fingers of her right hand down the line of his crooked nose. “Zoya, I’ll need you to tell me if the changes I’m making get too close to his actual features. Everyone else can piss off.” The crows took her dismissal seriously and scurried off to make other preparations.

Y/N settled into her work making corrections when needed following Zoya’s comments. She leaned back to admire her work after about three hours. She’d straightened Nikolai’s nose, made it slightly larger, raised his cheekbones and brow, and rounded his strong jaw to make him appear a bit younger. “Alright, I think this should work? The only major thing left is changing your eye colour. I’ll touch everything up once more after that.” Zoya had approached to examine Y/N’s work, staying quiet. “It’d probably be easier to make them hazel instead of green.”

“No,” interjected Zoya. “His eyes are usually hazel. You should make them blue. Nice work. I don’t think I’d recognize him in the street.”

Y/N beamed at Zoya. “Blue it is! That’ll take a while. Do you need a break, Nikolai?”

“I’m alright. Do you need a break? You’ve barely slept, and you still need to tailor yourself.” Well, she thought, that’s new. When did he become so considerate? He had let her work mostly in silence since she’d started that morning. He might not be so insufferable after all. Still a bit too full of himself to her taste but not insufferable.

“I’ll take a break after I’m done with you. I’ll need you to be very still for this.” She took a good look at him. “Zoya, can you make sure no one comes to bother me while I’m finishing up?” she called.

“Sure thing. I’ll get coffee. I have a feeling we could all use some.” As soon as Zoya left the room Nikolai’s shoulders bunched.

“I’m going to start now. You need to let me know if anything’s wrong alright?” Her voice was soft. She almost sounded worried.

He flashed her a bright smile. “I have full confidence in your talents, my dear.” He straightened his back once more. “Let’s do this.” She could tell he was tired and was only putting on a show. She wished he’d stopped hiding behind the self-assured ruler persona he’d mostly shown so far but she didn’t want to push him. She said nothing, opting to get back to work instead.

By the time Zoya got back with coffee Y/N was done tailoring Nikolai. Zoya let out a low whistle. She’d almost dropped the cups she was holding.

“He looks nothing like himself!” She exclaimed. “Once this job’s done you need to come with us to Os Alta. Genya would never forgive me if she didn’t get to meet you.”

Y/N smiled at Zoya and handed Nikolai a mirror. Genya Safin was the most talented tailor in recorded history, a member of the Grisha Triumvirate. Y/N couldn’t believe she’d ever take interest in a barrel rat like her. “Zoya’s right. You’ll have to come with us, or I fear our dear Genya will attempt regicide again.”

“She wouldn’t attempt it, moi tsar. Genya doesn’t fail. She would succeed in getting rid of you.” Zoya sounded amused at the idea.

He shrugged. “She’d probably murder you, my prized general, as well.”

The crows filed in after Zoya to take in Y/N’s work. Sturmhond’s strawberry blond curls were gone, replaced by chestnut brown ones with just a touch of red when exposed to direct sunlight. His green eyes were now a deep blue, slightly bigger than they had been. His shoulders were narrower, his skin tone lighter and his facial structure completely altered. He truly looked nothing like the privateer, or king, he truly was.

“Well done, Y/N.” Kaz’s raspy voice sounded from the back of the room. “Go rest and tailor yourself. Meet us back here in three hours. We’ll go over your covers again once that’s done.” The girl nodded and made her way back to her room on the second floor. — Nikolai couldn’t help but be impressed by the work Y/N had done on him. He was used to Genya’s skills, yet he never thought he’d meet another tailor as talented. He was pretty sure Y/N had even been faster than Genya ever was. She must have had years of practice to be able to perform such advanced tailoring this efficiently.

“How does it feel, Lantsov?” Nikolai jumped. He’d been so lost in thought he hadn’t noticed Kaz standing in front of him.

“How long has she been working for you, Brekker? I’m pretty sure you have one of the most talented tailors of all time on your crew. How did you manage it? Where did you even find her?” Nikolai just couldn’t wrap his head around Brekker’s luck. How does he always manage to have the best of every field on his crew?

Kaz chuckled. “While I appreciate your new-found interest in my tailor. I’m gonna need you to focus on the task at hand until we’ve pulled off this heist.”

Nikolai had been about to reply when Y/N’s voice cut him off. “I am not yours, Kaz Brekker.” She was standing in the doorway.

Nikolai was suddenly very glad he’d been sitting. The grisha had done just as good a job on herself as she had on him. Her usually dark auburn hair was now a vibrant shade of red. Her beautiful green eyes had been replaced by a darker brown. She hadn’t needed to change her complexion, but it looked like she had changed most of her bone structure. Her face was rounder, her lips narrower, her cheeks fuller. She’d even tailored her body, reducing her natural curves to make her seem slightly taller. Nikolai would have never recognized her. Her voice, still captivating, was the only thing that hadn’t changed. He found himself looking for any trace of the girl he had spent hours observing, and even grown to appreciate, in the last few days. Even though this tailored Y/N was beautiful, he had to admit he already missed her true features.

Jesper slung his arm around her shoulders. “You surpassed yourself, love.” He guided her towards the couch. “I have no doubt the job will be a success if everything goes as smoothly as your tailoring.” He only released her to push her down by Nikolai’s side.

Jesper’s attempt to calm things had been evident to everyone, nevertheless, it had seemed to work. Y/N leaned into Nikolai’s side and took his hand in hers, intertwining their fingers. “Do we look like Kaelish newlyweds yet?”

They spent the next few hours going over every single detail of their new identities. Covering everything that could come up in conversation at the party. Y/N had comfortably settled on the couch never straining too far from Nikolai, playing the role of the perfect little wife. The smell of her hair was intoxicating, and Nikolai was finding it increasingly difficult to focus on the proceedings. All he wanted to do was wrap his arm around her shoulders and pull her closer to his own body.

Eoin and Ainsley were 24 and 22 years old. They had met two years before getting married. They had had an unusually long engagement, lasting a full year, because Ainsley’s father had gotten sick, and she’d had to take care of her sisters. They had only been married for a few months but were looking into expanding the business to support Ainsley’s family. They wanted to get settled a bit before thinking of building their own family. That’s why Ainsley was working with her husband rather than stay behind at the mansion. How the engagement came to be had already been covered multiple times. Kaz made them rehearse telling the story over and over again.

Only once Kaz was satisfied did they get to take a break and sit down for a quick dinner, which had consisted of sausages, fried potatoes, and bread rolls.

“We’ll go over everything again tomorrow morning. I’ll make sure your clothes are ready by 3 bells. You’ll need to be at Van Verent’s house by 6 bells. Go get some sleep. All of you.” No one dared contradict Kaz, as they were all half-asleep on their feet by the time they were done. —- Tagged: @power-of-words23

[istherewifiinhell]

Buh buh buh special day and my recent scheming. And insanity.

jokes this took several fucking days for me to get too what due to. eh. having feelings about it. unfortunate. but do it [feeling word not found] right?

sept 1 was special guys bdayyyyyyyy. soooooooooo. idk i did a lot of things and i was keeping secret and idk explaining as catharsis and exposure therapy for sharing that kinda stuff. art? (and crafts....) process blogging. call it that.

Move one v

[ID: Painting of rise raph and bulba's mona lisa dancing. Raph drawn with a big spikey tail. They are connect by one arm each between them, clasped at the foreams, everything in motion around that pivot point. Mona's kercheif and pants, Raph's mask ends, and both their tails all movie with it. Raph has one foot kicked out behind him, and Mona has her free arm raised above her head. The background is just colours, warm around them, fading off to green then blue at the edges. END]

i just like them............. obviously.. inspired by all his pieces with them. ah.

oh yeah and its important u know they would both like discoy type music. so thats what the music would be.

POSE. soo so so extremely loose based on smth i saw watching old vids. monas more so than raphs cause. vibes. idk. his job be cute and look at cute girl. getting pulled in. literally. have fun. whatever.

the paint is legit just like. absolute whatever kids paint in the big chunky pallet. 👍🏻 woooo.

sketches sketches sketches.

[ID: A loose pencil sketch of the above painting, Raphs legs are in a different position, the tail just barely indicated. their faces are closest to the same. END ID]

This paper i like sketching on its smooooother... but i think it would collaspe under the paint. alas.

[ID: The pencil drawing/linework of the painting. theres a differnt number of spikes on Raph's shell and Mona's free hand is in a different position. END ID]

you know. clean that shit up. and such. better raph for sure. btw btw. i do transfer the drawings loosely by taping them to a window...... and then had to agonize on getting monas face details. WAS NOT cooperating. so also took pic of sketch 1. and used my phone. also as light box. type deal. thumbs up. I think i still like sketch one mona head better but whatever i can still look at that one too

[ID: 1. Small painting sketch, in a similar style to the finished one. There are extra colours in the background, colour bleed like speed lines on some of the fabrics. some yellow lines swirling around them. 2. Much less detailed, just laying down colours on ther forms. Mainly correcting the colour of raphs shell from brown to green, and the shades on the inner and outer parts of mona's pants. END ID]

i had at that point painted like 3 things and 2 of them were just mona (T_T i love her) and none of em had a background. now its like. techically 6 things and 5 of them are. Mona.... Anyway u know the vibes. night time dancing only two the room. these sorts of things.

and why did i tthink raphs shell was brown? ive only seen the show like.... 5 times thru MINIMUM.

okay okay.... also that was the main thing i planed and then. I shit you not. looking for an envelop i found fucking shrinky dink paper. YEAH. NO LIKE. okay so i went insane.

vv move 2

[ID: Both are shrinky dinks, little plastic charms, being held up between my fiingers. They show mona leaning forward, one hand on her hip, throwing a peace sign with the other hand. 1. Smaller and cut into an odd shape, with no hole for a string. The colours are lighter but a bit patchy. an assortment of colours outline the drawing. 2. Bigger with thicker lines and smoother colours. And a dark blue outline. END ID]

I. SHRUG?? the small one was like. to be a test from a scrap piece. thats why theres so many colours in the back. i wanted to see what would look best? BUT. jokes... my hand hurt to much so i just did dark blue cause i had a marker. THE POINT IS. i AGAIN kinda see charm (badum tsk) in both so i just send both. and swear off pencil crayons.

MOVE THE THIRD

[ID: pancakes in a white container. there are four different colours visible, red, orange, blue and purple. END ID]

Duh. my brand....... cake is passé anyway [this uses less eggs AND uh. idk who doesnt like pancakes...] the usual suspects on this one. purple is a hard colour to do and over mixing will fuck your shit up. BUT. whateverrrrrrrrrrrr. tasty. vessel for syrup. and whimsy.

UHHHH anyway yeah thats why i went insane at the end of august. OKAY BYE.

.

[pearlplusau]

Attack of the Multiverse!! (Pink Pearl edition)

“Presenting....a new writing series! Here’s the preview of the entire story! Enjoy and thanks for reading in advance!”

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*que intense chase track

 A pink pearl in her latest crystal gem form, was blindly running into the darkened beach, where everything was pitch black. She couldn’t see the water, she couldn't see the sand, heck, she couldn’t even see the giant temple that should be located somewhere in front of her without any light source!

She couldn’t remember how long she ran, but it was more than her physic could take. As she slowed down, she huffed and puffed, almost wheezing from all the running. 

But her break was cut short when-

A sound of blast came from somewhere behind her, controlling whatever it touched as the torn objects such as floor boards, trash cans, and giant chunks of earth levitating around the enemy figure.

As Coral raced towards the temple, which was finally visible from the bright aura of the floating gem, another figure appeared, stretching out her ballerina leg and tripped the poor pink gem.

“Ooof-“ she exclaimed as she faceplanted into the sand.

 As Coral lifted her head, she saw two figures, no wait…two identical figures!

The closest figure wore the outfit she had before the rebellion, her first ever pearl form, except it's all nastified, torned up and darkened, as if someone drenched her with the colour schemes of an arch villain. Instead of buns for her hair, two shaggy and messy side ponytails wildly danced under the blowing night wind. Under her eyes was a trail of dark ink, making her look more horrifying than she could ever imagine! (She’s abandoned pearl, but let’s go with Crazy)

The other figure looked like the first figure, except she was completely greyscaled. Her entire body radiated absolutely no colour, just the dreadful shades of black and white! Her hair, too, was in a complete mess, but in a mad scientist style, where her hair looked like it was electrocuted, but more neatly and less frizzy. Anger was radiated from her twitching eye and her frozen W pose, the twitching eye was glowing with power, as if it’s holding back the power with what’s happening next!

The two of them both bore a damaged right eye, but resembled no difference to each other, they even look like-

Coral gasped, “No way! You’re…me?” as she pointed to the two Pink pearls, getting more and more confused.

“That’s right!” Crazy Pearl spoke with a raspy voice and some crazy in her eyes. “And now that we finally got you, we’ll take our sweet time to DESTROY YOU!!”

The pearl brought out a wand from her gem, and it immediately extended and sprung  into a deadly, pink, glowing rejuvenator. “Once you’re rejuvenated, you can join my little army, and we’ll destroy the worlds together! Mwahhahahhahahahaha!!”

Coral was only able to whimper out, “worlds?” as the crazy gem wasted no time and brought down her pink glowing scythe!

As Coral braced for rejuvenation, a pink ribbon lashed out and gripped on Crazy pearl’s arm. The scythe was frozen in place, but it was flung aside as Crazy was yanked out of her spot! As the ribbon retreated, another figure slowly came out of its hiding.

“You won’t be destroying anything once I’m done with you!” It’s the same voice as Coral herself, but more confident and sure. The figure had Coral’s face, her hair, her gift from Pink diamond. The more obvious significance was the green dress and the placement of the gem on her forehead. The gem in green shouted, “Earl! You take that freak while I take care of crazy here!”

As soon as she ordered, the sound of a gem retrieving their weapon echoed, “SHING!” with the sound of pistol fire not long after!

Bullets were shot, all flying towards freak pearl, but a metal trash can flew out of nowhere and acted as a shield against the attack. 

Coral saw the shooter come out with angered expression, as if she was annoyed of the constant blockage of her attacks. The shooter looked almost exactly like freak pearl, the only difference was one of them is a bleached floating freak while the other wore a long sleeved silk shirt with a diamond shaped cut around her gem, bright pink shorts with huge pink splatters and spots all over her body. Her grey hair buns had little strays of hair at the end, with far less cracks on her face. Earl also had the same cracked eye, but she’s looking a lot less freaky than her counterpart.  

As the two pearls fought as ballerinas, assassins and shooters simultaneously, the confident pearl grabbed on to Coral and ordered, “Come on! We need to get out of here! That ribbon wont hold her for long!!”

The said ribbon was wrapping up crazy pearl with a neat bow on top, however, she looked like she could break free any moment!

“Hurry!” Coral got up and they both went to help Earl. The confident pearl pointed to the levitating gem and ordered,  “Use your lance and take her down!”

“What!?” Coral questioned in surprise, “isn’t that a bit too much?”

“Trust me, it's not!”

Coral summoned and gripped her lance, aimed at the freaky pearl and threw.

The weapon was barely slapped away with the metal trash can, but that little distraction was able to give Earl the chance to finally strike and take her down!

Earl leaped into the air and performed a 10/10 somersault, she gracefully kicked freak pearl as far as she could! “Smack!”

The knocked pearl made no sound, just the sound of her SPLASH landing into the dark ocean.

Coral immediately took the chance and demanded answers from the two, “Can someone explain what is going on!?”

She looked at Earl, who, instead of speaking, did hand gestures that were clearly sign language, but Coral didn’t get the chance to study them unfortunately…

Confident pink pearl translated, “She’s saying we don’t have much time! Come one, this way!” she pointed to the side of the crystal gem temple. “There's a portal there that should lead us straight to her!”

Coral demanded as they ran, “Her who?!?”

“Coral, do you believe in alternate universes?!” Confident pearl asked.

“I do now! Seeing all of you here! Being literally alternate versions of…ME!”

“Well actually, we’re all alternative versions of the OG Pink Pearl, The original! I’m from a diamond swap universe where White Diamond and Pink diamond swapped places, I’m one of original crystal gems, without White diamonds old pearl.” C!Pearl said as Earl nodded at the side.

Earl made more hand gestures to say something, pointing to herself along with more sign language. C!Pearl translated, “That’s Earl, she’s from another timeline where she… you know what, it’s a long story, all you need to know is that we can trust her!”

“But what about the two we just fought?” Coral demanded. 

“Those two? I call them freaky and crazy! They’ve been after us ever since we started portal jumping! I’m not sure where they’re from, but I’m pretty sure Crazy is from an AU where SHE was abandoned in Pink diamond’s garden instead of Spinel! As for freak pearl, really not sure here. Maybe she’s an interpretation of how powerful she could get under a diamond’s complete influence and power?”

Coral gave another quick question, “How do we know who the original Pink pearl is if we’re all from different timelines?”

“Simple,” C!Pearl said, “she’s the pinkpearl that followed the Canon timeline, where she got controlled by White Diamond and spent 6000 years as her mindless servant! Us, however, were created to avoid that specific timeline, so she’s the root of all Pink Pearl. The most important thing to do right now is to look for the first Pink Pearl!! She’s the only one that can help us get deal with our...situation right now.”

“How are we gonna get there with these two on our tail!??” Coral said as she notices more rubble floating behind her as well as a maniacal laugh echoing louder and louder!

“All we need is to get through that portal! Those two wont be able to catch up! Come one!”

The portal, swirling in pink and white star dust, finally became visible behind one of the temple palms. Within the right distance, all three pearls leaped into the portal as it closed behind them!

Shooooofwop!

End of part ???

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Multiverse Pink pearl series! Next chapter coming in-

The two rogue pink pearls stopped their tracks when they found...no portal, nor any of the pearls they were fighting. 

The two antagonists turned to the camera, made little chuckles and pointed at you, the reader. Crazy teased, “Look what we got here freak pearl, someone that thinks this ISNT an April Fool’s special.”

Freak pearl rotated her floating junk around her until they got to a trash can. She set the trash can on the sand and tapped three times. 

Knock

Knock

Knock

There was a moment of silence and snoring, sounds like someone fell asleep. 

Crazy summoned a speaker phone from her gem, placed it at the side of the can, and screamed, “HEY PEARLPLUSAU WRITER! ITS YOUR QUE!” 

 The writer groggily woke up rubbing his eyes, “Yawnnnn….”

He fell off into the sand. 

“Heyyy there fellow readers, yes this IS an April fool’s special, a friend of mine was curious if i would write one of these and sure enough, once the idea got developed, i got straight to the writing process.”

“What was surprising is using us AU characters into his little joke writing, where are the credits you punk?!” Crazy asked in a rather annoyed tone. 

"Oh that? ” The writer continued," Credits of the characters are below! You can see the images, as well as the title of the AUs. Some of the characters are linked back to the creators tumblr account, while other creators who dont have tumblr accounts are linked to original posts, like from Instagram!! ”

Freak pearl snapped her fingers for the writer’s attention and pointed to herself, asking for her origin. 

“Oh freak pearl? I just thought it would be cool if there’s more than one antagonist for this special, so i kinda created you myself. The idea was, how dangerous can pinkpearl be with a diamond’s ability, and there you are! Telekinesis and mega white laser beams! Pretty cool huh?”

Freak pearl did not respond...well. 

“Anyways,” the writer proceeded, “writing this was a pretty fun 1.5 hours of the time i have, not including reviewing and editing tho. If theres anyone out there that wishes to continue the story in their own way, be my guest. Just let me know so i can read it myself lol, im very interested in your take of the situation! “

April fools! And thanks for reading!

Characters (even though they’re not drawn) 

Coral/Pink pearl from Pearlplusau - Original design by Tripixle!!

Crystal gem Pink pearl from Diamond swap au - Credit to @dreambigstars

Earl from WD steven au - AU character from @ask-whitepearl-and-steven

Crazy pearl (Despair pink pearl), Design from Shrimp.face (Link to their post) 

Freak Pearl, no specific au named, nor from any creator. So i guess she’s my AU character?

A/N: Hope you guys had fun reading as much as i had fun writing it!

Also the real new chapter coming in probs two weeks from now.

Slightly unrelated, there might not be as much visuals as there was last chapter. The drawing pen is a bit busted. 

Till then! Bye!

[nanagoswife]

For You? Always.

Chapter Fourteen

Summary: After Ben taught you something, it's now your turn to teach him something.

A/N: I've been on a huge writing spree of this specific story. I started this story during the summer of 2020 and I still haven't finished but we're still in the pre-written chapters. As for the other stories, I'll get around to it soon. Thank you to everyone who's been reading this story and supporting it. (It’s probably the story I’m proudest of)

- P.S. if you want to join a tag list for a specific story or for all, please feel free to ask. It's open to anyone :)

Opening your eyes, you saw the spot beside you was empty. You turned onto your back.

“Well good morning, sleepy head,” Ben said from the chair in the corner of the room. In his hand was an open book, “I already got you coffee.” He gestured at the table beside you where a steaming cup of coffee sat. Going back to his book, he grabbed his own coffee to take a sip.

Turning over to pick up the mug, you said, “Thank you.” He smiled as he kept his eyes on his book. The sight of him brought a warmth to your heart.

From the small break in the curtains, enough sun shone through to light up the area for him to read. You hardly noticed that he was wearing his reading glasses as well. He rested a leg on the other to give him something to rest his arm on as he scanned the pages. On top of it all, he was still shirtless, his skin glowing from the sliver of sun.

When Ben had finished reading his page, he placed a bookmark and closed the book. Embarrassment flooded your cheeks when he looked up and caught your gazing at him. All he did was smile before getting up to join you on the bed.

“Did you have a good sleep?” he asked when you rested against him.

Nodding against him, he chuckled as your hair rubbed his skin.

“It’s just you and me for a while. Claire and Derek went out to get something for lunch.”

Looking up at him, the two of you smiled at each other, then a question popped into your mind. “That's okay. It means I get you to myself.”

He chuckled, "What were you thinking of doing?"

"Right now? Just stay here cuddled up to you. I do possibly have an idea for later tonight, though."

"Oh?" He raised his eyebrows in curiosity as he looked at you.

“Have you ever gone fishing?"

The question took Ben by surprise, but he shook his head in response. “My mom tried to take me, but it wasn’t something she knew too well. Is that your plan?”

“My plan was to do it after dinner. Claire said she has some rods and she told me that the lake is a good place for it.” His smile grew warmer when he met your gaze. After a moment, he nodded. Excitement filled you at the thought of teaching him something.

You reached up and cupped his cheek. The now thicker stubble tickled you skin in a way you liked. Leaning in, you gave him a brief kiss.

Keeping your hand on his cheek, you rubbed gentle circles with your thumb. It let you marvel at the feeling. "Have you ever thought of keeping your facial hair?" you asked quietly.

Ben raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Why? Do you like it?"

"Maybe," you said playfully.

"Maybe?" His amusement was growing.

"There is a way that we can get a more determined answer."

He smirked playfully, "I think I know how."

You watched as he leaned towards you. Instead of meeting your lips, he ducked down and rubbed his cheek against you neck. You started to giggle uncontrollably as the hairs tickled your skin.

"Ben!" you managed to get out through your laughing. In return, he chuckled in his moment of silliness. You continued to squirm and giggle until he finally pulled away after placing a kiss on your throat.

Then, after letting you momentarily catch your breath, he kissed you. Once again, you brought your hand to his cheek. This time, you pressed your thumb to the beauty mark just under his right eye. When you did, he slightly shifted to where he was partially on top of you.

Pulling away ever so slightly, Ben said quietly against your lips, "So, what's the conclusion?"

"I like it," you returned against his lips.

He smirked, "Maybe I'll keep it then." He pressed another kiss to your lips before turning back to laying on his back. When he did, you followed and laid your head in the crook of his neck.

The two of you stayed like this for a while. You didn't know how long it was for. That is, until you heard Claire call up to the two of you that she and Derek were making lunch.

When she did, you dug your face into Ben's neck. All you wanted to do was stay here in his arms.

Ben pressed a kiss to the side of your head, "We should probably get ready." You whimpered as he started to pull away.

Chuckling he moved back and pressed another kiss to your head. "We'll have more time later tonight," he whispered against your hair.

Finally nodding, you reluctantly pulled away.

For now, the two of you dressed in something simple and quick. Sure, Ben still wore his dress clothes, but he didn't tuck in his shirt or do anything he usually did when dressing for the day.

When you had finished getting dressed, you walked over to him and fixed his hair from the bedhead that he had. He bent down so that you could get a better look and reach the back of it as well. A smile spread across his head while he watched you focus, trying to make sure there were no loose hairs. You knew how he would be driven crazy if there were any loose hairs.

Giving him a quick kiss, you both left the room to see the other two.

Claire and Derek had cooked together for lunch. Watching them weave through the kitchen trying not to bump into each other was almost comical. It gave Ben a good laugh as well, prompting the story of when he used to work in the kitchen of a restaurant. Which explained why he was such a good cook.

What made you laugh the most, was that Derek and Claire were only making chicken caesar wraps. The reason they had to move around so much was because they didn’t take all the ingredients out of the bag before starting. So it was a process of going back and forth to that bag that made this scene chaotic.

Once the meal was ready, the four of you ate then talked at the kitchen’s island. In the middle of it, Claire had only just noticed the necklace that Ben got you.

“Did he give you that today?” she asked with genuine interest.

“No, he gave it to me last night.” Her jaw dropped as she stared at the topaz.

Asking if it was okay, she came over and examined it closer. “It’s beautiful. What is it?”

You looked over at Ben who answered, “A Swiss blue topaz with a sterling silver chain.” Claire looked up from the gem mouthing the word, “wow,” as she let the necklace carefully fall back into place.

Derek also gave a compliment when Claire sat back down, giving him the chance to look at it. Your smile grew big. Everyone saying they like it made it seem so much more special. Just like that, Ben had brought back your old trend of always wearing something blue. The necklace was just that.

All of you then stayed gathered around the kitchen island and carried many different conversations. Going from one large conversations, to seperate ones, back to the group conversations. This lasted up until you all had to get ready for the night.

Claire had told you that this was more of a formal restaurant. So, you elected to wear a dress you bought while here. It was a beautiful shade of teal and stopped just below your knees.

You pulled the straps over your shoulders and tried to bring the zipper.

"May I help you with that?" Ben suddenly asked. Smiling over at him, you nodded.

Lifting your hair away for him, he grabbed the zipper and pulled it up. A chill went through you when his finger grazed the skin of your back. It didn’t help when he grabbed the fabric just under the zipper, that laid at the small of your back, to help the slider reach the top.

Letting your hair fall back down, you turned to face Ben. His face was red with shyness, a smile appeared as he was trying to break it up. Raising a hand, you rested your hand and felt the small hairs that were on his jaw. He tilted his head to press more into your touch.

For a moment he closed his eyes. When he opened them back up, he said, “I have another gift for you.” Giving you a quick kiss, he turned to where his bag was.

From under his clothes, he pulled out another wrapped box, the same colour scheme as the other. This one was bigger though, and was in a cube shape. When Ben handed it to you, the weight was surprising, causing your hand to drop as the weight shifted to your hand.

This one seemed to get him more excited for your reaction. You watched his impatience as he urged you to open it. Chuckling, you opened it and you were met by a white box. Then, you flipped the top open to remove the few pieces of tissue paper.

Until you pulled it out, you were very confused as it only looked like a block of glass. When you lifted it out, you saw the acrylic block was attached to a white base. In the middle was a picture that Siara took of you and him, with genuine smiles, at Rick’s before you left for this trip.

“I knew someone that made these and he got it fast tracked for me. Here,” he stepped forward and felt around the bottom. Finding the switch, he moved it, causing the block to light up with a soft white. Awe filled you as you looked as the picture glowed brilliantly.

“Ben, I-” you couldn’t find the words to describe how you felt.

“Don’t worry. You don’t have to say anything.” Your heart was bursting with happiness. Looking into his eyes, you saw a glimmer in his eye. He shifted his hand that was still on the base up to your face. "I love you."

As he did earlier, you leaned into his hand, "I love you too."

Ben opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off when you heard a knock at your door. It was Claire. You found that out when she yelled out asking if you were ready.

Replying that you were, you looked at Ben with sorry eyes. With you placing the picture on the bed and him grabbing his coat, you left the room together.

Dinner tonight was rather uneventful. Other than the extravagance of the place, it was any usual meal with your usual flow of conversation.

Ben had held your hand that rested on his knee almost the whole time. You occasionally would glance down at your interlaced fingers and smile.

After you had arrived back at the house, you and Ben went to your room to get ready. You had to get fully changed, whereas Ben only untucked his shirt, keeping his jacket on.

Instead of asking this time, Ben immediately helped undo your zipper. Chills once again shot down your spine when he lightly pulled the fabric back to let the zipper separate easier. Slowly, he dragged it down, once again exposing your back. Ben took in a shaky breath when he reached the bottom, then moving his hands back to your shoulders.

He slid the straps of your dress from your shoulders. His hands were delicate as they touched your skin, causing goosebumps to form on your arms. With the fabric of his shirt against your back, you could feel his rapid heartbeat.

Putting his head where your neck and shoulder meet, he stepped back to let you finish changing. Even though you didn’t want him to stop, you had a plan. You knew that he didn’t want you to miss something that you had been wanting to do, either.

So, you finished getting ready and the two of you made your way out. Before heading towards the lake, you grabbed two rods and a tackle box that you made sure had everything you needed.

On the way down, you made sure not to trip again. Ben was still close behind you either way, ready to catch you if you did. It was a kind gesture, but unneeded as you stepped out onto the rocks.

Since you were going so fast, Ben only just caught up when you placed the box on the ground and handed him a rod. Swiftly, you tied hooks onto both of the rods with the only light being the moon. Doing this was almost second nature, as you and your dad used to night fish often.

Ben was thoroughly impressed at this skill, watching dumbfoundedly. His face made you laugh when you looked back up at him. Explaining your days doing this with your father still didn’t ease the impressed look on his face.

Once you had tied them, you took out a little bit of bait and put it on each hook. Even though you didn’t need to, you thought it would increase the chance of catching a fish. Also, you got excited and forgot about that fact.

You explained how to cast the rod while demonstrating for him. You didn’t have the same confidence he had to physically go through the movements.

The awkwardness that he had before he casted made you want to laugh. It wasn’t the fact that he didn’t know how to do it, it was mainly the facial expressions he exhibited when he was lining up. The cast itself was a relatively good one. Making it far enough that it wouldn’t be too shallow.

“That was good,” you said, putting your rod into the beach's rocks to hold it up. Taking the few steps closer to him, you helped him reel the line back in so that he could get a better cast. When you had, you gave him a suggestion for where to let the line go, taking his hands to show him the position.

Slowly stepping back, you watched Ben carefully draw back then cast it in the area you showed him. His smile flooded back to his face as the hook dropped close to where yours was.

“Nice, now we sit and wait,” you said, signalling him to stand his rod up in the rocks like you had.

Though it wasn’t the most comfortable surface, you and Ben settled yourselves in the space between your rods. He leaned back on his hands and you brought your knees in to your chest and wrapped your arms around them.

Before either of you could say anything, you were distracted by the sound of one of your lines being pulled. It was Ben’s. He grabbed it and hesitated before reeling the line in. The look of pure excitement was flooding his face as you guided him through the process.

Leaving Ben where he was, you walked to the edge of the water to get the fish. Out of everything there was, you forgot to grab a net for this scenario. Stepping up, you saw the fish and carefully picked it up out of the water. Keeping a good enough grip so it wouldn’t slip out of your hands, you brought it up to Ben.

“Would you like to hold it?” you asked while taking the hook out of its mouth.

“Uh, sure. We are going to release it, right?” You nodded in response, telling him you’ll show him how. Carefully, you handed the fish over, making sure he grabbed it correctly without touching the eyes or squeezing too hard.

As he went to put the fish back in the water, you guided his hands to the best place for it to swim away. With the swish of its tail, the fish splashed water into Ben’s face causing him to flinch back from the cold droplets. You couldn’t help but laugh when he dried his face with his sleeve, causing him to chuckle as well.

Standing back up, you saw a glimmer of water that he had missed on his cheek. You wiped it away from his skin with your thumb, keeping your hand there as you looked into his eyes.

In the moment, your heart seemed to swell when looking at Ben. His hand grabbed your free one, his palm still wet from the water. The breaths he had began to waver when he also looked into your eyes.

You smiled when he pulled you closer with his free hand placed on the small of your back. "Tell me you love me," you whispered close to his lips.

"For you?" He paused, smiling, "Always. I love you, Y/N." His smile turned bright before you lunged into his lips.

Wrapping his arms around you, he pulled your body to his. Embracing it all, you moved your fingers through his hair, messing it up. But he didn’t care as he was with you. All he wanted was your embrace, and all you wanted was his.

Not being able to help it, you giggled into his lips at the feeling of his stubble. Ben laughed as well, being unused to the scratchy feeling as well. Letting your lips fall away, you kept your foreheads pressed together. Smiles spread across both of your faces as you looked into each other's eyes.

A few minutes went by before you both decided to head back, collecting everything first. You walked side by side up the path to the house. The fishing was short, but it didn’t matter.

Making your way inside, you slipped by Claire and Derek, who were talking, without them noticing. There was a mutual agreement that you hadn’t wanted to get dragged back into a conversation with them. Not at the moment, anyways. All you wanted was time together. So, you went straight to the room.

Like the night before, Ben read to you as you laid in his arms. He wore his reading glasses again that fit his face well. In the light of the lamp, he read until you fell asleep. To not wake you up, he carefully placed the book to the side and turned the lamp off.

@stardancerluv @jaydenwoo @madmax2003 @where-fantasy-meets-reality @wintersoldiersthings

[noirewrites]

Mending the Rip (Of My Shirt and Your Heart)

Kitty Section are practising when Luka's favorite Jagged Stone shirt rips. Luckily his latest costume designer is on hand to fix it, but who knew Marinette could get so tongue tied? And doesn't she only do that over boys she likes?

Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Warnings: No Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Pairing: Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Adrien Agreste/Kagami Tsurugi, Kagami Tsurugi & Marinette Dupain-Cheng

Chapter 1: Listening to Your Jagged Heart Song

The designer said in a tone of faux cheerfulness, “Her lies aren’t hurting anyone, right?” A sudden shrill screech of guitar turned her attention to Luka who was frowning at the instrument.

You know I love unicorns

And that they make me feel better!

I see their faces everywhere I go

Dreaming about them at the nights!

 “I am glad Mr. Agreste allowed Adrien to be a part of the concert,” Marinette said as she moved her attention from her sketches to Kagami who sat beside her.

The Japanese girl nodded in reply. “I know Mr. Agreste’s hard to convince, but after Adrien meticulously pointed out that his participation in the band could help promote Agreste Fashion, it wasn’t a tough job.”

 The designer hummed in approval as she bent over her sketchbook, adding colors to the designs.

 “But tell me one thing.” The disdain in Kagami’s voice caused Marinette to look up. 

“Who called that brunette here?” The Tsurugi girl pointed at someone, and Marinette followed her direction to catch sight of Lila Rossi reclining on a chair, sipping orange juice as Mylene sat beside her on a stool, enjoying the band’s performance.

“I mean, it’s not my business but… as far as I am aware, she isn’t dating anyone in the band. And it doesn’t seem like she’s here to offer a hand.”

 “Oh,” Marinette rolled her eyes slightly before turning back to task in hand, “that’s Lila. I believed you knew her? For a few days ago, she claimed to have been Mrs. Tsurugi’s favorite student before arthritis caused her to take a break from fencing.”

 “Mom’s favorite student? Baka.” 

“Baka?”

“It’s a curse.”

 Marinette raised an eyebrow as her lips twitched in a smirk. “Didn’t know you cursed.”

“Only when I am frustrated. But seriously, I hadn’t had a shade of idea about her existence before she appeared in that photograph with Adri-kun. He told me she’s a pathological liar, but to this extent… Wow, I must really go knock some sense into her.”

 Kagami moved forward, only to be stopped by an iron grip on her wrist.

“Don’t,” Marinette said in a low tone as she pulled the other girl back. “I have tried uncovering her lies, but…”

 “But what?”

“She just plays with the words until they turn against you. I have tried unmasking her on many occasions, but no one listens and…”

 Marinette’s voice trailed off, before she slightly shook her head and said in a tone of faux cheerfulness, “Her lies aren’t hurting anyone, right?”

Kagami stared in shock as the designer wiped her eyes before smiling at her.

 A sudden shrill screech of guitar caused the girls to turn their attention to the deck where the band had been rehearsing.

“Sorry, I kind of missed a beat,” Luka said apologetically, looking down as he frowned at his guitar.

 “I guess it’s alright,” Adrien patted the tall boy before adding, “We have been practising for one hour non-stop. How about a break, guys?”

The idea was highly appreciated, for the other band members immediately left their musical instruments to relax themselves after the hard work. Rose and Juleka moved over to the railings to talk while Ivan walked to where Mylene and Lila were sitting, sitting down and looping an arm around his tiny girlfriend.

 Adrien turned his attention to the girls and grinned at them, waving eagerly. Marinette smiled in acknowledgement and Kagami waved back, an adorable blush now dusting her cheeks.

He came over to them, hugging Kagami before giving her a peck on the lips. 

 “Hey there, Gami-chan,” he whispered, causing Kagami to giggle.

“Hello, Koibito,” she whispered, booping his nose a little.

 Watching the two from a close distance, Marinette couldn’t help but smile. Contrary to the earlier times, she didn’t feel jealous of Kagami anymore. ‘Adrigami’, as she had dubbed the couple, was really very cute and sweet, and Marinette was happy to be best friends with them. 

Between the responsibilities of Guardianship, school work, bakery stuff, hangouts with friends, designing commissions and babysitting, Marinette wasn’t sure if she could additionally juggle her love life. So, she opted to let it rest for a while, at least till she got the hang of her recent busy schedule.

 That is what she had told herself. The reality… it was different.

 Adrien had harbored a special place in her heart, and letting him go hadn’t been easy for her. But with time, Marinette came to realise that her unrequited feelings were doing her more harm than good. In times when her friends were abandoning her, Adrien and Kagami were two of the three people who had at least offered a listening ear to her distraught civilian self. And the girl could not afford losing any of her true friends for any reason.

So, she made herself happy in their happiness. When the two held hands, Marinette’s heart did a little dance of joy for her friends’ happiness. When they got lost in each others’ eyes, she stayed on the sidelines, watching them with a small smile. And when they kissed….

 ...It had been hard at first. No, scratch hard. For the first few times, Marinette had felt as if someone had detached her heart from her chest and stomped on it ruthlessly, right in front of her eyes. Her pillow and Tikki had been the witness of those silent tears she shed as she came face-to-face with the feelings of the first heartbreak. Many times, she just wanted to pull the two apart, to scream her feelings out to Adrien and at least let him know.

Had it not been for Tikki, she would have been nearly akumatized, too.

 But her determination and will power made her witness the couple’s sweet moments, again and again. Until she didn’t feel the bitter twinge on seeing them kiss. Until she managed to remain aloof even when they gave each other the gooey eyes. Until she felt no butterflies on seeing Adrien’s radiant smile.

Until her heart finally let go of Adrien. 

 “Musing about something, Ma-ma-marinette?”

The designer let out a squawk as she jumped nearly a foot in the air, turning around and coming face to face with Luka Couffaine.

 “Oh,” she chuckled nervously, straightening her dress, “it’s you.”

Luka laughed good-naturedly, causing Marinette to blush.

 Luka Couffaine had been her third true friend, and her closest confidant ever since the Battle of the Miraculous had taken place. He had been there for her, letting her cry her heart out. He didn’t prod her about what the reason for her breakdown was, just provided her the much needed shoulder. He had shielded her from the akuma cloud, sacrificing himself to save her.

 His music had helped calm her inner storm. But the most important thing? She still couldn’t forget his confession when he had been akumatized as Silencer.

  You’re the most extraordinary girl, Marinette. 

Clear as a musical note and as sincere as a melody. 

You’re the music that’s been playing inside my head since the day we first met. 

I won’t let anything happen to you.

 It still shook her to the core in a very pleasant way on thinking about that confession.

 Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Marinette smiled at the boy.

 “So, did you make anything new this time?” he asked inquisitively.

“Oh yes! Wanna see?”

“Always eager to.”

 They moved over to her designing stand where her sketchbook lay open. Thumbing through a few pages, Marinette reached her newest creation.

“So, I made this new addition to your mask! It’s just like the previous one, except the main color scheme has more of a bluish-white hue ‘cause I figured that blue’s kinda your colour. But this isn’t all! In the T-shirts, I added a calligraphed ‘Kitty Section’ design too, so as to promote the band! And maybe we can add some stitching designs here in the side for additional decor, though I haven’t given it much thought yet.” Marinette gushed, pointing out the various elements in her designs as Luka listened with rapt attention.

 “I love the change in colour scheme, Marinette,” he finally said, “And the design of the shirt looks awesome too. But…”

Luka’s voice trailed off, causing the designer to look at him inquisitively.

 “But what?”

He stayed silent for a moment, before asking in a low, gentle tone, “Are you alright?” 

 Her mouth went dry at the sudden question. Marinette had tried her best to keep her despair hidden from Kagami, when she had quoted his lines to her, but somehow, Luka still managed to know that she wasn’t alright. 

And that must have been the reason for his slip-up earlier during practise, she further deduced.

 “I—it’s no big deal, really!” she said, plastering a big smile on her face. “How about I tell you the colour scheme for the text on the shirt?” She said, attempting to change the subject.

The look on Luka’s face screamed that he didn’t believe her, but he smiled ruefully and gestured for her to continue. 

 Shooting him a grateful smile, Marinette placed the sketchbook back on the desk and picked up a coloured pencil from her assortment of paints and colours. But before she could colour the piece, a hand shot out of nowhere, knocking the red paint over her sketchbook.

Pulling her sketchbook back in reflex, Marinette jerked back and let out a moan of despair on noticing that she had been a second too late, for the red paint had managed to fall over the T-shirt design and ruin it completely. 

 “Oops, I am sorry! I didn’t notice the paint.” The voice did no good to Marinette, rather it turned her despair to anger.

Eyes sparking, she looked up at Lila, who had craftily masked her smug smirk under an expression that appeared apologetic. Balling her fists, she was about to lunge at the Italian lying doll before a hand on her shoulder stopped her. She looked up at Luka, who shook his head in the slightest way, assuring her with a look that he would take care of this situation.

 “You should have looked where you were going, Lila. You ruined the design now,” Luka pointed out, his brows slightly furrowed.

“Oh, I am sorry again,” Lila sniffled, before adding, “But shouldn’t Marinette have closed the paint after use? I mean, after that, even though I or someone else would have knocked it over by mistake, no harm would have been done, right?”

 Marinette was appalled at the disguised accusation, but didn’t say anything. She was used to Lila’s faux innocence and disguised blaming.

However, feeling Luka’s grip tighten on her shoulder, she could tell that he definitely wasn’t happy. And it made her feel glad.

 “Really though Lila, that excuse is utt—”

“Leave her out of it, Luka,” Rose spoke up from behind. “She obviously wouldn’t have meant it, right Lila?”

 The brunette nodded fervently. “Thank you so much for understanding me, Rose. You are the best!”

“No problem. Plus, Marinette’s so talented she can remake the design again! Right Marinette?” the blonde gushed happily.

 Sighing, Marinette pulled up a weak smile as she gave Rose a thumbs-up. She didn’t speak anything, though. Words simply failed her at the moment.

Everyone went back to their chit-chat, except for Adrien and Kagami who now came up to her.

 “I am sorry for what happened, Marinette,” Kagami said, her voice containing barely restrained anger as she glanced at Lila, “If only you had let me…”

 “It’s o-okay as I told you, ‘Gami,” the designer waved off the topic again as she ignored the slight choke in her throat and mild sting in her eyes. She turned to look at Adrien, shooting him a rueful look, “She really didn’t harm anyone, right?”

Adrien’s breath hitched and he suddenly became a lot interested in his shoes. As for Kagami, she finally understood why Marinette had chosen to repeat her previous statement again.

 “Anyways, I guess I should go back to make a new design, right? I can definitely do it!”

“But Marin—” Luka spoke up, but Marinette had turned back to her workstation, ignoring everyone.

 Kagami shot Adrien a look that spelled trouble, causing the blond to gulp. She pulled him away from the scene, leaving Luka there alone.

 He looked at the girl working on the design, the concern evident in his eyes. But if she didn’t want him to intervene, well, he was going to respect that.

Sighing, the musician slung his guitar over his shoulder and moved to give Marinette some space. However, he had forgotten to notice one thing.

  RIIPPP!

 The sound caught everyone’s attention, including Luka’s. Eyes bulging in shock, he looked down to find that his Jagged-Stone shirt had gotten stuck in some stray nail on the table and his movement had caused the fabric to tear a bit at the hem.

 Before he even got the idea to unhook his now damaged shirt from the nail, Lila jumped forward, announcing with a cheery tone, “I have been Gabriel Agreste’s muse for some weeks and things like this happen in the fashion industry! Don’t worry, I got this!”

 The brunette leaned down to unhook the shirt, but Luka caught the malicious glint in her eye before she applied a bit too much force, causing the tear to widen even more.

 “Oh goodness!” the girl wailed out in what Luka knew was a faux apologetic tone, “The fabric’s so old that it just got ripped even more! I am sorry Luka.”

Of course she didn’t mean the apology.

 Before Luka could say anything, Marinette spoke up, “A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, Lila. Maybe you should not have intervened in the first place.”

Lila turned around to glower at her, before masking the foul look with an innocent pout, “You mean to say it’s my fault?”

 It was Mylene who spoke up now. “Marinette’s kind of right, Lila. Plus, she’s the most experienced with fabrics out of all of us. So, it’s better we let her deal with the situation, right?”

Lila pouted, but then nodded slightly in agreement as she got up. Luka was relieved to get distanced from the brunette. Plus, he always welcomed Marinette’s presence.

 Marinette smiled at him as she walked towards him. Her smile caused a soft melody to resonate in his heart. However, the subtle notes of a cacophony attracted his attention, too.

Just in time, Luka saw Lila subtly edging her foot out. As Marinette tripped, the brunette smirked a bit before continuing down her path.

 As she fell, Luka lurched forward, his arms spread out. She collided with his chest as he wrapped his arms around her waist, securing her fall. Her arms came to rest upon his shoulders for support.

 “You okay?” 

“Ye-yeah!” Marinette stuttered, her cheeks blooming pink. “Fine being here! I MEAN, I am fine, how are you?”

Luka chuckled, “I am fine too, thanks for asking.”

 The girl blushed again, before looking down, “So.. your shirt—”

“Oh yes,” he helped her stand up straight, then proceeded to unhook the shirt from the table. Marinette bent down to inspect the tear.

 “Wait,” Luka said softly, causing her to look up. “Let me remove my jacket, it would be easier.”

 The designer opened her mouth to assure him that it was fine like that, but he had removed the jacket by then. As he handed the jacket over to Juleka, Marinette couldn’t help but gawk at Luka’s physique. She had known he was well built from his time as Viperion, but this lean…

Coughing from lack of air, Marinette came back to reality, blushing hard. Luka looked at her inquisitively, causing her to duck her head and inspect the tear.

 Oh goodness, what a wrong choice she had made.

 Looking at his physique from far was something else, but seeing the bare skin beneath the tear caused her jaw to nearly drop to the ground. Being a designer, she knew she should be used to such situations, but somehow, in this particular situation, her mind just short circuited.

 Why was she looking at the shirt again? What was she supposed to do here?

 “So Marinette, do you think the tear can be mended?” Luka asked, causing her to nearly fall on her butt in shock.

 Oh. Mending. Right. Task at hand first, bare skin gawking later.

What the hell am I even thinking right now?

 Her hands deftly lifted the fabric, as she focused her mind on the rip and not the slight tangy, citrus smell mixed with sweat. It was hard, but she finally managed to get the job done.

 “It’s a manageable tear,” Marinette said as she got up and straightened her dress a little. “Not much, so a stitch in time can still save nine!”

“Awesome,” Luka said, delighted. “This is my favorite shirt, and I don’t want it to get damaged.”

 The girl reached into her purse and pulled out a needle and a white thread, “Well, let’s sew it together then!”

Luka smiled in return, before noticing that everyone around them were silently giving him and Marinette the lovey-dovey eyes. That didn’t trouble him much, but the icy glare that Lila was pointing at Marinette…

 “How about we go to my cabin?” Luka offered, causing Marinette to look at him in confusion. “You know, because the wind can make the shirt flutter, and then again…”

He subtly gestured at something, and out of the corner of her eye, Marinette noticed Lila glaring daggers at her. Gulping a little and then laughing nervously, she said, “Oh sure! Downstairs it is then!”

 The guitarist smiled slightly, holding his hand out to her. Marinette put her hand in his and let him guide her.

 All the way, she kept marvelling at how despite the difference in sizes, their hands had perfectly fit with each other.

[charlettebffxiv]

Prompt #29 Debonair

Clean-up is such a process, especially when you spend most of your sun elbow deep in soil, compost and whatever Maxim’s Gelmorran sapling secrets. It was truly an incredible discovery for Charlette, just how much like gum sap can be when it’s found purchase in your hair. To find out how dirt really does love to stay beneath your nails, after a long morning packing it in there one planting at a time. Yes, she was serious about her personal maintenance, but the workload triples every time she steps into that Greenhouse. It’s a good thing then, that there are few things she enjoyed more than ‘straightening-up’. Anyone that has plucked an annoying stone from the sole of their shoe can understand, just a little, the satisfaction there is in taking something blemished, and polishing it to a shine Especially when that thing is you. Even moreso, when that thing is your hopelessly slovenly friend.

“Hold this, and hold still while you do.” She’s stern with him, but you really had to be considering how poor Maxim’s posture could be when he’s protesting. She had him seated in front of her dresser, it was half the size of her sister’s to accommodate a bigger reading desk, but it was enough. He had his back to the mirror, and Charlette was facing him. She had shoved several of her tools into his hand, the rest sprawled on the side of her bed next to her. It kept his often too busy hands in one place while she worked. And what a piece of work he was. “Ow! Stop plucking so hard!” His brow creased, the skin reddening where Charlette had just plucked several hairs “Then stop trying to hold onto your stray-brows so much.” And she plucked another with a swift yank. The same way she plucked her own, immaculate eyebrows. She could tell he’d never done this before, by how overgrown they were and how intolerant he was of the process. “Tsk, I’m not holding onto them, they don’t want to leave me. I’m an addiction after all.” Considering how much Charlette was enjoying his beautification, he might have a slight point. “Roll up the ego Maxim, you have squeaked and squealed far too many times to have one by now.” He pulled his shoulders up, and took the chance to quickly nod between another pluck. “Ow! That’s true, and yet, I still think I’m the best.” Charlette snorted, and wrenched the last wandering follicle away. “The best indeed. I have not heard someone reach such a high pitch since A’nidreah tried to teach us her tribe’s whistle-speak.” She freed one of his hands, taking the pair of scissors from it and pulling at his long fringe. He took the opportunity to rub at his brow and wince. “You nearly skinned my face Charlette, what did you expect? You know I’m a screamer.” Maxim had very soft hair, the almost white-blonde colour of it giving his unkempt mane a richness to it, like it was spun from pure gold. “Hmh, do not admit that to Chloe. She will use it liberally, and cruelly against you.” She snipped, cautiously, taking away only split ends for now, but it was much too long to leave like this. “Think so? I mean, if she enjoys it, isn’t that a good thing?” Charlette leaned back just far enough to look him in the face. “No, no it is not. Gods, have some dignity boy, are you trying to get her attention or be the plaything she swats at like a cat? You know they get bored quickly with their toys, yes?” Maxim pouted at her, it made his lips look even more full. Dare she say kissable? “Yes, do that as much as possible. Chloe is an utter sap for pretty boys, and once we get you cleaned up, you will be the prettiest boy in the Village.” Snip, snip, snip. More hair fell away. Each series of strands that Charlette cut drew a concerned dart from his eyes. He looked up at her, wide-eyed and with a simpering tone said “Really? Oh, it’s my dream come true! When do I get to try on the dress and shoes? I want to feel like the Sultana on her wedding night!” Charlette combed his hair, only the very points of his bangs hanging down to the corners of his eyes. The perfect length to frame his deep-green stare, and long enough to hang and sway, but with a few ilms to twirl around a venturous finger. “Gods I am good at this.” She let him turn to the mirror. He brushed a hand through his neat, recently washed locks “What did you do? I don’t see a difference…” She hit him atop the head with the handle of the scissors. Charlette’s father, Algernon Bellamy, was a tailor by profession. Which, of course, meant he had plenty of suits for Maxim to choose from. Once Maxim had been properly groomed, so as not to look like the mud-digging Botanist that he was, they had gone to the Bellamy Patriarch for help in getting him properly dressed. The tall Duskwight stared down at the shorter Wildwood, tapping a finger to his lip. “He is a little burly for an elezen is he not?” Charlette nodded, Maxim pulling his shoulders up and crossing his arms. “Botanist, axe swinging, scythe wielding, log carrying. Can’t really avoid it.” Algernon waved a hand, puffed out a sigh and turned to the collection he had pulled out. Hanging from a long rack were several suits, all of them beautifully tailored to fit a tall, lithe man. Algernon did not deal in bright colours and garish schemes, there were no white, pink, or otherwise suits here. Greys, dark blues, deep blacks were his domain, he called it the Gelmorran suite. However, he did pull one of the brighter ones from the rack, and held it against Maxim. A shade or two darker than sapphire blue, but enough that it would stand out against a sea of navy, Maxim’s pale skin and hair stood out brighter for it. “It makes him look like a bobble-headed mammet.” Back it went, Charlette’s cackle following it, Maxim’s coming only a little after. Another suit, a darker colour. Midnight blue, but with an almost purple suggestion to it. “Ah, I like this one.” Charlette smoothed it over his chest, the shirt beneath was a steel-grey, the waistcoat a slightly brighter colour to the rest. Algernon nodded, and pressed it into Maxim’s grip. “My daughters rarely allow themselves to agree on anything, Maxim. But I am confident that, in this one, they will find common ground. If one likes it, the other should too. Try it on, let us see.” and he spun Maxim around and shoved him toward the little changing booth at the back of his studio. Maxim took his time changing and Algernon had to go in, twice, to help him with buttons and cuffs. But, once he emerged it was well worth the wait, or so Charlette thought. Maxim cut such a clear figure, the suit pulling against his shape, but adding the little debonair edge to his silhouette. The jacket smoothed his broad, for an elezen, shoulders and the waistcoat emphasized the flat of his chest and stomach. A thing you did not often see, with the baggy clothing the man favoured most suns. She raised her hands, clapped quickly along with her father who was doing the same but much more politely and with far more restraint. Maxim bowed low, his shirt popping loose from where he had half-tucked it into his trousers. “Thank you, thank you. And for the next part of our act, the Bellamy’s will turn me into an actual opo-opo in a suit.” Algernon smiled, but Charlette was up and walking around Maxim. “You look almost perfect, but there is one, very important thing I need to check first.” She reached-up, pulled his jacket from his shoulders and grabbed one arm. “Ah, c’mon Charlette! It took me ages to get that buttoned up.” she had undone his cuff, and started to roll up his sleeves. “Shut up, you will thank me later.” Once both were up, she stepped back “Cross your arms for me.” Maxim hesitated, she smacked him on the shoulder, and he complied. “Ah, there we go. Perfect.” “I don’t understand.” Maxim looked to Algernon, who shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. “The arms are the most important part, Maxim. Make sure you do this at some point during the evening. Chloe likes your arms.” And Maxim blushed, almost beet-red. Charlette had never seen him do that before. Maxim was combed, cleaned, clothed and just about as ready as they could get him. Though, as per usual, the calmest person throughout the entire process was Maxim himself. The man never seemed to lose his nerve, unless his hair was being cut. “No butterflies in your stomach?” She asked him. “Nope, I’m pretty sure they’ve digested by now, but I might swallow another handful so that I get that nice, fluttering sensation when you hit me again. It’s like shaking a jar full of the things! Good fun.” She hit him, and he shivered and let out a dramatic groan. “Where is Chloe, the sooner she takes you off my hands the better.” Maxim gasped, hand on heart, looking offended in a way a person who is never offended pretends. “And here I thought we were having a moment! So cruel, no wonder you’re the least popular Bellamy.” She hit him again. It was just at that moment that the door to the Bellamy home opened, and Chloe came striding into the room. “Hey Charlette. Hello dad.” She kissed Charlette on the top of her head, her father on the cheek, then rounded on the Wildwood seated between them. “Maxim! You look good, best get going or we will be late!” and she grabbed him by the wrist and all but dragged him out of the house. It was over in a handful of seconds, she had barely even looked at him. Charlette and her father exchanged glances. “That boy is doomed.”

[permafusion-stevonnie]

While I’m not ready to return just yet, I’ve had a little spare time on my hands and decided to give in to the multiple requests I’ve recieved like the one above, and design what I think the new fusions would look like. I had a lot of fun doing them and hope you’ll like them.

I dont know if they’ll ever get to appear in the comic itself, but at least you have some canon art to enjoy.

First up we have Smoky Quartz. First thing to note is that the original Smoky is depicted at her side for scale. She’s a good head taller now. In the show, it seemed that Smoky was around the same height as Jasper. Episode; Earthlings for reference. Now Stevonnie’s height has been added to the fusion and taken her above Jasper’s height. You see the lovely extra arm, a simple step to show how different a fusion is, I know, but it makes sense to me. The extra human element of Stevonnie brings soemthing extra to the fusion. That’s also the reason for extra freckles on the arms, not just on the shoulders and face, as before. Skin is just a shade darker, since Stevonnie has a darker skin tone than Steven. You may notice that She’s slightly thinner. Stevonnie is a curvy person, so some of those curves have appeared here in Smoky, but not too many. Smoky is still a beautiful big bodied fusion and is rocking that look. I loved Smoky’s floofy hair and didn’t want to change that too much, so just added some extra for Stevonnie’s lovely long locks. Finally, I tried, and failed, to make it look like she was wearing harem pants. I still kinda like the baggy jeans look going on. There may, or may not, be something thematic in the fact that the stars on the knees are the way they are, one broken and one looking like a shooting star, racing away.

Sunstone was something of a challenge but I’m happy with these results. I thought of all kinds of different things. Adding arms, taking them away, moving them etc. Nothing quite looked right, so I eventually decided to stick with the vanilla design. You can probably argue that Garnet brings a little extra stability to the fusion, being two gems and all, so the design wouldn’t change too much. The colour palette is, again, darker. With some little pink highlights to to add somehting extra. Looks a little like sunburn. There isn’t much that could be done to change the colour palette to much. I thought about playing on the “sun” part of the name and going different shades which could be found on real stars, from deep reds, to browns, or even bright white. But these detracted from the “stone” part of the name. Sunstone is supposed to be based on the colour of the gemstones, not an actual sun. So I was limited to yellows, oranges and some reds. I made a minor change to the shading on the legs, taking that red down slightly to give the impression that she has either knee-high socks, or knee-high red shoes. I toyed with the idea of giving her high-tops but decided agsinst it and left them barefoot, like Stevonnie. I think the movie-blue t-shirt just looks good on her, working with the colour scheme, but that might just be me. No change in height but, I hope, a noticable change in the shape of the head, the flames point more upwards like a real fire, than outwards like sunstone’s original. I don’t care what anyone says, I like that little quiff I’ve given her at the top. The headband, that was just a last minute impulse choice. I felt there was something missing and tried it out to see how it would look. It seemed to just bring the whole thing together. Let’s say it comes from Ruby.

It’s Rainbow 3.0! I think He’s the only one I can say for sure would have a noticably different personality. Logically, the others probably would too, but I feel that Rainbow 3 would fore sure. A little bit more of a prankster than before. Stevonnie would bring out some of the wilder side of Pearl. The side that went running from the police and had gathered all those phone numbers she stores in her pearl. Though, knowing all of the componants like we do, I guess this would mostly extend to letting you have a cookie before dinner and ice cream for desert even if your parents said you couldn’t. He’s no taller, but is a little curvier. I know that’s hard to see with the jacket on. Darker skin tone, again, this is because Stevonnie’s skintone is darker than Steven’s. A slightly different, more muscular, tone to the legs. The hair is my favourite feature. Taking a little of “stevonnie has a lot of hair” and “Steven seems to enjoy a pompadour” and merged those two together to give Rainbow this magnificant coiffure. The shoes? Well, Rainbow didn’t make them. Stevonnie may be getting footware at some point in the future.

Last, but by no means least, Obsidian! Obsidian was actually the first one I thought of and despite having the least amount of changes, remains my favourite. I read  factoid, here on tumblr actually, of the volcano of Kawah Ijen in Indonesia, which spews out vibrant blue flames as it erupts. Google that stuff, it’s pretty damn cool! Ignore those sites which say it’s blue lava, it’s blue fire. The reason the volcano burns blue is because of the huge amount of sulphur it has. This extra element, this unusual element, is reflected in this Obsidian. The extra human-element which came from Stevonnie, causes Obsidian to burn with bluefire, but we still see the standard orange glow of the lava breaking through in places. The glowing lines within the hair are more jagged, rather than the smooth spirals of the show’s Obsidian, to invoke the idea of lightning, as erupting volcanos often end up generating huge electrical storms. I guess I was trying to show this Obsidian as a truly unstoppable force of nature. Some slight mofication to the legs, trying to add a little more of a muscular appearance. The most noticable change -next to the blue- must also be the hair. Longer and it appears messier, I was trying to go for a spiky kind of look because the stone obsidian can be a brittle stone, but also forms incredibly sharp edge I was trying to portray this sharp and spikey hair. Inspiration for the hair actually came from the Hindu goddess, Kali, a destroyer with long dark hair and comes down to somewhere between her waist and her knees, it’s spiky and rough and just seemed fitting for an analogue of Obsidian. Kali is also often depiected as blue in colour. Thematically appropriate to, since Connie’s family name is of Hindu origin. Can’t say anything about her family in the show itself, since religion isn’t touched upon at all in the show’s universe. 

[expecto-serotonin]

Tell me ALL about Regulus' stolen sweathers. I'm guessing at least half of them are Sirius' (who in turn steals them from Remus and James), but what about the rest?

Regulus Black is a merlin-dammed thief. Being his older brother, Sirius Black knows this for certain. All the nice jumpers--the ones from the Potters, and the fashion disasters that Moony gave him--are going missing!

One night, Sirius sneaks into Regulus' room intent on stealing them back. He doesn't mind it when the jumpers are just his own but these mean something.

He finds Regulus awake, curled up on his bed in what was a Distinctively Gryffindor Sweater, the old one Sirius had gotten fourth year from quidditch.

Regulus is silently crying into the fabric, years in a house like this make it easy to keep yourself quiet.

Sirius, at a loss for words, almost leaves; he barely takes a step before pausing entirely. Fucking hell.

"Reg?" asks Sirius. The younger Black lifts a hand in acknowledgment. That was good.

"Look, just...just," he stumbles over his words. "Ask next time you wanna borrow one of my sweaters, alright?"

This time there is no acknowledgment that Regulus hears him. Sirius sighs, before properly leaving.

"Siri?" Regulus whispers, and damn why does he sound so young? Why the hell does he sound scared? "Thank you," is all he says.

it's the last thing they ever say to each other in that house

--

On his bad days, Regulus finds his way the the Come-and-Go room. It's a less kept secret to everyone in Slytherin that it exists. Most of the students use it for parties, shagging, and restless bullying. Regulus does not partake in any actives above.

Once he manages to get inside, he's greeted by the familiar setup. A large room with a piano off to the left, well, actually, there are several different instruments in that area. There's a grouping of couches and chairs and things he has recently discovered are called "bean bag chairs".

Most importantly, there's a group of four already waiting for him.

Ronnie Fairfax of Hufflepuff is giggling at a book, her legs thrown over the side of a chair.

Xavier Wittmer of Ravenclaw is near the instruments already writing something down in his quote-unquote "Song Diary".

Evie Hills of Slytherin is lounging on a couch, half asleep, but still knitting passionately.

Finally, Nova Adi of Ravenclaw is sort of wandering around the room, very content watching their friends.

It's Nova, because it's always Nova, notices Regulus' entrance into the room. They flash a warm smile at him.

"The birthday boy is among us!" said Nova. Regulus gave an undignified grunt, before dramatically dropping onto a chair that looked frightening similar to the ones in the Hufflepuff common rooms.

"Bad day?" asked Nova.

"Change the subject?" tried Regulus.

Nova gave him a look, before turning and giving a shout at Ronnie.

"We have presents," they said. "Those should cheer you up a little, huh?"

"Special day!" called Xavier, "It's not everyday someone turns sixteen!"

Regulus couldn't help but think most people also don't spend the week before their birthday having daily panic attacks about turning sixteen. To each their own.

"Reggie, could you be a doll and hold my yarn? I'm getting to the difficult part," Evie said. She probably knew what was wrong, she always does.

"Sure," Regulus grinned. The other three went about sorting the small get together in order.

At the end of the not-party, Evie finished her project. A soft green sweater, before unceremoniously handing it to Regulus. She sends amused glances to the others, who then proceeded to all hand him a sweater.

Regulus laughs when he finally realizes that there all his favorites of his friends sweaters. The ones he steals the most.

"You need to update your colour scheme beyond green and black," Nova said, handing over the last sweater. It's a horrendous shade of orange, but warm and smells like Nova.

this is the last time the five of them smile at each other

[filypadreams]

Fleeting Touches

( Asmodeus x GN!MC)

Synopsis: Do you know what fleeting means? It means you should apreciate every moment while you can. Even if you get lost in illusions for it.

TW: Slight angst

_______________________________

The streets were full this time of the year, even with the cold weather. It was a race for most humans to get that last minute gift for that special someone.

Their children, parents, grandparents or significant others. For some reason it's tradition to get that one person a last minute present.

And that's always a disaster...

" Calvin Klein One... with bergamot, cardamom, pineapple and jasmin. Tropical? Or maybe Dolce & Gabanna Velvet Exotic Leather. Traditional and italian... also at good prices, I need to ask if they are antiallergenic! "

I spend 15 minutes on the line but get both perfumes and walk outside onto the sunny street. It's not as busy as the mall and I really should get home before it gets to close to one pm.

Today, faces are a blur to me.

" Thanks for the tip Asmo, I was sick of the strong scents of women perfumes and the always down to earth male ones~"

I cheerfully speak to myself while touching the 'tattoo' above my left breast.

It's a one-way communication system. I'm not even sure Asmodeus hears what I tell him but I sure do hear his thoughts.

" Ohhh, bootie alert at 12! No, wait! Delicious curves at 4- oohh...that's a mix at 9 o'clock~!"

I see a man, woman, I think the last one is in mid transitioning but I'm not sure.

" He'll be a beautiful man, I'm 95% sure!"

" Maybe it's a 'they'... not that you can hear me."

Though I agree, they look...handsome. With a nice physique, curly shoulder lenght hair, smooth skin as if rivalling Asmos' ... and who can resist a dark biker leather jacket?!

No, stop. Don't let the mark influence you from your mission MC!

Setting the christmas gifts.

I start running in the direction of the bus station when I collide with a tall lady, her black shades falling to the ground from her beautiful light pink sweater.

My head hurts. It felt like hitting a brick wall...or Beel.

Are my only thoughts as I scramble to pick her glasses and my shopping bag. Good thing it was well packed.

"Oh my~ I'm so sorry, I didn't notice such a beautiful face in this crowd. I was retoutching my eyeliner, huhu! Let me help~"

The lady crouches down next to me. I notice from the corner of my eyes that she is also wearing a black turtle neck... and has peach coloured hair...

" Asmo?!"

Darkness. A cold hand covers my eyes while the other takes the shades from mine and exchanges them with my bags...it seems. He whispers is my ear.

" Now, now. Don't ruin the surprise! I'm just a beautiful 'lady'. Hahaha."

And with that he dissapears. Everything seems to dissapear, as soon it gets dark and I'm sitted in my couch, replaying today's event.

It felt so real... I called him a lady.

Well... I don't think Asmodeus minds.

I walk around the tree, putting down colorfully wrapped gifts. That I went purposely to markets and malls to have wrapped!

Diavolo better play Santa and give me some grimm if I ever get an invite to Devildom, I blew most of my allowances with these!

On the blue corner I have vynil disks and office supplies. Getting stuff for Lucifer is hard.

The yellow corner... is a mess of acessories like shades and wristwatches and some jackets. Mammon needs a new one.

The orange corner was the cheapest but most difficult to prepare. I wrapped most of my otaku related rarities, in Devildom at least, and put them in a pile. Levi better apreciate my figurines!

The green pile was also simple. It's actually small with my old literature books. All from great authors and all trying to escape religious judgement so Satan might find that amusing.

I don't have a red corner, just baked goods on the table and two glasses of milk in case Santa visits.

I put purple pillows, warm robes, matresses and scarves around the tree. Belphie won't lose comfort soon.

And now finishing the pink corner.

There's the perfumes, some cosmetics I really don't get but my 'chest instinct' said to go ahead and...

" I hope he likes this fluffy bunny backpack!"

I kinda wanted the bunny for myself... but I can't.

The day went on so fast... why am I even doing this? Might as well call Solomon and offer him these so he can perform his rituals. I'll just wake up tomorrow to a full room of wasted money and a mountain of calories. An empty heart.

I caress the bunny when i hear rustling on my door. Something is playing with my wreath? I pick a knife from the dinning table.

" W-who's there?! Show yourself fiend!"

" Aww, that hurts to hear MC-chan..."

From the darkness into the light walks the same person I crashed into this morning.

" You better drop that knife before someone gets hurt..."

" How...Asmo, how are you here?! Why?!!"

Tears come to my eyes. It's been a while. A long while since I've seen any of them. Since I've had slumber parties with Asmodeus, self care sessions...

He shakes his head cleaning the few teardrops away with the back of his index finger and walks to the tree, messing with the gifts.

" Tears don't suit you well. Oh, you even got something for Barbatos... I'm slightly jealous, I thought you only thought about me~"

He starts opening his gifts.

" Wait! It's not even Christmas Eve. We need to wait until midnight at least..."

As I try to explain, his taller stature hovers over me, playing with my hair and putting a mistletoe, secure in it's knots. Wait... how is he so tall? The height difference is too abnormal.

" I'm afraid the concept of time doesn't apply in dreams, MC."

" H-huh?! Wha... the day... went on really fast. So you..."

I look down slightly dissapointed. The floor starts cracking and falling. Darkness and constelations starting to form under my feet.

" Afraid not. Christmas is not really part of our traditions, haha. Even if we had a great celebration that one time Diavolo proposed we did it with the exchange students.

I like the angel."

He points to the tree top.

" Oh, that... I was thinking of Beel and Belphie when I made the decision. It's my oldest decoration. I was thinking on putting a star this year but... I got a literal gut feeling to keep the angel."

I smirk at Asmodeus as he puts an arm around my shoulders, leaning me a little closer to him. We both apreciate the flashing lights from the tree. Even if it was fake. The rest of the room crumbles away and Asmo let's go of me to pick his gifts and stuffing them inside his new backpack.

" I know he was thinking of the only person that shines as bright as us two together.

Hmm, but you haven't been taking good care of yourself, MC-chan! Remember to follow the morning routine I gave you so your skin is almost as perfect as mine!"

" I haven't been feeling like...doing much I guess. I had a lot of work this year."

" Humans are always full of work. I mean me too.

Since RAD is closed for the 'holidays', we are back to our other jobs. Things get dirty real fast, so many pests! Maybe we can actually come visit during New Year's."

After apreciating the representation if Lilith, he turns to berate me, before picking a bottle of perfurm and examining it, followed by spraying some on while making a spin as he explains his bodyguard/demon threat exterminator job.

He must have loved it because he transforms, with a smile on his face and his horns move like pincers.

" I always found your demon form the funniest."

" ...Dear, I'm fabulous."

" Hahahahaha! Ok, but if this isn't a Diavolo, Barbatos or Lucifer' scheme... is it Belphegor's? You mentioned dreams, and it explains the constelations."

I look around, darkness being drilled by the light of many tiny stars.

" I think I see taurus... and of course he had ro include pisces. Mammon is supposed to be the greedy one, this is OUR moment!"

He huffes and crosses his arms. I chuckle and pat his back.

" So, I'm asleep at the same time as Belphie."

" It's night time in both worlds. You could say I'm an intruder. I was taking my immersive nightly bath as I prepared to get into your dreams~ I hope I didn't actually fall asleep, my poor skin!"

" How did you convince him?"

I wonder as he touches his arm and the parts of revealed skin as if to feel if something was wrong with his real body.

" Oh, well...he actually wanted to see you to! I also promised to take more cute pictures of Lucifer for him. But I don't think he admires his beauty the same way I do-"

The world trembles. Belphie must be waking up. And angry...

" Oh, dear! I must have upset him. This illusion will end soon and you'll wake up in your bed as if nothing happened. I hope you don't forget me."

Asmo walks closer and caresses my face. Kissing my forehead.

It's warm. Fleeting but I can feel his gestures. Even in a dream.

I slap his hand when I feel it sliding down my back a little too far.

" Ouch! My nail...ok, ok. I'm sorry! Won't happen again~"

He apologises when making contact with my burning stare and proceeds to act innocently after.

" It better not. I... think it will be difficult to forget you. Specially now. Make sure the others know-! Ahh!!!"

Another quake and I "conveniently" fall in his arms. I'm able to see his pixie sized wings batting in excitement.

" This is a cliché."

I mumble as Asmo wraps his arms around me.

" I need to go. I'm sure we'll see each other soon. You know I'll always be here. Literally. And I do hear you, you know?"

He pokes his mark, above my heart and pouts.

" ...I know... see you soon Asmo."

I pick his hand and kiss it.

Then I wake up. It's still the middle of the night. My room is cold.

There on my window sill are two roses. One peach and one dark pink.

The End

______________________________

Special dedicatory to: @shortnessangel

and @asmoluvsyou .

Bunny Backpack comes from: https://kawaiibabe.com/products/creepy-bun-backpack

(Curiosities: The perfumes are gender neutral, I can still link you the page where I found them.

The colour of the roses have a specific meaning. I can post the pic I got it from if you want.)

[cttrajan1206]

So maybe. While among us is booming rn. Cough, ill share a lil drabble i did, based on my games with my friends @dragonfruiteen and @justalexnoelle and @a-mega-sad-nerd

---

(note this took me two nights and Mercutio was present for the first one and you can Really Tell Because It Reads Better, Frui's pov was All Me And It Shows akbdf)

Eyes. It always seemed to be the eyes that opened the gateway to emotion. To empathy. Humans lacked such a key feature. If they did indeed have eyes, the windows to the soul, the mind of another creature, then it was clouded. Hidden behind a frosted blue screen that provided a concealing shade to any hint of emotion. It was with these "eyes" that they looked upon CT.

And what they saw, they turned blind to, the fog of their visors deceiving them and clouding up their vision. What they saw was a monster, a hideous creature with unnatural limbs and eyes. What CT saw was the same. Except there were more of them.

Shrieking desperately, their cry of fear was taken as a roar of hunger and these multi-chromed cloned monsters closed in. Their hands held no warmth, gone from their bodies and empty faces was any sign of a living sentient being with a conscience. If there ever were any there in the first place.

The experiments were horrible. Terrifying masks devoid of any tainted spots betrayed nothing on their facade of a frigid outer exterior as they conducted the tests. CT was trapped, alone and afraid. The electrocutions didn't aid their jitters, their tendrils quaking with fear each time they were forced upon the podium. No manner other than Man's could be so cruel. Unspeakable things to do with drills and lasers occured in that test lab. Things too horrid to repeat.

And yet. There was a shining light that burned brightly and illuminated the path ahead. Frui. Frui always treated CT as a friend, fir dark skin patterned with glowing cyan networks that ended with the plant sprouting atop fir head. No matter the amount of experiments that day, Frui and Teddy always made sure to visit CT secretly afterwards, often bringing treats. CT could speak to them, using phrases and words they knew well. Though the constant screaming left their voice hoarse and sore, they always made sure to give them in turn their thanks - a love shaped by finding a blooming bud of friendship in a stale place of loneliness.

But that didn't last long. Because all beauty is meant to never last and alas, theirs was meant to have its time cut short ever swifter.

It wasn't on purpose. Not the first time. A tired security guard must have miscalculated their reaction time and left the door open. CT stared. They'd always dreamed, too afraid to dare and grab a hold of a rope to save themself. And Frui was due to visit soon. But what caged bird would ignore its chance for freedom? So they rushed out, slithering across the floor and through the corridors. Not one map could help their journey and each path they tried twisted endlessly like a writhing snake. It seemed hopeless but no light could be without the darkness. Determined, they pushed on, discovering the useful utility of the vent systems. Just as they caught sight of the exit, down from their eye they spied Frui's plant. Goodbye. That was what they wanted to say one last time. Goodbye and Thank you for all the time Frui had spent with them, for being the light in their life and for being kinder than the others. Entering the room, they waved a tentacle friendlily, happy to see their friend

Frui immediately gave CT up to security.

Blank eyes. As cold and clouded as a dead fish's. CT knew every human must've had the same but they somehow had convinced themself that Frui must be different. That some empathy lay behind that voided screen for eyes. They had seen how tender and loving fe was with Teddy and fe had always treated them as a friend.

Now, however, CT realised that such affection was reserved only for other humans. A lowly monster like them couldn't ever truly be seen as a friend. As someone to trust and set free. As someone to treat as an equal. Only as something to be used. After all, if that hadn't been the case, and Frui felt they were a friend, why did fe turn them in?

The experiments became more and more frequent and painful after that day. Each hour was torturous, excruciatingly beating the seconds past as slowly as possible. Frui and Teddy tried to visit CT anyway but they wouldn't let the two humans in. Never again would their lonely heart even consider opening up to another ever again. Never.

The second time was no mere accident. This time, CT had planned, schemed and plotted it all out. This time, __they__ would be the betrayer.

A squadron of humans were to depart on a mission through the dropship to the basecamp Polus. CT knew this. They weren't to cone as the investigation was on the lava's seismic activity not their alien form.

But that didn't deter them.

Frui was on that ship. Defenceless and wide open. So after killing a local human with keys, CT set their plan into motion. Their suit was lime, a nice enough bright green colour,

And looking through the owner's stuff made for the discovery that fedoras were the Ultimate Hat. A little bit of practice was needed but they handled it quickly and efficiently. Soon, they donned their screened eyeless mask and waited. They were ready.

Was Frui?

<•∆•>

Last Frui checked, the lime suit belonged to one of the security guards. It seemed weird since fe didn't recall them being on the mission. When fe went over to say hi, fe got no answer. Instead, the suit fished out a notebook and wrote inside.

“Throat sore. Can't talk.”

Frui nodded, understanding, and gave them a thumbs up. The guard seemed to study them before scribbling down.

“I'm new here and don't know my way around, could you help me?”

Frui nodded and then whipped around.

"Alex! I got a parasite for you to take!"

The fedora nearly fell as they flinched, seemingly disturbed by the nickname. Frui quickly explained.

"Oh we just do that since Alex leads the mission. We say neb 'hosts' the assignment since neb's leader and we joke that we're all parasites seeking to take over the ship."

Fe laughed and the guard nodded solemnly. It was a little weird, a bit sus, but eh. Who was Frui to judge? Fe lead the guard to Alex and waved goodbye just before the dropship landed.

That was the last fe saw of neb.

It was slow and subtle at first. Frui hardly notices any suspicious going ons as fe did fir tasks faithfully. Sure, fe passed Nerd once and never saw him again but fe figured he was just doing tasks too. Teddy was always with fir too. They held hands the entire time and went everywhere together. They were inseparable, doing tasks alongside each other and never leaving each other's sight. It was nice, they were nearly both finished as they headed to the medbay to get scanned the halls moaned emptt, haunted with absence. Their footsteps echoed as they headed past the laboratory. Teddy was right by Frui. He was safe so fe was glad.

And then the lights died.

Frui couldn't see anything, it took fir eyes time to adjust to the dark. Teddy yelped and fe instinctively reached out and grabbed his arm, sliding down to his hand. It felt… thinner and slightly more squelchy than bone but in fir panic fe overlooked it.

"Come on Teddy, let's go!"

Running to fix the light, fe pulled Teddy along with fir. Fe got as far as outside before Teddy pulled away, yanking his hand out of fir grip. Confused, Frui half whispered in choked shock.

"Teddy-?"

There was no reply.

Fe was left there in the dark cold. Alone and afraid.

"Teddy??"

This wasn't like him. Teddy would never abandon fir.

"Teddy!"

Suddenly, fe felt a presence near fir. A hand on fir shoulder. Teddy. In the dark, fe couldnt see it but that reassuring squeeze had to be Teddy.

And then the lights flickered back on.

And fe saw there was no one there. Just a wispy trail of snow. Confused, scared and worried, Frui ran into the lab. Desperately searching for Teddy. Any sign of him. Nothing. No one. What happened?? Where did everyone go?? Why was fe… all alone. Think. Think think think. Frui thought and remembered that Teddy had a task in the office. As fe headed there, fe reassured faethself that Teddy would be there. The hope was slim and delusional but fe needed it. Sliding open the east entrance, fe walked towards the office. Eyes constantly shifting, fe scanned every inch of fir sight for Teddy, skimming every surface when a flashing light caught fir eye. Wandering closer, it became evident that it was the vitals monitor, keeping track of everyone. Frui didn't move close. Seeking answers from this had the chance of solidifying one of fir fears. Did fe dare? Yes. For Teddy. Slowly, fir sights focused on the monitor and fir heart dropped.

Dead. They were all dead. No signs of life showed for any of the crew members. Not even Teddy.

All that still flashed and thrummed with energy was Frui's heartbeat…

...And the lime guard's.

Stomach dropping in an instant, Frui stared at the monitor in horror. No. Nonono. Why? Why would they? Fe felt sick, barely restraining faethself from puking as the timeline matched up in fir head abd fe realised what had actually been going on. Fir crewmates were being murdered in cold blood and fe had had no idea.

A squelching sound of something crawling out of a hole alerted fir of someone else's presence. Hesitantly, fe turned around, already knowing what would face fir. After all, who else? There, standing casually against the wall, was Lime. They waved cheerfully. Frui bolted for the doors and heard an inhuman laugh as fe realised. The doors were locked.

Thud. Thud. Thud. The monitor beeped quickly, matching Frui's heartbeat. The lime suit stepped forward and in time to it, walking leisurely and yet quickening smoothly. In a flash, they had Frui backed to a wall unsure what to do, Frui was about to try pushing them away and running when… curiously… they began to unlatch their helmet. A hiss sounded as they slowly unscrewed it off, the fedora falling to the floor. Frui couldn't believe fir eyes. Staring back at fir, almost mournfully, was…

"CT…?!"

They nodded and reached forwards with a tentacle. Frui flinched. This made CT pause and anger flashed in their eyes. Suddenly, Frui felt a stabbing pain searing througg fir stomach. Blood dripped from CT's mouth as the serrated tongue slid back in. They seemed sad yet satisfied as Frui's body fell to the floor, limp. The last thing Frui saw was the monster walking away, uttering a single word with their hoarse throat.

"Goodbye."

<END>

[theartofimaginaryfriends]

Chapter 2 - New Haven Plaza

Fic Series: The Final Straw (HP/PJO Crossover)

Premise: Nova goes to New Haven Plaza with the demigods and meets up with a friend.

Masterlist

taglist: @ilvermornymascot

Word count: 1,479

A/N: So I recognize that I was unclear, but this fic centres around my OC, Nova. Also!! I hate this chapter but it's definitely a needed filler chapter. It'll pick up in the next installment and we'll get to see who goes to Ilvermorny apart from the Golden Trio! Sorry this took so long, and sorry for the terrible quality. I promise it'll be better. Please comment as it keeps me motivated, and let me know if you want to be on the taglist! Quick shouout to @lukecastellandeservedbetter for helping me figure out New Haven Plaza and the entrances!!

Instead of flying into camp, the owls dropped the letters from the edge of the border. Nova watched in amusement as the sky began to rain envelopes, leaving her fellow campers dumbfounded as they watched the scene unfold. Few were jumping to grab a letter, reminding the witch of a story her friend Harry Potter had told her. 

Apparently, his aunt and uncle were displeased about him being a wizard, so they did everything they could to stop them from arriving. One day, over one hundred letters entered the house and flew everywhere. It was an amusing image, and she could only imagine what it would’ve looked like in person. Apparently, his Uncle Vernon's face turned a shade of purple only Dionysus would be proud of. 

A week after the letters arrived, they were greeted by a group of Roman demigods led by Praetor Frank Zhang. They had received the same letters and wanted to discuss it with the counsellors at Camp Half-Blood. Nova was heavily involved in that meeting, answering questions and explaining what the school was like. Clarisse and Annabeth seemed to be the most apprehensive about joining the school, but Nova explained it was for the best. It had to be for a reason, and they had to go to find out. 

Now, she was leading a huge group of demigods in a sea of orange and purple shirts through the theatre district of New York. The American Wizard Shopping District - New Haven Plaza - was hidden within an entrance behind the Lyric Theatre. However, there was a new one for the demigods, and Nova couldn’t resist joining them to check it out.

It was easy to navigate. The entrance was behind the Lucille Lortel Theatre, and they had arrived during a matinee. Luckily, there wouldn't be any fans or cast members there to question why a group of school kids were touring the area. Nova was relieved that she didn't have to lie her way through it this time. 

The doorway to the plaza looked like a boring stage door at first, but when the mist dissipated it revealed an intricate oak door. A bouncer, and a familiar face, stood next to it. "Hey, Diego."

"Hey, Nova," the bouncer smiled. "How has your summer been?"

"Weird and busy," she answered, chuckling. "Although, that's not unusual. How do we get to the Plaza through here?"

"Greek demigods just need their necklaces visible, and Roman demigods need to show their tattoos-"

"Bro!" Percy Jackson and Jason Grace, who had both, chorused. Nova looked back to see them grinning at each other, and stifled a laugh. 

"Sorry about those two," she said. "Please, continue."

 "It's quite alright," Diego laughed. "Obviously, the mortals can't see the door, but it opens into a room in The Greedy Pixie. Lyria is expecting you all."

"Did everyone get that?" Nova shouted, turning to the group behind her. After hearing a chorus of yeses and no's, she asked the people that had heard to pass it onto everyone else. The Hecate kids lead the group in, and they immediately entered a room with an oak interior. There were various pieces of art on the wall, all from different cultures and artists but with the same colour scheme. Lyria Michaels was waiting at the inner entrance to the private room.  

"So this is what it looks like."

"I was told to expect a big group so I used an undetectable extension charm in this area. Can't risk having a single student outside the theatre." Lyria smiled, giving Nova a hug. They chatted as everyone filed in, the demigods almost having to pack in like sardines. "Oh dear, I underestimated."

"Some of us will be out of your hair soon enough," Nova promised. Chiron was the last to enter and greeted the shopkeeper before turning to his kids. 

"We will all meet back here in three hours," he told them. "Please focus on getting your school supplies before exploring, but after that please have fun with respect to the wizard community."

Once Chiron dismissed his kids, the room went into chaos. Few demigods stayed behind to eat, and most were rushing to explore. Nova separated from her siblings after a quick trip to the bank and decided to stop at the dressmaker first. The item on the list was dress robes, which worried Nova a little. The last time dress robes were a requirement, a friend of hers died at the hands of Voldemort. 

Daria, the owner, rushed Nova further back once she stepped foot in the shop. Nova laughed, expecting the seamstress to be excited. As much fun as she had helping first years get the uniform, she loved getting people fitted into dresses and suits. "So what kind of dress robe will it be for you, my dear?"

"A dress," Nova smiled. "Navy, if possible."

Immediately, the seamstress pulled out on off the shoulder ball gown with silver detailing around the waist. The dress was floor-length, and the skirt was pleated. Nova happily took it and went into an available dressing room to try it on. It fit perfectly, Daria having put a charm that would resize itself depending on who wore it, and she stepped out to show the seamstress. "That's the one!" 

Nova barely argued but stood in front of the mirror a bit longer to admire herself. "Nova?"

"What?" She turned around and met with one of her best friends, Cree Fletcher. "Oh hey, Cree!"

"I didn’t think you'd be here today!" He cheered, running over to hug her. "You look stunning, by the way. Dress robe for this year?"

"Yes," she answered. "Which reminds me, I should change out of this so I can pay for it."

Nova slipped back into the change room and got back into her camp clothes. Cree was standing where she was previously, looking at himself in a burgundy suit. "That looks great!"

Daria busied herself with packing up Nova's dress, and Nova fished for the dragots she owed. "It's either this or the basic black and white."

"Get the burgundy," Nova told him. "Stand out from the heterosexuals."

Cree laughed and agreed before changing back into his civilian clothing. "You came with your camp, hey?"

"Yeah, I did," she nodded. "Thanks, Daria!"

"Of course, dear!" The seamstress approached her next customers, and Nova and Cree headed to the bookstore.

Cosmic Arcana had thousands of books to look through and was as big as the library at Hogwarts. To help the students find the books they need, the shopkeeper organized the required texts by year in different sections. Cree and Nova found what they needed in no time, but stayed back a bit to help first-years find the correct section. 

After Nova had finished explaining the layout to another group of eleven-year-old's, she bumped into someone as she stood up. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't worry about it." Nova turned around and was met with Percy Jackson. "Oh, hey Nova."

"Hey, Percy," she smiled. They weren't close, but Percy was one of the few demigods that were genuinely kind to her and her siblings. "Enjoying the plaza, I hope."

"It's pretty cool, actually," he admitted. "Although is it really a good idea to have us go to the same school as wizards? I've heard that they don't exactly get along with demigods."

"Chiron and the Headmaster think it's for the best," Nova said, plainly.

"Although the reason why is beyond me. Anyway, I should get going. Still have more shopping to do. Sorry for bumping into you, again."

"No harm done. See you later." Percy turned around and made his way to his best friend, Annabeth. 

"Who was that?" Cree stared at the demigod, who seemed semi-interested in the books Annabeth gushed over. 

"His name is Percy," Nova told him. "I don't know him very well, but he's nice."

"He's nice?" The Metis boy's eyes widened. "Just nice? Nova, you have to be blind to not notice how attractive he is."

"Dude, lower your voice," Nova glanced at the son of Poseidon, who luckily hadn't seemed to hear anything. "Okay, I'm not going to deny it but everyone at camp has had a crush on him at some point." 

"So you do like him!"

"I did until I was fifteen!" She corrected, laughing. "I'll tell you more about it later, I have more interesting news for you."

Nova told her friend about the visit from Professor Tahamente and Professor McGonagall, leaving out the details of the prophecy. He listened intently, asking questions that Nova had to evade. She wanted to tell Cree everything, but the streets were too busy and she couldn't risk it. 

After all, he'd find out soon enough. There was a third part to the prophecy that wasn't spoken yet, and it was only a matter of time until everyone found out.