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mcgrillzdumpinc · 3 years

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Meeting with Masks

Summary: Nie Huaisang is beyond excited when he is invited to a Jin party including Carnival masks. He doesn't expect to catch feelings at the party, but it's not so bad. Written for day 7 of SangCheng Month - First Meeting!

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Pairing: Sangcheng, mentions of NieYao Rating: T Warnings: Mentions of queerphobia Word count: 1811

“The Jin invited us to a party.”

Nie Huaisang looks up from his phone just as Nie Mingjue tosses a letter on the dining table. The envelope is crisp and cream, the flap decorated by gold filigree. Nie Huaisang pulls out the invitation, which matches the envelope perfectly, and reads. The party is actually a ball being hosted at the main Jin mansion, intended to celebrate Jin Zixuan’s twenty-first birthday. Dress code is formal, drinks will be served, blah blah blah. What really interests Nie Huaisang is the text at the bottom of the invitation, several font sizes larger than the main text and bolded to emphasize its importance—

Bring a Carnival Mask!

Nie Huaisang lets out a low whistle that quickly turns into giddy laughter. “Da-ge! Update the scoreboard! The Jin are less crappy than the Yao now!”

“Because of the masks?” Nie Mingjue guesses very correctly because he is the best big brother ever.

“Yes! Oh my god I’m going to have so much fun making your mask, da-ge! Do you want to go intimidating? Sexy? Mysterious?”

“All white,” Nie Mingjue replies as he takes a black dry-erase marker to the scoreboard on the refrigerator. “This party is stupid, anyway.”

“Booooo!” Nie Huaisang declares as he stands up, arms thrown into the air in protest. “You’re boring! The most boring da-ge!”

“I still get ass,” Nie Mingjue says with a smirk.

“Gross!!!!!”

~~~

Thankfully, the Jin (probably only Guangyao) had the foresight to send the invitation a few weeks in advance, so there was plenty of time for Nie Huaisang to research Carnival masks and start making one of his own. To Nie Mingjue’s great pleasure, there was even a mask that fit his boring requirements. So on the day of the ball, the Nie brothers arrive in hand-made and impeccable masks.

“Do you think anybody will recognize us?” Nie Mingjue asks as he readjusts his cape. Yes, cape. Nie Huaisang made him a bauta mask and Nie Mingjue, in his full jock-nerd glory, decided to wear the full historical garb, tricorn hat and cape and all.

Nie Huaisang rolls his eyes. In contrast to his nerd brother, Nie Huaisang has opted to dress a little slutty in tight-fitted dress pants, a crisp white shirt unbuttoned to the middle of his chest, and black corset vest. His neck, fingers, and wrists are decked out in green and gold jewelry, all polished to shine in the light. He’s decorated his white mask in a similarly lavish fashion—gold lips, black eyes, gold and black filigree at the sides and top, and below the eyes is a series of gold hexagons that lead into teardrops. “I hope not,” he responds to his brother. “It’ll be way more fun surprising people.”

Together they walk up the many, many steps into the main Jin mansion. After temporarily removing their masks to prove their identities, they slip inside. The foyer is already alight with revelers, most of them likely entertainment hired to hype up the guests. It’s only 7 p.m., after all, and only a select few people would be this drunk so early into the evening. Unless the food or drink is spiked, in which case Nie Huaisang needs to find out for himself before he lets Nie Mingjue have a taste.

“Be careful with the food,” Nie Huaisang advises as he takes a glass of champagne from a passing waiter.

Perceptive as always, Nie Mingjue replies, “A-Yao knows the diet my doctor recommended. He wouldn’t poison me.”

Maybe in the past he would have, but Nie Huaisang is pretty sure Jin Guangyao has a more vested interested in his Nie Mingjue’s health now that they’re dating. Hopefully. It’s hard to tell when it comes to the Jin.

“Still, be careful. Yao-ge could’ve missed something.”

Nie Mingjue stares at him. Even beneath the heavy mask, Nie Huaisang knows his brother is giving him a disbelieving look.

“You never know!” he defends as the duo reach their destination.

The ballroom is massive, large enough to house the entire population of a small town during a natural disaster. True to pompous Jin nature, Jin Zixuan is seated at the far end of the ballroom on a stage. Nie Huaisang knows it’s him because of the way he sits—the body posture of somebody who absolutely does not want to be there. Twenty-one years and the poor guy is still not used to the way his family does things.

Nie Huaisang can sympathize. He’s pretty different from the rest of his own family, too.

“I’m going to go find A-Yao,” Nie Mingjue speaks up over the orchestra music.

“Okay. Make sure he taste-tests your food!” Nie Huaisang exclaims as he raises his mask to take a sip of champagne.

“Shove off!” Nie Mingjue scolds good-naturedly.

Nie Huaisang waves off his brother before heading into the crowd. Looking around, there’s nobody he immediately recognizes. There’s one guy in bright red wearing a plague doctor’s mask that keeps catching Nie Huaisang’s eye, but he quickly decides that tonight is not the night to bother with the crazies. It’s generally good advice to follow when in Jin territory.

In time, Nie Huaisang finds himself a wallflower. He’s not the most easily sociable person. Friendly, sure. But he’s never been good at approaching strangers. He would have gone up to Jin Zixuan, but Nie Huaisang has no idea if the guy would lose it the second he saw a friendly face. Which would be an entire headache if that did happen. So, wall.

It’s been at least thirty minutes since he finished his champagne and he’s not feeling even slightly drugged, though. So that’s good news for his brother.

Just as he’s considering finding the buffet, a stranger joins Nie Huaisang at the wall. The stranger is tall, at least 8 centimeters taller than Nie Huaisang, and cuts an intimidating figure with broad shoulders and large hands. Their loose, black hair is long, falling to about their shoulder blades, contrasting starkly to the orchid purple button-up shirt they wear. The waistcoat they wear is a darker purple with black buttons. Slung over their right arm is a formal jacket that matches the waistcoat. Interestingly, their choice in bottoms is a pair of orchid purple pants, with the left side covered by an ankle-length black skirt. Nie Huaisang finds himself smiling at that detail—as a person who’s still questioning, he can appreciate a challenge to the gender binary.

He looks up to meet the stranger’s eyes. The stranger is looking back at him with a lovely pair of brown eyes. It’s a shame that the rest of this handsome stranger’s face is hidden by what Nie Huaisang would call the creepiest of the traditional Carnival masks—a moretta. Pitch black and perfectly round, it’s like a void has replaced the rest of the stranger’s face. In the bright lights of the ballroom, Nie Huaisang cannot see any ties keeping the mask up, so the stranger has opted for the traditional way of wearing the mask—a button between their lips. Even if they can talk, they have rendered themself effectively mute.

Still, though. Nie Huaisang likes a challenge. He introduces himself with a bow.

The stranger bows silently in return.

Nie Huaisang laughs to himself. “Are you enjoying yourself?” he asks.

The stranger rolls their eyes.

“Yeah, Jin parties are like that for me, too. They care way too much.”

The stranger raises their champagne glass, as if to say Cheers to that.

Nie Huaisang finds himself smiling. “You know, I really wasn’t expecting a moretta mask, of all things. It’s unique.”

The stranger doesn’t respond.

“Not a bad thing,” Nie Huaisang clarifies. “But I’m curious. Join me for a trip to the buffet?”

The stranger nods. Nie Huaisang offers his arm and, after slipping on their jacket, they take it. Together, they leave the crowded ballroom for the crowded hallways and manage to get themselves lost a few times before finally finding the buffet.

“Why the hell would they put it so far away from the ballroom?” Nie Huaisang grumbles as he moves to wait in line. He hears the stranger laugh. “I hope you remember the way back. I’m terrible with directions.”

The stranger reaches up to remove their mask. Underneath the void is a strikingly handsome visage, with sharp cheekbones and shapely lips. Nie Huaisang very much wants to ravish them immediately. “Don’t worry, I do,” they say with a rumbling, deep voice.

“Fuck you’re sexy,” Nie Huaisang utters with absolutely zero forethought. Realizing his mistake, he slaps a hand over his mask’s mouth. “I’m so sorry! That just came out!”

The stranger looks equally flustered, their eyes avoiding Nie Huaisang’s as they mumble, “It’s okay. You don’t seem like a creep.”

“I promise I’m not,” Nie Huaisang says as he removes his mask. “Which I know sounds exactly like what a creep would say, but scout’s honor! Not a creep!”

The stranger stares at him for a long second before saying, “You’re not so bad-looking yourself.”

Nie Huaisang manages to hide his fluster by announcing, “I better. It took twenty tries to get this eyeliner right.”

The stranger snorts. “Jiang Cheng, by the way,” they introduce themselves.

“Oh, shit. You’re pretty important, huh?” The Jiang hold a near-monopoly in all water-based trade in and out of their city. Nie Huaisang’s parents have pretty regular contact with Jiang Fengmian and his wife Yu Ziyuan in the interest of not losing some important trade negotiations. But, last he heard, Jiang Cheng was the Jiang’s son. “Can I get your pronouns?”

“Any,” Jiang Cheng answers.

Ah. “So the moretta mask is pretty symbolic, huh?”

“I’m out as genderfluid, but I’m not supposed to talk about it,” Jiang Cheng tells him with a notably flat affect.

Nie Huaisang frowns. “That sucks. I’m still questioning, but my family is pretty supportive.”

“My siblings are, too. Supportive, that is.” The duo reach the banquet table. Nie Huaisang receives Jiang Cheng’s mask as the other starts preparing two dishes of food. “My parents are trying, but you know how some people take queerness these days. Anyway, should I not refer to you with he/him?”

“I’m still comfortable with those pronouns,” Nie Huaisang easily responds. “Oh, get me some sausage.” Jiang Cheng obliges. “Honestly, I might just be on the gender-nonconforming side, but I’m not sure yet.”

Jiang Cheng smiles. It brings an ethereal softness to their features that Nie Huaisang would love to kiss. But he keeps his hands to himself as the two of them reach the end of the buffet table and hurry to find a spot to eat. “It takes time,” Jiang Cheng says as they trade a plate of food for their mask. “Hey, after this, want to dance?”

Nie Huaisang offers them a smile in return. “Absolutely.”

#mo dao zu shi #mdzs #nie huaisang #jiang cheng #sangcheng #sangchengmonth2020 #sangchengber #sometimes i write

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monstrously-yours · 4 years

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You were in the notes on that post about makeup/doctored selfie culture ruining childhoods and said it's great to keep makeup "for later"... just gotta ask, with the industry being how it is, why keep it at all? Diy facepainting, where looking young, pretty white and rich isn't the goal, sure. Where it's not feeding the beast sized industry selling shit like "your lashes are sparse and that's bad" behind a veneer of positivity ("for just $8 get full lashes!")

Thank you for asking this question. For adding more nuance to a topic that I feel passionately about, and for making me feel heard. I am thankful for your curiosity about this subject.

Why “save for later”? I think makeup should only be used when you’re mature. This is for two main reasons. I have an actual reason past the first two paragraphs if you’d like to skip that and get to the meat and bones of why I wrote what I wrote.

The first is that kids can’t differentiate good and bad attention. When they garner praise, attention, and differential treatment, they can’t evaluate if the attention is given lovingly and genuinely, or if it’s predatory. The knee-jerk reaction that most of us have toward child-pageantry is for this reason exactly. To doll kids up in mid-riff baring shirts, mini-skirts, tight clothing, and heavy make-up is disgusting to a majority of us because these items are heavily associated with grown women. While heavily feminine, this femininity serves to be sexually attractive, and I think it’s the core of why child pageantry is criminal. While some may argue that children should have the freedom to choose what they do with their physical appearance and hobbies, I think it’s important for parents to discourage it early on. It’s important to let kids express themselves, but they should do so healthily. The same reason that we aren’t allowed to get tattoos because we’d have a nice Barney tattoo on our left temple or Big Bird on our right calf, we should discourage kids from changing how they look so that society will accept them with heavy make-up. This last point may seem ridiculous, but please read on to my next point, the second reason why I think makeup should be saved for “later”

I think early use of makeup shapes worldviews. At such an impressionable age, kids will quickly learn to associate their physical appearance with incentive. When kids learn that you can enhance your features to fit a certain “way” they should look, they’re going to make a very strong association between the two and shape their behavior and worldviews around that. Granted, it’s not in stone, but let’s be real. There is a socially acceptable way to look which changes every decade, but nevertheless is formulaic in some ways. I can include pictures in the reblog about 2015-2020’s physical trends to explore this more.

Though makeup application can take incredible skill to achieve, it’s instantly gratifying and changes how others perceive them. While cultivating interests, talents, hobbies, or educational pursuits takes time, effort, dedication, perseverance, experience of failure, and so on, makeup can be “empowering” in that you can change your physical appearance and directly benefit from a few hour’s application. I strongly believe that some women have (non-gender related) dysphoria and apply make up because they have issues with how they present. Eyebags, acne, discoloration, unruly facial hair—that’s all natural. What the beauty industry perseveres to do is to erase that and place the onus on women to “compete” to be perfect or perish, unseen. What’s worse, women are already self-conscious about how they look, and makeup is an accessible tool for girls to succumb to the societal pressures for physical perfection. If kids learn from a young age that they will receive preferential treatment, affection, attention with how they look, they are more likely to derive their self-worth from that, when they are capable of so much more.

Here’s the actual reason I said it should be “saved for later”, though. I don’t actually think it should be saved for later. I actually just straight up do not believe in the makeup industry. I mean, I know it exists, but I don’t think it should. So to the OP anon, you and I are in complete agreement. I don’t care for libfems to come to me saying “Oh, so you think makeup is just a tool to look sexually attractive? So it’s not a skill? So you don’t think SOME women do it for fun, and for themselves?” and to be honest, it’s also a monolith of an industry. I don’t think there will be enough women who want to give up control over their appearance, and I don’t think men, who tend to be visually driven, will understand the power of sexual appeal that makeup gives. [See, and if further requested, screenshots of “catfish makeup” videos on YouTube. It’s a funny title, but at the end of the day, all I see are women who change their appearance so drastically from what they originally look like, that the “catfish” implies their chances with men/women are far better off with makeup than without. No, I don’t have a stick up my asshole. These videos are entertaining and I think these women are sweet, funny, and sometimes intelligent. I do think that my point IS being made when you think youre a 3, but with lashes, blush, tone corrector, foundation, contour, lip color, brow fill, cheek filler, brow filler, eyeshadow, eye liner, and so on and so forth, you’re a 10. Instead of a gross, stinky zombie, you’re suddenly a normal, nice, appealing human being. And that’s not a healthy viewpoint to have about your body, but that’s just my opinion. In an instagram-saturated world, we are already so incentivized by quantifiable markers of popularity: likes, retweets, reblogs. It’s obvious the currency for social capital strongly lies in physical appearance (for everyone, not just women).]

There’s been a tumblr post going around that says “I don’t think we should be able to look at ourselves, except in our reflections in bodies of water” and I fully ascribe to that. I don’t think makeup should be saved for later. I do wish people were fine just walking around looking like ourselves, liking each other for who we are. But we are visual, biological organisms. And maybe makeup levels the playing field. After all, not all men are born like the young Tom Cruise (and many of those who are don’t seem to develop a personality or sense of humor to compensate), and not all women are born to look like Kylie Jenner or Gigi Hadid (those who are earnest to point out Eurocentric-based beauty, see what filters do to you, and why most girls use snapchat filters. Slimmer nose bridge, smaller nose bulb, paler complexion, thinner faces, larger eyes, and rosier cheeks. Don’t blame me, blame society.). In the end, though, the rich will buy all the serums, injections, creams, pigments, and facial reconstructions they want, and I stay checking ponds to see if I still look hideous without help. I think you are, too, anon. I think you are too. And maybe we’re better off.

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relenafanel · 6 years

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Fic: The Day-Drinking, Sugar-Baby Detective Agency

This unrepentant piece of crack is for @ellebeesknees for her birthday. Based on a convo about these assholes:

And how they’d fuck their way to the top and then get bored without mental stimulation.

[note: I changed Will Franklyn to Bucky just because. Contains Stucky, and Thorki, and murder]

x.x.x.x.

"Can I be offended if I think she's cheating on me?" Bucky asked, balancing his phone between his ear and his shoulder as he poured a splash more rum into his mojito.

"Rum makes you maudlin," Loki reminded him, his voice tinny over speakerphone. There was the sound of water sloshing in the background, so either he was taking a bath, already by the pool, or his drink was larger than Bucky's was.

"And vodka makes me paranoid."

"So drink a beer."

"I haven't had vodka today," Bucky pointed out. "What I've had is no sex in 13 days and one obligatory phone call. If she's not cheating on me -- and her husband -- then she's rapidly losing interest."

There was a shhhhlct sound over the phone.

"Are you shaving?" Bucky asked in disbelief.

"Maybe some of us have let ourselves go," Loki pointed out in a dispassionately catty tone. "But not all of us have the luxury of not putting in the effort daily."

"Ok, whatever," Bucky rolled his eyes. "You know half of it you do for your own exacting preferences." It was an odd friendship between them borne from a game of 'younger relative or paid entertainment' played during a tediously monotonous party.

"Not all of us can get away with just trimming our pubes so our dicks look bigger and more uniform."

"Yeah, but not all of us get to just lie there and take it."

Loki was silent for a moment and then changed the subject, more of a sign that he was acknowledging the accuracy of that statement than verbally agreeing would be. "Do you have a back up plan if this goes south?"

"I have three. Lady Platten thinks I'm sweet."

Loki snorted. "All her wealth is tied into her late husband's estate."

Well. Not everyone could have a back up plan that included moving back into their childhood bedroom and still maintain their lifestyle. If Bucky was on his own he'd have to rely on his one published book to support him. He'd be living in a studio apartment and eating ramen in no time.

"Maybe I'll see if your mom wants company,” he told Loki.

"It'd be good for her," Loki agreed. "I will pay you to seduce my mother from my own trust fund."

Bucky made a face. That backfired.

x.x.x.

Loki called Bucky often, but he rarely called Bucky and demanded that he come over immediately for an emergency. Loki might be dramatic but he also liked his space, and he definitely wasn’t the type who needed suggestions on what to wear, so Bucky found himself responding by driving over to the large house in the richer part of town. Where they lived, parts of town were rich.

"What is it?" Bucky hissed after Loki gestured for him to be quiet the moment he opened the ornate door.

"Shut up," Loki said in a normal voice and then pulled Bucky through the door. He hadn't been to Loki's lover's house often. It was a huge monstrosity that made Bucky think of dick comparisons. His girlfriend's dick was smaller than Loki's boyfriend's. Loki's family had the biggest dick of all. It wasn’t really a secret that most of society figured Loki was slumming. "He's dead," Loki said, slamming the door behind him.

"Who?" Bucky asked in concern, his tone softening. Loki didn't get along with his family, but Bucky thought it was because he cared too much in an odd way. If someone was dead then Loki would be distraught, and it definitely explained why he’d call Bucky over. “Your father.”

"No," Loki corrected him impatiently. "He's dead."

Then he gestured across the open marble entryway into the living room, where there was a dead body very visible even from this distance. It took Bucky eighteen steps to cross over and look into the room. Then he stared at the body lying face down on the ground, completely naked. Blood had soaked through into the lush carpet, and it was dark as though it had time to dry. "Oh." Bucky said, and thought about how he could use this for his next book. "Gross."

“Gross?” Loki echoed, incredulously. “You’re the one who wrote about someone being impaled. I figured you’d be better with blood.”

“I didn’t realize you read my book,” he responded, walking around the body, careful not to touch the blood. “Did you check for a pulse?”

“Be more helpful,” Loki snapped.

“I didn’t even realize he could die,” Bucky pointed out, skirting the blood splatter. “He always seemed like the kind of asshole who could live forever.”

“I was here,” Loki said, his wringing his hands in that subconscious way he did when he actually was upset. “We fucked this morning, and when I finished showering he was gone, so I took a nap.”

“For 8 hours?”

“I know what it looks like,” Loki answered. “I didn’t do it.” He grabbed Bucky’s arm. “I’m not lying. You need to help me hide the body.”

Bucky considered that, rationally. He looked down at the body. He looked at the stained white carpet. He thought of the amount of staff wandering around the building. “We need to call the police.”

“No,” Loki said.

x.x.x.

Lieutenant Steve Rogers had a soft, sympathetic face. He didn’t blink when Loki bluntly said that the dead man was his sugar daddy, a term neither of them particularly used often because they weren’t into the kink of the term. He also didn’t treat either of them differently afterwards as he took their statements. His partner was a lot less respectful.

“I’ll be honest,” he told Loki after closing his notebook. The body had been removed from the room by the ME’s office. Bucky had heard someone mention that it looked like a poker from the ornate fireplace was missing. “It doesn’t look good for you. It would be wise if you started looking for a lawyer. A good one.”

Loki started laughing. He stood and paced over to the wetbar and poured himself a healthy sized drink, downing it in a few smooth gulps. “A good lawyer,” he repeated, and poured himself another glass.

Officer Rogers raised an eyebrow towards Bucky.

“His brother is Thor Odinson,” Bucky inserted.

It was the first time Lieutenant Rogers reacted to anything outwardly. “I know Thor,” he said.

“I imagine all of you know Thor,” Loki answered, saluting both of them with his half-full tumbler before drinking that glass down as well.

x.x.x.

Loki showed up at Bucky’s condo holding four shopping bags and wearing a scowl. “I just came from Odinson’s office,” he said, pushing his way through the door. He continued walking across the living room and down the hallway, dumping his bags in the spare room he sometimes slept in while drunk.

“It looks like you just came from Macy’s,” Bucky said.

Loki sneered like Bucky had said ‘Walmart’. “Yes, well, half my credit cards are currently frozen, and I’m not allowed back in the house. I’ll need clothes, and excuse me but I’m not wearing your spare pyjamas.”

Bucky had thought Loki would go home, not squat in his spare bedroom. “What did your lawyer say?” he ventured, sure Loki’s black mood couldn’t get any worse.

“After he finished laughing?” Loki snapped. “He told me I was screwed in a cheerful tone and then told me he’d save me in trial.”

Thor Odinson was one of the best defense lawyers in the country. Every time they were in the same room as each other, Loki verbally decimated him.

“Which means,” Loki continued in his sly, but stubborn tone. It was the same voice he used when he was plotting out which rich person he was going to seduce next. Bucky had a bad feeling about this. “I’ll have to make sure this never goes to trial. The police are useless, so I’ll have to solve it myself.”

Yep. There it was.

x.x.x.

Being Loki’s roommate in a one-bathroom condo was an arduous experience. He had a nightly routine and a morning routine, and in between both Bucky had been sleeping. Bucky felt like he was going to spend his life in a perpetual state of needing to piss and getting beat to the bathroom. He may as well be living with Becca.

“Ok,” Bucky said, uncapping the top of a whiteboard marker. He wrote “poker?” on the glass door leading out to his balcony. He’d been using the surface to plot out his second book, but it had been 6 months since he’d looked at it. “Did you notice it was missing?” he asked. Loki was just finishing making a batch of mimosas for their breakfast.

“Of course I did,” Loki said. “Someone gets stabbed and the first thing people do is look around for a weapon. There weren’t many other things in the room that could break skin.”

Bucky wrote the word Weapon on top of poker. He then stepped a foot over and wrote Motive? on the glass. Then below that he put Money? and then Enemies?

“Rich people always have enemies. I didn’t pay that much attention.”

“Ok,” Bucky said, and circled the word poker. “How are we going to find this, then?”

“I have some ideas.”

x.x.x.

Bucky had to call Lieutenant Rogers after the two of them found the missing poker in a dumpster two miles away from the house. Bucky couldn’t smell anything but garbage, his pants were covered in something noxious, and his white sneakers were stained with muddy water and grosser things. He’d probably need to take 8 showers and bathe in tomato juice just to smell normal again.

Loki looked just as awful as he did, but he also looked unbearably pleased with himself. Bucky had no idea how Loki lived the kind of charmed life that meant stubborn perseverance and a half-witted idea actually payed off.

“I’d ask how you knew,” Rogers said, observing the two of them as someone wrapped the poker in plastic behind him and started processing the scene. “But the two of you look like you’ve spent the day poking your heads in dumpsters.”

“Fascinating,” Loki replied in a deadpan. “You have basic observational skills.” Then his eyes narrowed at the alley entrance where an attractive man in an expensive suit was loitering. “Excuse me.”

“Don’t mind Loki,” Bucky told Lieutenant Rogers. “That’s just his personality. It grows on you.”

“I’m glad you called me,” Lieutenant Rogers said, and his handsome face looked so earnest that Bucky couldn’t take the words as anything other than genuine. “I didn’t expect you to keep the card.”

That had been one fight Loki lost, and Bucky figured the only reason he’d capitulated to calling the cops was how bad it would look if he took the poker himself. The cops had access to fingerprint databases and the like. “A handsome man like you?” Bucky asked and grinned.

Lieutenant Rogers blushed. “If I warned the two of you off of investigating this on your own, would you listen?”

Bucky didn’t bother denying it. He looked at Loki, who was leaning close to his brother and had his ‘mean and baiting’ expression on his face. Bucky had seen Loki in action when he’d been trying to secure himself a boyfriend higher in society the year before. He’d seen a lot of expressions. “No, sorry.”

x.x.x.

Bucky returned from visiting his girlfriend to find Loki sitting on the couch looking at printouts from something that was clearly pictures he’d taken from his phone. Mentally, Bucky sighed, and wondered if he wanted to ask.

“What are those?” he asked.

“The Grandmaster’s ledger,” Loki said, sipping at his drink and crossing his legs casually. “He wasn’t very good at keeping records. I’ve already picked out four discrepancies, and I’m only on page 13. I think his accountant was stealing 0.5% a month. Not enough to really raise red flags, but enough to afford a nicer apartment. Good for him.”

Sometimes Bucky forgot that the reason they got along was that they were both more intelligent than the people around them, but then Loki never really let anyone forget that he was singular. “Did you break into the house?”

“I have a key,” Loki pointed out in a clear ‘these incompetent idiots didn’t change the locks’ tone. “It’s hardly breaking in.”

God, they were both going to go to jail. Bucky sighed out loud. “We should tell the police.”

“You can tell Lieutenant Sexy if you want.” Loki gave him a knowing look and took another sip from his drink. “I haven’t found anything that points to a reason for murder. If anything, I’ve just found a lot of reasons to keep the man alive for as long as possible.”

Bucky pulled out his phone so he could give Lieutenant Sexy a call. That name was definitely going to stick. “It hardly points to murder,” Rogers said once he heard Bucky out. Loki’s face did his insufferably smug expression that made Bucky grit his teeth. “But there might be something there. Can Loki provide me with the combination for the safe?”

Bucky looked at Loki. “Numerical representations on a keypad of the words Purple Rain,” Loki said in a bored tone.

“I’m on speaker?” Rogers inquired, and Bucky could almost hear the raised eyebrow. “Stay out of the house, Loki.”

“Absolutely, Lieutenant Sexy,” Loki said. “Best behaviour, cross my heart.”

“Goodbye, Bucky,” Rogers said, and it sounded like he was trying not to laugh. Bucky liked him a bit more for that.

“So that’s your type,” Loki mused once Bucky hung up the phone. “Rich women and men who know how to use their guns.”

x.x.x.

Bucky made the unfortunate discovery the next day that Loki’s type was Thor Odinson. The sight of them making out on Bucky’s couch would forever be seared into his eyelids.

x.x.x.

Bucky didn’t think it was a good idea to go to the funeral, but Loki lived for drama, and Bucky secretly enjoyed drama, and so the two of them put on their nicest suits and went to the party.

The night was kind of a blur of the two of them being side-eyed, alcohol, and Loki elbowing someone so hard in the solar plexus it sounded like a rib cracked. After that, he had no idea how he ended up pressed against his best friend’s side in the back of Lieutenant Sexy’s police car. Bucky feared he might have called the man. His crush was becoming detrimental to his lifestyle.

“It’s natural to be upset,” Lieutenant Rogers said to Loki. “Just stop maiming people who call you a murderer, and everything might be ok.”

“I’m not upset,” Loki corrected. “I’m inconvenienced. The old bastard had to go get murdered before I could move on.”

“We’re considering money as a motive.”

Loki visibly rolled his eyes. Bucky could feel it.

“Which means,” Lieutenant Rogers continued with a sharper tone. “You’ve moved down the suspect list. Your personal net worth is only about ten million less than your boyfriend’s had been.”

Only? Christ. How rich was Loki?

Lieutenant Rogers and Bucky’s eyes met in the rear-view mirror and they shared a ‘can you believe that ridiculous sentence?’ moment.

x.x.x.

On day seven of staring at the whiteboard, Bucky had an epiphany. Loki had just emerged from the bathroom, and the living room smelled of steam, his shampoo, and enough body lotion to drown a small child.

Bucky had ended up pissing in the kitchen sink, and he was pretty furious about it. Not that he ever washed dishes, but that wasn’t the point.

“Maybe we’re thinking about this wrong?” Bucky suggested as he stared the murder board with a scowl. The word Weapon and Motive were blurring together. “What if Jeff Goldblum wasn’t the target?”

“Who do you suggest, then?” Loki asked, pursing his lips. The drink in his hand went mostly untouched. “Me?”

Bucky raised his eyebrows. “To ruin you and get you sent to jail? Yeah, that could be a motive.”

“Ah.” Loki considered it. It looked like he was doing complex math in his head, like the meme. “Call Lieutenant Sexy. I know who did it, then.”

x.x.x.

“I’m single,” Bucky blurted out over the phone when Lieutenant Rogers personally called him to let him know Loki’s suggestions had panned out. “I mean, I have a girlfriend who bought me my condo and who expects me to service her once a week, but for the rest of the time I’m single.”

“Oh,” Rogers answered, sounding surprised. “I didn’t realize you were interested in men.”

“I’m more nuanced than that,” Bucky said. Mostly he just liked people who could protect him. It wasn’t that nuanced at all. “Do you want to go out sometime?”

“Sure,” Rogers answered, which also surprised Bucky, because he’d basically outright outlined the fact that he wouldn’t be giving up his lifestyle in order to date and Lieutenant Sexy was ok with that. “Do you like mini golf?”

“I’m crap at it,” Bucky said.

“Me too, but the place here has the best ice cream and a nice view of the ocean.”

“I love ice cream,” Bucky replied with a grin he could feel in his cheeks.

“I’m off on Tuesday,” Rogers replied.

“Tuesday it is, then.”

x.x.x.

“I’m moving in with my brother,” Loki told him, throwing all his new clothing into a plastic bag. “Give these to charity,” he said, then looked Bucky up and down. “Or keep them.”

Bucky rolled his eyes and wondered: Was Thor the love of Loki’s life or another sugar daddy to piss his family off?

He also wondered if Loki even knew.

“Don’t think about it too hard,” Loki replied. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at 4pm—” which was practically mid-morning for them. “We’ll go see who else your girlfriend is up to.”

“I’ve never been on a stakeout before,” Bucky mused. “And we are good at this.”

“If we can solve a murder, an adulteress should be simple.” Then Loki grinned, sly and like he was enjoying himself. “Bring drinks.”

#the day drinking sugar baby detective agency #stucky #thorki #bucky barnes #loki laufeyson #fanfiction: drabble

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legendofzeldaalinktothepast · 4 years

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Pathetic, Clinging Poetry - Chapter 11 (of 25)

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

She told me I could be perfect, but I just kept missing my chance. I wore my skirt, sat on the pew, kept my eyes and voice low; but in the end, I was still sick.

Pearl's heart was still racing in her chest as she closed the door behind herself, and her hands trembled slightly from what she'd just done. Sliding a note beneath Jasper's door was probably the most cowardly thing she could have done -- but it was also the only thing she could bring herself to do, in all honesty.

"You good?" Amethyst asked, noticing the uneasy expression on Pearl's face.

"Y-yes, just nervous." Pearl said, making her way back over to Amethyst's bed. "I really hope Jasper doesn't take the note the wrong way..."

"If she does, that's her problem." Amethyst said, placing a comforting hand on Pearl's back. "I read it over a million times and can tell you for sure that you're doing the right thing. You're being the bigger person and that's hard as fuck, so I gotta admire that."

"Alright..." Pearl took a deep breath. "You're right. If she doesn't want to mend things after reading this letter, well... At least we can't say I didn't try."

"That's the spirit!" Amethyst grinned and gave Pearl a reassuring pat. "Now come on, let's do something to get our minds off all this bullshit. That sound good?"

"I think that would be nice..."

"Sweet! What are you up to doing? Wanna go hang out with Dot and Garnet?" Amethyst suggested.

Pearl sadly shook her head. "I'm sorry... But I don't know if that's what I need right now."

"You don't need to be sorry." Amethyst said. "How about... another walk through the park?"

"I think I'd rather stay home, if I'm going to be honest -- even though that probably doesn't make sense, since the source of my anxiety is, well, here." Pearl blushed and fidgeted in her seat. "Sorry to be so boring; I guess I just don't really know what I need."

"I swear, you apologize so much I could make it a drinking game." Amethyst teased. "You don't have to be sorry, okay?"

"Hey, I'm only being polite!" Pearl huffed.

"I know, I know, but you don't need to. You're allowed to say no to things and set your own boundaries." Amethyst said.

"It's a tough habit to break, I suppose." Pearl sighed.

"I can't blame ya." Amethyst ran her fingers through her hair as she tried to come up with another idea. "How about... another art collab?"

Pearl's heart leaped at that suggestion. "Excellent idea! But..." Her expression fell. "I already gave my poetry book to Rose, so I unfortunately don't have anything on hand that you could base your painting on, I'm sorry..."

"That's it, I'm getting the vodka." Amethyst rolled off of her bed, leaving Pearl utterly confused until she'd realized what had happened. "I apologized again, didn't I?" she chuckled and cupped a hand over her mouth.

"Damn right you did, so I'm officially making this a drinking game." Amethyst reached under her bed and dragged out a half-full bottle of vodka; Pearl was tempted to question why she had that stored under her bed of all places, but decided against it, realizing this was Amethyst. She popped off the cap and took three sips straight from the bottle. "There. One for each unnecessary apology you've given me so far. So you better stop if you don't wanna give me alcohol poisoning." Amethyst teased.

Pearl couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Alright, alright, fair enough." she said. Her gaze still lingered on the bottle in Amethyst's hands... "Could I try some of that? I've never had the opportunity to try alcohol before..."

"That doesn't surprise me. Here ya go." Amethyst said, handing the bottle over to Pearl.

Pearl wiped the rim of the bottle off with her shirt before taking a sip. She immediately cringed and shook her head. "Blegh! I guess I wasn't really missing out; this is awful!"

"What are you talking about? It barely tastes like anything." Amethyst cackled.

"It smells like a permanent marker and burns like vinegar. Its only redeeming quality seems to be that it gets you drunk." Pearl said.

"That's fair." Amethyst shrugged. "I guess it's not the best drink for beginners, anyway."

"Sorry, but I guess it's not my thing." Pearl said with a wink.

Amethyst raised an eyebrow as she took the bottle from Pearl again. "I know you did that on purpose. Bitch." she said as she took another sip.

"Sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about!" Pearl responded in a fake-innocent tone, holding in her own laughter. "Sorry to disappoint you, Amethyst! You'll have to forgive me!"

"You little shit!" Amethyst burst into laughter and gave Pearl a playful shove, before taking two more sips of vodka.

"That was technically three apologies, you know." Pearl teased.

"Eat shit, I'm only counting the S word." Amethyst snorted. "Anyway, before you decided you wanted to murder me, I came up with an idea for our little art collab that we can actually do without your notebook."

"Oh? Go on." Pearl said, the smile on her face still lingering from screwing around with Amethyst's little drinking game.

"Just ooone sec!" Amethyst said, jumping to her feet and heading over to her closet. As she waited, Pearl eyed the bottle of vodka again. 'Hmm...' She reached for it again, wiping off the rim once more, and took another sip just to make sure it was as bad as she thought it was one minute ago. 'Yep, still gross.' she mentally remarked, placing the lid back on the bottle and setting it aside.

Amethyst returned with a heavy book in her hand, dropping it down on the bed. "Sometimes when I can't think of anything to paint, I just open up a book to a random page and base my painting off of the very first word I see. So I was thinking maybe both of us could do the same word! So we're still technically collaborating."

"Ohh, I see! That's a clever way to get your creative juices flowing." Pearl nodded. "In that case, since we're trying out something new today... May I suggest something as well?"

"Go for it."

"What if we switched things up a little bit? As in you try writing a poem, and I give painting a shot!" Pearl said. "It might be a little bit easier for me -- I hold myself to such a high standard when I write, but since I'm new to painting, I won't be quite as critical of myself."

"Oh yeah, that sounds fun!" Amethyst said. "I mean, my poem will probably turn out like shit, but I think it'll still be fun!"

"I doubt that; you have such a creative mind, I'm sure you could convey it in words just as well as you do in painting!"

"Pfft, well, let's hope so." Amethyst said. "But first things first; let's get our topic!"

Amethyst laid the heavy book down on the bed and flipped it open to a random page; she placed her finger on a random spot and read aloud the first word she saw. "Butterfly!"

"That's perfect!" Pearl clasped her hands together. Butterflies were carefree and colorful just like Amethyst's paintings, and if she was going to attempt a new medium of art, there was no better subject than this.

The two of them both began to set up their materials; Pearl laid out a canvas and a palette of paint on the floor, while Amethyst sat at the desk with her feathered pen and college ruled notebook. As Pearl reached for the paint brush, she heard the sound of heavy footsteps in the hallway and felt a lump in her throat as she was reminded of the note she'd left for Jasper. Not wanting to think about that whole situation again, she cleared her throat to speak. "It's funny, I was never too afraid of bugs when I was a child... But butterflies were the one bug that did frighten me." Pearl said, dipping her brush into the sky blue puddle of paint and spreading it across her canvas.

"Really?" Amethyst said. "You had no problem taking care of that centipede at Peridot's apartment, but those girly little butterflies freak you out?"

"Well, I'm not afraid of them anymore!" Pearl clarified. "I guess it I wasn't so much that I was afraid of them, though; I was more... uncomfortable with how delicate they were. My sister once told me their wings were so fragile, they'd break if I touched them. She... was probably just teaching me to be careful, now that I look back on it, but the thought of hurting such a beautiful thing made me want to cry, so I ended up feeling nervous whenever they were around."

"Damn. And here I was throwing worms at girls on the playground who bullied me." Amethyst snorted; Pearl could see from the corner of her eye that she was writing something down as she talked. "I feel kinda bad about that, though. Those poor worms didn't deserve to be chucked at those assholes."

Pearl burst into laughter. "The more you tell me about your childhood, the more I feel like we probably wouldn't have gotten along. It's a good thing we met as adults rather than kids, isn't it?"

"Yeah, guess so. I was kinda awful, so I would've hated me too." Amethyst smirked.

"I didn't mean it like that; I just meant that we were very different..." Once she decided to move on to the next color, Pearl dipped her paint brush into the plastic cup of water, watching the little blue clouds of paint as they fogged up the water. "I was such a goody-two shoes, always focused on being ladylike and polite... You seemed to be so rowdy and carefree, like every kid deserved to be."

"Uh..." Amethyst leaned back in her chair, tilting her head back to look at Pearl. "I mean this in the nicest possible way, but uh... isn't that kinda... how you still are?"

Pearl couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of annoyance. "How is that...?"

"Like I said earlier, you apologize a lot. And you're always sitting with your legs crossed, always looking so dainty, always wanting to clean up after me and Jasper... Almost feels like you'd apologize for breathing too much." Amethyst tapped her fingers on the desk, looking as if she somewhat regretted bringing it up. "And like, there's nothing wrong with apologizing a lot or wanting to be polite and stuff. But I dunno... I guess it seems kinda unhealthy sometimes. I don't want you thinking you gotta be a doormat. Is that shitty of me?"

Pearl bit her lip. "I... I guess you may have a point, but..." Pearl trailed off, absentmindedly swirling her brush around in the water.

"Sorry, I guess I kinda said it in a douchey way..." Amethyst mumbled. "I put you in a weird position. We can, uh, drop the subject if you wanna. Kinda lose my filter when I'm tipsy..."

"I think we should..." Pearl had to restrain herself from punctuating that sentence with a "sorry".

A silence fell between the two that wasn't quite awkward, but not quite comfortable either; instead of making more attempts to converse, Pearl decided it was best to just focus on finishing up her painting. The more she tried to perfect it, however, the more of a sloppy mess it became. That alone was driving her insane, but she put all of her willpower into not worrying about it, simply focusing on relaxing and enjoying herself -- but neither of those seemed to be happening. Paint smudged in places she wanted to be more uniform, and the once vibrant colors mixed into a bunch of murky greys and browns; by the time she was finished (or as finished as she could get), tears had begun to spill from her eyes.

"Okay, I think I got a decent poem down!" Amethyst announced after a few moments of silence, causing Pearl to jump in surprise; she dramatically placed her pen down on the table, turning her body towards Pearl. "How bout you, P?"

Pearl didn't respond, simply staring at the hideous painting lying before her and feeling a wave of shame wash over her.

"...P?" Amethyst said, standing up from her desk and bringing her notebook with her.

Pearl burst into tears and buried her face into her hands. Biting her lip, Amethyst cautiously pushed her chair in and approached her. "Aw geez... I'm sorry, Pearlie. Is this because of what I said earlier? It was stupid, I should have-"

"It's not just that." Pearl sniffled, wiping her face on her sleeve. "Just... the combination of everything that happened today. Not know how Jasper will react to my note, hearing you two fight earlier... And to top things off, my painting is hideous! I'm sorry to be so negative, it's just... so much right now..."

"Aw... Pearl..." Amethyst said, sitting down on the floor beside her and wrapping one arm around her waist. "It's gonna be alright. Everything is gonna be alright soon! But you know... rules are rules..." she continued, her hand slowly reaching over for the bottle of vodka. Confused by Amethyst's words, Pearl looked up from her hands and saw what Amethyst was doing. She tried to hold back her laughter, but that only lasted a for second. "Amethyst!"

"Hey, you're the one that said the 'S' word!" Amethyst teased, winking at Pearl as she unscrewed the cap and took a sip straight from the bottle. "Anyway, show me that painting already! I'm sure it's cool as all fuckery!"

"Ah, alright..." Pearl took a deep breath, still working on calming herself down. She hesitantly handed the canvas over to Amethyst.

"Aww, Pearlie! Are you serious? This is cool as fuck!" Amethyst said, her eyes widening.

"Come on, you don't have to pity me..." Pearl smiled awkwardly.

"I'm not, dude! It's actually awesome!" Amethyst said. "Like, the smudgies kinda make it look like the butterfly was splashing around in the mud. It's a rowdy girl, like me!"

Pearl couldn't help but smile. "Aw... I guess that's one way to look at it, isn't it?"

"And I like that her wings are a little wonky. You know nobody's really symmetrical, right? I got one hand that's bigger than the other!" Amethyst held both of her hands out to Pearl. "See? Lefty's bigger!"

Pearl let out a slight giggle. "I guess that's true, huh? And if this butterfly has a lot in common with you, it certainly must be beautiful like you..."

"Hell yeah it is!" Amethyst said, taking another sip of the vodka. "So don't be so hard on yourself. It's your first time painting, so you're obviously not gonna be Picasso, but that doesn't mean it's not good!"

"I guess so..." Pearl said, sniffling and wiping her face again. "Thank you for being so kind. And hey, why are you drinking again? I didn't even say sorry!"

"You did just now." Amethyst winked. "I predicted the future!"

Pearl burst into laughter. "You really are something, aren't you?"

"You want another try?" Amethyst asked, holding the bottle in Pearl's direction. "No pressure, though; I just don't wanna be greedy."

"Ah... sure!" Pearl said, hesitantly reaching for the bottle again. If Amethyst was going to be drunk, she might as well join her; while she wasn't what anyone would consider an experienced drinker, she did know being drunk wasn't very fun to do alone. She took a hesitant sip, this time not caring enough to wipe off the bottle. "I'm going to be honest, I might have to try a few different kinds before I get into this whole drinking thing..."

"That's fine; you don't even have to get 'into' drinking at all if you don't wanna." Amethyst leaned back against the bed. "Anyway, wanna see my poem?"

"Of course!" Pearl said, feeling somewhat silly; she'd almost forgotten about Amethyst's poem altogether. 'Wonder if the alcohol is already kicking in.' she mentally noted, not entirely sure how much she'd have to drink before actually feeling anything, or how quick it would be.

"Here ya go!" Amethyst handed the notebook over to Pearl; her handwriting was small and a bit sloppy, Pearl noticed, but not so much that it was illegible. She'd even drawn an outline around the poem and surrounded it with little doodles of butterflies.

i can feel their wings pounding on my ribs banging to get out, searching for light. when i was little, people would tell me i had butterflies in my belly. but these little things have furry antennae and mostly come out at night. if butterflies mean i'm nervous, what does it mean when there's moths instead?

By the time she'd finished reading the poem, Pearl was smiling from ear to ear. "Oh my goodness, Amethyst, that is adorable!" Pearl exclaimed, hugging the notebook against her chest. "You have such a creative mind -- you really should do this more often!"

"Aw, thanks." Amethyst said with a slight blush on her face. "You sure you're not just saying that to flatter me?"

"Certainly not! You really do have so much potential -- sure, you're undeniably a beginner, and it could use a little tweaking here and there, but that could be said about any poem on the face of the earth!" Pearl said; her dampened mood from earlier seemed to have vanished into thin air. "Trust me when I say that I love it. I like that you chose to go with a metaphorical meaning of butterflies; I almost feel silly for taking such a literal route, now."

Amethyst gave Pearl a playful nudge. "Nothing wrong with being literal. Sometimes the metaphors get old, and you want a piece of art that just tells you like it is." Amethyst gestured to the painting. "And that, right there, is a sweet butterfly that's going right on my wall as soon as it dries."

"Ame..." Pearl teared up again, pulling Amethyst into a tight embrace. "Thank you so much..."

Amethyst returned the hug, caught slightly off guard by the sudden affection but certainly not bothered by it. "Hey, just telling the truth..." she said, gently rocking her back and forth. "And hey... I'm sorry about the thing I said earlier."

"You don't have to be." Pearl reassured.

"Yeah, but still..."

The conversation trailed off, but their hug didn't. For the time being, Pearl was perfectly content staying right where she was in Amethyst's arms. Part of her felt like she should let go soon to keep from being awkward, but... she simply couldn't bring herself to.

"You're wonderful..." she whispered. Her long fingers grazed against Amethyst's spine, and she heard her draw in a soft breath at the touch. Pearl's heart pounded in her chest as she slowly pulled away from the hug, her gaze melting right into Amethyst's dark irises. Her eyes slowly moved downward to her plump lips; she noticed the faintest hint of sparkle left from lipgloss that she'd probably put on earlier that day. A sudden rush of bravery sprung up in Pearl and she pressed her lips against Amethyst's.

The kiss lasted for no more than a second, and felt so... foreign. Definitely not what Pearl had expected; it had been so long since she'd last kissed someone, she'd almost forgotten what it felt like. As she pulled away, she saw the dazzled look in Amethyst's eyes. "When did you get so brave?" she slurred, tracing a finger along Pearl's jawline.

"H-hah, I guess... Must have been the alcohol..." Pearl blushed, her gaze going right back down to her hands.

"Pfft. You had like, two super tiny sips of it, girlie. That’s not even enough to get a hamster buzzed." Amethyst teased. "Probably just gazebo."

"You mean placebo."

"Yeah, gazebo."

Pearl rolled her eyes, still unable to wipe the amused grin off of her face. "Alright, you’re the expert.” she teased. Her expression softened a bit before she continued. “But, um... was that okay? I-I should have asked first, I shouldn’t have assumed you’d..." Pearl trailed off, her cheeks burning with shame and refusing to look into Amethyst's eyes.

"Lemme see if this answers your question." Amethyst said. She leaned forward and tilted Pearl's head back up so they were facing each other, kissing her once more. Relief and excitement washed over Pearl as she melted into the kiss and wrapped her arms around Amethyst, tugging her even closer.

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frenchibi · 7 years

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Tagged~

Ok, hold on to your hats people because this is going to be a long-ass post. I have been told my cuts don’t work on mobile (?? TUMBLR PLS) so if this doesn’t work I sincerely apologize in advance for a lot of scrolling :’) Alright so I was tagged... like 6 times I think? And I’m just going to answer them all in here xD

Also I’m gonna tag a bunch of people and you can just... decide which ones you want to do, do several, do all of them, do none at all - whatever you prefer xD @cheatos @chxngsey @fairylights101writes @cheetahleopard @snowflakers @notinvidia @anyadisee @tallihoo @lalikaa @seijouho @astersandstuffs @phea-chan @owlkaashi-keiji @heirxx @thehibiscusthief @screamingnitrogenchallenge @fandang1

...alright, let the oversharing begin :’)

1. Tagged by @grand-king-toru (thank you, and you’re tagged in all the other ones too, obviously!!) and @queeniwaizumi (your tag was a little different but basically all your questions were in this one too so I didn’t do it separately FORGIVE ME TAT - and ofc you’re tagged too!!)

Favourite place: My apartment, or on top of a mountain, or in my car, or at my mom’s house, or in a Café in the center of my city where I can sketch people Relationship status: Single Favourite colour: Phtalo blue and magenta Pets: I have allergies :’) Last song I listened to: We Know The Way from Moana Favourite tv show: If we’re talking anime, it’s Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood (by a MILE). As for non-anime shows, I’m currently enjoying A Series of Unfortunate Events very much (those books were my childhood & I’m so pumped for this series you have no idea) First Fandom: Harry Potter probably, first anime fandom was Inuyasha Hobbies: writing, drawing, singing, skiing, driving my siblings places (being the oldest is GreatTM), currently trying to learn to play the guitar Books I’m currently reading: Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn (and 50 others I started in Better Days™ when I had more time for reading) Favourite book: Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, The Chaos Walking trilogy by Patrick Ness, Harry Potter by JKR, Howl’s Moving Castle by Dianne Wynne Jones, Die Stadt der Träumenden Bücher by Walter Moers Worst thing you’ve ever eaten/tasted: Milk that had gone off. It’s gross. Living alone is hard, please don’t make the mistakes I did.

2. Tagged by @seidou-chan (thank you, you’re also obviously tagged in all the others as well~)

Name: call me French :D Nickname: French, Frenchie Gender: female Sign: Pisces Height: 155cm Sexual Orientation: Pansexual Hogwarts house: Gryffindor/Ravenclaw Favourite colour: (see above) xD Favourite animal: Dolphins, Turtles, Owls Time right now: 1:15pm Average hours of sleep: Ideally 8, currently 3, I probably need to see a doctor about this Cat or dog person: Allergies :’) (tbh I love both ok) Favourite fictional character from Harry Potter: Ginny Weasley (, Sirius Black, Molly Weasley, Hermione Granger, Bellatrix Lestrange) Number of blankets you sleep with: One Favourite singer or band: currently Of Monsters and Men Dream trip: Cities! I love sightseeing :D Also Skiing, always skiing. Dream job: Musical singer/actress When was this blog created: 20..13? Started out as a Supernatural blog xD When did your blog reach its peak: Still climbing hopefully What made you decide to make a tumblr: blame @notinvidia

3. Tagged by @marleeb (ty friend, we haven’t talked much yet so sorry for the spam of information here xD Feel free to do whichever of these tags interests you :D)

5 things you’ll find in my bag: Notebooks (at least 3) Assorted pens Allergy medication My wallet Haikyuu keychains :D

(see also this post)

5 things you’ll find in my bedroom: An enormous bookshelf (ca 1,5k books, 850 mangas) Assorted recording devices & equipment A large easel and all sorts of art supplies (acrylics, aquarelles, watercolors, pastels, colored pencils, crayons, markers, modeling paste, ink, soapstone) The door to my kitchen xD My workspace w/ computers and legal dictionaries ^^

5 things I’ve always wanted to do in life: Publish a novel Raise children Own a house with a private library and a large conservatory full of plants Perform on a large stage (did that, was amazing, love to do it again) Become a translator (lol I had no idea what i was signing up for)

5 things that make me happy: Singing (is the ultimate joy of my life) and performing w/ my choir Getting feedback for my writing (makes me ecstatic ngl) and exchanging ideas with people My brilliant, lovely, multi-facetted family My warm, patient and understanding friends Being able to create, and share my ideas to people who care about them :D 5 things I’m currently into: Moana (it has consumed my life and my life is infinitely better for it) Haikyuu (and the wonderful people I’ve met through it) My original stories (which I cannot wait to work on more) A Series of Unfortunate Events (the netflix series is so great and it really lives up to the books in my opinion??) Wasting time on tumblr and ignoring the BA-thesis that I need to be writing (and my work because why be responsible)

5 things on my to-do list: *cringes* my thesis My invoices & VAT returns Get someone to help me change a lightbulb (this is not a joke, I’m short) Finish writing two letters to friends that I’m working on :D (though this one I’m looking forward to) Finish writing the 60+ fics I’ve started and work on my original projects too :’)

(what a boring to-do list is2g)

5 things people may not know about me: I OVERSHARE ALL THE TIME (you knew that) I’m a legal translator (German/English) and I work freelance I am allergic to EVERYTHING I…really love…girls… I speak 4 languages (and a fifth one barely) :D

4. Tagged by @ghost--fox (this was a while back and I’m sorry for being so slow ;-; THANK YOU FOR TAGGING ME!!! I did your other tag too, below this one :D - obviously you’re tagged in any of the above if you feel like it xD)

Rules: Put your music on “Shuffle” List the first 10 songs Tag 10 people

1. Avicii – Hey Brother 2. Nothing’s Carved In Stone – Spirit Inspiration (Zetsuen no Tempest Opening) 3. Suzanne Vega – The Queen and the Soldier (I’m gonna base an AU on this just you wait) 4. The Cab - Endlessly 5. Blue Stahli – Anti You 6. Ramin Karimloo – Show Me Light (Have I yelled about how much I love him? I love him!!) 7. All Time Low – Cinderblock Garden 8. Genesis – Follow You Follow Me (I have no regrets, love me some 80s Phil Collins) 9. Ayumi Hamazaki – Dearest (Inuyasha Ending) 10. Nightmare – Sekai Wo (Death Note Opening)

5. Tagged again by @ghost--fox :D THANK YOU!!

A - Age: 21 soon xD B - Biggest fear: not making a difference C - Current time: 2:08pm (this took long omg) D - Drink you last had: I actually bought a fresh coconut and drank it :0 (my allergies are like “uhm girl that was a bad choice” but tbh it was worth it) E - Every day starts with: Removing my retainer and taking my allergy meds F - Favorite song: Empire by Of Monsters and Men and Invincible by Hedley G - Ghosts, are they real: Idk fam H - Hometown: Munich I - In love with: being inspired & motivated?? it’s the BEST?? J - Jealous of: healthy people K - Killed someone: couldn’t even if I wanted to L - Last time you cried: Out of frustration in December M - Middle name: Johanna (after my grandmother) N - Number of siblings: 4 (3 + an older step-sister I see twice a year) O - One wish: Stop using religion as an excuse for hate crimes P - Person you last called/texted: My dad/my friend Nina respectively Q - Questions you’re always asked: Can you chill? / Can you drive me to [place]? / How’s it going with your thesis? - pls But also: Are you doing okay? / Do you need me to listen? / Sing with me? – YES THANK YOU R - Reasons to smile: Fanfiction and fanart exists. Hot chocolate, tea and fluffy blankets. Music, Art, Books, Stories. Stars & the sky. Brilliant people are making brilliant things every day. A small act of kindness from you to a stranger can make all the difference. S - Song last sang: The Lasset uns nicht zerteilen chorus from Bach’s Johannespassion in my singing lesson (in preparation for our next choir concert), and then assorted Hamilton songs on my drive home xD T - Time you woke up: 7am U - Underwear color: dark blue V- Vacation destination: Cities w/ lots of art & culture :D W - Worst habit: biting my fingernails & cuticles I HATE MYSELF X - X-rays you’ve had: lots for my teeth (wrecked a tooth and used to have braces also), one for my knee after a hiking accident Y - Your favorite food: lasagna (w/ meat or spinach honestly I like both a lot) Z - Zodiac sign: Pisces

...and lastly, 6. Tagged by @missellaineous (this is also super old I apologize but I liked your questions so :D - feel free to do any of the other tags if you want xD)

1. What can’t you sleep without? My phone. Literally I use it as an alarm clock xD 2. What are your favorite kind of socks? :0 I like big fluffy warm ones – and also I like skiing socks because they fit really tightly and they’re also super warm xD 3. What’s your favorite snack/meal/drink? Atm I am very weak for cookies (I have… phases. At one point I ate so many gummy bears that now I just cannot), my favorite food is lasagna and my favorite drink is water or tea (no milk, no sugar, I dislike sweet drinks except if it’s hot chocolate xD) 4. What’s your favorite kind of weather? …do you know the artist Yuumei? A lot of her pictures have spectacular skies that are like… the sun breaking through dark clouds after a storm? That. That’s my favorite weather. It’s so… motivational and hopeful? Idk, but I love it. 5. What do you like to listen to/do to relax and feel better when you’re upset? I love the songs from musicals because they’re great to sing along to and singing always improves my mood :D I have endless love for Les Mis, Phantom of the Opera and Hamilton atm. Also what always helps me is, in my mom’s words, to “talk to someone who doesn’t hate you”. Because I tend to hate on myself a lot when I’m upset (for not being better, happier, healthier, enough) and it helps to talk to my friends, who objectively don’t think I’m as awful as I tend to think I am ^^ And they’re all really kind and understanding (and/or blunt when I need someone to tell me to snap out of it). 6. What’s your favorite store to shop at? HOO BOY ok I love bookstores (because duh, books) and lately I’ve also been loving Muji a lot? xD Also we have an art supply chain here in Germany that has GREAT STUFF and I always go overboard xD 7. What color do you wear the most? Black probably, but that’s because most of my pants/leggings are black. Other than that I own a lot of blue and also a lot of red, esp. dresses :D 8. What’s your favorite (video/board/social/party) game to play? That’s hard?? I don’t play a lot of video games but I absolutely adored Undertale. Funnily enough we play card & board games a lot when we meet with my old friends from school, but tbh I don’t have a favorite. I recently learned how to play Skat, which is really enjoyable? (Google tells me apparently that’s mainly a German thing, ok.) And, eh, I’m not a big fan of parties & party games ^^ 9. Any guilty pleasures? When I have time, I watch objectively bad or cliché anime and write commentary xD Also I spend way too much time playing The Sims if I’m totally honest... and scrolling through my dash. Damn. 10. If you could go anywhere (in real life or in fiction), where would it be? Or fiction??? HOGWARTS?!?! Teach me all the magic pls?! …ok but for real though I would love to visit some of my online friends :’)

Alright that’s it, thank you all again and sorry I’m slow and this is a huge post full of way too much information, I’m gonna let myself out now

#French speaks #tagged #I'm seriously so sorry this exploded

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