#and i’m worried i’ll get too attached to ideas that would happen during a campaign which would probably not be great

[lemonlumens]

concept art for a dnd aasimar cleric that gets disowned by her god and becomes a barbarian

(more details about her under the cut)

okay so like i was possessed and just absolutely had to make this character. she doesn’t have a name yet cause although i have her basic premise down, i haven’t fleshed out her details and probably won’t until i get to play her (which’ll prolly be a while).

so, she’s an aasimar and was literally chosen by god, so by all means she’s set up to become a great and powerful healer, but then she grows up into a shitty person. like, believes that her god is The One True God in a world where it is incredibly easy to disprove that, she forces others to stick to The Holy Path of “Good” or she beats the fuck outta em, she’s got rage issues, she believes so deeply in her god and that she is always in the right because she is Holy despite like literal actual signs from her god to cut that shit out, and is just generally all around prejudiced and fucked up.

then she somehow meets her god and it weeps for what she has become for it never wanted any of this, and it cuts their connection, making her completely lose all her spells so she’s just no longer a cleric. then she screams and sobs and goes into a rage and punches god or something! from there she’s a barbarian hell bent on righting the things that she perceives has wronged her or something.

it’s pretty blurry because of course i’d need to play her and her story to flesh her out, but i really like the concept!

#my art #art #original art #digital art #doodles #dnd #dnd aasimar #dnd cleric #man i thought i liked my current playing character but wow i’m obsessed with this new one #i do have a little more thought in her backstory and thinking process but this is already long #and i’m worried i’ll get too attached to ideas that would happen during a campaign which would probably not be great #(idk tho i’ve played like 2 sessions in my life lol)

[oumaheroes]

Earthbound: Ludwig’s Story

Characters: Germany, Prussia

Context:

Hundreds of years after the fall of Earth, mankind is slowly starting to return. Some people have a stronger urge to return than others, confused by fragments of memories from a life already lived.

Arthur’s story can be found here. 

Matthew’s story can be found here.

Gabriel’s story can be found here.

---------------------------------------------

Ludwig is six, and is sick again. The doctors don't know what's wrong with him; they know what's causing it at least but they have no idea why. He can't keep food down and every time he tries to stand the world pitches and swims and he can't keep his balance so he never manages to stay up for long before he bonelessly falls to the floor, where he feels no better.

It's the gravity, the doctors say, for some reason he's affected by the gravity. The artificial gravity that he's known all his life; it's as if he's just climbed aboard and his body suffers from relapses where it just can't acclimatise. Where it suddenly realises that something's not quite right and rebels against him for a week or so. This his family already knows, but his mother isn't satisfied with such a lacklustre answer so she takes him to a different doctor every time he suffers another attack just in case one of them is even marginally more competent than the last. These 'episodes', as his mother likes to call them, don't happen all that often, but he seems to have one every ten months or so and they are regular enough to annoy his mother to no end. Ludwig doesn't really know if she's annoyed that no one can fix him or with him himself, Gilbert won't say and normally his big brother talks to pretend that he knows something so his silence worries Ludwig the most.

Mother is a very important person with a very important job: she's a governor of the space station upon which they live and it is very important that Ludwig remembers this. So, when he's laying in bed clutching at his belly and desperately clenching his eyes shut to minimise the swaying, his friends at school think that he is away for a special training academy. Because can you just imagine, the governor of a space station's son being space sick?

His father doesn't like to call it that because he thinks it's degrading so his mother doesn't, when she thinks Ludwig can't hear, anyway, but Ludwig knows that's what the kids at school would say so he happily keeps mum because it's easier than lying. They don't talk to him much besides, they find him too cold and distant but that's because he's so scared of disgracing his mother further that he can't quite relax fully.

When Ludwig is thirteen his mother, after exhausting all doctors aboard their large floating colony, finally accepts that it's unlikely that this small problem of his is going to go away. Her way of dealing with it is to pretend that it just doesn't happen; during an attack Ludwig is sent to his room where he stays painfully alone with only his books for company whilst she busies herself with her new campaigns. She's running for director now, aiming as high as she can go and there's no room for weak, feeble Ludwig all the way up there.

His brother tries his best to keep him entertained and happy during these times, but Gilbert is healthy, strong, smart; he's everything that Ludwig should also be able to grow up to be and their parents have sent him off to expensive schools which means that he's more often away from home than not. Sometimes Ludwig wonders if they've sent him away because they want Gilbert to be the all around best he can be, or if it's to distance him as much as they can from Ludwig. It's almost as if they're worried that Ludwig will taint him, or that maybe Gilbert will grow too attached to him and distract himself from what's really important. That Ludwig will anchor him down.

At five years older it's highly unlikely that Ludwig will be the one doing the influencing, but his brother, despite hardly seeing each other and such a large age difference, does seem to genuinely care for him. During one particular attack, when Ludwig is eighteen, Gilbert is home from university; it is almost Christmas and his family are preparing to travel to where his grandparents live on the other side of the space station, where they'll spend the holiday. Of course, it is now that his body decides to betray him.

He, his parents, and his brother are gathered around the large dining room table finishing off dinner. It is tense. Mostly it is Gilbert who talks because despite their mother's cool demeanour and their father's lack of interest he seems to always have something to say to fill the silence and speaks easily. Even with the response he gets, or lack of it, he seems honestly unperturbed and remains cheerful, somehow managing to both eat and speak without seeming impolite. As much as he loves his brother, Ludwig is also supremely jealous.

He stares at his fork, contemplating which point in the evening would be best to ask if he could slip away, when his body decides for him. His stomach swoops, his ears pop and the table tilts alarmingly. He clenches the edge in panic to remain upright and the noise alerts his mother, who looks up from her dessert in irritation.

'Ludwig, we are going away tomorrow.'

'M- mother-'

His mother sighs and looks at his father, who sharply stares back. 'Dear?'

His father grunts and spears another forkful of fruit pie. 'They're expecting him to come.'

'But the photographers-'

'What do you want me to do, Hilda?'

Meanwhile, Ludwig has still not been dismissed and cannot now seem to find the words to ask for permission himself without spewing all over the fancy silverware. He doubts that that will make the situation better, somehow. Gilbert notices and stands, attracting his parents' attention.

'I'll take Luddy to his room.'

'Darling...' their mother tries to say something, but it's what she's trying not to say that comes across the loudest.

Gilbert ignores her and walks around the table, slowly helping Ludwig to his feet, then away from the table and swiftly towards a bathroom. They make it just in time. Gilbert pats him comfortingly on the back and rubs soothing circles into his shoulders until he's finished, then hands him a glass of water.

'So, they're still arseholes, huh?'

Ludwig snaps his head up in horror, but this is a bad idea because the image of Gilbert swims before him and he has to shut his eyes.

'Don't call them that.' He finally manages, weakly.

Gilbert tuts. 'What the fuck did they feed you with in order to churn your personality out.'

Ludwig lays his head on the cool tiles of the floor and groans inwardly at how nice the feeling is. 'They're not arseholes.'

'Yeah, and my name's Shirley.'

Ludwig cracks open an eye, but Gilbert's not joking. He is, for once, deadly serious. 'How'd you put up with them Lud?'

Ludwig shrugs and gives a small shake of his head. 'They're our parents, Gil. They still care for me. Besides, I'm not exactly making it easy for them.'

Gilbert looks disgusted. 'You're their fucking son, arsehole. They're supposed to take care of you. They ain't even doing that right are they?' Gilbert runs a hand through his shock of white hair and bits his bottom lip whilst he shakes his head. 'Look at how they treat you versus me.'

'Yes, but I'm not exactly-'

'But nothing!' Gilbert raises his voice slightly and swallows. When he speaks again, he's much quieter, back under control. 'Have they got you in a university programme yet?'

Ludwig's silence is answer enough and Gilbert sighs deeply before brushing back Ludwig's sweaty fringe. 'There's nothing wrong with you Lud.' His brother sounds so very sad. 'Fuck, there's nothing wrong with you at all. They know full well that if they put you on a planet rather than this floating heap of rust that you'll probably be alright. And have they? Have they fuck.'

Ludwig wants to argue against him, wants to say something to stand up for himself if not for their parents but his eyes are suddenly burning and his throat is choked up. He knew a long time ago that his parents had given up on him, but to hear it from someone else hurts more sharply than anything he tells himself.

There's an odd companionable silence for a while; Ludwig lays still with his face against the floor and his brother's hand carding through his hair so he almost misses what Gilbert says next.

'I was gonna wait till Boxing Day, but I've got us tickets for Earth.'

Ludwig tenses and holds his breath. Gilbert continues. 'I was gonna wake you up on the 26th and take you away with me, but I want to tell you now instead, cause you look like shit. We're gonna get out of here Luddy; I've always wanted to take you to a planet and what better one is there than the original, huh?'

'You, I- you can't- what about your studies? The internship you've got?' Ludwig manages to stammer out, opening his eyes.

Gilbert brushes his concerns aside. 'I never liked medicine, really. I've always wanted to go to a planet, so I'm mega up for it.'

Ludwig knows he should say no, knows that he shouldn't take up the offer. He'd be denying his brother so much, he'd be exactly what their parents worried he'd be because he'll only drag Gilbert down and down and down like a heavy lead weight and ruin all of his chances at a good life.

But Ludwig wants to be selfish. He reaches out and clasps onto Gilbert's hand, squeezing it tightly. 'Gil...'

Gilbert flashes him a grin and winks. 'I know, right? How awesome am I?'

---------------------------

AN:

I’ve been a very busy bee recently and haven’t been able to write anything, so in lieu of something new, have something old.

This is from my fic Earthbound, which I’m embarassingly fond of. It’s made up of several different stories and Ludwig and Gilbert’s is the one that I’m the most happy with after all these years.

Hope you enjoyed!

#aph germany #hws germany #hws prussia #aph prussia #hetalia #Hetalia Earthbound AU #my writing #I'll give it that epilogue one day i swear it

[fridayfirefly]

Picture Perfect Chapter One: Photoshoot

Masterlist | AO3

Written for Adrinette April Day 20: Photoshoot

Summary: Marinette Dupain-Cheng's life was nowhere near normal, but she had everything under control. She had gotten over her crush on Adrien, started a semi-successful online store for her designs, and was thriving as Ladybug.

However, her control was anything but permanent. Just when Marinette was getting adjusted to her new normal, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity pulled her right into chaos. Suddenly thrust head-first into the social media spotlight, Marinette finds herself having to navigate the complex world of the Parisian fashion industry, with only her boyfriend, Adrien Agreste at her side. The problem with that last bit - the only reason that she's dating Adrien in the first place is as a publicity stunt, and if anyone finds that out, than Marinette could lose everything that she's been working for in the fashion industry.

In a new world of fake dating, photoshoots, and fashion shows, can Marinette become the picture perfect model that everyone expects her to be, or will she crack under the pressure and lose everything?

"Marinette, I'm not sure that this photoshoot is the best idea. What if you need to transform but can't because you don't have your earrings with you?" Tikki worried.

Marinette shrugged as she fluttered around her room, packing everything she would need for the day into her purse. "I already asked, and I was told that I would be allowed to have my purse with me at all of the shooting locations, as long as it was out of the way. I won't have my earring in, but I will have them close-by the entire time."

"I still don't like that you won't have your Miraculous on you. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Remember what happened with Reflekdoll. Remember what a disaster that was!"

"Mister Bug and I still defeated the akuma, even if I was Lady Noire during the fight. Besides, that won't happen again because I came up with a better solution." Marinette took the earrings out of her ears. "Instead of having them in my ears, which will get in the way of the photoshoot, I'll attach them to my bra. That way, they'll be with me, out of the way, the whole time."

"That makes me feel a little better," admitted Tikki. "Won't that be uncomfortable for you, though?"

"It might be a little uncomfortable, but it won't be unbearable. Besides, I'd do anything to help ease your worry.

"Thank you, Marinette."

"Your welcome." Marinette glanced at the clock on her wall. "Now, I have to get going. I don't want to be late to my very first professional photo shoot."

Marinette entered into the lobby of the Gabriel building with only a few minutes to spare. She spotted Adrien and walked up to him with a smile on her face. She had made progress in talking to him over the past few years - her first year of collège, she was a stuttering mess. Now, about to enter her first year of lycée, she barely stumbled over her words at all around him.

“Hey, Adrien. Are you excited about the photoshoot?” asked Marinette.

“Sure,” said Adrien. "How about you."

Marinette smiled. “I’m super excited. I’m getting an inside look at the world of fashion modeling.”

Adrien smiled back. “I’m sure someday people like me will be modeling your designs.”

Marinette flushed. “I can only hope.”

“You’re extremely talented, Marinette. I’m certain that someday in the future I’ll be wearing your designs at a photo shoot just like this one.”

In lieu of stammering out a 'thank you' to the compliment, Marinette glanced behind Adrien and saw that the director of the photoshoot had arrived. "Oh, Monsieur Perrin is here.”

“I’ve worked with him before. He’s one of my favorites. He lets the models call him Oscar.”

“Let’s go over before we get yelled at," said Marinette.

"Listen up, everyone," said Oscar. "I'm sure you all understand why you're here. Recent surveys conducted by Gabriel have revealed that the reason that the Gabriel brand isn't doing well with children is that it appears too polished to appeal to your age group. The "Not Just For Models" campaign is supposed to change that. By showing that Gabriel's clothes are designed for all people in mind - not just professional models - we hope that our sales will increase. Your class - sans Adrien - are the non-models of our photoshoot. So don't worry about being under-qualified - that's the reason why you're all here. Now, off to hair and makeup."

The class walked as a group to the building where the start of the photoshoot would be held. It was half indoors, half outdoors, with the whole next year of fashion involved. Adrien himself admitted that it was one of the largest photoshoots

"Bye Adrien," Marinette said as she entered the girl's dressing room.

"See you in a bit, Marinette," Adrien replied.

Marinette squealed as soon as she was out of earshot of Adrien. "I can't believe I get to be in the same photoshoot as Adrien. It's like a dream come true."

"You're totally going to kill it out there," encouraged Alya as she sat down in one of the makeup chairs.

Marinette sat down in the chair next to Alya. "I hope so."

"Hello, my name is Rosalie, and I'll be doing your hair today.

"Hi, Rosalie. My name is Marinette."

Rosalie reached to pull out Marinette's hairbows, and Marinette reflexively put a hand over them.

"I prefer to keep my hair up."

"It's alright if you want your hair to be up in the photoshoot, we were instructed to not do anything you're uncomfortable with. However, I do need to see what I'm working with."

"Okay," Marinette agreed as Rosalie pulled the hair bows out.

Soft, dark hair flowed down over Marinette's shoulders, but Marinette refused to look at it. "Your hair is very soft," commented Rosalie as she ran a brush through the raven-colored hair. Marinette kept her eyes trained down at her lap. She hadn't worn her hair down in public in years, not since Chloé glued Marinette hair to the back of her chair back in primary school. Chloé hadn't gotten in trouble, even though it was entirely her fault. Marinette had to cut off five inches of hair, and ever since then, she wore her hair up. Space buns, french braids, pigtails - the style changed, but her hair was always kept up, out of danger.

The sound of a squirt bottle interrupted Marinette from her concentrated ignorance. "This is just hair protection spray, to protect your hair from heat damage from the curling iron. Marinette kept her eyes down at her phone as Rosalie worked with the hair curler.

"Marinette, your hair looks so cute down," said Alya.

Marinette finally looked at herself in the mirror. Her sleek, dark hair flowed over her shoulders. She looked more mature - Chloé had always been critical of Marinette's pigtails, telling her that she looked like a toddler. With her hair down and curled to perfection, Marinette looked older, more like a university student than like a lycée student.

"It's... It looks really nice," Marinette admitted.

"Would you be willing to leave it down like this for the photoshoot?" asked Rosalie.

Marinette furrowed her brow as she thought it over. On one hand, she had sworn to herself years ago that as long as Chloé - or any bully - was in her class, she would wear her hair up, to keep it safe. She loved her hair too much to have to cut it all off again. On the other hand, her hair was beautiful, and she wanted others to see it too. She didn't exactly look like a model, but she looked much more model-worthy than before. Besides, did she really want her childish pigtails immortalized forever through the photoshoot? This was her chance to prove herself to the fashion world, she didn't want to look like an immature little kid. "I like it," said Marinette. "I think I'll wear it down for the photo shoot."

Rosalie smiled. "Wonderful. Now I'll move onto makeup, and then you'll go to wardrobe to get dressed and have any last-minute alterations made."

As Rosalie did her makeup, Marinette eagerly anticipated getting to talk to the designers of the clothes while she got fitted. Someday, she hoped that she would be a designer at a big photoshoot like this, fitting her creations to the bodies of the models so that the whole world could see her fashion creations.

"Hold still," said Rosalie as she brushed mascara onto Marinette's eyelashes.

More cream and powder was brushed onto Marinette's face until Rosalie finally instructed. "Now close your eyes and hold your breath while I apply the setting spray."

Marinette did as she was told, and felt the spray's mist hit her face. She kept her eyes closed as she waited for it to dry, then opened them back up.

"Done," announced Rosalie.

Marinette looked at her reflection in the mirror and gasped. She looked stunning. Dark eyeliner and pink blush - Marinette still looked like herself, but everything was enhanced.

"Alright, now off to wardrobe for you," said Rosalie. "If you need any touch-ups during the shoot, just come to me. I put some product in to keep your hair from getting frizzy, and the setting spray I just used should keep your make-up in place. Sound good?"

"Sounds good," said Marinette, hopping out of the chair. "Thank you, Rosalie."

"Thank you, Marinette, for being such a wonderful model. You have much better manners than most models I've had to work with. They complain about every little thing."

"I'm not really a complainer. I'll see you later."

"Bye, Marinette."

Marinette walked to wardrobe and found the garment bag with her name on it. She went to pull it off the rack when she was intercepted by a designer.

"No touching. Leave it to the professionals," the designer scolded.

"Oh, sorry," apologized Marinette, anxiety blossoming in her chest. She had just messed up in front of one of the designers - potentially one of her coworkers if all went well. "I don't know the protocol around here."

"Of course you don't, and you aren't expected to. We're well aware that none of you are trained models. Just follow our lead, and you'll do fine." The pep talk sounded rehearsed, but it still soothed Marinette's nerves.

"Okay. Well, I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

"Helena Benoit. You can call me Helena, I don't particularly care for formalities. In this setting. I'll be fitting you into your clothes today. Now, follow me back into the dressing room and I'll get you ready for the shoot."

Marinette followed Helena back into the dressing room. Helena pulled out of the garment bag a soft cable-knit taupe sweater, a black knee-length skirt, and a pair of black combat boots.

"The first segment of the shoot is for the autumn collection. We'll take the indoor shots, then move outdoors. Then we'll move onto the winter shoot, which will be taken indoors. To give the illusion of it actually being winter, we use fake snow and green screens, along with pink makeup on your nose and ears, to give the illusion of the cold. After that, we'll stop for your lunch break. The models will all go back to hair and makeup for touchups. Then we'll move onto the spring shoot, indoors and outdoors, then the summer shoot, indoors and outdoors. Last but not least, will be the shots for the formalwear catalog. All of the photos taken today will be used in the Gabriel catalog, which comes out every year on January 1st."

"But..." Marinette calculated in her head. "That's almost five months away."

"It takes a while to get the photos edited and to put together the catalog. There's the physical copy of the catalog, as well as an entire online catalog that has to be made as well. It's a very intense process. Rome wasn't built in a day, and all. For Gabriel, building Rome is a year-round process. As soon as we finish one year's Rome, the next year's Rome is there to take its place."

Marinette nodded her head. "I suppose that makes sense."

"Now get changed into your outfit. And don't you dare tear or stretch anything. If you have trouble getting something on, just call for assistance."

Marinette very delicately changed into the skirt and sweater. They fit like a glove, which made sense - everything had been made according to the measurements that had been taken three months earlier.

"Does it look alright?" asked Marinette as soon as she stepped out of the dressing room.

Helena circled her, examining it. "Everything fits, which is good. I don't think you'll need any adjustments. Now take it off - carefully - and try on the second autumn outfit."

The second autumn outfit was an off-white blouse, a charcoal gray cardigan, and a pair of black jeans, along with black flats and a silver necklace. Marinette knew that there was no way she would get to keep the clothes that she was modeling, but she desperately wished that she could. Gabriel was one of her favorite fashion brands, and the clothes were more chic than anything she ever made.

"How does it look?" Marinette asked.

Helena smiled. "It looks good on you, Marinette. Now come with me. It's time for you to see what modeling is all about."

Marinette followed Helena to the room where the autumn indoor pictures were to be shot. There were three different "rooms" if you could call them that. One was set up to look like a school library, one was a café, and one was a bedroom.

"Marinette," Alya called out. "Come over here and show everyone your new hair."

Marinette self-consciously reached for her hair but stopped before she messed it up. "Bye, Helena."

"Do you guys like it?" Marinette asked nervously.

"Like it? We love it!" cheered Rose, wearing an olive-green shirt, blue jeans, and a gray beanie.

"Your hair looks really cute down," said Juleka, her violet bangs pulled up away from her eyes. She was dressed in a gray sweater dress and black leggings.

"Marinette?" Adrien's voice asked from behind her. "I've never seen you with your hair down before."

Marinette turned around to face him, blushing slightly. "Surprise?" She said hesitantly. "Do you like it?"

"It looks... wow. It looks amazing. You should wear it down more often."

"Really? You think so?"

"I do. I think it looks really good on you. With that hair, you should be the professional model, not me."

Marinette laughed. "I would never make it in the modeling world. According to my very talented hairstylist, Rosalie, I'm not whiney enough to be a proper model."

Adrien winced slightly. "Trust me, Marinette, it would be a blessing to have less whiney models to deal with. I can't count the number of times that I've had a shoot postponed for half an hour because some model didn't like the way their hair looked or refused to let their designer make an alteration because 'there's no way I gained weight in the past three weeks'. It gets pretty exhausting. Having someone like you on set would be a breath of fresh air."

Marinette blushed even harder. "If you say so."

"Everyone gather 'round," Oscar announced. "Now that all of our models are ready, it's time to start the shoot."

"Good luck, Marinette," whispered Adrien.

Marinette smiled. "Thank you. I know you don't need it, but good luck to you too, Adrien."

Marinette's first experience in modeling was with Adrien, Alix, and Kim in the fake school library. Marinette was posed sitting on top of the table, with Adrien in the chair next to her. A prop textbook was laid out in front on Marinette, Adrien had his own prop notebook and pen. It was supposed to look like they were studying, which didn't make sense to Marinette. If she and Adrien were really studying, she would be in the seat next to him, not perched up on the table. Though she had to admit, it was better than what Alix had to go through. The way she and Kim were posed, Kim was "helping" her get a book off of a high shelf. Alix had already been scolded twice for scowling, and Kim wasn't making it any better, teasing her about her height every time Oscar turned around.

"Everyone relax, please release the tension from your shoulders, Alix. One... Two... Three... Hold your positions... One... Two... Three..."

Marinette kept a reserved smile on her face, trying to pretend that she was just studying with a friend. She kept in her mind that it was just any other day at school, even though it was actually August, and school wouldn't be starting up for another three weeks.

"Good. Kim and Alix, you can leave the set. Adrien, Marinette, you two stay there and I'll get some close-up shots."

Marinette breathed out nervously. Adrien put his hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner. "Don't worry Marinette. Just act natural."

"Just act natural," Marinette echoed.

"Alright. Marinette, you are helping Adrien with his..." Oscar flipped to the cover of the textbook. "Biology homework."

Marinette stared down at the textbook, gesturing at one of the diagrams. She kept a slight smile on her face, trying to convey that she enjoyed helping her friends.

"Marinette, tilt your body more towards the camera. Cross your legs at the ankles, not at the knees Adrien, eyes on Marinette. Good, good. One... Two... Three..."

"Alright, Adrien and Marinette, you two have good chemistry together. I want you two to stick together for duo shots, okay."

"Sure thing, Oscar," replied Adrien.

Marinette's brain froze for a second. She and Adrien had good chemistry together. She and Adrien would be taking pictures together all day. "O-Okay," Marinette stammered.

"Good, now you move over to the bedroom set. I'm going to take a few more pictures at the library. Then I'll move the camera over to the bedroom set. We'll do a group shot there, then a couple of duo and trio shots. Then we'll move to the café scene. Alright?"

"Alright," Marinette responded, still dazed from Oscar's comment. She hadn't quite processed the situation yet.

Adrien grabbed Marinette's hand and led her over to one of the couches by the back wall. "They have these here for the model breaks. You look like you might need to sit down for a minute."

"Maybe just a minute," agreed Marinette. "Do they have any water?"

"Yeah, they have bottles in the back room. I'll go grab one for you." Adrien disappeared through a doorway. Marinette collapsed onto the couch, sinking into the couch cushions. She was so used to things in her life turning out wrong, that she felt uncomfortable with the way that everything that day had turned out perfectly. Her hair and makeup looked perfect, none of her outfits needed altered, she got to be in pictures with Adrien - it was like a dream come true.

"Dupain-Cheng." Chloé Bourgeoise's nasally voice distracted Marinette from her thoughts. "You must think you're so special just because you get to take pictures with Adrien. Well, I'm sure that once Gabriel Agreste sees the final pictures, he'll be utterly horrified that Oscar put someone like you next to Adrien, an actual model. He'll have to redo the shots, and I'm sure he'll bring me in to retake them because Adrien and I are such good friends."

"Go away, Chloé," sighed Marinette.

"Oh, no. Am I hurting your feelings?" Chloé taunted. "You look utterly ridiculous with your hair down like that. You should go back to pigtails, that way everyone knows how childish and immature you are."

"Chloé." Adrien's voice was cold. "I think you should apologize to Marinette."

"Wha- Adrien, I didn't see you come back," Chloé sounded nervous. "I was just talking with Marinette and-"

"Apologize, Chloé. Then leave Marinette and I alone."

"I don't have to say anything to Marinette Dupain-Cheng."

"Now."

There was something in Adrien's voice, something hard and unyielding, that brought Chloé to stammer out, "I'm very sorry, Dupain-Cheng." She then scurried back to the other students without even a single backward glance.

"What was that all about?" asked Marinette, slightly concerned at Adrien's change of attitude.

Adrien flushed. "My Father has been training me to take over the company someday. He taught me how to do that - how to talk and make people listen to you. It's not something I would normally do, but I hate the thought of people bullying you. Especially after everything that happened with Lila..."

Marinette kept her eyes trained down at her hands. She was still upset about her near-suspension at the end of last school year. Although Marinette hadn't been expelled in the end, as Lila had come forward, admitting to having a "lying disease" (and Marinette still wasn't quite sure what caused Lila to come forward to the administration. At first, Marinette hoped that Lila had simply come to her senses, but Lila's grudge against Marinette hadn't faded in the least) Marinette still felt hurt by the fact that the administration was willing to suspend her on circumstantial evidence alone, without even bothering to check the video cameras.

"Here's your water, by the way."

"Thanks, Adrien," Marinette gave him a strained smile. "I'd just rather not talk about Lila." Marinette opened the bottle and took a long drink of water, careful not to smudge her lipstick.

"Could I ask you a question?" asked Adrien.

"Sure."

"How come you never wear your hair down? I've known you for three whole years now, and today is the first time I've ever seen it down."

"When I was eight years old, Chloé glued my hair to the back of my chair. I nearly ripped it all out of my scalp when I tried to stand up to go to lunch. It hurt so bad I sobbed until my Mom came to get me. My teacher had to cut my hair off to free me - I lost five inches of hair that day. I was traumatized, but Chloé didn't get in trouble. She never gets in trouble."

"I'm sorry that that happened to you," said Adrien. "You look very pretty with your hair down, by the way."

Marinette blushed, but managed to hide it with a well-timed drink of water. "Thank you."

"Adrien, Marinette, get back here for the bedroom photos," Oscar called out.

Adrien and Marinette got back to the bedroom set just as Oscar was posing the students for the class picture.

"Alright, the whole class is hanging out at Sabrina's house after school. Sabrina, Chloé, and Max, you three are all sitting on the bed, playing some sort of card game. Alya in the desk chair and Nino is sitting on the desk behind her. Marinette, you sit upon the windowsill, and Adrien, you stand beside her, you two will be talking to Alya and Nino, just having a friendly conversation. Kim, you, Nathanial, and Alix are all bringing in snacks. Ivan, Mylène, Rose, and Juleka, you four are on the floor in the foreground, working on homework. Is everyone in position?"

The whole class chorused "Yes" and Oscar started taking pictures. "Now remember everybody - you're happy to be here. Some smiles - not like you know your picture is being taken, but like you're having a good time with friends. Good, good. One... Two... Three... And I think we've gotten enough pictures of the whole group. Now I want Juleka and Rose, you two stay. Sabrina, Chloé, and Max, you three stay as well.  Everyone else can move on to the café set."

Adrien pulled out one of the café chairs for Marinette. "Take a seat. It'll take a couple of minutes for Oscar to get the shots he wants, and knowing Chloé, she'll cause as many delays as possible."

Marinette's lips twitched upwards into a smile. "Chloé does love causing problems."

Adrien sighed. "You got that right. I've known her for years - my Father despises her, but he has to stay in Audrey Bourgeoise's good graces if he wants anything positive written about him in Style Queen. So I have to suck it up and pretend to tolerate Chloé's presence."

"That sounds exhausting," noted Marinette.

"It can be. Usually, Chloé is somewhat perceptive of how far is too far, but around you, but sometimes I have to remind her of where the line is. I have to make sure she knows that our friendship isn't guaranteed. If she wants to be friends with me, she has to play nice with my friends, which includes you."

"I'm glad we're friends," said Marinette. "I'm glad that you transferred into my class, even if it means that you had to put up with Chloé."

Adrien smiled, and Marinette felt warm inside.

"It's a shame that Lila couldn't come to the photoshoot," commented Alya as she sat down next to Marinette. "It would be nice to have another experienced model around to give us pointers."

Marinette frowned, pretending to be upset. "It's such a shame that her vacation to the Bahamas couldn't be rescheduled."

Marinette was certain that if Lila could have found a way to lie her way back into the photoshoot she would have, but she had managed to lie herself into a corner. It started in January when Mylène scheduled their class to help build a new community garden months in advance. However, to gain Mylène's trust, Lila had already lied about being very involved in building community gardens and other green spaces. If she showed up to help build, it would be obvious to the whole class that Lila had lied about her extensive list of community service. So Lila created a week-long trip to the Bahamas, a trip that her mother refused to let Lila reschedule. When the news broke that their class was chosen to be the models for the new Agreste photoshoot, there was nothing that Lila could do. If she pretended that her vacation had gotten rescheduled, she would be forced to help the class build the community garden, revealing her lie about being an experienced builder. So Lila skipped the photoshoot in its entirety. Over video chat, Lila pretended that it didn't bother her, but Marinette could see the anger hidden in Lila's eyes. It angered Lila to no end that her lies had, for once, placed her at the disadvantage.

"Well, there will be other opportunities for Lila to model. Besides, the photoshoot is meant to feature non-models at the forefront."

"You're right," said Alya. "And I'm sure Lila is enjoying herself at the beach right now. I'll call her later tonight, but right now we have to focus on modeling."

Marinette nodded, a genuine smile on her face. Lila wasn't at the beach right now. She was probably holed up in her bedroom, fuming at the idea of Adrien at a photo shoot without her.

"On to the café shots," announced Oscar. "I want Ivan and Mylène on this side of the café table, and Adrien and Marinette on the other side. You four are on a double date."

"Ridiculous!" Chloé snapped. "As if Adrien would ever date someone as utterly lame as Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Put me in the shot, not her."

"Miss Bourgeoise," Oscar sounded fed up. "If you cannot behave yourself, I will have to ask you to leave the photo shoot."

"But-"

"Please cease your interruptions, and allow me to do my job."

Chloé huffed angrily but didn't speak another word.

"Alright, back to the shoot. Ivan and Mylène and Adrien and Marinette are all on a double date. Everyone make sure that your prop coffee is in front of you. You're all talking to each other, having a good time on your double date. Ivan, angle your body towards the camera a little more. Good, good. The date is going well, everyone is smiling. One... Two... Three... Excellent! Our couples look very lovely together."

Adrien and Marinette left the set as Oscar pulled Alya, Nino, Nathanial, and Alix up to be a part of the second set of photos, a group study session.

"Did you hear that," joked Adrien, "We make a lovely couple."

Marinette laughed, pretending that she found the concept just as ridiculous as Adrien seemed to find it. On the inside, her heart fluttered to a stop. Everyone seemed to see how well she and Adrien worked together - everyone but Adrien, that is. No matter what Marinette did, he only ever seemed to see her as a friend.

"I guess that means you're my boyfriend now," Marinette joked through the hurt. "And as my boyfriend, your first job is to go fetch me my water."

"Sure thing." Adrien started to walk away.

Marinette collapsed into a chair next to Alya as soon as Adrien was out of earshot. "Is it just me, or is Adrien possibly the most oblivious boy on the planet. 'We make a lovely couple.' He says it like it's the most outlandish thing in the world."

Nino shook his head. "Adrien is a little hopeless when it comes to romance. I'll try to talk some sense into him in the dressing rooms."

Marinette gave Nino a weak smile. "Thanks, Nino, but I'm beginning to think that this whole this is hopeless."

Alya gasped. "But you've had a crush on Adrien for three years. You can't give up now."

"I'm not giving up. I'm just changing my priorities. My friendship with Adrien is important for me, more important than my silly collège crush. I'll put our friendship first, and if that's all we end up being, I'll treasure our friendship more than anything in the world, the way I treasure my friendships with all of you."

"Aw, you're such a sweetheart, Marinette," said Alya, wrapping Marinette up in a hug. "And don't worry - I'll find you a rebound crush."

Marinette giggled, pushing Alya off of her. "No rebounds. I've had enough romance drama. I need a detox."

"What are we detoxing from?" Adrien asked, returning with water for all four of them.

"Social media," Alya lied, putting her improv skills to the test. "Marinette spent all day yesterday on Instagram when she should have been working on a new design project. I'm thinking we should all take a social media detox in September. New school year, new good habits."

"Yep," Marinette agreed. "If I'm going to have a new wardrobe made in time for the start of the school year, I have to stop procrastinating and start sewing."

"A whole new wardrobe. That's rather ambitious," Adrien noted.

"Now that we're moving from collège to lycée, I want a more mature look. No more glitter and sequins. I want to be taken seriously as a designer, despite my age. Plus, I'm planning on entering some of my creations into design contests. I have a whole notebook full of new ideas, I just need to get them off the page and onto my mannequin."

"Well, I'll check with my Father to see if we currently have any design competitions open to lycée students."

"Thanks, Adrien," Marinette said brightly.

"No problem. Anything for a friend."

"Children, listen up," Oscar called. "Everyone back to the dressing rooms to change into your second autumn outfit. Then we'll head outside for the outdoor shots."

"See you later boys," Alya said, grabbing Marinette's hand and pulling her towards the dressing rooms.

"Thanks for the water," Marinette called out as she was pulled away by Alya.

"I know you said no rebound boys," said Alya as soon as the dressing room door closed behind them. "But Nino has a really cute cousin named-"

Marinette shook her head. "No. I'm still not completely over Adrien. I'm just putting my crush on him on hold so that it doesn't completely ruin our friendship. He's into Kagami way more than me, anyway."

"Ugh, Kagami," Alya groaned.

"She's nice once you get to know her," Marinette defended. "Kagami just isn't great at communicating. She's very reserved."

Alya smiled. "You're too nice, Marinette."

Marinette shook her head. "You're too nice, complimenting me all the time. Anyways, no more boy talk, we have to get dressed."

Marinette quickly found Helena and got changed into the sweater and skirt. "Does it still look good?"

Helena pursed her lips. "I need to call someone in for a second opinion. I think your outfit could use an accessory or two."

Helena left the room, and Marinette used her time alone to get a good look at her outfit in the mirror. As a design exercise, Marinette wanted to see if she could predict what the designers would recommend her to accessorize with. Definitely gold over silver. Not a bracelet or watch, as the sleeves of the sweater would cover it. Maybe an earring and necklace combo. Small gold ring earrings, and some layered gold necklaces, perhaps with a simple charm like a leaf on one of them, to represent autumn.

"Let me get a good look at her." Marinette recognized the man who walked into her dressing room. Clément Devaux was the head of Gabriel's design department and one of Marinette's biggest inspirations. He examined Marinette for a moment, then responded, "I agree, her outfit could use an accessory."

Marinette took a deep breath, and without overthinking it, took her chance. "Could I suggest the accessories. I'm an aspiring designer myself."

M. Devaux looked at Marinette with interest in his gaze. "Let me see what you've got."

"Small gold stud earrings and three gold necklaces, layered on top of each other. The one in the middle should have some sort of small charm or design on it, to draw attention to it and the sweater."

M. Devaux nodded. "I like what your thinking Marinette. It was very similar to what I was planning, though I would go with small ring earrings, rather than studs. You have a good eye for design, for your age."

Marinette smiled at the praise. "Thank you. I actually won a Gabriel design contest two years ago. My hat was featured in his fashion show last year."

M. Devaux narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "You must be Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng, then. I remember your hat well - I designed the suit that Adrien wore while modeling it."

Marinette's eyes widened. "That suit was amazing. It looked so good on Adrien."

"Thank you for the praise, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng."

"You can call me Marinette," Marinette offered.

"I think I'll stick to your last name. We'll leave the first-name basis for when we're co-workers." M. Devaux smiled at Marinette. "After all, I believe that you have a lot of potential. You're talented enough to land a designer job at Gabriel after you graduate from university. I know for a fact that M. Agreste already has his eye on you."

"O-Okay," Marinette stammered, suddenly overwhelmed.

"I'm going to go acquire your jewelry. I hope you have a good rest of your day here, Marinette."

"Thank you," Marinette said.

Marinette overheard M. Devaux start talking to Helena as they left the dressing room together. "I do wish M. Agreste would consider switching models. I would much prefer to work with young Mademoiselle Dupain-Cheng over that salope, Lila Rossi."

Helena came back a minute later with the jewelry and Marinette put it on. Helena helped her to get the necklaces to layer correctly - Marinette noticed that the design on the middle necklace was a gold oak leaf.

"Much better," said Helena. "Now off you go for the outdoor shots. I'm sure everyone is waiting for you."

Marinette hurried out to the courtyard, where the class was being posed against a stone wall. "Just pretend that you're talking to your friends - but don't forget to angle your bodies towards the camera so that we can see the outfits. Marinette, you go stand by Adrien."

Marinette quickly got into place next to Adrien. "It's a little warm for autumn clothes," Marinette commented.

Adrien tugged a bit on the collar of his sweater. "Well, the sooner we get done with these shots, the sooner we can go back inside, into the air conditioning."

"Everyone relax the tension from your shoulders. One... Two... Three... Good. You can all relax, except for Marinette and Adrien. You two come with me, and we'll get a shot under this tree." Oscar gestured to a big magnolia tree, branches full of white blossoms. There was a stone bench underneath it, covered with a dusting of white petals. "You two sit down next to each other. Adrien, put your arm around her shoulder. Marinette, hands in your lap, lean your head against his shoulder."

Marinette did as Oscar said, gentle setting her head against Adrien's shoulder.

"One... Two... Three... Perfect! You two look adorable together. Now I want Rose and Juleka."

Adrien stood up and offered Marinette his hand, pulling her to her feet. Marinette resisted the urge to stammer out her appreciation, instead responding with a curt, "Thanks." Why was it that as soon as she tried to put her crush behind her, the whole world - and Adrien himself - seemed determined to show her what a good couple they would make.

"Let me show you around the courtyard," Adrien offered. "It's particularly nice in the summertime."

"Sure," Marinette agreed, and they started along the stone path. It was a perfect summer day and the courtyard was beautiful. The air was warm and had the gentle perfume of flower petals. Trees full of flower blossoms, fountains with crystal-clear water, birds flying overhead - it reminded Marinette of why summer was her favorite season.

Adrien had a bemused smile on his face. "I always knew that Oscar was a bit of a matchmaker - he's tried to turn models into couples before - but this is getting a little out of hand."

"What do you mean."

Adrien looked incredulous. "Surely you've noticed that Oscar has been trying to set us up. He's been pretty heavy-handed about it."

Marinette shrugged. "I figured that he was just messing with us. I didn't realize that he had a specific goal."

"Oscar has tried to set me up with other models before. It's never worked, though. My Father would never allow it. I doubt I'll date anyone until I turn eighteen, and even then, it would have to be someone that my Father approved of. He's very protective, both over me and over the company's image."

"What about Kagami? Your Father seems to approve of her."

Adrien shook his head. "Neither of us are interested in each other romantically. Our parents wanted us to start a relationship, but it was mutually decided that nothing was going to happen."

"Oh." Marinette tried to turn the conversation back in a hopeful direction. "Maybe you'll meet someone at our new lycée. Someone who you like, and who likes you back. Someone who your Father approves of."

"Maybe," said Adrien. "It's a nice fantasy, anyways. And even if I don't find romance, at least I'll have my friends."

"Yeah," agreed Marinette. "You'll always have your friends."

"Marinette! Adrien!" Alya jogged down the path. "It's time to get changed into our winter outfits."

"Thanks for taking me through the gardens," said Marinette.

"Sure," said Adrien. "That's what friends are for."

The winter, spring, and summer shoots passed by in a blur, with Marinette and Adrien got placed together in all sorts of poses. Marinette desperately tried to push away her feelings towards Adrien. He had made it clear in the courtyard that he wasn't interested in a relationship with her. Even if he had feelings for her, his Father would never approve of someone as clumsy and plain as Marinette.

"Are you ready for the last segment of the photoshoot?" asked Alya as soon as they both changed out of their final summer outfits. "I'm excited to try on my formal outfit."

"Sure," Marinette said through a yawn. "I'm glad they're giving us an hour break beforehand, though. I need a coffee, and Oscar says that I should get my hair and makeup touched up."

"There's a café in the lobby of the Gabriel Building. I'll come with you and we can both get lattes."

"Sounds good," Marinette perked up. The girls made their way to the café, chatting about the photo shoot so far.

There was no line when they got to the café, so Marinette and Alya got to order immediately. "I'll have a cinnamon latte and Marinette will have..."

"A caramel latte, please."

As the girls waited for their orders, Marinette explained to Alya what had happened earlier in the dressing rooms. Marinette still couldn't believe that Clément Devaux thought that she had potential.

"Wow. Gabriel's head designer thinks that you're good enough to work at Gabriel someday. That's big, Marinette."

"I know," Marinette smiled. "This day has been pretty good for me, all things considered. I just hope I'm not jinxing myself by saying that."

The two girls finished their drinks and went back to the dressing rooms. Marinette glanced around, trying to find Rosalie to get her hair and makeup fixed up. Finally, she caught sight of familiar white-blonde hair. "Rosalie!"

"Hello, Marinette," Rosalie greeted brightly. "You look like you're due for a touch-up."

Marinette smiled. "Exactly what I was thinking."

Rosalie re-curled Marinette's hair, then re-applied Marinette's makeup for the formal shoot. "Now off you go, Marinette. I glanced at your formal dress a little bit ago - it's gorgeous. You should go see."

Marinette smiled. "I'm sure it's beautiful. Bye, Rosalie."

Marinette found her way back to her dressing room, where Helena was typing away on her laptop. "I'm back."

"You're five minutes late," Helena complained as she got the dress out of the garment bag. "I'll have you know, this dress took me weeks and weeks to make, so you'd better appreciate it."

Marinette's eyes widened as she saw the dress. It was a masterpiece of dark blue tulle, with delicate tulle flowers cascading down the front. "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Marinette was awestruck by the dress. She put it slowly, carefully not to tear or stretch the delicate fabric. She was well aware that this dress was the most extravagant thing she had ever worn.

Once she got the dress on, Marinette didn't even stop to look at herself in the mirror.  "How do I look?" Marinette asked as soon as she opened the dressed room door.

Helena gave Marinette a rare smile. "The dress looks perfect on you. See for yourself."

Marinette turned to the full-length mirror, her eyes immediately fixated on the dress. Tiny pink and white tulle flowers decorated the left side of the dress, from her shoulder down past her waist. The dark blue tulle skirt flowed softly around Marinette's legs. The off the shoulder neckline completed the dress. Then, Marinette's attention turned to herself, rather than just to the dress. She had never considered herself attractive before, but wearing Helena's dress made her see herself in a new light. Her blue of the dress combined with Rosalie's makeup made her blue eyes stand out. The off the shoulder neckline revealed her delicate collarbones, and her black curls of hair flowed around her shoulders. Marinette was stunned. Although she still looked like herself, she also looked like a model.

"This dress is a work of art," Marinette gushed, smiling brightly at Helena.

"I'm glad you like it," Helena responded. "Now put on your shoes-" She gestured to a pair of dark blue stiletto heels. "And get back to the photo shoot."

"Thanks for everything, Helena. I'll see you after the formal shoot."

Marinette slipped the heels on and started walking towards the lobby. She was a bit wobbly in the heels at first, but it only took a little bit of practice before she felt confident that she wouldn't fall. The formal shoot was the only part of the photoshoot that took place outside of the Gabriel building. It was shot in Gabriel Agreste's own home, in his own ballroom, so Marinette's class would have to be driven there.

"Marinette, you look amazing," said Adrien, walking up behind Marinette.

"Thank you. You look great as well," Marinette complimented. He wore a dark blue suit with a dark blue bowtie, and his hair was even more tamed down than usual.

"Thanks. Do you know where Alya and Nino are? I was going to invite you three to ride with me in my car, on the way to the mansion."

"I think that they're in the lobby already. I didn't see Alya in the dressing rooms."

Once they got to the lobby Adrien found Nino and Alya, and all four went out to Adrien's car. Marinette complimented both Alya and Nino's outfits. Alya was wearing an elegant dark red gown, and Nino was in a black suit with a red bow tie that matched Alya's dress. Marinette spent the five-minute car ride examining the fabric and the stitching on Alya's dress.

"These dresses are gorgeous," Marinette sighed. "I wish I could keep mine, but wouldn't get much use out of it, even if I could. I'd be too afraid that I'd ruin it to wear it."

When they arrived at the Agreste Mansion, Oscar and the rest of the crew escorted the class to the ballroom. Marinette gazed around with wide eyes, amazed by the marble floor, the intricately designed stonework around the room, and the massive Cinderella staircase leading down into the room.

"It's a pretty cool room, right," said Adrien. "I used to come down here, when I was younger, and slide around the room in my socks."

Marinette giggled, "That sounds like fun."

"Everybody listen up," Oscar interrupted, "I'm going to come around and position all of you. Adrien and Marinette, you two will be coming down the staircase. Juleka and Rose, you two will be over by the punch bowl. Kim and Alix, you two will be..."

Marinette tuned Oscar out as Adrien led her over to the staircase. They got into position about half-way down the stairs, Adrien holding one of Marinette's hands.

"So what do you think of modeling?" Adrien asked. "Do you like it."

"It's a lot of fun, doing it with my friends, and I've learned a lot about fashion designing behind the scenes. I don't think I could do this every day, though. I've only been here for a few hours, and I'm already exhausted of being told that I need to relax my shoulders."

"It can get tiring, especially if modeling isn't your passion."

"I know that you're interested in biology and physics. Is that what you're passionate about."

Adrien nodded. "I never wanted to model professionally; it was always just a hobby for me. Science and technology are what I'm really passionate about."

"That's super cool. You should tell me more about it when we're not busy with the photo shoot." Marinette wasn't lying about her interest - she loved listening to her friends talk about the things they're passionate about.

The day had been going well up to that point, not a single thing to ruin Marinette's good mood. However, in Marinette's world, it seemed that no day could be perfect. "Everyone! I made it!"

Marinette froze. That was the voice of Lila Rossi, the girl who seemed hell-bent on ruining every one of Marinette's good days.

Lila walked down the stairs, brushing her hand against Adrien's as she passed. "The beach was a lot of fun, but the humid coastal air was causing my asthma to flare up so my Mother sent me home early. My plane just landed twenty minutes ago. I was exhausted, but I rushed straight over here so that I could support you guys at your photoshoot. It isn't over, is it?"

"Nope," chirped Alya. "You made it just in time to watch the formal shoot."

"Could I join?" Lila turned to Oscar with wide, pleading eyes. "Oh, please can I join."

Oscar shook his head. "We don't have a formal outfit for you to wear."

Lila's face fell, "That's a shame." Suddenly her expression brightened back up again. "I know! I could borrow someone else's formal outfit. Marinette and I are about the same size, and she's already had a chance to model today, so I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

Oscar hesitated. "I'm not so sure about that."

"I'm already a trained model." Lila pressed further.

"The color wouldn't suit you..." Oscar seemed reluctant, but Marinette could already tell that he was going to give in. Lila was going to wear Marinette's dress. She was going to take Marinette's spot next to Adrien. Tears pricked at the corners of Marinette's eyes. Lila always got her way, and Marinette always ended up miserable because of it.

"Wait!" Adrien interjected. "I don't think this is a good idea. The catalog wouldn't look right if we replaced a model in only one segment of the shoot."

"Don't you want me in the shoot?" Lila pulled some fake tears to the corners of her eyes.

"I just don't want my Father to get angry and fire you. Then we would never get to model together again."

"But-"

"Besides, you'll have loads more opportunities to model with me. This might be Marinette's only chance to experience it."

"I suppose you're right, Adrien." Lila must have realized that her manipulation wasn't going to get her any further. "I'll just support you all from the sidelines, all by myself."

Although Marinette held no fondness for Lila, she still felt a stab of pity for her. Pretending to go on a tropical vacation for two weeks meant that Lila spent the last two weeks locked away at home, lest her classmates find out she lied.

"I'm sorry about Lila," whispered Adrien. "I thought she was going to be nicer to you after I spoke with her last spring, but she doesn't seem to be getting better."

"What do you mean 'you spoke to her last spring?'" asked Marinette.

"Oh, I assumed that Lila had told you. That time she lied to Principal Damocles to reverse your suspension - it was because I threatened to end our acquaintanceship if she didn't."

"Really? You did that for me?"

"Of course. You're one of my best friends, Marinette. I don't want to see you get hurt."

Marinette's smile was so bright it must have lit up the room. "Thank you."

"Perfect, perfect!" Oscar interrupted. "Marinette, keep smiling like that. Adrien, keep your eyes on her. One... Two... Three... Perfect!"

Out of the corner of her eyes, Marinette caught a glimpse of Lila scowled by the punch table, filling her cup with the bright red liquid. However, when Lila turned around, her expression was serene. "Everyone, I'm sorry to say that I have to leave early. I forgot that I planned a dinner with Clara Nightengale tonight, if I remember, I'll ask for backstage passes for our whole class for her next concert. My memory has been on the fritz lately, ever since my last concussion, so I can't promise that I'll remember, but I'll try my best."

"I'm sorry you have to leave so soon," said Rose.

"Don't worry about the backstage passes." Alya set her hand on Lila's shoulder in a comforting manner. "You just focus on having fun with Clara."

"You're all too nice," Lila smiled, walking towards the stairs.

Marinette didn't recognize what was happening until it was too late. Lila walked up the stairs past her, malice in her eyes, bright red, stainable punch in the cup in her hands. Lila's foot caught on the step and the plastic cup went flying out of her hands.

Marinette tried to back up, but her three-inch heels combined with the steep nature of the stairs meant that she wasn't going to get out of the way in time. Her perfect, beautiful dress was going to be ruined. Adrien would be so disappointed. There was nothing she could do to stop it.

However, although Marinette hadn't reacted in time, Adrien had. He grabbed onto her shoulder and pulled her out of harm's way, catching her in his arms as she stumbled in her heels. Marinette looked up at Adrien. "Thank you," she whispered, her voice filled with emotion.

Adrien helped Marinette back up to her feet. "It was no problem, Marinette."

Lila's expression was consumed with fury at her scheme being foiled. In an instant, all of the menace in her face was wiped clean, replaced with guilt and remorse. "Oh, I'm so sorry Marinette. I'm so clumsy, my foot caught on the stairs. I hope you can forgive me for almost ruining your dress."

Marinette wouldn't be forgiving Lila anytime soon, but sometimes it was necessary to put on a performance. "No harm, no foul. Have fun with Clara Nightengale."

Lila tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace to Marinette. "I will. Don't you worry."

As soon as Lila was out of the door, Marinette released the breath she was holding. "I can't believe her."

Adrien sighed. "I can. Ever since she started modeling with me a few months ago, she's been incredibly possessive of me, to the point that I've caught her sabotaging her fellow models more than once. She's never been outright caught in the act, but she's grown a reputation in the modeling world. Still, my Father refuses to fire her."

"I didn't think that your Father would tolerate infighting."

"I didn't think so either, but he seems to be making quite a few exceptions for Lila Rossi. I wonder what lies she told him to get him on her side."

Adrien frowned. "I don't think she's fooling my Father. He's very skilled at reading people, and at manipulating them to do what he wants. I think he's using Lila to spy on me."

"Really?"

"I mean, I don't know for sure, but I can't think of another reason why he would make her a model."

"Adrien, Marinette," Oscar called out. "Get into position for the dancing photos."

"These are sure to be the last pictures of the day," noted Adrien. "Guess we'd better make them count."

All of the couples (as Oscar insisted on calling the pairs of students, even though a majority of them weren't dating) were instructed to do a simple box step, just so that Oscar could get shots of the outfits in motion. As they box-stepped in circles, Marinette and Adrien continued their conversation.

"So what are we going to do about Lila?" asked Marinette.

"I don't know. I've tried being nice, which didn't work at all. It took threatening her just to get her to get you unsuspended, but that still hasn't stopped her from being terrible to you. I don't know what else to try."

Marinette sighed. "We'll figure it out eventually. We might as well not ruin the end of the photoshoot thinking about Lila."

"You're right," Adrien agreed. "This is too fun to ruin."

His hand left her shoulder and instead grasped her hand as Adrien twirled Marinette. "Quit it!" Marinette giggled, "We're only supposed to be doing a box step."

"Keep that up, Adrien," Oscar advised. He circled them, the cameraman following him. "I want some action shots."

Adrien took Marinette's hand and twirled her. Marinette laughed as her tulle skirt twirled around her, tickling her legs.

"If every photoshoot was like this, I don't think I would mind being a model," said Adrien after they finished up. The cameras were being packed away, and the class was being herded back to the cars so that they could be driven back to the Gabriel building, to get changed.

"Today was wonderful," said Marinette. "And who knows, maybe someday I'll get another chance to model with you. For now, I think I'll treasure this one as my favorite photoshoot ever."

#adrinette #adrinetteapril2020 #adrinette april #adrinette april 2020 #miraculous ladybug #Marinette Dupain-Cheng #Adrien Agreste #miraculous ladybug fic

[eponymous-rose]

Talks Machina Highlights - Critical Role C2E43 (December 4, 2018)

Tonight’s episode features Marisha Ray and Travis Willingham!

Announcements for tonight: 

New Pumat shirt! Matt and Taliesin will also be playing some Fortnite with a Pumat voice pack. As you do.

#EverythingisContent stream tomorrow at 4PM Pacific: games on the all-new MAME cabinet!

Travis’ FPS stream will be happening next week!

Travis strongly recommends tuning in right at the start of the episode on Thursday. Right at the start. You and all your friends. Don’t miss it. There’s a sneak preview of some sort of animation!

Check out Gil Ramirez’s (an amazing smith, but also of “don’t fuck me Gil” fame) kickstarter!

Stats!

This episode had more spells cast than any previous episode: 76.

3rd time Beau has attempted to Extort Truth, and the 2nd time it’s succeeded.

Fjord has used four potions, all administered to other people. Brian: “For as much as you like swallowing... potions, not so much.”

Fjord has just passed Molly’s natural 20 count, reaching 26. Beau still sits at the top, with 49.

Travis and Marisha agree that this was one of their top five episodes of the show.

Fjord “totally dug” Caleb’s call to go with Wall of Flame to bring the situation with Avantika to a head. He points out that they’d had a conversation about keeping this whole situation in check if need be.

Brian: “You sound like McCree’s drunk uncle.”

The group planned (”we obsessed”) over the game for the entire two weeks, hundreds and hundreds of messages. It pretty much went according to plan. Marisha: “We had contingency plans. We had an ideal initiative, but we were like, if we fuck up, then Nott will take the journal. We had main roles and then understudies.”

Fjord thinks being able to summon demons is pretty much in line with all the weird shit that’s happened to him up to this point. He hasn’t even considered the consequences. Marisha: “I feel like that’s this entire mission. We’ll consider the consequences later.”

During the “I... wait” scene, Brian and Dani were yelling at their TVs, Travis was trying to telepathically communicate, and Marisha had complete tunnel-vision. She knew that if she’d fucked that up, they would have all died. She turned to Travis after Beau got up there and realized, “It’s just me and my words.”

Gif of the Week: the executive goth approves of Fjord’s demon-summoning! Henry models the prize:

Travis gets asked why Fjord slipped into his real voice when yelling that Caleb needed help. Travis pleads the Fifth: “My what?”

Marisha had no idea her mention of the Cobalt Soul would carry so much weight with the Plank King. It was a last-ditch effort after Fjord’s diplomacy fell flat with him. Travis desperately wants to know how much of what Beau said was true.

Brian: “Only Mercer could make Plank King cool again... Planking? Remember?” There is a brief threat of mutiny in the studio. It’s a Tuesday.

Matt mentioned to Marisha that, if Avantika had been allowed to speak, she would’ve called for a trial. Things could’ve gone very wrong for the Nein.

Out-of-context quote of the night: Dani: “Can you fit a puppy in your pocket?” Travis: “Yes, I’m enormous.”

Beau is surrounded by people who can do all sorts of absurd magic, “so of course she’s like, ‘Yeah, I can punch the shit out of you. I’ll start a fucking fight to do it!’”

Travis isn’t working with anything custom for his class, apart from the sword. Brian: “So your gag reflex is right out of the Handbook?” Travis: “That and personal experience.”

Travis on Fjord’s reaction to Avantika’s death: “All great stories are laced with truth. That fucked me up, because I hadn’t realized until that point that if she’s toast, I won’t get to ask her questions.” Not to mention the whole island having reactions to Vandren’s name. “I went back and watched it twice. The ritual, the tattoos, how she found her sphere, all of that shit, I’m feeling more like I knew less of the man than I thought I knew, and she knew more about him than I ever did. It’s fucking me up.”

Fanart of the Week: “I... wait.”

Marisha on Avantika’s very sudden death: “You know how things happen, and you go, wow, I should’ve seen that coming...” The outcome of the first plan was just to get her arrested, and then the fight happened, so she wasn’t thinking about immediate repercussions. She was expecting an arrest, and maybe she’d get executed after they left, but “I mean... that was brutal.” Travis: “It just kept escalating, and then she kept saying nothing after nothing. We’re going to be front row center for this.”

Travis: “Fjord is Lawful Good, clearly--” Brian: “You’re fooling no one with that Lawful Good bullshit, Travis.” Travis: “At least 40% of the audience. Lawful Good. Clearly feels a little distressed that she had to pay with her life.” But he points out that it wasn’t the first time Fjord wanted to see her dead. “If he could’ve seen to it himself, I think he would’ve.” It’s not something he’s very practiced with, but he’s emboldened by his new abilities.

Beau was definitely intimidated by the Plank King, but still had a bit of her contempt for authority figures. “I think it set in pretty hard that she was going to be terse, she was going to be blunt, but she wasn’t going to try anything that was going to get her throat slit immediately.”

Travis hadn’t intended to start picking up pieces of lost friends as part of his identity (Molly’s sword, Vandren’s accent), but it felt like the right fit, since he’s trying to establish his identity for the first time. He’s emulating what he admires about them.

Fjord’s in his early 30s. Beau’s in her early 20s. Playing Beau younger than Marisha lets her give Beau a little extra room for development; it also makes sense with her backstory. For Fjord, he was old enough to have mostly figured out what he was doing... and then everything changed.

Travis: “Fjord saw in Vandren a leadership that empowers people to rise in their station.” It’s about the team succeeding, not one person gaining more power. He’s constantly trying to put people in different situations for success.

Fjord is very attached to this group, but he’s also uncomfortable with how much attention is starting to be put on him. His whole survival mechanism is based on blending in, and being pushed to the front and being forced to make decisions is hard for him (Travis: “And me.”). Fjord is loving everything that’s been happening. The world’s never been richer or more exciting, and he wants to protect that if he can.

Brian: “Are you preparing for when things are as Beau-focused as they are... Fjord-focused right now?” No pun intended. Beau: “It’s a horror that you cannot prepare for. One day Matt will just introduce an NPC and he’s going to look at you and he’s going to be like, ‘Hello, Beau,’ and I’m going to be like ‘AHHH’.” Travis: “The tension is palpable. It’s real.” They compliment Taliesin on his handling of the first character-centric arc in the first campaign.

Brian jokes about everyone stumbling into Yasha’s story while Ashley’s still away, so Travis would have to play her through the whole thing. Travis gives a sneak-preview of how that would go, grabbing Beau’s hand and staring deeply into her eyes.

A gift for Travis from fans! He’s blown away.

Talks Machina: After Dog

Essential update on Henry: he likes wearing costumes because “it feels like being hugged”. There’s talk about him doing a Grog cosplay.

Pumat impressions all around. Travis’ is, according to Marisha, “Like Grog doing a Pumat impression.” Marisha has some practice because she was the one who wrote all the Pumat promos. Travis: “Wow, that puts your Swedish accent to shame.”

Fjord and Jester? “Fjord picks up on some subtle things and some not-so-subtle things, and then probably second-guesses those things.” He’s not too sure where they stand.

Everyone’s worried about their favorite artists’ tumblrs.

Travis reads the German on the back of his chocolate. Marisha: “There are way more syllables there than what you said.” Travis offers the last chocolate to Brian, and promptly eats it in front of him instead. “You gotta act fast on that shit.”

There were some ideas that didn’t work out: Travis was going to cast a spell so everyone could breathe underwater, and they were going to jump off the ship.

A question for Henry: Who’s a good boy?

Quote from the text thread: “Oh shoot. There is an a-hole with a crossbow. Dangit.”

Finally, in case you were losing sleep wondering, Brian is still dabbing every time he says the word “slash” in a URL. Further updates as warranted. 

#critical role #critical role spoilers #talks machina #talks machina spoilers #long text post

[fyrapartnersearch]

SHAME SHAME SHAME

everybody's people watchin' everybody’s punch clockin’

hey how are ya my name is emmy and i’m here to search for a new rp partner. a bit about me, i’m 22, canadian, work two part time jobs and attend uni full time and i go by she/her pronouns. i reside in the mountain timezone and i am thrilled to hopefully start writing with you. 

why should you write with me? because i promise that if i pick up an rp with you i’m gonna put 100 and 10 percent of my effort into our story. i’m looking for a long term gig, someone who i can really weave a plot with, someone who digs the cut of my jib. i want us to be able to sob over our characters together late into the night. i want us to exchange songs, playlists, posts found on the internet, aesthetic boards, whatever reminds us of our characters/our plot.

i will probably spam you with pictures of my character’s playby and i want to see mad pics of yours, too. i want us to go through our character’s struggles together as well as be able to cheer together when our characters get a hold on their situation and come up on top. i want us to inspire one another with our writing. it’s gonna be great. you & me honey. 

right now I'm looking for 1-2 new rp partners who are interested in something long-term and fully fleshed out. think 'mains'. 

gee, that sounds nice! i’m inclined to agree! but a few things you should know before you go any further: i write anywhere between full lit to lit + to novella style, so expect posts of at least 4 - 6 paragraphs baseline. sometimes i crank out 10. or just 5. depends entirely on what’s going on. i write according to situation, with a great amount of detail spent on what my character is thinking/feeling in response to yours. the replies you get will be fully fleshed out & enthralling. i am a stickler for grammar and spelling, though nobody’s perfect, i do occasionally have my slipups. all lowercase text is strictly kept to ooc communication. i can be sporadic with capitalization ooc but still keep good spelling. i will never pressure you into posting or writing ridiculous amounts just to match my post. i want you to have fun too! if i’ve had a bit too much to drink or am about to hit the hay, i’ll wait to post until i can give my post my full attention. usually i’ll be able to post at least once every week, sometimes multiple times a week depending on work & schoolwork. i'm available for ooc chat almost all the time. i also totally understand life happens and sometimes we just need a breather. ♥ i have bipolar depression, and sometimes my depression kicks my ass, but i’ll let you know when that happens.

oh goodness, what else? i write predominantly m/m pairings but i am open to m/f and f/f as well. i do not write high fantasy settings, sorry doll. my interests mostly align with modern day, slice of life kinda stuff, aside from the fandoms i do have. i don’t have many limits besides excessive gore, scat, mpreg, and writing smut for sake of smut. i love my romance just like anyone else does, but it’s got to have plot. our characters have to have chemistry or else i get bored. i haven’t doubled before but i think i’d be down for it with the right plot. usually i prefer that we play one character each, or we play multiple characters within a plot, but not usually more than one plot at the same time. but!!! i am totally willing to try new things!! just be patient with me as i learn m'kay? i have had several threads going at once with one partner which can be super fun. also most of my characters are pretty kinky but like, i prefer that we talk about kinks and limits one on one as opposed to airing out my character’s laundry. also- i wanna be your friend ooc. let’s chat. i find it’s so much easier to have muse and post if i enjoy the virtual company of the people i’m writing with.

ok but what do you write? 

what *don’t* i write? kidding. here’s a bit of fandom for ya. if i’ve got plots listed, they’re the ideas i have, but i’m totally open to yours as well. stars denote how much i’m craving them. i’ll list the canon characters i write after i list the fandom: 

mafia 2: vito scaletta  ***plot for mafia 2 a: we explore the dynamics of a relationship between vito and your oc. your oc could be in a position of great risk- think outside of the mafia, possibly a police officer, prostitute. some position where power dynamics could be played with. if the pairing is m/m we also deal with the themes of internalized homophobia and coming to terms with one’s identity. 

*bioshock 1, 2 & infinite: brigid tenbenbaum, andrew ryan, frank frontaine & eleanor lamb, sofia lamb & booker dewitt 

**marvel cinematic universe: tony stark, steve rogers

***greater marvel universe: logan howlett, carol danvers  ****random plot: we do a crossover and we ship sharon carter/carol danvers. i just. uuugh i have a lot of feelings about them and i have hella muse for these babes. lemme know if you’re down to give this a shot i will love you forever no word of a lie. 

but honestly where my heart lies is within oc rp. here are a few plots i have of mine, stars denote how much i’m craving them:

****(m/m) power & politics: my oc is a prestigious state senator, who lives a double life. he is currently in the closet with no intent on leaving it anytime soon. however, a certain someone falls into his life, making him question what he thought he knew for certain. your oc breaks down the walls my oc has put up and changes him into a softer, better man. however, with an upcoming presidential campaign on the horizon for my oc, the limits of the secret relationship will be pushed and pulled beyond what both parties have ‘signed up for.‘

****(m/m) the guardian: your oc is a newcomer to the nhl but is quickly making waves- think connor mcdavid style. he’s young and impressive, but mostly, impressionable. he starts to get battered around by both his teammates and opposing teams. after a few hard hits and fowl play within the game that have cost your oc bench and recovery time, the team’s coach calls in reinforcements to boost the team’s morale and serve as a protector to your oc. my oc is a player who hasn’t got the talent part but has got a huge heart. not to mention… huge hands. good for makin’ fists. good for fightin’.  my oc protects your oc during the games, coming to your oc’s aid, picking fights for your oc and protecting him on the ice. as such, the two players grow attached to one another.. perhaps too attached for the captain to be comfortable with. possibilities for a love triangle and other complications, for sure

***(m/m) too good to be true: our ocs start out in the whl, both as promising wingers. their good chemistry is vital to bringing back their team’s success. however, one of our ocs starts to get too attached to the other, and when an nhl draft separates them, one of our ocs is all too eager to cut contact and try to forget. the two excel in their nhl careers without one another, and end up on nhl teams with a history of deep rivalry. occasionally, the gloves hit the ice, fueled by the tension of unresolved feelings and the pressure of the respective teams to keep up the rivalry. the two are reunited when they are both chosen to play nationally for the same team, and are forced to reconcile what they have both buried so deeply within them. 

***(m/m) big money: these two ocs play for rival teams in the nhl. while their teams have a history of tension, our two ocs take it to the next level. audiences are more excited to watch these two fight than they are to watch the game itself. there’s a market in the violence between these two, and a reputation to maintain on both ends. if the public found out that these two were secretly seeing one another, their careers would both be over. 

**** (m/m) sugar daddy: my oc is a law student studying in your oc's country in order to get their degree abroad. they're from eastern europe and uh. broke af. they settle into an arrangement with your oc where your oc agrees to ~pay him for his company after they meet while my oc does camming online to make ends meet. we could take it anywhere- your oc could whisk mine off his feet and 'save' him or. be toxic & trashy and make my oc's life hell.

okay and, here are just some general prompts that could be intertwined with the plots above, or could be something we use to springboard into our own rp:

my oc has serious commitment issues. they often go around ‘ghosting’ individuals after 4-5 dates, with little to no explanation of why. your oc falls for mine, and is the first to confront my oc about their shitty habits. 

your oc and my oc were best friends, but they lost touch over a stupid fight they had when they were preteens. they can’t believe that they’re seeing one another in a bar, halfway across the world from where they met. 

your oc and my oc were flames. my oc proposed to yours, but yours turned them down. they never spoke again… until they were sharing a crammed elevator, with my oc being completely intoxicated, and still confessing their feelings for your oc. 

your oc is a huge fan of my oc’s nhl career/political career. your oc wins a contest to meet and have dinner with my oc. while my oc expects a boring night out, my oc is completely surprised by how well they hit it off with your oc. 

my oc, your first oc and your second oc all grew up together. your first oc has always been pining for my oc’s attention, and is thrilled when my oc and your first oc finally get together. they develop a long term relationship, but my oc knows it would devastate your first oc if they told them that they have been seeing your second oc for most of the relationship. 

i recognize that a lot of these focus on the nhl/the lives of professional hockey players- please don’t be worried about hockey knowledge/nhl jargon/whatever else goes through your head! i’m more interested in sport as a realm for drama than i am for following the rulebook and being 100% accurate to life when it comes to hockey. there’s a lot i don’t know and am still needing to learn, myself! if you know a lot, great!! if you don’t, let’s figure things out together! as for general oc ideas, here’s a list:

professor x student

veteran x civillian

cop x criminal 

psychiatrist x patient

** OC superheroes (I have a lot of muse for this one!)

street racing, fast-and-furious-esque setting

rival gangs 

** nhl/hockey based (lol obviously)

small town canadiana or americana 

fun, fluffy romance based modern settings

darker themes such as addiction, abuse, etc - i find it cathartic sometimes to write about violent material buuuut this has to be really fleshed out between us

historical setting- preferably, the second world war/1940s-1960s 

light worldbuilding - new to this but wanting to learn

honestly whatever you can pitch to me that isn’t high fantasy :)

i can expand on and work with any of these ideas, these are just like, topics. whatever i do with you, i promise it’ll be fleshed out, with tons of opportunity for drama. 

hell yeah let’s do this pal 

if any, and i mean any, of this piqued your fancy, pleaaaase shoot me an email at 

↳ [email protected] ! 

i will respond! but please send me something thoughtful! i’d like to hear what part of my ad that you’re interested in/why you chose to contact me. i am most wanting to rp over email and talk over google hangouts but i can be open to skype, too.  i sure look forward to hearing from you!   ♥

emmy

#indie rp #indie roleplay #independent roleplay #oc rp #multiple paragraph #long term #email #marvel rp #avengers rp #smut rp #submission

[explosionofpaper]

The Philip’s Best Things of the Year 2017 List

“But Philip, it’s March! Why are you doing your best of 2017 list now?”   Well that’s because it sometimes takes me a while to get around to things, and hey, at least it isn’t April.

Anyway, I had a pretty good time in 2017. There were some really important changes in my life, some great people and events, and a whole heap of good media.

Presented below are some of my favourite medias of 2017. This is stuff I experienced for the first time in 2017, not necessarily stuff which came out in 2017. Also the things aren’t ordered within their sections.

Books

Strange Practise by Vivian Shaw

This was one of those books which I picked up in Waterstones entirely on a whim, and I’m incredibly happy I did (as should be obvious with it being on this list). It explores one of my favourite concepts, that of how the fantastical actually operates in the real world. The main character, Dr. Greta van Helsing (descendent of the usual van Helsing) is a doctor to the supernatural, and through her presence causes the monsters who make up her clientele to feel much more grounded and real than they would otherwise.

The book also makes really good use of public domain characters, placing them in the world such that they feel they belong there, without their public domain status being the spotlight. Another thing the book does well is conveying emotions; in particular it does a fantastic job of conveying emotional vulnerability without it being a synonym for weakness.

Dune by Frank Herbert

You know what Dune is. I don’t need to explain it.

Dune has been haunting my reading list and bookshelf for an awful long time. Every time I would pick out a new book to read, Dune would be there, waving it’s pages to catch my attention and calling “Hey! It’s me, Dune! I’m a classic of the genre. I’m beloved for good reason. You’re not having read me causes you to miss out on many references, and you’re well aware of this. I can explain to you what the Gom Jabbar is. Read me!” And every time I would glance at Dune, think about how long and revered it is, avoid eye contact, and pretend that I hadn’t heard or seen it.

Well this year I finally put that right. It felt good to finally have it stop taunting me, but it felt even better to actually read it, because it turns out that Dune is really fucking good.

The way that the world is built, the interactions between the characters, the way things grow and develop in the book, all of it is just so damn good. It’s Dune, go read it.

City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett

City of Miracles was a fantastic end to a trilogy which I’ve loved. Tying up the major loose ends, answering the major unanswered questions, and taking the world and themes to a wonderful ending point.

The trilogy as a whole did some really nice stuff with the perspective and pacing. Each book has a different main character (though they’re each always important), and they’re set many years apart, decades even. This results in the world feeling and characters feeling very alive and functional in that they’re doing stuff even if we’re not seeing it. The books focus on the three major Divine events since the Blink (incidentally, I’m a big fan of this type of post-big-event setting), and just lets us know that stuff happened during the time between.

The book also contains a bit I adore, in which exposition is explicitly and dramatically avoided in a way which ties perfectly into the characters in the scene.

The Bands of Mourning by Brandon Sanderson

I’d fallen a bit behind on Cosmere stuff recently, so I spent a bit of this year catching up. They were all good, but The Bands of Mourning really stood out to me as excellent, and some of Sanderson’s best work. Something I loved in particular about this book was the way in which it managed reader emotions. I don’t want away too much, so I’ll just say that the reader’s feelings are directed in such a way that it maximises impact and catharsis, and really elevates the later parts of the book.

The Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan

The first of the Lady Trent books was good, but it really came into its own with The Tropic of Serpents. The way that these books approach dragons, from the perspective of a natural historian viewing them in a scientific manner, is incredibly refreshing; it’s so nice to see Dragons actually fitting in a Victorian era (I think, I get all the eras named after monarchs mixed up) world, and the characters treating them like they belong.

Even leaving the dragons aside, the handling of the era is really good. It deals really well with the struggle of science in the face of politics, as well as the struggles of women and the lower class within the scientific communities.

The Brothers Cabal by Jonathan L. Howard

I love the Johannes Cabal books. Cabal is a real bastard, and that makes him a joy to read about. He’s not evil mind you, he’s certainly not a pinnacle of virtue either, but he’s mostly kind of a good guy. Any shitty things he does are in service of a greater goal, but he’s still a bastard. It brings a texture to his internal conflicts which you don’t really see often.

He’s a great character, but having his brother around elevates him even further. The two of them are fantastic comparisons and foils for each other.

The way in which the Cabal books handle the supernatural is also great. It feels functional and integrated into the world, yet still unmistakably outside of the normal.

Kill All Angels by Robert Brockway

Much like City of Miracles, this was a fantastic end to a trilogy.

The Vicious Circle books are fascinating and notable for a variety of reasons: there’s the way in which they keep two timelines going throughout the whole trilogy; there’s the way it showcases cosmic horror on a human level, as well as placing the horror on that level; there’s the way it handles the idea of humanity, and what it means to loose it; and there’s also the way in which it takes the question “Why is Mario Lopez so weird?” and builds it out into one of my favourite horror series.

I rather not say any more about the series, just know that I really recommend it.

Also when I said “Mario Lopez”, I actually meant to say “A character similar to, but legally distinct from Mario Lopez”.

Games

Doki Doki Literature Club

This game hits like a ton of bricks, and good bricks at that. At this point I think that most everyone knows the deal with DDLC, but I’m still going to avoid big spoilers.

DDLC is one of those games which catches you by surprise, and isn’t what you first expect. It’s got a big old twist, shocks the hell out of you at some moments, and does some terrific integration of mental illness into the plot and characters. All of that is done fantastically, but the thing which really makes DDLC stick out to me is just how good the core game itself is.

The first part of DDLC, before stuff hits the wall, is the best dating sim visual novel I’ve played. That’s super important for setting up and enabling the later stuff, but it’s also just great. If Team Salvato announced that they were doing a pure dating sim, I would be well up for that.

West of Loathing

Considering the amount of time I’ve put into Kingdom of Loathing over the years (spoiler: a lot), it’s should be no surprise that I love this game. However I will say that I was a tad surprised with just how much I loved it.

KoL has always been a game driven mostly by it’s writing and concepts, and this game capitalises on both of those. There’s an awful lot of writing in the game, and all of it is good. Everywhere where there can be a joke, there’s a good joke, and everywhere where there isn’t a joke, there’s some damn good writing which would have had its impact lessened by a joke (to be clear: all of the joke writing is also good; I mean just that there’s always a good reason for jokes being absent).

The story the game tells, and the way it does it, are both incredible; and there’s a real elegance to the game’s art style.

Super Mario Odyssey

This game is a true delight. I’m famously bad at sticking it all the way through games, but this one kept hold of me and I finished it in a weekend. Not that I’ve 100%ed it mark you, but I also didn’t exactly rush through the campaign, I took my time, did a bit of sightseeing and all that.

The game’s also kept me coming back. I keep on finding myself popping back in to pick up a few more moons.

It’s just so joyous, so lovely, so utterly delightful. There’s just so much in the game, and it’s all just so good.

Just Dance 2017

Yeah that’s right, Just Dance. I’d never really played Just Dance before this year, but I have now and I love it. It’s just a whole heap of fun to play, and a nice alternative to going for a run if I want to exercise but don’t want to leave the flat.

I specify 2017 because that’s the one I’ve played.

Monument Valley 2

The first Monument Valley is one of my favourite games, so there was a bit of a worry that the sequel wouldn’t live up to my expectations. Thankfully those worries were unfounded, and I’d put MV2 right up there with the first. It plays like the first, but with twists on the mechanics to keep it feeling fresh. Similarly, it explores the same themes, but from a different perspective. The looks are just as stunning as the first, and go even further in many points, really exploring what the graphic style can do.

Ultimately the game is more Monument Valley, and that’s exactly what I wanted it to be.

Linelight

Linelight was a nice little puzzle game with straightforward, easily understood mechanics and a delightful, simple aesthetic. It managed to excel due to the excellence in puzzle design, and the way in which it conveyed ideas and meaning.

Put simply, if Thomas Was Alone didn’t exist, then these would be the strongest emotions a game has made me feel about such simple shapes. This game however didn’t have a narrator, instead it used just the mechanics to make me attached to some of my companion lines, and did so in a sublime way.

TV Shows

Girls’ Last Tour

I’ll be honest with you; I picked up this show because they dab in the OP. It turned out that was actually a good decision, as it led me to one of my all time favourite shows.

Girls’ Last Tour is a slow paced, intimate show. It’s an exploration of the two main characters travelling through a dead world, and just trying to survive. The world feels empty in a way which few other post-apocalypse things manage, mostly due to the fact that there are so few characters. In the 12 episode run, only 2 supporting human characters are encountered, and each is around for only one episode. This means you really get to know the main characters, and to truly see how their time in this dead world is affecting them.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable

It’s no secret that I love Jojo, and Diamond is Unbreakable is without a doubt my favourite part so far.

I loved Stardust Crusaders, but I had several issues with it. Diamond is Unbreakable fixes damn near all of them, and it really feels like Mr JoJo learnt some lessons from SC and applied them here. The characters are great and you really get to know them, the fights are cool and satisfying, and all the Stands feel unique and interesting.

Then there’s the actual presentation of the show, which is absolutely stunning. The unusual colour palette gives the world a whole new depth, and the soundtrack is just incredible. In particular there’s a certain use of a certain theme, which results in one of my all time favourite moments in a tv show.

Cromartie High School

Cromartie’s really damn funny, though it’s hard to put into words exactly why. I think a large part of it is the show’s absolute commitment to inconsistency. It’s committed to the extent that not even the show’s inconsistency is consistent. Things are forgotten, the forgetting is lampshaded, but then some characters will remember things whilst others won’t. Storylines will just stop, but then they might suddenly restart at a later date as if they had been going all along. It’s a show where nothing is ever really forgotten, but nothing is ever really remembered either.

It’s art is what I’m trying to say. Pure art.

My Brother, My Brother and Me

That’s right, this one isn’t an anime. It is a spin-off from a podcast though, so it’s a pretty nice lead in to the next section.

Do you like the MBMBaM podcast? If yes, then you’ll love the show. If no, then there’s a good chance you’ll still love the show. The podcast is used as the basis for it, but it’s built up into something even greater. It’s not just that it has editing and a budget, it also shows us new layers to the relationship between the brothers, and puts them in the real world as opposed to the podcast void which they normally live in. Everything in the show is so funny, and so good. I really do love it.

Podcasts

Wonderful

Wonderful is an aptly named podcast; it’s a true joy to listen to.

In the podcast, husband and wife, Griffin and Rachel Mcelroy, talk about the things they like. That’s the entire premise, and it makes for a truly wonderful podcast because it’s just so positive and sweet and lovely. There are no rules on the kinds of things they talk about, so they could be as general as a genre of film, or as specific as a sequence of notes in a particular song.

This podcast is the second iteration of Rose Buddies, which was a Bachelor fancast, and shares the same podcast feed, so watch out for that if you pick it up. Not that Rose Buddies wasn’t also a great podcast, but it was of a different style. The fact that I picked up Rose Buddies in 2016 does make the podcast’s place on this list a touch more dubious, but I’m the one making up the rules here, so I’m saying it’s fine.

Pretend Friends

This podcast is a delight. It’s an RPG podcast with the Continue? guys, and I have a history of finding them funny, so it makes sense I like this podcast. But what really elevates it is the game that they’re playing, that being Space Kings. Space Kings is notable in several ways, one of those ways being that it isn’t actually out yet. The GM of the podcast is one of the devs of the game, and the podcast is a bit of a beta test for it. That’s a nice novelty, but the thing which is really great about Space Kings is how it’s built around making a good collaborative story and having a laugh, rather than being built around firm mechanics.

It’s a podcast of a bunch of friends trying to make each other laugh, succeeding, and telling a story about a bunch of friends travelling around in space and getting up to some good hijinks. At one point a cat cuts a spaceship in half, at another a mop fires a gun. It’s a good time.

The Worst Idea of All Time

You know how I said that Wonderful’s place on this list was a tad dubious? Well TWIoAT is even more dubious due to the fact that I’ve been listening to it for years. The reason I’ve put it here is that it ended this year. TWIoAT was a fantastic ride the whole way through. If you’ve ever wanted to listen to a pair of skill Kiwi comedians lose their minds over a few years, then this is the show for you. Whilst I’m sad to see it go, I’m happy that the two of them can start the road to recovery now.

Web Shows

Super Beard Bros - Dark Souls 3

Beard Bros is a long time favourite of mine, and I think that this might well be one of their best series. Brett is just such a fantastic addition to the crew, and allows the other two to shift into slightly different roles. All of them are on utterly top form in this series, and it leads to a fantastic atmosphere, and lovely series.

The core of it is how wonderfully positive it is. Alex gets frustrated at times, but never really angry and seems to be having a great time with the game. Brett’s a fantastically encouraging person, and a true delight to listen to. And it’s so nice to get to hear Jirard chilled out, and finally having the time to make the wrap of the day.

Press Buttons ‘n’ Talk - Phoenix Wright 2

I discovered PB’n’T late last last year (2016) with their playthrough of Phoenix Wright 1. From there I worked my way through the rest of their stuff and caught up in PW2, which was a pleasing symmetry.

The channel is always great to watch, but the Phoenix Wright games are where they really excel. The voices given to the characters really bring the games to life, and they’re off high enough quality, and consistently enough applied that they’re now firmly in my head as the cannon voices for the characters. Even Phoenix himself, who’s handed back and forth between the two of them, feels consistent and has a real identity in his voice.

It’s a good series.

#Void Recommending #Best of 2017 #Best of year list #Strange Practice #Dune #City of Miracles #The Bands of Mourning #The Tropic of Serpents #The Brothers Cabal #Kill All Angels #Doki Doki Literature Club #West of Loathing #Super Mario Odyssey #Just Dance 2017 #Monument Valley 2 #Linelight #Girl's Last Tour #JoJo's Bizarre Adventure #Diamond is Unbreakable #Cromartie High School #MBMBaM #Wonderful #Pretend Friends #The Worst Idea of All Time #Super Beard Bros #Press Buttons 'n' Talk

[junker-town]

BC’s Martin Jarmond explains what it’s actually like to be a brand new athletic director

You’d better be versatile, and I hope you aren’t attached to checking your email.

BOSTON — Martin Jarmond is learning to be comfortable in his new chair, although perhaps not literally. He’s just moved from one sofa in the corner of his office to another.

Jarmond, 37, became the youngest athletic director in the Power 5 in April. He officially started in June as the CEO of a program with 31 sports. That means he’s got decisions to make both large and small. On this day, he wasn’t sure what to wear to work: a golf shirt, or a suit and tie?

On BC’s recent staff retreat, he told people to dress casually, but he showed up in a suit. People worried about if they’d dressed right, and that’s not what he’d had in mind. That’s the impact you have when you sit in the No. 1 chair.

Jarmond was Deputy AD at Ohio State, as well as Chief Of Staff, learning from and working with Gene Smith, whom Jarmond says is the best AD in the country. Jarmond came close to two Power 5 AD jobs in the last two years, but was content in Columbus for a bit. Then at the 2017 Big Ten basketball tournament, he got a phone call.

BC is a unique outpost, squarely in the middle of perhaps the most tribal professional sports cultures in America.

Jarmond, a former college basketball player, is versed in the hottest Boston sports topic of the day.

“I like that Kyrie’s betting on himself,” Jarmond told SB Nation. “I mean, that’s a dude right there. I love when somebody bets on himself. That brotha can go, I mean we’ve seen that. So it’s like, [Boston] got the best player in the deal. I always like getting the best player in the deal.”

BC is a Jesuit Catholic school with an enrollment of just over 14,000, a far cry from the 66,000 at Ohio State. Jarmond is Southern Baptist. His wife, Jessica, was raised Catholic.

“I said, ‘Just so you know, I’m not Catholic,’” he recalled. “I’ve gone to Mass. My wife grew up that way, but we’re trying to figure it out for our daughter. That’s part of the appeal here. A lot of kids here are trying to figure it out. So I kinda fit into that because we’re trying to figure out just exactly how we want to raise her.”

Courtesy to Boston College athletics.

When it comes to raising money, Jarmond is adept, and two-year-old Scarlett played a part at Ohio State. Jessica picked the name because she liked it, but he didn’t exactly tell the scarlet-and-gray folks in Columbus that.

“I’d be like, ‘And my daughter’s Scarlett. I love it,’” he said. “And everyone’s like, ‘Yeah, go Bucks.’ But no, technically we just liked the name. But if you were from Ohio State asking me that, it would be a different answer.”

He won’t be able to use that line at BC, but he’ll be just fine on the donor circuit.

The school needs an infusion of passion. In the last two seasons, the Eagles’ football and men’s basketball teams have combined to win four games in ACC play.

Boston College is a private school and doesn’t have to release financial details. But a reported operating budget of $69 million in 2016 would put the program around the bottom half of the ACC.

Before getting to Ohio State in 2009, Jarmond spent seven years at Michigan State as Assistant AD for Development and Director of Regional Giving. Under his watch, the Spartan Fund set records each year. During a university-wide fundraising campaign which has now totaled nearly $1.5 billion, he helped raised $126 million for athletics. At Ohio State, he led a team that raised $120 million in three years.

“I enjoy it,” Jarmond said. “I love connecting with people. I’m very intrigued by people, and everybody’s different. I have this thing that I say in my mind, ‘Everybody has a story, and deep down they’re dying to tell it.’ And it’s on me to listen and connect, that story with what our vision, and what that passion and what that need, is.”

His age is one of the first things that gets brought up.

His skill at fundraising placed him on Sports Business Journal’s Forty under 40 list, right as he was taking the BC job.

The Eagles offered on a Monday, and he flew to California to accept the award on Tuesday. One pesky hotel fax machine and a wonky PDF system later, Jarmond was BC’s man by Thursday. A reception for the award included an announcement about his new gig.

He’d met with Smith to weigh pros and cons. In the end, BC’s new commitment to facility improvement swayed him.

“We both looked at each other, and it was a crazy moment, I’ll never forget it,” Jarmond said. “We both looked at each other and I said, ‘I think I gotta do this.’ And he said, ‘I think you do.’ And — I’m getting goosebumps — that’s that moment when I knew I was leaving the nest.”

Jarmond’s typical day starts around 5:30 a.m., because it has to.

He has two hours of me time, something he says he’s talked about with other ADs. He used to exercise five days a week.

“I have not [practiced], and I’m a big yoga person,” Jarmond said. “I did yoga twice a week when I was in Columbus. That’s the biggest challenge that I gotta correct quickly for my mind is to get back in the groove to where I do yoga at least once a week.”

There’s a studio he’s supposed to try. For now, to mellow out, he plays jazz in his office. And to stay energized, he drinks three cups of Oolong tea per day.

Richard Johnson / SB Nation

“You don’t have an idea of how many people are coming at you with demands of your time and mental energy,” Jarmond said. “That’s the first thing I didn’t have an appreciation for. Wow, I just went all day, and I didn’t even think about my email because i’m boom, boom.”

He runs through the day’s schedule:

He had breakfast with both a prominent alum and a donor prospect.

He met with the academic resource staff for the first time.

He went through a feasibility study for a facilities project in the works, 90 minutes of it spent figuring out where the new building can go.

By then it was noon, and time to grab lunch, right? Well, his associate AD needed to talk over the coming ACC Network. BC needs to build out some facilities for that too, and there’s a deadline.

Another 10 minutes gone because of a student-athlete issue. There was just enough time for him to grab a 30-minute lunch.

He sat with SB Nation shortly after 1 p.m. and hadn’t checked his email yet: “I can’t even reach everybody, and I pride myself in getting back with people on email. I got a pile of letters that people have written me since I got the job, and I still haven’t written back.”

He’ll meet with the university’s CFO for the first time to understand how athletics fits into the school’s budget.

Then a meeting with HR, for some org restructuring work.

He’ll end his day with BC’s president, the Rev. William P. Leahy.

If there are more meetings at the end of the day his calendar can stretch until 8 o’clock. And this is the calm part of the calendar. Men’s and women’s soccer along with volleyball and field hockey are the only teams in season.

“Scarlett’s all over me,” he said. “Cause she doesn’t know what you did today. She just knows she hasn’t seen you since last night when you went to bed. And yeah, you try to find that time where I can put my phone down. That’s usually only like an hour. I had to make a call last night about the ACC Network. It’s a 24/7 type of deal.”

Life is just different now, but that’s what happens when you’re no longer No. 2.

He’s not delegating well enough yet, and he knows it.

“I’m getting better at it. It’s trust,” he said. “You’re used to doing things yourself and — I read this earlier this week, it’s funny you asked me that — I read something that said that your primary job as a CEO of an organization is learning how to get things done through other people.”

He could give advice to Smith on a big decision, but then go home and play with his daughter.

It hit him right before his first press conference at BC, when he met with all the coaches.

“I remember a couple people walked in the room, and we exchanged some pleasantries and then everybody was quiet just looking at me,” Jarmond said. “That was my first moment when I was like, this is me. These are my coaches now.”

Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Often with a new AD, there’s a perceived mandate to clean house.

Jarmond will ask a coach realistically how they think the upcoming season will go. From there, he can set expectations. That’s different for every team.

Coming from Ohio State, Jarmond knows the importance of football. BC hasn’t won more than seven games or finished higher than third in its division since 2009. Coach Steve Addazio enters his fifth season with concerns about whether or not his offense will have a pulse. If it doesn’t, seven wins will be tough to get to.

Jarmond is giving Addazio as much of a blank slate as possible. He didn’t talk to Ohio State coach Urban Meyer about Addazio. Meyer and Addazio coached for years at Florida. Addazzio’s son, Louis, is a graduate assistant under Meyer. Jarmond didn’t want Meyer’s opinion to influence his own.

“Some of the support guys, I asked them, and they said, ‘Ahh Steve, he’s passionate,’” Jarmond said. “And he is, and I love his passion. Great passion. I’m a passionate guy, that’s one of the first thing I talk about in my press conference.”

Just in case Jarmond forgets how big his job is, he walks past a plaque dedicated to William Flynn right next to his door.

Flynn was BC’s AD from 1957 to 1990, and his name hangs in the rafters at BC’s Conte Forum. Flynn is an “institution,” per Jarmond, who sees himself as a steward.

“I could never have the legacy that he had. He did so much and so early in this institution’s career and trajectory,” Jarmond said. “I can only hope that I can make a contribution and keep this thing going in the right direction and in an upward trajectory, and that’s my goal. But it’s humbling and it’s an honor to be associated with the same chair that he sat in. It’s cool.”

[find-your-rp-partner]

apocalypses and heroes and ice skates, oh my!

hello hello my baby hello my honey hello my ragtime gal!

hey how are ya my name is emmy and i’m here to search for a new rp partner. a bit about me, i’m 21, canadian, about to start a summer job before returning to college, and i go by she/her pronouns. i reside in the mountain timezone and i am thrilled to hopefully start writing with you. 

why should you write with me? because i promise that if i pick up an rp with you i’m gonna put 100 and 10 percent of my effort into our story. i’m looking for a long term typa gig, someone who i can really weave a plot with, someone who digs the cut of my jib. i want us to be able to sob over our characters together late into the night. i want us to exchange songs, playlists, posts found on the internet, aesthetic boards, whatever reminds us of our characters/our plot. i want us to go through our character’s struggles together as well as be able to cheer together when our characters get ahold of their sitch and come up on top. i want us to inspire one another with our writing. it’s gonna be great. you & me honey. 

gee, that sounds nice! i’m inclined to agree with ya! but a few things you should know before you go any further: i write anywhere between full lit to lit + to novella style, so expect posts of at least 4 - 6 paragraphs baseline. sometimes i crank out 10. or 20. depends entirely on what’s going on. i write according to situation, with a great amount of detail spent on what my character is thinking/feeling in response to yours. the replies you get will be fully fleshed out & enthralling. i am a stickler for grammar and spelling, though nobody’s perfect, i do occasionally have my slipups. all lowercase text is strictly kept to ooc communication. i will never pressure you into posting or writing ridiculous amounts just to match my post. i want you to have fun too, ya hear? if i’ve had a bit to drink or am about to hit the hay, i’ll wait to post when i can give my post my full attention. usually i’ll be able to post at least once a day, sometimes multiple times a day if we’re in the same or a similar time zone. i also totally understand life happens and sometimes we just need a breather. ♥ i have bipolar depression, and sometimes my depression kicks my ass, but i’ll let you know when that happens.

oh goodness, what else? i write predominantly m/m pairings but i am open to m/f and f/f as well. i do not write high fantasy settings, sorry doll. my interests mostly align with modern day, slice of life kinda stuff, aside from the fandoms i do have. i don’t have many limits besides excessive gore, scat, mpreg, and writing smut for sake of smut. i love my romance just like anyone else does, but it’s got to have plot. our characters have to have chemistry or else i get bored. i haven’t doubled before but i think i’d be down with the right plot. usually i prefer that we play one character each, or we play multiple characters within a plot, but not usually more than one plot at the same time. but!!! i am totally willing to try new things!! just be patient with me as i learn m'kay? also most of my characters are pretty kinky but like, i prefer that we talk about kinks and limits one on one as opposed to airing out my character’s laundry. also- i wanna be your friend ooc. let’s chat. i find it’s so much easier to have muse and post if i enjoy the virtual company of the people i’m writing with.

ok but what do you write? 

what *don’t* i write? kidding. here’s a bit of fandom for ya. if i’ve got plots listed, they’re the ideas i have, but i’m totally open to yours as well. stars denote how much i’m craving them. i’ll list the canon characters i write after i list the fandom: 

fallout: new vegas & 4: arcade gannon & elder maxson, paladin danse - also got a ton of ocs for both *plot for fallout 4 a: we explore the cut ending to the brotherhood of steel questline, wherein the sole survivor and paladin danse refuse maxson’s final orders for danse, and fight for danse to become the leader of the brotherhood of steel. would likely require you playing maxon or danse and me playing the other, with one of us playing the sole survivor.  *plot for fallout 4 b: your/my oc is a double agent for the railroad, with the mission to infiltrate the brotherhood of steel and send intelligence back to the agents back at home base. your/my oc becomes unexpectedly attached to elder maxson through work and circumstance. eventually, your/my oc must make a choice of where their allegiance lies: within the arms of arthur or with the faction they are fighting for. (potentially, we could double and do plot a & b at the same time.) 

mafia 2: vito scaletta  ***plot for mafia 2 a: we explore the dynamics of a relationship between vito and your oc. your oc could be in a position of great risk- think outside of the mafia, possibly a police officer, prostitute. some position where power dynamics could be played with. if the pairing is m/m we also deal with the themes of internalized homophobia and coming to terms with one’s identity. 

*bioshock 1, 2 & infinite: brigid tenbenbaum, andrew ryan, frank frontaine & eleanor lamb, sofia lamb & booker dewitt 

**marvel cinematic universe: tony stark, steve rogers

**greater marvel universe: logan howlett, carol danvers 

***the office: pam beesly, angela martin 

but honestly where my heart lies is within oc rp. here are a few plots i have of mine, stars denote how much i’m craving them:

**(m/m) power & politics: my oc is a prestigious state senator, who lives a double life. he is currently in the closet with no intent on leaving it anytime soon. however, a certain someone falls into his life, making him question what he thought he knew for certain. your oc breaks down the walls my oc has put up and changes him into a softer, better man. however, with an upcoming presidential campaign on the horizon for my oc, the limits of the secret relationship will be pushed and pulled beyond what both parties have ‘signed up for.' 

****(m/m) the guardian: your oc is a newcomer to the nhl but is quickly making waves- think connor mcdavid style. he’s young and impressive, but mostly, impressionable. he starts to get battered around by both his teammates and opposing teams. after a few hard hits and fowl play within the game that have cost your oc bench and recovery time, the team’s coach calls in reinforcements to boost the team’s morale and serve as a protector to your oc. my oc is a winger who hasn’t got the talent part but has got a huge heart. not to mention… huge hands. good for makin’ fists. good for fightin’.  my oc protects your oc during the games, coming to your oc’s aid, picking fights for your oc and protecting him on the ice. as such, the two wingers grow attached to one another.. perhaps too attached for the coach to be comfortable with. possibilities for a love triangle and other complications, for sure.

***(m/m or m/f) two worlds: your oc is a figure skater. my oc is a goaltender. both happen to share practice/warm-up ice and, in my oc’s effort to show off and win your oc over, he injures himself. one awkward trip to the er later, while under the influence of a huge amount of morphine, my oc admits his attempted double axel was prompted by the simple thought of how cute your oc is. this plot starts simple but compounds, with the two struggling with their careers and seeing one another, as well as my oc’s battle with alcoholism & painkiller addiction within the nhl. 

***(m/m) too good to be true: our ocs start out in the whl, both as promising wingers. their good chemistry is vital to bringing back their team’s success. however, one of our ocs starts to get too attached to the other, and when an nhl draft separates them, one of our ocs is all too eager to cut contact and try to forget. the two excel in their nhl careers without one another, and end up on nhl teams with a history of deep rivalry. occasionally, the gloves hit the ice, fueled by the tension of unresolved feelings and the pressure of the respective teams to keep up the rivalry. the two are reunited when they are both chosen to play nationally for the same team, and are forced to reconcile what they have both buried so deeply within them. 

***(m/m) big money: these two ocs play for rival teams in the nhl. while their teams have a history of tension, our two ocs take it to the next level. audiences are more excited to watch these two fight than they are to watch the game itself. there’s a market in the violence between these two, and a reputation to maintain on both ends. if the public found out that these two were secretly seeing one another, their careers would both be over. 

i recognize that a lot of these focus on the nhl/the lives of professional hockey players- please don’t be worried about hockey knowledge/nhl jargon/whatever else goes through your head! i’m more interested in sport as a realm for drama than i am for following the rulebook and being 100% accurate to life when it comes to hockey. there’s a lot i don’t know and am still needing to learn, myself! as for general oc ideas, here’s a list:

professor x student

veteran x civillian

cop x criminal 

street racing, fast-and-furious-esque setting

rival gangs 

nhl/hockey based (lol obviously)

small town canadiana or americana 

fun, fluffy romance based modern settings

darker themes such as addiction, abuse, etc

historical setting- preferably, the second world war/1940s-1960s 

honestly whatever you can pitch to me that isn’t high fantasy ☺

hell yeah let’s do this pal 

if any, and i mean any, of this piqued your fancy, pleaaaase shoot me an email at��

↳ [email protected] ! 

i will respond! but please send me something thoughtful! i’d like to hear what part of my ad that you’re interested in/why you chose to contact me. i am willing to rp over email or over skype. just let me know. i’d like to email back and forth a little bit before we get right into it & before i give out my skype. i am totally down to chat via google hangouts, i prefer it, but i'll use skype too. i want to get to know ya! i sure look forward to hearing from you!  ✌ & ♥ emmy 

#rp partner search #rp partner ad #rp ad #rp search #fandom #original #marvel #mcu #videogame #email #skype #submission

[find-your-rp-partner]

apocalypses and heroes and ice skates, oh my!

hello hello my baby hello my honey hello my ragtime gal!

hey how are ya my name is emmy and i'm here to search for a new rp partner. a bit about me, i'm 21, canadian, about to start a summer job before returning to college, and i go by she/her pronouns. i reside in the mountain timezone and i am thrilled to hopefully start writing with you. 

why should you write with me? because i promise that if i pick up an rp with you i'm gonna put 100 and 10 percent of my effort into our story. i'm looking for a long term typa gig, someone who i can really weave a plot with, someone who digs the cut of my jib. i want us to be able to sob over our characters together late into the night. i want us to exchange songs, playlists, posts found on the internet, aesthetic boards, whatever reminds us of our characters/our plot. i want us to go through our character's struggles together as well as be able to cheer together when our characters get ahold of their sitch and come up on top. i want us to inspire one another with our writing. it's gonna be great. you & me honey. 

gee, that sounds nice! i'm inclined to agree with ya! but a few things you should know before you go any further: i write anywhere between full lit to lit + to novella style, so expect posts of at least 4 - 6 paragraphs baseline. sometimes i crank out 10. or 20. depends entirely on what's going on. i write according to situation, with a great amount of detail spent on what my character is thinking/feeling in response to yours. the replies you get will be fully fleshed out & enthralling. i am a stickler for grammar and spelling, though nobody's perfect, i do occasionally have my slipups. all lowercase text is strictly kept to ooc communication. i will never pressure you into posting or writing ridiculous amounts just to match my post. i want you to have fun too, ya hear? if i've had a bit to drink or am about to hit the hay, i'll wait to post when i can give my post my full attention. usually i'll be able to post at least once a day, sometimes multiple times a day if we're in the same or a similar time zone. i also totally understand life happens and sometimes we just need a breather. ♥ i have bipolar depression, and sometimes my depression kicks my ass, but i'll let you know when that happens.

oh goodness, what else? i write predominantly m/m pairings but i am open to m/f and f/f as well. i do not write high fantasy settings, sorry doll. my interests mostly align with modern day, slice of life kinda stuff, aside from the fandoms i do have. i don't have many limits besides excessive gore, scat, mpreg, and writing smut for sake of smut. i love my romance just like anyone else does, but it's got to have plot. our characters have to have chemistry or else i get bored. i haven't doubled before but i think i'd be down with the right plot. usually i prefer that we play one character each, or we play multiple characters within a plot, but not usually more than one plot at the same time. but!!! i am totally willing to try new things!! just be patient with me as i learn m'kay? also most of my characters are pretty kinky but like, i prefer that we talk about kinks and limits one on one as opposed to airing out my character's laundry. also- i wanna be your friend ooc. let's chat. i find it's so much easier to have muse and post if i enjoy the virtual company of the people i'm writing with.

ok but what do you write? 

what *don't* i write? kidding. here's a bit of fandom for ya. if i've got plots listed, they're the ideas i have, but i'm totally open to yours as well. stars denote how much i'm craving them. i'll list the canon characters i write after i list the fandom: 

fallout: new vegas & 4: arcade gannon & elder maxson, paladin danse - also got a ton of ocs for both *plot for fallout 4 a: we explore the cut ending to the brotherhood of steel questline, wherein the sole survivor and paladin danse refuse maxson's final orders for danse, and fight for danse to become the leader of the brotherhood of steel. would likely require you playing maxon or danse and me playing the other, with one of us playing the sole survivor.  *plot for fallout 4 b: your/my oc is a double agent for the railroad, with the mission to infiltrate the brotherhood of steel and send intelligence back to the agents back at home base. your/my oc becomes unexpectedly attached to elder maxson through work and circumstance. eventually, your/my oc must make a choice of where their allegiance lies: within the arms of arthur or with the faction they are fighting for. (potentially, we could double and do plot a & b at the same time.) 

mafia 2: vito scaletta  ***plot for mafia 2 a: we explore the dynamics of a relationship between vito and your oc. your oc could be in a position of great risk- think outside of the mafia, possibly a police officer, prostitute. some position where power dynamics could be played with. if the pairing is m/m we also deal with the themes of internalized homophobia and coming to terms with one's identity. 

*bioshock 1, 2 & infinite: brigid tenbenbaum, andrew ryan, frank frontaine & eleanor lamb, sofia lamb & booker dewitt 

**marvel cinematic universe: tony stark, steve rogers

**greater marvel universe: logan howlett, carol danvers 

***the office: pam beesly, angela martin 

but honestly where my heart lies is within oc rp. here are a few plots i have of mine, stars denote how much i'm craving them:

**(m/m) power & politics: my oc is a prestigious state senator, who lives a double life. he is currently in the closet with no intent on leaving it anytime soon. however, a certain someone falls into his life, making him question what he thought he knew for certain. your oc breaks down the walls my oc has put up and changes him into a softer, better man. however, with an upcoming presidential campaign on the horizon for my oc, the limits of the secret relationship will be pushed and pulled beyond what both parties have 'signed up for.' 

****(m/m) the guardian: your oc is a newcomer to the nhl but is quickly making waves- think connor mcdavid style. he's young and impressive, but mostly, impressionable. he starts to get battered around by both his teammates and opposing teams. after a few hard hits and fowl play within the game that have cost your oc bench and recovery time, the team's coach calls in reinforcements to boost the team's morale and serve as a protector to your oc. my oc is a winger who hasn't got the talent part but has got a huge heart. not to mention... huge hands. good for makin' fists. good for fightin'.  my oc protects your oc during the games, coming to your oc's aid, picking fights for your oc and protecting him on the ice. as such, the two wingers grow attached to one another.. perhaps too attached for the coach to be comfortable with. possibilities for a love triangle and other complications, for sure.

***(m/m or m/f) two worlds: your oc is a figure skater. my oc is a goaltender. both happen to share practice/warm-up ice and, in my oc's effort to show off and win your oc over, he injures himself. one awkward trip to the er later, while under the influence of a huge amount of morphine, my oc admits his attempted double axel was prompted by the simple thought of how cute your oc is. this plot starts simple but compounds, with the two struggling with their careers and seeing one another, as well as my oc's battle with alcoholism & painkiller addiction within the nhl. 

***(m/m) too good to be true: our ocs start out in the whl, both as promising wingers. their good chemistry is vital to bringing back their team's success. however, one of our ocs starts to get too attached to the other, and when an nhl draft separates them, one of our ocs is all too eager to cut contact and try to forget. the two excel in their nhl careers without one another, and end up on nhl teams with a history of deep rivalry. occasionally, the gloves hit the ice, fueled by the tension of unresolved feelings and the pressure of the respective teams to keep up the rivalry. the two are reunited when they are both chosen to play nationally for the same team, and are forced to reconcile what they have both buried so deeply within them. 

***(m/m) big money: these two ocs play for rival teams in the nhl. while their teams have a history of tension, our two ocs take it to the next level. audiences are more excited to watch these two fight than they are to watch the game itself. there's a market in the violence between these two, and a reputation to maintain on both ends. if the public found out that these two were secretly seeing one another, their careers would both be over. 

i recognize that a lot of these focus on the nhl/the lives of professional hockey players- please don't be worried about hockey knowledge/nhl jargon/whatever else goes through your head! i'm more interested in sport as a realm for drama than i am for following the rulebook and being 100% accurate to life when it comes to hockey. there's a lot i don't know and am still needing to learn, myself! as for general oc ideas, here's a list:

professor x student

veteran x civillian

cop x criminal 

street racing, fast-and-furious-esque setting

rival gangs 

nhl/hockey based (lol obviously)

small town canadiana or americana 

fun, fluffy romance based modern settings

darker themes such as addiction, abuse, etc

historical setting- preferably, the second world war/1940s-1960s 

honestly whatever you can pitch me that isn't high fantasy ☺

hell yeah let's do this pal 

if any, and i mean any, of this piqued your fancy, pleaaaase shoot me an email at 

↳ [email protected] ! 

i will respond! but please send me something thoughtful! i'd like to hear what part of my ad that you're interested in/why you chose to contact me. i am willing to rp over email or over skype. just let me know. i'd like to email back and forth a little bit before we get right into it & before i give out my skype. i want to get to know ya! i sure look forward to hearing from you!  ✌ & ♥ emmy 

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