#when i say i think this game is intricately designed i am not kidding .

[cometrose]

Here is your one (1) free pass to yap about the stupid ass adeptus gang and their shenanigans (i love zhongli having been the Tired Responsible One for his entire life... he would 100% buy/have been gifted the 'proud mother of a couple of dumbass kids' shirt)

zhongli and his adepti are like one of my favorite bands of characters alongside itto and his arataki gang they are so funnyy

the adepti appear to be very serious and strict which they are but they are also insane???? Part of the story as a whole is to show that the divine aren't too different from humans and this includes the adepti.

Streetward Rambler and Guizhong arguing about music so Morax had to take away the bell after Cloud Retainer tattled? Cloud Retainer lending Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper her cooking device that they still haven't given back? Or that one time Cloud Retainer built a snowmobile with Guizhong and Ping before Moon Carver crashed it and it took hours to dig him out of the snow? All 3 of the so called elite adepti and even the god of liyue himself trying to help some kid reconcile with his father?

the adepti are all very unserious very much freaks of nature.

I think about the Yakshas as well especially Menogias, poor guy was born to style forced to slay. It's funny how his designs were so intricate that none of the fellow yakshas wanted to wear it but he was so stubborn about it that even Rex Lapis couldn't change his mind. In fact there is not enough Morax and his yakshas lore. Like please i beg every day for Zhongli to talk about people in his past. I know he wont but I want to believe anyway.

A part of me believes that once Zhongli quit being the geo archon and moved to the harbor, cloud retainer, moon carver and mountain shaper had a terrible case of empty nest loneliness. We all know how that turned out for Xianyun but I expect it's only a matter of time before the other 2 come closer to the harbor as well. Perhaps to follow Zhongli around like lost ducklings.

In one of Xianyun's character stories, Zhongli had a commission for consultancy but he was busy and just sent her to do it. I'm gonna tear up but the idea that Zhongli knew this task would be perfect for her and just sent her on her way is just the cutest.

Also in her voiceline for Zhongli, when she told him she was coming to the harbor he basically gave her a shopping list of things to do and how to arrange her home. I love the idea of Zhongli stepping into Cloud Retainer's new house and just instantly moving the furniture to ensure proper Feng Shui. Like the list was so extensive that CR got overwhelmed -like her of all people- getting overwhelmed with knowledge is amusing.

Moon Carver is one of Rex Lapis disciplines so its clear that even amongst the older adepti that Zhongli is a still a teacher and won't hesitate to lecture them. These days I am sure he trying to be a more relaxed person but old habits are hard to break.

I haven't even talked about Zhongli and Xiao which are my favorite dynamic in the entire game I love when they are together. But Zhongli slowly trying to get Xiao to open up and experience the beauties of life and get closer to humanity every lantern rite I might weep. Like lying about stupid sesame seed oil last year and now hes flying kites this year, Zhongli is playing some incredible 5D chess to get Xiao to visit him more without explicitly saying it. BECAUSE he knows if he tells Xiao to see him he will but he doesn't want to force Xiao to come he wants him to come on his own means.

Kind of reminds me how Zhongli keeps birds. Ya know he has like bird cages where he keeps birds which he then takes around but based on his disposition I believe Zhongli is an expert and keeping birds to stay. Just building them homes and cages and of course he lets them come and go freely but some of them find his homes so nice that they decide to stay with him. So yeah I think Zhongli is deliberately treating Xiao like a bird that will return to him by his own means.

Anyway I would love love loveeee to put all the adepti in a room and just watch them work. Like CR, MC and MS are bound to start an argument while Xiao tries to linger in the corner, Ganyu tries to attend to all of them while Ping and Zhongli just laugh in the chaos.

Damn, the fact I haven't seen Ganyu and Zhongli interact since the Liyue archon quest is a crime, they are the only Zhongli relationship that I am craving to see (other than zhongli neuvillette). I want to believe it is just because Ganyu would blow his cover instantly. She would have to bite her tongue to avoid calling him Rex Lapis.

Speaking of Ganyu the fact one of the first thing CR says about her is that she was once so fat she rolled down as hill? Or in Zhongli's voicelines he implies she is stronger or even fiercer than she looks so much so that she would be embarrassed by his lack of delicacy when describing her.

I have mentioned this is another post but it's kind of sweet how much the adepti like Zhongli. He is more than their god but also a very treasured companion and friend. First he always calls them his friends ("a friend approaches" AND THEN XIAO APPEARS). But like god forbid you are rude to him because they would storm off or snap at you (Xiao and Xianyun). Don't disrespect him or they'll hate you for years (Ganyu). But at the same time he is a friend that eats dinner with them during Lantern Rite or a friend they make fun of for making square cups.

Of course I imagine there is a lot of respect in their relationship and a noticeable power imbalance. I kind of imagined that with becoming "Zhongli" Morax not wanted only to become closer to humanity but also bridge the gap between himself and the adepti. Show them not only the beauty of a world led by humans but also to come to them not as their overlord but as a treasured friend. The adepti clearly hold him in very high esteem recognizing his sacrifice, strength and good of heart.

WHICH is why i'll never accept people who call Morax a tyrant because the adepti saw Morax out and about and were like "damn im gonna follow this guy for the rest of eternity he's so cool".

I also think it is hilarious how Zhongli has influenced the adepti and how they just kind of absorbed some of his personality traits. Part of the reason Ganyu is so dedicated and hardworking to the point of exhaustion is because of how much she looks up to Rex Lapis, she even states that her work could never compare to what he has done for Liyue so she pushes herself even harder.

Or Xiao the most loyal of the adepti who still works tirelessly to this day because of his contract. I believe the adepti especially the younger ones were like "he works so hard and sacrifices everything i will do just that!".

Even Yanfei who has never formed a contract with him still maintains that hardworking attitude but without the self-sacrifice so she is like the perfect Liyue citizen in Zhongli's eyes.

anyway I have some thoughts on adepti shenanigans i would love to see

Adepti feast, put them all in a room I expect a very elegant and mature feast but I also expect someone to break something. Maybe they will behave themselves with Zhongli next to them maybe they won't we have to see. In fact put Shenhe and Yaoyao there too lets cause problems

Adepti shopping spree. Xianyun and Zhongli are terrible they will buy anything they set their eyes on. Xianyun falls for marketing scams but then there is Zhongli who won't fall for scams but buys everything at full price anyway. They reek absolute havoc in the shopping district once they get paid.

I am on my knees please please give me a Zhongli and Ganyu interaction i am not so greedy to ask for specifics just please just please (also more Zhongli and Ping interactions hell throw Guoba there too).

I will accept any Xiao and Zhongli interactions like anything i love them together.

Like i said its only a matter of time before MC and MS show up in the harbor and I can't wait to see Zhongli tease them.

Zhongli teasing the adepti!!!!!! Zhongli in disguise "OH NO I am a poor helpless mortal how could I ever compare to the adepti" they are fuming but they can't argue with him. they can only tolerate his teasing until they are alone.

Zhongli gets harassed by the Liyue public for disrespecting Rex Lapis and the adepti had to step in and tell them that it’s alright

Xiao with the strength of the gods: Mr. Zhongli did nothing wrong

Citizens: He called Rex Lapis a bum?

Xiao: He didn’t mean that he’s sorry

Zhongli: No i’m not! I think he was a fraud!

Xiao: Forgive him

Anyway please give us more adepti and please let them interact with Zhongli more. They are always so bashful and sweet in his presence so I must have an interaction I must.

#zhongli #ganyu #xiao #xianyun #adepti #genshin impact #it took me some time to think about this one

[nitroish]

I already commented on ur post asking for asks so just in case u didn’t see.

How do u figure out ur art style?

How did you drak fabric so well?

How do you draw body types so good?

Can you show me how to do the shiny effect you use for armor or golden stuff?

How do you draw such intricate people?

what is one of your first Zelda memories?

what are some Zelda core memories?

when did you come across the linked universe fandom?

I am also working on a au, it’s on my page and you shouldn’t have to scroll far, but long story short it’s called

linked universe: broken chain

and I was wondering if you had any ideas for additions to the new chain of links?

also there’s more details I’m thinking about posting later for the au, but if you have any design ideas for characters then I would love to hear/see them

also:what is your favorite OUTFIT(not person) to draw?

what one do you think is the prettiest or coolest? what one do you think looks funky/off? Is there anything you would change? What feels weird about them?

sorry if that’s too many questions, but you needed a distraction so I provided, I know ur probably not feeling good right now so I just want to make sure your at least happy, I know what it feels like to need to keep your mind from wandering. But also:

I hope to the golden three you’ve been feeding, watering, cleaning, medicating, sleeping, and generally taking care of yourself because i might pop though my iPad, through the internet, through whatever your using to read this, and into your room to strangle you and take care of you my self because you deserve it! You make so many people happy with your art and interactions and it sucks to know your in a less than great mood to say the least. So take this as you will, but more importantly take care of yourself and get some sleep, because I know you are probably reading this at fuck o clock at night. *makes pointed, intense metaphorical eye contact* I mean it, try and take care of thine bitch self. *smacks you with affection*

ill toss my reply under a read more since its a long ask eheh

ive already answered the questions in response to the reply you sent to the post and i greatly appreciate all the questions youve offered !!

what is one of your first Zelda memories? playing skyward sword !! i really REALLY enjoyed the wing ceremony - the introduction to flight using motion controls was one of my favourite things. i could spend hours flying around and using the wii-mote to pick a direction or flap the wings. it was gorgeous in my eyes as well. skyloft was a safe spot that i did not really leave, i was less interested in the rest of the game aside from faron. twilight princess as well !! i quite enjoyed running around on epona or in the wolf form. i did not get much done in either game, but i was mostly there for the sights, anyway.

what are some Zelda core memories? zeldacore memories ... my grandparents have an orchard that we would go pick from. sometimes if the apples werent good they would take us to a public orchard to pick apples there. when i was a kid i would grab a sword [ foam, of course ] and go out with my sister and we would hack down weeds and also pretend to battle one another to protect fake kingdoms that we would make up on the spot upon being questioned about it JFGHDFG we enjoyed running around and hiding in the orchard from one another. the same grandparents had some woods back behind their house, we'd go take walks through there sometimes and skuttle around thru the weeds and such.

when did you come across the linked universe fandom? mmm thats a good question. im pretty sure it was the start of 2019-ish? maybe 2020? im not very good with dates, but i knew of lu before i joined the server [ im no longer in that server tho ] !! i didnt really get into the fandom or whatever side of things until later, seeing as i was obsessing over loz at the time and ended up finding lu as an extension of that hyperfixation :)

what is your favorite OUTFIT(not person) to draw? i would have to say im biased towards my legend design's outfit !! i like adding details and embroidery to it. if we went with JUST canon lu outfits i would say im biased towards hyrule or twilight's :)

what one do you think is the prettiest or coolest? same answer as above !! my own for legend, but hyrule and twilight are pretty neat lookin. for Pretty i would have to say four - his tunic is rather ornate, especially when it comes to the embroidery in each square.

what one do you think looks funky/off? is there anything you would change? what feels weird about them? honestly i think wind's could do with some updates and upgrades, but im not entirely the best at designing characters either. his model has definitely gotten better over time though !! i think its the shirt and pants. i havent played his game(s?) so i couldnt entirely give answers on what i would change.

and i GREATLY appreciate the questions and your concern. youve no reason to apologize - im quite honoured tht u took the time to even type any of this out to send to me !! i am doing my best with what ive got currently, but rest assured im caring for myself just fine !! i definitely was readin that at fuck-o-clock at night ( and am answering this at the same time, if not worse !! its 5am just about now )

ill be heading off to bed here soon, but i have been thinkin on how to respond to this HDFGGDG no need for the smacks of affection, tho appreciated!! ill be cozied up and asleep soon enough :)

as for your au; ill check it out when i wake !! im sure its fascinating, feel free to toss an ask again on some information / the ideas behind it in here :)

have a good night / day !! here is to hopefully better times in the future

#ask #triforceofchaosakacory

[sciencestyled]

Shadows & Shenanigans: How Interactive Sculptures are the New Stand-Up Comedy

Alright, class, strap in! You're not just sitting in a dusty old lecture hall; no, you're about to ride the lightning in the wacky world of interactive shadow sculptures. It’s like trying to understand the plot of "Inception" on your first go—tricky, mind-bending, but oh, so gratifying!

Now, what happens when you mix shadows with a disco ball and give it a PhD in pop culture? You get interactive shadow sculptures, the love child of science and art, playing hide and seek with light like it's dodging paparazzi flashes at a Met Gala after-party.

Imagine this: You’re walking through a gallery, your shadow trailing behind you like a loyal Instagram follower, when suddenly, bam! Your silhouette multiplies, twists, and flips, turning you into a veritable superhero team of shadow clones. This isn’t just art; it’s a Marvel movie, and you're the star.

Let’s dive into how these sculptures are basically the visual equivalent of a meme going viral. Picture a sculpture that looks like a random pile of metal junk during the day. But come sunset, with the right light angle, this pile casts a shadow of, say, Beyoncé in full “Single Ladies” pose. One word: iconic. It’s not just sculpture; it’s sorcery! Or better yet, it’s like the sculpture version of a plot twist in a telenovela.

These art pieces are a cheeky nod to the idea that shadows are not just absence of light—they’re canvases for storytelling. It's kind of like how every Twitter feed has a dark mode now; these sculptures show that darkness can be just as juicy and gossip-worthy as the light.

Now, let’s get scientific for a hot sec. The magic behind these sculptures isn't just pulling rabbits out of hats. It's all about angles, baby—geometry, physics, and a sprinkle of black magic (just kidding on the last part, or am I?). The sculpture is designed so intricately that every curve, every angle, and every seemingly nonsensical swirl has a role. It’s like assigning parts in a high school play, where even the shy kid in the back gets to be the tree—everyone's essential.

Speaking of essential, let’s talk about interaction. These sculptures don’t just sit there looking pretty; they require audience participation. It’s like a video game; you move, and the game reacts. Walk around the sculpture, and the shadow changes; you’re not just an observer, you’re a player! And let’s be honest, who hasn’t felt the thrill of seeing their shadow morph into something fantastical? It's the closest many of us will get to seeing our alter egos without having to raid a costume store.

This type of art is a sneaky teacher, too. It’s introducing folks to the science of optics and light without them even realizing they’re learning—sneakier than a parent hiding veggies in a batch of brownies. You think you’re just having fun playing with shadows, but bam, you’ve learned something. Next thing you know, you're explaining light refraction at parties like it's the latest gossip.

And just when you thought it couldn’t get more "Black Mirror," these sculptures can also be seen as a commentary on reality itself. What's real and what's just a shadow? It’s like questioning whether a hot dog is a sandwich or if the dress is blue or gold. The sculpture asks: If the shadow is the art, then what's the sculpture itself? Mind-bending, right?

So, next time you see a shadow sculpture, don’t just walk past it. Engage with it! Dance around it, pose, make like a TikTok star and see what crazy shapes you can create. It’s art that doesn’t just hang on a wall—it plays with you, teases your brain, and maybe, just maybe, makes you the star of your own shadowy blockbuster.

And hey, remember, in the kingdom of shadows, every light is a stage, and every passerby a performer. So go ahead, unleash your inner shadow puppeteer and let those silhouettes strike a pose. After all, in this wacky workshop of light and shadow, everyone gets a chance to shine, even in the dark!

#science #art #shadows #science education #education #science art #sculpture

[markberries]

d e s i r e┊draco malfoy

anon requested: hey!! unsure if u do requests for stories BUT i saw a tiktok and rlly want it to be a full story (or one shot). so: draco is late to class, and is there for volunteered for an experiment, he is told to stand infront of a mirror (he doenst know it but it’s the erised mirror) and he asks Y/N to move out of the way but ur not there, he only sees u bc he desires u, everyone laughs then there’s a party and u okay 7 min in heaven, and draco and Y/N get picked then SMUT

info: you and draco liked to bicker; turns out draco wanted a bit more from you. it took him a look into the mirror of erised to realize it.

warnings: smut, dirty talk, cursing, fingering, oral (giving)

genre: SMUT, hufflepuff!reader, fem reader

word count: 2400+

a/n: hihi, i hope this is something close to what you wanted. sorry for the wait!! the request confused me at first but i think i understood it. this is also unedited bc i’m lazy

“draco malfoy, late again?” the professor sighed, not looking at malfoy who was quietly taking his seat. instead, the professor just shook his head in disappointment.

“yeah yeah, won’t happen again,” draco snickered, playfully shoving goyle and crabbe. all three of them were quietly giggling in amusement, as if the entire school was a joke to them.

the professor raised an eyebrow at draco, crossing his arms. unimpressed, he stared draco down. “you have been saying that for the past three classes you were late to as well, mr. malfoy.”

you held back your laughter as draco got scolded, only because you knew that draco was an arse so watching him get in trouble up close was definitely a treat for you.

draco was quick to turn to you, who was sitting at the table to his right. “got something to say, mudblood?” he snapped at you, and you glared at him.

“got some daddy issues to fix, malfoy?” you shot back, venom lacing your voice. 

“alright you two,” the professor said, walking to the middle of the room, eyes switching from malfoy to you. “that’s quite enough for today. since mr. malfoy had the audacity to come in late once again, he will be our beloved volunteer for our experiment today.”

draco raises his hand, “i will not be agreeing to that, professor. it’s just not fair.”

“and it’s not fair that you’re wasting my time, so i advise you to come up here now, because you don’t have a choice,” the professor gestured for malfoy to come to him, you hear a grumble from draco, followed by his chair being pushed back.

draco walked up to a large object covered by a black drape in the middle of the room, standing right in front of it. draco made sure to give you a nasty look before getting to the front.

the professor moved out of the way to remove the drape, but not before saying, “okay, mr. malfoy. i want you to describe to me what you see when i remove this cloth.”

“easy enough,” draco smirks, crossing his arms over his chest, arrogance oozing off of him. when the professor withdraws the drape, draco looks closesly. it’s a mirror with a golden lining, decorated with intricate designs and beautiful patterns. it’s much larger than draco, and light rays bounce off it throughout the room.

“if you don’t move out of the way y/l/n,” draco sneers, making you squint your eyes in confusion, “i swear i’ll-”

“that’s enough mr. malfoy, you can sit down now.”

draco turned around, only to see you sitting down in your chair, who was just as confused as him. while he walked back to his seat, the professor eyed him, then started pacing slowly around the room while talking.

“now,” he began, “this here, is the mirror of erised.” you hear small giggles coming from the class room, followed by malfoy’s face turning a slight tint of pink. 

“shove off!” malfoy yells, muttering to himself in annoyance. you of course, shared the same amount of embarrassment. you knew exactly what the mirror of erised was, and so did most people in this room. it made you visualize what you truly desired, so the fact that draco malfoy had seen you in the reflection, was quite a surprise.

“every student will have a chance to take a look, so don’t worry too much. please form a single file line, and we will begin.”

—

“you’re kidding,” cedric snickers, covering his mouth with his hand. cedric was an awful good friend of yours, being the first person to offer you a seat when you had gotten sorted into hufflepuff. quite ironic, really. you never imagined yourself to be put into such a happy little house.

“honestly? i wish i was. draco can be such a little prick,” you remarked, sipping at your butterbeer. students gathered in the three broom sticks, the familiar scent of sweat emanating from the hufflepuff and slytherin quidditch team. the slytherin house had just received a bitter defeat, causing them to throw glares at the opposing team.

“so what are you gonna do about it then? talk to him?” cedric questioned you, and you shrugged shoulders. you were at a loss for what to do about malfoy. you were unsure if he was even worth talking to, after all the constant negative comments that he just loved to yell at you.

“do i wanna talk to him?” you asked, crossing your legs while you sat in your chair. cedric raised a brow, “am i supposed to answer that question?”

“no,” you sighed, crossing your arms over your chest. being friends with cedric had it’s pros and it’s cons, but he gave a good amount of advice and he was always reliable. you hear a call for cedric’s name coming from the crowd of boys and girls, his eyes shoot to the group.

“what is it?” he says back, standing up from his chair.

“come on then, we’re playing 7 minutes in heaven!”

such a childish game, you thought to yourself. it surprised you that people were still interested in playing. cedric looked to you, then back at the group, “i won’t go if you won’t go.”

“what a flirt,” you say with a hint of a sarcastic tone. you playfully kick his leg, making him yelp, “i’m just trying to be nice!”

“well i’m surely not going,” you responded, taking a sip from your drink again. cedric’s grey eyes bored into your own, he smelt of chocolate mixed with his clean shampoo.

“don’t be such a wussy, mudblood,” you hear a familiar voice snarl. you snap your head to see draco, standing in the middle of the crowd, laughing with his group of friends. you felt a surge of anger, and cedric took note of it. he quickly grabbed your hand, pulling you up from your chair.

“y/n and i will be participating!” cedric announces , dragging you to the group of people gathered around a table.

“cedric! what in god’s name are you doing?” you exclaim, desperately trying to escape from his strong grip. “ow ow ow, could you at least be a little gentler?”

“this is your chance, if you get paired up with someone, you’ll see malfoy’s reaction,” he whispers closely into your ear. when the two of you stop in front of the group, you swear you can practically hear how badly the other girls wanted cedric to be their partner.

“what if i don’t want to see his reaction?” you complained back, and cedric patted your head. “then too bad.”

“alright everyone, the rules are simple; a person is selected to spin the bottle. whoever the bottle lands on, those two will go into the backrooms together. would anyone like to go first?”

“y/n does,” cedric yells, slightly pushing you forward. you scowl at him, in return he sends you a shit-eating grin. you wanted nothing more than to wipe that stupid smile off his face, but you stayed civil for the sake of the others gathered around you.

“alright y/n, go on,” blaise says, placing the bottle on the table. you gave cedric the “i’m going to kill you when this is over” look as you sighed, placing your hand on the bottle. you span it, watching as the boys began to shift awkwardly.

you nearly gag when the bottle lands on the one person you did not want to share a small, closed room with. people coo, laughing and making immature comments. draco malfoy shoves his friend, threatening him.

“i’m not entering a closet with that mudblood,” he scoffs, pointing at you disrespectfully. you stop yourself from punching malfoy, instead you say, “look who’s scared now.”

“what did you just say?” draco hissed, taking a step closer to you. “why would i be scared.”

you dust off his robe in a mocking way, smiling at him. “you tell me, malfoy.”

whispers filled the room, as if everyone was waiting for draco to explode. he took a deep breath, grabbing your arm aggressively. people eyed the both of you as he brought you to the backrooms, knowing hell would break loose with you two alone. 

seven minutes, alone with draco. what could go wrong?

when you two stepped into the small space, you went to the farthest point of the room. it was littered with cleaning supplies and smelt a little bit like bleach. draco stared at you, and you looked back. “what do you want?”

“you think i wanted to do this?” draco spat at you, leaning back on the wall. 

“and how do you think i feel?” you said back, throwing a scrunched up paper towel at him. “as if i wanted to be in a room with you. you’re annoying, stuck up, and a spoiled brat.”

“wow, who would think that a bitch would get sorted into hufflepuff,” he says sarcastically.

“got a lot to say for someone who saw me in the mirror of erised,” you retort, fanning your face. it was getting quite warm in this tight space.

“it was probably a mistake, who would desire you anyway,” he retaliates getting closer to you. you take a step closer to him as well, your faces nearly touching.

“you’d be surprised,” you argue. you two were so close that you could make out the details of his face. you could see something flash in his eyes, it didn’t look like anger, but you chose to believe that it was.

“do you ever stop talking? just shut up already. i’ve had enough of hearing your voice.”

you scoff, looking down at your feet, then looking back up into draco’s eyes. in all honesty, you didn’t know what to expect after saying this. you felt your hands shaking a little bit, ignoring the adrenaline pumping through you

“make me.”

in that moment, you swear you heard your own heart beating. did you want this? did draco understand what you were hinting at? your questions were soon answered when draco pushes you up against the wall, taking your hands and pinning them above your head.

“i’ll make you, alright,” he smirks, placing kisses along your jawline. he presses his knee between your legs. he kisses your neck, sucking on the skin. you let out a breathy whine, trying to bring your arms down to wrap around draco’s neck, but he keeps your hands in place.

“you want this, don’t you?” he whispers, leaving more marks on your neck.

“mhm, yes draco,” you say back, feeling yourself growing wetter.

“good girl.”

he smashes his own lips against yours, his actions filled with need and passion. he slightly bites on your bottom lip, looking into your eyes. he breaks the kiss, letting go off your hands. he undoes his belt, pulling his pants down slightly, but not all the way.

“we haven’t got much time,” he says, dragging his thumb along your cheek. he touches your bottom lip, and you open your mouth in response, sucking on his thumb.

“fuck,” he groans, watching you with lust filled eyes. “you’re so hot.” he removes his thumb from your mouth, and you lower yourself to his boxers, tugging down the fabric. his member springs free, and he lets out a hiss from the sudden contact of air.

you smirk, licking a stripe. draco moans, grabbing onto the shelf above him. you begin to take him in, swirling your tongue around him. his size was about average, but on the thicker side. he grunts as you hollow your cheeks.

“oh fuck, just like that,” he groans. the tip of his dick touches the back of your throat, making you gag. he moans, but louder this time as he grabs your hair. your eyes start forming tears, but you hold them back.

you hollow out your cheeks, slowly moving back and forth.

“god, y/n, you’re so pretty even when you’re sucking my dick,” he says, lost in the moment as you continue to move faster, using your hands on whatever didn’t fit in your mouth. you feel your lips getting swollen as you continue to move faster.

“look at you,” he groans, his face full of pleasure as he looks down at you. “such a fucking good girl.”

you feel his member twitch in your mouth, and you knew he was close to finishing. you took this as a chance to move faster, bobbing your head as fast as you could. 

he groans, panting your name as he used your hair to guide how to move.

“i’m gonna come,” he says breathily, “fuck!”

he comes in your mouth, but you don’t mind. it’s not the worst that could happen, after all. you stand up, wiping your mouth as draco is leaning against the wall. he doesn’t rest for long though, as he grabs your waist, pulling you close to him. 

“your turn,” he whispers, pushing your skirt up and slipping a hand into your exposed panties. he feels around your wetness, collecting it and bringing it out.

“mm, did i do this?” he asks, and you whimper a “yes”.

he slips his hand back in, finding your bundle of nerves and rubbing them slowly. you gasp, gripping at his jacket and biting on his shoulder. he chuckles, dragging a finger down to insert into you. he pushes in slowly, and you bite down harder, not wanting to make too much noise.

“no no, i don’t want you to be quiet, i want to see your face,” draco says, using his free hand to grab your chin and make you look at him. “that’s right, let me see how you feel.”

he pushes in and out of your heat at a steady pace, the room smelt of sex and his cologne. you were a moaning mess as draco continued his motions, bringing in another finger.

“does that feel good?” draco asks, and you nod in response. “i want your words, baby.”

“y-yes draco, please don’t stop,” you say quietly, screwing your eyes shut.

“oh baby, i wasn’t planning on it,” he replies, entering a third finger and thrusting faster. at this point, you’re pretty much a moaning mess. the feeling of his long slender fingers was so much to handle, you felt yourself building up to your climax.

“that’s right baby, fuck, you’re clenching around my fingers,” he smirks, knowing that you were going to come. “i want you to say my name. tell people who’s making you feel this good.”

“it’s you, draco, oh my god!” you yelp, the fabric of his robe was bunching up in your hands. suddenly, your orgasm washes over you, your stomach moving in twists and turns. you felt so relieved, draco removed his hand, his fingers covered in your juices. all that could be heard was the sound of you and draco’s heavy breathing.

a knock comes from outside the room, “guys? it’s been over seven minutes.”

#draco #draco malfoy #draco smut #draco malfoy smut #harry potter #cedric diggory #smut #draco imagine #draco malfoy imagine

[londonspirit]

Dan Levy is making his debut at the 2021 Met Gala on Monday, and while the Schitt’s Creek cocreator is excited for his first Met ball, the multihyphenate is most looking forward to people watching—this time, from the event itself.

“I’m a pretty introverted person, and I tend to avoid big parties, so this is really taking a big step out of my comfort zone,” Levy told Vanity Fair. “And I just keep saying to everybody, ‘I don’t know anyone there. Am I just going to be that person in the corner that’s just watching people and not talking to anyone?’”

“But I’ve been assured by friends of mine who have gone that it is a far more kind of celebratory safe space than the intimidating world that I have been creating in my head,” he said, before adding that he recently spoke with Met gala cohost Amanda Gorman to assuage his fears.

“I chatted a little bit with Amanda about both of our nerves being new to the game…. And we kind of said that if all else fails, we’ll just hold each other and get through it together,” the D.L. Eyewear creator said with a laugh.

While Levy may be nervous, his Schitt’s Creek character, David Rose, would be beside himself if ever presented with the opportunity to attend fashion’s biggest night.

“Absolutely nobody would want a Met gala invitation more than sweet David Rose. Just desperate for it,” Levy said.

The comedian, writer, and director—who was invited to this year’s gala by Cartier—called the invite from the luxury jeweler “an honor,” and described his experience collaborating with Loewe’s Jonathan Anderson on his custom red-carpet look as an “incredibly wonderful and fulfilling adventure.”

Inspired by the Costume Institute’s ​“In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” exhibit and the gala’s theme, Levy worked with Anderson to create a powerful ensemble that celebrates “the resilience and the love and the joy” of the LGBTQ+ community.

“I had asked Jonathan if he would be into dressing me just because…I just love his perspective on fashion and thought that he’d be a really great person to collaborate with on this,” the actor explained. “He’s so thoughtful, unexpected, and artful in his approach to what he wants to say with the clothes that he designs…. Fortunately, he said yes, and fortunately he did have some great ideas.”

As a fashion brand that has long celebrated artists, Anderson drew inspiration for Levy’s red-carpet creation from American artist and AIDS activist David Wojnarowicz, whose work confronted the systematic oppression of gays, while shedding a harsh light on the abandonment the community experienced during the peak of the AIDS crisis.

Adapting two of Wojnarowicz’s famed works, Fuck You F--got Fucker, 1984, and Untitled (One Day This Kid…), 1990–91, for Levy’s Met gala look, the actor said he and Anderson wanted to reflect the artist’s themes of celebrating “queer love and queer visibility” while also sending a reminder that “there’s a lot more that needs to be done.”

The intricate and expressive look, which features hand embroidery and beading, ties into his relationship with Anderson and longtime love of his designs.

“The shoes that I’m wearing are sort of replica of a boot that Jonathan had made in one of his early, early JW collections way back in the 2010s. We had dinner recently, and he said to me, ‘I have known your name for such a long time because you were one of the first people to buy those boots,’” Levy recalled, explaining that when Anderson’s company was smaller, the designer knew all the names of his avid customers.

“When we were talking about putting this look together, we were discussing what to do for the footwear. And I had proposed what if we remake your boots as kind of a personal connection between the two of us. They were such good boots, and I think the younger fashion crowd needs to know just how significant he’s been for such a long time,” he continued. “So there’s kind of like a wink and a nod to a history that we have had together…. It’s amazing to have been a fan for so long and now to get to work with him in this capacity.”

While the boots are a heartwarming detail, Levy also joked that they may be his saving grace for tackling the iconic Met staircase.

“​​I think that my boots are substantial enough to really ground me…. If all else fails, I know that I’m in very sturdy boots that hopefully will not trip me up. Then cut to—falls down the stairs,” he said with a laugh.

Talking about working with Levy on his Met creation, Anderson told Vanity Fair: “Dan is our gay superhero. Through his comedy, he is able to knock down cultural barriers. We wanted to make something that allows him to make queer love visible and we found that through the seminal works of David Wojnarowicz.”

Levy said there was something “special” about being able to recreate Wojnarowicz’s artist themes into a work of fashion for the Met gala’s world stage.

“I think that has always kind of been what the Met has embodied—doing what you can do to send a message. It’s not just clothes, you're celebrating the impact that fashion can have and culture,” he said.

And in the spirit of Wojnarowicz’s influential AIDS activism, Loewe has donated to Visual AIDS, an organization Wojnarowicz long-supported that continues to promote AIDS awareness and education.

“Jonathan described [the look] as a superhero for the community, and when I put it on, I definitely feel that,” Levy said. “And to me, that’s an America that I want to be a part of.”

#dan levy #daniel levy #met gala 2021

[skellebonez]

Prompt 8 with Wukong and MK? I love the Monkey Dad ok. (Love ur writing btw!!!)

HNG Thank you! And hell yeah, any excuse to write Dad Wukong is fantastic! I wasn’t sure what to write for a while, but then I remembered a certain something in the show and their banter in certain episodes and I got an idea and ran with it.

“Yeah, okay, but I’m cooler.” “You sure?”

MK practically jumped as he walked, giddy excitement permeating his entire being as he remembered who was following him. It had taken so many weeks of convincing, but he finally got Monkey King to agree to come to the city and just. Hang out for a few hours. And his timing in agreeing could not have been more perfect!

He wasn’t entirely sure if it was his well crafted and highly logical arguments or the barrage of puppy dog eyes that finally wore down the ancient being, but he would take what he could get. Because he desperately wanted to show Monkey King what even more months of hard work and negotiations had managed to finally produce.

The Monkey King was instantly recognizable, but only if you knew not to look for a monkey. He’d disguised himself as a human as much as he could with no fur in sight (though still the same hair) and he was dressed in pretty basic modern day attire (MK wondered if he was even comfortable wearing this, but Wukong had brushed it off with a “go big or stay home”). Though must like his other forms, his tail couldn’t exactly go away fully and needed to be tucked under the jacket he had tied around his waist and his eyes betrayed his signature color scheme with markings that looked like some very skillfully applied eyeliner. MK now wondered if his eyes always looked like that naturally, given he looked like he wore eyeliner all the time, or if Monkey King made it a point to just look nice for himself every day. He could always ask later.

“Ok, you are going to love this,” He said, pausing in front of the anti-gravity arcade to gesture at it. “Trust me, it’s like the bestest most awesomest thing ever!”

“You’ve been saying that for the last 15 minutes,” Wukong said with a smile, looking for all the world like a calm and confident man. But to MK, he looked… nervous. He wasn’t surprised. The Monkey King had spent most of his missing 500 years in near isolation on an island full of monkeys. People… wasn’t something he was used to again. Not yet.

“Yeah, it is, but you know,” He stopped, gesturing around them. “If you want maybe we could get something to eat or drink first? I mean, it’s not exactly going anywher-”

Wukong put a hand on MK’s shoulder, shaking his head. “I know what you’re trying to do, bud. And I appreciate it. But if you don’t get me in there now you’ll probably spend the rest of the day trying to get me more comfortable and you’ll never show me this ‘bestest most awesomest thing ever!’, ok?” His smile softened as he ruffled the younger’s hair. “C’mon, show me this thing already!”

There was a moment where MK paused, just thinking about what was happening. When they first started training Wukong was already an invader of personal space, yeah, but none of what he did felt really affectionate at all. Just like something a monkey would do. But the hair ruffling? That was a human thing. Monkey King was not doing that on instinct. Either he picked it up from watching human shows or he was making a point to do more human things when he interacted with MK.

And the Monkie Kid had noticed this before in other little things the ancient being had done over the course of their training, like he was acting like Tang or Pigsy now. And he appreciated it.

“OK! It’s right inside!” MK shouted, grabbing the sleeve on Wukong’s shirt and pulling him into the building. He ran along the front wall for only a moment until he reached a corner, standing to the side as he gestured with wide arms to a big bright banner above a shiny new arcade cabinet reading ‘Coming Soon: Monkie Kid Run!’

“You have a GAME!? Is that ME!?” Wukong couldn’t help his surprise, looking at the intricate design on the cabinet in awe. Right on the top of the front were clearly himself and MK on opposite sides of the title, their friends peppering the rest of the sides of the front surrounding the screen. Various demons, all recognizable, ran along the side in the same beautiful art work and… “Hold on… This is your art. MK, did you make this? Is this why you asked for my lawyer?”

“Yeah! Kinda,” MK puffed out his chest. “The company wanted to have the rights to make a game based on me and it took a lot of legal back and forth but I managed to get it worked out where they have the rights to the game but I own the trademarks and the art everything, except for yours you have that! And the others. And all the demons, I kinda had to get them to sign some paperwork and offer them royalties and the lawyer really handled that part but I’m surprised so many of them agreed to it and- NO, that’s not important!” He gestured to the cabinet again, smiling widely as he waved a swipe card in front of him. “The important thing is I have a special activation card to play whenever I want and I want you to be the first person who gets to play this and I want to play it with you!”

For a moment the Monkey King didn’t say anything. He just stared at the game and MK, eyes wide and shining and after a moment he finally ran a hand through his hair and let out a chuckle. “Kid, I don’t say this lightly. But I am so fucking proud of you right now. Let’s play this game.”

MK beamed, swiping the card as he initially went to stand in the player two slot before he felt Wukong grab his arms and pick him up and stand him in front of player one. “Oh no, nope, your game. You get to be player one.”

Unable to help the laugh that bubbled up, MK watched as Wukong studied the buttons in front of him. He knew that the monkey knew how to play video games, he had systems in his house to play his own, but given this was completely different from anything else he had ever played he would be understanding if it took him a round to get used to it. “You going to play as yourself?”

“OH yeah,” Wukong laughed, taking a moment to admire how he looked on screen. The kid’s art was good. Amazing even. He’d seen himself so many times in so many different media but this… this was different. This was personal. “I’m cool as hell.”

“Yeah, okay, but I’m cooler,” MK quipped back with a smirk as he selected himself.

“You sure?”

The mock offended gasp of his student made Wukong laugh loudly, almost drawing the attention of a few arcade patrons. “Oh, it is ON! Prepare to get MKOwned Dad!”

“Bring it on!”

MK definitely did not notice that. But Wukong did. Yeah. This was personal. Monkey King was sure this was his favorite. His son had made it after all.

#IN THIS HOUSE WE LOVE AND RESPECT AND APPRECIATE MK'S ART #dad wukong #monkey king #sun wukong #mk #prompt fill #monkie kid #lego monkie kid #i don't know what actually goes into making a game

[burning-clutch]

Shielded From The Truth

Cross posted on A03: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30441042 -.-.-.-.- Warnings: Mild wounds. Number two in the phic phight! When his parents put a shield up around Casper high to keep the ghosts out, and it means that Danny’s day hardly goes to plan. And he was so close to being on time for once too…. PHIC PHIGHT 2021 For team ghost! -.-.-.-.-.- Prompt by: Silverwing013 Danny's parents have kindly offered to set up a ghost shield generator for Casper High. Hijinks ensue as Danny attempts to handle the situation. 

-.-.-.-.-.-

Danny groaned as he only half listened to his parents rattle off whatever ghost nonsense they were going on about as he ate his breakfast. A bowl of dry cereal because the milk was contaminated and he really didn’t want to chance it giving him more than a stomach ache. This had become the norm this week it seemed as his parents seemed invested more than usual into the ghost shields that they had been working on and improving.

Why only shields? They would be installing one in the school soon… but beyond that? He wasn’t sure. They probably told him, sure, but being a teenager and one that had parents that hated half of him, had the effect of making him only lightly listen to the weapons and things that were meant to fully kill him off. That and at least the ghost shields weren’t usually a hindrance to him, in fact, they had proven themselves useful on a few occasions.

Plus he had the added advantage of being able to simply return to his human form and slip through the shield with little issue. Given his parents had no knowledge of half ghosts existing, at least he hoped not, they shouldn’t be designing a ghost and human shield. After all, that would defeat the purpose, right? It wasn’t as if Amity really had any human threats anymore.

Well, regardless of the eccentricities of his parents he could at least take some comfort in the fact that Skulker couldn’t simply attack the school to get to him any longer.

Small mercies he supposed.

Danny blinked as his father said something to him before slapping him on his back causing the teen to practically choke on his cereal from the force of the smack. “Isn’t that just great Dann-o?” the large man exclaimed happily before looking at his son expectantly. Oh great, he wanted him to ask something? Great.

“S-Sure” Danny choked out as he flailed, grabbing in front of him for the orange juice he had nabbed from the fridge, it thankfully hadn’t been in there long enough to start glowing… yet…

He shook his head as he finally got his breath back without inhaling dry cereal pieces into his lungs. When he was sure he wasn’t going to sound like some dollar store squeaky toy he tried to ask his parents a question, always a dreadful time if he were honest, but hey, he would usually be late for school anyway.

“So this will go around the whole school?” Danny tried weakly.

“Yep! And the best part is it’ll sense where there's an evil ectoplasmic entity nearby and spring up instantly! We made sure there won’t be a ghost within Twenty feet of the school before that puppy jumps up to the rescue! Like a big Fenton airbag!” Jack exclaimed all too enthusiastically for what the current time in the AM should allow a normal person to exhume.

Danny hummed noncommittally and sent a glance of ‘help me’ to his sister, who, in turn, rolled her eyes at her little brother. “And the shield even uses the ghost’s power to run the shield right?” Jazz asked side eyeing her father from her own spot not wanting to fully engage in the conversation they were having.

“Oh, yea! That’s the best part!” Jack practically cheered out.

“And the stronger the evil skum is the faster the shield will react and sooner it will be picked up. It will only go off on a level three or higher.” Maddie explained with a pleasant smile as she sips at her coffee.

“And we got it all finished last night to be ready for you kids today” Jack added happily.

“Hooray, more fun on a Monday” Danny sighed out into his last bites of cereal. Jazz snorted but didn’t comment, though Danny blew her a childish raspberry.

Jack continued to go on about the more intricate details of the shield they had put up though only one thing really caught his attention in the spiel, “-And Vladdie helped with the funding to outfit the school! Even helped us get the materials we needed to make such a large shield!”

“Ah, there it is…” Danny groaned letting his head fall forward onto the table in instant defeat.

“Danny! I really wish you would learn not to stay up so late playing video games! Look at you! If I get another call from one of your teachers about you sleeping in class-” Maddie started only for Danny to cut her off jumping to his feet.

“Yep! Thanks for that, mom! Look at the time! Love you bye!” Danny prattled off quick as could be before grabbing his book bag by his feet and bolting like a scared rabbit. After all, if his mother never finished that sentence when he inevitably fell asleep he couldn’t be grounded… she never officially gave him the last warning…

That’ll work, right?

It wasn’t long when he was out of the house that he was at his usual waiting spot for Sam and Tucker. Unsurprisingly, Sam got there first though they didn't have to wait long for Tucker to lumber forward, half asleep to his friends, and together they made their way towards the school as a unit.

Things seemed well enough until he got onto the stairs leading up to the main doors. That was when all hell broke loose. A deep alarm sounded before his father’s voice rang out from the speakers, in his over the top cheery way that only Jack Fenton knew how to pull off.

“Attention kids! Guess there’s an evil spook nearby so we’re deploying the shield! This ghost protection was brought to you by Fenton-works and sponsored by your mayor!”

Danny frowned. “My ghost sense didn’t go off…” He mentioned quietly to his friends.

“Maybe the shield sensors are more sensitive than you are?” Tucker asked with a frown.

“Since when?” Sam argued incredulously.

“Well who or whatever it is, it isn’t bothering me right now and no one’s screaming, no one’s panicking, so it can wait. I’m actually going to be on time for once!” Danny says waving the notion off.

He continues his trek up the stairs and towards the doors of the school, though when he reaches the threshold of the shield he finds himself having to really push hard against the thing. It was like hitting a wall of foam or Jell-O. He could push through if he pressed hard enough but it was not pleasant or as easy as going through the air.

Once through the initial shield wall, he blinked slowly feeling sluggish and as though all his limbs were moving through water. He even sort of felt like he was having to ‘swim’ as he walked like he was both heavier and lighter than he should be, but unable to find that buoyancy happy middle ground.

“Dude…” Tucker said smartly as he frowned at his friend’s almost slow motion, yet stop motion like movements. It was eerie, to say the least, not to mention the more pressing issue that he noticed right off the hop, “Your eyes are shining, man. And your, um… Neck...”

Sam, ever prepared for whatever bull their lives seem to throw their way, slipped her bag around to her front and offered Danny a pair of sunglasses, which the halfa put on promptly, along with the spider webbed patterned black and silver scarf.  “I mean, it’s better,” Sam argued, not even giving Tucker's look of disapproval her full attention.

“They’re spider glasses.” The boy states with a shake of his head. “Not really digging the whole-” Tucker waved his arm about Danny’s head in little circles, “-pseudo goth thing” he finished finally. Though he had to admit it was at least marginally better than seeing his friend’s glowing eyes and the electric scars showing up on his neck and disappearing under his shirt collar.

“Better?” Danny asked out sluggish, his voice almost sounding like it was being drawn out on a tape deck that was starting to lack battery power and not playing at quite the proper speed making the pitch and timing slower and lower.

Sam and Tucker shared a look before offering a thumbs up to their friend, both deciding it better not to address… whatever that was… The look they shared between one another spoke of their mutual hope that this would perhaps be one of those problems that simply go away on its own.

Ignoring the problems they have usually makes it go away… Yeah, that always works out.  

Danny makes a grab for the door to pull it open again, having that weird slow stop motion effect, like he was flickering between blinks rather than making a smooth motion forward. “Ehm, maybe don’t move around too much man… it’s um… creeping me out.” Tucker offers helpfully.

“Huh?” it took Danny a minute to process, as while he looked slow to them they seemed to be hyped up on caffeine to him… “Why are you talking so fast?” He wondered, his head almost appearing to glitch into a tilted and confused look.

“I think the ghost shield is making you go all slow motion. Just stop talking.” Sam says forcefully before letting out a shudder of her own.

Sam and Tucker share a glance before they each grab onto one of Danny’s arms and half drag him off to his locker. Despite his friends’ efforts he still got many looks shot his way, and a couple of people started whispering to one another as he passed by them.

“How is this going to work if I’m already weirding everyone out?” Danny asked, voice still sounding like a slowed record as he blinked sluggishly and his head jerked almost unsteadily from side to side. From his perspective, everyone was speeding along and talking at 1.5 times the normal speed.

“Maybe I should look for the ghost that triggered this, maybe Tuck, can you look into this mess?” Danny asked after a moment of trying to figure out what was being said around him through the noise of the hall.

“Yeah that might be best…” Sam responded shifting from leg to leg as she locks eyes with a basketball jock who was staring at their group incredulously.

“I got you, man, I’ll change everything to present and, block any ‘call home’ recommendations.” Tucker pipped up already pulling out his PDA to set that up preemptively.

Danny nodded and let out a hum before glitching his way out the nearest exit and out of the shield’s bounds. Once he slipped back out through the barrier, strangely enough, a harder feat than it was getting in, but that wasn’t a problem he wanted to focus on, he already blamed Vlad so he would simply continue to do so until the fruitloop showed himself.

As soon as he was through the green line of the shield Danny practically fell forward in relief. That stifling feeling now gone from his core and bones making his movements fluid and normal, well as normal as a clumsy half ghost could be anyhow…

It was a moot point and not one Danny wanted to think on too long. He gave a quick “thanks” to his friends, before diving between the dumpster and the school’s bricks, transforming into his ghostly alter ego and taking off into the sky. He would do a few laps around the school and city as he looks for whatever ghost set off the shield.

-BREAK-

It wasn’t until lunchtime Danny returned looking much more windswept and all around more miserable. He entered the courtyard through the side joining his friends out on the picnic table they had claimed.  He made it over to them, flopped down on the bench next to tucker with a groan before his head smacked into the table before him.

“You find them?” Tucker asked around whatever horrid monstrosity of a sandwich he was eating, spewing bits of half chewed bred at Danny’s head.

“No” Came the muffled reply, filled with tired disdain.

“No ghost sense?” Sam wandered, flicking the bits of bread from Danny’s raven hair and back towards Tucker.

“No”

“Huh… You think it was you who set off the shield?”  Sam wondered with a thoughtful frown.

“When I went into the back end of the generator though it wasn’t supposed to go off for anything that low, Danny in human form is like a two at best,” Tucker argued spinning his PDA around to show what he’d found when he hacked into the motherboard of the Fenton’s latest device.

Danny groaned. He supposed had he listened to his parents he could have been more prepared for whatever lunacy his parents’ decided to toss his way but alas, his short attention span and teenage rebellion and lack of caring got the best of him yet again.

Joyous of joys.

He tuned out his friend’s back and forthing for a bit, wondering if he could get away with smashing the device as Phantom when Tucker had his a-ha moment of discovery. Danny turned his head and raised a brow at his friend who was furiously typing away at his device.

“You were right about Vlad, Sam”

“Naturally,” She agreed.

“Well, he had an over right line here specifically set for Phantom’s ecto- signature,” the boy states running his finger along the line of code he’d found in the program.

Danny’s mood instantly brightened at that. “So then we just get rid of that bit right? And BAM everything’s fine?” He asked. “Man, what happened to me? Why do I want to get into the school again?”

“To keep up the illusion of normalcy on this mortal plane.” Sam supplied stabbing at her salad a little more forcefully than she probably needed to.

“Eh, yeah, I suppose.” Danny agreed with a lacklustre shrug.

“There, that should do it” Tucker spoke, interrupting whatever tangent Sam was getting ready to spew off about how normalcy was only an illusion created by corporations or some other such thing.

“And just in time The bell just rang,” Danny says with a small grin clasping a firm hand onto his friend’s shoulder. “Nice one Tucker!” he cheered as the trio made their way over to the doors that would lead them back into the cafeteria.

Unfortunately, as soon as Danny’s hand hit the door handle the shield once again sprung to life, though this time, instead of simply having a hard time passing through the shield, he was thrown back across the field earning a cry from several students who were following the trio.  

“Grapes of wrath Mister Fenton!” Lancer, (of course it was Lancer) shouted out in worry, his shout even carrying over the prerecorded message containing his father’s voice. Lancer half jogged half waddled over to Danny who blinked up blearily to his teacher, eyes flashing green for the briefest of seconds before draining back to blue.

“Leave it to Fen-turd to get himself possessed.” Dash snorted from behind the pot bellied teacher earning a few nervous glances between the small crowd of gathering students. The mutterings of the students didn’t take long to start up after that.

“I’m not possessed,” Danny argued, though, it was rather hard to make said argument when the palm of his hand was burned and leaking ectoplasm from where he had touched the door.

“Course he’s not possessed! He’s a ghost himself!” Wes shouted pointing an accusatory finger at the youngest Fenton.

Danny glared. “Not the time Westly.” He muttered under his breath as he was hauled to his feet by his friends. He tried to brush himself off only to end up smearing the ectoplasm from his hand onto his jeans, leaving a luminescent streak across his thigh.

Seeing his chance the ginger jock was all too eager to point it out. “See look! He’s bleeding ectoplasm!”

“No, I’m not! It’s from the shield! it sputtered out at me.” Danny tried to protest, though even in his own ears it sounded like a weak argument.

“Really?” Wes argued and marched over to the shimmering shield. The teen waved his arms about freely in the shield’s range hopping back and forth pointedly across the line of the barrier before showing his hands and clothes were completely clean of any glowing goo. “See! Ghost!” he accused again after he did a little pirouette to show his lack of ectoplasm.

“Yeah? Well, it sputtered at Danny only ‘cuz it turned on with him in the threshold.” Sam tried to argue back glaring at the ginger, venom in her gaze.

“Well then, why don’t you just walk through the shield Fen-toad?” Dash said with a smarmy grin, ever eager to get his own jabs in and seemingly not wanting to be outshined by the ginger conspiracy theorist’s bullying of his favourite punching bag.

“Fine” He spat back bitterly and marched up to the shield with a huff.

Sam and Tucker exchange a glance with one another as Danny presses his hand into the shield again. Thankfully this time there wasn’t anything that blows him back but he also really had to try and push through the shield.  

Danny could see out of the corner of his eye Wes’s smug grin as he grunts and does his best to push through the shield. His persistence is rewarded and he falls to the ground on the other side jumping up and giving a quick ‘HA!’ as he faces the small gathering crowd of students shifting uncomfortably just beyond the shield.

Sam had a look of exasperation and she looked like she was trying to restrain herself from face palming. Tucker on the other hand had no such restraint. He was almost over eager to bury his face into his hands.

From Danny’s perspective, he simply smacked into the ground and stood back up, but from the other students’ perspectives, Danny fell into the shield but instantly slowed down, looking as though he were falling with the moon’s gravity rather than the earthly speed everyone was used to. It also didn’t really look to them like he had hit the ground, instead glitching his body back into an upright position before cheering in that low slow motion state as he had earlier.

And if that wasn’t damning enough his eyes were glowing a lovely shade of ectoplasmic green.

Wes smirked, seemingly very smug and content with himself and this development. “See told you all he was a ghost!”

“T-that’s enough Mister Weston… Right…” LAncer muttered to himself a few moments watching as Danny seemed to glitch about as he cheered before seemingly realizing something was wrong. “I think there was a procedure to depossess a student…I bet the teachers in Bridgestone don’t have to exercise their students in this manner…” He complains. Sure they had gym class and he would appreciate the pun and irony if he wasn’t so tired.

“I don’t get paid enough for this,” he muttered, ignoring the look of panic that spread across Danny’s face.

It took some doing, a lot of flailing limbs and pressing himself against the damn shield, but Danny soon was through back out and free. His eyes still glowed brightly as he stared at his classmates looking very much like a deer in the headlights. Eyeshine and all might he add.

A few of the students were snickering, because only in Amity park could one get possessed by a ghost and have it come across as though someone had merely said something embarrassing or misheard an instruction and was now staring blankly ahead.

“Er….” Danny stared at his classmates half panicked before simply vanishing from view.

“Moby Dick!” Lancer exclaimed, almost dropping the book he was thumbing through from the Fenton parents. Sure it was a ghost, and could potentially be dangerous, but it wasn’t attacking so there wasn’t really anyone panicking.

Instead, the teacher simply felt tired. “Right, I’ll call the Fentons and let them deal with this, Everyone back inside I do believe the lunch bell rang already!” the teacher called out shooing the students into dispersing.

Danny stood there invisibly and holding strong as he internally groaned. At least they thought he was possessed, that could be easily explained away but he was not looking forward to trying to explain it to his parents…

Still maybe if he gets ahead of this…

It was with that thought in mind that he bolted away into the treeline beside the school, transformed and headed off to his home landing in his bedroom only a few minutes later. He went human, back intangible and invisible came out the door, made sure the coast was clear before speeding his way down into the basement.

He just made it down the stairs startling his mother and father who blinked at him curiously, when the phone rang cutting off his mother’s “Honey? What are you doing home so soon?”

“It’s the school calling Mads,” Jack says, sounding disappointed as the large man sent a look of disapproval to his boy.

“Wait!” Danny jumped forward answering the phone and instantly hanging it up.

“Daniel!” His mother exclaimed abashedly.

“I wanna explain first! Do you know how all your stuff goes off on me? Well, the shield at school started doing that and they think I’m possessed! I’m not, it's just the… ya know…” Danny rambled off hurriedly hoping against hope that his parents wouldn’t try to send him to decontamination … again… (Thanks to his ghost half, it burned in places he didn’t ever want to burn)

“You’re possessed Dann-o?!” Jack exclaimed instantly pulling a Fenton gun from somewhere on his person and brandishing it towards his son.

Danny threw his hands up and waved them placatingly at his father. “NO! Just the normal stuff! The contamination from the portal accident set it off. I got too close to the sensor!” He says quickly ignoring how his parents seem to flinch slightly.

His parents shared a look before his father seemed to deflate, seemingly upset at the fact his son wasn’t possessed. “I thought we fixed that... “ Jack says with a frown. “But, we can’t let the school know we may have messed it up! I know we’ll just run the tests again and fix it in the night!”  

“Yeah, that would be- Wait what?” Danny blinks. Why couldn’t they just go down and fix it normally? Of course, his parents had to be weird about this too. “Thanks… Is there anything you need from me to help?”

And with those words said he almost instantly regretted it. “Well… We would really like to know why your ecto signature lines up perfectly with Phantom’s but perhaps that can wait.” Maddie offered with a small amused smile.

Danny sputtered at that, “Wh-What?”

“We set up a monitoring system so we can tell which ghosts most frequent the school… Phantom was the one that triggered the shield twice today. There actually wasn’t anything else that did,” Maddie explained with a deepening frown.

“You sure you’re not possessed, son?” Jack asked again this time sounding almost defeated in how, well, normal a volume he asked that. The hidden meaning was all too obvious especially after he mentioned his accident…

They thought he was dead! The portal killed him! And as the growing pit of dread grew into Danny’s stomach he couldn’t help but feel awful knowing they were correct in that assumption, well at least half right anyhow.

“Yeah… I’m… I’m me…” Danny managed out his voice cracking

“O-oh hun....” Maddie sniffed.

“But it’s not I… I’m me, I promise and I’m not all dead. I still have a heartbeat and everything!” Danny argued or rather tried to as his mother was quick to kneel before him taking his face in her hands as tears bubbled down her chin.

“Mom really I’m like … half at most. More human with a side of ghostly abilities ya know?”

“Oh, it’s okay Dann-o… You're still my son, I know ya are. It’s been almost a year since that accident and you’re mostly still you.” Jack said. “Just worse grades and more hormones and-”

“Thanks, guys really,” Danny sighed in relief both at dodging the potentially awkward birds and ghostly bees talk as well as the tepid acceptance he was getting. Awkward though it may be it was still acceptance nonetheless.  He was happy for it just the same.

“Maybe while we work on fixing up the shield to ignore Phantom’s signature you can tell us about some things?” Maddie asked sniffling again as she looked over her son’s face trying her best to hold herself together and not outright bawl at the thought she had killed her youngest child.

“Y-yeah… I’ve been wanting to tell you about this for a while now but, well, ya know…” Danny offered uselessly.

“I think it’s us who should apologize for that, son but maybe we can just all go get some triple chocolate fudge milkshakes and go deal with that shield after dinner?” Jack offered with a smile, ever the one to break up tension.

“Yeah, yeah… that sounds good.” Danny agreed. Well, it wasn't how he was expecting this to go, but he was kinda glad it ended up like this. Maybe now they could repair their strained relationship.

As Maddie ruffled up Danny’s hair the teen offered her his first genuine smile in almost a year.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Total words: 4245 Complete

#phic phight 2021 #Phic Phight #Danny Phantom #danny fenton #lancer #ghost shields are a problem #kinfa fluffy #danny is so done

[lala-ladybug]

Healing Hands: Chapter 4

Yesyesyes I’m super excited to share this one with you guys!! The game is finally beginning, ahhhh!!!!

Jasonette Sword Art Online AU

Read here on AO3

Tag list: @iloontjeboontje

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Chapter 4: Goddamn wimps, all of them

Marinette opened her eyes, squinting against the bright sunlight. She stood in a huge village square filled with hundreds of people, the gaps between them growing smaller as more and more players appeared. The sun shone merrily, and an excited chatter began rising in the air. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It felt good to be back.

“Marinette!” She looked around to see Alya and Nino waving a few yards away. She broke into an excited smile and jogged over to meet them. They must have spawned in relative to their actual locations since Kagami, Luka, and the others from her class were already there.

“Hey guys!” Marinette said breathlessly. “Almost didn’t make it. Thanks for the call, Alya.”

The brunette gave her a quick hug. “Anytime, girl. Now you and Lila can show us the ropes!” She bounced excitedly.

Marinette barely caught herself from rolling her eyes and just nodded instead. Of course Lila would be able to help teach the others how to play. It definitely wouldn’t just be Marinette teaching everybody. Again.

Meanwhile, Max and Nathaniel were remarking on how realistic the textures of the cobbled streets were. Marinette did a double-take when she saw Adrien standing next to them. He had an immensely intricate and ornate suit of armor. There was an excess of spikes, ribbons flowing from every joint, and every inch of him was covered in metal. A tall helmet adorned with skull decals cast a shadow over his grinning face.

“What are you wearing?” She spluttered. He pointed a thumb to his chest with some difficulty, the thick metal creaking with the movement.

“This bad boy is the toughest armor in the game! I may have made a few embellishments of my own, so now I look even cooler.” He stated with pride.

Marinette shot a look at Luka, who wore a light set of simple leathers. He grimaced and shook his head, warning Marinette not to question their friend’s surprisingly atrocious taste in fashion. Or serious misunderstanding of armor weight classes.

“You know you could’ve picked any armor you want, right?” Adrien asked.

“Oh, I know. I crafted this set during beta testing!” Marinette spun around to show the boys, gladly welcoming the change in subject. She was dressed in a light suit of armor, the metal tinted a deep red. Black fabric peeked underneath the gaps, a strong yet flexible design of her own making. A simple grey cloak hung off her shoulders, concealing the quiver behind her back.

While Luka and Adrien complimented her brilliant design, she spotted Lila. She looked a little out of her element, hanging back to awkwardly watch a conversation between Kim, Alix, and Kagami, oddly enough. The three were dressed in heavy sets of armor, lamenting about how there weren’t any monsters to battle yet.

Chloe sauntered over to join them and, having heard how even Kagami was itching for a fight, wrinkled her nose. Marinette giggled to herself. This was going to be interesting, to say the least.

* * *

Jason’s eyes snapped open and he threw out an arm to steady himself. The transition from logging on was dizzying, but the sensation faded with every deep breath he took. He noted the smell of freshly baked bread wafting through the air. Damn, even he had to admit this tech was impressive. Dick and Tim stood next to him, wearing blue and red-toned armor respectively. Tim was looking around wildly, grinning like an idiot.

“Timmy!” Cassie Sandsmark sprinted towards them to tackle her boyfriend in a hug. Oh great, looks like the rest of the kiddy patrol was here too. Looking to where Cassie had run from, Jason indeed saw various members of The Team. Connor looked just as nauseated as Jason had felt after joining. Roy stood next to him, unmoving as he stared down at his very realistic-looking hand. Ouch. Jason had to have some sympathy for the poor kid, not that he’d ever tell him that.

Bart and Garfield, on the other hand, appeared to be having the time of their lives. Bart got into a running stance and Garfield gleefully jumped into the air, both falling flat on their faces. Jason snorted as he watched Jaime help his boyfriend up. Jaime asked him, “Whoa there ese, what gives?”

Bart shook his head and muttered, “I don’t have my speed.”

Garfield furrowed his brow and strained his face. “You look like you’re either really constipated or trying to shift,” Artemis informed him.

Ignoring her, Garfield locked his panicked eyes with Connor’s. “I can’t shift either, SB.”

“Der kaolc ym nrut,” Zatanna intoned quietly. When nothing happened, she nervously said, “My magic doesn’t work either.”

Jason rolled his eyes. Goddamn wimps, all of them. “Looks like all you supers will have to stoop to our level.”

“Stay whelmed everyone,” Dick stepped in to mitigate half the group’s outrage. “It’s just a game, we don’t exactly need our other skills right now.”

Before they could say anything else, an enormous bell mounted in the center of the town square began to ring. A hush fell over the crowd. The sky darkened as red hexagons interlocked to create a massive dome around the town.

A tall being flickered to life in the air above them. The hooded figure floated high overhead, their face eerily concealed.

“Attention players,” the figure raised their hands. “I welcome you to my world.” Well that didn’t sound ominous, Jason thought to himself. He felt the mood from the others shift into high alert.

“You may call me the Game Master, and I am the only one in control of this world. You may have noticed that the logout button is missing from your main menu.” The figure paused dramatically. “I assure you, this is no defect in the game. It is all as I have designed it to be. You cannot log yourselves out, and no one outside the game will be able to remove you forcibly. If anyone tries to do so, a transmitter inside the VR headset will emit powerful microwaves into your brain that will end your life.” Shit, shit, shit. This was just supposed to be a dumb game he played to make Replacement shut up about it, what the hell?

“Of the 10,000 players, 215 have already died because their family or friends ignored this warning and attempted to remove their headsets. Media outlets have been reporting on this, so it is safe to assume the danger of your headsets being removed has passed.” This guy had to be joking. Though if he wasn’t, Babs would surely research everything within her power to try to remove them safely.

“One other feature of the game is that you are no longer able to revive players. If your HP drops to zero, your avatar will die and the headset will destroy your brain.” Jason’s eyes widened and his head whipped to Dick. He ran a hand through his hair, looking just as horrified as Jason felt.

“The only way for a player to return to the real world is to clear the game. You are currently on Floor 1, the lowest level of the castle. If you make it to the dungeon and defeat the level boss, you may progress to the next level. Defeat the final boss on Floor 100, and you will clear the game.” This motherfucker couldn’t be serious.

The game master, god what a pretentious prick, raised his hands and began to disappear once more. He said, “Good luck, players,” before disappearing entirely. The sky returned to its cheery blue.

 A beat of silence passed before someone started screaming. Then the thousands of players erupted into a cacophony of sound.

* * *

Marinette stood stockstill amidst the chaos. She felt more than heard masses of people panicking around her. Her eyes darted back and forth without truly seeing anything, mind racing to figure out a solution. If there was no way to safely remove the headset, then they’d have to beat the whole game. What about the Kwami? Could they connect with their miraculi? What about the small powers they’d each accumulated over the years? If those were accessible, then they might stand a chance, but god if they weren’t--

A hand on her arm made her snap her head to attention. It was Adrien, his jaw clenched tightly. She gripped his arm in return, the small reassurance barely that. Around her, the new Order looked to their leader for orders, direction. And behind them, her classmates....

Most were white in the face. Max had his hands clenched in his hair and was muttering to himself about the likelihood that the headsets actually could kill them. From the way he was shaking his head, she guessed it was a definite possibility. Lila looked like a cornered animal, twitchy and desperately looking for an escape. Even Kim and Alix wore uncharacteristically serious expressions.

“Well?” Chloe prompted Marinette. The latter took a deep breath. Better focus on solving the smaller problems first. “Your VIP package came with a house on the first floor, right?”

Chloe blinked in surprise. “Yeah, it did,” she replied uncertainly.

“Good.” Marinette whistled and gestured for the rest of her friends to gather around. “Listen up! We don’t know how everyone else is going to react, so it’s best for us to go somewhere safe to lie low for a while. I can teach everyone the gameplay, and we’ll do our best to help beat the game.”

She looked Alya and Nathanial in the eye, since their hands seemed to be shaking the most, and said with all the confidence of Ladybug, “Think of all the bullshit Hawkmoth’s put us through. We are not going to die here. That’s a promise.”

Marinette drew her bow and half-strung an arrow, holding it parallel to the ground. “Chloe has a house on the first level. Let’s go.” She nodded to Adrien, Chloe, Kagami, and Luka to establish a perimeter around the rest of the class as they moved. She exhaled a quiet, shaky breath and led the way out of the square.

The crowd did not part easily. People were sobbing, shouting, hyperventilating. They needed to get out fast before the shock wore off.

Someone stood in front of her. The poor soul was probably just as scared as they were. She put her bow back in her inventory, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible.

“Excuse me,” Marinette gave a little half-wave to get their attention. “May I please get through?”

“Oh, sorry,” He had a deep, male voice. One hand gestured to the direction she was headed as he stepped out of her path. “Go right ahead.” His hands weren’t shaking as the other crept towards his belt. Not good, not good.

A flash of silver was all the warning she got before Luka pulled her back. A knife collided with his hastily raised shield, shedding sparks as the assailant nearly dropped his weapon in surprise. Marinette dropped down to sweep her leg beneath Luka’s shield, knocking the man off his feet. He gave a shout of surprise as he went down, and Luka disarmed him in the confusion.

“Come on, move it!” Marinette shouted over her shoulder. She re-equipped her bow and surged forward, picking up the pace to get the hell out of there. Such a large group was an easy target, they had to get out of the open and fast. People were starting to react beyond their shock, and more of them were bound to get violent.

Her eyes scanned over the buildings in front of them. There. A momentary break in the throng of players allowed her to spot Slipcut Alley, a favorite shortcut of hers. It was only a few yards away. The alley was too narrow for anything but a single-file line, but it provided cover and was hidden by a spell that only other beta testers would know about. It was their best option.

She squared her shoulders and pushed through the last of the crowd. She turned to face her friends, who gathered around her as they too made it out into the small clearing. Chloe, Kagami, and Adrien were watching the crowd behind them, ready to defend against any other attacks.

Marinette put her bow away one more time and asked, “Do you trust me?”

Shaky nods and wide eyes. That would have to do.

“Then follow me,” she said, and walked straight through the wall before them.

* * *

“Our first step should be finding shelter for the night,” Dick said sharply. “We can figure out the rest tomorrow, but it’ll do us no good if we die tonight.” Tim nodded, ever the protégé.

“And just how do you suggest we do that?” Jason countered. He couldn’t help it if it came out a little accusatory. He did not sign up for a damn death trap.

It was Garfield who had the answer. “Well, in order to do anything, we need money. So we need to start killing some monsters!” He palmed his fist with a resounding smack. “And then we can see about an inn or something.”

Connor rubbed his chin. “That’s not a bad idea, kid.”

“Just tell me where to hit them,” Roy said in a low voice, sounding about as pissed as Jason felt.

“Let’s split into three teams. Alpha squad will be Artemis, Wally, Bart, and myself. Tim, Roy, Gar, and Connor will be Beta. Jason, you’re with Jaime, Cassie, and Zatanna for Gamma.” Great, Jason was the only non-super there. What a grand old time that’ll be.

He made to leave the square and disappear into the panicking crowd, but Dick held his arm. “Hey, I’m trusting you to keep them safe,” he kept his voice low. “It’s been a while since they fought without powers, so keep an eye on them.” He then turned to address the rest of the team. “Alpha will take north. Beta, go south and Gamma see what’s west. Meet back here at sunset. Alpha will secure lodging before engaging enemies.”

“What, no pep talk?” Wally elbowed Dick. The latter didn’t crack a smile as he said, “Just stay alive.”

Beside him, Garfield swallowed hard and said weakly, “Noted.”

Jason rolled his eyes and jerked his head in their assigned direction for the other three members of Gamma squad to come with him. He’d follow along as long as Dick made good plans, and Jason didn’t exactly have any better ideas for now.

He put on his very best I know exactly how to kill you and I’ll do it if you don’t get the hell out of my way face and lead the way out of the packed square. The crowd parted easily before him, and they were out on an open street within a matter of minutes.

”Where to first, ese?” Jaime asked, shifting nervously from foot to foot.

Good question. Jason looked around for a map or something that could tell him the way out of the damn town. When he glanced back for a quick headcount and only counted two, he cursed and asked Cassie, “Where the hell is Z?”

She pointed at a nearby stall where the magician was chatting with the vendor. Zatanna waved to them, then sauntered back over to the rest of the team. “The shopkeeper says there’s a bridge further down this street and to the left that’ll take us west out of the town.”

Cassie frowned. “Was that a player with their own shop already? Man, we are behind.”

“Oh, no it was an AI.” Zatanna readily supplied. “An NPC?” She added on seeing the confusion on her companions’ faces. “Honestly, was I the only one to do research on this game before playing it?”

Jaime sheepishly scratched his head while Cassie squeaked, “Well....” Jason had to agree with them, he just did this to keep Replacement happy. And get Dick off his ass, the meddling prick.

Zatanna shook her head. “Look, AI stands for artificial intelligence, and NPC is a non-playable character. They’re computer-generated people, not actual players.”

Jason caught enough to surmise that these NPCs were created by the same maniac that locked them up in here. He crossed his arms and asked, “How the hell can we trust their word if they’re controlled by that fuckin’ game master freak?”

Cassie bit her lip and had the good sense to look concerned.  Zatanna just shrugged and said, “I guess we’ll just have to find out. We can try following their directions but stay cautious in case it’s a trap.”

“Fine,” Jason sighed. “Let’s go.” He was already resigned to the absolute stupidity of the situation anyway.

They made it to the end of the street without incident, and turned where the shopkeeper had directed them to. There was a bridge, spanning a merrily bubbling river, and open fields dotted with trees beyond it. Jason could smell the greenery and apple blossoms from here.

“Wait!” Jaime threw his arm out. He made a face, then sneezed. “Aw man,” he gave a tremendous sniff. “Can’t eben escabe allergies in a video gabe.”

Cassie laughed at her friend and slapped him on the back, which only made him sneeze again. Dumbasses, they didn’t have time for this. Jason rolled his eyes for what felt like the umpteenth time that day and walked up to the base of the bridge. He slowly, carefully stepped across and edged his way to the other side.

The other three followed suit, and upon joining him, Zatanna said cheerfully, “Seems like we can trust the NPCs!”

“For now,” Jason muttered, still not convinced. He turned his gaze to the rolling hills before him, warm breezes sending waves that shimmered through the knee-high grass. He didn’t see any monsters, but there had to be some... right?

He used two fingers to swipe the air in front of him, opening his inventory. At least he remembered that much from the tutorial. He equipped the crossbow he’d loaded in when he created his avatar. Damn, that night in the Batcave felt like it was a week ago.

Jason took a wary step forward, into the grass. “Fan out,” he directed the other three. He didn’t turn to watch as he heard them draw their own weapons and creep up to flank him.

A rustle in the grass ahead had him throw a clenched fist into the air to have the others hold their positions. He waited until the movement stilled, then crept forward a few more steps, careful to keep his footsteps silent. He was within feet of it now, whatever it was. He hoisted up his crossbow to brace it on his shoulder and trained it on the last place he’d spotted movement. There was a sharp inhale behind him, and then Jaime sneezed loudly.

The head of a wild boar whipped up and it lunged for Jason. “Shit!” he yelled. Damn kid and his perfect timing. Jason blindly jumped backward and fired a bolt at the same time. It met its target and the boar shattered into glittering dust that resembled pixels. In front of him, a notification popped up that 20 copper coins, the crossbow bolt he’d shot, and a boar tusk had been added to his inventory. Huh, that was surprisingly easy.

“Wow, that was so crash!” Cassie pumped her fists in the air. “This game is gonna be a piece of cake.”

“Not so fast,” Zatanna frowned. “Remember, this is only the first level. It’s bound to be easy. It’s only going to get harder from here.”

Jason turned around to face them. “And just because that little shit was easy to kill doesn’t mean they all will be on this level.” He noticed Jaime hanging back, looking embarrassed.

“Hey kid,” Jason jerked his chin at him. Jaime's head snapped up. “Do you want to try the next one or wait by the bridge until your allergies clear up?”

Jaime opened his mouth to respond but had to sneeze again. “I think I’ll just waid by the bridge. I’b really sorry guys.” He trekked back to where they’d come into the fields.

“And then there were three. Ladies first,” Jason mockingly bowed, gesturing to the open fields beyond where the boar had been. Zatanna smirked and Cassie stuck her tongue out at him, which he returned with a rude gesture.

#healing hands #jasonette #sword art online au #virtual reality #maribat #maribat fic #batfam #batfam fic #yj #yj fic #young justice #young justice fic

[lesserfandomappreciation]

Ariadne and why the Mycenaeans can fuck right off

Warning: Includes brief mentions of r*pe, cultural destruction, ancient patriarchy reminding us why no woman would ever time-travel more than 5 years into the past if that and a great deal of spite for male historians/public education history/mythology classes. 

Possible side effects may include a sudden intense rage for an ancient society equivalent to the innate rage one has for the Romans burning the library of Alexandria, a distinct hatred for ancient men not being able to let anyone have nice things, and a sudden fascination for Minoa. 

Usually, I stick to writing imagines and being happy with that. It’s fun! I love it! But every now and again, in an attempt to escape the crushing forces known as reality and responsibilities I’ll put on a few cutscenes from games I’m: A) Too lazy to play B) Too broke to play C) Too unskilled to play D) All of the above

because cutscenes are free and why torture yourself with impossible levels when its free on Youtube?* *In all seriousness please support video games and video game creators, but no shame to those of us who prefer cutscenes to gameplay.  A few weeks ago I added the game Hades made by Supergiant to the list because the cutscenes were bomb and the characters are so much fun! Intricate as all hell! Hella cute too but that’s unrelated! Now my pretty little simp patootie is especially a big fan of Dionysus and his gorgeous design so the cutscenes with him are my favorite.

I’m re-watching his cutscenes a few nights ago for fun as background when he has a certain line about Theseus. Don’t quote me on this since my memory is foggy at best but roughly it was: Dionysus: Good job with Theseus. Never cared much for him- what he did to that girl was just horrible.*

*I know that’s not his exact line but this is clearly a rant post fueled by spite and ADD-hyper-focused obsessions with ancient civilizations so let’s not worry too too much about the semantics here. 

Now, I like mythology! Personally, I prefer the Norse mythology due to the general lack of very very gross dynamics that several other ancient mythologies seem to include, but I’m decently familiar with Greek mythos. Enough to go - “Why does the God of Wine give a single fuck about the frat bro of Greek heroes being a dick to a woman? Grossness is embedded into the very DNA of all distant relatives of Zeus, a woman being harassed by Zeus or his bastard army is a typical Tuesday in ancient Greece.” 

Wikipedia confirms that Ariadne is the only woman in the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, which I kinda knew already so unless Theseus did some f’ed up shit to some other princess of Minos, Dionysus could only be referring to her. Disregarding what I know about Wikipedia and how it can suck you down the rabbit hole of rabbit holes through sheer fury I stupidly clicked the link to Ariadne’s article. 

By the time we get to the end of this shitstorm, I will have two separate plotlines for two separate stories based of Ariadne, 2k+ notes (and going) on an ancient civilization prior to a week ago I didn’t know existed and within me there will be a rage towards a different ancient civilization I vaguely recall learning about in high school. 

Here’s how this shit went down. 

First of all, apparently after Theseus abandoned Ariadne on an island to die (yep! He did that! To the one person who is the only reason he defeated the minotaur! Fuck this guy.) there are multiple storylines where Dionysus takes a single look at Ariadne and falls in love. 

“A god falls in love?” you say, aware of how most love stories in Greek mythos can be summed up with Unfortunately, Zeus got horny and Hera is a firm believer in victim blaming. “This poor woman is about to go through hell!” I thought so too! And in one variation of the story, Dionysus does his daddy proud by being an absolute tool to Ariadne. In the majority though? He woos the fuck out of her, and ultimately marries her by consent!

Her consent!

In ancient Greece!

The party dude of the Greek pantheon knows more about consent then his father and modern day frat brothers!

Okay! That’s interesting, so I keep reading. 

Ariadne getting hitched to Dionysus is a big deal in Olympus, to the point of getting a crown made of the Aurora Borealis from Aphrodite who is bro-fisting Dionysus, beyond glad she didn’t have to give him the talk about consent. The rest of the gods are pissy especially Hera who doesn’t like Dionysus much since he is the son of Zeus and Semele but they don’t do much. Ariadne ascends to godhood, becomes the goddess of Labyrinths with the snake and bull as her symbol and that’s that on that. 

Colorin, colorado, este cuento se acabado.  And they lived happily ever after. That’s the end of the post right?

NO! Because curiosity has made me their bitch and there’s more to this calling me. 

Also, I was pissed! Still am! Why the fuck-a-doodle-do did I have to learn about the time Poseidon r*ped a priestess instead of the arguably healthiest relationship in the entirety of the pantheon? Why is Persephone and Hades’ story (which has improved since it was first written and I like more modern versions of it, no hate) the only healthy-ish Greek love story I had to learn when Dionysus and Ariadne were right there? The rage of having endured several grade levels of “Zeus got horny and Hera found out” stories in the nightmare of public education led me to keep looking into this. 

There’s this wonderful Youtube channel called Overly Sarcastic Productions that I highly recommend that delves a lot into mythology, and I have seen their bombass video about Dionysus and how his godhood has changed since he was potentially first written in a language we comprehend. 

Did ya’ll know this man is the heir apparent to Zeus? ‘Cause I didn’t know that!

YEA! Dionysus, man of parties, king of hangovers and inducer of madness, is set to inherit the throne of Olympus! Ariadne didn’t husband up the God of Wine, she husbanded up the Prince of Olympus and heir apparent to the throne! Holy shit! No wonder some of the gods were against her marriage to Dionysus - can you imagine the drama of an ex-mortal woman sitting on the Queen’s throne of Olympus? Hera must have been pissed.

BUT WAIT.

There’s more.

The reason we know Dionysus is a very important god and is possibly even more important than we think is because of a handy-dandy language known as Linear B, otherwise known as the language of the Mycenaeans!

For those of you fortunate enough to have normal hobbies and interests, the Mycenaeans were the beta version of the Greeks. Their written language of Linear B is one of, if not the first recorded instance of a written Indo-European language. This language, having been translated, gives us an interesting look at what the Greek gods were like back in their beta-stages before they fixed the coding and released the pantheon. 

Interesting side facts of the Mycenaean Greek gods include:

Poseidon being the head god with an emphasis on his Earthquake aspect, and being much more of a cthonic god in general. 

Take that Zeus, for being so gross. 

The gods in general being more cthonic, as Mycenaeans were obsessed with cthonic gods (probably due to all the earthquakes and natural disasters in Greece and Crete at that time)

Several of the gods and goddesses that we know being listed, alongside some that we don’t consider as important (Dione)

The first mention of Kore, later Persephone, but no Hades because since a lot of gods were cthonic, there would be no need for one, specific cthonic god to represent the majority of death-related rituals.

That’s not what we’re focusing on though! What we’re focusing on is a specific translated portion of Linear B that we have. One of the translated portions of Linear B that for the life of me I can’t find (someone please help me find it and send the link so I can edit this post) says an interesting phrase. “Honey to the gods. Honey to the Mistress of Labyrinths.”

One more time. “Honey to the gods. Honey to the Mistress of Labyrinths.”

Mistress of Labyrinths. 

Now wait a gosh darn minute. Isn’t there a goddess of labyrinths in the Greek mythos? Why yes! Yes there is! Ariadne!

Here’s a question for you. If Ariadne is but a minor god in the pantheon, a wife to a more predominant god, why is it that while all the other gods and goddesses are bunched together in a sentence of praise, the so-called ex-mortal gets a whole-ass sentence to herself singing praises?

And thus, we have arrived to Minoa!

What is Minoa, you ask? Minoa is to Rome what Rome is to us. An old-ass civilization either older than or younger by a hundred years to ancient Egypt. Egypt, that started in 3200 B.C-ish depending on who you ask. That’s old. Old as balls. They were contemporaries to their trading partner, Egypt until 1450 BC-ish. A 2000 year old civilization.

Minoa was founded on the island of Crete, and was by what artifacts we have found a merchant civilization with its central economy centered on the cultivation of saffron and the development of bronze/iron statues of bulls. Most of what we know about them comes from artifacts and frescoes found on Crete that managed to survive everything else I will mention later, but what matters is that we know a few things about them. 

Obsessed with marine life for some time, given their pottery. 

Had the first palaces in all of Europe, some of them ridiculously big. 

Wrote in Linear A and Cretan Hieroglyphs, both still untranslated languages. 

Had a ritual involving jumping over a bull, for some reason. 

Firm believers in “Suns out, Tits out.”

You’d think I’m kidding on the last one but no! No no no! All the women apparently rocked the tits-out look in Minoa!

^^^^One of many, many Minoan works featuring women giving their titties fresh air. ^^^^

“Wait a second Pinks! What does this have to do with Ariadne being the Mistress of labyrinths?”

Well you see dear wonderful darling, while we know very little about Minoan religion because Mycenaeans (we will get to those bastards in a second), we do know this:

All the religious figures appear to be exclusively women.

The most important figures of their religion seem to be goddesses as there are few artifacts featuring male gods.

Because of the religion, the culture may have been an equal society or even a matriarchy! Historians who are male aren’t sure. 

A frankly ridiculous amount of their temples, including the ones in caves in the middle of fuck-all feature labyrinths. A lot of labyrinths!

Their head god is a goddess! Whose temples have labyrinths and whose main symbols are snakes and bulls. Who do we know is a) the mistress of labyrinths and b) is symbolized a lot by snakes and bulls?

ARI-fucking-ADNE THAT’S WHO!

Ariadne didn’t upgrade by marrying the prince of Olympus! Dionysus wifed up possibly the most important goddess in all of Crete and becoming her boy-toy! 

I’m not even kidding, most Minoan depictions of the goddess’ consort features a boy/man who cycles through the stages of death. Dionysus himself in several myths goes through the same cycle - life, being crushed, death, rebirth, repeat.  Cycles the consort goes through in Minoan legend depictions too!

Okay, that’s great, but what does that have to do with the Mycenaeans? Why do you want to single-handedly go back in time and strangle the beta-Greeks with the nearest belt?

Everything I just said about Ariadne being a Minoan goddess, the Mistress of Labyrinths being hella important on Minoa, is all theoretical. The Mycenaeans are partially to blame for making it theoretical. 

Minoa thrived for 2000 years but it had a lot of issues, mostly caused by natural disasters. Towards the end of their civilization (1500 BC-ish), the nearby island of Thera, today known as Santorini, decided to blow up. The island was a hella-active volcano that when erupted, destroyed a lot. 

How big was the eruption? Well when Pompeii was wasted by Mt. Vesuvius, the blast was heard from roughly 120 miles away, 200 km. 

The blast on Thera was heard from 3000 miles away. 4800 km away.

Fuck me, the environmental effects of the explosion were felt in imperialistic CHINA.

Holy shit that would waste anybody! And it did! Minoa went from being a powerhouse in the Mediterranean to scrambling to recover from losing 40,000 citizens and who knows how many cities. Tsunamis may have followed the blast, further destroying ports which for a navy-powerhouse of an island nation is a bad thing and the theorized temperature drops caused by a cloud of ash lingering for a while would have destroyed crops for the year.

Minoa was fucked. 

The Mycenaeans and all their bullshit made it worse.

Up until a few hundred years prior to Thera’s explosion, Minoan artifacts don’t depict much in terms of military power. Why would it? Crete is a natural defense post. Sheer cliffs, high mountains and a few semi-fortified areas would make it pointless to invade. It’s only when the Mycenaeans in all their bullshit decided to attack/compete that Minoa really needed any army to speak of.

Guess who decided to invade while Minoa was reeling from an incredibly shitty year? Mycenaea!

Guess who won?

Also Mycenaea!

Nobody knows how this shit went down though because wouldn’t you know it, the Mycenaeans in all their superiority-complex glory decided to destroy most written accounts about Minoa, a good junk of the temples and culturally eliminated most of Minoan beliefs. 

Minoa isn’t even the real name of the civilization! It’s just the name Arthur Evans, the guy who re-motivate interest in Minoan archaeology, gave to the civilization because the writings that would have included the name of the civilization were destroyed.

“That sucks!” Fuck yes that sucks! “What does that have to do with Ariadne though?”

Oh ho ho. Strap in because you’re about to be pissed. 

Those of us unfortunate enough to be aware of all the bullshit the Christians pulled on the European pagan belief system are familiar with the concept of cultural, religious destruction. There’s a special name for it I don’t know but if I did I would curse it to be absorbed by the horrendous will of fungi. 

An example: Christianity was not the most popular of religions amongst the Vikings. A monotheistic religion that is heavily controlled did not strongly appeal to anyone with a pantheon as rad as the Norse one. 

In order to appeal to the Vikings, what monks would do is they would write down traditionally Viking stories which up until that point were orally passed down. Beowulf, the story of the most Viking Viking to have every Vikinged, was one of these first stories. 

However! Did these monks write Beowulf as closely to the original oral transcript as possible? Of course not! They took liberties! While Norse features such as trolls and dragons and all sorts of Norse magic occur, there is a lot of Christian features added in. 

This happened across all Pagan religions that Christianity came into contact with in Europe. Stories would be altered when written down to be more Christian (this happened to the Greek Pantheon too btw), holidays that were Pagan magically lined up with ones the Vatican just happened to suddenly have. Even names of mythological figures were taken and added onto Christian figure names. Consequently, a lot of pagan religions they did this to got erased over time, with many of their traditions and details being lost forever, and the details we do know being tinted by Christianity.

The Mycenaeans were likely no different. 

Minoa and Mycenaea were as culturally opposite as can be. Minoa is theorized to be a matriarchal or equal society*. Mycenaea and most of early Greece absolutely was not. In fact, during early stages of their religion where they believed in reincarnation, the Mycenaeans believed the worst thing to come back as was a woman. 

Did you get that? With your options ranging from man to ever single animal on Earth, a woman was ranked as beneath literal animals in Mycenaean society.

Fuck the Mycenaeans.

* This is not to say Minoa was without fault, as a society that is matriarchal or equal can still have rampant issues such as privilege, classism, racism, sexism and more, but when history has a shortage of civilizations that didn’t treat women like shit, you find yourself rooting for them more. 

 What do you do then, when you take over a society that is very much the opposite of a nightmare of a patriarchy? You fold their beliefs into your own to bait them into yours. Going back to the Linear B line about “Mistress of Labyrinths” that line would/could have been an early tactic of incorporating Minoan belief into Mycenaean belief. Other goddesses and gods were made into aspects of Mycenaean gods. Bristomartis, the Minoan goddess of the hunt, would become Artmeis. Velchanos, a god of the sky, would become Zeus. 

With more time, the religion shifted more into Mycenaean and eventually into ancient Greece as we know it. Through trade other gods and goddesses would continue to shift and change, some being straight up imported (Aphrodite for example). Dionysus himself changed a lot too, going from a God representing freedom and attracting slaves, women and those with limited power into his cult, to a God of parties for the wealthy. 

Theseus and the Minotaur was a myth likely based on a Mycenaean myth based on a Minoan myth that changes Ariadne from an important, possibly the important goddess of an ancient religion and relegates her to a side character in a pantheon so vast that she would be lost within it. 

All of this brings us to today. Today, where as soon as work ended I spent most of the day, as well as the past two days, looking up everything I can on Minoan civilization and added it to my notes. Spite is fueling me to write two possible different stories for two different fandoms where Minoa dunks of Mycenaea and it is giving me life. Expect an update within the next two weeks folks as I lose control of my writing life once more. 

In summary: Ariadne deserves more respect, fuck the public education system for skipping over the good parts of Greek mythology instead of the r*pey as shit parts, the Mycenaeans can eat my shorts, and a world were Minoa became the predominant power instead of Greece would be an amazing world to live in.

Thank you for coming to my TedTalk. Pink out. 

#minoa #minoan #crete #ancient history #ariadne #mycenaea #mycenaean #I hate #HATE #HATE HATE HATE the Greeks so much #homer is a dick #So much spite and curiosity went into this #if I ever get a time machine I will travel to the first years of Mycenaea for the express purpose of burning it to the ground before #they get a chance #the opportunity #to look at Minoa wrong

[highonchocolate]

Take Two: The Guardian in Gotham Chapter 10

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Walking down the hallway, Jason felt his suspicion grow as he recalled the conversation he just had with Marinette. She had been fidgeting while answering his questions, repeated ‘homework’ several times, and given him way too much information when he had asked. All trademark signs of a liar. But why would she lie about having homework? As he mulled over the possibilities, he made his way down to the kitchen where Damian and Tim were (unsurprisingly) arguing. Alfred (surprisingly) was absent, probably doing something in another room. 

Jason thanked whatever power was up there for the small mercy. He didn’t think he could deal with the Alfred Disappointed Stare No. 5 (Trademark and Patent pending) today.

“Hey Demon Brat, Timbers, how’d ya like to do some recon on Pixie?” He called out, enjoying how they both immediately stopped arguing to turn and fix him with incredulous (Tim) and disgusted (Damian) looks. “Have you finally lost your mind, Todd?” Damian asked, fixing him with a derisive stare. 

“Yeah, why would we spy on Mari?” Tim agreed, a puzzled frown on his face. 

“Because she lied to me about doing her homework so that she wouldn’t have to play video games with us.” He responded, regretting it immediately. Only after saying it out loud, did he realize exactly how immature and stupid that sounded.

“Aw, is poor little Jason sad because someone didn’t want to hang out with him?” Tim laughed, tilting his head to the side as if talking to a small child. Next to him, Damian snorted into his cereal, not even bothering to hide his amusement.

“I didn’t mean it like that you little shit, it’s just...suspicious.” He finished lamely, trying to justify his reasoning.

“Besides,” he continued, “if you don’t, I’ll tell Alfred about that time you mixed Mountain Dew and two energy drinks into a large coffee with five shots of espresso just so that you could stay awake long enough to spite B.” 

“Drake you imbecile!” Damian shouted, turning to glare at Tim. “How could you be so vulnerable as to allow him to discover your secrets?!” 

Tim just looked at him in horror, eyes wide in shock. “You wouldn’t.” He gasped.

“Try me fucker!” Jason shot back triumphantly, knowing he’d won.

“Fine.” He groaned, dropping his head onto the table with a thunk. 

“As for you, Gremlin, if you don’t help I’ll show everyone the picture of you wearing your Nightwing pajamas and sleeping with that Batman plushie from three years ago.”

Damian turned his glare from Tim to Jason, the heat of a thousand hells burning in his furious gaze. “How dare you bring that up, Todd!” He snarled, seething with rage. “I will break your shins and use them to cut out your lying tongue!”

Jason simply rolled his eyes, too used to the threats to be bothered.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, brat. Can you just hurry the fuck up?” 

Damian’s glare somehow managed to intensify, but he still got up off his stool and stomped reluctantly over to him. Tim took his time finishing the rest of his coffee before flipping him off out of spite, and then walking over to them as well.

“Alright, so how are we doing this?” He questioned, looking expectantly at Jason.

“I don’t know, Timbers, you’re the genius. You tell us what you think you should do.” He drawled.

Tim glared at him, but refused to respond, brain already whirring as it came up with solutions. “Well vents are definitely out of the question, but I think there might be some secret passages in the manor we can use. We’ll have to look at the blueprints.” He sighed. “Remind me why I'm doing this again?”

“Because, Drake, he has blackmail.” Damian scoffed, still scowling at Jason.

“Yeah well in case you haven’t noticed, I have dirt on you too, kid.” Jason responded, rolling his eyes. 

“And anyway, Drake.” Damian continued, steadfastly ignoring his words. “Your idea is unreasonably complicated. We are dealing with a civilian, and she is incapacitated, so there is no need for you to devise such an intricate plan.” 

“Damn, Demon, you’re making it sound like we’re planning on murdering her after we already tortured her and cut off a limb or some shit. She just has an ankle boot, calm the fuck down.”

“Damian, you do have a point. Her room has a balcony, so if one of us can distract her long enough the other can climb up there and plant a bug in her room. But we’ll have to take it out after we make sure she’s not doing anything suspicious. We can’t just invade her privacy like that.” Tim conceded, contemplating the merit of the younger’s suggestion.

“You say that like we haven’t already hacked her fucking phone and listened to her calls.” Jason snarked back. “But yeah, we should take it back after we check.”

“Alright let us begin, you fools. I have no desire to be under your power any longer than I have to, Todd.”

Tim went to his room to grab one of the listening devices he had stashed there, while Damian and Jason fought over who was going to be the bait. 

“I can’t do it, I already fucking talked to her today, so it’d be suspicious!”

“Well me and Dupain-Cheng are merely acquaintances at best, and besides, I clearly have the more superior skill when it comes to stealth.”

“You little shit! I can totally be stealthy!” 

“The volume at which you are shouting begs to differ.”

“Oh shut the fuck u-”

“Enough!” Tim shouted, having heard their raised voices even before he had rounded the corner. “I’ll be the distraction, Damian’s the ninja, Jason you just listen to the feed since you’re so suspicious of Marinette.” 

“Fine.” Jason grumbled.

“That is an adequate arrangement, Drake.” Damian aquesied, looking as though it physically pained him to make such a statement.

“Whatever.” Tim rolled his eyes, already heading up to Marinette’s room. Damian slipped off in another direction, presumably to make the two-story climb to her balcony, and Jason sat down and opened up the laptop to connect to the live feed from Tim’s listening device. 

---

Tim knocked on Marinette’s door and waited. He heard what sounded like a crash, a thud, and a muffled curse. “You can come in!” She called out, sounded flustered and out of breath.

He opened the door cautiously and stepped in. Her desk chair was lying on the floor and some notebooks were spread out on the ground nearby. It looked as though she had fallen out of her chair when she heard his knock. But why would she be so startled? 

She was looking at him expectantly, and he remembered he was supposed to be distracting her. 

“Oh hey Marinette, I remember you saying last month that you liked to design,” he began, flashing her a faux-hesitant smile. 

“Um yeah, I do like designing. Why?” She questioned, looking at him strangely.

Time to tone up the acting.

“Well, I know it’s already the beginning of October, but I was wondering if you could help me make a couples Halloween costume?” He asked, giving her a sheepish look, and infusing the barest undertone of hope into his voice.

At the mention of costumes, she immediately perked up, looking a bit more invested in what he was saying. 

“Sure! Who’s it for, though?” 

Tim facepalmed mentally, forgetting that she had only been with them for two months, and hadn’t met Kon yet. 

“Oh, it’s for me and my boyfriend, Conner.” He laughed, “I guess it never really came up, but yeah, I’m bisexual and cassgender.”

Marinette smiled blindingly up at him. “So what did you have in mind for your costume?” 

At that, Tim stalled. It wouldn’t exactly hurt to have matching costumes for Halloween, would it? He did have a few ideas, but he didn’t know if Kon would like them. 

He must’ve voiced his thoughts out loud, because Marinette just grinned and said “How about you talk to your boyfriend and see what he has to say about matching costumes, and then I can design something for you?”

Internally, Tim began panicking. Why was he becoming so invested in this bullshit excuse? It’s not like he was actually going to dress up for Halloween. His plans were to eat chocolate covered espresso beans, watch shitty movies with Kon, and then go on patrol until 3 AM and write reports until he passed out from eventual sleep deprivation. Fuck Jason and his stupid suspicions. Now I have to actually put effort into my appearance. Isn’t putting on a suit for meetings at WE enough in the dress up department? Ugh.

But all he said was a quick “Sure! I’ll ask him what he thinks, and let you know.” Before turning and walking back down the hallway. I hope Damian had enough time to put the bug in there. He thought as he plopped down next to Jason on the couch. 

Less than a minute later, Damian was there, a triumphant smirk on his face as he settled in next to them to listen. There was a quiet crackle of static as the mic synched up, and then they were able to hear everything that was going on.

---

After Tim left, Marinette closed the door with a sigh. “Why me?” She sighed, looking over at her fallen desk chair and the scattered notes spread out across her floor. With a grunt, she picked it up and pushed it back over to her desk before bending down and collecting the scattered papers. Walk/hobbling back to her seat, she collapsed into her chair with a groan before turning back to the evil worksheet sitting innocently on her desk. “Fuck math. Who in the world decided we needed to study freaking triangles to pass highschool?!” 

With another sigh, she picked up her pencil and went back to working. 

Not even five minutes later, she slammed her palm down on the table and stood up, cursing creatively in Mandarin. 

“Stupid fucking bitch ass piece of shit! Does it look like I care if sine squared plus cosine squared equals one?! Does it look like I need to leard this stupid shit to become a fashion designer?! Newsflash I don’t, so why the hell do I have to study this absolutely confusing stuff!”

She shouted, glaring furiously at the question she had just come across. “I really, really, really hate math sometimes.” She said, switching back to English. 

Pulling out her phone, she clicked on something before raising it to her ear with an exhausted sob/groan. 

“Hey Buginette, how’s Gotham?” The familiar voice of her best friend/brother greeted her.

“Adrieeeen.” She whined in French. “Help meeeee.”

“Is it Math again?” He laughed, sensing her problem.

“Stop laughing!” She pouted. “It's really hard and I can’t call Max because Max hates me, actually everyone hates me, and now I want to cry, but I don’t have time to cry properly, so can you please just help?” Her eyes began to burn, and she swallowed around the tightness in her chest. “Ignore that. Just...remind me how to do this again?”

“We are coming back to this,” Adrien informed her sternly, “But I’ll let it go for now. So what you want to do is…”

---

Tim shut the laptop lid and glared at Jason reproachfully. “You happy now, Jay? She wasn’t being suspicious, she was actually doing her homework. And now we heard her have a small breakdown over math, and then another one over how her friends hate her. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to take that bug back, and go do my work.” And with that he stalked off.

“Tt. Your concerns were unfounded, Todd.” Damian scowled, also getting up. “I am going to feed BatCow.”

Before Jason could reply, he had left, disappearing to go play with his pets. 

Slumping back on the couch cushions, Jason let out an aggravated sigh and ran a rough hand through his hair. There was something strange about Marinette, and whatever it was, he was going to figure it out.

---

@laurcad123, @liquid-luck-00, @toodaloo-kangaroo

#maribat #marinette dupain cheng #damian wayne #adrien agreste #chloe bourgeois #luka couffaine #kagami tsurugi #alfred pennyworth #bruce wayne #tim drake #jason todd #dick grayson #lila rossi #alya cesaire #lila salt #class salt

[nonawaaa]

Lovers Series: Forsaken Story 

1, 2 , 3 , 4

Sakura cannot believe she is in a coffee shop with a guy who isn’t her classmate or friend, well maybe he is her friend but to her, he is more than a friend. Uchiha Sasuke is her major major major crush. To repeat that, her MAJOR crush. He helped her with some duties she had in the campus once then they started hanging out from time to time and she thought that he was really cute. WRONG. He is dead handsome. A God-given angle to be honest. But she isn’t the type of girl who would jump into him just to go out with him. She likes it more casual, and secret, she is not sure if her having crush is still a secret but she likes to believe it.

They are studying in this coffee shop near the school library, normal college stuff if you would say, they were really to stay in the school library but Sakura is surprised that he suggested to go to a coffee shop because she knows he doesn’t want anyone seeing him with other people, especially girls, rumors travel easily in their campus, also his friends are loud and they can really tease someone to death if they wanted to. Sakura likes to study alone in her dorm, where it is quiet so she can focus more, but when your crush calls you asking if he can study with you, you wouldn’t say no right?

“Sakura? You’ve been staring you know. Are you tired? Should I buy you another coffee?” Sakura snapping from her train of thoughts to look at this handsome guy in front of her.

“What? Uh no! I’m fine, I was just uhh… memorizing…yes!” she blushed a little by the thought of him looking at her, maybe, she doesn’t really know as her mind likes to daydream today instead of paying attention to her surroundings.

She looks at their table, full of books and snacks. They bought their coffees already but she notices that Sasuke’s coffee hasn’t really been touched, she guessed he’s more of a snack guy.

‘He is a snack,’ her inner thoughts speaking to her and her eyes widen by the thought of it. He is more of a meal if she would clarify that.

“I guess you don’t really like studying in public do you,” he asked while writing something on his notebook, maybe some notes.

“I’m more comfortable studying at home but this is fine too,” finals are coming so Sakura needs to study anytime she can get, though she can’t really focus when she’s with him.

“I guess me too… but I really like studying with you,” Sasuke said almost mumbling as he focuses on doing his notes, what did he meant by that?

“Huh?” Sakura looks at him a bit confused.

“You like to study, so you kind of rub that on me,” he answered normally, his statement not even bothering him. Sakura wanted to ask more but she notices that almost half a day has gone by and the amount she has studied is not even close if she wants to pass, she needs to focus, she needs to study, this is what they came for right? Right.

***

The day has gone by and it’s already 7 pm, they both wanted to study in the coffee shop more if the staff didn’t tell them that they would be closing for the day. Sakura found her focus and she is a bit irritated that they needed to stop, Sasuke looks like he is a bit irritated too. They both didn’t know that the shop closes so early.

“We have been there since morning,” Sakura stated, she doesn’t know what to feel by her statement as she just wanted someone to talk, she doesn’t do well in the silence, so she wanted to start a conversation.

“Hn,” Sasuke replied, she guessed it was a reply even though it is too short to consider one. She wants to spend more time with him, but maybe this is enough for the day, God has replied to her prayers more than once this time.

“So yeah… I’m goi-“ She was about to tell him her goodbyes when he speaks again.

“Would you like to uhh… have dinner?” Sakura cannot even comprehend what he said, her brain is too tired. Maybe she misheard him? She realizes that his ears are getting red, maybe he’s embarrassed? Sakura is trying hard not to blush too much by the offer.

“Yeah, sure… w-Where do you want to have dinner?” They are both blushing at this point, Sakura is trying hard not to stammer, should she consider this as a date? Oh my gosh what if this is a date? She is not prepared for a date, she is wearing slide ons! Sakura’s brain is jumping conclusions after conclusions.

‘No this is just a simple dinner dumbass,’ Sakura repeated on her mind to calm her heart down, but she can’t stop her own what ifs.

‘God if this is a date, please let me have some sneakers or heels next time,’

“There is actually uhh… my mother sent me a message earlier… she said we should have dinner at our house, only if you want to of course, we can look for somewhere you like...,” the last part is almost a whisper.

Sakura’s brain is ringing all the bells it can ring, what did he said? Did he just say at his house? They are not kids anymore, right? This is normal, just normal. But holy shit.

‘What have my past self done to be this lucky today!’ her inner thoughts are shouting.

“Also, my mom said… she would like to meet you,” Oh her heart is about to explode at this point. What is happening?! Why is he saying this? Sakura’s mind is just going blank, she is just staring at Sasuke at this point, staring blankly, she is trying her best to remain calm.

“Sakura? You don’t need to if you don’t want you know,” Sakura smiled, she thought Sasuke is cute when he’s like this, all embarrassed but she remembered that she is too, maybe she even looks like a tomato at this point, too red.

“Uhh... it’s a bit embarrassing but yes of course I would love too,” Sakura said almost too fast, but when she finished saying that she also saw Sasuke smiled. Oh, to see that smile.

It is safe to think of this as a date, right? Sakura thinks it is more than a date, she is meeting his mother! Maybe, just maybe, this is her moment. Maybe he also feels the same.

Maybe she has a chance.

***

Going in the Uchiha household is a roller coaster ride for Sakura, mentally and emotionally. She still can’t believe that Sasuke invited her. Transportation wasn’t a big deal, she didn’t know that Sasuke brought his car so they didn’t have any problem, but that became Sakura’s problem.

‘Is this really alright? Me? Going to his house? Having dinner with his family? I. Am. Wearing. Slide. Ons.’

Not that wearing that is big of deal for her, but she knows she could do better when she is going to meet her potentially, future in-laws, is what she likes to believe. They are on their way to Sasuke’s house.

“Sasuke-kun, is this really alright?”

“Of course. If you don’t want to, we could have dinner somewhere else,”

“It’s not that,” Sakura do not know how to tell him that she is embarrassed, one of the many emotions she is feeling right now. She noticed that Sasuke is glancing at her.

“What are you looking at mister? Eyes on the road please,” She began to tease him to ease her growing anticipation of what to expect when they arrive there.

“If you’re worried about your slide ons, they’re fine,” Sasuke said while smiling as he looks at the road ahead. Sakura blushed as her embarrassment goes beyond the car roof.

“You are so bad!” Sakura exclaimed while Sasuke chuckled at her response. Sakura smiled at his action, why is he doing this? What is his game? As they fall into silence, she was feeling so comfortable with him.

“I could get use to this you know,” she said while looking at the window beside her. As not to be awkward if he notices her blush.

“Hn,”

***

As they arrive in the house it’s just what she expects, a very big mansion, she knows that Sasuke’s family is good in businesses so she didn’t expect less than this. Now her slide ons are shaking, what if they mistake her as a maid?

‘They wouldn’t, right? I heard they are very polite,’ Sakura talks to herself as she observed the house. They were pulling up the drive way and it is a long drive way.

“My mother really wanted to meet you, she likes to meet all of my friends,” Sasuke said while he turns off the engine.

‘Right. Friends. Duh’ her inner self talking to her.

Sasuke walks out of the car and she follows. The mansion is beautiful full of lights, bright lights that shows the house’s intricate designs, it’s a mix of traditional and modern house but more on the tradition side. As they walk through the front door, a very beautiful lady great them.

“Sasuke-kun! I am so glad you chose to have dinner here! You must be Sasuke’s friend?” She hugged Sasuke and smiled at her. She looks so beautiful, she looks like Sasuke. Sakura couldn’t help but stare at her, she is mesmerized by her beauty. Sasuke notices that Sakura has no plans of looking away.

“Kaa-chan, this is Haruno Sakura, Sakura this is my mother,” Sasuke said and in an instance, Sakura looks at Sasuke with wide eyes.

‘His mother! She looks like our age! What’s with their genes?!’ Sakura is freaking out, but she smiled at the beautiful woman in front of her and tried her best to talk.

“Good evening Uchiha-san, I am Haruno Sakura, pleasure to meet you,”

“Oh! Don’t be too formal my dear! Just call me Mikoto-san, everybody here is Uchiha-san,” Sasuke’s mother said while smiling at her, smile so warm.

“Let’s go and have dinner, shall we?” Mikoto-san continued and walks toward the right hallway of the mansion. Sakura notices Sasuke looking at her and she can’t help her smile.

“Why didn’t you tell me she’s your mother?!” she whispered to Sasuke as they walk behind Mikoto-san.

“Doesn’t she look like my mother?”

“She looks like your sister!”

Sasuke smiled at her, more like laugh at her but he’s holding it in so his mother wouldn’t notice. He grabs Sakura’s arm and continued to walk while dragging her with him.

Sakura couldn’t help her emotions. She wants to cry, cry to God for listening to her wishes. She feels so lucky. She finally decided, this is her time, this is her moment, this is God’s will, she will confess to him, she will tell him her feeling, at this moment she knows, that there is a chance that Sasuke feels the same.

She will take her chance.

#lovers series #tnx for reading #reviews are much appreciated #pls enjoy! #fanfic #fic #mild angst #??? #sasusaku #haruno sakura #uchiha sasuke #naruto fanfiction #naruto

[prettywordsyouleft]

Band Sessions: Jae

Pairing: Jae Park x reader

Genre: best friends to lovers au / band au / fluff

Warnings: none

Word count: 2037

Index: Jae | Sungjin | Young K | Wonpil | Dowoon 

The band’s studio space had become more than just a home for the multitude of cords that attached to equipment and instruments cluttering up two-thirds of the room. It was a designated hang out most days. The five members of Day6 would practice their music, eat meals, share ideas, cram in study sessions and even sleep there.

You were no different, given you had tasked yourself with becoming their manager ever since they won at Band Beats last month. Before that, you had only gone by the title of Jae’s childhood best friend, although to him, usually dubbed the annoying thorn in his side.

“Must you follow me around everywhere I go?” Jae whined as you shut the door to the studio behind him, throwing down his backpack beside one of the couches that resided along the long wall. Ignoring his complaint, you slumped down on the couch and retrieved your phone.

“Someone has to make sure you actually get some practice done.”

“I’m offended, what did you think I was going to do after coming here?”

Smirking lazily, you didn’t lift your eyes from the social media app you were scrolling through. “Game.”

“I would never!” Jae announced dramatically, and you arched one of your eyebrows as he let out a preposterous laugh. “Unless you’re keen to?”

“Jae!”

“Fine, okay, I will practice. God, I liked it better when you were just the friend who came to cheer us on.”

“I am still the friend cheering you on. Encouraging you forward to improve at your skill so when you go to regionals later this year, you win.”

“Is it all about winning for you?” he grumbled and you grinned as you confirmed a venue for the band to play at in two weeks time that you had been organising for the past couple of days.

Putting down your phone, you finally gave Jae your full attention. “Don’t you want to?”

“I’m just having fun with my friends playing in a university band. I can’t even guarantee I’m going to wake up on time for my lectures most mornings, let alone pull off a riff awe-inducing enough to take home another trophy.”

“Well, there’s no better time than the present to start working on that,” you stated with a bright smile, gesturing for Jae to pick up his guitar. He rolled his eyes and then collected the instrument, bringing it over to the couch and sitting down beside you. Nudging his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, Jae then positioned the guitar more comfortably, mindlessly strumming through some exercises to warm up.

You smiled, even if he talked a lot, Jae was more dedicated to his craft that he would ever admit.

You were able to get through some of your assignments whilst Jae practised. You had grown up with him playing his guitar in every situation that you found yourself more productive whenever he was around doing just that, relaxed by the tunes he would play. Two hours had easily passed by with you working and Jae strumming just like that, both completely engrossed in your own tasks. Shifting a little to remove your cardigan, you tried to return to your studies, reaching blindly for your water.

It was getting hot in here.

“Jae,” you called, your eyes nor hands tearing away from your laptop. He didn’t answer. “Jae!”

“What?”

“Open the window behind you,” you instructed and he grunted in response. You soon forgot your request, and when you realised there was still no air circulating around the room, you finally shifted your gaze. Jae was fully immersed in his intricate music and the window behind him was firmly shut.

You groaned and turned sideways towards him. “Jaehyung!”

“Oh what?!” he cried back, lifting his eyes to yours indignantly. You slapped his arm and he gaped at you. “What are you hitting me for?!”

“I asked you to open the window like forty minutes ago! It’s hot in here!”

“I’m fine,” he retorted, going back to playing.

Clamping your eyes shut to push away your growing annoyance at his dismissal of your request, you reopened them and placed your laptop aside before getting onto your knees, stretching towards the latch on the window.

However, Jae was directly in the way.

“Move.”

“I’m busy.”

“I need to open the window.”

“So stretch around me, I’ve just stumbled into something good,” Jae retorted, leaning forward a little, his only compromise to the current situation. Huffing out a breath, you leaned further, your fingers brushing over the latch. You managed to twist it after half standing up on the couch, pushing the window out wide.

You promptly lost your balance in the process.

The sudden screech to the guitar was all that filled the air once you landed haphazardly in Jae’s lap, his instrument the only thing between both of you right now. You had attempted to reach out to stabilise your failing balance, hands now resting on his shoulders, your leg bent weirdly underneath you over one of his thighs.

You should have been able to right yourself immediately. Chuckle it off with your best friend as you had done many a time when either of you had been clumsy like this. However, it felt as if time has stopped entirely. As you stared into Jae’s round eyes that showed the surprise scratched deeply within them, you couldn’t stop the feeling that you were sinking.

Sinking in his gaze, into his lap further, into his heart. Or at least, your heart sure was falling despite how still your bodies had become.

It wasn’t often when you felt like this, but you could admit it wasn’t the first time. Somewhere you had fallen in love with all the nagging banter, the flippant remarks and his soulful singing voice. That was why you hung around at the studio these days, and why, despite having a full academic year, you had opted to help promote the band.

You yearned for those moments where he’d stop being the awkward meme kid from next door and reach into your soul with every breath he made at the end of his lines, his lyrics and voice melding into one.

And yet, Jae hadn’t been singing all afternoon. You had no reason to be this affected and you finally blinked, slowly at first. Realisation dawned on you that it had been over a minute of you sitting in his lap like this and you laughed airily, trying to dislodge the intense feelings you had been drowning within.

“Oh!” you exclaimed with another airy laugh. “Whoops.”

“Whoops?” Jae echoed softly, scrutinising you with his unwavering stare.

“I’m okay!” you announced, still laughing, albeit sounding a little desperate now. You also needed more air than what the window was gently blowing into the room. “Thanks for catching my fall.”

You removed your hands from his shoulders and it was only then that you realised his own were at your waist, holding you upright. It had all happened so quickly, you didn’t even notice that he had actually saved you from slipping further. But unlike your retreat, Jae’s hands remained on your sides, the pressure digging deeper. You bit at your lip, wondering why he had saved you when his precious guitar was between you and could have been at risk.

You gasped with the thought process. “Is your guitar-”

“Are you okay?” he intervened and you nodded softly. “Really? You look like you’re about to cry. Your skin is turning blotchy.”

Trust Jae to kill the mood. Yanking free, you put space between you and him, taking in a deep breath. You were surprised to see Jae do the same, your eyes narrowing on him slightly.

What was he affected by?

“Practice,” you blurted out, waving your arms about at him. “You need to practice.”

“When do I get to do it for real?” he asked and your head snapped back in his direction, your mind more than frazzled now.

“Do what for real?”

“What will all this practice do for us, Y/N?” he repeated, his eyes firmly attached to yours. “I want to know when the real deal is going to come along for us.”

“Well, regionals is-”

“Us,” Jae reiterated, placing his guitar down on the space you had once been seated at. Standing up, he walked to where you stood; licking his lips a little to moisten them.

You cursed the giant somersault your stomach did in reaction to such a simple action.

“Us?” you said, and Jae nodded. “What about us? I’m not in the band.”

“We came before the band,” he stated, nodding along with his statement. “We existed before it.”

“What riddles are you talking about?” you breathed uncomfortably, tearing your gaze away from Jae’s. You really had no idea. Or, you didn’t want to believe in it.

It was better that way.

“I saved what was more important to me just now,” Jae told you and you turned once again back to his face. He was hesitant despite speaking about what was on his mind. As if he had held back one too many times now. It surprised you, and you sighed quietly, shaking your head.

“I could have broken your guitar.”

“I could have fixed it,” he replied and you blinked rapidly.

“You love your guitar!”

“I love you too,” he murmured, stilling once the words were out. Except for the pink tinge to his ears, he seemed unaffected. Jae then smiled with relief. “Did you hear me?”

“I think I did.”

“I love you too,” he told you again, this time with more conviction. There was no way to hide your growing smile, soon grinning at each other.

And then Jae whined. “Why aren’t you telling me back?!”

“Huh?”

“I said I love you! You’re supposed to say it back if you feel that way too!” he explained, voice laced with accusation. His eyes popped behind his glasses. “You don’t feel the same?!”

“Of course I do, you idiot!”

“Then say it!”

“I can’t just say it on the spot, Jae!” you complained, moving to go around him. However, he pulled you back in front.

“I just did!”

“Well, good for you, I’m feeling under pressure about it now!” you grumbled and Jae chuckled, tugging you with him as he returned to the couch. You squeaked when he yanked you down onto his lap, his smile mischievous.

“So let’s go back to this then.”

“You’re feeling too good right now,” you observed and Jae nodded.

“I told you how I feel. It’s kind of liberating, you should try it.”

“Nice try, Jae.”

“So I need to keep trying?” he murmured, brushing your hair back from your face, his smile growing. “Dude, you are so much work.”

“You can’t tell me you love me and then call me dude!” you said exasperatedly and Jae shrugged.

“It’s me, Y/N. Some things might be changing between us, but I’m not going to change.”

“Fair call,” you responded, your hands finding their way to his chest. Jae watched you intently, his ears turning pink again. “Oh! This is a new thing about you.”

“So some things might change about me,” he confirmed, leaning his face closer to yours. “I might be inclined to do things like this more often.”

You frowned. “What, have me sit in your lap whilst we’re in the studio together?”

“Nah,” he breathed, his mouth dangerously close to yours now. “More than that.”

Finally, he kissed you. It was soft, barely moving. Your eyes fluttered shut as you pressed into his lips, seeking more from him. Jae responded, pulling you into his upper body, supporting your weight against his chest as he anchored a hand at the back of your head, soon kissing you with demand.

You were seeing stars when you finally pulled away, galaxies forming behind your eyes. When you finally looked at your best friend, you grinned at him. “I love you, Jae.”

“What was that? I barely heard you.”

“I. Love. You.”

He smiled possibly the best smile you had ever seen graced his lips in your entire existence. And then he kissed you again briefly. “Now that’s more like it.”

_________________

Next: Sungjin

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#kwritersworldnet #jae fiction #jae fanfic #jae fluff #jae au #jae scenarios #jae imagines #day6 #day6 imagines #day6 scenarios #day6 fiction #day6 fanfic #day6 fluff #day6 au #pwyl; band sessions #kpop imagines #kpop scenarios #kpop fiction #kpop fanfic #kpop fluff #jae park

[plush-anon]

You worked at joanns? 😍 dream job

In all fairness, a large part (and I do mean a LARGE part) of why I enjoyed working at Joanns were the managers.

The store manager was a guy named Richard, one of maybe two or three men who worked there total, and this man was practically a saint as far as retail goes.

This was a man who would, with no hesitation, get on the floor to help customers, or hop on the registers to check customers' purchases out, or pop on to the cutting counter to cut fabric. He remembered the names of regulars, would chat and smile while getting shit done, and was the type of guy to speak slowly and softly when we had shitstains explode at us measly peons for not giving them the full cost of an item back in a return (ex $200) when they used a coupon to purchase an item to begin with and only paid a portion of the cost (ex. $150). No joke, this actually happened to me on Black Friday with a man who stood at about 6 foot with a crewcut and a snarl (the military Karen, if you would)

Richard, of course, stood at about 6 foot 5 inches, and reminded me of a ginger grizzly bear in some ways. Very few customers continued to be assholes when they asked to speak to the manager and Richard came over, smiling wide. He encouraged us to chat with the customers while we worked the cutting counter - it was a good way to learn about what they were making, encouraged general conversation and lent itself to a better environment for everyone, worker and customer alike, so we weren't just awkwardly standing in silence the whole time.

The assistant store manager (aka his second in command - we had two other assistant managers, but she wielded more power than both of them) was Farrah, and she was basically Cool Wine Aunt, but with weed. She was open about smoking it (but not in a pressure-the-underlings kind of way, but more of a 'yeah, it calms me down' kind of way) but never on the clock, and was just really chill in general. She was also a 'jump on the registers' type of manager, and on occasion would take the closing staff out to get a drink from the texmex place next to us in the shopping center, and cover one for each of us - particularly during the Holiday Clusterfuck of October, November, and December (their Frozen Kahlua Mudlslide was my alcoholic drink of choice - they also had these spicy chicken strips that were amazing with it, but I digress).

Both of them were amazing people who would support and back us up without hesitation (if they weren't dealing with corporate or stock trucks coming in), and both routinely worked 15 to 20 hours UNPAID overtime during the Holiday Clusterfuck so that we the underlings could get more hours without Corporate jumping up our ass about going over budget.

They were also refreshingly upfront in our monthly meetings about profits and meeting them, as well as why company policy was the way it was, and how to work within the boundaries so we got more hours. One of my favorite moments was when they said the fabric sales essentially covered their own cost (production and delivery); the rest of the cheap crap in the store was what covered our paycheck and electricity, so hawk it as much as you can if you want extra in the bank (paraphrasing here, but that's not that far off what they actually said tbh).

With some Karen-y exceptions, the customers were honestly pretty chill. There were two women from a nearby church who bought well over 200 yards of cut fleece to make no-sew fleece blankets for children and the poor in December (it took forever to do, but they were so cheerful about it and told some funny anecdotes in between, kept the counter clear as soon as they were cut, etc. Took them three carts to haul everything to the register XD).

There was the slew of quilters making everything from baby blankets to anniversary gifts to quilts for their grandkids attending the local university that they could wear to football games in the colder weather, while still showing team pride. They always bought quarters and eighths and the end of the bolt for half price, digging thru our remnants bin for something they might have missed they could get for half price. They always talked about what they were working on, and spoke in great detail on their kids or cousins or niblings or grandkids. I saw so many pictures on phones, in wallets, and they loved them to absolute pieces.

There were cosplayers making their first costume to comicon, halloween goers trying their hand at making their own outfits, and a few furries making custom suits for order or just updating their own personal outfit. There were the usual school and church Christmas plays that needed costumes, and folks making custom table runners and place settings for family holiday meals.

One notable young man bought out 30+ yards of our 65" inch wide bolt felt for JEWELRY projects he was making as a part of his business and as a part of his art program (you can major in art with a concentration in jewelry making, and he was using it for that). He didn't leave a card, but the pictures he showed us were STUNNING.

We had a few elderly mothers come in with their daughters, to pick out fabrics so they could make their own wedding dresses, or quinceanera outfits, or veils; they showed us the patterns they had, or the pictures they were basing the designs off of, and all of them were STUNNING. (One came back in with the finished dress in the bag, this intricately beaded poofy dress that had to have taken days, hot pink and shiny).

We had local restaurant owners pop in for re-upholstery projects and curtains and vinyl; same with teachers and deck dads and furniture restoration workers that would gush about the design, what they had planned. Some would bicker with their spouses on the pattern, but it felt good-natured on the whole.

We had some elderly men come in to peer over our sewing machines - "How much it run for? My wife's birthday is coming up and her old machine's about done, and I want to surprise her. She had a Singer, but she hates the electronic screens on some of these newer ones, they hurt her eyes." - and moms coming in to sew some custom bed sheets for their kids - "My son really likes the new My Little Pony show, but he's a little shy about it. Do you think the blue's okay? Only he like yellow more, but they don't have any back there and he doesn't MIND blue really but - Actually scratch that, how wide is the fabric? My pattern says it needs to be at LEAST 22 inches wide, does it say on the box?" - and people coming up with some WILD craft ideas that were always a delight to hear them gush about - "So this MAY seem crazy, but I can turn these plastic pumpkin trick-or-treat pails into SNOWMEN heads with felt like this. We fill them with treats for the kids since we don't have a fireplace and they like it fine, but someone said I should sell these on Etsy and people really like them! But I've run out of pumpkins, and you have NO idea how happy I am that you guys still have some left."

The group we had to work with was also pretty crafty; a few were chronic call-outs, some a bit lazy, some perpetually done-with-this-nonsense, but we were mostly on the same page on shift, and all of us were crafty as heck. The employee discount was a blessing AND a curse, lemme tell you.

Stock was the best part, for me. Hours before the store opened at 9 AM, we would rip open the boxes and stuff everything onto the shelves, organizing anything the closing shift missed the night before along the way, updating new stickers or shuffling pegs over for new product arrangement, etc. We could listen to music or podcasts as we worked, and I ended up impressing some of them bc of how fast I tore through everything some mornings (the music definitely helped out there).

I was actually about to be promoted to assistant manager after 6 months, but then I got my job with the university, and they had federal health benefits AND dental, so... yeah, no contest there. Richard actually laughed when I told him I'd been hired at the university and was giving my two week notice, since it meant he didn't have to do the slew of paperwork that accompanied new assistant manager hires. He congratulated me on the job, especially the health benefits - he said that was a perk worth leaving any job here for. I nearly cried with relief that he wasn't mad.

He and Farrah chipped in and got me a small music box that plays Man of La Mancha's Dream the Impossible Dream on my last day. It still sits on my desk at work.

It was honestly my favorite retail job out of the bunch I've suffered through. Surprising at first, since I initially received a rejection email bare HOURS after my interview with Farrah, but about a month later (as I trawled endlessly through interview after interview, desperate for anything those first few months ), I got a call back from them asking if I was still interested (which I was, bc hey a job!). They remembered me specifically bc I had missed my bus to the interview, called ahead to let them know I would be late, then walked the whole way there in the rain to get there. (It was only about a mile and a half away, so not a terrible journey, but flooding is an issue in our flat-ass city; I looked like a drenched afghan hound holding a useless umbrella, so enjoy that imagery).

They were particularly impressed by the calling-ahead part.

Unfortunately, both of them ended up moving on to different paths over the year after I left - apparently they had been friends with benefits (? I say hesitantly, since I ran into one of my coworkers at an art show later on and she spilled the beans there - she was a bit flighty in nature though, and got caught up in gossip a LOT, so who knows. Lovely brocade custom projects though), and his ex girlfriend had called corporate on them and got both fired.

I think Farrah came back some time later, but the damage was done after that - the new manager came in and operated SOLELY to corporate policy. A LOT went to pieces in terms of store cleanliness, order, and general camaraderie after that - the new fabric counter folks look and sound dead inside, and barely interact with customers (not even a 'whatcha making' in passing, which is kind of sad - the stories I got helped to pass the time, and kept me from using up all of my Set Conversation Phrases for customers that actually WOULD leave us standing in silence). Corporate also stopped some of the smaller store policies that made our job easier and gave the customers a little something extra (the 'end-of-the-bolt' discount - if, after the customer orders say, 2 yards of fabric on the bolt, and there's say, a half yard "remnant" left on the bolt, we can sell them the remnant for half-price. A LOT of quilters LOVED this, and we did too, since it saved us from filling out the remnant tag and printing a sticker later on).

Just goes to show how important good management is in a business; especially when it can kick a store previously part of the top 50 stores in the NATION (while being a medium store at that - smaller place, NOT Hobby Lobby size like the Large stores) to something much less pleasant. I could be rose-goggling the situation thought - retail is still retail, no matter how nice some aspects are - but it still sticks with me as to how good he experience was even taking into account that it WAS minimum wage retail.

Food for thought, lads, food for thought.

#plush gets personal #joanns #joann fabrics #employment #retail hell #or well #not so much hell for this one #retail... purgatory? yeah that'll work

[pl-panda]

Damienette Arranged Marriage: part 2

Part 1 

This

Next

Okay. Here comes another part. I apologize if I missed someone for the Tag list, but in two days this got more responses than my other fics get in a week.

Credits: Miraculous Ladybug team for the elements I take from MLB show. DC for their characters, @ozmav for the AU, @maribat-archive for giving me access to so many different stories to have take inspirations from and me for the plot.

Damienette Arranged Marriage: part 2

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"I am so sorry they dragged you into this!" She started to apologize to him and trying to hug him. His instincts told him to push her away, but he was too stunned to follow on it. This girl was actually apologizing him for her life being ruined? Just where did his mother find her?

Marinette began to cry her heart out. She felt lost. The boy awkwardly reciprocated her hug, patting her back. His armor was not the most comfortable, but she didn’t care. The girl was always good at reading people. She could easily see that he was just as confused by this situation, only chose not show it. 

Damian gave her one more look. The girl felt so fragile right now. When she first apologized to him something inside broke. She was kind, caring and selfless. His first thought was what was he pulled into. She apologized him for something she had no control over. Back home there were plenty of girl that once they found themselves in such situation would blame him, or even worse, try to abuse the situation. She chose to instead try and conform him. Tried being key word, because she quickly became a crying mess.

“I am sorry. I usually don’t break that easily…” She said between sobs. That was too much for Damian. He separated from her and cupped her hands with his. He noted that she was speaking french, but it wasn’t a problem for him. He was fluent in it. Learned it even before English actually.

“There is nothing you should apologize for. If anyone is to blame, it’s my mother and the old man who assisted her. You have no fault in this. I hold nothing against you” He did his best to comfort her. Even after spending five years with Bruce and the rest of ‘Batfam’ (He still didn’t like the name), Damian learned a bit about human interactions, but he was still far from any good at it. The bigger was his surprise that the girl actually calmed down a bit. She was no longer sobbing, but her eyes were still red and puffy. She nodded slowly.

“Thank you. I… I don’t usually shatter like that. I live… I lived in Paris.” She stated as if it would explain everything. Damian frowned at the past tense.

“Don’t worry. You will return there. Mother will not hold us captive for too long. Father will come for me soon.” He assured her.

“I… I…” She was at the loss of words. Before she gathered her thoughts and managed to say something, a new voice joined the conversation. 

“Mistress Talia want to see you both. Please follow me.” Three assassins stood in front of them. Marinette quickly grabbed the cage with Tikki still inside and pulled her closer. She had no idea how to open this thing and Kwami was unhelpful in that matter. She looked at the boy. Only now she realized they never exchanged names. He nodded to her and stood up. She did too and stood next to him. Her ladybug instincts were telling her to try and find a way out, but common sense demanded she hide behind the boy. 

She took a closer look at him. He was quite handsome. With green eyes deeper than even the ones of Adrien and fair skin. He had completely black hair that was combed back into spikes. His armor was decorated with some intricate design that any other day she would copy right away because it looked so amazing, but she was still feeling too down. It was dark gray with gold trimming. The red cape was held in place under his pauldrons and lower part formed into sort of skirt to protect his tights. He had the sword at his belt.

Damian snarled at the three assassins. “Lead the way. Be quick.” He acted as cold as he could, trying to act like he used to before his father showed him different path. To his amusement, the mooks stiffened and nodded quickly, leading them to his mother. Cowards. He scowled. It didn’t escape his attention that the girl held herself quite confident now, especially since she was a mess just a moment before. There was something strange about her. The creature she was carrying in the cage was constantly speaking to her in french and supporting her. Maybe she was not just some princess stolen from her life after all. At the same time, she was still a bit clumsy and easily scared. It made for… endearing combination. Just what the heck is going on with me! 

They were led to a large, comfortable chamber witch held a single king-sized bed, a clean desk and a coffee table surrounded with three armchairs. All was mostly green, with addition of red. He knew this place. It was his mother’s private chamber. 

“Hello Damian.” Speaking of the Devil, Talia walked from a doors in the far corner of the room. He didn’t notice them at first, but they were there. She was still dressed in her normal attire. The woman sat on one of the armchairs and pointed Marinette and Damian to do the same. He reluctantly did, and only then his ‘wife’ followed. “Tea?” Talia spoke in French, fully aware that her son would understand her, but unsure about the girl. She pointed to a fancy chinese Teapot and three cups on the table. Marinette did try to reach it, but Damian grabbed her by wrist and shook his head, earning a chuckle from his mother. “Oh please. Damian, poisoning you now would be counterproductive. I wouldn’t want to loose my new allies.” 

“What is your game, Mother?” Damian hissed (also in French), but he let go of Marinette. She shakingly reached for the set. Talia smiled at the girl and helped her. 

“Oh. Quite simple. Instead of removing a threat, I got us an ally.”

“Got you an ally. I already said I don’t want to have any part in this.” Damian said in cold fury. Marinette just sipped her tea, watching the two and slowly calming. She registered everything going on between them and her worries weren’t calmed in even smallest way.

“You will thank me one day son.” She stated. “But that’s not why I invited you two.” She pulled a small key and tossed it to Marinette, who instinctively catched it. As clumsy as she might be, she did have a good reflex. “There is no longer a point in holding the Kwami in cage.”

Instantly, the girl opened the cage and Tikki flew out, cuddling into Marinette. There were no spoken words between them, but the fact that they were both here was enough. 

“What is this mother?”

“This, Damian, is a Kwami. A small god if you wish. But I am sure your wife will tell you more about it later. Now there is more pressing question: what’s next?”

“What do you mean?” Both the boy and girl asked confused.

“You are married now. But what do you plan on doing with it?” She smiled at the befuddled expression on their faces.

“First, I want to state that I despise you right now Mother. Forcing an innocent, powerless girl into this was crossing a line.”

“Excuse me?!” Tikki shouted, surprising Damian. “Marinette is anything but powerless! She is the bravest, kindest, most selfless and caring person that I know. She is strongest Ladybug yet so be careful how you speak about her, Heir of Demon!” The small Kwami shouted at the even more befuddled Damian. Talia was smirking until Tikki turned at her. The expression of cold fury didn’t work well on something so cute and with her pichy voice her anger was more endearing than scary. “And don’t get me started on you, daughter of Demon! You dare forcing my Chosen into this disgusting plots of yours. You are lucky she is too important to me to endanger her because otherwise I would get Plagg to wipe out this whole mountain range just to get you!”

Back in her armchair, Marinette tried to meld with the furniture. She wanted to disappear, become invisible. But at the same time, she couldn’t help but be thankful to Tikki. She was defending her and Marinette was happy to know that she is cared about. The girl looked at the two other humans in the room to see the boy… her husband… unnerved by the Kwami and the woman… her mother-in-law… looking amused. “Tikki! I think that’s enough. I just want to go home, to my parents…” Ladybug tried to calm her friend. 

“I believe we were not yet properly introduced.” The woman stated. “I am Talia Al Ghul and this is my son…”

“Damian Wayne.” The boy interrupted, sending a deathly glare at his mother.

Marinette stared at him with an open mouth like he just declared to be a werewolf. She never saw any pictures of Wayne kids before, but something was telling him this was true. He didn’t need to lie to her in any way. They were already married. On that thought she had to keep tear from forming in her eye. She then realized that he was waiting for her.

“Oh! Right! Sorry! My name is Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. Or now it will be Marinette Wayne? Or Marinette Dupain-Cheng Wayne? Do you use your mother’s name as well? Because then it would be Marinette Dupain-Cheng Al Ghul Wayne… Oh Kwami! How am I supposed to fit it under ‘name’ label in documents!” She started babbling completely random things until Damian placed a hand on her.

“Calm down. Breath. Don’t worry about it. I will take care of this.” His voice was perfectly calm, without any emotions. His face also took a bit more genial appearance, but he was still scowling in his mother’s direcion. Marinette slowly returned to senses. 

“I am so sorry. I usually don’t panic. You know. Living in paris with all the Akumas.” She actually smiled. Never before Damian saw such prominent smile.

“What is Akuma?” He asked.

“Wait, you never heard about Hawkmoth?” She asked surprised. “I thought the news reached to America… Maybe that’s because Justice League ignored…” She stopped for a moment, remembering that her identity was supposed to be a secret, but then again, with Tikki floating around there was no real point in trying to cover it. “ignored my call for help back when I first became Ladybug. It’s been almost two years now that he is terrorizing Paris though.” She remembered when she became Ladybug, after particularly close Akuma attack she decided to call in help. She used her yo-yo to contact the League, but Green Lantern laughed in her face, calling it prank and threatening to sue her.

“And Justice League didn’t do anything? You look my age!”

“I am fifteen thank you very much.” She huffed. 

“Exactly! So you’ve been doing it since you were twelve? Did you at least have some help?”

“Well, there was my partner, Chat Noir. And later on Master Fu trained me to be the next guardian.” She saddened on the thought of her former teacher.

“So two barely-teenagers were the only people protecting city from a terrorist attacks?” Damian was suddenly fuming. He had no idea why, but he felt protective over this ray of sunshine. She did not deserve this. “And the Justice League didn’t help?” She shook her head in response. Damian felt his hand instinctively go to his sword.

“But that’s a good thing. I don’t think I would be able to deal with akumatized Superman. Or even Flash. Or any other hero.”

“Don’t worry. I will have a talk with them about that.”

“You know them?!” Marinette screamed. Well, he was Wayne, but she didn’t think even the richest family in America had this kind of connections.

Talia watched this exchange with amusement. Maybe this girl wouldn’t be so bad for her son. She was reluctant to agree to this, but ultimately it was necessary. And now that she saw them interact they seemed like perfect couple. She brought light into the darkness that dwelled in her son while he gave her stability.

“Guess since you revealed your secret to me, it would be only fair for me to reciprocate.” He stated, sighting. “I am Robin.” He dropped the bomb as casually as he could. She looked at him with open eyes. 

Before either could say anything more, there was a commotion outside. Talia instantly jumped from her chair and pulled her gun. Damian drew the sword and held it close. For a brief moment a memory of the attack Deathstroke led at the temple five years ago returned to his mind. Marinette looked at Tikki. The Kwami nodded, instantly understanding what was that about. “Tikki! Spots on!” She shouted and pink light enveloped her. When it died, Marinette was now dressed in red skintight bodysuit covered in black spots and with a black turtleneck. On her face was a red mask with five black spots that were in a symmetrical design. The bands holding her hair back became red ribbons, resembling a ladybug's antenas.

Damian wanted to stare at the girl, but the commotion got closer and closer to the doors. He took stance, ready to attack. Next to him, Ladybug started to spin her yo-yo in front, forming a pink shield. 

The doors finally bursted open, revealing a towering man in suit that resembled bat in some way. “Demon Spawn!” Behind him came another voice, calling to the boy. Former assassin only groaned. 

“Shut up Todd!” He scowled and sheathed his sword. “Looks like cavalry is finally here. Took you long enough.” Damian turned to Marinette. “Meet my father and a bunch of idiots that he adopted. I am still the only blood son mind you.” He announced that last one with pride. 

“Whatever keeps you running demon spawn.��

“Stay silent Drake or I will make you!”

Bruce watched stunned. “Damian! No names in the field.” Batman gave another murderous glare at the girl. Everything about her practically screamed hero, but Bruce was a tidy bit overprotective about his family. To his surprise, the girl didn’t even flinch at his best patented bat-stare ®. She just smiled, but Damian spoke faster.

“I already told her about us. She knows who I am and even a complete idiot would figure the rest from there. And mother knew all along, so I still don’t see a problem here.”

“And why would you tell her everything?!” Jason screamed, still hidden behind Batman’s towering posture.

“Because she is my wife Todd!” Damian screamed. The silence in the room was thick enough that if the assassin swinged his sword, he would be able to cut it in half. Finally, Bruce was the one to break it.

“Fuck.”

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

Taglist (sorry if I missed you)

@pheonixashtree @sassakitty @unabashedbookworm @vixen-uchiha @maggiecc12 @actualdisasterwoman 

#fanfic #fanfiction #crossover #marinette x damian #guardian!marinette #maribat au #maribat #damienette #arranged marriage au #maridami #order of the guardians #league of assassins #batman

[papermariosuggestion]

What are you hoping for from a new Paper Mario? What's your "golden ideal", I guess?

I could spend, like, years thinking of things I’d like to see in a Paper Mario game, but I’ll try to narrow it down. Here are some of the main things I’d really like to see:

☆ New partners (plural)

• Based on previously established Mario species, preferably “enemy” species, as “The circumstances of one’s birth are irrelevant; it is what you do with the gift of life that determines who you are.”

• Unusual, but believable, and perhaps even poignant, backstories and fully realized character arcs. I want to care about these characters because I’m invested in this world, its inhabitants, and those inhabitants’ personal successes and failures, not just because their design is so kawaii and/or their dialogue is so funny, though those things are a plus.

• Distinct personalities and opportunities to show those personalities off (through design, body language, dialogue, etc).

☆ RPG mechanics

• Built on the solid foundation established in Paper Mario (N64)

• Turn-based combat

• A leveling system where you get to choose which stat to increase

• Badges (Including superficial badges like the L Emblem and Attack FX badges)

• Something new, like being able to use two partners to perform a Bros.-Attack-like move, or maybe even stats specifically pertaining to your partners.

☆ New locations

• It’s a delicate balance. Locations should both feel like they could realistically exist in Mario’s world and feel like something we’ve never seen before. TTYD has some great examples of this (Rogueport, Boggly Woods, Twilight Town, etc). Super Paper Mario has some creative locations as well, but because it takes place in another dimension, not in the typical world that Mario inhabits, none of them really feel particularly “Mario-esque” in nature. They’re all a bit off-brand, so to speak.

• On a technical level, graphics are improving all of the time, but that doesn’t automatically lead to more intriguing and/or more visually satisfying designs. At it’s core, Mario is a fantasy franchise, an escape from reality, and the Paper Mario series is one of the few series in the franchise that really builds out- or at least used to really build out- its world, and that world was interesting because it was new and mysterious, it practically begged to be explored. Paper Mario games should show me something I can’t see in reality; I know what paper and cardboard and lemons and steaks look like, show me underground cities and palaces, show me sprawling gardens with talking flowers, show me a floating tourist trap in the sky. The biggest limit is your imagination, so let it run wild, and show me that, show me that Alice in Wonderland-like controlled chaos.

☆ An interconnected world and motivated backtracking

• No stage-selection maps. Even if the game is fairly linear, I don’t need to have that shoved in my face. I don’t want to feel like I’m working my way down a to-do list, glued to a track, I want to journey through the world and explore somewhat freely.

• No fast travel by default (maybe you unlock fast travel after beating an optional challenge like the Pit of 100 Trials)

• No pipes that take you right from the hub world to the chapter area; I wanna walk…

…and I want it to be through a believable, expansive, intricate world that changes as I progress through the game, a world I could see hundreds of times and never get sick of because its details are constantly in flux, and because those details are the kind that make it feel realistic and lived-in. I don’t want to be teleported from A to B, or confined on a path from A to B to C, I want to explore, I want to discover, I want to experience this world and to form an attachment to it. This alone would make backtracking more worthwhile, but…

• …another way to make backtracking even more enjoyable would be to add events that make walking into a game in and of itself, like having to follow a creature up in the trees, or having to get through a cursed area in Mirror Mode, or having to dodge and weave through falling rocks because there’s a huge earthquake destroying- and altering the actual geometry of- the area. Walking doesn’t have to be a chore for you to complete in order to get on with the game, and it shouldn’t be, it should be part of the game, just as engaging as anything else you’re involved in.

☆ Non-linear elements

• The game should still be fairly linear overall, because Paper Mario games are chapter-based stories with beginnings, middles, and ends, but having some say  in which chapter comes next, or which partner you meet, or even just which puzzle you solve next would give the player a stronger sense of agency. Story-driven games are at high-risk of making the player feel like they’re just along for the ride, and this would help to counteract that.

☆ Spin dashing

• Gotta go fast! Getting rid of spin dashing always felt like an odd choice to me. Characters like the Yoshi kid, Carrie, and Dashell kind of replaced it, in the sense that they allow you to move quickly, but being able to speed up without switching partners, as well as being able to spin attack and just to witness the utter chaos of Mario flinging himself across the screen again, would make backtracking and walking around in general less of a slog. It would also give you more agency in the overworld and serve as a nice callback to the original game.

☆ Free-moving NPCs & situational dialogue

• In past games, NPCs have been confined to certain paths and locations. They might move from chapter to chapter, but they would always stay in the same general area until you triggered an event that placed them somewhere new. I’d like to see characters wandering around, going in and out of buildings, visiting other locations, having private conversations with one another, getting into fights, buying and selling items at the shop, putting on different clothes, and doing just about anything else they would typically do in-universe. Obviously this would be huge challenge to program, but we’re talking about an ideal here, and anything in this general direction would be an improvement in my eyes. We already see a bit of this in the series, but I’d like to see even more.

• When NPCs say things like “Where are your manners, Mario? You shouldn’t climb on the table” and “Don’t be so careless. There are too many enjoyable things in the world to gamble with your life!” it makes it feel like they actually see what you’re doing and care about what you’re doing. Having NPCs respond to you differently because of where you’re standing, or what partner you have out, or what badges you’re wearing, and so on, makes them into more than just set decoration or a sign to read, it makes them people, or at least more person-like. Nintendo’s been pretty good about this in recent years, probably because technical improvements have made it easier than ever before, and I think it would be fitting for a series known for its world-building.

☆ Dynamic lighting design & a day/night system

• This is all about aesthetics because, as it turns out, visuals are pretty important in a video game. Paper Mario (N64) had some really interesting lighting design, notably in darker areas like the secret passage in Peach’s castle, and we haven’t really seen a lot of that since, despite having more advanced technology that would allow for advanced lighting.

• I’d like to see things like swinging chandeliers that cast beams of light, and cracks in the ceiling that light pours through, and mirrors/reflections that Mario uses to solve puzzles, and shadows that hint at secrets. Lighting is a huge part of shaping a world, and using it in a variety of different and meaningful ways just makes your world seem that much more complex and grounded.

• As for the day/night system, I am picturing a game that visually changes based on the actual time of day, kind of like Animal Crossing games do, but not a game that requires it to be a certain time of day for any gameplay purposes, not for the main quest, not for side-quests, and not even for easter eggs. All I want is for it to be bright when I play in the morning, orange when I play at sunset, and starry when I play at night. This also would add to the game’s replayability, as different chapters would look and feel different depending on what time of day it was when you played through them.

☆ Easter eggs that reference other games in the franchise

• I want it to be clear, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the Mario we see in Paper Mario games is the same Mario we see in other Mario games, not another person, and talking about the time he visited Isle Delfino or when Bowser fused with a sentient tennis racket would really drive that home.

• Make me really look for some, though. It’s cool to spot easter eggs in plain sight, but what’s really rewarding is having to dig for them. I don’t just wanna see Luigi standing in the background, I want to spot little inconsistencies and cracks in the walls and cryptograms spread throughout the world. Sure, the five-year-olds playing might not find them on their first playthrough, but when they’re fifteen and they remember that awesome Paper Mario game they played a decade ago, they won’t just be revisiting a world they’ve fully explored, they’ll be playing on a whole new level, figuratively speaking.

☆ amiibo Compatibility/functionality

• I’m not a big fan of DLC in general, as it’s often overpriced, but I do think amiibos are neat; using a real object to unlock something in a virtual world makes the virtual world feel just that much more alive to me, that much more like it’s a little world I can actually affect.

• The Paper Mario series never really got official merch, and while you do see a bit of your partners’ lives in the epilogue, it’s only a glimpse into their future, so getting little figurines of past partners that make them appear in the game, tell you about a recent adventure they had, and give you a unique badge based on their abilities/personalities/experiences, would be like a dream come true.

☆ Just be creative (I know it’s not that simple, but like, figure it out)

• Surprise me; throw in something inventive and revolutionary, like Wall Merging from A Link Between Worlds or The Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device from Portal.  There’s a whole universe of possibilities out there; please dream a little bigger than items disguised as a gameplay element and a hammer that fills in glaringly obvious gaps in paint. Nintendo’s always pushing the video game industry forward with their creative consoles. Use that, take whatever whacky control method they come up with next and integrate it like Super Paper Mario did- but hopefully even better than Super Paper Mario did- with the Wii remote.

• I see fans writing stories, and drawing characters, and making sprites, and working with all kinds of mediums to make art that knocks everything from recent “Paper Mario” games out of the park. Obviously Intelligent Systems can’t just steal those ideas, but I’d love to see them get on that wavelength and match that passion.

• Make a game that you’d never want to put down because you just can’t get enough of it, and don’t even bother with that “You’ve been playing for a while. You wanna take a break, grab a snack, chill out for a sec?” message; if I die playing your game because it’s truly that good, I see that as an absolute win. That’s legendary game design, my friend; aim to make a Paper Mario game so good it’s worth dying for, and if you fall short of that, hopefully you’ll still land on something pretty awesome.

#paper mario #papermariosuggestion #ask

[incorrect-spiderson]

for the prompts, can i have peter and shuri or michelle (whichever you prefer) babysit Morgan?

Ao3 Link:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25350943

The Babysitters

Okay this took way too long but here you go lovie💕

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Peter I’m not sending you to purgatory, I’m just asking you to babysit Morgan.”

The teenager groans and slumps over the side of the couch. “It might as well be the same thing!”, he whines, tossing his hands in the air. “I’ve watched Nemo at least twelve times this week!”

Tony rolls his eyes as he adjusts his tie. “She’s your sister Pete, and she’s six. Plus you’re the only one she’ll listen to besides The Wiggles.”

Peter huffs and adjusts his totally not pouty position. But after a second of thought he smiles. “Well then, I have one condition.”

Tony cocks and eyebrow and looks at his son through the mirror. “You have conditions for babysitting your sister now?”

“No, condition. One.”

“Mhm, and that would be...?”

“I want Shuri to come over.”

Tony turns to eye his son and gives him a smirk. “You want me to let you have a girl over? While you’re home alone with your sister?”

Peter’s face turns at least six different colors of red and screws up into the most disgusted look Tony could imagaine. “Dad- no that’s- ew stop it no Shuri is one of my best friends that’s just- you’re nasty.”

Tony laughs as he turns back to the mirror. “I know I know kiddo. Of course you can. Just be careful with that Trek teleporter thing that she made. I don’t want to get a call and find out that Morgan is in Siberia.”

Peter’s look of disgust instantly transforms into a smile as he stands up and hugs his dad. “Thanks dad! But uh.. shouldn’t you be going? I think moms been waiting in the car for like.. ten minutes.”

Tony’s expression turns from one of love to one of fear. He quickly adjusts the sleeve over his robotic arm and races towards the door mumbling something about thinking she was upstairs. He swipes his phone from the counter and opens the door. “Love you bambino! Tell Mo I love her!” He calls, then shuts the door and races off to the car.

Peter chuckles as he hears the car start up then zoom off towards the city. He turns and makes his way to the garage, slipping his phone out of his pocket to quickly message Shuri.

——————————————————————————

spooderpete: Beam yourself up

shuriken: Why?

spooderpete: Babysitting Morgan, Dad said you could come over.

shuriken: Omw Scotty

——————————————————————————

Peter puts his phone back in his pocket and flips on the lights in the garage. He makes his way down to the Trek Pad and switches it on. The device starts glowing in bright blue pulses, then it suddenly turns a deep purple. Then in the blink of an eye Shuri is standing before him.

Peter laughs. “Well, it works!”

Shuri scoffs, stepping off of the device and lightly slapping his arm. “Did you think it might not work? I built it! Of course it would work!”

“I mean if we go back to last week...”

“Last week does not count! Do you know how hard it is to create a small black hole?”

“Yes because I tried it with you.”

“I- shut up. Where’s your sista?”

Peter rolls his eyes. “She’s upstairs in her room, but you’re avoiding-”

Shuri sticks her finger in his face. “Not another word from you or I will beam myself back to Wakanda. I have something for her to see.”

The girl walks into the house and heads towards the stairs. Peter hurriedly follows as he closes up the garage. By the time he gets up the stairs, Shuri is already in Morgan’s room. He gently pushes open the door and is instantly met with the upside down face of a six year old girl.

“Hi petey!”, Morgan squeals. She gives him an upside down hug around the neck and giggles, “I’m just like you now!”

When his sister releases him she realizes that Shuri, who is also upside down, is standing behind her. Both girls are wearing glowing bands around their shoes and heads. The older girl smiles. “What? Now we can all hang out.”

Peter finally recovers from the shock of seeing an upside down child and joins them on the ceiling. “So... whats going on up here ladies.”

Morgan giggles. “We’re gonna have an Avengers Meeting!”

Shuri takes on a serious look and nods. “What are we battling today Morgan?”

The little girl gets serious as well. “From now on you call me Admiral Stark. We have to fight the evil fluff monsters from a parasail universe.”

Peter leans over and whispers in her ear. The girl sighs and rolls her eyes. “That’s what I said! Parasail!”

Peter sticks his hands up in defeat. “Okay okay! But Admiral Stark we’re going to need reinforcements. The evil fluff monsters are dangerous.”

Morgan thinks for a minute then nods. “You’re right Spiderman. Bring me to the ground! I need to go get the others!”

She reaches out for peter to grab her so he takes her by the arm pits and flips her over so she lands on the ground softly. Both teens watch upside down as she sprints off down the hall.

They did in silence for a moment before they both laugh. “Your sister is very imaginative. I figured she would like my Spider-bands.”

Peter raises a brow. “So how’d you make those? Are the headbands to keep the blood from rushing to your head?”

“Yes! It’s a very intricate process and it makes us able to-”

Morgan come sprinting back into the room with two arms full of action figures, dolls, and tape. Peter lifts her back onto the ceiling and makes sure the Spider-bands stick before releasing her. She crawls back over to her spot and sits criss-cross. They spend the next few minutes taping the dolls and action figures to the ceiling. Once the last doll is secure, Morgan starts ‘the meeting’.

“Spiderman, Shuri, I want you to meet the other Avengers.”

Morgan points to an Ironman figure with a tutu. “That’s Irondad.” She then point to a figure of Thor. “Thunder Poptart.” Then two stuffed birds. “Hawkeye and Pidgeon” A Barbie doll with red hair colored on by a marker. “Tasha”. Then a Cap figure. “And that’s Captain Assho-”

“MORGAN” Peter screeches before she can finish. “Do you know what dad would say if he heard you say that?”

The girl ponders for a second then smiles. “Dads not here so it doesn’t matter.”

Peter opens his mouth to protest, then shuts it with a sigh. “Whatever, just say butthead.”

Shuri giggles to the side and he rolls his eyes.

The ‘battle’ starts and soon enough there’s action figures and stuffed animals flying across the room. The game lasts about 30 minutes before Morgan grows bored and hungry.

Just as she makes Irondad punch the evil teddy bear she sighs. Dropping her toys to the ground she lets gravity make her arms sway above her head. “I’m hungry Petey... and I wanna watch a movie.”

Peter chuckles and lowers himself to the ground. “Yeah I figured Momo. Let’s get you down then you, me, and Shuri can go eat some pizza and watch a movie.”

Shuri flips down second and deactivates her devices. Both teens help Morgan off the ceiling and onto her bed. They all head down the stairs, Shuri and Morgan go into the kitchen to make the frozen pizza while Peter sets up the Netflix and gets out the blankets.

The three kids settle down on the couch. Morgan lays on the left, Peter sits in the middle, and Shuri lays to the right. They flip through multiple movies until Morgan, thankfully, picks Frozen II instead of Nemo. Peter gets up to get the pizza and drinks, then they start the movie.

They spend the rest of the night singing along to the movie, eating pizza, and eventually sleeping. Peter picks up his sleeping sister and carries her upstairs to her room. After he tucks her in he goes back downstairs to help Shuri clean up.

The teens pick up the left over pizza and plates. After they finish, they spend the rest of the night talking and coming up with tech designs. Shuri is in the middle of explaining a new gadget design when her kimoyo beads start glowing.

Shuri slumps into the couch. “I am guessing this is my brotha. I should go. Are we meeting next week?”

Peter sits up and stretches. “Oh yeah definitely. We have to build that real life Millennium Falcon.”

Shuri stands and walks towards the garage. “Of course! See you next week Peterman!” She throws up a peace sign and then leaves.

Peter sighs and lays back on the couch. Soon enough he’s drifting off. He barely even hears the door open and his parents lay a blanket over him. He smiles and lets himself drift off to into a peaceful sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bonus:

Tony walks up stairs carefully so he doesn’t wake up his little girl. As he steps into her room he realizes that something.. isn’t quite right. He doesn’t have Peter’s spider sense but he has a dad sense.

And something is wrong. He swings the door open, searching for any threat. Then he hears it. A slight creaking, or even... peeling noise. He can’t tell where it comes from. But suddenly, it hits him.

Literally.

The Captain America figure falls off the ceiling and lands on Tony’s head. In a moment of fury he yells, “DAMN YOU CAPTAIN ASSHOLE!”

He spins when he hears a gasp. Morgan is sitting up right in her bed with a hand over her mouth. With a smile she says, “It’s okay daddy I won’t tell mom.”

#marvel #mcu #peter parker #avengers #tony stark #spiderman #irondad and spiderson #spiderson #avengers endgame #irondad #cam writes #cam fics #my writing #spiderman fanfiction #marvel fanfiction #fanfiction