#what is a background? what are hands?? what is going on with her hairstyle???

[itsmeglycine]

[kousanosgf]

men, minors dni

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

councilor!sevika x assistant!reader

you and sevika have to attend a banquet. and yes, sevika is wearing a dress

part 2

tags: sfw

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

"behave. promise?" you look up to sevika, finishing your work of smoothing out the wrinkles on her dress and brushing off little dust dots.

she is basically pouting, the prospect to waist the night at some rich folks banquet seems hellish to her.

you spent hours convincing her to go. "you have to go, we worked so hard for the council to like you, gotta uphold the image." eventually, sevika agrees and you're surprised that you didn't have to butter her up more.

it appears to be she just wanted to save energy for further arguments. because as soon as you suggested her wearing a dress, she enthusiastically refused, which led you to more bickering.

you won, of course. as soon as you started dating, sevika was never able to say no to you. so when you came to the last resort of "please, babe, you'll look so hot", when all the logical arguments of "you'll seem more aproachable", "they'll notice your effort to try and fit in" etc. didn't work.

you understood, though not fully since your backgrounds were so different, how hard it was for sevika to be on the council, fighting for her people's right to live happily, at times bending her temper and swallowing harsh words said her way. but piltover's elites are a bunch of snobs and you have to make them tolerate you before you can do anything productive.

"we need to get the budget for exchange programme and for that you need the votes." your recent project to help zaun's teens study abroad that both of you've been fighting tooth and nail for several months now.

sevika huffs out and brings her head down, nuzzling in the crook of your neck. "alright. promise."

finally getting the confirmation, you pat her head gently, to not ruin the wet hairstyle you've done yourself, practicing for days in advance.

"remember what i told you?"

"be nice, let you do the talking." sevika raises her head to look at you again.

"good girl" you smile and turn to grab your clutch from the vanity. you look over yourself in the mirror one final time and make your way to the door, not bothering to check if sevika follows you.

"will i get something as a reward?" she asks, her voice deep, as she catches your arm and presses your body into the corridor's walls, towering over. and, gods, she looks divine. the black fabric hugging her body in all the right places, highliting her curves for your eyes to feast on. your hand runs up her bare spine, fingers lightly touching the muscles. "is the prospect of helping your people not enough of a reward, councilor?"

both of you giggle, and you get this buzzing in your stomach as you feel sevika's body shake slightly from laughter against yours. gone were the days when you avoided her for that exact feeling, making you two miserable. you found that sedating your conscience and work ethics was very easy around her, in her arms. hiding your relationship wasn't much of a trouble since sevika didn't seem to like explicit pda, the most you got is a peck on the cheek or a stroll hand in hand, when you knew you're away from any colleagues. and sevika definitely doubled down behind the closed doors, basically attached to your hip, unable to keep her hands off you.

"come on, time to head out." you push sevika lightly on the shoulder to head to the door.

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　☽༓･*˚˚⁺‧͙

the evening was going smoothly so far. you and sevika arrived fashionably late to attract enough needed attention. people were starring, you knew that much even though the glances were not addressed your way. they were in awe, looking sevika up and down, taking in her broad shoulders, crosses by the black straps of the dress.. you had to hide a smirk every time you noticed, knowing you were the one to dress her up in all the nicest things that suited her so much.

your time was mostly spend by sevika's side, floating between this and that groups of people. the wealthiest merchant's family. an ambassador, seemingly finally able to return to piltover and enjoy his home's elite life. some carefree and arogant flock of politician's kids.

sevika was growing bored and restless by a minute. the best you could do is snatch a glass of champagne from the waiter's tray and push it in sevika's hand. "give me half an hour. an hour at most." you promised her.

"i don't know how you do this." she sipped her champagne and rolled her eyes.

"it's fun really, if you know how to play-"

"councilor sevika! wasn't expecting you to join us tonight." a cheery man interrupted you, making you take a step back from sevika for a more appropriate distance. you looked the man over and recognized him as pavle peric, the owner of the biggest precious metals mines in piltover, he didn't seem to even adress you.

"my conscience wouldn't let me stay away from this." sevika answered and smiled, sharing a look with you.

"yes, yes. great you're finally taking time to fit in the society." it looks like pavle took sevika's smile as his accomplishment as his smirk widens. "we all were wondering when you finally open up to some local culture."

you notice sevika tense slightly at the comment, as she catches the jab. a way to ruin a perfectly fine evening, you sigh inside your head.

"a new position, especially such as a councilor can take some time to get used to the new responsibilities." you're quick to smooth out the situation before the disaster happens. your hand touches sevika's lightly, asking to let you handle it. she stays silent.

pavle finally seems to notice you. his face scrunches, the man isn't happy that you dared speaking to him. "well, i suggest councilor expand her social circle. my advice to you, you can't always drag servants with you at events like this." he laughs cruelly, looking you up and down.

"she's my assistant." sevika cuts out, immediately starting to boil with anger.

"a servent, an assistant, same thing really. my advice to you, councilor sevika. first thing you gotta do is meet right friends. you're in piltover now, time to find people your level."

it all happens too fast. one second sevika stands by your side, the other she launches for the man, grabbing him by the lapel of his suit. your group gets couple of surprised gasps, the only thing that saves you is that you're standing behind a massive column, which hides you from the rest of the hall.

"do you think the same of the workers in your mines?! some consumable material to fill you pocket, while they lay their health and lives for their families to have a chance to survive?!"

you're panicking. sevika's right of course, pavle is a real scum and doesn't hide it. the way he runs his business, the way he treats his employees. but such an outburst can cause you and sevika months of hard work. you approach sevika, feeling guilty for your next words.

"councilor, please. mister peric is only giving his feedback as a more experienced man in these matters."

"no." her brows frown more, she doesn't spare you a glance, still fixated on the man. yet she gives in a little, letting go of him but still towering over pavle's figure. "you will apologize to my assistant."

"no need. mister peric didn't offend me in any way."

sevika persists, waiting for men to speak up but he's definitely too scared by her force now to say a thing.

"we still need to meet councilor shoola, councilor sevika." you try again, your hand carefully touches her back, and you just hope that the gesture would go unnoticed by others. it seems to work, goosebumps rise up sevika's spine as she relaxes a little, her expression still furious though.

a silent moment passes between the three of you before sevika turns with a low growl and storms away, heading for the massive glass doors which lead to the manor's gardens.

you take your time to say sorry to the man and hurry outside after her.

it's dark already, the hours come closer to midnight. still it's not hard to find sevika outside, she chose a place for you to notice her immediately when you walk out.

"say it." she huffs out and crosses her arms on her chest.

"what do you want to hear?" you smile slightly as she reminds you of a pouty kid. only to you though, if someone would see sevika in a mood like this, they'll think twice before even coming closer.

"i ruined it."

"you didn't ruin anything, vika."

you chew on your lip for a moment, thinking what to say next while sevika just stays quiet.

"i'm thankful, really." you look around for the unwanted witnesses and, after making sure no one is watching you, put you palm on her cheek.

"there were no person in my life before, who would've stand up for me like you did there."

"cause all of them have their head up their ass." sevika's anger seems to calm down, words less harsh. she covers your hand with hers, pressing her face deeper into your touch.

"but you need to understand-"

"here it comes." she rolls her eyes but doesn't let go.

"-i'm able to handle people like him." you continue, putting pressure into your words.

"your people's well-being is more important than my honor."

sevika just sighs, neither denying nor agreeing with you. you just stand there, waiting for her to process what she needs.

finally, something in her face shifts, she takes a deep breath and hits you with a quiet "i love you."

it's not the first time you hear it, you say that to each other almost every day. but this time just feels different, like it has more meaning to it. you have not much to say in the response except for simple "i love you too, vika."

both of you hear footsteps somewhere near, making you let go of each other, an intimate moment between you not ruined completely, bit it reminds you that you're not alone.

"i think it's time to head home." sevika suggests and you can't do anything but to agree.

—————————————————————————

tbh wanted to write this as oooh sexy sevika in a dress but it took completely different turn. but i guess still gonna write sev in a dress smut (i feel like she definitely needs to be strapped for being so good), cause that's what sevika stans deserve 🫦

[itsnesss]

𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐢 𝐝𝐨 | lando norris × fem!reader

summary | you confront lando about his new girlfriend, accusing him of replacing you. he admits he still feels for you, but you demand he prove his love by choosing you fully, not as an option

warnings | emotional manipulation, angst, heartbreak, unresolved tension, rebound relationship dynamics, betrayal

word count | 2.2 k

🖇 sctw album 🖇 more ln4

You see it from afar.

His laugh, the way he runs a hand through his hair, that same sidelong glance that used to be yours.

And her...

She’s wearing your coat. Well, not literally, but it looks like it. Same cut, same worn-out beige tone, like she stalked your old photos and built a Pinterest mood board with your name on it.

"Y/N?" your friend whispers, nudging you. "You okay?"

You’re not. But you smile. Of course you are. You’ve had months to prepare for this. To see them together.

Lando and the watered-down version of you.

She laughs a little too hard at something he barely said. Her hands reach for his like she has something to prove, like she’s marking territory.

And the worst part...

Lando doesn’t even notice.

Or he does. And he likes it.

"You look incredible," he says later, when fate decides to put you face to face. Charity event, lots of familiar faces, lots of cameras.

"Thanks," you reply, smoothing your skirt with a grace you didn’t have when you were with him. You don’t try to be cool anymore. You just are.

She shows up two steps behind, with a rehearsed smile and a scripted comment:

"I love your shoes! I literally saw them at Zara the other day and thought, this is so Y/N."

You look at her.

It’s not just the shoes. It’s your perfume. Your hairstyle. Your way of saying “literally.”

It’s creepy. And honestly, kind of pathetic.

"Yeah?" you say with a thin smile. "Well, not everyone has their own style."

She laughs, like it’s a joke. Lando doesn’t. He frowns. Because he knows you.

And you know he knows.

"It was a joke," she clarifies, but the tremble in her voice betrays her.

"Sure," you reply. "I just didn’t find it funny."

Hours later, you're on the terrace, a glass of wine in hand and a faint song playing in the background. The breeze carries memories, ones you'd rather not invoke. But there they are.

Your fingers laced with his, a broken promise, a fight in Monaco, tears in an airport.

"You shouldn't have said that," his voice comes from behind.

"Which part? The style thing? Or the not everyone part?"

Lando sighs.

"She’s not you."

"No. But she tries to be."

You turn around. He’s closer than you expected.

"Does it bother you?" he asks.

"What bothers me," you say calmly, "is that you let it happen."

Silence.

"You let her step into my place. What did you expect? That she wouldn't try to fit the shape I left behind?"

Lando doesn’t answer. But his jaw tightens.

And for the first time in a long time, you see something in his eyes you didn’t see when you were together:

Doubt.

And that’s when you understand.

Maybe she’s copying you because he’s still looking for you everywhere.

Lando doesn’t speak at first. He just looks at you with that intense stare you once could read with your eyes closed. Now, it’s all noise.

"You don’t have the right to be mad," he finally says.

"And you had the right to replace me so quickly?"

"I’m not replacing you."

You laugh, dry.

"Right. It’s just a coincidence that she likes the same movies I do, drinks her coffee the same way, and has the same ringtone I used to have. What a coincidence."

Lando takes a step toward you.

"She’s not you, okay? No matter how hard she tries. And I’m not the same since you left."

Your eyes lock with his. You see it: the regret, the confusion, the restrained desire.

"I didn’t leave," you whisper. "You let me go. Don’t forget that."

Days later, the universe plays dirty again: a private event, a small guest list, and of course, she’s there. Like a shadow. Like an echo. Wearing a skirt you used to wear and a hairstyle he once complimented… on you.

But this time, you’re done playing nice.

"Can we talk?" she asks when Lando gets distracted.

You raise your brows.

"Now you want to talk to me?"

"It’s just that..." she bites her lip. "I didn’t know it bothered you so much."

"What? That you copy me or that you’re dating my ex?"

She stays silent.

"Look," you add, your tone unchanged. "I don’t care that you’re with him. What bothers me is that you think copying me is the only way to make him like you. That says a lot more about you than it does about me."

She blushes.

And you walk away. Because you don’t have time for imitations.

Later, as you’re picking up your bag at the coat check, Lando appears behind you. Again. Always him.

"What did you say to her?"

"The truth," you reply without turning around. "Isn’t that what you used to like about me?"

"I still do."

You freeze. Slowly, you turn.

He’s close. Too close. Same scent, same chaos.

"Don’t say that."

"Why not?"

"Because we’re nothing now."

"Then why are you still hurt? Why do you look at me like that every time we’re in the same room?"

Your breath catches.

"Why are you still looking for me in other people, Lando?"

And that’s all it takes.

The tension bursts into an unplanned kiss — fast, furious, full of unspoken words. No cameras, no witnesses. Just the two of you, trapped in a corner where you still exist.

His hands hold you like you’re still his. Your fingers cling to his jacket like no time has passed. It hurts. But it feels good. It feels real.

"This doesn’t change anything," you whisper against his lips.

"It changes everything," he replies.

And for the first time, you don’t know if that gives you hope… or scares you.

Lando doesn’t say anything at first. He just looks at you with that intensity of his the one you used to read with your eyes closed. Now, everything is noise.

"You don’t have the right to be angry," he says at last.

"And you had the right to replace me so quickly?"

"I’m not replacing her."

You laugh, dry.

"Right. It’s just a coincidence that she likes the same movies I do, that she now drinks her coffee the way I used to, and that she uses the same song as her ringtone. What a coincidence."

Lando takes a step toward you.

"She’s not you, okay? No matter how hard she tries. And I’m not the same since you left."

Your eyes lock onto his. You see it: the regret, the confusion, the restrained desire.

"I didn’t leave," you whisper. "You left me. Don’t forget that."

Days later, the universe plays dirty again: a private event, a small guest list, and of course, she’s there. Like a shadow. Like an echo. Wearing a skirt you used to wear and a hairstyle he once complimented… on you.

But this time, you’re not here to play nice.

"Can we talk?" she asks when Lando gets distracted.

You raise your eyebrows at her.

"Now you want to talk to me?"

"It’s just that…" she bites her lip. "I didn’t know it bothered you so much."

"What? That you copy me or that you’re dating my ex?"

She stays silent.

"Look," you add, your tone unchanged, "I don’t care that you’re with him. What bothers me is that you think copying me is the only way to make him like you. That says more about you than it does about me."

She flushes.

And you walk away. Because you don’t have time for imitations.

Later, while you're grabbing your purse at the coat check, Lando appears behind you. Again. Always him.

"What did you tell her?"

"The truth," you reply without turning around. "Isn’t that what you liked about me?"

"I still do."

You freeze. Slowly, you turn.

He’s close. Too close. Same scent, same chaos.

"Don’t say that."

"Why not?"

"Because we’re nothing now."

"Then why are you still hurt? Why do you look at me like that every time we’re in the same room?"

Your breath catches.

"Why are you still looking for me in other people, Lando?"

And that’s all it takes.

The tension erupts into an unplanned kiss—fast, furious, full of unspoken words. No cameras, no witnesses. Just the two of you, trapped in a corner where you still exist.

His hands hold you like you still belong to him. Your fingers cling to his jacket like time never passed. It hurts. But it feels good. It feels real.

"This doesn’t change anything," you whisper against his lips.

"It changes everything," he replies.

And for the first time, you don’t know if that gives you hope… or fear.

The hallway lights flicker. In the distance, you hear laughter, music muffled by the thick club walls. But you’re still there, caught between yesterday and now, with his lips still brushing yours.

"This shouldn’t be happening," you murmur, without conviction.

Lando looks at you with a storm in his eyes.

"But it is. It always happens when we’re close."

And then, as if the universe demands immediate revenge, she appears.

"Lando?"

Your body freezes. Guilt crashes over you like ice.

Lando takes a step back, his lips still red, his breath uneven.

She sees you. She doesn’t need an explanation. The pieces fall into place—your lips, his rumpled jacket, your guilty eyes. It says everything.

"Seriously?" her voice trembles. "Here? With her?"

No one replies. There are no excuses. What could you say? That he kissed you first, that it wasn’t your intention, that you’re confused too?

But you don’t.

Because you’re not confused.

And that makes it worse.

"Since when?" she asks. "Was it always like this? Since we started dating?"

"No," Lando says, still looking at you. "But I never stopped feeling it."

She laughs. A hollow, wounded sound.

"Of course. How could I compete with her ghost if you never let her go?"

You feel awful. Not for confronting her. But because deep down, you always knew this would happen. That he was with you in body, but with her in memory.

She turns to leave. And for a moment, you almost go after her.

But you don’t. Because he doesn’t move. He doesn’t run after her.

He’s still there. With you.

"You’re not going after her," you whisper, more surprised than angry.

"I can’t."

"Why?"

Lando swallows.

"Because she’s not you."

Hours later, you’re in his car. No destination, just familiar streets and the radio playing low. Not much talking just breathing the same air. But something has changed.

"So now what?" you ask.

"I don’t know," he admits. "But I know what I don’t want."

You glance at him sideways.

"What don’t you want?"

"To lose you again."

And that sentence… it stays with you like an invisible scar.

But the problem is, this time, you’re not the one who has to stay. He has to prove he’s changed.

You stay at his apartment that night, but not out of love. Not out of habit. Just because you don’t have the energy to run… yet.

The city sleeps, but you don’t.

You’re sitting at the edge of the couch, a blanket over your legs. Lando stands by the window with a glass of wine he hasn’t touched.

The silence is heavy. He’s waiting for you to say something. You decide it’s time.

"You know what hurt the most?" you ask, without looking at him.

He turns slightly.

"What?"

"That you made me feel replaceable."

You say it slowly, like each word is a punch.

"Like everything I was to you could be copied, shaped into someone else. Someone younger. Easier. Less complicated."

Lando closes his eyes.

"I didn’t go after her for that."

"It doesn’t matter why you did it. You did it. And not only that. You turned her into me. You gave her everything you used to give me… just without the love you had for me."

"Don’t say that," he replies, hurt.

"Why not? Does the truth bother you?"

You stand, the blanket falls. Now you look him in the eye.

"Or does it bother you to realize you were never honest with yourself?"

He puts the glass down. Walks toward you.

"Y/N… I loved you. I love you. I swear."

"Don’t swear it. I don’t want empty promises."

Your voice shakes, but you don’t.

"Do you know how hard it was to rebuild myself after you? You were in everything. My coffee, my playlist, my Sundays. And just when I started to breathe without feeling you, you decide to kiss me."

Lando swallows hard.

"I didn’t plan that."

"But you did it."

You pause. Swallow the lump in your throat.

"And she saw it. You know what’s worse? She hates me, when you’re the one who dragged her into this. Just like you dragged me."

Lando lowers his gaze.

"You’re right."

"Of course I am."

You inhale deeply.

"And that’s why I’m not falling again. Not unless you’re willing to do what you never did."

He looks up.

"What’s that?"

Your voice is firm. Steady.

"Choose me."

Silence.

"Not as an option, not as an escape, not as comfort. Choose me fully. With the consequences. With the ugly parts. With the real stuff."

He nods.

"Then give me the chance to prove it."

"No."

Your words hit him hard.

"No?"

"Prove it away from me. Change without me as your excuse. Be better without needing to kiss me to remember why you loved me."

You take a step back.

"And if after that you still choose me… then we’ll talk."

[saintslewis]

𝐌𝐄𝐓 𝐆𝐀𝐋𝐀 | 𝐍𝐇 + 𝐋𝐇

— small snippet.

pairing: sir lewis hamilton x fem!oc; nadia hamilton

summary: the hamiltons are taking over the met gala

settings: October 2024 in New York

saint’s team radio 🪩: i’m back! :D this is one of many but i fear I got TOO excited today about the met gala news lmaoo. this’ll be set in the future with a few lil clues that I’ll add. maybe you’ll figure it out? 🤭 edit: met gala is in a fewwww dayssss!

pls like, comment and reblog!

taglist is down below! lmk if you’d like to be added

renaissance masterlist

-

NEW YORK

“Okay, I understand the bob is iconic but are you telling me she’s had it for her whole life?” Nadia kept her manicured hand on her face, trying to find something to fiddle with.

“Yes, she has. You asked me to ask her and it’s been, like, her thing.” Lewis spoke, his eyes darting between his wife and the road. His left hand seated on Nadia’s thigh as the car was cruising through the streets with the driver being just beyond the partition.

Taking a bit of a breath, she continued playing with her nails as the driver swiftly drove. The music was soft and the car was quiet despite the busy background of New York City just outside the tinted windows. The empty plastic cup of matcha sat in the cup holder next to her, the grassy vanilla taste had not calmed her down in the slightest since leaving their penthouse all dolled up.

“I don’t even think I charged my phone all the way, damn it.” Nadia murmured to herself, her leg bouncing ever so slightly and blaming it on the bumpy ride whenever Lewis asked. “Nads, everything will be okay, I promise. I know this is a massive opportunity for the both of us and…stuff. Look, when you’re saying your speech, just stare right at me. Just like we practiced.” He spoke softly, reassuring her with a rub of her knuckles by his thumb.

She sighed and leaned back against the soft leather, looking out into the scenery of the city. Self doubt flooded through her veins as the seconds ticked by and they were reaching closer and closer to the Met museum. The warmth of Lewis’ hand was all she could use to ground herself in the moment as she closed her eyes. He rubbed her knuckles once again, his thumb glazing over the boulder of a ring on her finger.

Nadia took a moment to take a breath, not yet opening her eyes. “I’m meant for this…right? I-I mean, everything in my life leading up to this very moment has been unconventional to say the least.” She started, feeling her stomach sink at her own words forming in her head.

“You know I hate talking about her, Lewis.” Nadia spoke with a gritty tone, moving the hair in front of her eyes but they kept falling into place as that was the intended hairstyle. “Then let’s not talk about her. She’s not co-directing the Met Gala, you are. She doesn’t even know what’s going on in your life and that’s exactly how you wanted it.” Lewis said his words with such clarity that almost every bitter feeling in her body had vanished.

She finally lifted her head, blinking the minuscule amount of tears that were forming away and grounded herself in that very moment, as the car began to slow down in the almost private entrance to the museum. “You’re right.” Nadia nodded to herself, indirectly hyping herself up.

“I’m always right.” Lewis jabbed, getting out his side of the car to lightly jog to his wife’s side, helping her out of the suv as her rene cavolloi’s hit the new york gravel in a quiet step. “ ‘Always’ is pushin’ it. You almost wore teal blue socks today.” Nadia chuckled with a jab of her own.

“C’mon, they weren’t that bad. They were warm.” He defended his case with a slight wheeze to his laughter, making Nadia roll her eyes at him.

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, bud.”

-

Was she overdressed? Perhaps. But nothing said Nadia Hamilton other than overdressing for an occasion. Plus that dress needed to be shown off despite its very neutral colour.

The table she was sitting at was quite literally filled with her bosses and her husband. Even though Nadia never really glorified Anna Wintour in any sense, it was still slightly overwhelming seeing the woman who’s job was destined to be hers one day. Her approach was anything but ordinary but then again, nothing was ever normal in Nadia’s life.

Months in advance before this lovely event, Nadia had visited the Louis Vuitton headquarters in Paris to oversee anything that needed her attention. When taking her much needed lunch break, she had bumped into the equally as small sunglass wearing critic who had invited her to lunch without ever meeting her and offered her the role of Co-Director for the met gala.

Insane.

Nadia had watched as Lewis gave his speech. Poised and elegant as he spoke, captivating the audience with his simple words and awe for the overall theme for the biggest night in fashion. He had done exceptionally well, shaking a few hands along the way to sit next to his wife once again.

Lewis’ heart in pride after hearing his wife begin her speech, drawing in every member of the crowd with her words whilst sprinkling humour in between. This was her stage. This was exactly where she was supposed to be. The glow in her skin had said more than enough, solidifying herself into the fashion world.

The world isn’t ready for what they would witness of the first Monday of May but they would know how incredibly proud Lewis is of Nadia and he would chant his praises to her until his voice went hoarse.

-

“Okay but Anna, what on earth are you talking about?” Nadia asked informally, the phone miraculously balancing between her ear and shoulder as she held the bowl for her brownie mixture.

“Nadia, dear. It has taken me some time to think over it but I would love for you to lead this entire photoshoot for the Met Issue for May. It’s a rather astounding amount of talent to be working with but I’d like for you to work with everyone and not just Lewis.” The older women rambled on the phone doing god knows what.

Anna Wintour’s words made Nadia stop in her tracks. She could barely envision herself walking up the Met steps yet she would have to direct an entire photoshoot? “Um..would I have to dress every single one of them or?” She questioned, placing everything back on the kitchen counter and adjusting her neck as it started to pain.

“Oh no, darling. That would be far too treacherous for you, seeing as you still have to deal with your own outfit for the day. Tell me, how many people are on your table?” Anna inquired, sounding more upbeat than usual. “Maybe 10 people? It’s all confirmed but my mind is all jumbled.” Nadia sighed out, barely noticing that she wiped her stained hand on her white shirt.

“Very well then…I shall let you be on your way and we shall keep in touch.” The older woman said her goodbyes and hung up.

And on her way Nadia was. The poor girl has never been more stressed out in her entire life than this very moment. Thank God Lewis knew how to work the camera and knew not to mess up his outfit as he manoeuvred around with his prop cane. She couldn’t even focus on how dapper he looked and how he was the very essence of Black Dandyism.

Everyone on the Vogue set could see the worry lines forming on Nadia’s forehead, the US Vogue team constantly missing basic instructions while the talent waited to be directed. Nadia held a laptop on Zoom majority of the photo shoot, trying to make grown adults do their job and they had done extremely well in the very end.

After a couple of hours after photos and interviews, Lewis quietly stepped into the dressing room, seeing Nadia sprawled out on the couch. “Hi sweetheart,” He basically cooed as he bent his knees to plant a light kiss on her forehead. She sprawled out of her sleep as she slowly opened her eyes.

“I was out like a fucking light, wasn’t I?” She groaned, stretching her limbs and turning to face Lewis, her hand instinctively moving to scratch his stubble a bit. “Yeah, today was rough on you but we’re going home now, okay?” He spoke softly to her, now kneeling on one knee to be within her eye level.

“Home?” She lightly repeated, her tone light and almost…needy. Lewis knew that she was slowly letting go and letting her emotions take over because of her exhaustion.

“Yes, home, baby. How does a nice bath sound? I could even order the butter chicken dish you like from the curry house few roads down from us.” He suggested, moving any little hairs from her face as he was close enough for their breaths to mingle.

Nadia simply nodded, her head falling onto Lewis’ shoulder with a gentle thump and he softly smiled. “There’s my girl. Let’s get you home, baby.” Lewis praised, careful to not move her head but managed to make them both stand up so he could guide her to the car.

“I need to burn those teal socks of yours, man.” Nadia murmured, glancing at the floor but still remembered the same pair of socks from months ago.

“Whatever you say, princess.” Lewis chuckled, circling his arm around her waist as they made their way out the dressing room and into the parking lot.

saint’s notes!: like i said just a small small thing 🤭 hope you enjoyed! i was gonna add his vogue shoot but i am SO tired 😭

taglist: @mauvecherie-writes @goodgyalgonebadd @purplelewlew @lewismcqueen @muglermami @simplyyalika @queenshikongo3 @httpsserene @yeea-nah @lewisroscoelove @gg-trini @nichmeddar @greedyjudge2 @sunfairyy @saturnville @henneseyhoe

[dameronspector]

Like father, like daughter

Pairing: Dad!Sam Wilson x Mom!Fem!Reader

Summary: Your and Sam’s daughter wore her tiny heart on her sleeve. Just like her father.

Warnings: Sweet Fluff, your daughter cries because she’s the sweetest empathetic baby. She has a name that will suit both her western and ethnic backgrounds because I’m south asian and I will NOT give my child a basic western name.

After weeks of being away from home, Sam finally got some time off to be with you and your daughter, Aisha.

One of the biggest cons of being Captain America would always be the separation from you and Aisha. And it took definitely a toll on all three of you. So today, the three of you decided to just stay at home and lounge around. Aisha was sitting on her tiny chair by the coffee table and was intently focused on colouring, meanwhile you and Sam cuddled on the couch and watched one of the football games.

You were aimlessly scrolling through your phone during an ad break and that’s when you stumbled upon a TikTok.

“Sam, look at this”, you lean against his shoulder and show him the TikTok. Sam turned his head to look at your phone before wrapping his arm around you.

It was a video of a mom, dad and their daughter. They had put paper towels in front of themselves and they asked their daughter to lift them. When she lifted the towels, she saw that only her and and her dad got the candy but not the mom. She immediately looked over to her mom and said, “Mommy…you don’t have candy?”, her lip quivering. She took her own candy and gave it to her mom, her eyes teary. “Here mommy…we share..”, say said while putting her candy in her mom’s hands.

“Awww, that’s so cute! What a good baby!”, Sam said happily as the video ended.

“Right? You know what I’m thinking…we should try this with Aisha”, you said softly so as to not disturb Aisha and grinned.

“Aw babe, if I see our princess cry like that imma be a mess, you know that!”, Sam groaned quietly, while squeezing you and leaning his head on top of yours.

You giggled and leaned into him.

“I know Sammy, I don’t think my heart can handle it either”, you pouted. “But I am kinda curious to see what’s her reaction going to be”, you smiled.

Little Aisha has always been so smart and intuitive, it scared you at times. She was only 4 but she was so in tune with her emotions that you were almost sure her emotional quotient was higher than most kids her age. Sam was having none of that because “that’s grown up stuff, she’s just a baby. Let her be my baby longer!”

“Yeah, yeah and when she starts crying, don’t come to me”, he replied jokingly because he knew both of you would start crying the moment Aisha did.

You looked over to your daughter and saw how her tongue was poking out of her mouth in concentration.

Her hairstyle today: the cutest space buns which made her look so precious. It made your heart clench looking at her chubby cheeks, tiny hands, sitting there on her tiny chair with her Minnie Mouse t shirt and black leggings on.

You couldn’t resist anymore so you called her over. “Ash, baby, come here”, you said gently while holding out your arms.

She looked up and put her crayon down before joining you and Sam on the couch. You brought her up with your hands under her armpits and sat her on your stomach. She put her legs around your wait and circled your neck with her arms.

“Hi mommy, hi daddy”, she said while flashing the both of you her radiant smile. She smiled exactly like Sam. It made your heart swell with adoration.

Sam flashed his identical smile back to her and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

“Hey baby, how’s your colouring going?”, Sam asked and ran his hand through her back.

She sighed like she had just finished her big girl job. You smirked at her antics. She was Sam’s twin.

“It’s fine…it’s a big dwawing, daddy. I still have to finish colouring the faiwie’s dress…an’ ha wings…”, she replied in an exasperated voice. She still had some troubles with rolling out her ‘R’ sometimes, but that’s okay, she’ll get there soon.

You and Sam chuckled. She was a little actress.

“That’s okay baby, but do you think you could spend some time with mommy and daddy? We got a fun game to play with you”, you asked her lightly. You kinda felt guilty for lying because you weren’t sure if this would be a game for her.

Her eyes widened.

“A game?! Yes mommy, what is the game?”, she was obviously excited because mommy and daddy brought a game specially for her?!

So you took her over to the dining table and sat down with her. Meanwhile, Sam was collecting all the ‘pieces’ you would need to play this game— Three paper towels and two chocolate bars.

Sam arranged that on the kitchen island.

“Okay! The game is ready! Mama and Ash, come here!”, Sam announced while clapping his hands.

You picked up Aisha and brought her over by the kitchen island. You helped her sit down on one of the high chairs. She peeked over the ‘set up’ curiously.

“Okay baby, when mommy says three, all of us will lift the paper towels together. No peeking before that, okay?”, Sam explained to Aisha gently.

She nodded her head quickly. “Okay, daddy!”

Sam came around the counter top and sat on Aisha’s right. You set up your phone to record.

“Okay, ready?”, you asked the both of them.

They looked at each other and yelled, “YEAH!”

“1….2….and 3!”, all of you picked up your paper towels together.

“Wow! A Choco bar?! Thank you mommy and daddy!”, Aisha yelled while picking up her chocolate. Then she looked over to make sure that Sam had his own chocolate bar. She flashed her precious smile.

“Daddy! You got one, too! And mommy-” she abruptly paused after looking at to her left.

“Mommy? Where’s your choco bar?”, she asked with furrowed brows.

Sam looked at you with his hand over his heart and bottom lip jutted out over her shoulder.

“Oh no, baby! I didn’t get any….its okay though, you and daddy can eat. I’ll get one for me later”, you gasped softly while rubbing her back.

Somehow her eyebrows furrowed even more and she looked so stressed you wanted to cry.

“No…mommy, you can take my choco bar…or daddy’s…we-we will…share. You always tells me to share my toys and food with eweyone..”, she murmured sadly.

Sam mouthed ‘I’m gonna cry’ to you while holding his hands over his head.

‘Me too’ you mouthed back and pouted at him.

“I know baby, but we can always go to the store and get one for mommy later. It’s alright, I don’t mind if you and daddy ate yours”, you explained to her softly.

Then it finally happened.

Her lower lip jutted out and started quivering.

Before you or Sam could even react, your babygirl let out little whimpers.

You eyes widened.

“Oh, no. Baby, cmere! Don’t cry, no no”, you whispered worriedly.

You gathered Aisha in your arms and put a hand on her cheek to bring her to your chest.

Sam’s face twisted in pain. Now you will have to console two babies. You extended an arm to rub his shoulder gently. Both of them wore their hearts on their sleeves. You always wondered how did they manage to hold so much space for everyone in their hearts.

Sam put his hand over yours before extending his hand to smooth over her small back. Her arms were wrapped tightly around you.

“Mommy…I’m sowwy.. you didn’t get choco bar..b-but me and daddy did…you like choco bar too…i shares with you…”, she said, her voice shaky.

You frowned at Sam as if asking him to take over. This was a stupid idea.

Sam took in a deep breath and asked you to transfer her to his arms. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and fiddled with his collar.

“Princess, look at me”, he said softly.

Aisha looked at him slowly and sniffled. Her big brown eyes were shining with tears.

You swear you heard both yours and Sam’s hearts break.

Sam gave her a small smile and wiped her tears away gently with the back of his hand.

“I’ll show you something, come on”, Sam said before lifting her up and walking over to the fridge. She kept her pointer finger in her mouth and kept sniffling.

Sam opened the fridge door and showed her an extra chocolate bar.

“See? Mommy has one. We were just being silly, baby. It’s a prank”, Sam explained to her.

Aisha leaned closer to the fridge to make sure the chocolate bar was there before extending her hand and grabbing the chocolate.

She then asked Sam to bring her over to where you sat.

“Mommy, here”, she sniffled and handed you the chocolate.

You smiled at her adoringly and felt your eyes tear up.

“Thank you, my baby. You’re so sweet”, you squealed and pinched her cheeks.

Aisha giggled and then suddenly turned serious and gave the two of you a mini version of the side eye. You and Sam gave each other a look of amusement.

“Don’t eva’ lie like that again. That was mean. No mo’ pa-pwanks”, she ‘scolded’ you both and crossed her tiny arms across her chest. His little brows were furrowed and her cheeks were puffed out.

You just pursed your lips to stop yourself from giggling. Sam just grinned really big and squeezed her before attacking her cheeks with kisses. “Okay, my princess!”, he said before continuing his kisses attack.

All three of your giggles echoed throughout the living room.

You and Sam were so grateful to call this angel as your own.

[bullets-and-masks]

Ok I'm sorry these are SO boring to me and here's a bullet list on why:

all human roster. zer0 and fl4k meant nothing??

another siren. i know it's tradition but how you gonna explain this one? Tyreen's powers?? Also for someone with a pink/magenta heavy theme she's soooo muddled sos

that takes me to: muddy af color palettes. jesus did the bl3 aesthetic seep the contrast out of borderlands. Take my hand 🖐 let's examine:

All the vaulties always had a strong color palette or theme going on. Think about Krieg being mega orange, Zane contrasting blue and yellow, Moze being muddy but having a theme and contrasting with the other vaulties. These new guys fade into each other and into the background.

Individual problems imo with each one from left to right, calling them 1, 2, 3 and 4:

1: god where to start. Boring ASS clothes. The blade gauntlet things don't even stand out. NO silhouette AT ALL totally fades along NPC profiles. Nose piercing and soulpatch? sorry personal gripe but it's just too much. plus the hair and face shape (and bladed) is just Zane Lite™️. All and all from this screenshot alone they leave no impressions.

2: Again no silhouette and even worse her own colors clash. Where's the sense in a leg exposed COVERED in pink places against a pink backdrop of a waist coat?? HELLO?? And the hair jesus. Nothing there. I like that pink, tho. also again can't tell shit about the character from the clothes. Maya: action oriented, hands exposed suggest melee. Brick: a brick. Roland: obvs soldier boy. Amara: casual browler. etc.

3: to me a clusterfuck of subtle references. Ragged cloth, belts, codpiece, beard and hairstyle scream viking oriented. Armor is all over the place. All in all they give me "just some buff dude" energy. No expression at all. And way too top heavy. Too much gray, gordget clashes against paldron, it's just extra stupid how the metal hugs his waist but doesn't cover the abs... Sheesh. At least there's a sense of where the character might go gameplay wise - a Brick or Wilhelm.

4: well here we are everybody: the black female coded character with large pants that look like gigantic hips but a tiiiiiny little heroin chic waist. just take me out back and shoot me, gearbox. Between the visual weight of the big curls all to one side and the huge pants is sandwiched a small face and a minuscule torso. The huge gloves can't even move without hitting the tubes of her pants. I know what the designer was going for but Kingdom Hearts this is not.

If it wasn't by how stark the pink tattoos of the siren character look against the mess of uncoordinated colors this screenshot could've looked like a lineup of side characters like Lorelai or so. Idk, tertiary characters. BC if you think of the ensemble cast like Marcus, Ellie, Scooter, Moxxi, Zed and so on you can cleary think color palettes, silhouettes, character roles.

ALSO WHY IS IT SO SMOOTH??? the comic lines don't look nearly as heavy as they should be (just kidding I know why it's bc the Sergi Brosa-esque designs are busy as all fuck and everything now has to look like Overwatch and Dragon Age Veilguard).

kudos to what seems to be THREE POC characters tho!

[amara555555]

I’m starting to get inspo from sad yet satisfying stories:

Goo x little sister reader (platonic):

The tears that pricked your eyes stung far worse now that they had been repressed for so long.

The uneven length of your hair only started to look worse the longer you looked at it, your hands trembled as the mothers outside the bathroom door all talked and shook their heads disappointedly. None of them could get answers out the girls who supposed played hairstyles with all the girls.

A soft sob left you as you scrolled through the four contacts on your phone. Your older brother insisted on a phone at 8 years old. You’re in his custody after all.

Your finger trembled before it clicked over his name and the dreaded but desperate dial rang.

Ring.

Ring.

Ring.

Ri-

“HEY SWEETIE!”

Your heart only hurt more once you could hear how excited he was.

“How’s the party?? You don’t understand how me and Gun are missing out, I swear to god business has been SO SLOW-“

A sob left you and his cheery tone left along with it.

“…..Y/N. What happened?”

His tone now sincere and concerned once your tears rolled and sobs left more freely.

“Goo, I need you to- look I’m ok alright, I just- I need you to pick me up please-“

A deeper voice in the background of his call spoke and Goo shushed him.

“Hey hey hey, I’m on my way. Yeah? I’ll be there in 5 minutes. I promise.”

—————————————

Your stare out the window was lifeless. Goo argued with the moms who were supposedly incharge of this shit show in the first place. The big man in front glanced at you through the rear view mirror through his shades. His scary eyes were uncharacteristically softer once his gaze landed on the unevenly cut hair and your tear face, your tiny form swallowed by Goo’s expensive coat.

“WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN SUPERVISED?!”

You flinch at Goo’s shriek, he stormed back to the car with a tight jaw and eyes narrowed. You watch him stand by your door and take a deep breath. His hand latched onto the door handle and he pulled it open before his hands reached out to wipe your face.

“Everything’s gonna be ok. I love you.”

He stoked over your locks.

“I love you.”

You didn’t respond from your upset state and Goo nodded to himself, seemingly growing more pissed at the situation before he ruffled your hair and put your baby blue, cat eared, multicoloured LED lights beats over your ears before closing the door.

————————————

Goo’s POV:

The leather wheel clenched under this hands as he squeezed the wheel, letting out a groan of protest.

“Calm down.”

“Fuck off Gun.”

Gun’s glare shot to Goo’s clenched jaw as he drove, pissed off.

“Breaking your fucking car won’t fix shit.”

Goo let out a low growl.

“Fucking kids. Kids, Gun. Fucking kids cut off half her head!”

Gun spoke low.

“Calm down, don’t let her hear you. She already had to go through it.”

Goo ran a hand over his face while seething, his glasses pushed up to his head.

“I need to kill someone.”

They were both at a loss.

Goo’s eyes flicked up to see you asleep. The beats he brought you gleaming a rainbow light, but the uneven hair length once again pissed him off. Part of your scalp visible.

He spent ages, ages growing out your hair. He loved how you’d look like a tiny fairy. Long hair he’d design into styles that you’d pick from Pinterest and he’d search and practice for hours on tutorials.

Happiness.

Fucking wasted.

The helplessness stumped them both. Gun itched for a cigarette but the child in the car left him chewing strawberry gum instead. Meanwhile your big brother resisted the urge to traumatise you by smashing his head on the wheel and waking you up in the process.

“What do I do?”

Gun glared out the window.

“You could try suing.”

Goo’s jaw clenched.

“Be fucking for real.”

Being criminals only stumped them both.

“I could hire kids to kick their asses.”

Goo almost agreed before realising it could link back to his little sister and chose not to answer.

Gun sighed and swallowed his gum.

They were stumped.

————————————

Goo’s hold on the longer side of your hair left you anxious, upset, all the negative feelings your mind could muster. He evened it with his fingers as he measured out the new length, needed for it to look even.

“Here we go princess.”

A snip sounded and Gun sat in the corner, his elbows rested on his knees, seeing you now sporting a slightly long pixie cut.

“…..looks nice.”

Your gaze drifted from Gun’s scarred but grinning face. The grin he did once he found something interesting.

A slight ‘Hmpf’ sounded from the corner before your eyes darted to the pink haired idol sitting on the couch in the corner. Watching the whole ordeal as support.

“You’re making me jealous now.”

You blink before looking at your brother who was smiling.

“I gotta say, if I wasn’t in…..’business’ I’d be doing this.”

He shakes out your short hair with a grin.

“Let’s make it blonde and we both can look like flash Gordon-“

“For god sake Goo- she doesn’t need your Jeffery Dahmer hair colour.”

———————————

Goo walked you to class, his big hand engulfed yours as the man had heavily insisted on walking you in, regardless of the bumbling principle denying it.

Your class room was full to the brim before Goo walked you to your desk. Some of the kids watched in curiosity as the man sat you down. His blue, expensively branded suit and golden tie, stood him out like a sore thumb.

He took out your books for you and pushed your bangs out your face before speaking to you in a soft tone.

“You gonna be ok?”

You nod.

“I love your hair.”

A whiney and shrilly voice spoke out and Goo’s head snapped to the little girl with blondey hair and a very mean word of a smile he wanted to scream at the girl.

“It’s so pretty.”

She continued with a taunty voice. You swallowed and instinctively looked down in shame. The teacher’s voice barely made a difference from the lack of her care of the bullying…….

Goo’s jaw clenched as a visible vein popped out. No wonder this shit happened.

He stands and walks around a few desks before aggressively spinning the girl’s desk and throwing a fire extinguisher so close to her head that her blonde hair was scathed. The wall behind her was broken through once the fire extinguisher broke through.

The girl’s scream silenced once Goo’s glare stayed on her. And the teacher stood in fearful shock.

Goo only walked to the desk and roughly spun in back into place. Leaving her traumatised and frozen. Good. Goo thought to himself.

His steps echoed along the stairs of the school as he sent a grand into your bank account with a small message of: ‘buy yourself something nice.’

He proudly put his hands in his pockets before heading off with a happy whistle and little jump in his step.

Meanwhile you sat there. A sudden and loving realisation that maybe……you were loved.

(Yes I copied that one movie scene I forgot the name of the movie too-)

[evilcarmona]

Fem!Sokka AU

So, I thought a little about this AU.

(For starters, I don't speak english, so, well.. ehe)

To begin with, she is at least 19-20 years old. I would like to make her older, because I like to draw beautiful adult women, but then the plot will not work. The age of all older ATLA teenagers has been raised. The age of the younger ones does not change.

The story is the same. Initially, Sokka is a man. He probably remained the only boy in the tribe for longer. This may affect Katara, as he has been her parent figure for longer than in the canon. In general, I believe in Sokka's parental vibes.

He's also a little more mature. Responsible, strong. But still a sexist. Father said that he was the only warrior of the tribe. Then he left them and went away with other men for many years. It couldn't end well. On the other hand, living among women affects Sokka more than he thinks.

So, about after Kiyoshi Island, gaang stops at the shrine of a female warrior. This is not Kyoshi, because I don't want Aang to feel that he is indirectly to blame for the situation. In general, Sokka offends the spirit with some kind of sexist comment. The Spirit takes revenge and curses him. Sokka falls into a magic pond. Poof! He's a woman. Aang has talked to the spirit, and the spirit is ready to cast spells on the water in the pond again. But she won't do it for two years. Lol

So, Sokka can only put up with it. Saving the world is more important than a little curse. Somewhere in the background, Zuko is trying to figure out where gaang took this beautiful woman and where they put that beautiful man. Really, where did he go? (Uncle Iroh is very funny)

The fact is that during the journey, Sokka realizes that he actually feels good. He likes it. In addition, he likes to be beautiful and do hairstyles.

Besides, becoming a woman, he feels the injustice of the situation at the north Pole more acutely. Sokka understands that putting someone in a frame because of gender is unfair. He and Yue become friends. Sokka kicks Khann's ass. And he also kills Zhao before the disaster with the Moon happens. Yue deserves to live.

In the future, Sokka thinks a lot. He supports his sister and Toph more than anyone. In fact, he used to have his father's vibes. Now it's the mother's vibes. Vibes of the coolest mom in the world. She can cut off the offenders' heads with a halberd. Literally.

In fact, I have nothing to justify the halberd with. I love halberds as much as I love women in sexy dresses. A lady may have small hobbies)

Okay, maybe Sokka decided to explore more weapons. She loves her boomerang, but does not refuse to develop like a warrior. Halberd is clearly defeating bending, haha. Maybe Sokka will be given some cool nickname on the battlefield. The Moon Witch? Heh

(Somewhere far away, Hakoda and the South Pole fleet are wondering what kind of Moon Witch is this? They will be surprised)

Perhaps before they meet after Ba Sing Se, Hakoda meets someone who has met the gaang before. Someone: You have two wonderful daughters! Hakoda: What?

So Zuko comes to gaang and asks where the boy has gone. The explanation was awkward because Zuko barely had time to accept that he was bi. What does it mean that the two people who make his heart beat faster are one person?

I forgot to tell you! Just because Sokka was bewitched by a spirit doesn't mean that Sokka trusts Aunt Wu! It's a matter of pride, lol

So two years go by, and you know what? Sokka does not ask the spirit to lift the curse. He's fine as it is.

[the-nerd-beast]

I believe Carmilla Carmine to be a fallen angel

As well as the fact that she has daughters when sinners can't reproduce there is an important detail I can't believe no one has brought up.

Look at her, I mean really look at her, what is something you might notice? Other than her stunning beauty

An amazing lack of features she has. She has no wings, no shark teeth, no monstrous/bestial features, no horns (I was surprised to learn that her buns weren't wrapped around horns), no inorganic parts like Vox or what have you and she shares this trait with her daughters Odette and Clara. The only arguably inhuman trait are her large hands, which are not exactly a very defining trait especially since they moved away from her pilot design of having claws.

Look at the denizens of Hell:

They are incredibly diverse in form, having taken on features influenced by personality, sin, time period and cause of death. Even most "basic" sinners still look like generic devils.

(I used Mrs. Mayberry from Helluva Boss because she is the best shot of a "devil" sinner but they are seen often as background characters in Hazbin Hotel as well).

Now there is an exception to this though: Velvette

Now with her, I believe that is less a lore reason and more an artistic design choice since it is apparent her outfit and hairstyle is going to be different in every appearance she has so they left out any extra features to make that easier for the animators.

She is essentially a blank canvas for the animators to play dress up doll with, but she does still lack a nose which makes her a little less human looking than Carmilla.

Now getting back to Carmilla's daughters, even if Odette and Clara also died at the same time as Carmilla which is why they are together in Hell, the chances that they wouldn't have enough variables to have any unique features of their own feels slim, did these three really have so little variation in personality and sin one of them wouldn't look a little more monstrous?

Some have pointed out the horns they have are probably fake, with Odette's being her hairband, which with Carmilla's hair buns seem to almost be an attempt to "fit in" with the sinners.

Overall as many have brought up, the Carmines have more in common with Vaggie design wise with how few unique features they have, and we all know what Vaggie's deal turned out to be.

Anyway that's my two cents and I'd love to know your thoughts if you have any.

[paigegonerogue]

New Trailer Analysis

This is just my job at this point. This is what I do. This isn’t including clips we’ve seen in previous trailers, so if you want to see my thoughts on those check my other trailer analysis’💖

(This is probably my best trailer analysis yet)

SPOILERS!!

I loved the emphasis of the red and green in this trailer. It’s a pair of complimentary colors that don’t get used nearly enough, especially compared to the more stereotypical orange/teal. Also, this is definetly Abby’s POV of the hospital, which means we WILL be getting her backstory at some point in the season, so we almost definetly won’t be ending on the POV shift/following the exact structure of the game. Also, this makes me love the decision for Joel’s rampage to feel dissociative even more, since for him everything goes quiet and he rages through the halls, but for Abby she experiences the full horror of it.

Abby’s gun from the game!

Firefly pendant!

I just love this shot. The colors and composition are so good, it brings to mind horror movies like Alien which really enforces Joel as this “force of nature” being during the hospital rampage.

This is a Seraphite. You can tell by the outfit, as well as the weapon. This might be the first time Ellie meets them, since it appears to be in the forest with fire lighting. This may be the ritual.

It’s edited to look like Isaac is part of the ritual, but the background colors and lighting don’t match up. This is almost definitely a sneaky edit.

Ellie and Dina are wearing the same clothes from the early set photos. This is Ellie’s raincoat, which means this is probably Seattle day 1. They appear to be running from something, probably WLF?

This is the dance scene, you can tell by the outfits and hairstyles. This reinforces the fact that they almost definitely won’t be telling the story in the same order. Also, Dina is wearing a bracelet with the Hand of Fatima (aka the Hamsa Hand or the Hand of Mary). This is a common icon in Jewish culture that’s used to ward off evil (my nana gave me a necklace just like this). However, it’s also commonly used in Peru (where Isabella Merced’s mom is from), so I like to think that this is paying respects to the characters original roots while also tying into to her current ones, rather than a confirmation that Dina will be played Jewish.

JOELLLLLL!! This is probably around when he meets Abby, judging by the snow and general setting. My guess is he’s slamming the door against infected.

More time in Jackson!! Judging by the level of Ellie’s level of intensity here, I think it’s very possible that this is after Joel’s death and she’s training for Seattle. Or possibly around the time of the firefly hospital, since this is definitely not young Ellie.

God did I already say how much I loved the red lighting? Yes? Okay, the I’ll just say that judging by the background and the colors this is probably the subway station. This and the Jackson horde seem to be the big sequences of s2, like Endure and Survive in s1.

Also, in the v/o we hear Abby refer to herself as “someone with a code”, but I’m fairly certain that she, nor the WLF have a strict code to follow, so maybe that’s something to be added (or her just speaking in terms of general morals)

We didn’t get a ton of new stuff this trailer, and it wasn’t quite as character driven as the Future Days trailer, but I’m still hyped we got anything lmao

ALSO I WAS RIGHT!! CHECK MY POSTS!! APRIL!! GO ME!!

[idkjustletmescroll]

WHY IT TOOK ME LIKE AN HOUR TO GET THROUGH THE JANAYA WEDDING BECAUSE I WAS BUSY BAWLING:

SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-EZRAN AND AANYA REUNION!!!

-Also, thank god Amaya finally got around to telling ezran she was getting married.

-Corvus x sunfire elf duet!!! And humans and elves chilling together in general!

-Amaya looking all nervous for a second as she steps out ughhh she's so cute.

-Kind of random but I love that janai doesn't have her queenly hairstyle (the bun) and just leaves it down? Something something symbolism something she's not the queen right now she's just janai? Also, I just think she looks so pretty with her hair down (she's always gorgeous tho).

-JANAI WINKING. It's so cute. It reminds me of that video of prince harry at the altar with meghan markle telling her she looks beautiful or smth before they say their vows.

-KAZI AND GREN OFFICIATING AND BEING SO HAPPY FOR THEM???

-LIKE YOU CAN HEAR THE EXCITEMENT IN KAZI'S VOICE I CAN PICTURE THEM JUST JUMPING UP AND DOWN FOR JOY.

"When Amaya and i first met, we had our differences." "Specifically, we tried to kill each other." Yes, we know, Amaya, and from that point on we knew you were endgame.

-Love the detail that vows are a human thing, not an elf thing. Cultural details!!! We love to see it.

-Stupid clouds. But it's fine! Tbh when i first saw Kazi's face drop i thought it was going to sol regem coming to crash everything and I panicked and threw my phone down.

"Now, that's poetry!" Kazi never change.

-The audience cheering. I love how it's not just clapping, and you can hear people genuinely excited to be there and see it.

-Gren bawling poor guy.

-Why tf was karim there omg he needs to chillll.

-Ezran really said you are NOT interrupting my aunts' wedding rn on my watch.

"If anyone objects to this marriage...well, what are they going to do, show up with an army?" I would've laughed tbh idc.

-NOT THE VOWS JESUS CHRIST. I'm emotionally unstable.

-I love that amaya apparently went to gren and was like "YOUR JOB IS TO TALK FOR ME WTF DO I SAY" and he was just like "just tell her why you love her! Simple!" and she was like "BITCH-"

"But that's hard to do, because it changes all the time. Every day, I find something new, and my love for you keeps growing...our love will change, but it will endure." Paraphrasing ofc but i just loved it so much.

-Also janai started crying and it was like me too babes me too.

"AND IT WILL BRING MORE LOVE INTO THE WORLD AS IT DOES" yeppp something something humans and elves something something!!!

-Not kazi having to push gren away bc he was crying too much.

-Note about the kiss: I was OBSESSED with janai's hand when i rewatched it like 5 times? Like yes i'm a sucker for tender face touching but the way you can see her thumb stroking amaya's cheek and her hand going down to amaya's shoulder and--

-Also, in the background, the standing ovation! Again, I LOVE that people aren't just clapping, they're cheering and laughing and being all "yeah!" "woo-hoo!" and seem like they actually want to be there.

"HER WIFE!"

"QUEEN AMAYA!"

[ringa-starr]

I would like to dedicate this fic to @fredandginger64. You're awesome and I hope we can be friends. :) I hope this story is to your liking and I hope you all enjoy!

Peace, Love, M&L

Love,

-Dee

"You've got to be kidding me, Dean!" Jerry exclaimed, slapping his hand on the worn-out diner counter. His eyes bulged with a mix of exasperation and disbelief.

Dean's smirk remained steadfast as he took a casual sip of his black coffee. "What's the big deal, Jer?" he quipped, his tone as smooth as the jazz playing faintly in the background. "It's just a little harmless fun, like old times."

Jerry leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a stern whisper. "Those 'little' stunts of yours have gotten us into more trouble than I can count, and we're not spring chickens anymore. You're going to break a hip or something!"

Dean's eyes twinkled with mischief. "Oh, come on now, pal. Live a little. Besides, if you're worried about breaking hips, you should be more concerned with your dance moves."

Jerry rolled his eyes, but couldn't help the chuckle that bubbled up. "You're one to talk, Mr. Two-Left-Feet," he shot back, a hint of playfulness seeping into his voice.

Dean set his coffee down and leaned back on the stool, crossing his arms over his chest. "Look, I know I've been a little wild lately, but you've got to admit, it's kept things interesting around here." The diner was their usual spot, a relic of their past that had seen countless laughs, schemes, and the occasional heated debate. The chrome and vinyl stools had held their secrets for decades, and the scent of greasy food and stale coffee was almost comforting.

Jerry's expression softened a bit as he took in the familiar surroundings. "I know, Dean. But we've got responsibilities now. Families, careers... we can't just go around pulling pranks like we're still teenagers." He paused, his gaze drifting to the jukebox in the corner, playing a tune that had been popular back when they were first starting out.

Dean's smile faded, and he nodded solemnly. "I get it, Jerry. But sometimes I miss the simplicity of those days." He paused, his eyes misting over. "The laughter, the camaraderie... it's all so complicated now."

Jerry reached out and gripped Dean's shoulder, his thumb tracing the fabric of his old friend's jacket. "I miss it too, buddy. But we've got each other, and that's what counts." He sighed, the weight of their years resting heavily on his shoulders. "Let's just keep an eye on each other, huh?"

Dean's eyes cleared, and he nodded in agreement, patting Jerry's hand. "Alright, I'll cool it down, for you. But just one more, I promise," he said with a wink, his mischievous spark returning.

Jerry sighed, knowing that was the best he was going to get. "Just make sure it's nothing that'll land us in the hospital," he warned.

Dean's response was a nonchalant shrug. "No promises there," he said, his voice light and breezy. The diner's bell jingled as the door swung open, letting in a gust of cool evening air and the sound of distant traffic. A young couple entered, laughing and holding hands, and the two men watched them with a mix of nostalgia and envy. Their youthful energy was a stark contrast to the creases that time had etched into their own faces and the weariness that lined their eyes.

The waitress, a plump woman with a beehive hairstyle and a name tag that read "Sally," sauntered over to refill their mugs. "You two still at it?" she asked, a knowing smile playing on her lips.

Dean flashed her a grin. "You know us, Sally. We're like a couple of old married folks, always bickering."

Sally chuckled, her eyes warm and knowing. "You two ain't changed a bit," she said, shaking her head. "Still causing trouble after all these years."

Jerry couldn't help but smile at the familiar banter. "You say that like it's a bad thing," he quipped.

Sally wagged her finger at Dean. "You watch it, mister. You're not too old for me to still swat your behind if you get out of line."

Jerry's grin widened. "Oh, c'mon Sally," he spoke up, "you know you enjoy keeping us in check. It keeps you young."

Sally playfully slapped her order pad against the counter, feigning offense. "Jerry Lewis, you're as much trouble now as you were when you two first strutted in here with those ridiculous bow ties!" She couldn't help but laugh, the lines around her eyes crinkling with affection.

Dean took the opportunity to slide off his stool, his eyes never leaving Jerry's. "Speaking of keeping things interesting," he began, a glint in his eye, "I've got a little surprise planned for the upcoming reunion show."

Jerry's smile faltered, his grip tightening around his coffee mug. "Dean, you're not serious. We agreed to keep it low-key, remember?"

Dean waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, it's nothing crazy, just a little something to get the old crowd going." He winked. "Trust me, it'll be a hit."

Jerry's stomach lurched, a knot of anxiety forming. "Dean, we're not the same guys we were back then. We've got to be careful."

"Aw, come on, Jerry," Dean protested, slapping him on the back. "It's just one night. We'll show 'em we've still got it!"

Jerry couldn't argue with the excitement in Dean's voice. The thought of performing together again, even for a night, stirred something within him, a spark of the joy they'd shared when they were young and fearless. "Okay, fine," he relented, "but you're promising me no stunts, no surprises."

Dean held up three fingers in a boy scout salute. "Scout's honor, no surprises... unless they're the good kind."

Jerry's eyes narrowed slightly, but he decided to let it go. He knew he couldn't change Dean's ways overnight. "Alright, but remember, I'm holding you to that."

Dean saluted again before turning to Sally, his grin widening. "You'll be there to see it, won't you, Sally?"

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," she replied, her smile genuine. "Now, what'll it be, you two?"

They ordered their usual – a burger and fries for Dean, a grilled cheese with tomato soup for Jerry – and the conversation drifted to the reunion show. Despite Jerry's reservations, he couldn't help but feel a thrill at the thought of stepping back into the limelight, even if it was just for one night.

The days leading up to the show were a whirlwind of rehearsals and costume fittings. The old theater had changed hands several times over the years, but it still held a special place in their hearts. The dusty stage, the faded velvet curtains, and the creaky floorboards all whispered memories of their youthful escapades.

As the opening night approached, Jerry couldn't shake the feeling that Dean had something up his sleeve. Every time he brought it up, Dean would just laugh it off, saying he was "keeping the magic alive." Jerry's nerves grew tauter with each passing hour.

The theater was bustling with activity, a cacophony of sound echoing through the backstage area. Stagehands rushed about, finalizing the set and checking lights, while a cacophony of laughter and chatter filled the air. Old friends and colleagues had come out of the woodwork to support them, and the camaraderie was palpable.

Jerry stood in the wings, his heart pounding in his chest as he listened to the band warming up. He hadn't felt this nervous since their first show together, so many years ago. The audience was a sea of faces, a mix of those who had watched them rise to stardom and those too young to remember their heyday. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing thoughts.

"You ready, Jer?" Dean's voice was calm and steady beside him, a stark contrast to the tumult within Jerry.

Jerry took one last deep breath, forcing a smile onto his face. "As ready as I'll ever be." He stepped out onto the stage, the lights blinding him momentarily. The crowd erupted into applause, and the band struck up the opening number.

The first few jokes were well-rehearsed, a trip down memory lane that had the audience in stitches. As they hit their stride, Jerry began to relax, the old rhythm of their act settling comfortably into place. He glanced over at Dean, who was playing the straight man with surprising finesse.

But as the night went on, Jerry noticed a glint in Dean's eye that hadn't been there during rehearsals. His heart sank as he realized his friend hadn't listened to his pleas for caution. They approached the grand finale, a skit that had always been one of their signatures. It involved a complex series of physical gags and had been designed to showcase their youthful agility.

"Jerry, remember, just follow my lead," Dean whispered, the mischief in his voice unmistakable.

Jerry swallowed hard, his palms growing clammy. "Dean, we talked about this," he hissed back, trying to keep his voice low enough not to be picked up by the microphone.

But Dean was already in motion, setting the stage for the grand finale with an enthusiasm that belied his age. The crowd roared with excitement, clearly eager to see what the dynamic duo had in store. Jerry took his place, trying to focus on the scripted routine while his mind raced with worst-case scenarios.

The skit began with a simple dance number, which they both executed with surprising grace, considering the years that had passed. The crowd clapped along, their laughter swelling with each step and twirl. Then, without warning, Dean launched into an impromptu backflip, landing awkwardly on the edge of the stage.

Jerry's eyes went wide, and he could feel the color drain from his face as he watched Dean wobble precariously. The audience gasped, and for a heart-stopping moment, it seemed as if his friend would tumble into the orchestra pit below. But with a cheeky grin, Dean regained his balance and shot a wink out at the crowd, who erupted into applause and cheers.

Jerry forced a chuckle, his heart racing. He knew he had to stay sharp, to be ready for whatever Dean threw at him next. They continued the skit, each gag more daring than the last, and with each one, the tension between them grew tauter.

The climax of the performance was a human pyramid, a stunt they hadn't attempted in years. Dean insisted they could still pull it off, and the audience's anticipation was palpable. Jerry's knees trembled as he climbed onto the base, his heart hammering against his ribs. He looked up at Dean, who was poised at the top, a smug smile playing on his lips.

"Ready, Jer?" Dean called down.

Jerry took a deep breath and nodded, gripping the shoulders of the men beneath him. The music swelled, and the audience leaned forward in their seats. This was it. The moment of truth.

The base of the pyramid shifted slightly, and Jerry felt a bead of sweat trickle down his forehead. The lights above the stage were hot and intense, and he could feel the heat of the spotlight on his back as he climbed, one trembling hand at a time. The world narrowed to just the stage and the faces of the men holding him up.

"Ready?" Dean called again, his smile never wavering.

Jerry took one final breath, his grip tightening. "Ready," he managed to reply, his voice steady despite his racing heart. The music reached its crescendo, and with a collective effort, the pyramid of bodies rose into the air. For a moment, they held perfectly still, a tableau of camaraderie and defiance against the ravages of time.

And then, as if the universe had conspired against them, the bottom man lost his balance, toppling the entire structure like a house of cards. Jerry felt himself falling, his heart in his throat, time seemingly slowing to a crawl. He closed his eyes, bracing for impact. But instead of pain, he felt strong arms catch him, and the sound of laughter filled his ears.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself cradled in Dean's arms, the latter's face a mask of feigned surprise. The crowd roared with laughter, thinking it was all part of the act. Dean winked at him, a devilish twinkle in his eye, and Jerry couldn't help but laugh too, the tension dissipating. They had done it. They had survived the grand finale without serious injury.

As they took their bows, the applause thunderous and the smiles on their faces genuine, Jerry couldn't help but feel a warmth in his chest. The connection between them was as strong as ever, the years melting away as they shared the stage once more.

"You crazy son of a gun," Jerry murmured, panting slightly as the curtains closed.

Dean chuckled, setting him down gently. "What, you didn't enjoy that?" He draped an arm around Jerry's shoulders, his eyes gleaming with the thrill of their near-disaster.

Jerry swiped at the dust on his jacket, his own smile reluctant but genuine. "You know I did, you joker," he admitted. "But you scared ten years off me back there."

"Hey," Dean retorted, slapping him on the back, "that's what friends are for, right?" His grin was infectious, and Jerry found himself smiling back, the adrenaline still pumping through his veins.

The dressing room was a flurry of activity as they changed out of their costumes, surrounded by the well-wishers and old friends. Each pat on the back, each congratulation, was a testament to the joy they had brought to the crowd. Despite the close call, Jerry couldn't deny that the thrill of performing together had rekindled something within him.

As the room cleared out, Dean turned to Jerry with a serious look. "Look, Jer, I know I pushed it tonight, but you've gotta admit, we still got it." He paused, his expression softening. "But maybe we should ease up on the stunts, huh?"

Jerry nodded, his eyes misting over. "Yeah, maybe we should," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "We're not kids anymore, Dean."

Dean's expression grew solemn, his hand resting gently on Jerry's shoulder. "I know," he said softly. "But we're still a hell of a team."

Jerry nodded, his eyes meeting Dean's with a silent understanding. They had come a long way from their early days, but the bond between them remained unshaken. "Alright, Dean," he conceded, "just no more surprises, okay?"

Dean held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Scout's honor," he repeated, his smile warm and reassuring. "But we've still got a few tricks up our sleeves."

Jerry rolled his eyes but couldn't help the chuckle that escaped his lips. "Just don't make me the punchline of any more of them, okay?"

Dean's smile grew wider. "Can't promise that, but I'll do my best." The two men shared a laugh that held a hint of the youth they had long ago left behind.

The reunion show had been a hit, a testament to the timeless appeal of their friendship and comedy. As they stepped out into the cool night air, the theater's marquee flickering above them, Jerry couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment. "You know, Dean, maybe we've still got a few good years left in us," he mused, his eyes scanning the empty streets.

Dean clapped him on the back, his laugh lines deepening. "You bet we do, Jer," he said, his eyes sparkling with the excitement of the evening. "But let's not push our luck too much, huh?"

Jerry nodded, his own laugh lines crinkling as he smiled. "Agreed. We'll stick to the jokes, leave the acrobatics to the youngsters."

The two men made their way to their separate cars, the sound of their laughter echoing off the empty theater walls. As they parted ways, each climbing into their vehicles, Jerry couldn't shake the feeling that this night had been more than just a trip down memory lane. It was a reminder that, despite the years that had passed, their friendship remained as strong as ever.

[felixcloud6288]

Dungeon Meshi Chapter 14

I really loved the title page showing how Marcille does her hair. If my hair was long enough to do it, I'd try it myself. My favorite part is the braid around her ears.

Her actual hairstyle this chapter isn't the same as the title page though. Instead, she keeps the side braids but wraps her long hair into a large loop ending in a ponytail.

I love these little beat panels. The party is so prone to awkward silences and it's always funny whenever it happens. All of them try very hard to be polite but no one ever knows what to say when they know being honest would upset someone.

We've got some info on magic. It requires the user to take care of their hair. And poor grooming can affect how well support magic can work on a person.

Senshi ought to engage in proper grooming to at least make sure hair doesn't get into the food.

There is some light environmental storytelling about the first expeditions to 4F. By the looks of things, the first people to reach 4F had to smash the walls open to actually access the level. Then builders had to come in to build platforms for adventurers to actually be able to enter the floor.

I get the feeling the upper level was either opened first or had to be made so builders could safely haul and drop the walkways into the water.

Since Senshi doesn't have any means of crossing the water, this is probably the furthest he's ever gone down the dungeon.

All his earlier instances of deriding Marcille's magic had some merit to them, but now Senshi is just being a stubborn old goat. Even if his concern about relying on magic too much will harm his ability to act without it being available, the waterwalking skill is a practical solution to the situation at hand.

He's acting like that employee who's worked at the company for thirty years and takes several hours to fill out a spreadsheet because they don't know how to use any of the calculating tools. Then they stubbornly refuse to let you show them how to fill it quickly cause it's the way they've always done it.

The way Marcille applied waterwalking to Senshi implies that the part where she taps her feet was just performative. As long as she hits you with her staff, the spell is applied.

Senshi didn't immediately sink so the spell works somewhat. I guess the waterwalking spell is less "You can now stand on water" and more "the rate at which your body displaces the water beneath your feet is reduced."

I hated physics but I kind of want to go back through topics related to density, waves, buoyancy, and kinetic energy because of this moment. Real quick, buoyancy is the force that fluids exert in opposition to the gravitational force of an object in it. If buoyancy is stronger than the gravitational force, the object will float over the fluid. If gravity is stronger, the object will sink. There's more to it of course, but I think this is enough background for my upcoming ramble.

When Marcille jumped into the water, there was a tiny splish and some ripples formed around the point of contact. So she made physical contact with the water, but her spell prevented the kinetic energy that would transfer to the water on contact from dispersing the water to any degree that would cause her to fall into it. So the gravitational force she's exerting on the water is so low that she can stand on the water.

I know this is one of those "It's magic. Don't worry about it" moments, but I'd love to consider alternate uses for this spell considering what it appears to be doing. If the spell actually reduces density or weakens the gravitational force that acts against bouyancy, could a sinking ship be saved by applying this spell to it or a sunken ship be raised using it? And can it be used with other liquids? Could a variant be made that can let a person float in the air (This would have to be made with caution cause if it works the way I'm describing, it could easily catapult someone into the stratosphere).

Of all people to oppose Senshi's idea of riding a Kelpie across the water, you'd never suspect Laios. He's the one who comes across as the most likely to want to befriend monsters. But it turns out that he has far more sense about things.

Yes, Laios loves monsters. However, he isn't blind to the reality of what they are. In chapter 8, Senshi talked about the care that goes into living in the dungeon and feeling like you're part of it, but he's overstepping his bounds with Anne. By assuming he can tame and ride her, he's not respecting that she is a dangerous creature that should be treated as such.

The initial interaction with Anne reminded me of a Youtube video of a guy sitting by a river and a grizzly bear casually walks up to him and sits next to him. The bear was docile and the guy wasn't in any danger, yes. But it would be a bad idea to walk up to the bear or try to pet it. And the guy in the video was definitely afraid during that interaction because he was sitting next to a grizzly bear.

Laios also seems to be speaking from experience.

The first hint that Anne wasn't as sweet as she seemed is she chewed on Senshi's blood-soaked beard.

Laios saw what was going to happen from a mile away and lassoed Anne's tail just before she submerged. He even looks like he's saying "I told you!" when Anne begins to descend.

After killing her, Senshi decided to prepare Anne's body to eat it. He's not very emotive, but he's genuinely upset that the bond he thought he had didn't exist. He sees himself as part of the dungeon, but even though he helps take care of it, that doesn't mean the monsters are going to treat him as anything other than potential prey.

Maybe he started to realize that he hadn't given her the proper respect she deserves as a dangerous kelpie. Eating her is a way to give respect though. He's not going to leave her body to rot. If he's going to be part of the dungeon, then he should participate in its ecosystem. His eagerness to use the soap Marcille made from Anne's fat might be an extension to that respect.

Marcille knows how to make soap from scratch. Since hygiene and grooming are important parts of magic, she probably was taught how to make use of what's available.

Oh my gosh! He's so fluffy!!

Senshi's stubbornness and insistence on doing things his own way almost got him killed. At least he's willing to be more flexible now. And he's noticing there are some enjoyable experiences that require magic.

SENSHI FLASH!!

back

[rikeijo]

Medalist ~early screening event report~

>>>((by a Yuri!!! on ICE fan and with spoilers))<<<

Just came back home from early screening of Medalist, episode 1.~! I've never read the manga and I know almost nothing about the plot 🙃

Part of my motivation to buy the ticket was to see full credits, haha... 😆😆Unfortunately, I saw no familiar names, although of course, I could only see it once, so I might have missed somebody... However, as it has been already announced, the skating was choreographed by Suzuki Akiko-san, and she also skated the choreography for motion capture. There was also Japanese Skating Federation in the credits, and TV Asahi participates in the production committee.

The event itself was very cute~ I got a ticket for the 'second skate' at Marunouchi Piccadilly. It was easy to get a ticket even earlier this week, but in the end, both 'skates' were fully sold out. What was quite amazing was that there were fans of literally all ages (except small kids, of course and it was quite late...). From high school students to ~70 old grandpas. Boys and girls, 50/50 (and I had a seat right next to a true Medalist otaku ((a guy in his 20s)), and that was quite funny and so wholesome, because the emotions were running sooo high...✨ and I was just so jealous, because yk... iceado😞).

First, the screening of the first episode! And as somebody, for whom it was the first meeting with Medalist, it definitely made me want to watch the whole thing, and it was a shame they only showed one, because I wanted to see mooore! 😆 The characters designs are, imo, very pretty (we saw Tsukasa-sensei as competitive ice dancer in episode 1. in flashbacks, and he reminded me a bit of blond Yuuri ((the hairstyle and eyebrows!)) but that's my bias 😂)

I remember seeing people (in Jp) lamenting on twitter that it's a small studio and the animation will be shit. The anime uses a lot of CGI, for sure, but imo, for the skating parts, it's definitively better than bad sakuga, or trying everything to avoid showing too much of movement. The backgrounds etc. looked very sterile because of it, though. (I personally understood very well, why YoI's director, Yamamoto Sayo, wanted to have everything hand-drawn, even though she was overworking her staff because of it, and still, eventually they had to use CGI, anyway. The imperfect, hand-drawn animation will certainly always have more soul in it.) That they used even more CGI for all those shojo manga-like sparklings on top of that, though... I understand that this is a part of the convention, but for me, that was the part that I thought didn't look that good.

Hitomi-san became my favorite character. So pretty and cute (and I want to know her backstory~~~)! Inori-chan is cute, too, but the first episode was mainly from Tsukasa-sensei perspective (I don't know if that's also how it is in the manga), so she didn't seem that fleshed out as a character, and to me, she seemed more like 'a child' category of character, than true protagonist. I'm curious to see, how she will develop. Her VA, Haruse Natsumi-san has a really beautiful voice. The first episode starts with Tsukasa coming to the rink for his job interview and ends just after Inori-chan becomes Tsukasa's student. So basically, the whole story of how Inori-chan started skating, but Tsukasa-sensei feels more like he's going to be the protagonist.

Next, the talk after the show! The MC was TV Asahi's announcer. The VAs (Inori-chan, Tsukasa-sensei, Hikaru-chan and Yodaka-san) entered and then the usual greetings. Then they each talked a bit about their own character, but naturally, they didn't reveal much, just basic info. They mainly talked about Tsukasa-sensei's perspective this time and eg. which scene is his VA, Otsuka-san's fave in episode 1. He answered that it was the scene, in which Tsukasa-sensei thinks that Inori-chan seems suspicious and then he runs after her when she runs away from the rink. They also mentioned, about episode 1. that figure skating, all of the basics, is very well-explained, so it's easy to follow even for people, who don't know anything about figure skating. Here, imo, the use of CGI was also an advantage, because the movements were very clear and precise, when they explained the the technique of how eg. a figure skater uses the inside/outside edge. After that Hikaru-chan and Yodaka-san also got an introduction by their VAs, but because they didn't appear in the first episode, scenes from episodes 2. were shown. For Yodaka-san, they showed a scene, in which he doesn't even talk, just smokes and looks all mysterious and cool, and everybody laughed at that. Then Uchida-san, his VA, laughed as well, and said that even though he has never smoked a cigarette in his life, he needed to go to the studio for recording, and his job in the first few episodes was only to pretend to smoke and nothing else. He also said that to him, his name, 'Jun' which means 'pure', is important part of the character. Then more characters were shown (including newly revealed ones and all are on twitter now), and the cast talked a bit, who they want to pay close attention to. They mainly talked about Sekoma-san (whose name was revealed to be 'Mamoru', which also means 'to protect') and Sonidori Junichiro, but again, they didn't reveal anything.

Then it was time for VA fanservice - the question corner and the question was 'what can you get a gold medal for?' Haruse-san: Can tell apart all 7 kinds of figure skating jumps, even just by what kind of approach the skater takes for the jump. Otsuka-san: Sleeping on the floor. Ichinose-san: Talking with her cat (that was super cute, she was describing what kind of conversations they have - apparently cats think that they speak human language). Uchida-san: Going to sleep very early, even at 7pm to wake up early and play games.

Then they talked about the future events, skating-related and special stage before the anime starts, and radio show etc. (all info also on twitter now) (as a YoI fan, massively jealous 😭😂)

And that's mainly it, it was about 1h? long event!

[green-tea-in-absinthe-bottle]

THE NIGHT BELONGS TO YOU (bonus chapter)

BLADE X FEM READER FANFIC, +18, smut

MASTERLIST

Bonus chapter of my Blade x reader fanfic, stay tuned in for the rest soon. It's pretty wholesome overall (found family trope with stellaron hunters etc). This part contains mostly spice and massaging Blade's hands for him, reader knows Blade for a long time already and they have close relationship. I think Blade is slightly OOC here.

It's my first fanfic and english is not my first language, so I'm sorry if it sucks. I NEED CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM.

Enjoy my first contribution to the fandom!

BONUS CHAPTER, All of Eden’s vices running through my veins

Pink, silk nightgown hugged y/n’s body in all the right places, lace barely covered flawless skin of her cleavage and upper part of her thighs. She always found it hard to sleep in summer heat as a native of Arkona, land known for it’s cold winds and snowy  mountains, so she gravitated towards skimpy clothing in most heated months of the year. Even winter here felt kinda warm to her, she used to walk outside without a jacket, just in a thick hoodie. Kafka tried to put her winter coat around Arkonian each time she saw her dressed like that, y/n found it very cute. She lived with Stelaron Hunters for over a year now, and despite their bad reputation she has never in her life felt more cared for and accepted. If somebody told her a year ago she will be baking Oak Cake Rolls using supersoldier mechasuit alongside friends, taking violin lessons from one of the most dangerous women in the universe or playing Tekken with overambitious young hacker while getting roasted by a hot immortal Y/N would advice them to go see a doctor.  

She looked at herself in the mirror, braiding her hair so they won’t warm her up further during her slumber. Her fingers worked fast, agile and flexible like branches of weeping willow despite going through hardships of martial arts training she went under Blade’s supervision. Halfway through, her attempt at classic hairstyle got interrupted by knocking on the door, audible despite music she put on in the background. Displeased, she secured it with a band and got up. The moment the door opened and revealed her male coworker there was nothing left of her sour mood. 

His red eyes looked her up and down, Blade was too done with bullshit today to check her out in less obvious way.  His hair was put up with elegant chanhua hairpin, decorated with delicate white flower ornament. It wasn’t a big change in his appearance, but it surely was eye-catching. He seemed more beautiful, majestic like a heron in flight with his hair up. Y/n sighed, impressed by his good looks and dignified aura. 

He was the first one to break the silence. He cleared his throat and spoke as nonchalantly as he only could in his rough voice. 

 - Good evening y/n, I just returned from work. I came here to check up on my apprentice and drop something off. I bought a gift for you during my last mission on Jarilo-VI, from famous local seller named Sampo. - he gave her the plastic bag he was hiding behind his back with slightly trembling hands. - I think you will appreciate it, you mentioned your willingness to use your massaging skills a few times so far. 

 - Hi dear. What kind of occasion is this? - she laughed a little. 

 - No occasion, I just saw it among other things he offered and thought about you. - he admitted with straight face. 

Arkonian thanked him and grabbed the bag. A little bit suspicious, she reached inside it and pulled out a small glass bottle filled with shiny liquid. Golden dust floating on top of it shimmered when she shook it. Attached label with a note written in cursive informed her that this substance is allegedly a massage oil.  

Y/n decided to check it just in case, she heard enough about Sampo and his scamming habits to not trust it carelessly. She opened the bottle and sniffed it. Pleasant lemon and bergamot scent hanged in the air. Hmm, not bad. Maybe Blade was 100th customer on that day and actually got a good quality bonus. 

 - Do you like it? - Blade attentively checked her face for reaction.  

 - To be honest I absolutely love it. - she admitted cheerfully. - But please, do not trust Koski too much in the future, trading with him is like a russian roulette. He can give you precious stuff or completely rip you off for a fake. 

- Good to know. - he took a mental note to check everything twice next time he visits this merchant. - Will you let me in? All this traveling around the galaxy really has worn me out. 

Y/n blushed heavily, only now did she realise she didn’t invite him inside her bedroom. 

 - Of course, make yourself comfortable. - she sat down on the bed, patting the mattress on the right side of her body. He closed the door behind himself before taking place next to her.  

 - So... How have you been when I was on the go? Did you behave yourself? No more cursing swords for now? - stellaron hunter spoke in low voice, coming off a bit strict. 

Y/n sighed and  rolled her eyes.  

 - I have been a good girl, don’t you worry man. - Blade cringed visibly at her words. She lied to him but he will surely have better occasion to learn about it soon enough. Arkonian was not in the mood for his preaching now. - How was work? Any unpleasant surprises? 

 - You know, with Elio’s gift it’s already very hard to be taken by surprise, now we also have your visions. Why do you worry so much? - he was quick to dismiss her anxiety. 

 - I still remember how our first mission went. It’s not entirely unpleasant memory, after all we got so much closer to each other that day. - gentle smile adorned her face as she blushed unknowingly, recalling past events. - Yet, you did get hurt badly that day. Can you blame me for reacting like that? 

 - Since that one time we had no such incidents, however it does not make your concern any less valid. - he admitted. Awkward silence has set in, sated with unvoiced desires. He felt it was him who should break it, now or never. - I didn’t come here to discuss business matters. In fact, I hoped you could help me unwind. It was such a long week. - his voice came out a bit suggestive. Was this really the same guy who used to barely speak in her presence months ago and scoffed at her endeavors to get closer?  

 - It’s so bad that you prefer to be distracted from it over confiding in me? - Y/n raised one of her eyebrows.  

 - Exactly. Speaking of which, don’t you think it’s a good moment to put your new ointment to the test? - he gestured towards oil bottle she held in her hand. Y/n still was not used to him being so direct with his wants, it took her a few seconds to process his request.  

- Are you sure this is what you want? - she whispered, looking him straight in the face. With the kind of injuries he had survive she didn't know if she could truly help him with lingering pain and stiffness, but she definitely knew that nothing can be done to help him in long term either way. 

- Yes, it's worth a shot. Don't worry, I don't expect much to begin with. - he sighed. - Why ask, wasn't it you who convinced me to do this so many times? You got cold feet? 

- No, it's just... - she exhaled softly, shifting in place. - Thank you for trusting me. 

She took his palm in hers tentatively, noticing  Blade had no gloves on. He normally avoided taking them off, but it wasn't her first time inspecting old scars on his skin. They covered his hands densely, she recalled patching up some of those wounds. He compared their fingers, slightly smirking at how big he looked like in comparison to her. One of her hands found elegant oil bottle, she let few drops fall on the top of his left hand, then she spread it over the top of it. With round, gentle moves she caressed it, avoiding his eyes. Then she rubbed each of his long, thick fingers separately, stretching them out. Calloused skin and rigid joints hardly submitting to her attempts at relaxing them.  

Shimmering dust made his scars stand out even more, they were like cracks on his porcelain skin. Arkonian once heard of Kintsugi, art of repairing broken pottery by mending it back with gold. But she was not delusional, Blade was not to be whole ever again, no amount of care could glue him back together. She knew, and she accepted him the way he was. Fragments of what was left of him put together by cruel fate like a stained glass, equally sharp and fragile. Legendary craftsman's last masterpiece bursting at the seems, burdened with weight of unforgivable sin. 

Music in the background switched to Sweather weather by The neighbourhood when she turned his palm upside down, once again intertwining their fingers as she rotated his hand while securing it with her other one to loosen up his wrist, then she used both her hands to stretch his out backwards as her thumbs rubbed from the middle of his palm to the sides, opening it up and relaxing every muscle. He felt horribly stiff under her fingers but she expected this already, aware of his past injuries. Arkonian just hoped she could bring him some alleviation from chronic pain, even tho his dexterity will never return. 

 Concentrated on doing her job as well as she only could, she missed his lazy grin and warm, full of lust gaze fixated on her face. Even little sighs of relief getting out his throat when she dug into the meat between his thumb and index finger escaped her attention. He hasn't been touched in tender way for so long, past centuries of his life consisted mostly of silent prayers for death among endless battles, constant suffering and countless cuts from his enemies weapons. Those few who were somehow kind to him still avoided touching his broken body, afraid of mara lurking inside him like a rabid dog. Blade melted into pleasant, warm sensation more and more, he felt way too relaxed for his own good. Being physical usually felt like a sin, state of his flesh a punishment for his crimes, pain it's burning reminder - yet, in that moment with her, his body hesitantly shed it's defences, out of his newfound comfort something grew, deep in his abdomen, heat slowly spreading over him, clouding his mind. With all her curves on display in a nightgown Blade still felt most tempted by those soft lips she unconsciously licked when she focused on him. If he made a move would she look at him with disgust and turn away?  

When he looked in the mirror all he saw was disfigured abomination but y/n looked at him like he was someone. Like he wasn't defected, turned into a monster. He wanted to believe that he is the man she saw in him, to smash every mirror in this damn place and only seek answers about himself in her eyes, that now stared back at him. Her lips slightly parted, skin glistening with sweat, and those wide doe eyes. So sweet, so soft... Seemingly in his reach. He could not ignore this thirst any longer.  

Gently, he pulled her to himself by the hand she caressed him with, when her fragrant body landed in his lap his lips found her fingers. He planted passionate kiss on every knuckle, massage oil covering her palm made his lips softer and more juicy. Arkonian couldn't stop herself anymore as well, she kissed him with all the hunger she cultivated in herself over months spent together. She knew he was not used to affection and receiving kisses, so she lead it, but Blade was just as enthusiastic, deepening it and turning his tongue around hers. 

 They grinded against each other slowly, to the rhythm of the music. Y/n could barely hear Sugar by Sleep Token playing in the background when sounds of heavy breathing and Blade's grunts filled the room. It was way too hot for her in this place, she quickly took of her nightgown, now sat on top of him only in drenched lace panties. His reaction was worth more than any words he could express his desire and admiration for her body with, y/n had no doubts she was just his type when he looked at her with pure wonder. 

 His hair was messy, hairpin disappeared somewhere just like all his mental restraints. He teased her with his fingertips through delicate fabric, her thighs throbbed in response. She let him rip her panties off of her. Those big, calloused fingers massaged her so well, stretching her tight hole deliciously, but could they prepare her for this big thing she felt growing in his pants? Just thinking about it made her so wet slick dripped down his palm. 

Blade reluctantly took his hand away to lick it off his fingers. He wanted to taste her for a while now, and with satisfaction he found out she was just as sweet as she looked like. Perfect fruit to rip and devour. He wanted to command her to sit on his face and ride it roughly, he would hold her down firmly so she couldn't get up until she would come at least twice. Wanted to show her he was good enough. Before he managed to turn those thoughts into reality she already took his hard manhood out of his clothes. 

- You know, maybe I could give you a special massage? - she winked at him, spraying some oil on it, then spread it with her both hands, one on top, teasing the tip, another near the base. Her hands moved in opposite directions as she gripped him and massaged his swollen member in circular motion. Whimper left his throat, shocking them both. He didn't even know how touch-starved he was, having only his sword to cling to for all those years, until she touched him, every cell of his wanted to beg for more. She rubbed over the vein under his dick with just the right amount of pressure. Her skilled hands played with him for minutes, discovering sensitive points he was not even aware of, but when Blade felt his orgasm approaching he stopped her movements.  

- I don't want to cum yet, I need to feel you around me first. Come here. - his husky voice giving her orders made her even wetter than she was before, way more than she thought was possible. He picked her up and put her right above his member, she carefully slid it inside of her inch after inch, there was no rush.  

- I know I am big, give yourself some time. - he encouraged her. No matter how much he just wanted to slam into her with full strength, her pleasure was more important to him. What was the point if she didn't enjoy it? He was never a gentle type but for her he wanted to be. She was still so fragile.  

While her body adjusted to his impressive length she took off his shirt, leaving him in unbuttoned pants only. In a second his pale, muscular chest  glistened with sweat and oil from her hands cause she just had to feel that men up. Pupils of his eyes widened at the sight of her breasts so close to his face. He sucked on them passionately basking in softness of her flesh, she giggled in response and stroked his head affectionately. They cuddled for a bit in that position, her cunt clenching around him while he rubbed circles over her back soothingly. Y/n was the first to move, slowly grinding into his hips and kissing his shoulders. She felt so safe and taken care of and so did he. Blade let her set her own pace for now, in fact he would let her do absolutely anything she wished for to him.  

Walls he built around his heart were near impenetrable, but once somebody got inside immortal warrior became defenceless against their whims, if he only could he would give them every star in the sky, even if he would never admit it aloud. He was always like that, back during High Cloud Quintet times he used to give his friends priceless weapons as a token of friendship, even now he had a hard time saying no when he went outside with his dear coworkers, always purchasing a new coat for Kafka, buying so many games for Wolfie that Kafka scoffed at them, agreeing to this annoying nickname he was given or even giving up his private cellphone for them. 

Blade despite all that never considered himself taken advantage of, it was clear none of those close to him would ever see him as a mere idiot to manipulate or a toy, after all such privileges were reserved for the most trusted people only. He cherished all their respect, yet for a long time he was unable to find any crumb of reverence for his broken being in himself. He called himself Blade, and it was easier for him to live believing he was nothing more than a tool of the fate, pain was a little bit more bearable for a broken masterpiece to take than it was for a man with great ambitions and ruined dreams whom he barely recalled and neither could or wished to be again.  

Blade is made to be used, powerless without the hand that guides it, created only to bring pain and bloodshed, yet now his body was harnessed for completely different purpose. Woman on top of him released heavenly moans each time she went down on his erected cook, her lips parted in a way that made him want to kiss her desperately once again, her eyes filled with hunger and pure adoration. He couldn't imagine his corrupted body had a potential to be a source of bliss to a woman or man anymore, last memories of such activities shared with friends from Quintet were barely vivid in his mind. Since his body was pierced a thousand times by his previous mentor he couldn't stand physical proximity of anybody, lightest touch made him tense up. During his trainings with Arkonian he grew accustomed to her closeness but the ease he took her touch with bewildered him. How easy she was to crave, to need, to take over his mind. How easy it was to not think anymore, to let her use him for her own pleasure, to be utilized for something else than spreading pain and misery for once.  

He took pride in her praises, opened himself to this new role, found fulfilment in it. Blade rubbed her tired hips up and down when she bounced on him, all sweaty, hot and blushing. So, so beautiful. She clenched on him, close to her orgasm. He needed her to cum for him, to sing his name even more. In attempt to earn more of her sweet reactions he thrust up into her. Slow, deep and very, very hard. This immediately pushed her over the edge. 

Y/n whimpered in a straight up angelic way, squirting all over his abdomen when his seed filled her hole. Orgasm hit Blade with all force of instincts denied for centuries, almost knocking him out. Addictive, ecstatic feeling shook his whole body, coercing moans out of his throat. His head fell on y/n's shoulder, and she brushed through his hair with her fingers, scratching his scalp and neck.  

 Libido  seemingly starved to death through centuries of neglecting primal needs once again woke up in him. In that moment he knew, it was not enough. He needed to take care of her perfectly fuckable, receptive, soft and welcoming body as well as his own desires till none of them could stand up. Inhaling her inviting scent his fingers dug into warm, delicate flesh of her hips when he carefully pulled her underneath him, his cook already hard again.  

Her skilled fingers reached out to feel his torso again, she put it carefully over his biggest scar, where his heart should be, unnaturally cold sensation of his sweaty skin grounded her. His palm covered her smaller hand, so delicate in comparison to his wide chest. She was not a petite woman by any means, her body was strong and used to harsh conditions of her home planet, but she could not lie, she loved how much bigger than her Blade was. How he towered over her, could embrace her in a way that made her feel completely protected and hidden in his muscular arms, like he did just now pressing her to bed with his body.  

Both his hands grabbed hers and pinned them down to the mattress, her thighs embraced his midriff.  She sated herself with him, engulfed in his smell she forgot the outside world, only two of them mattered now. Her form trembled underneath him when he moved, now much more decisively, fast and precise thrust slowly but surely emptying her brain from all unnecessary thoughts and worries, driving her crazy. 

His penetrating gaze never left her face, making sure there was no sign of discomfort or rejection.  But there was only satisfaction and invitation in her eyes, and for the first time in years he allowed himself to want something else than revenge and death, just for tonight. But deep down Blade knew it's not a one time thing, not when it feels so right. Not when he finally got a taste after convincing himself for months that it would be the best for everyone involved if he pretends Y/n is just a coworker to him, not a woman he dreams of each night before falling asleep. 

She hissed when his lips and fangs brushed over her pulse point. Poor y/n will have to cover up some hickeys in the morning, or who cares, he would simply tell her to keep them on sight, it's not like nobody can hear her cries. His steady, merciless pace made her climax way sooner than she expected, even so close to his own release he kept his rhythm. Her nails scratched his back harshly, but none of them worried if they will leave marks. This sensation combined with the way she clenched around him pushed him to his own orgasm. Praises y/n moaned into his ear went straight to his head, she shamelessly let him know just how much she loves what he does to her, how she wants him to never ever stop, how handsome and talented he is, how capable of making her cum harder than she ever did before for anybody else. He fucked her through her high with cocky smile on his face.  

As both of them calmed down he still moved inside her, giving y/n last few pushes, slow and gentle, as if he wanted to soothe her. Orgasmic haze faded away, leaving them with clear minds and sated bodies. Soon after her breathing evened out he pulled out kissing her forehead and picked his clothes up from the floor.  

- I thought you would stay with me - Arkonian barely managed to hide how hurt she was by the fact, that he just stood up instead of cuddling with her.  

- I will, but first do me a favour and put this on. - he passed her his shirt. - I don't want you to get sick and that's what will happen if you sleep in this thin lingerie of yours. 

- If I put this on will you come here? - she whined at him, pouting slightly.  

- You don't need to ask me twice. - Blade smiled at her. It looked a bit awkward.  

Y/n sighed in defeat and let him wrap way too big shirt around her, next he lied down by her side and covered them with a blanket. Not even a minute passed and she was out like a light. Blade admired how peacefully she slept in his arms, knowing damn well if something happened to her he would set whole known universe ablaze. Thought itself made his heart ache more than his hands did, unexpectedly y/n's massage indeed somehow alleviate the pain a little bit. He probably should ask her to do this more often, especially if it could end up with their bodies entangled once again. 

For now he decided to watch over her sleep and guard her through the night. He was well aware of her strength, she was more than able to protect her own self after hours of practicing martial arts with him, but sheltering Y/N from harm personally made him feel like he was doing a good job for his favourite girl. Sight of her in his shirt, smelling like him, covered in his marks with his semen dropping out of her made him feel like he claimed her in a way and it made him want to keep her safe and spoil her till she is ruined for other man cause nobody can satisfy her as well as he can.  

He wished he could enter her mind to learn all her deepest fantasies and cravings to fulfill them one by one so she needs him as much as he needed her. Perhaps she already did, y/n always considered him no matter what she was about to do, as if he was at all times on her mind. Took care of his wounds after missions and never judged him, never asked him to be somebody else. Never took advantage of his kindness or used any of his secrets against him, even in anger. Something so basic yet so rare nowadays. Y/n knew he yearned to rest in eternal peace but decided to cherish him either way without trying to fix those unrepairable parts of him or using him to feed any sort of saviour complex. Whenever he craved her company whether he was willing to admit that or not, she was always there for him, with cup of warm tea, bunch of bandages just in case and ready to listen about his struggles, always so understanding and nonjudgemental, his confidant, his true tranquillity. Flowing over him like holy water, washing away suffocating feelings inherited from his past.  Therefore in return he decided to give her the last years of his life and spend them well, making sure she's happy and secure. 

Blade promised this to himself with crescent moon above them as a witness, inspecting how it's soft light blessed y/n's features with ethereal glow. One thing he was sure of - once the time to join his fallen foxian friend in afterlife comes, y/n will understand and let him go with no resentment, but until then he will stay by her side like a silent protector, with red thread of fate binding them to each other, not as destiny's slaves but as it's choosers. 

[dollie-disaster-darling]

Fanart/rant

okay so I have really don't have talent or intelligence or any right to complain but I still will because I am nothing if not a whiny unlikeable worm. Credit to hyuneskkami for the dividers!

Here: https://www.tumblr.com/hyuneskkami/

First thing's first! Bad fanart:

Yeah no, I seriously need to have a more efficient of picking colors than testing out each one until I see one I like. Part of me died when I realized I got the colors of her bow reversed. Hands are still trash, the colors look a little different on camera, and I still failed on drawing the feet and heels despite my best efforts.

Second thing's second! The rant...

A. Why do they keep putting Kouyou in blue specifically?

I know she's likened to an 'ice queen' type, but she already has such a distinctive colour palette of black, pink, and white that to me personally, is part of what makes her so memorable and and so...kouyou but I haven't really seen it used in any official art that has her in outfits other than her usual get-up.

Is she put in blue because it contrasts with the warmth of her eyes and hair? Then I get it but still...! She gives off a different vibe and it's not like it's a meaningful flip of the aura she usually has like how Ranpo has some 'ooo sexy' arts that contrast with his usual goofiness!! It's just...there!

B. I have no idea how to feel about these:

The first one is just... it's a fit and a picture for sure. It sparks nothing from within me.

The second is a cute outfit and I think the not that attention-grabbing accessories fit her more mature demeanor. But I think her pose is too...open? Makes her look like a more friendly and harmless character. And I think a little darkness in the fit would help give her a small 'edge'.

i think the queen of hearts motif suits her, but something makes the look kind of awkward. Maybe it's how her face looks kind of far back compared to her chest that looks like it's twice as big as her waist? Her face looks like it's in a relaxed position while her upper body looks like it's in a tense and slightly uncomfortable position.

The fourth is...the fourth. I can't tell if her pose or the way her bangs make me go more :[ Why would you do her bangs like that. And what is her pose supposed to look like? It looks like she's near-sitting on nothing while being on her tippy toes. And it looks like she's staring off into space.

C. I like these! They feel more 'Kouyou' to me!

She looks really elegant! This is exactly like the style of clothes I see mature ladies in Japan wearing to formal events! They seem to really like that...sheer black layer(?) on their dresses and tops. Pearls too. The accessories aren't overpowering; they add to her beauty. I wish her hair was styled a bit, but I do know lots of people really like kouyou with her hair down. And I don't really like the block of white clips on one side, but it's not that big of a deal. Again, very elegant!

The pose is everything I want and more. Kouyou is a reserved and poised and elegant sure, but she's also a little theatrical! Playful in a sense that she knows she can cut you down to pieces! One hand close to her while the other is a little more out seems to really fit her! The claw clip is a nice alternative to her usual complicated hairstyle.

D. Ladies, Gentlemen and Esteemed guests in between: H E R .

Brown instead of black, softer pinks, and less layers. A really nice softer alternative traditional Japanese get-up to the one she usually wears. And there are still flowers on her kimono, yay. I can see her wearing this outside of work.

Gorgeous. Stunning. Absolutely life-changing. I remember seeing this picture for the first time and thanking whatever forces and circumstances landed me there, alive and able to witness Kouyou in an all-black, 'evil lady that kills people with no remorse' outfit.

Flowers, darkness, layers. Poised and posing great. The background? Severely bringing this to heaven. The more creative pose makes the dress *swirl* around her so elegantly. The hat helps make the fit not feel so bottom heavy.

Okay now *this* issues how to use colors that aren't usually in her color palette and make it *hit*. The blue here is so eye-catching and pops while looking good with the red and purples. The yellow helps to not make the whole fit feel so overwhelmingly strong or dark. And the expression on her face? I genuinely think this is the best one. So spooky yet so alluring.

This one is just good in general. I cannot find flaw in it. I look at this and know it's her and it gives me the feeling I expect to get when seeing my favourite character dressed up in something new. This is how I think her official should be like. Because even if it's her in different clothes, it still *feels* like her.

E. You. I hold hatred for you. You are the bane of my existence. Every time I think of you, I get a vaguely displeased feeling within me. (Warning: more incomprehensible and petty than previous rants)

Why does she have dis-knees.

Maybe she really *does* like dressing with chest windows when out of uniform. I find it a *little* weird that she has more art with lower necklines or an emphasis on the bust when the outfits she wears in canon are pretty covered up. Oh who am I kidding, it's just because they draw her with a bigger chest.

I won't complain much about her other outfits that accentuate her chest but I *will* complain about it here because this is supposed to be a qipao right??? Qipaos don't usually have a chest window. And Kouyou wears her usual traditional get up normally! I'd understand if she was a character that would wear her kimono with lower necklines or with a skirt or just deviate from how it's usually worn, but no!! She seems like the type to wear traditional clothes traditionally! Why did she have to wear one with a chest window???

Higuchi also has a chest window in this official art but even though she's shown to wear outfits that have more 'boxy' necklines, I'm more okay with her having it here because it's less emphasized and we don't know how she'd actually wear traditional clothes. Maybe she'd wear modified versions of traditionally Japanese clothes and thus, prefer a more modern qipao? Maybe!! But we see what Kouyou wears when wearing traditional clothes, and it's pretty traditional! No lower necklines, no slits, no nothing. The parts that deviate are the colors, the added bow, and the boots, not the shape of the actual clothing!

And I know she wears boots in the manga but those are knee-high and *these* are way higher than that. And the pure white on her boots and gloves feels kind of...jarring? Maybe the gloves are fine, but the boots look *lame*!! They don't look good on Higuchi, and they don't look good on Kouyou!

What is she doing with that fan. Why is she fingering it.

And her positioning. I can't tell if it's more forward or more to the left. Her waist and hips are tilting left, but with how big they draw her chest, shouldn't it also look more to the left? She's really just doing a dis-knees at a left tilt with her chest more forward while holding something in front of her and tilting her face down. Higuchi also has the high side slits but at least her pose doesn't look that off-putting. And Higuchi's colors look more distinct while Kouyou's kind of looks like they're bleeding into each other.

I'm not bashing Higuchi though, I'm happy they didn't mess her up that badly and that she has nice official art. It's just that when she's has the same art as kouyou, it's pretty obvious who has more thought put into them.

Anyways, back to the rant. They really couldn't have just put gold flower designs on Kouyou's qipao...? Really? Even though it's like, part of her whole thing?

And oh, both girls' hair looks kind of jarring. Couldn't they have just adjusted their usual hair or have them in different hairstyles? Or maybe it's just the poses making the hair look bad.

This is the picture. To remember.

And it's not like it was destined to be bad. Kouyou could've killed this look. If she was posed in a more natural way, if the clothes were picked with her character in mind, and if it felt more like her.

Overall, I'm not a designer or artist. I'm just a really big Kouyou fan. The artists that draw her official art have way more talent than I'll ever have. I just wish that her appearances feel like it's actually her and not just a look-alike. And I know lots of characters look off when it comes to official art, but I feel like there was at least more effort into making them look like themselves. That's all.

Live, Love, Kouyou.