#that I just made an entirely different lapis lazuli
Text
This Is Halloween
Lila Salt and Chloe Salt. I do not know if France celebrates Halloween or not, but this idea was too good to pass up. It is a little late for Halloween, but I still wanted to post it.
"Why do you love Halloween so much, dude," Nino could not help but ask Adrien as they walked to school.
"I grew up on Disney, Nino," Adrien reminds his best friend. "They have some of the best Halloween movies outside the horror genre. Not to mention the best Halloween songs."
"You are never gonna stop loving Disney, are you, dude," Nino chuckled.
"Nope," Adrien smirked as he popped the 'P.' "And you can not blame me regarding their Halloween movies. Hocus Pocus, Halloweentown, Twitches, Under Wraps, Nightmare Before Christmas, Haunted Mansion, Girl VS Monster. Nothing says Halloween, to me, like a good Disney Halloween movie!"
"You are probably the only person I have ever met who likes Halloween for the movies rather than for the candy," Nino laughed.
"Can you even imagine my dad letting me go out and get free candy," Adrien raised an eyebrow.
"That is... a very good point that I really should have seen coming," Nino said.
Adrien had taken full advantage of the fact that it was Halloween. His father could take a lot of things away from him, but it would most definitely NOT be Halloween. So, he had chosen a character from one of his favorite anime, Naruto. With his blond hair, he could not imagine being any other character. So, he was wearing the classic Naruto orange and blue jacket with a white collar, a white swirl with a tassel on the left side, and a red Uzumaki crest on the back. He also wore orange pants with a shuriken holster on his right knee, blue sandals, and a blue forehead protector.
Nino had chosen a different character. He had chosen Cyborg from the 2003 Teen Titans cartoon. Mostly because, in Nino's own words, Teen Titans Go is a crime against the Teen Titans. He, with the help of Alya and Marinette, used makeup to make the robotic half of his face. In contrast, Marinette used her fashion design skills to make more realistic-looking robotic arms and boots that did not keep him from being able to use his hands/fingers. He had already revealed his costume was approved by his little brother, which said something since Chris was a very tough critic.
Soon, the two of them walked into the school. Everyone around them was in costume, including the teachers. They made their way up to their classroom.
"Girl, how much makeup did you use," they heard Alya say as soon as they came in.
"Don't even get me started," Marinette giggled. "I will probably be in the shower all night to get this stuff off."
Looking over at the two girls, they definitely could see what the two were talking about. Marinette had decided to take advantage of her blue hair by becoming Lapis Lazuli from Steven Universe. Her entire face, as well as other visible parts of her skin, was covered with blue makeup to really make her look like the character. She used long blue gloves and blue tights to make her arms and legs also look blue along with a blue dress exactly like the one Lapis wore on the show before her look changed in the final season.
Alya, on the other hand, chose a much more simple look. She was dressed up as Valerie Gray from Danny Phantom. She was wearing a yellow camisole and orange skirt with yellow socks and white tennis shoes. She also wore an orange headband, golden earrings, an orange necklace, and two bracelets on each wrist, one golden and the other orange.
"Lookin' good, Red Huntress," Nino flirted with his girlfriend as he put his arm around her shoulders.
"Did you seriously just expose my identity," Alya faked offense at Nino 'exposing' Valerie's anti-hero identity of Red Huntress.
"Hey, if I can't hide, then neither can you," Nino countered, using the fact that Cyborg can not hide who he is to his advantage.
"I can hide," Adrien declared as he put his hands together in a 'ninja' pose. "I am from the Hidden Leaf Village, so hiding is what I do best!"
"You really love getting into character, don't you," Marinette giggled.
"I can't help it when it is something as fun as this," Adrien grinned brightly. "I love Halloween!"
"Something that has been made clear pretty much since the end of September," Nino chuckled.
"I am mostly just surprised that your dad actually allowed you out of the house while wearing that," Alya giggled.
"My dad can control me any other day of the year, but I draw the limit at Halloween," Adrien declared.
"If only you had this confidence when dealing with your father every other day of the year," Lyon said as he and Vallia walked into the classroom.
The Greek twins had also embraced the holiday.
Lyon had chosen an anime character just like Adrien. Only, he was dressed as Gray Fullbuster from Fairy Tail. He was dressed in Gray's look from the first couple of episodes. Which was a long white coat with dark blue outlines and a high collar, dark green pants, and black boots that almost reached his knees.
Vallia, on the other hand, took a more elegant approach to Halloween. She had grown up with the Rainbow Magic fairy books by Daisy Meadows. So, she chose to dress up as India the Moonstone Fairy. She let down her hair and placed a single pink rose in her hair. She also wore a strapless white dress that reached down to just above her knees. All over her dress were spots of pink and blue with another pink rose being on the top right part of her dress. She was also wearing pink ballet flats since she could not find shoes that matched the ones the fairy was wearing on the book cover. She carried a fake wand while also wearing fake fairy wings.
"You take your whole 'Ice Prince' thing to a new level, Lyon," Alya commented.
"I am icy and I know it," Lyon smirked. "Just be glad I went with the version of Gray that actually has clothes on."
"I am sure there would be a lot of people that wouldn't mind you being that version of him," Nino chuckled. "Present company included."
"I would be jealous, but it's not like I can deny it," Alya laughed.
Lyon blushed, not used to people saying stuff like that to him. Sure, he knew when people had crushes on him, especially gold-digger girls who wanted access to his and Vallia's family fortune, but not in the way their friends were currently acting. Course, he knew it was all in good fun and teasing.
"You guys are going to ruin my brother's 'Ice Prince' persona if you keep this up," Vallia tells them.
"That blush ruins it enough without us saying else," Adrien smirked.
"I hate all of you," Lyon glared at them.
"Love you too, Lyon," Marinette giggled.
The rest of the class soon came into the classroom. All of them were in costume as well.
The girls were some of the first to arrive. Juleka, to the surprise of no one, was dressed up as Wednesday Addams from the Jenna Ortega show. Complete with a fake hand on her shoulder to represent Thing. Rose, also to the surprise of no one, came dressed as Princess Peach from Mario. She even wore extensions to make her hair longer to match the character. Alix was dressed up as Lavagirl from the classic Shark Boy and Lavagirl movie. Like Marinette, she took advantage of her hair. Mylene had channeled her dad and chose to dress up like a mime. She even chose to wear a black and white wig to go with her costume. Sabrina, who had been becoming more independent, embraced her own inner anime nerd by dressing up as Misty from Pokemon. She even wore Pokeball-shaped earrings.
The boys arrived close to the girls. Ivan decided to embrace his "title" as a "gentle giant" by dressing up as another "gentle giant" from TV, DJ from Total Drama. He even had a bunny stuffed animal with him to represent the bunny DJ adopted in the first season. Max wanted to throw it back in the face of all those who call him a nerd by dressing up as Steve Urkel. He was ready to start saying "Did I do that?" Nathaniel, who was also an anime nerd, had dressed up as Kirishima from My Hero Academia. However, he chose to dress in the school uniform since he did not want to wear Kirishima's shirtless hero costume. Kim, who was not afraid to show off what he had, came in dressed as Sin Cara from the WWE. Vallia was already drooling over seeing his bare chest.
Lila and Chloe were the last to enter the classroom. Of course, Chloe was dressed up as Queen Bee. They expected nothing less from the brat. Lila, much to Adrien's disgust, was dressed as Ladybug. She was clearly still trying to keep up the lie that she was the hero's best friend.
"I'm gonna go throw up, be right back," Lyon remarked before he and Vallia went to their seats behind Juleka and Rose.
"He might blush, but he is STILL the Ice Prince," Alya remarked.
"There is no doubt about that," Nino agreed with his girlfriend.
The class had pretty much had an unspoken agreement when it came to Lila. They did not really believe that Lila was lying about everything to them like Marinette said she was, but they also did not believe Lila whenever she would say anything bad about Marinette. So, they had all come to a silent agreement to simply keep Lila and Marinette away from each other and no longer try to get Marinette to be friends with Lila.
"Oh, Marinette, what an... interesting costume," Lila tried and failed to not sound jealous of Marinette's costume.
"I wanted to use my hair to my advantage," Marinette tried to keep things casual. "Plus, Alya and I have seen this show when we are babysitting together. So, I thought it was a great idea."
"Are you not worried about taking a character from a children's show," Lila tried to sneak in an underhanded comment.
"Who cares," Marinette shrugged. "There are people of all ages that enjoy shows that are usually meant for kids. Besides, Halloween is about fun no matter who you are dressed up as."
"I know that I always want to have as much fun as possible on Halloween," Adrien stated. "And I will use all my ninja powers to make sure no one can stop me!"
"Someone enjoys getting into character," Alix snickered.
"Can you all keep it down," Juleka said in her best Wednesday voice. "I am trying to ignore the bright sun in the sky. It burns my eyes."
"There are so many reasons why I enjoy having this girl as a friend," Lyon chuckled, enjoying Juleka going full-goth.
"Friends are as pointless as daytime is," Juleka stated.
"Is it wrong that even when I know it is Juleka, she still creeps me out," Nathaniel asked.
"I am pretty sure Juleka would be insulted if you were not creeped out by her right now," Rose stated.
"Probably the only person on the planet that takes pride in creeping people out," Vallia giggled.
"I say again, so many reasons why I like her being my friend," Lyon repeated himself.
Lila's eyes visibly twitched, which would be seen by anyone who was paying attention. It was obvious that she did not like how her attempt to get under Marinette's skin had failed so quickly. Not to mention how she also lost the attention on her just as quickly.
"Well, my costume is pretty self-explanatory," Lila said. "Of course, I had to dress up as my best friend."
"Ladybug appreciates anyone that dresses like her for Halloween," Marinette tried not to call Lila out on that lie. "I know that the girl I babysit, Manon, also wanted to dress as Ladybug."
"Well, my costume was designed and made by one of the biggest fashion designers back in Italy," Lila bragged.
Lyon yawned as she talked. He and Vallia had never been the type to hide how they felt about Lila. They never believed anything she said and often made it clear how they got bored of her constant talking. Lyon had even said to her face that he would rather rip his ears off than willingly listen to her non-stop talking.
"I wish I actually had ice magic so that I could freeze her mouth shut," Lyon commented to his sister.
"Maybe if I wave my wand at her enough, a moonstone will eventually come out of nowhere and knock her out," Vallia responded.
"I would pay literally anything for that to happen," Lyon said.
"Death comes for everyone, but maybe sooner for those that deserve it more," Juleka says.
She could obviously hear them from her seat in front of them. While most of the class was trying to be neutral in the 'Lila and Marinette Drama' there were those who did know the truth. Juleka, Nathaniel, and Kim were all aware that Lila was a liar. Juleka figured it out after it was revealed that Jagged was her and Luka's father, so she had "insider" information about Jagged never having had a kitten not writing a song about anyone other than Ladybug and Penny. Nathaniel was shown that she was a liar when Marc told him that Lila tried to say that she could introduce him to Stan Lee, even though he was dead. All Kim needed was to sit down with Marinette and listen to why she believed that Lila was a liar, which Marinette told him was because there was no way that Ladybug would befriend someone who would instantly boast about it on the Ladyblog, and he believed her since he had grown up with Marinette.
"You are really enjoying your costume, aren't you," Vallia giggled.
"Enjoyment is for those that try to make up for the fact that they live sad and lonely lives," Juleka stated.
"Are we sure that she is not possessed by Wednesday Addams rather than just dressing like her," Lyon joked.
"I will never tell," Juleka said.
"At this point, I would be seriously surprised if her birthday was not Halloween, Friday the 13th, or Dia De Los Muertos," Vallia says.
Rose looked like she wanted to tell Vallia the day of Juleka's actual birthday, but she chose not to just because she liked the joke.
"I would have asked her to make your costume as well, Marinette," Lila continued talking in her fake sweet tone. "But I know you don't like me."
"Her acting is not even that good," Adrien mumbled to himself, even though Nino could hear him.
"I would have said 'no' anyway," Marinette said. "After all, since I want to be a fashion designer, it is better to get as much practice as possible as a teenager. And Halloween is the perfect excuse to practice my craft."
"And my girl's got skills," Alya gave Marinette a side hug. "She even made me these bracelets for my costume since I couldn't find any in any store I tried."
"Besides, as much as you wanted to be Ladybug, being something so... predictable has never been my style," Marinette could not but throw in her own underhanded comment. "After all, even just from those in the bakery this morning and who I saw on my way to school, so many people were dressed as Ladybug. That has never been my style."
"It's true," Kim said. "Ever since we were kids, Marinette has always had the most unique and fun costumes on Halloween. However, nothing less can be expected from someone that lives in a bakery than for them to love a holiday all about sweets."
"I remember all of her costumes," Nino says. "And they have always been awesome. During that entire werewolf and vampire craze a few years ago, Marinette went against that and dressed like a fairy princess. The complete opposite of what everyone else was going for."
"That sounds adorable," Adrien said, unknowingly making Marinette blush.
Miss.Bustier soon came into the classroom, making everyone go to their seats. Much to the surprise of everyone, she was also in a costume. They all could not help but giggle and chuckle at how Miss.Bustier was dressed up as Miss.Frizzle from The Magic School Bus. She even had a fake lizard to represent Liz.
"Good morning, class," she says. "While I am sure all of you are excited about Halloween, it is still a school day."
"Can I just say that you actually look really nice as Miss.Frizzle, Miss.Bustier," Adrien commented after he was called on.
"Thank you, Adrien," Bustier smiled at him. "I used to teach elementary and would show episodes of the show to my class. So, I thought it would be nice to experience some nostalgia from those days."
"Memories are some of the best reasons to wear costumes like that," Marinette smiled at her.
Bustier smiled at them some more before she went to start her lesson.
"Alright, class, today we are going to..." Bustier started.
A slight wave of energy washed over all of Paris. It was barely noticeable, only noticed by those who have been involved with magic in the past. Which was technically all of them since they have either been akumatized or wielded a miraculous or both.
"Take chances, make mistakes, get messy," Bustier suddenly blurted out, shocking the entire class. "I'm sorry, class. I have no idea where that came from."
"I hope any mistakes made are deadly ones," Juleka in her Wednesday tone again.
"Okay, something feels wrong," Nino groaned almost in pain as he put his hand on his head.
"I'm glad that someone else feels that way," Lyon agreed with Nino.
"Is anyone else suddenly really hot, or is it just me," Alix started using her hand as a fan to try and cool herself down.
"If anything, I'm cold," Lyon shivered a little.
"Uh... Juleka," Rose looked nervous while speaking in the higher-toned 'Peach' voice. "Is that hand supposed to be... moving?"
"WHAT!" the class all yelled at the same time, looking at Juleka immediately.
Sure enough, the "fake" hand on her shoulder was moving. It suddenly jumped off Juleka's shoulder and was "standing" in front of her on her and Rose's desk. Everyone instantly jumped and moved away from the hand.
"You guys are going to hurt Thing's feelings," Juleka said.
"Juleka, the voice was fun before, but you are starting to really freak me out," Nathaniel stated.
"I don't... I don't think I can stop," Juleka actually sounded worried even in her lower Wednesday voice.
"Guys... I think she is being serious," Rose said.
Everyone got even more worried. Something was most definitely wrong. Juleka may be quiet, but she did not have a low voice like the one she was currently speaking in. And then just to add more freakiness to the situation, the previous fake bunny that Ivan had been holding also jumped out of his arms and onto his desk.
"I, officially, am freaked out," Kim stated.
"Did you guys feel that energy from before," Marinette asked them all. "Maybe that has something to do with what's going on."
"And what is even going on, girl," Alya asked her best friend.
Marinette gave her a look that clearly was saying "Are you serious, right now?"
"An akuma, Alya," Marinette says. "You would think after all this time, you would have learned the signs of an akuma by now."
"Marinette, don't be mean to Alya," Lila had the gall to try and scold her.
"Hey, Marinette has a point," Adrien stood up for Marinette. "Hawkmoth has been sending akumas for over a year. It is pretty obvious when he is up to something."
"What type of akuma even is this," Lyon was visibly disturbed by the sight of 'Thing' still crawling around on Juleka and Rose's desk. "Does it bring inanimate objects to life?"
"I would have guessed that if not for Juleka's change in voice and Miss.Bustier's earlier shout," Marinette says.
"Vallia, what do you..." Lyon cut himself off at the sight of his sister missing from her seat. "Vallia? What in the name of the gods!"
He looked around, trying to find his sister. The others all looked under their desks and around them as well to see if Vallia had hidden somewhere in the classroom for some reason. They would have thought she climbed out the window for some reason if they had not heard a tiny voice.
"You guys might want to look up," they all heard from above them.
They all looked up and their jaws hit the floor. Flying above them was a fairy. And not just any fairy, it was Vallia.
"Someone please tell me that I am dreaming," Max stated. "Ow!"
"You're not dreaming," Kim said, having just pinched Max on his arm.
"Vallia," Lyon gasped at the sight of his sister being an actual fairy.
"Don't ask me," Vallia flew down and sat on her and Lyon's desk in front of her brother. "One second I was fine, and the next I was tiny and flying. I know I joked about wanting my want to actually be able to work earlier, but not like this."
"That's it," Nathaniel, of all people, stood up.
"What's it," Alix asked him.
"That is what the akuma does," Nathaniel says. "It doesn't bring inanimate objects to life, that wave of energy from earlier turned all of us into our costumes!"
All of them then started looking at themselves just to test if Nathaniel's theory was true. And it turned out he was right. Sabrina nearly jumped out of her skin when one of her fake Pokeballs grew larger in her hand when she pressed the button on it. Alix touched her desk and immediately had to take her hand off it because she accidentally started burning it just from her touch. Nino tapped his robotic arm and it opened up to reveal a small computer screen, just like the one Cyborg uses to communicate with his teammates on the show without the use of his Titan communicator. Max simply stood up and instantly tripped over his own feet in a classic case of Urkel clumsiness and also instantly said "Did I do that?" by pure instinct.
"How did you figure it out, Nath," Adrien asked him, curious.
"It would not be the first time I have seen this happen," Nathaniel said.
"What," everyone gasped.
"Not in reality, obviously," Nathaniel continued. "But, I've seen a lot of TV shows that have had 'turning into their costumes' as part of their Halloween specials. It was done on Fairly Odd Parents, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, The Simpsons, not to mention the iconic Haunted Mask episode of Goosebumps."
"I am suddenly so glad that you're a nerd," Alix stated.
"I'm a nerd and proud of it," Nathaniel says.
Unknown to the rest of the class, four other members were way more concerned about the current situation. Adrien, Marinette, Lyon, and Vallia all had no idea if this akuma would keep them from transforming. None of them had currently been wearing their miraculous but had also kept them on them. Giving her bag a quick look, Marinette was relieved to see Tikki was still there with the earrings. The same could be said for Adrien, who was glad that Plagg was still in his jacket pocket with the ring. Lyon looked inside his and Vallia's backpacks, glad to see their own miraculous and kwami were still there. The only problem was that Vallia was too tiny to put hers on.
"Adrien, I'm scared," Lila immediately took the opportunity to latch onto Adrien's arm.
"Then go get comfort from someone that cares," Adrien forced her arms off of him.
"You don't mean that," Lila would not take 'no' for an answer.
Adrien smirked as he decided to take advantage of his own costume transformation. He made some hand gestures and with a POOF, he was replaced by a log of wood with Lila holding onto a branch of the log. Adrien appeared behind Lyon.
"I have always wanted to do that," Adrien was actually excited.
"You are not that upset about this akuma, are you," Lyon raised an eyebrow at his friend.
"While I can not really be excited about there being an akuma, out there, I can at least have some fun with this one," Adrien smirked.
"You really are an anime geek," Lyon chuckled.
"Says the guy dressed as another anime character," Adrien threw back.
"A character that can freeze you into an ice statue, so I would watch that mouth," Lyon playfully threatened his friend.
The fact that ice was slowly spreading from where Lyon's hand was on his desk, Adrien chose not to push his luck even though he knew Lyon was only joking.
"You're a real Ice Prince, now," Vallia giggled.
"You are too tiny to make fun of me, right now," Lyon glared at her.
Vallia wisely shut up, knowing that she could easily be squished given her current size. Plus, she was not in the mood to be turned into a fairy-cicle.
Bustier ended up sighing, knowing that there was no point in trying to continue class because of what was going on. After all, how could she when she might end up taking the class on a potentially dangerous field trip because of her own costume? So, she dismissed the class and told them all to go home.
Getting out of the classroom, they saw that all the other classes had been let out as well. And everyone had been transformed into their costume the same as they had.
"Oh, crap," the four secret heroes swore at the same time.
Looking around, they could see their other friends from around the school not doing very well with their new abilities.
Aurore, who had dressed up as Stella from Winx Club, was currently trying her best not to blind anyone with her new light powers. Not to mention she could not control her wings very well. Jean, who had obviously dressed as a magician, could not stop pulling rabbits out of his hat. Plus, flowers kept popping into his hand every time he flicked his hands in the slightest way. Mirelle had dressed up as Mulan and she was now being followed by what had definitely been a fake Mushu that she had been carrying around. She also looked terrified that she was now carrying a real sword.
It was Marc who looked to be struggling the most. Mostly because the costume he chose had been outside of his comfort zone. He had dressed as a vampire. An old-school one, at that. So, now he had to hide in the shadows because the sun would literally kill him. Nathaniel immediately went over to check on his boyfriend.
"Something tells me that this is going to be one seriously crazy Halloween," Marinette says.
"My sister is literally sitting on my shoulder because she is not even six inches tall," Lyon says to her. "We are already way past crazy at this point."
"Let's just hope Ladybug, Cat Noir, Beautifly, and White Wolf can take down the akuma before chaos takes over Paris," Alya said.
"If the akuma ever shows itself," Kim muttered.
"Kim," Max slapped his best friend on his arm.
"I didn't mean that in a 'we are doomed' kind of way," Kim immediately tried to change what he had said before. "I meant it in a 'the akuma has not even really revealed itself and is already causing problems' kind of way."
"Oh," Max said, before he then tripped again, knocking down a bunch of the class like human dominos. "Did I do that?"
"I am never watching that show ever again," Sabrina stated, having been the first one Max had knocked over when he tripped.
"There is nothing to worry about," Lila bragged. "I texted Ladybug and she knows about the akuma. Or, since I now have Ladybug's powers, I could handle it if she ends up having trouble."
Those aware that she was a liar all rolled their eyes.
"Who needs Ladybug now that Queen Bee is back," Chloe boasted, obviously enjoying that her costume was made real.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Lyon, Marinette, and Adrien all did their classic "got to transform away from prying eyes" disappearing act. No one even noticed they had vanished. And even if they did, they probably thought that Marinette went home to check on her parents, Lyon and Vallia went to check on their dad, and Adrien was summoned home by his father.
Lyon hid in the empty art room and opened up his backpack to pet out his and Vallia's kwami, Flutter and Frostbite.
"Please tell us that there is a way for me to transform," Vallia immediately asked them.
"We... uh... We don't know," Flutter reluctantly admitted.
"You don't know," Lyon almost yelled.
"This has never happened before," Frostbite says. "Fairies have never been involved with the miraculous. So, there has never been a reason to see if a fairy could use a miraculous."
"Hold on," Vallia could not help but pause at what the wolf kwami had said. "Are you saying that fairies are real?"
"I don't think right now is the right time to process that," Lyon tells his tiny sister.
"Fine," Vallia got back on topic. "Do you think it could work if I basically stood inside of my bracelet almost as if it was a very large dress?"
"There have been many situations the miraculous face faced, but never anything like this," Flutter said. "While there have been times when our holders have been shrunk, but that was also a time when they were still wearing the miraculous, so it was shrunk along with them."
"I do believe that this is what you humans would call an uncanny valley situation," Frostbite says.
"At least you have been slowly learning about modern language," Lyon said. "And yet, I still feel the urge to keep you away from the internet."
"That is something more for what Plagg's holder should do," Frostbite says.
"The more we learn about Plagg, the more I feel pity for Cat Noir," Lyon stated.
And speaking of Cat Noir, Adrien had hidden in the locker room to talk to Plagg to see if the transformation would affect him as Cat Noir.
"So, there will be some type of effect my current situation will have on me being Cat Noir," Adrien wanted some clarification from Plagg.
"I have had holders in the past who have had their own powers," Plagg reveals. "When they use the miraculous, their powers would get enhanced. So you, ninja boy, will be given a boost when you transform."
"I know I should feel this way, but I think this is my favorite akuma," Adrien says.
"It would have been a lot better if you had been dressed as someone that could summon cheese by their will," Plagg adorably pouted.
"As I told you when I was choosing my costume, there is no such character that can do that," Adrien could not help but roll his eyes.
"And I said before, that should be considered a crime," Plagg stated.
"You are a smelly cheese gremlin and not even you can deny that," Adrien tells him.
"It's not my fault that you do not know how to appreciate proper smelly and delectable cheese," Plagg adorably crossed in arms in stubbornness.
Adrien rolled his eyes as he put his ring back on.
With Marinette and Tikki, they were having a similar conversation that Adrien and Plagg were having. Marinette had also been concerned if her costume would interfere with being Ladybug.
"If anything, this could help you defeat the akuma more easily," Tikki tried to soothe her panicking holder.
"But I don't even know where to begin with these powers," Marinette was once again in full panic mode. "Lapis is one of the most powerful characters in Steven Universe with her ability to bend water to her will. I can't learn to control such a powerful ability this quickly."
"You are going to have to, Marinette," Tikki says. "So far, everyone is still acting like themselves. But, it is only a matter of time before your costumes start influencing your personalities as well."
"You think that will happen," Marinette was now even more concerned.
"I may have never experienced anything exactly like this before, but there have been things like this," Tikki explained. "There is a magical Native American mask that a tribe once used to turn into animals to fight in wars by wearing animal skins and then using the mask's magic on themselves. Only, once they were turned, they also acted like animals rather than simply turning into them."
"Great, just great," Marinette facepalmed.
"While I am not sure that will happen this time, we still need to find and defeat this akuma as quickly as possible," Tikki advised.
"The one time that Kim was right about something, it had to be that the akuma has not shown up, yet," Marinette groaned.
"I am sure the akuma will show up sooner or later, Marinette," Tikki tells her.
"Let's hope for sooner with this one," Marinette said.
And then, as if summoned by her desire, the sky started to darken. Given that Aurore had been transformed into a fairy, they knew it was not Stormy Weather. It seems that Marinette's "Ladybug Luck" was working in her favor this time.
"Well, you got what you wanted, Marinette," Tikki said.
Soon, they heard a voice shouting from outside. Even for akumas that have nothing to do with the school, they would still find ways to come to the school. There was a reason why Dupont had gained the reputation as the "Akuma School." However, there were literally no students who would argue with that title for the school. Especially since Chloe had been the cause of a majority of the akumas created, with a lot of them happening because of things she had done at school. Such as when she had locked Juleka in the bathroom, called Ivan a monster, and ripped up Rose's letter to Prince Ali.
"I am the Pumpkin King," shouted out a male voice, but also sounded very young at the same time. "If others want to make fun of me for being scared of Halloween, then I will be the one to make THEM scared!"
The heroes all looked out of the rooms they had hidden in. They saw the akuma riding on what was obviously supposed to be a witch's broom right over the school courtyard.
"That name is definitely a Nightmare Before Christmas reference," Lyon said.
"Hawkmoth is pushing the limits when comes to a potential copyright lawsuit," Vallia says.
Pumpkin King was definitely a young boy. They could only guess that he was about seven or eight years old. His looks were also inspired by the main character of Nightmare Before Christmas, Jack. He was dressed in a pitch-black suit but with some visible spider web designs on it. There was also a mini skull in the middle of his bowtie. He also had black boots on. His head looked a lot like a skeleton skull because of the white and black makeup. Over his eyes was a pumpkin-designed mask with a pumpkin-themed witch hat on his head. It was like he was the child of Jack Skellington and a witch.
"Someone please tell me that Chloe did not make fun of a little kid and got him akumatized," Adrien basically was pleading with the universe.
"What makes you think she was the cause of this one," Plagg asked his holder.
"Why else would an akuma come straight to the school," Adrien looked very done with the number of akumas his childhood friend caused.
"There, there," Plagg tried and failed to be a comforting kwami.
All of the heroes were about to transform when they, unfortunately, heard a very familiar voice. And they could also feel headaches forming.
"You came to the wrong place, you utterly ridiculous villain," Chloe said in the most pompous voice possible. "Queen Bee is back and I am the only hero that Paris needs!"
"Delusional, party of one," Aurore called out.
That got a lot of laughs, even though there was an akuma right there. Given that the entire school hated Chloe, they could not help but laugh whenever anyone would make fun of her.
"Nobody cares about Queen Bee, Chloe," Alya yelled at her.
"You were never a hero," Kim shouted at her.
"Get out of here and let the actual heroes come and fight the akuma," Aurore called out again.
"You are all ridiculous, utterly ridiculous," Chloe huffed at what everyone was shouting at her. "You don't deserve to have the help of the amazing Queen Bee."
"More like Queen Brat," shouted another student.
The akuma was floating on his broom, watching everything that was going down. The look on his face was definitely saying that he was thinking something like "Did they forget I am even here?" However, he did have to admit that it was very entertaining to watch most of the school gang up against a very obvious spoiled brat.
"Only this school could be so against Chloe that they forget about the akuma that is right in front of them," Lyon sighed.
"It should really say something about a group of people if they can so easily forget about an akuma," Vallia said.
The akuma, tired of being ignored, decided he was not going to take it.
"Maybe this should teach you not to ignore and akuma," he shouted.
He held out his hand and shadows seemed to fall from his fingers. Once the shadows landed on the ground, they formed into classic Halloween monsters. Vampires, werewolves, mummies, witches, and many others. All the students started to back away from the creatures.
"This isn't good," Marinette gasped.
"You need to transform, Marinette," Tikki tells her, urgency in her voice.
"Tikki! Spots..." but hearing a voice stopped her from finishing her transformation phrase.
"Hey, Skeleton Boy," Alya's voice was heard. "You do realize that you made a big mistake, right?"
"Excuse me," Pumpkin King glared at her.
"Oh, Alya," Marinette facepalmed. "One of these days, she is going to give me a heart attack."
"You may have transformed us into our costumes, but maybe you should have also added some mine control when you did that," Alya smirked.
Suddenly, she changed. Since she had been transformed into Valerie Gray, that meant she also had Valere's Red Huntress suit. So, with a small swirl of energy, the red and black mechanical suit appeared on her body. Complete with the red and black hoverboard under her feet.
Within seconds, Alya flew right at the summoned monsters. Wrist blasters came out of her armor at the wrists, obviously, and she started shooting at them. She looked to be having a lot of fun.
"Why am I not surprised Alya is the first to go on the offensive," Tikki giggled.
"There is a reason why I wanted Alya to be given the bee miraculous while fighting Style Queen," Marinette tells the kwami. "As great as she is as Rena Rouge, Alya is more headstrong and straightforward. So, she is better with a miraculous where she can fight head-on rather than staying back to cast an illusion."
"We still need to transform, Marinette," Tikki reminds her.
"Right, Tikki," Marinette nodded.
As much as Adrien, Lyon, and Vallia were all enjoying the sight of Alya using her costume to her advantage, they knew they had to transform as well. Quickly ducking back into their hiding places, they put on their miraculous and said their transformation phrases.
"Tikki! Spots on!"
"Plagg! Claws out!"
"Frostbite! Freeze over!"
Lyon almost went "Awwwwww" as he saw his sister pouting from where she was sitting. It was obvious that she would not be able to transform because of her new fairy form. Lyon had to admit she was very adorable as a pouting fairy.
The heroes all had to sneak out of the windows in the rooms they had been hiding in. That way, they could make it look like they arrived normally rather than having obviously come from somewhere inside the school. It was a lot of work, but hiding their identities was very important. They were glad that when they "arrived" at the school, a lot of students followed Alya's lead. They went on the attack.
Alya looked to be having the time of her life being Red Huntress. If she was not blasting vampires with her wrist blasters, she was dropping energy bombs onto groups of werewolves. All with a smile on her face. Nino was backing his girlfriend up using his new Cyborg strength. And if she needed a more powerful helping hand, he was more than happy to use his sonic cannon. Kim actually provided some great backup by using his new wrestler moves. There was a reason why Sin Cara was one of the best wrestlers in the WWE. Because he had skills.
And to the surprise of most of them, another one of the best fighters turned out to be Juleka. Since he had chosen the version of Wednesday from the Jenna Ortega show, it meant she was incredibly skilled at fencing. So, she had grabbed two swords from the gym supplies and was using them to be a terrifying force of fierceness. Mirelle joined her, using her new skills that came from being turned into Mulan. Not to mention she had her own backup in the form of the fake Mushu that had been brought to life. That tiny dragon could be very scary once it lets loose its fire breath. Aurore also let loose her new fairy magic. Being the fairy of the shining sun was actually the best member of the Winx that she could have been for the situation that was happening. Especially given that they were fighting literal creatures of the night. Marc did have to avoid her powers as he and Nathaniel fought side by side. The boyfriends were already partners while working on their hero comic, but they were now crime-fighting partners as well.
There were still some students who were not very helpful since their costumes were not of characters that had powers. Such as Mylene, whose mime costume only meant that she had lost her voice and had basically been turned into the stereotype of French mimes that others like to make fun of. Ivan was also not very helpful given that DJ was known for being quite the loveable coward on Total Drama. With Rose, it was pretty easy to see why she was not very helpful. After all, Princess Peach was known for being a damsel in distress.
The three heroes all landed next to each other on the school's roof.
"Well, it looks like we have more help than we usually do," Cat Noir immediately said.
"We're going to need it," White Wolf stated.
"That have to do with the reason why Beautifly is not here," Ladybug asked him.
The icy hero nodded. "Her costume was that of a fairy, so she shrank too much for her miraculous to be able to work with her."
"I am never looking at Halloween in the same way ever again," Ladybug sighed.
"Speak for yourself," Cat Noir grinned brightly. "I am still going to love this holiday no matter what."
"As an almost literal black cat, I am not surprised that you love... Ladybug, are you blue," White Wolf cut off his statement to ask the question.
"I will be honest and say that I only noticed that when you brought it up," Cat Noir's eyes widened at the sight of Ladybug's blue skin.
Ladybug sighed. "My friends and I had chosen to do a combined theme for our costumes. We all wanted to basically turn into human versions of the elements. I was water."
"You had a much more creative costume than me," Cat Noir chuckled. "I just dressed as a ninja."
"I was my own original character that I called the Ice Prince," White Wolf shrugged.
The other two heroes raised an eyebrow.
"Isn't that a bit of a hint to you being White Wolf," Ladybug asked him.
"Hiding in plain sight is the best way to hide my identity," White Wolf tells them. "After all, no one would think an ice hero would dress up in an icy costume."
"Got to admit, it is clever," Cat Noir says.
The three of them then jumped into battle. They head right for Pumpkin King. He barely was able to dodge them since they had caught him by surprise.
"So, you have finally shown up," he says to them. "Give me your miraculous or Paris will be known as the City of Nightmares instead of the City of Love!"
"I have a better idea," Cat Noir smirked. "How about you give us your akumatized object before we unleash a can of butt-kick on you!"
"I think this is a better idea," Pumpkin King glared at them. "Get them!"
Some of his creatures that had not been fighting the students all charged at the three heroes. White Wolf simply yawned as he touched his hand to the floor. Instantly, ice covered the ground. It caused the monsters to slip and side right into a wall.
"You, ghouls, should learn how to be careful," the icy hero snickered. "Icy roads ahead."
"How did you do that," Pumpkin King yelled. "You did not even say your superpower activation phrase!"
"I didn't have to," White Wolf smirked. "My costume had been a character with ice powers. Your powers are the reason for my little upgrade."
The look on the villain's face was priceless.
"Yeah, neither you nor Hawkmoth thought things through when it came to your powers," Cat Noir laughed.
He did a few hand gestures and in the blink of an eye, multiple versions of him appeared around the villain. And all of them looked just as cheeky as the original.
"And we are more than happy to use our new ninja powers to our advantage," they all said at the same time.
They all attacked the Halloween villain at the same time. Even though he had the advantage of being able to fly because of his broom, Pumpkin King was learning that flight was not the big advantage he thought that it was. After all, with a dozen Cat Noirs attacking him at the same time, it would only be a matter of luck and time before one of them would be able to get a hit in.
And it soon came to pass when he had to dive down to avoid one group of Cat Noirs, but that sent him right into the path of two more. Using their staffs, they were able to knock him off his broom. They all smirked as they looked at the downed villain.
"He is really enjoying himself," White Wolf said.
"He is such an anime nerd," Ladybug playfully rolled her eyes.
"Or, just a nerd in general," White Wolf chuckled.
The Cat Noir copies then all vanished, leaving only the original.
"I am going to miss that for after you cast the cure, M'Lady," he said.
Ladybug opened her mouth to answer, only to be distracted for a second. A few vampires tried to attack her, which forced her to use her new powers. She held out her hands, which unleashed a strong blast of water. It sent the vampires flying back into another wall.
"I have to admit that it would be nice to still have these powers," Ladybug admitted. "If only I did not have to be blue."
Thinking that the broom Pumpkin King had been riding on had to be his akumatized object, Cat Noir picked it up from where it had landed on the ground. He was about to say his power activation word when someone else said theirs first.
"Venom," Chloe shouted.
Her hand lit up as she activated her paralyzing power. Only, she did not go for the akuma, she went for Cat Noir. If it had not been for the quick action of Ladybug using her yo-yo to pull Cat Noir away from her, she would have been able to get him with her power.
"Chloe, what in the name of the gods are you doing," White Wolf yelled at her.
He notched an arrow into his bow and aimed it at her. He was not going to let her come close to them.
"You can't do this to me," Chloe screamed at the heroes.
"Do what to you," Cat Noir raised an eyebrow. "We are just defeating an akuma as we usually do."
"You took Queen Bee away from me once," Chloe continued to yell. "I will not let you do it to me again!"
"You are willing to let an akuma stay out just so that you can continue to pretend to be a hero," White Wolf glared at her.
"I was a GREAT hero," Chloe protested White Wolf saying that she had only been pretending to be a hero. "It's not my fault you were utterly ridiculous enough to take MY miraculous from me."
"It was not YOUR miraculous," Ladybug yelled back. "It was NEVER yours. It did NOT belong to you!"
"It was MINE," Chloe denied Ladybug saying that the bee miraculous was not yours.
"Just because you want it, doesn't make it yours," Cat Noir glared at the brat. "And it was long overdue for someone to not give into your spoiled brat attitude."
"If Beautifly and I had been here from the start, we would have dealt with her long before she had a chance to be such a dangerous fake hero," White Wolf growled.
"How dare you," Chloe screamed.
She tried to use her Venom on him, only for him to easily dodge her by gliding on the ice still on the floor. He barely even looked like he cared that she was attacking him, which only made her even angrier. After all, someone like Chloe basically lives off of others paying attention to her. So, White Wolf basically dismissing her only served to piss her off. Not that he cared.
"I think he might actually be enjoying this," Cat Noir commented to Ladybug.
"If there is one thing we are well aware of when it comes to White Wolf, he takes no nonsense from anyone," Ladybug said. "Especially Chloe."
"So, you think you should call your lucky charm," Cat Noir asked her. "We might not need it for Pumpkin King, but that is how you cast the cure."
"You have a point," Ladybug says. "Lucky charm!"
She threw up her yo-yo in order to summon her charm. When it came down, it was revealed to be a replica of her magical yo-yo.
"Huh," Cat Noir looked at the replica. "I feel like that is a message."
"For what is the real question," Ladybug said.
"Well, it certainly isn't for this brat," White Wolf says as he continues to easily dodge Chloe's strikes. "I have her handled."
"You will pay for disrespecting the most amazing person in all of Paris," Chloe screamed at him.
"When did that happen," White Wolf tauntingly raised an eyebrow. "You are the one I am disrespecting and you are the WORST person in all of Paris.
That really pissed Chloe off. She charged at him again, only for the icy hero to simply step to the side and then put his foot out. He tripped her, which caused her to slide down a path of ice he made. She crashed into the janitor's closet. The door was closed by Juleka.
"Sweet revenge," Juleka smirked, still talking in her low Wednesday voice.
"I knew there was a reason why I liked that girl," White Wolf chuckled.
But while they were dealing with Chloe and Pumpkin King was still knocked out from the multiple Cat Noir attacks, the heroes did not notice someone else sneaking near them. Someone who was also holding something red and black ladybug-themed. The person threw it at the heroes, specifically Ladybug. But, she did not count on Cat Noir's new ninja reflexes.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the object heading right for them. His eyes widened when he noticed it was a ladybug-themed grenade. He quickly took action by throwing his baton, which easily met its mark because his ninja skills combined with his cat eyes made him a very good shot. After all, ninjas had to be very good at throwing things because of their use of throwing stars.
The grenade was knocked back to the person who threw it. It exploded but was thankfully not a firey type of explosive. It exploded with what they thought was red and black glue/paint. The scream that followed the explosion told them who had thrown it.
"Well, now the lucky charm makes sense," Ladybug said as she saw Lila covered in the sticky paint.
"I guess means we are finally done, then," Cat Noir says. "Let's actually finish this. Cataclysm!"
The broom that was still in his hand crumbled to dust. The purple butterfly flew out of the dust.
"No more evil-doing for you, little akuma," Ladybug opened her yo-yo and captured the akuma. "Time to de-evilize! Bye, bye, little butterfly."
She opened her yo-yo and freed the now-white butterfly. She then threw up the lucky charm yo-yo while shouting "Miraculous Ladybug!" to cast the cure. It washed over Paris which turned everyone back to normal while also getting rid of all the creatures Pumpkin King had summoned. He was also turned back to normal.
However, one person was strangely not completely cured by the magic. Even after the ladybugs washed over the school, Lila was still covered in her sabotage attempt.
"I am seriously not surprised," White Wolf commented.
"Lila... you tried to sabotage Ladybug and the other heroes," Alya was the first of the students to come over. "Why... Why would you do that?"
Normally, Lila would have tried to lie while also throwing in her typical crocodile tears as well. But, this time, she was too angry to do that.
"What did you do to me, Lady Brat," Lila yelled at Ladybug. "Look at me! You did this to me!"
"You did it to yourself, Lila," Cat Noir crossed his arms. "I always knew you would make a mistake one of these days and it looks like karma has finally come to collect your debt."
"What... What do you mean," Rose stuttered as she asked.
"He means that Lila is finally experiencing the consequences of her actions," White Wolf says. "Something she has previously been able to escape because of her lying skills."
"L...Lying," Mylene stuttered.
Ladybug sighed. "I did not want it to come out this way, but it is true. Lila, there, has been nothing but a liar ever since she came to Paris. Especially since after what you have all just witnessed, it is obvious that she is NOT my best friend."
"But... But you never said anything," Alya looked at her phone, obviously looking at her blog.
"I never said anything because I wanted you to come to me," Ladybug tells the blogger. "Alya, you can become an amazing reporter someday, but you need to learn to not take things at face value. I did not come to you because you should have come to me in order to fact-check what Lila was saying. Clearly, I had too much faith in you. Maybe after this, you will learn to be careful about who you trust."
Ladybug was not that upset with Alya, especially since Alya had stopped trying to get her and Lila to become "friends." But, she still wanted Alya to learn about these things in case anyone else tried something like Lila had. Lying about being friends with a hero to gain attention.
"I think a lot of people learned a very good lesson today," White Wolf stated, smirking at Lila while she glared at the heroes.
"If I was in Harry Potter, this would be my Patronus memory," Cat Noir snickered while also looking at Lila.
"Bug out," Ladybug says.
The heroes then all left. Slowly, the students returned to their classes. The battle had not been that long, so they did still have to return to class.
"Hello," Chloe yelled from the janitor's closet. "Hello! Get me out of this filthy place! I demand it! Let me out right now! This is ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!"
No one heard her. And even if they did, they wouldn't care.
#miraculous#miraculous fandom#ml salt#original character#lila salt#i hate chloe#chloe salt#halloween#original akuma#original heroes#original miraculous
58 notes
·
View notes
Note
[Letter Event!]
{Minecraft crossovering time with whatever au(s) you choose!}
--------------------------
(Uh oh! The WiFi in your entire area is out, and you can't play Minecraft with your friend!
(Thankfully, this is the perfect time to write down some information about the game your friend hasn't learned yet.
(Except after looking away from the papers for one second, it vanished.
(Aww maaaan!)
•°•°•°•°•°•°•
(In another world, Il Dottore splays open folded writings not intended for him or Teyvat)
--- 📝 ---
Nether Portal = 3x2 obsidian frame, vertical. Corners don't need to be obsidian. Activate by lighting with flint and steel.
Brewing Stand = 3 cobblestone + blaze rod
Blaze Powder is needed for brewing, craft with blaze rods
Enchantment Table = 4 obsidian + 2 diamonds + book
The more bookshelf surrounding an enchantment table, the better the enchants. 15 bookshelves yield the best enchants, but more expensive.
Lapis lazuli is needed to enchant as are levels and EXP.
(included in the papers are an assortment of scribbles, some 3x3 boxes with doodles inside and a large doodle next to them, a 3x2 black box with the corners crossed out with red, a yellow stick with an arrow next to it pointing to yellow dusts, and more, as if to illustrate the author's instructions.)
--- 📝 ---
(There was much, much more to the contents of the papers, that seemed to write down every little detail about this Nether Dimension, several Potions that could be made through this "brewing stand", and what was perhaps everything to this Enchanting.)
-------------------------
{Dottore has all the knowledge about the Nether Dimension, Brewing, and Enchanting in Minecraft, but will the rules of the block game apply itself to Teyvat? That's for you to dictate.}
{Does Dottore follow the papers to the letter (despite not even knowing wtf a crafting table is) or figure out a different means of crafting?}
{Does he keep this knowledge to himself or reveal it?}
{Does any attempt to follow the papers end in failure or success?}
{Let's find out!}
MINECRAFT AU??? OMFG I LOVE MINCRAFT AUS SKEKEJNSK <3
Minecraft is my most favorite thing on earth <3,so let's do this
****
At first,he tries to tackle it on his own. He sends out any agent he can get his hands on to find this "obsidian". He doesn't find too much,considering Tevyat has a very limited supply. He then tries to make it. He isn't very successful,and people are starting to get suspicious. So,he does what any scientist would do in his situation. Keep going. He tries again and again and again,yet he simply cannot make this "obsidian". He studies the papers quite thoroughly,even making his own notes here and there,but he cannot make heads or tails of it. He wonders if this "nether dimension" is even real. It had to be,considering the papers just randomly appeared on his desk one day,and he didn't see anyone place them there.
At this point he's scrapped all other projects to focus on this one,and it's quite the expensive endeavor. One that's been raising even more suspicion. However,one day he strikes gold. The people he sent out to find obsidian found a vein in Liyue. Perfect. Now he can see what this "dimension" is all about.
Back in your world,a shiver runs up your spine. You have no idea why,but something tells you that something weird is going to happen soon. And you'd be right.
****
Heh hehehe what is Dottore gonna do? We'll find out! Very very soon hopefully...
Anyway,this ask genuinely made my minecraft loving heart very happy,so thank you anon <3
#genshin impact sagau#genshin sagau#sagau#sagau genshin#♡mist answer's<3♡#sagau Dottore#♡letters from another world♡<3#sagau x minecraft#maybe i write more minecraft au's...🤔🤔
131 notes
·
View notes
Note
Since we're a magic less student if we were painting the roses we'd have to do it by hand and probably prick our finger
Can I request heartslabyul boys giving them a white rose and magically changing it's colour in their hands after they get banned from helping because their fingers are now full of bandages
sorry anonn, I can't write the entire heartslabyul gang since the character limit per request is 3. i hope you don't mind my choice of characters.
do request again if it doesn't satisfy you though! ^^
Skin punctured, palms encased in thick layers of bandages lest grime and paint toxins plague your injured hand. Each move of a muscle resulted in the horrible sensation of phantom needles digging its way into your skin.
Aside from the holes caused by the thorns, a deep and unsightly gash made its way across your forearm. It too needed the same, if not more, layers of bandages.
Another trip to the infirmary, you thought.
Now, back in the comfort of your own dorm, you rested your weary body. You made sure to thoroughly wash, disinfect and apply more bandages before you retired for the night. But for now, you sat on the gray cushions of your rickety lounge.
Three roses neatly sat on a makeshift vase— a taller than usual cup with water. Each rose was different from the other, reminiscent of the bachelors that offered them to you.
The first rose wasn't natural, its blue coloration set it apart from the rest. Honest work, you can commend that. Memories of an embarrassed Deuce Spade ran through your mind.
"Now...turn red!" he announced, the light in his pen flickered like a near-busted light bulb. "It's...blue?"
True enough the once white flower was turned into a deep blue, the same shade as lapis lazuli. You picked it up, careful not to prick yourself again on its dastardly spines.
"Wait! I can make another one— just give me another chance. I can prove that—"
"I like it," you chuckled, marveling at Deuce's accidental masterpiece. The rose's petals possessed a beautiful gradient from azure to pure white, akin to foamy ocean waves against the shore. "If you say so..."
"Oh wait! I forgot the pie!" Deuce panicked, quickly dashing towards the door.
"I'll be back! Just uhh— just wait for me 'kay? I promise you it's a good pie!"
You moved on to the second...rose? It looks nothing like a rose, It was more stem than rose, add the fact that the rose was slathered in still wet paint.
"Hey, hey~ If it isn't my favorite campus cryptid!" Ace hollered from across the hall, the lazily prepared flower in hand.
"What's that?" you ogled at what Ace was carrying. "A rose, duh. Did the medicine turn your brain to goop or what?"
"That's a rose?"
"Not the point, see what I did there? Anyways, got you this," he tossed you an expensive-looking bottle, decorated with shell patterns and pale purple.
"Prick."
"Touché, MC, touché."
Oh.
"Now before you tell me off," Ace seemed to read your thoughts, "I bought it," he waved the receipt in your face.
"It's a healing ointment, I can apply some on you if you like~" Ace playfully wiggled his eyebrows.
"I'm touched, but I can manage just fine."
"You must be fun at parties," he sighed.
Now the third rose was perfect. Trimmed and brightly colored, it was nothing but astounding perfection in every inch.
"To offer you just a rose would be unprofessional," Riddle offered you the rose first before handing you a box, "I prepared this myself, mind you."
"I apologize for my oversight and lack of supervision. This whole ordeal would've been prevented if I'd only been more cautious."
Inside the box was an appetizing serving of red velvet cake, its appetizing scent beckoned forth your tiny Behemoth— Grim.
"No oyster sauce this time?"
"I've already memorized the recipe, its better than last time. That, I can assure you," Riddle was smug. "Seriously, I'd choose Advanced Alchemy over baking any day."
"Let's dig in then!" NRC's resident weasel announced, clawing at the delectable treat.
A sigh escaped Riddle's lips, "Wash your hands— er, paws, at least."
#twst#twisted wonderland#disney twisted wonderland#gn!mc#gender neutral reader#twst grim#riddle rosehearts x reader#ace trappola x reader#deuce spade x reader#deuce spade#ace trappola#riddle rosehearts#twst oneshot#twst scenarios#twst imagines#twst drabble#answered ask#writing#my writing#twst x reader
490 notes
·
View notes
Text
@highlighteretcigarettes okay so just posting tags separately because that post was getting long and this is now a whole side topic BUT!!! Re: witch-washing.
Bullet points just to organize my thoughts:
Wrt to the marketing of it all, this is something I noticed first in bookstores as someone who used to constantly hang out in the religion sections as a tween. It used to be that in chain bookstores "New Age" was either right next to general religion (aka mostly Christianity and then small spots for everything else), OR one aisle over. Nowadays I've noticed chains like B&N put MUCH more distance between the two areas - like one of my local ones has them in wholly different floors. And it's now "Spirituality" I think? A lot of the category labels seem to no longer say neo-pagan/pagan or even new age, it's just "spirituality" and "astrology."
Actually I think this is very intentional. I think I've seen this in indie bookstores too, but B&N is a definite for this: they shelve next to diet, health, and cookbooks now. Not religion. Keep in mind I grew up in a red state in a heavily Christian area, and back then, new age was still in the same general area as the rest of religion at the local Borders or Walden's or B&N. Now, it's holistic health, diet, exercise, cookbooks, and spirituality.
It doesn't escape me that this is entirely "things we can market as lifestyles that someone can buy into." These publishers clearly broke into the capitalist market and have thrived there. I suspect that for the booksellers and publishers, the distancing from the rest of religion (a "status quo") is intentional. It's like what hot topic is to goth subculture.
Although like you said, I don't think this is limited to chain stores even. I've seen plenty of small new age/spirituality/pagan shops irl, and can't recall a single one that didn't also sell tons of cheap mass produced trinkets, often hyping up their hand crafted quality or the exoticness of the item obtained. Cheap mass produced junk is probably in every religion of course, but yeah, there IS a bigger sense of "buying things" in some religions more than others. Christian evangelicals do this with precious moments figurines and their wall o'crosses decor. Pagans have their own versions of that kind of spiritual consumerism. I do often walk away with the sense that if there was a market population to support it, it would be just as capitalistic and hallmark-y. Lots of shit on Etsy is mass produced and repackaged too.
Idk if it's also free elsewhere off the top of my head, but there's an article you could read free on jstor if you sign up - search "plastic shamanism" and man oh man. 10/10 article about cultural appropriation and mass marketing of indigenous religions to non-natives.
(You probably relate to this sentiment): I am Begging EVERYONE, pagan or not, crystal bitch or otherwise: STOP BUYING LAPIS LAZULI!!!! STOP. WHO EXACTLY DO YOU THINK IS EARNING MONEY FROM MINING IN AFGHANISTAN? PRAY TELL?? Stop buying this one expensive blue rock for your energy aura or whatever.
(Also this one): Also as the child of a parent who grew up in a mining company town, and whose grandfather was a chemist for the company, (and who loved me a shiny rock long before crystal everything): stop buying overpriced rocks constantly. At least CONSIDER how they obtained these particular rocks before you buy them willy nilly. Don't buy 30 million crystals and geodes and whatever else mined and polished and all of that, and then claim to love the environment without any sense of irony. The best and coolest rocks are the ones you find and pick yourself anyways, everyone knows that.
I think this is true of any religious objects but like, the best ones are either personally crafted OR made by small artisans and it just sucks that a lot of small businesses try to pass off their goods as things they actually personally designed (even for factory production) or made, when they didn't do either. I personally have taken a lot of time purchasing/obtaining my permanent basic Judaica for a variety of reasons, my feelings about consumption and things (and Jewish thoughts on craftsmanship and beautiful things), being part of that. I think a lot of people have that struggle, where religious objects so often are kinda...produced like they're just future garbage - again, in any religion.
14 notes
·
View notes
Note
Questions
LAPIS LAZULI
1)how would be a fight between Lapis lazuli and Black pearl?
2)Black pearl would have empaty and will understand lapis (because the two were abandoned for a long time)
3)What would think/feel Black pearl of lapis
DIAMONDS
4)Black Pearl hates all the diamonds equally or she hates more one in special
5)There is a diamond that Black pearl tolerate or dont hate as others
6)What would happend of Black pearl fuse with White diamond?Black pearl doesnt have any color and absorb light when she fuse and White diamond is light and everycolor of light,would Black pearl die of too much light?will it be like a normal fusion but would leave little zones without light like only darkness and like if they continue fusing Black pearl would absorb/eliminate all the light of White or directly they cant fuse
MOONSTONE
7)what happened to the Moonstone that lie to White and Yellow and "saw" the future of Black pearl ¿did she escape?
NO GEM IN GENERAL
8)There is a gem(not counting the diamonds and fusions) that can win against Bp?
9)And a gem (now counting fusions) that can win against BP?
10)Is there a gem that is smarter than Bp in every sense or that atleast could compete with her?
11)there is any gem that is more powerfull than Black pearl or that can compete with her?
12)How are you??
13)final question
Could Lapis lazuli and Jasper beat Bp
I read that Jasper in terms of strength is more powerfull thant Bp because Jasper is the perfect quartz and I personally think that the skills of lapis with water can compete/win against that strange ability of Bp of manipulating darkness so after saying all that, jasper and lapis stand a chance of winning Bp?
SORRY IF THERE ARE TO MUCH QUESTIONS!!!!!
Woah that's a long list of questions;; I will try to answer them all but in shortest answers I can come up with.
LAPIS LAZULI
1) How would be a fight between Lapis lazuli and Black pearl?
Lapis would be a formidable enemy depends on the environment, i.e Earth, with her massive control over waters. However, massive control doesn't really mean invulnerable so Black Pearl will come up with a way to reach Lapis through her defence for fatal blow.
2) Black pearl would have empaty and will understand lapis (because the two were abandoned for a long time)
No. Even though Black Pearl will be able to see the similarity of their circumstances, she can no longer empathize to anyone. The Project Black made her into a psychopath who lacks the abilities to empathize with others.
3) What would think/feel Black pearl of Lapis
Mainly, I thinks Black Pearl would find Lapis pathetic. Because Lapis tends to run away from problems as a first response.
DIAMONDS
4) Black Pearl hates all the diamonds equally or she hates more one in special?
Well, Black Pearl's order of hate list on Diamonds goes in following order; Yellow- White - Blue - Pink.
5) There is a diamond that Black pearl tolerate or dont hate as others?
Black Pearl doesn't hate Blue, actually. Blue was the most empathtic towards Pink and had no relation to Project Black or her suffering.
6) What would happend of Black pearl fuse with White diamond?
Black Pearl won't be able to force-fuse with White Diamond, since she can't overpower a Diamond. But let's just say they both consented and decided to fuse somehow. The resulting fusion would be more dominant of White Diamond than Black pearl, because their power level is just that different. But it wouldn't kill Black Pearl or anyhthing if the fusion is mutually consenting.
MOONSTONE
7) What happened to the Moonstone that lie to White and Yellow and "saw" the future of Black pearl ¿did she escape?
Yes, she got rescued and escaped from White Diamond and Homeworld with Jade and other rebel gem's help. ... and someone else entirely.
NO GEM IN GENERAL
8) There is a gem(not counting the diamonds and fusions) that can win against Bp?
It will be hard to find any singular gem that can win against Black Pearl, unless their ability is really doesn't mix well with Black Pearl. Black Pearl is basically a gem super-soldier. It's be hard to find any normal gem to defeat an enhanced gem.
However, in this AU, there's other warrior gems who could wipe floor with Black Pearl, especially in Old World time period of mine.
9)And a gem (now counting fusions) that can win against BP?
any combat fusion with enough gem could defeat Black Pearl in a straight fight, because that's no longer 1:1.
Black Pearl power level is roughly about somewhere between 2 to 3 combat gem fusion. so if the fusion is more than that, they all have a fair chance to defeat Black Pearl.
10) Is there a gem that is smarter than Bp in every sense or that atleast could compete with her?
Well, Black Pearl is smart in general, but she's more like, "knows a little bit of everything" type smart, not "genious in her field" type smart. So, I'd say there's plenty of smart gems around other than Black Pearl.
11) there is any gem that is more powerfull than Black pearl or that can compete with her?
well, it's not a canon character, but one of my Old World gem, Gold is A LOT stronger than Black Pearl. so, there's that.
12) How are you??
I'm doing great! Thanks! :>
13) Could Lapis lazuli and Jasper beat Bp?
Yes. individually, I'd say they would lose against Black Pearl in a close match. But if they are teaming up against Black Pearl(and assuming their teamwork is not disastrous), yes, they can very much take on Black Pearl.
Welp, That's about it! I hope that answers your curiosity enough. :>
19 notes
·
View notes
Text
@gazelessmenagerie said- /holds up the choices of 🥦, Mauga, or N'doul
get galaxied lol
What if I did all three of them? lol
I said this a year ago and I'll say it again, Realgars have Broly energy! They just do. It was so easy to figure this out actually. Realgars are pretty strong as is, but I think Broly here would be a perfect cut Realgar. Perfect cut Gems are the cream of the crop when it comes to their particular gemtypes and tend to be way stronger than them as well. A perfect analogy to Broly being well, the Legendary Super Saiyan.
I'm not kidding. I think Mauga would be a Realgar too! Although the reasoning I have is kind of just "it makes sense to me" though so fhnjgfhngjg. And maybe because he acts a lot like some of the Realgars I've seen in roleplays. I do think he'd have his regular weapon though because I feel like Realgars' weapons in general are made and given to the entire gemtype.
Listen, this was so obvious. Geb is a water Stand, Lapis Lazulis have control over water, it just makes sense. N'doul would still be blind (also obviously) but I think he'd be able to hang on through sheer stubbornness and through utilizing his water manipulation abilities in entirely different ways to get his job done avoid being shattered. Yes, he still does the cane sonar thing.
in game blurbs about both gems under the cut
"These towering terrors belong to Omega Red's Entourage and are the Highest Ranking Gem within her entire court! Embodying the ruthlessness and sporadic nature of Omega Red herself, they serve as highly-decorated and wildly respected juggernauts, barreling into battle and acting as a beacon of unbridled power, leading their fearless troops to victory!" - In game description
"Lapis Lazulis are insanely skilled water-terraformers. They can slash tidal waves through massive boulders with a swift movement of their hands. They can lift contents of an entire mass of water with efficient speed and transport it anywhere they need for the reconstruction of an organic planet. They pair with other terraformers well and can reform an entire planet in just a moon if they worked on it." -In game description
#//fun fact about the realgars: their horns are actually hair! they're just hardened sections of hair that they can relax at any time!#//also heavily debated making mauga a jasper bc he also had quartz written all over him but i was like ehhh realgar actually#//also realgars get their orders straight from omega red (redacted now) or are trusted enough to make decisions themselves and HOO BOY#//THAT WOULD NOT BE GREAT WITH BROLY#//ESPECIALLY WITH HOW HIGH UP THEY ARE? BORDERLINE UNTOUCHABLE WITH WHATEVER THEY DO#//don't really have much to say about n'doul#//he's just. lapis.#//his poor terraforming partner though. if he'd have one. he'd probably terraform solo though#backup log {ooc}#gazelessmenagerie#long post
2 notes
·
View notes
Note
Opinion on steven universe
1 who are you
2, its one of those things that i dunno jackshit about the plot, but almost entirely know because my specbio brain latched onto it to find whatever it can
so, the gems are one of very few silicon-lifeforms in media that aren't just flat-out rock people
i mean they are rock people, but you know what I mean
so, the actual body of the gem is encased in a hard crystalline shell, and the humanoid form is just manipulated light
that's why they only die when the core gem is broken, that's where all their organs are
don't ask me how this is possible, i don't wanna think about it
they SEEM to procreate asexually? no gems seem to actually have sexes, the whole woman thing seems to be entirely aesthetic
i don't know what the deal with the bacteriophage looking things are, they seem entirely artificial, but that means that the gem species either invented a better way to create more of themselves, or they just buried new gems in the ground, or something
they seem almost eusocial, with white diamond being MAYBE their progenitor? is she a bultzman brain? an IRMA?
certain gems have different morphs, pearls are servants, diamonds are rulers, lapis lazuli are something, peridots are technical wizzes, rubies are seers, but if i had to guess, these don't actually reflect what type of crystal their shells are composed of, especially considering that, as far as we know, pearls are exclusive to earth animals
maybe they just notice that they look like these rocks and go, "oh hey, that's my name now"
generally
pretty good silicon-life
no clue about the humans
why can a human fuse with a human-gem hybrid
is steven just that quartz lady's light form, made of flesh??
what the fuck
20 notes
·
View notes
Text
Actual doodles in class this time! They're kinda ugly tho since they're mostly for me to playtest the general gist of how they're like as a character(?) Idk how to properly describe it.
TL;DR: I talk a bit about the characters depicted here—— an unnamed character with a halo (+ her younger child self) and Maylisa, the character depicted in the bottom right.
↓↓ Click here if you'd like to know more! ↓↓
It's not obvious since these doodles were from quite a while ago, but the unnamed character here, specifically her younger self, was also present in a previous post. To be percise, it's the Orenji post with Magpierre where she was seen walking with her and the lyrics "That faraway island, covered in morning glow" was written overhead.
I haven't sorted through her entire story yet but she's based off of a Steven Universe OC I had when I was younger called "Crystal", so I'll be calling her that for now.
Of course, if you know anything about SU, you'd know that it doesn't make any sense for a Gem to be called a "Crystal" since crystals aren't gems. But because I was kinda of an odd child when I was younger (still am, I have very bad reading comprehension so I understand things differently), I wanted a character that was based off of the Cluster because I thought they (it?) were an awfully cool concept that was honestly very underused considering how much of a threat they were played out to be.
Basically what I'm trying to say is that the original "Crystal" was actually NOT a whole gem, but is actually a more stable version of the small Cluster gems shown throughout the show, y'know those weirdly formed hands and feet?
Here, the original "Crystal" was a Cluster Gem made out of 80% Sapphires and 20% Lapis Lazuli, an experiment by the Diamonds to see if they can reuse, reduce, recycle™ the shattered remains of the soldiers from the opposing Crystal Gems' forces. Partially because Sapphires are rare and they were running out of them due to the war, the other is to see if they can still maintain the abilities of a Sapphire and their consciousness despite them being a merge of multiple different Sapphires. After all, they were cut from the exact same cloth, no?
Now, you might be asking: "Didn't you literally just state that they're 20% Lapis Lazuli as well, why aren't you bringing that up?"
Well about that, like any good Manhwa author (fuck them mfs for leaving me on a cliffhanger every single episode😭😭), I will leave it to the actual post I'll be making for the original "Crystal", since I just managed to find an old artwork of her (along with a BUNCH of notes) while typing this out.
Damn, the post's getting a bit long so I'll have to speed up the pace.
As I mentioned in a couple paragraphs before, I don't have the full story and personality set up for the new "Crystal" yet. However, the basis of her entire story is that she's kind of this semi-immortal, living artifact of history who's been through most of the major historical events herself. "Semi-immortal" because the sole reason she's still alive is because of the numerous amounts of gems/gemshards she's embedded into her skin (for story reasons, I'll clarify more in the future).
I don't particularly feel like addressing this part but, she used to be this experimented-on child that escaped from a run down laboratory (right before the calendar changed) with her friend, who's a merge between one of the Anguished and their original self. Said friend was already long dead before Maylisa came to find "Crystal" (or hell, way before Maylisa was ever born tbh), but I'll try to find some time to talk about them as well since they're also based off of an old OC of mine that I'd repurposed for this universe.
There were a lot more I'd like to talk about (stuff like how Crystal escaped from the laboratory, how she was experimented on, how her friendship with the other experiments came to be formed, what happened after she left), but I don't want to leave future me with a bunch of retcons and a lack of explanations so, I'll be going more in-depth once I sort out her as a character!
See you on Sunday! B) I'll probably be posting fanart then? Maybe?
#traditional art#traditional artist#trad art#art#small artist#new artist#artist support#artist#artists support artists#artist on tumblr#pen artworks#pen artwork#pen art#original character#orignal character#character design#orginal character design#steven universe oc#steven universe
3 notes
·
View notes
Text
Finals just ended and the tag is dead so I’m gonna try to remedy that with some AUs! I personally really like rocks so I’m gonna cycle through some Taleblr/Steven Universe headcanons so I have an excuse to look at rocks!!! My system goes that all rocks a feasible for anything unless given a reason otherwise… So.
Information below the cut!
TALEBLR AS SU GEMS
Acachalla Family:
I think that story-wise, they’d probably be a group of gems who likely all came to earth independently of each other from different starting points! Papa and Gertrude might the the only ones who were alive during Rose Quartz’s time of the bunch, but they likely never fought in the Earth resistance itself… Also I’m keeping Papa’s time as a Cowboy.
Papa Acachalla — Imperial Topaz on his upper back.
Gertrude Acachalla — Pyrite on her navel.
Billy Acachalla — I’m not entirely sure but I think his gem is a little fucked up. I’m thinking a mix of Sapphire and…. Opal, but not a fusion, onnnn his leg.
Sally Acachalla — (Chipped) Condor Agate on her chest.
Spencer Acachalla — Overcooked Moissanite on his forehead.
Sue Acachalla — Pearl on the back of her hand.
The Paranormal Investigators Extraordinaire:
I think that PIE would be going around on corrupted gem-collecting duty. They’re just trying to get through the day!
Johnny Ghost / Jimmy Casket — I’m not sure about Ghost, but I think Casket should be a Bloodstone. I’m lowkey considering having Ghost be a person being “possessed” by a corrupted gem. Alternatives are Ghost being partially-corrupted Bloodstone, or a gem that was made weird and has Bloodstone inside of it. The other option is Spectrolite
Johnny Toast — Lapis Lazuli on his palm!
Fred “Spooker” Soup — Pink Morganite on his eye!
Chris Ghostie — Also considering having him be a human person who just stumbled into the gem stuff one day!
Related!:
Maddie-Friend — Also Pyrite!
Chakalata — Either also a morganite or an emerald
Poppy — I think it’d be interesting if she was a half-human morganite. Not like Ghost, but like Steven (RIP BB you will be missed)
CBF — Same gem (but corrupted) as whatever gem ends up connected with Ghost… or a corrupted aquamarine
Gavin Toast — Lapis Lazuli on his lower back, from the same vein as his brother.
More Details:
I included some stones who don’t appear or only appear in fusions so here’s my thoughts on those—
Both Maddie and Gertrude have a history of being sneaky, so I wanted to pick something that could be… spy-ish… so Pyrite.
I think Opals should be able to be healers since the stone is known to refract light and gems are made of light!
Condor Agate is named after a bird so I def. Want them to be able to do some bird-related stuff.
Moissanite are a lot like diamonds, so I think they’d take militaristic general or commander positions in the Diamond’s court if they appear at all… but Spencer is overcooked, so he mostly does his own thing
Bloodstone is spooky rock with blood in name woooooooo
#Steven universe#SU is one of the more controversial things I’ve decided to talk about so im writing out the full tag for ppl who have the tag blocked 👍#taleblr su au#papa acachalla#Gertrude Acachalla#Billy Acachalla#Sally Acachalla#Spencer Acachalla#Sue Acachalla#Johnny Ghost#Johnny Toast#Spooker Soup#Chris Ghostie#Gavin Toast#Poppy Soup#Chakalata Soup#Cardboard Friend#Maddie-Friend
3 notes
·
View notes
Text
LIGHT OF LIFE 462
John 1:4
DIVINE ORDER 27: BEGINNING OF MARRIAGE 5
Eph 5:25 And to the HUSBANDS, YOU ARE TO DEMONSTRATE LOVE FOR YOUR WIVES WITH THE SAME TENDER DEVOTION THAT CHRIST DEMONSTRATED TO US, HIS BRIDE. For HE DIED FOR US, SACRIFICING HIMSELF TPT
THE MAN’S MANDATES
While Genesis Chapter 2 gave a few details about the Creation Order in chapter 1, it majored on the establishment of Humanity in certain cogent Areas.
1. His Residence: With assured Protection included.
Gen 2:8 And the Lord God made a garden in the east, in Eden; and THERE HE PUT THE MAN WHOM HE HAD MADE. BBE
2. His Daily Provisions: Not just what he can eat but what he prefers or chooses to eat.
Gen 2:9 The LORD God placed all kinds of beautiful trees and fruit trees in the garden. Two other trees were in the middle of the garden. One of the trees gave life—the other gave the power to know the difference between right and wrong. CEV
3. His Wealth & Abundance: Take note that it is the 1st river that bears the precious things.
Gen 2:11-12 The name of the FIRST is Pishon; it runs through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. (The gold of that land is pure; pearls and lapis lazuli are also there). NET
4. His Job: this was divided into two forms.
Firstly, he had to cultivate the Garden where his general provision and wealth lay in. He must work to generate his food and income.
Gen 2:15 The LORD God put the man in the Garden of Eden TO WORK THE SOIL AND TAKE CARE OF THE GARDEN. ERV
Secondly, he had the role of Dominating the rest of Creation by ensuring that all things went well and according to God’s intent.
This is to be his essence to all lifeforms.
Gen 2:19 The LORD God had formed all the wild animals and all the birds out of the ground. THEN HE BROUGHT THEM TO THE MAN to see what he would call them. WHATEVER THE MAN CALLED EACH CREATURE BECAME ITS NAME. GW
Please take note that God “brought them to the Man” in the Garden (his domain).
When a Man is set on fulfilling God’s Mandate for his life, the Job is made easy and his connection with the elements of his responsibility is smooth.
Last thing God worked out for man was:
5. His Marital Partnership: It was made evident that Man needed to have a Partner.
Gen 2:18 Then the LORD God said, "I SEE that it is not good for the man to be alone. I WILL MAKE THE COMPANION HE NEEDS, ONE JUST RIGHT FOR HIM." ERV
THE NEED FOR WOMAN
It is very important to note that God does things in perfect Order.
He mentioned this need just before Man’s engagement with the rest of Creation; his job of Calling and essence.
It was necessary, as the Man had begun to feel the need for Companionship, to make him understand that his companion will “never” be found amongst the Created world or animals.
Gen 2:20 The man gave names to all livestock, and to the birds of the sky, and to every animal of the field; BUT FOR MAN THERE WAS NOT FOUND A HELPER COMPARABLE TO HIM. WEB
Any man who concludes that he does not need a woman to “make it” in life, is foolishly naughty.
Both God and the Man [practically] reached this conclusion in scripture above.
Mat 19:10-11 His disciples spoke up and said, “IF THIS IS THE STANDARD, then it seems better to never get married.” “Not everyone is meant to remain single—ONLY THOSE WHOM GOD GIVES GRACE TO BE UNMARRIED. TPT
There are a few Men - like Paul - who are given the grace to remain unmarried.
1Co 7:7-9 I wish that all of you were like me, BUT GOD HAS GIVEN DIFFERENT GIFTS TO EACH OF US. Here is my advice for people who have never been married and for widows. YOU SHOULD STAY SINGLE, JUST AS I AM. BUT if you don't have ENOUGH SELF-CONTROL, then go ahead and get married. After all, it is better to marry than to burn with desire. CEV
Well, Paul’s desire can’t be granted for many men because Humanity will crash totally.
Men need women to COMPLETE them because Women were FORMED with Part of Men.
Gen 2:21-22 Then the LORD God made the man fall into a deep sleep, and while he was sleeping, he took out one of the man's ribs and closed up the flesh. He formed a woman out of the rib and brought her to him. GNB
May we all experiences COMPLETENESS in our Marriages, IN JESUS NAME.
Come back on Friday, as we proceed in digging into this inspiring Subtopic.
Brother Prince
Wednesday, January 24, 2023
08055125517; 08023904307
0 notes
Note
" judge me all you want, but this blanket fort has brought me more peace than anything else in my entire life. "
when he walks into the apartment, late at night, & flicks on the lights, miguel certainly isn't expecting to see the couch completely gone from its proper place, or all of the chairs ( including the kitchen island's stools ) moved from their original positions. the tv, which has always been mounted on the wall, is gone, which is disconcerting. where the fuck did the tv go? his first thought, perhaps stupidly, is maybe ethan's apartment on the fifth floor of the apartment complex got robbed. in fact, where did everything else go? the state of the apartment can be likened to a tornado blowing through, chaos left in its wake.
miguel's thumb immediately moves to hover over the lighter blue lapis lazuli band on his engagement ring, the eldritch panic alarm. just in case. ❝ ethan? sam? robby? tory? ❞ he calls out, confusion clear in his tone. he hears the sound of ethan's wings fluttering from somewhere further in the apartment, & he blinks when the lights overhead flicker a few times rapidly. the sink faucet turns on, despite miguel being in front of the doorway... & nowhere near the sink.
okay. ethan's here. that's good.
❝ we're in our room! ❞ tory responds. he can sort-of hear tory's voice from inside the blanket fort, which is located in their bedroom.
he relaxes, then toes off his shoes at the doorway, messing with his hair for a second. he moves further into the apartment, barely pausing to shrug off ethan's his jacket from his body, tossing it on the kitchen island.
when miguel enters their bedroom, he certainly isn’t expecting to see a gigantic fort, but he supposes he should have, given the fact that his fiancé is an eldritch being capable of literally anything. he's careful not to trip on any of the blankets edges as he approaches the opening of the masterfully constructed blanket fort, crouching down to see who's inside. ethan is curled up next to robby with his head on his fiancé's chest, his eyes closed, earplugs in. black, this time, miguel notices. it could mean nothing, that ethan just wanted to wear the black colored earplugs, but it could mean something more. ethan’s larger, first set of ink-black wings are wrapped carefully around robby in an almost protective cocoon. tory is sitting on the other side of ethan in the fort, sprawled comfortably out. she's texting emma.
❝ uh... is everything okay? ❞ miguel asks, blinking a few times.
tory looks up at him, then puts her phone on her chest. ❝ ethan wanted to ❝ relax in style ❞, so we made a blanket fort. there’s more than enough room for you & sam to fit in here, too. if you want to join us. ❞ she runs her hand through ethan's brown hair. he doesn't open his eyes. he doesn't greet miguel, either, which confuses miguel a little bit. he looks over at tory for an explanation. ❝ he's nonverbal right now. he had a nightmare earlier. i think it’s why he wanted to build the blanket fort. ❞ tory explains quietly. she keeps her tone light, but there's concern in her eyes.
miguel grimaces slightly, wincing.
❝ judge me all you want, but this blanket fort has brought me more peace than anything else in my entire life. ❞ he looks over when @taughtpain speaks, then laughs lightly, a small grin touching his lips.
❝ trust me, there's no judgement here. blanket forts are cool. especially when they can be made even better by a pretty cute eldritch being. ❞ it’s also a good distraction for a distressed eldritch, so that’s a bonus in miguel’s eyes. ❝ you in particular look cozy… ❞ his eyes slide towards ethan, who grunts softly in his sleep, nudging robby’s chest slightly, ❝ not as much as eth, though, i think. ❞ miguel reaches a hand out, patting ethan’s knee lightly to wake him up. the taller boy cracks an eye open, pupil flashing red for a split second. miguel startles slightly; he’s still not used to seeing ethan’s eyes glowing different colors. ethan says nothing, but relaxes. then, he sits up slightly, drawing his knees up to his chest, wings disappearing.
miguel takes the opportunity actually to scoot into the blanket fort, a hand reaching out to cup ethan’s face gently, eyes searching his. he just wants to check up on him. ethan melts into the contact, his right hand reaching up to place itself over miguel’s. ❝ are you sure you’re okay? ❞ miguel whispers. ethan hesitates for a split second, then gives a small nod. he doesn’t exactly believe him, but he won’t push him for answers. he doesn’t want to upset ethan any more than he already is. miguel’s eyes flash over towards robby. ❝ scoot over, keene. i’m gonna settle in next to you. ❞ he winks at robby. ethan’s lips pull up into a small smirk, & his eyes flicker yellow, signaling amusement. miguel’s doing his best to make ethan feel better, & it seems to be working.
point, diaz-wilson!
1 note
·
View note
Photo
BASE TRAVEL GEAR
Characters left to right:
Tiye / Feyren / Diore / Isenne / Kialle
First lineup for the Dalish Redux costume design project. The base travel gear is the most general of the designs and the one that adheres the most to Dragon Age canon costuming. I wanted to keep the high collar since its one of the only canon designs that feels very unique to the Dalish, but the rest is an amalgamation of many different cultures. The ones I referenced the most for theses designs were Turkish/Mid Eastern traditional clothing, Serbian, Scythian, Greek, Peruvian, and Ukranian. These are designed for a more temperate climate, places like the Hinterlands and Crestwood.
I know I complained a ton about the chainmail in my text post, but these designs are also post Conclave Inquisition designs, so there would be access to metalworking. I figured I would reference the og chainmail since it’s so prevalent in the Dalish designs, but only on the warrior character. I still think it’s dumb.
Material-wise, most of the decorative cloth and under-layers here would be Halla-wool weave, so very silky and smooth, probably supplemented with linen from plant fibers for stiffer, thicker fabrics. As far as I know, the Dalish do not keep any other herd animals than Halla, so any additional fabrics would either be traded or cultivated from plant fiber. For instance, the shirt on the middle figure, Diore, I imagine as linen-esque cloth,
Historical fun fact: In Ancient Egypt, linen was the most commonly used fabric as the Egyptians thought that sheep’s wool was dirty. That is actually true. Sheep’s wool is covered in a water-resistant substance called ‘lanolin’ that is full of bacteria and can cause serious infections if it gets on your face or in a wound. The reason that Egyptian cloth in the Ancient world was white/cream is because one of the plants that linen is made from, papyrus, is naturally white when spun into cloth. Untreated linen is difficult to dye, and the early Egyptians did not know how to treat linen to strip the protective outer layer that prevents dye from sticking, but the Egyptians loved color. Instead of colorful clothes, they wore incredible jewelry made with opaque stones like lapis lazuli, carnelian, and jade. Translucent stones were more valuable in the rest of the world, but not popular at all in Egypt because there was no other way to decorate themselves with bright color than through jeweled ornamentation.
On the subject of linen, I’m not actually entirely sure what plant fibers exist in the world of Thedas, so it’s hard to say what textile would be used for the plant cloth. Plants under the ‘flax’ denomination can all be used to make linen, and flax grows in a temperate climate. So temperate clothes=linen cloth for the sake of this project. The materials available will change with climate, so linen may not always be used.
Cotton does exist in Dragon Age, but cotton production and cotton farming would not be something that the Dalish would do, and it takes a lot of cotton from the plant to make the fabric itself, so I’m going to assume that any cotton that the Dalish have is likely looted or traded. I do imagine that, if the Dalish did have cotton, the most likely use for it would be the sails for the aravels, but for the sake of this project, we’re just going to say ‘no cotton.’
Outer layers would be either more linen or buckskin made from either halla or whatever animals that the Dalish would bring back from a hunt.
Everything here would be colorful! The linen and buckskin would be the least colorful due to the nature of the fabric themselves and the difficulty dyeing the cloth. But they would both be embroidered with ‘silk’ halla thread in all colors of the rainbow.
The leather is halla leather, as usual, and Isenne’s armor is based off of the image of Shartan and Solas’ Fen’Harel armor. I’m not exactly sure what metal that stuff is in game because it is super thin and flexible as fuck, but it’s pretty and I was kind of tired of drawing the woven leather lol. Also ignore that Isenne is the only one with weapons I was just not feeling prop design but I already had the daggers drawn out.
I’m working on getting cold weather gear out next, I just need to construct and apply some more patterns. Should hopefully be posted in the next week or two.
#dragon age#dragon age inquisition#Dalish Redux#dalish culture#dalish#dragon age fandom#textile history#character design
49 notes
·
View notes
Note
Continuation of theory- a blue sapphire, right? Then again. Even though the crustal looked different. Energon could be lapis lazuli. The colour range is less. But still goes from violet, royal blue, light blue and dark purple. Plus Lapis has a medium toxicity to humans. So yeah, just a theory. Energon is probably not either of those but I was wondering so I made it up
Lapis definitely fits the "has to be toxic" criteria in order to be energon. I am vibing with these rock theories.
New headcanon: I think Starscream is a rock nerd. He studied energon in the Academy and energon is of course a crystal in its natural form. I think the study of it could fit under geology. We also know he was a scientist who visited Earth so it's not strange to think that he visited it with the intent to inspect our ✨cool rocks✨. Now I just can't stop imagining Angry Rock Nerd Starscream.
Bulkhead and Starscream would probably argue over the way Bulkhead enjoys destroying rocks for fun.
"You just shattered mafic iron-rich pyroxene!"
"what"
Then Starscream would rant to Optimus for ten minutes about how the Autobot Code needs a "Respect the Rocks" clause. Optimus would pat him on the shoulder and make him Team Prime's designated geologist just to appease him. Then Starscream would bitch about the kinds of rocks the Autobot base is surrounded by.
"you autobots live surrounded by the most ATROCIOUSLY uplifted Organ Rock Shale i have ever witnessed in my entire function!"
Then Ratchet would of course get in on it like "OH, MY BAD, WE'LL JUST TELL THE ROCKS TO DO BETTER NEXT TIME!"
Arcee would just scoff and say "Oh, so should we have set up base at the 'superior' uplifted shale?"
Then Starscream would be like "yes. my god the Decepticons will win the war at this rate"
Optimus would be left with no choice but to de-stress Starscream by putting a rock in his talons.
"Hold the rock. Be calmed by the rock."
It works.
59 notes
·
View notes
Photo
WOOO
two entire full days dedicated to this lol not gonna draw anything else for at least a week
anyway
in my documents i have a Hypothetical in which Fran and Theo get Hypothetically Married which also involves her getting her shawl and “cap” (headband) at some point, and i wanted to finally draw out what i had made notes about... cause... i am nothing if not predictable and i like fictional weddings LOL
edited 12/7/22 to fix some minor details that were bugging me
closeups under the cut:
in my hypothetical scenario i think theo would propose with earrings--not because he is cheap, but because fran doesn’t own any rings, doesn’t wear rings, and basically only wears earrings and little choker necklaces. so he thought she would like earrings better. especially since she works at a grocery store, and she likes to do sports and stuff, so... less in the way. that’s the lapis. the pearl studs are her “special occasion” earrings she already had and my idea was that when she eventually accepts his proposal, she would do so by getting her ears pierced a second time so she can wear the e-rings in her already existing holes and then eventually wear her other cute earrings in the new holes so that she can always wear both, because, romance,
anyway
theo doesn’t have any engagement jewelry but he would have a snazzy wedding ring imo... fran def helped pick it out though:
i was torn between hexagon and angled square but i went with the angled square in the end. and gold, satin finish... not gaudy, but not boring either. theo wears more rings than fran does so he gets the wedding ring lol
the chapel veil she’s wearing is supposed to be, in theory, made of honiton part lace and something that originally belonged to her paternal grandfather’s mother, who wore it at her wedding, and then gave it to her grandma when they married as a gift, and so paternal grandma and grandpa give it to fran to continue the tradition. so. also vintage. all of this is also a kind of final reassurance, after some shaky ground, where they reaffirm that they love her.
(grandma was slow to come around on fran being a girl, but like a year or two before this i think she finally got over it and gifted her a different necklace (a little rosary thing) as a peace offering. anyway.
the pearl lariat is a wedding gift from her grandmother and it’s vintage. grandma wore it at her wedding and it’s probably either glass pearls or cultured pearls.
you can also see here a little more clearly Fran’s Wedding Necklace, cause like i said, she doesn’t wear rings. so the lapis lazuli bead necklace is for that. she wouldn’t actually be wearing it for most of the ceremony, cause theo puts it on her when she puts his wedding ring on him but i wanted to draw it. it has a gold ball clasp (which you can see on the main pic) so that way it doesn’t look too weird if it gets crooked--yes i really do put way too much thought into minor details but 🤷
she looks like a princess 😌
shawl. it’s a shawl, based uh kind of heavily off of old traditional Galway shawls from Ireland, but not actually using a specific pattern from any of my refs. Mostly just made-up. Fran’s ma is from around County Connemara (well, at least, the ocean near it). i spent way too long redoing the pattern above the chevrons. the gold braid is probably the craft store kind sewn on, but the rest is hand-woven in theory. made by fran’s ma, along with the red headband she’s wearing. that’s what makes her turn into a mermaid LOL we’ll see how that goes
i actually removed the gold braiding cause i don’t think it was the right fit but i kept that single gold seam, which... should look similar on the reverse hopefully lol
lace backing on the dress.
In theory I don’t think you’re “supposed” to wear high vests with tuxedos but: i saw some pictures of wide-lapel tuxes with really high vests that i liked a lot, and theo has money and an eye for fashion so I thought i’d go for that.
The boutonniere is jasmine, i think it was supposed to be pink jasmine but then i made the leaves green so idk lol. i don’t think the leaves are jasmine leaves though. idk lol i got a few different refs and then i was like oh jasmine is bigger than i thought and anyway. jasmine. i don’t remember why i chose it. it’s been like months and i didn’t write down my reasoning.
the pattern on his tux is kind of based off of some uh.... supposedly “kente” styled cloth but to be honest i’m not sure how legit it is; it seems like trying to find pictures that aren’t just mass produced european fabrics or like vlisco or whatever is kind of difficult. but i also don’t know how much theo’s family would dedicate themselves to importing Actual African fabric and not just “inspired” stuff. it could go either way. his mom wears a lot of colorful headwraps and stuff so regardless i think colorful + patterned is the right choice. ideally if i were, for example, some kind of costume director or whatever, i would try to source actual fabric from local artisans or something but i am just a humble artist using google to try to find the least fake stuff LOL did base some of this pattern and color on some fabrics that seem to be popular in the USA for african american weddings that specifically are going for that look so itʻs at least... close...
and obviously the colors they’re wearing are coordinated to each other. red + blue, lapis lazuli, gold, etc.
here are theo’s shoes. i just like how they turned out. the gold stripe is a little unusual (if youʻre not in a marching band at least) but i like that, and it ties it together. the shoes i was torn between a mix of matte and glossy but i decided to just go for the classic patent leather shiny look... i think it looks very nice.
for all of fran’s shoes in my photorefs i double checked to make sure they were real shoes that actually come in size 11 or 12, and j.crew provided, though this is not IDENTICAL to their pleated ballet flats. i couldn’t draw the pleats right so i just made them a different kind of pleat. LOL.
btw if you have big feet and want girly shoes, asos also has a lot of really great options that aren’t like a million dollars.
i made up the garter belt based on a couple different refs but Fran is specifically wearing some Aerie boy briefs cause when i was looking up good underwear for trans girls, a lot of people recommended them for being comfy + cute + and secure, especially relevant cause fran doesn’t tuck or use a gaff or anything like that so i wanted to make sure her underwear would be believable lol
most of the time she wears either boxer briefs or granny panties, sometimes combined with biking shorts, but these are Special Occasion Sexy/Cute Underwear. plus hosiery for tall girls since she’s 6 feet tall lol
and here’s theo’s vest just for fun. a simple, basic, classic vest. heʻs got plain black suspenders/bracers underneath, too, to keep everything in place.
now...
i didn’t draw their wedding cake or the broom (fran’s irish american, theo’s african american, jumping the broom seems relevant lol) but both would have lots of pretty flowers imo. white jasmine, pink jasmine, stargazer lilies, pink peonies, dark red dahlias... the cake would be red velvet, too, with raspberry jam inside, and regular cream cheese frosting. no fondant or anything, just fresh flowers for decoration.
i think w/ this wedding, w/ their mix of cultures (part of why i picked the blue and gold color scheme) prob: handfasting (literally tying the knot) tho it’s not clear to me whether that’s on the day of the wedding or not, some kind of memorial/holy water service at the beginning if relevant, and then later jumping the broom
fran IS catholic, while theo is technically agnostic but raised protestant, so i imagine it will be at some kind of church lol but also..... lol what a combo
idk where they’d go for a honeymoon, maybe the faroe islands or something. i think this would be AFTER they find out fran actually is a merrow/sealmaid probably??? there’s a lot i still do not really know... but the headband and shawl is basically the thing that lets her turn into one so???
extra: i didn’t actually draw their dicks but there is still some uhhhh implication of flaccid penis in the fully nude refs for them (which was mostly as reference for some underwear stuff:
also as i’ve drawn theo more over the past year he’s gotten a little bigger so honestly he should probably be slightly fatter than this, though it’s not that far off. but i was looking at pics of harvey guillen recently and was like... you know... that would be a good body type... and in wwdits guillermo really does dress exactly like theo XD
#the full outfit does make her look a little bit like red riding hood#nadiart#fran hardison#theo alexander#arghdesign#concept art#merrow story#the dreaded female presenting nipple
13 notes
·
View notes
Text
Jeweler Richard Fanbook Short Story #5
Feel free to message me about possible corrections, and please consider supporting the creators by purchasing digital copies of the official releases: Novel || Manga || Fanbook. In case anyone is feeling generous: Ko-fi | PayPal. ( ╹◡╹)っ’･*
← Previous || Index || Next →
Iolite of Cloudy Skies
Iolite. Its Japanese name was “blue flower stone”. The gem was blue with a purple tint stronger than that of a sapphire and had a unique viscosity that made it seem as if it was coated with a bit of dew. The level of hardness was seven. It was called iolite when treated as a gemstone, but when treated as a type of mineral, it was also called cordierite. It was an eccentric stone, which also appeared to have a grayish brown color instead of blue depending on the angle that one looked at it. Etc., etc.
“What happened, Seigi? Your eyes are dead.”
“How can I put it...? Surfeit, I guess.”
“Haah?”
I couldn’t memorize the stones’ names. They were too many.
The client who left just now had come because they wanted to see many sorts of blue stones, so Richard’s treasure box was packed with a great variety of blues. There were sapphires, of course, and also tanzanites, lapis lazuli, blue chalcedonies and this iolite.
Half a year before I had started working part-time in Etranger, the image I had of gemstones was limited to things such as diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds, I believed. Now I knew about the existence of a stone named zircon, which shone in the same way as a diamond, and also knew about the spinel, which was red like a ruby, as well as that the color of sapphires was not just blue, having a wide range from purple to yellow, and I had seen transparent jades that were impossible to tell apart from emeralds.
If I had as much knowledge of minerals as Tanimoto-san, I would’ve managed to sort stones inside my head by the differences the in chemical composition of each, but unfortunately, I was unfamiliar with such things, and I currently didn’t have enough enthusiasm or willpower to study them. If I were to explain figuratively, it felt like going out to hunt for clams at a beach, and when you innocently dove into the lake, you’d see the Mariana Trench spreading out below. It was a beautiful world, thus also too wide and too deep. And endless. To a terrifying extent.
When I told him roughly this, Richard laughed, the depths of his throat trembling with giggles. “It is not as if you are aiming to obtain a GIA or FGA qualification or anything, right? Isn’t it all right for you to observe as much as you like?”
“That might be the case, but...”
I found myself thinking that it was a waste.
After all, I’d be on my knees listening as Richard went, in earnest, through the trouble of introducing all kinds of stones to me one by one. I often heard from my senpais that “job hunting is a connection for people”, so I felt sorry that my connection with stones remained scoreless. Regardless, it wasn’t like I was suddenly going to get any smarter.
As I said this, Richard laughed again and beckoned me with a hand gesture. He then took something out of his suit’s pocket. One of those subdivision vinyl bags that I’d often see when he was handling jewels in the back room. It seemed there was an iolite inside. There was a label stuck to the bag packed with absorbent cotton, and something was written on it in horizontal letters. “Viking sunstone,” it read. Vikings? Like the ones that you’d imagine wearing horned helmets, carrying axes and coming from the sea on a ship? As I asked for confirmation, the jeweler nodded with a “precisely”.
“The words written on this label are associated with the former ‘purpose’ of the iolite. In the past, people used iolites as sun stones.”
“‘Used’ them as ‘sun stones’...?”
I didn’t understand anything from A to Z. What did that mean? For starters, why was gem of such a cold-looking color made into a stone of the sun?
Before I even had a breach to ask, the beautiful shopkeeper began talking, a smile ghosting his lips, “You might already know this, but a portion of the people residing in the current Britain are descendants of those who went through the Norman Conquest that began around the ninth century - in other words, of the Vikings. They were famous for having the skills to travel long distances, which was unusual at the time, so Seigi. If you were someone who travels the sea for long periods, how would you know your way?” Richard asked me.
A means to know the cardinal directions in the open sea. So it was a situation where there’d be no piece of land to act as a mark. The only thing I could use in such a case was a magnet. No, wait. Richard had said earlier that it was the ninth century. The compass would be invented only much later. I recalled memorizing that this was the invention that triggered the Age of Discovery back in high school for history class. If so, I recalled the words on the label. “Sunstone”. Yeah, it connected.
“They knew the directions by using the stone of the sun?”
“Good for you. Exactly. Isn’t it clear?”
“K-Kinda!”
“Then, what about under cloudy skies, when the sun is not visible, Mr. Enlightened Part-Timer?”
Speaking of which, the weather changed easily at sea. I had also heard that England was a country where the skies tended to be overcast. Bad weather must be frequent in those coastal waters. If the sky stayed cloudy for three or four days, what should I do? Was there nothing more that could be done at sea?
When I made a puzzled face, Richard smiled as though he had hit the nail on the head, his white hands displaying the iolite under a fluorescent light. “For instance, let’s try to put a mark on any of this iolite’s faceted sides with ink. Another one on a different side. On sunny days, we would record in which direction we can see the sun from one of these two points at given times, and on cloudy days, we would look for parts where the two points overlap. When doing so, since this stone can detect even the faintest light, we would be able to tell the sun’s position,” he said.
“So we can know the position of light with that stone...? Then couldn’t it be any other stone?”
“Light refracts. If it were passing through thick clouds, the human eye would find its shine in a different direction from the sun’s actual position. Iolites acted as polarized lenses, so to speak. By using this stone, the sailors could tell the correct position of the sun. Yet the most famous sunstone is not iolite, but a type of refraction stone called ‘Iceland spar’.”
A polarized lens. Now he was talking about physics? But I did remember the stuff about light refraction. Got it; so that was why it was a “stone of the sun”.
“I don’t get it very well, but I feel the gemstone romance from it. I like that kinda thing,” I said enthusiastically, Richard giving me a calm smile.
“You do get it. Just as you said, you ‘don’t understand stones very well but like them either way’. That is exactly why your eyes were open, so you thought only about how far your destination was and felt your teeth set on edge at it. You mustn’t expect to be able to understand everything overnight. Go steady, without rushing. Do not waver at the impatience stuck back-to-back to your ambitions. That is different from having no one to depend on due to not knowing where you are headed. The hardest times are probably the ones when you have no idea where you should go, but you know the exact position of the sun.”
So, in short, I knew exactly where I wanted to be?
While I remained quiet, Richard shrugged and added, “Of course, this is a metaphor. Even if little by little, the stones should definitely be leaving a trace inside you. Aren’t you supposed to be treasuring this instead of chasing after what goes away?”
Lastly, Richard threw in the trivia that, in the world of power stones, the iolite was said to be a stone that showed people the “right direction”. Taking the backbone of it into consideration, that was indeed a convincing talk. But more than that...
“It’d be great if you were by my side forever.”
“Hah?”
“You’re an expert at noticing what’s troubling other people, aren’t you? I really think you’re a handy guy, like a compass. Aah, ‘the world’s most beautiful compass’, huh?”
“Those are quite irrational words, on top of being illogical. You were born in Japan, raised in Japan and aspire to become a public servant of Japan, so why are you calling an English jeweler a ‘compass’?”
“Well, I don’t plan to ask you about how to prepare for the public servant exams, but I can rely on you when I run into bigger problems, right?”
Richard sighed with a face of thorough dismay. I could understand how he felt. This was like a child in nursery school saying, “It’d be great if my teacher could always be there to help me out.” Long story short, I was acting spoiled. Even though he was my superior at work.
“That’s right; about the custard pie that today’s costumer brought, it looks like it’s quick to expire. Wanna eat it? I’ll make some tea.”
“If you would. Aah, the sugar...”
“Holding back on it this month, right? I know.”
“Help me with half of it. The amount of sugar in it concerns me.”
“Leave it to me.”
This guy was truly good at leading the mood around, and the same applied for the not-too-straightforward way that he phrased himself when recommending gemstones to the customers. Apparently, he thought I was feeling down.
I cut the crunchy pie in half while the tea leaves boiled, then shared it with Richard in the reception room and we both ate it. Covered with powdered sugar, the pie was a dangerous white little thing, as the colorless powder could scatter around from the pie’s surface just by us breathing on it a tiny bit, so the snack time turned into a moment of silence. I felt like laughing at the much too surreal sight several times, but if I happened to cause a big damage to the beautiful shopkeeper’s high-grade suit by doing that, my pay would be reduced. In the end, I ate the pie entirely while looking at the wall.
On the way back home that day, as I looked up at the night sky, I thought about the Vikings of over a thousand years ago. It was said that they were after new lands. What about me? Where was I headed? Would there ever be a day when I would fall into a philosophical concern, like, “I have no idea where I’m trying to go”? Perhaps Richard too? I insolently prayed that the stones may help us out at least in times like those.
Stars were beginning to twinkle in the purplish-blue night sky. There was no doubt that the stars appearing in the sky had not changed ever since the Vikings’ era. Thinking about that as I walked, I mistook one of the streets I should have turned. I had the feeling that I heard Richard’s voice, telling me to mind at least my own steps. I get it, geez.
I decided to wait patiently for the benefits of the stone. It was best for something like that not to happen, but there was no guarantee that both of us wouldn’t lose our ways at the same time one day.
#the case files of jeweler richard#jeweler richard#housekishou richard#housekishou richard shi no nazo kantei#nakata seigi#richard ranashinghe de vulpian#richard#jr short story collection#tsujimura nanako#novel#my translation
73 notes
·
View notes
Text
Trinkets, 38: Interesting baubles, semi magical objects and items touched by mystery.
A worn mercenary banner consisting of one rusty old spearhead atop a long wooden shaft. Five feet down from the head there rests a cross-piece four feet long tied to the shaft. From that hangs flag itself; A field of scarlet with nine hanged men in black and six yellow daggers in the upper left and lower right quadrants, respectively, while the upper right quadrant features a shattered skull and the lower left boasts a bird of prey astride a severed head. Knowledgeable PC’s will recognize it as the Standard of the Black Company a free mercenary company who can trace their history back hundreds of years through their well-documented archives.
A corrupted magic charm made of the skull a human who died in terror and with regrets. The bone is wrapped with dried kelp and algae, and the skull’s forehead and dome is inscribed with strange sigils made from flower pigments. The entire bonecharm hums with power, creating a faint but distinctive ‘song’ that the spiritually perceptive can hear.
A scroll covered with depictions of constellations.
A shattered mask, once belonging to an ecclesiastic of the occult. Though broken this mask still retains a trace of its original purpose. It hums with faint whispers when worn. They demand an offering.
A one gallon cask of Brewer's Pudding, an alcoholic “drink” so thick that the bartender needs to cut it like a loaf of bread to serve it. Bartenders typically put it in a bowl with lager poured over top, which slowly changes the "drink's" consistency similar to that of pudding. More squalid taverns sometimes serve it between slices of bread as a sandwich.
A gnarled pipe smells strongly of cinnamon and fish, disturbing your digestion. Its bowl has constellations etched around it.
A small, ragged figure crafted from human bone and hair, posed as though shading its eyes to see a long distance.
A charm bracelet of silver chain with five shield-shaped charms. The shields have various religious icons for luck. It's covered in dried blood on it, suggesting the previous owner wasn't that lucky.
A shifting monochromatic geometric, glass prism.
An ironwood skeleton key inlaid with spiraling lines of silvery mithril, and etched with flowing Sylvan script that reads “May this world know some measure of my skill as I depart to the next.”
—Keep reading for 90 more trinkets.
—Note: The previous 10 items are repeated for easier rolling on a d100.
A worn mercenary banner consisting of one rusty old spearhead atop a long wooden shaft. Five feet down from the head there rests a cross-piece four feet long tied to the shaft. From that hangs flag itself; A field of scarlet with nine hanged men in black and six yellow daggers in the upper left and lower right quadrants, respectively, while the upper right quadrant features a shattered skull and the lower left boasts a bird of prey astride a severed head. Knowledgeable PC’s will recognize it as the Standard of the Black Company a free mercenary company who can trace their history back hundreds of years through their well-documented archives.
A corrupted magic charm made of the skull a human who died in terror and with regrets. The bone is wrapped with dried kelp and algae, and the skull’s forehead and dome is inscribed with strange sigils made from flower pigments. The entire bonecharm hums with power, creating a faint but distinctive ‘song’ that the spiritually perceptive can hear.
A scroll covered with depictions of constellations.
A shattered mask, once belonging to an ecclesiastic of the occult. Though broken this mask still retains a trace of its original purpose. It hums with faint whispers when worn. They demand an offering.
A one gallon cask of Brewer's Pudding, an alcoholic “drink” so thick that the bartender needs to cut it like a loaf of bread to serve it. Bartenders typically put it in a bowl with lager poured over top, which slowly changes the "drink's" consistency similar to that of pudding. More squalid taverns sometimes serve it between slices of bread as a sandwich.
A gnarled pipe smells strongly of cinnamon and fish, disturbing your digestion. Its bowl has constellations etched around it.
A small, ragged figure crafted from human bone and hair, posed as though shading its eyes to see a long distance.
A charm bracelet of silver chain with five shield-shaped charms. The shields have various religious icons for luck. It's covered in dried blood on it, suggesting the previous owner wasn't that lucky.
A shifting monochromatic geometric, glass prism.
An ironwood skeleton key inlaid with spiraling lines of silvery mithril, and etched with flowing Sylvan script that reads “May this world know some measure of my skill as I depart to the next.”
A smoking pipe made with a stem of gnarled wood and a deep bowl made of yellowed bone. The bowl has mystical lettering and runes carved into it.
A porcelain teapot inscribed with ancient symbols. A blue snake-like dragon coils around the pot, its body forming the handle and its mouth forming the spout.
A psaltery made from the darkest ebony wood. Its back is slightly curved with an indentation in the base so that it sits nicely on the player's lap. Inlayed in its face is a twisted branch covered in beautiful cherry blossoms. As the instrument is played the blossoms seem to fall away to reveal that the branch is not a branch at all but the bony hand of a skeleton.
An ornate lacquered box containing a set of spoons, thirteen in number. Each is topped with a tiny figure that represents one of the Immortal Heroes of an eastern cult that is thought to be extinct. In that cult, the spoons are considered a valuable prize that proves the courage and skill of its members. The set would be decently valuable to a collector or otherwise interested buyer.
An alabaster vase that has bas-relief figures of goddesses in skimpy clothing in provocative poses. Knowledgeable PC’s can identify the goddesses are in fact the handmaidens of the Martyr Prophet and even to depict them clothed is a right arrogated to the Prophet’s priesthood. The vase itself would be counted a blasphemy by the Prophet’s followers.
An oil lamp no larger than two cupped hands that’s both delicate and fearful. Unlike more common lamps of brass or even common earthenware, the lamp is forged of hair-thin and glittering black iron, cool to the touch. It bears a single looped handle, and is covered in finely rendered etchings of arabesques and stylized wings.
A number of sealed oval tins containing fillets of true monkfish in brine. The fish’s bland pale flesh travels very well and is an imperishable as a saint’s, hence its name. The fillets are filling an nourishing and there are enough tins to equate to 2d4+1 days’ worth of trail rations.
A large, cracked, spiral horn of some great beast, bound in silver and caked in blood. When blown, hot winds and swirling sands erupt from the mouth. All who hear the horn’s call are urged to fight with the unrelenting fury of desert storm.
A cerulean-blue semi-solid stone that is nearly translucent, and shines with an internal blue light.
An onyx hair pin topped with a golden sphere accented by ivory flowers. It's covered in dust and the sphere is a bit oxidized, but with some proper cleaning it might be a suitable gift for the daughter of a noble.
A black-green beeswax candle decorated with carvings of birds. The wick seems to be made out of gold threads. It faintly smells of ash and seawater.
A constantly-shifting jigsaw puzzle made of of muscle and viscera.
A dull green glass bottle, filled with transparent oil that rolls about like the sea's tides. Its label, written in Undercommon, reads "Immortality." It is sealed with a deep black cork, and if opened reeks of skunk spray.
A small stone that ticks evenly like a finely wound clock. Everyone who hears the stone becomes convinced that the stone must remain locked away or something very bad will happen.
A commemorative porcelain plate of the last royal wedding.
A jigsaw puzzle consisting of occult symbols that when fully completed opens a portal to that which the user desires most in the world. There are three pieces missing.
A black robe covered in tattered and worn crow feathers, almost giving the illusion of wings when the arms are raised.
A flexible skin tight, black-silk mask that covers the bearer’s face with just a slit exposing the eyes and perforations at the nose and mouth.
A wide iron-studded dog collar.
A sealed one gallon cask filled with a smoky, spicy spirit akin to weaker tequila. This aperitif is made from a flowering cactus found deep in the deserts heart. When drunk, it causes memories to flow more freely to the drinker's minds forefront, often sparking intense feelings of nostalgia or regret. If overindulged, it could even dislodged repressed memories, forgotten dreams, and other things forgotten (deliberately or otherwise).
A gilded wineglass fashioned from a human skull and set with lapis lazuli.
A set of seven humanoid shaped obsidian pendants.
A dark green egg-shaped stone has been worn away on one side to reveal a rough, vivid purple interior. Knowledgeable PC's can identify the mineral as a geode.
A metal mask resembling a deformed man with a protruding tongue, often worn by wrong-doers before they are paraded through the streets as punishment.
The "alchemical" recipe and blueprint for a "Big Mama", a strange series of nested barrels filled with gunpowder and nails and designed to detonate from a fuse.
A bloodstained scrap of parchment with a list of several names, including a couple of the PC’s. All but one of the non-PC names are crossed out.
A small silver bracelet fashioned in the style of a serpent with two small cyan-colored stones for eyes.
A beautiful, multicolored glass sculpture that seems to take different shapes depending on the angle it is viewed from. From one angle, a mother and child, from another a proud warrior, all in vibrant color and exquisite detail. There are eight distinct scenes visible, one from each cardinal direction.
A delicate tea set made of beautifully shaped glass. Each cup has been blown to look like a pair of child-sized hands clasped together, and the tea pot itself has the appearance of a cloaked human female kneeling in offering. Her hands reaching outwards act as the spout for the pot, and her pulled back hood acts as the lid. No liquid ever flows out of the teapot unless one of the cups in the set is directly beneath the spout.
A medium sized hourglass fashioned from dark walnut and brass. Inside, the sands shine in a variety of iridescent colors. There is a slight tinkling sound as they fall, almost like the sound of a music box, carried on the wind.
An exquisite scrimshaw design of dueling dragons made from a harpy claw.
A scepter made with scorched wood, that has an orb of solid, coagulated blood on it's edge.
A floating spherical chess board that when opened, reveals intricately crafted pieces inside it. The pieces magically adhere to the sphere as it floats, and allows you to play without the chessmen falling off.
A small, golden chime, tied with a red ribbon around the handle, that rings softly of its own accord with a bittersweet melody. It makes those who hear it think of sunlight on a coastline that they've never seen, holding the hand of someone they’ve never known.
A battered tin kettle, slightly warm to the touch. Any liquid placed into the kettle will become something almost, but not quite, exactly nothing like tea.
A pair of goggles that allow the bearer to see from the point of view of a random reef fish in some far off sea.
A black and purple scale of some enormous horror of the far realm.
A thick piece of leather on which was branded a prayer of contrition. It says that it is not enough to ask for absolution, penitence must be forced upon the impure. Some sins can only be forgiven with consecrated flame.
A stoppered, green glass bottle wrapped in grimy stained leather and cord. It is filled with an inferior moonshine containing alcohol distilled in the worst possible conditions. The liquor tastes worse than it looks, but provides a small degree of resistance to the horrors of daily life
A rather intricately filigreed belt buckle featuring a stylistic rendering of a heroic figure standing in defiance of a formless darkness looming above it.
A wine bottle sealed with wax containing a rolled vellum scroll.
A burlap pouch containing a handful of wooden tokens marked with a skull and crossbones on one side and "One Grog" on the other.
A jade carving of a flying fish, inexpertly done and with poor detailing.
An invitation to a charity ball rewarded for substantial devotion and contribution to community and individual well being.
A royal decree ordering all land-holding families to send one armed soldier to an official army muster. Any family that fails to respond is in danger of having their ancestral land titles revoked.
A leather plague doctor's mask with silver frames and buckles.
A copper-plated tin badge of a winged heart.
A wooden flute made of red wood with etchings of leaves around part of its base
An oddly shaped curved wand with elven writing carved within. When held at nighttime it helps its owner sleep peacefully to the sounds of nature.
A large wooden chest with many unique pelts, wrapped one inside the other. In the center a small jade figurine of a humanoid with a fish-like face. It is extremely cold to the touch.
A fancy gold coin with two crowns on both faces. It is literally embedded in a small cube of clearest crystal.
A bright red square tablet of unknown material about three inches to a side with a metal plate that slides to open a tiny window through the tablet that reveals a sheet of black material within. It is lighter than stone, metal, or wood and bears no markings other than a rectangle of gummy residue on one side and a small circular metal coin on the reverse.
A rose quartz paperweight shaped like a crushing fist.
A toy horse carved from bone.
A letter with the following written inside "We only need 300 more gold until we can bring her back and live peacefully once again as a family."
An ivory spoon with teardrop handle.
A miniature portrait of a young chestnut-haired beauty set in a silver frame. She appears to be set against the skyline of a metropolitan city on a sea, as though the portrait was painted from a tall building or hillside.
A tin box decorated with an embossing of a ship in a bottle, containing precision woodworking and knot tying tools with telescoping handles.
A fist sized ball of melted copper coins.
A bronze statuette of a chariot, with horses and charioteer.
A child’s painting framed beautifully. The art itself is fairly lacking but the frame is worth a decent amount, even more to someone who appreciates the juxtaposition of incredibly classy and messy.
A silken caul hair net decorated with small semiprecious stones.
An ebon walking stick with a monogrammed silver handle.
A bone pipe carved with intricate crimson sigils; its smoke appears as writhing shades of the damned.
A scrap of dirty parchment bearing a list of names, some of them crossed off. Investigation reveals all of the names on the list are dead people, mostly buried in the Gilded Graveyard. Those who have been crossed off have recently have their graves’ plundered, their bodies stolen. Further investigation still reveals that these were all jurors in the trial of Isabella Rasping, a necromancer convicted of using a zombies as murder weapons during the infamous “Meatpuppet Murders” two centuries ago. She was executed for the crime by her own creations. Isabella has returned as a revenant with unfinished business; she maintains her innocence and believes she can now prove it, and so is gathering the previous jurors for a kind of “retrial."
A ceramic dining plate edged with copper.
A bandolier from which hang a half dozen small securely stoppered flasks. Each is filled with a noxious substance, preserved at the height of its foulness: Human diarrhea, spoiled milk, vomit, cat urine, skunk stink glands and rotting fish. The flasks are flimsy and designed to break apart when they hit something solid and each stopper has a small eye-hook screwed into the cork. They can be thrown, shot from a sling or flask launcher (A modified light crossbow) or a length of twine has be tied to the eye-hook, creating a tripwire trap.
A brass bust of a famed scholar and medic.
An anklet of braided gold and silver worked with small carnelians.
A set of bagpipes made from the skin of a displacer beast, with the drones and chanter carved from its bones.
An antiquated torture device designed for mutilating hands and fingers.
A leather eyepatch with a turquoise stone surrounded by white agate resembling a crude eye.
A stuffed cockatrice clutching a sculpted marble hand in one talon.
An egg, roughly the size of a goose egg but navy blue with mottled flecks of gold leaf, mounted on a round wooden base with a tiny placard that reads "Imaskari Sun Hawk". When touched, the golden flecks on the egg gently glow that grows brighter and softer in time with the heartbeat of the one touching it and there is the sensation of rustling movement from within.
A fragment of a painting torn from a larger canvas depicting an unfamiliar princess.
A family portrait of an infamous noble house whose eyes seem to follow onlookers.
A pale gourd with ornate glyphs painted in black around the cork at its apex and twine braided about it. Try as one might, nobody has ever been able to open the stopper. A thin metallic clinking can be heard when the gourd is shaken.
A delicate pink flower, carefully preserved with magic and will not wilt or break yet preserves its natural beauty.
An old withered hand, no more than skin drawn taut across bones, and tarnished rings hanging loosely from the fingers. The bearer can rattle the rings on the hand which causes the smell of lilies to fills the air around him.
A small metal top seems like an everyday child’s toy except for the skull engraved into a button in the middle.
A sturdy wooden travel case containing a popular board game known as Roundels. It has similar elements to chess but is played on a circular board with a stylized keep. The game is abstract and is supposed to loosely simulate a siege. There is an attacking player and a defending player and each side has some unique pieces in addition to their common pieces. The etiquette of playing Roundels requires players to participate in two games, one as the attacker and the other as defender.
A horse femur that is as light as a feather.
An old yellowed skull that in spite of its lack of eyeballs, seems to be constantly eyeing the bearer.
A length of ivory shaped like a bone, covered in small onyx spiders that look all too real. The arcane rod can be used as an magical focus and is a grisly sight to behold.
A burlap bag large enough to hold a coconut. It is smooth to the touch and found in the color purple with a golden strap.
An arcane wand that is rough to hold and twists like a wild vine.
A translucent green stone the size of a fat grape. The item is sea glass, a fragment of a bottle that washed around the world and back, until it had no sharp edges.
A satyr statuette which increases the libido of everyone within line of sight of it.
A bewitched letter which appears to be addressed to whoever is currently holding it, describing their features and personality in adoring terms.
A small crystal which, when peered through, appears to show alternate universes. Actually a fragment of a much larger crystal, part of a complex device deep in the Old City.
35 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
ta-divchyna
Oh, my sweet summer child
cityofalbinoch
The City of Albinoch
octobersociety
The October Society
helenloji
Helen’in Bloğu
electromillionaire
Electro Millionaire