#he has a particular set of skills - and this is not one of them

[jukkaricity]

Thursday with friends/ A word banger(?)

Who would have thought that one week of company workshop will get me off the writing flow so hard? Everyone writes a banger after banger for the tag games and amazing fics left and right and I can't even manage to keep up with the reading. ;_; I will now go and lie face down in the shame corner.

Thank you @hedwigoprah for this game and thank you to @serensama for the tag for both "A word with Friends"

Balter

to dance or tread clumsily, without particular grace or skill

Rules: Use the challenge word to write a sentence or scene and then tag a few friends.

and the Thursday Banger:

All my friends we're glorious | Tonight we are victorious — Victorious by Panic! At The Disco

Rules for your Copy and Paste: Free form a blurb or drawing based on the weekly lyrics prompt. It doesn't have to include the prompt just whatever you're inspired to write, write it! Then tag some friends so they can play as well. It doesn't have to be finished on Thursday just post it whenever you can (you have a whole week between Thursdays).

I had some fun writing about Hugo meeting Viago for the first time recently, so we're going to stick with the disaster Crow for this one. The legend says that he remembers the night he became a full Crow.

🗡️🐦‍⬛🗡️🐦‍⬛🗡️🐦‍⬛🗡️🐦‍⬛🗡️

The seaside tavern spun around as Hugo drank another shot of liquor–too expensive for his tastes–both smooth and burning at the back of his throat. Best thing about it was that it was paid for by someone else. Probably. Hopefully. 

The lively music played in the background without faltering, a band rewarded generously by mostly Crow patrons for their efforts. A couple of his recently fledged friends were all but baltering at the hastily arranged dance floor. Poise and grace had no use tonight. 

Hugo himself barely escaped the tangle of bodies just a couple moments earlier. 

Somehow the trip to the bar was harder than the contract he’d just completed. The floor wobbled as if he were on a ship during bad weather and he barely avoided falling face first when he tripped on Matteo sprawled between the tables. The night's first victim. When he finally reached the counter he had to hold on to keep steady.

Viago would probably scold him for lack of grace–the number of drinks he had already did not constitute any type of excuse. A Crow has to maintain a perfect image at any time. 

Truth be told, Hugo was not entirely sure how, and when exactly, they arrived on the luxurious side of Salle. This was never part of the plan. There was in fact no plan whatsoever. He was so fixated on completing the job that he didn’t even think about the after. Viago always said to always think about the after even if one wasn’t sure there was one to look forward to.

Hugo was admittedly really bad at that. The “thinking about the consequences” thing. He could think fast on his feet and turn the situation around in the here and now, but predicting outcomes and planning for them was still beyond his skill set. Which was probably why he continued to play chess with Viago over his snake-feeding duties. And continued to lose every time. 

This entire night seemed like all these problems carefully distilled into a personalized anti-Hugo poison.

One moment he heard Viago say “Consider the contract fulfilled” with his usual stoic look firmly planted on his face, and things exploded into chaos from there. In no time he was surrounded by other Crows chanting his name as he chugged beer from the tallest mug he had seen in his life in the bar below the Art Gallery that was one of the many fronts of House de Riva.

Then he blinked and they were racing down the alleys of Salle yelling obscenities, getting chased by a half undressed City Guard, who was learning a painful lesson about running with breeches low around his ankles. Then the Docks-a scent of herbs he’d never smelled before-and then they were here.

Close by the beach, pristine white walls and blue roofs. Clean floors, comfy chair cushions and barkeep who didn’t look like he regretted every single life choice he’d ever made. Not a type of establishment a poor fledgling could even consider visiting. But a new Crow? For him the world–and bars–were opened. 

Vero slipped past him with a wink, her delicate rosy perfume overwhelming his senses. She ordered a line of shots and looked at him from under her eyelashes, her smirk for once without a sharp edge. Maybe they kissed, or maybe they still could. 

It was a bad idea. Her lips were like the sweetest poison, but he’s got experience with drinking those already. He leaned in, but before anything could happen a gaggle of Crows crashed into them squabbling and fighting to grab the nearest glass. There was no time for romance. 

Tonight he was celebrating.

Better yet, tonight he was being celebrated, his drinks were paid for and he had more Andris in his pocket than he knew what to do with. Which admittedly was a low bar to clear, but the whiff of wealth and overindulgence was overwhelming regardless. 

Had he been less drunk he’d probably worry about the consequences, but the milk–or more appropriately beer–was already spilled and there was no going back. 

Tonight was not the night to overthink. 

Tonight his first proper contract has been approved by Fifth Talon Viago de Riva and so, Hugo was a fully fledged Crow. A reason to throw all reservations away–for a night at least–if he ever had one.

Gentle tags for: @davrinsleftpectoral, @blackwall-my-tiny-husband, @the-font-bandit, @jenn2d2, @chaosherald, @woundedsoul12 and @serstolas, no pressure <3

[hoboblaidd]

Anyone need Solas to play matchmaker for your muse? He is so good at it /s

[dostoyevsky-official]

The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books

Nicholas Dames has taught Literature Humanities, Columbia University’s required great-books course, since 1998. He loves the job, but it has changed. Over the past decade, students have become overwhelmed by the reading. College kids have never read everything they’re assigned, of course, but this feels different. Dames’s students now seem bewildered by the thought of finishing multiple books a semester. His colleagues have noticed the same problem. Many students no longer arrive at college—even at highly selective, elite colleges—prepared to read books.

This development puzzled Dames until one day during the fall 2022 semester, when a first-year student came to his office hours to share how challenging she had found the early assignments. Lit Hum often requires students to read a book, sometimes a very long and dense one, in just a week or two. But the student told Dames that, at her public high school, she had never been required to read an entire book. She had been assigned excerpts, poetry, and news articles, but not a single book cover to cover.

[...] Twenty years ago, Dames’s classes had no problem engaging in sophisticated discussions of Pride and Prejudice one week and Crime and Punishment the next. Now his students tell him up front that the reading load feels impossible. It’s not just the frenetic pace; they struggle to attend to small details while keeping track of the overall plot.

No comprehensive data exist on this trend, but the majority of the 33 professors I spoke with relayed similar experiences. Many had discussed the change at faculty meetings and in conversations with fellow instructors. [...] Daniel Shore, the chair of Georgetown’s English department, told me that his students have trouble staying focused on even a sonnet.

Failing to complete a 14-line poem without succumbing to distraction suggests one familiar explanation for the decline in reading aptitude: smartphones. Teenagers are constantly tempted by their devices, which inhibits their preparation for the rigors of college coursework—then they get to college, and the distractions keep flowing. “It’s changed expectations about what’s worthy of attention,” Daniel Willingham, a psychologist at UVA, told me. “Being bored has become unnatural.” Reading books, even for pleasure, can’t compete with TikTok, Instagram, YouTube. In 1976, about 40 percent of high-school seniors said they had read at least six books for fun in the previous year, compared with 11.5 percent who hadn’t read any. By 2022, those percentages had flipped.

[...] Mike Szkolka, a teacher and an administrator who has spent almost two decades in Boston and New York schools, told me that excerpts have replaced books across grade levels. “There’s no testing skill that can be related to … Can you sit down and read Tolstoy? ” he said. And if a skill is not easily measured, instructors and district leaders have little incentive to teach it. [...] The pandemic, which scrambled syllabi and moved coursework online, accelerated the shift away from teaching complete works.

[...] But it’s not clear that instructors can foster a love of reading by thinning out the syllabus. Some experts I spoke with attributed the decline of book reading to a shift in values rather than in skill sets. Students can still read books, they argue—they’re just choosing not to. Students today are far more concerned about their job prospects than they were in the past. Every year, they tell Howley that, despite enjoying what they learned in Lit Hum, they plan to instead get a degree in something more useful for their career.

[...] For years, Dames has asked his first-years about their favorite book. In the past, they cited books such as Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre. Now, he says, almost half of them cite young-adult books. Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series seems to be a particular favorite.

[alchemistc]

"Do you have some time? I could use some help."

Tommy tips his head back against the side wall of the hangar, stares at the rafters, tracks the flight of a starling through the beams. "Not sure I can steal a third helicopter in a little over a calendar year without some consequences," he murmurs, because the sound of Evan's voice is still ringing in his ears and he's fairly certain he'd accept those consequences without blinking, if it came down to it.

Evan's sharp burst of laughter sounds brittle, stale.

"No, I uh - actually I could use some advice?"

Tommy pushes himself up from the overly casual lean. "I'm all ears."

"You're mostly nose and cheekbones, actually," Evan says, that lilt to his voice teetering on dangerous ground for just a moment before he clears his throat.

In the entirety of the six months they were together Tommy heard about thirty individual stories about the times Evan went to someone for advice. About work, about his personal life, about the barista at his local who might have had a personal vendetta against leggy brunettes.

Tommy'd considered it an ill omen that he never made the roster.

"I just, um. I just got off the phone with Chief Simpson?"

Tommy wishes he was there. Sitting next to him, across the room from him, on the other side of a window just looking at him. He sounds - small.

"He's not disciplining you, is he? Because I know a union rep who -."

Evan cuts him off. "He just offered me the 118."

Tommy swallows. Tommy mulls the words over. Tommy tries to think of a delicate way to ask if the rumor that Hen turned it down is true, then.

"And how are you...feeling about that?"

Tommy will be perpetually in Evan Buckley's corner, he knows. From a distance or up close and personal, Tommy will always, always want the best for him.

He's so fucking young. He's lived so many lives at this point Tommy imagines he must sometimes feel ancient, trapped in a body and a mind that hasn't quite caught up to his soul.

Tommy knows he's thought about it, before. Taking on that role, using the skill set Bobby taught him to make another house into a home. But he'd likely never thought about it in the context of not having Bobby a phone call away. Certainly never thought about replacing Bobby.

"I don't - I don't know. How I'm - how I'm feeling. It's - I just - I want -."

Tommy checks the time. Watches the starling flit across the ceiling towards the nest Donato had threatened to beat them all about when they mentioned trying to find a way to dislodge it. Twenty-seven minutes until the end of his shift. His replacement is already here, fucking around in the weight room, bag already stuffed in his locker and flight suit already laid out on the bench because Goggins has zero respect for anyone else who might need the locker room. Melton won't mind if he takes off early. Might even be pleased to shave two hours and twenty seven minutes of OT off the books when Tommy asks if he can leave, instead of staying late. "Do you want to meet up, somewhere?"

"I... Tommy." He's not sure what his name means, sounding like that, in this particular context.

"Wherever you want. I can be almost anywhere in an hour or less. This just feels like something you might need to wrap your head around for a minute and -." He has to be vulnerable, here. In a way he fucking hates. "And it sounds like you could use a hug. I'd - I'd like to give you a hug."

Evan had never exactly been precious, about how much he craved the casual touches as much as the intimate ones.

He has to wonder who got bumped, to make Evan call him. Why not Howie, Hen, Maddie, Eddie?

"Are - are you serious?"

"As a car crash. Time and place and I'll be there."

Hopefully it won't actually require him to steal another bird to make it happen, but he'd do it, no questions asked.

"Is it out of order to suggest your place?"

Tommy can feel his brows quirking. Is Eddie still in town? Why the hell isn't Evan going to him with this?

"It's incredibly convenient for me, actually."

It's short work to let him know about how long it'll be, that he doesn't need to bring anything ("Evan, I'm serious, just be safe getting there."), to start his search for Melton. He's halfway through a rushed goodbye when Evan blows out a breath.

"Thank you, Tommy."

It's unnecessary, but it hits him right in the sternum. He'd never needed the thanks, actually preferred most of the time to have the things he does for other people go unacknowledged - thanks for that one, dad - but the tenor of Evan's voice, the tremble on his name, makes Tommy want to break the speed barrier to get to him.

Fuck.

He's never shaking loose from this one.

"Hey, you call, I come."

It feels like glass scraping it's way up his throat and out of his mouth. It feels like the type of confession he can't take back.

"I...same. Just so you know."

He hadn't known that. It's...terrifying.

"I'll see you soon, Evan.*

He still sounds small, as he says goodbye.

Tommy would fight the whole damn world to never have to hear his voice sound like that again. Best he can manage now is making his way home as quick as possible.

Maybe it'll be enough.

Maybe.

[ohnoitstbskyen]

re: Somerton

Not for nothing, but I think we should remember that James Somerton's fans and subscribers are normal people, just like you. They are people who received his output in good faith, and extended to him a normal amount of grace and benefit of the doubt, which he took advantage of.

I don't think it's helpful to respond to the exposé on Somerton with sentiments along the lines of "wow, how could anyone ever think THIS GUY'S videos were any good, ha ha ha, how did he ever get subscribers?" because 1) you have the substantial benefit of hindsight and a disengaged outsider perspective, and 2) it's a rhetoric that creates a divide between you (refined, savvy, smart, sophisticated) and Somerton's audience (gullible, unrefined, easily taken advantage of, terrible taste), which is a false divide, with a false sense of security.

Somerton's success happened because he stole good writing. He found interesting, insightful, in-depth work done by other people, applied the one skill he actually has which is marketing, and re-packaged it as his own. He targeted a market which is starving for the exact kind of writing he was stealing, and pushed his audience to disengage from sources that conflicted with him.

Hbomberguy makes this point in his exposé video: good queer writing is hard to find and incredibly easy to lose. The writers Somerton stole from were often poor or precarious, writing freelance work for small circles under shitty conditions, without the means or the reach or the privileges necessary to find bigger markets. And, as Hbomb demonstrated, when people did discover Somerton's plagiarism, he used his substantial audience to hound them away and dissuade anyone else from trying to hold him accountable.

He stole queer writing by marginalized people, about experiences and perspectives that people are desperate to hear more about, and even if his delivery and aesthetics were naff, his words resonated with people because the original writers who actually wrote them poured their goddamn hearts and souls into it.

Somerton also maintained a consistent narrative of persecution and marginalization about himself. He took the plain truth, which is that queer people and perspectives are discriminated against, and worked that into a story about himself as a lone, brave truth-teller, daring to voice an authentic queer perspective, constantly beset by bigots and adversaries who sought to tear him down. As @aranock, who works with some of the people he targeted, writes in this post, Somerton weaponized whatever casual bias and bigotry he could find in his audience to reinforce his me vs them narrative (usually misogyny and various forms of transphobia), which is what grifters do. They find a vulnerable thread in a community and pull on it. And while you may not have the particular vulnerability that he exploited, you do have vulnerabilities, and they can be exploited too.

People felt compelled to support him, even if his work was sometimes shoddy, because he presented himself as a vulnerable, marginalized person in need of help, he pulled on that vulnerable thread.

Again, he has a degree in marketing, and just like propaganda, nobody is immune to marketing.

YouTube as a system is set up to push for more, constantly more. More content, more videos, more output, more more more more, and part of Somerton and Illuminaughty's success was their ability to push out large amounts of content to the hungry algorithm, even if it was of inferior quality. The algorithm rewarded their volume of output with more eyeballs and attention, and therefore more opportunities to find people who were vulnerable to their grift.

It is a system which quite literally rewards the exact kind of plagiarism that they do, because watch-time and engagement are easily measurable metrics for a corporation, and academic rigor is not. There is pressure to deliver, and a lot of rewards to gain from cutting corners to do it.

Somerton and Illuminaughty and Internet Historian are extreme and very obvious cases, so blatant that you can make a four hour video essay exposing what they've done, but the vast majority of this kind of plagiarism isn't going to be obvious - sometimes it might not even be obvious to the people who are doing it. Casual plagiarism is endemic to the modern internet, and most people don't get educated on what the exact boundaries are between proper sourcing and quoting vs plagiarizing. We had an entire course module at my university aimed at teaching students the exact differences and definitions, and people still made good faith mistakes in their essays and papers that they had to learn to correct during their education.

All of this to say: it is extremely easy in hindsight to call Somerton's work shitty and shoddy, his aesthetics flat and uninspired, and to imagine that as a sophisticated person with good taste and critical faculties, you would never be taken in by this kind of grifter. It is extremely easy to distance yourself from the people he preyed on, and imagine that you will never have to worry about your fave doing your dirty like that.

But part of the point of Hbomberguy's video is that plagiarism is extremely easy to get away with, and often difficult for the average person to spot and call out, and with the rise of AI tools blurring the lines even further, it is not going to get any easier.

So I think we should resist the temptation to think of Somerton's audience as people with bad taste and poor faculties. We should resist the temptation to distance ourselves from the perfectly normal people he preyed on. Many times in your life, a modestly clever man with a marketing degree has fooled you too.

On a personal note, by the same token, I am resisting the temptation to assume that I am too good to be vulnerable to the systemic pressures that produced Somerton and Illuminaughty. No, I've never made a video by word-for-word reciting someone else's work, but I know for a fact that I could do a better job of double-checking my work and citing my sources. I feel the exact same pressure to get a video out as fast as possible, I have the exact same rewards dangled in front of me by YouTube as a platform, and I can't pretend it doesn't affect my work. To me, Hbomb's video felt like a wake-up call to do better.

[darqx]

Pick up the receiver I'll make you a believer

❗️For commonly asked qs please see my BTD FAQ

After doodling the first image that hug body slam meme immediately came to mind and i couldn't help myself 😂

Thanks very much I'm glad you are enjoying my art and characs! :D

To put the answer simply, Rire used to work for the prior King as a Collector (of souls) and he was that King's only Collector and so got the brunt of his ire for any related, perceived fault. Aside from that personal connection Rire also really disliked him because he viewed the prior king as a useless glutton who failed at ruling a sector (conditions were tanking/had tanked for ages), and which the Royal powers were wasted on.

Almost all of his sunglasses are actually normal human sunglasses, he can just see better than a human can 😎

Anything can be a kink, anon :d

Boring victims are often exceptionally weak-willed victims so that's something in particular he dislikes.

Yes he can play the piano and violin, and horseback ride and ballroom dance etc. Put it this way he has a lot of particular small skills that he picked up during his Earth visits so he could hide in plain sight with the upper echelons XD

Not like how a snake or cat hisses which is what I'm assuming you're implying XDDD He can't bite off a limb (his mouth ain't that big) but his teeth are very sharp so he can feasibly take a chunk out of someone or like, completely bite off something smaller (finger, ear...)

I havent added to it in a while (since I dont often find songs I like enough to actually download lol) but this is my current playlist for him in no particular order:

Anon, the fact you capitalised "Aliens" made me think of Xenomorphs and I had to immediately stop thinking 🤣

On a side note, I can't actually tell you either way because he hasn't encountered an alien (that isn't a demon or a human) lol. He'd probably initially treat an alien much like he would treat a common demon, if they are obviously not human, and then if he realises they are also not quite a demon this could peak his interest.

Pointing you in this direction because regardless of the canon answer this proves he could look good in one LMAO

Sorry to burst your bubble but no :d Though I suppose he could simulate the effect by reverting parts of them to their "liquid" state 🤔 DO WITH THAT INFO WHAT YOU WILL.

It is theoretically similar to a human's.

If you can remember his age then that is how old he is :d I'm not really like other creators who give their characs a definitive "birthday" down to the year, mainly because I don't often have set "time periods" in my stories lol.

His birth date falls somewhere between late October - late November though.

In the context of BTD; they just don't like each other XD Well I can't actually speak for Cain, but Rire not liking Cain is partly a riff on general angel/demon rivalry dynamics, and partly because Rire would see Cain as more of a threat since canonically Cain is way more OP than him.

Most of the time when i draw them Cain is also actively getting in Rire's space whilst Rire is actively trying to avoid him, so there's also that XD

It...depends. On which aspect of "ownership" you're implying. For those that he has deals with, he'd calculate what exactly the value of the deal lost would be and in this situation he'd likely write them off as Cain would be more annoying to handle then they'd be worth (he can always make more deals).

If someone was specifically marked by Rire, that's a different level of possessiveness and he'd actually try cos like

Hey guys some offence but why are some of you sending me asks formatted as if i were ChatGPT

Is there one for like, personal ambition or cunning or something cos I don't think he'd be any of those listed lol.

Rire doesn't have a mobile phone and he doesn't need one because he has a demon power that basically CCTVs all his citizens to himself. And really, if he wants to find you he'll find you.

He's somewhere in the middle of that scale through the sheer fact that he's been around long enough to see technology change and would've kept up with how to use things to blend in better, but also doesn't need to use the electronics to the point that he'd need to be an expert at it.

Is this cos Gato is Canadian cos I don't remember a country location being specified when we did it? |D Personally I figured most of the settings were in the US since the US has the most documented serial killers

Also sos no i dont anon, you'll need to either ask Gato or EP or dig through any of their lore posts they might have left.

Think kind of like Rire (he did learn a lot from her after all), but with a more Elizabethan era socialite vibe. Possibly a black widow but we dont have any proof about that.

Has/had a p good relationship. I use both terms because I still never decided whether she was currently dead or not lol.

Lol a misconception but Rire doesn't actually perceive humans as trash XD Trash suggests that he hates them and they wouldn't be worth regarding at all, whereas Rire usually finds them more like...novelties. Or like whatever that feeling that is associated with viewing ant farms or animals performing tricks is. Rire's mother would view them as more like working animals or livestock.

[liketolaugh-writes]

Bruce looking past the fact that (recently adopted) Danny is a powerhouse and recognizing that he has other skills also. <3

Danny is a STEM kid and just as brilliant as his sister, you cannot convince me otherwise

Danny gave Bruce the handwritten list of powers in the morning. Bruce stared at it over his cup of coffee, then gave Danny a flat, somewhat disbelieving look. Danny shrugged sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Sorry,” he said, perching on one of the stools. “I can point out the ones I don’t use if you just want to work on the ones I do. At least I have an idea of what needs improving with those.” Alfred gave him a cup of coffee and a plate of bacon and French toast, and Danny smiled at him. “Thanks, Alfred.”

“We’ll have to prioritize your training,” Bruce allowed after a moment, frowning down at the paper. Dick leaned over to look and whistled. “But all of these will be addressed eventually. You should have at least a moderate grasp of every tool at your disposal.” He looked up. “You intended to work in the lab today, correct?”

Danny nodded, playing with a strip of bacon. “I’ll probably spend most of today making a big batch of phaseproof coating,” he said. “Then I can experiment with mixing it with paint and maybe coat some of your spare weapons in it? That should work for the bo staff and escrima sticks, maybe a set of brass knuckles. But I’ll need to make a different solution for the edged weapons.” His mind wandered, thinking of how he could adapt what he knew of the Bats’ gear to work against ghosts.

“Who’re the brass knuckles for?” Dick asked, raising an eyebrow at Danny. Danny flushed and shrugged.

“Batman,” he said. “You don’t really use a weapon, right?” Bruce grunted. “But phaseproof cloth isn’t something my parents ever really figured out. I can work on it, maybe, but I thought brass knuckles would be an okay compromise for now.”

“Hn.”

“Good thinking,” Dick praised with a smile. “It’ll be easy to add to the utility belt too. Should we ghostproof my main set or a spare?”

“The main, I think, if you’re okay with it,” Danny said, tilting his head thoughtfully. “You probably won’t even notice. But the edged weapons should all be spares. Ecto-treated metal tends to glow.”

“Not great for stealth,” Dick nodded. “Whatever you think is best, baby spook. We have the resources.”

“You’re hyper-specialized,” Bruce noted without inflection, sipping from his coffee. Danny winced.

“Sorry,” he muttered. It was easy to forget that all this was pretty useless outside of Amity Park. Bruce shook his head.

“It’s not a problem. But we’ll need to diversify your skillset. Your talent for chemistry and engineering should expand beyond ectoscience alone.” He studied Danny contemplatively. “Higher education might be beneficial, perhaps a PhD.”

Danny’s eyes went wide. “What? I’m barely passing high school!”

“I had Casper High send over your transcripts,” Bruce said. Danny flinched. “You had a B+ average in middle school, with a particular bent for math and science. You also participated in several advanced extracurriculars, including a junior astronaut program, space camp, and competitive robotics. Further, you clearly have a comprehensive understanding of your parents’ work, which eludes both the Justice League engineers and JL Dark. You had these talents prior to acquiring your powers, and it would be a waste to discard them in favor of your raw combat ability.”

Danny stared at Bruce, open-mouthed and speechless. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d considered even the possibility that he could have a future outside of his hero career.

“…Do you think I could do that and be a superhero?” he managed after a minute, quieter than he’d meant to.

Bruce nodded sharply. “Most Justice League heroes maintain a career outside of heroics,” he reminded Danny, without even sounding like he thought Danny was an idiot for asking. “Aside from myself, there is also a Pulitzer prize-winning journalist, a museum curator, a forensic scientist, and a fighter pilot.”

Danny had known that on some level, but it had always seemed unreal. Practically a myth. “When am I going back to school?” he asked, hardly able to believe that he was suddenly looking forward to it.

“At the beginning of next semester,” Bruce said. “Your parents’ trial should be completed by then. I assume you don’t want to be announced publicly until that happens.” Danny shook his head fervently. “You may need to complete some make-up classes online, but we can discuss that next week.”

“Thanks,” Danny said sincerely. He was talking about a lot more than his re-enrollment.

[toxycodone]

Laios x Beastkin!Reader

an. Senshi, Chilchuck, and Marcille x Reader are mentioned quiiiite a bit in here. Izutsumi x reader is more sparse. split between furry/scaly/feathery beastkin after the more general ones in the beginning. SORRY if the formatting is weird I got "text limited" a lot on this lmfao

this is a lot so. <3 show sum luv

general sfw

when you two first meet...bro is ELATED. He knows Izutsumi, which is fine, but you're an entirely different one. Who also doesn't seem to be super against him getting to know them

He asks SO many questions. What are you mixed with? Are you naturally born or artificial? What's it like having wings? A tail?

He's testing out all your features. He loves them so much.

When there's downtime, he likes to conduct "research". This goes for analyzing your features and making notes, comparing them to his books and other notes, and even more intricate tests like reaction time and stuff.

He'll hold a candle/torch by your face and test your pupil dilation. It's oddly intimate because he's just staring you down and its like. okay. are we gonna kiss orrrr

Loves. Loves. Loves just WATCHING you. Seeing the way you pounce on little bugs for fun or get spooked by certain noises. He just smiles and is all amused.

You'll catch him doodling you pretty often. He makes notes like "y/n caught a treasure bug today. They seem pretty skilled at hunting. Failed to kill it for some reason...just played with it until it scurried off." The doodles are like...surprisingly pretty decent. The monster portions of you are the best looking and most detailed. But it's so cool to see just how much he pays attention to you and your idiosyncrasies.

Your interactions with Izutsumi also interest him. Do you guys get along? Are you prey to her? Or is she to you? If you and Izu are talking or around each other he's watching like a hawk out of pure curiosity.

However...there's a particular page in his journal where he's providing feedback on how he would make you "better" aka cooler. It's basically just his own ramblings. No Laios, an extra set of eyes and the ability to breath fire and ice and everything in between is not. better. you're just salivating over the idea of your monster OC

If you bring this up to him he actually agrees. After a lot of note taking and observation he's really fascinated just on how well suited your entire existence is to...surviving. He has a lot of theories he'd love to share about you.

But he has e x t e n s i v e notes on your body. It's something that fr makes you blush because, why is he theorizing about the base of your tail and how it connects to your spine? and the number of nipples you have? wait...how is his guess right...?

But Laios is so useful. You might as well call him your owner. You don't have to lift a finger when it comes to taking care of yourself. (He misses his dogs so you fill in.)

He takes care of your skin/fur/scales/feathers, cuts your claws, helps you file down your hooves or horns. He's very into taking care of you if you'll let him. (Marcille also hops in on this since its her love language LOL. When she's not busy with Izutsumi she helps when she can.)

If you are like...afraid of water or don't enjoy bathing. You are like the party's pet. They're debating on how to get you clean before Chilchuck is like "if you don't take a bath I am going to kill you and throw you in there myself." Laios then goes all puppy dog eyed bc he thinks Chil is being to hard on you and then he sighs and is like "fine. I'll buy you a treat when we get back to the surface."

Marcille/Laios are really good when it comes to bath time. They aren't weird about it (Laios is checking you out but. In a curious type of way. Marcille is giving him side eye if hes getting too...Laiosy. But he respects your boundaries. Just imagine Laios happily scrubbing you while humming a tune awe.)

And when it comes to sleeping arrangements...you can alternate between anyone in the party. But Laios and Chilchuck are your best bets. Marcille is an excellent sleeping partner if the dreams don't bother you, shes soo happy to have you sleep with her and she's soft and smells nice.

Laios happily lets you sleep with him. He's actually not super cuddly (unless you are he'll reciprocate). But he is very much like, giving you a ton of space. If you fall asleep before him he just relents and sleeps as comfortably as he can around you lol. Literally just like any other pet owner.

Chilchuck....sleeping with him is difficult bc Izutsumi will fight you on it, but she relents if you can fit in without much issue (bonus points if you're warm) so. You guys can both overheat this poor man. Izu may even start cuddling with you more. She finds a lot of comfort in having another beastkin in the party even though she won't say it.

And speaking of Chilchuck...you're likely a bit more cooperative than Izutsumi, so he gets your help when it comes to checking for traps and finding treasure. With your elite hearing and other abilities, he's actually really pleasantly surprised how useful you are. (If you were a half-foot he'd definitely want you in his guild). He gives you pets and treats when the others aren't really paying attention (He doesn't want them to see him doting on you is all LOL).

Okay. So. Your diet. This is an anime about eating so. Let's get down to it.

Whether you're a herbivore, carnivore, or omnivore--Laios is ENSURING your needs are taken care of in the party. It is of upmost importance to him.

He takes notes and asks about how certain foods make you feel. Are you more energized? Less energized? Stomach hurting? Pooping well? (Will ask this with upmost sincerity, he wants to make sure the butter/milk/etc used in their cooking isn't interfering with your tummy. Whether you want to answer this is up to you lol).

Laios and Senshi happily adjust things to your needs. Laios will spend time foraging with you, Senshi will find certain monsters with more nutrients that meet your needs. Senshi is also like, really knowledgeable about nutrients, so sometimes in your food he may grind up shells or bones to meet calcium needs and such. When he cooks he'll give you bones or soften them up in water so you can eat the marrow. :-)

Senshi...is the coolest though. He also lets you perch on him (like Izutsumi) and since he's lived in the dungeon for so long, he knows a lot about monsters firsthand. If it applies, he'll give you tips about yourself or some monsters you should prey on. Senshi and you go on little foraging trips too. He'll have you sniff things out in return for extra food during dinner.

Laios likes to see you hunt prey and eat it raw, though. Everyone else would rather not and it makes them sick but he thinks it is SO cool. He honestly wishes he could do that. He takes hunting lessons from you and will give you tips on being stealthier and such.

Your teeth really fascinate him. He likes testing your bite strength on different types of material (Like wood, stone, bones, etc.). He'll stick his fingers in your mouth and admire them if youd let him. He gives you so much praise in general its so cute.

AND. PETTING YOU. He is so tactile if you let him (i mean look how much he tries and fails to pet izutsumi). When you give him the all clear he is like. jumping for joy. he LOVES to pet you and praise you. He absentmindedly pets you when hes sitting down or standing by you. And when you nuzzle into his touch his heart SOARS. You can see on his face he's blushing and has that like. excited wiggly smile <3

I think when he's just sitting around he just messes with your tail. He likes it.

Lay down beside him and he will happily pet you and be like "do you like this? Is this a good spot?" Present. Your belly to him. and he is over the moon. He pets you wildly and is like "Who's a good boy/girl/monster?" He is so unashamed about doing this too. Chilchuck would put a stop to it if you didn't like it so much.

If you give him kisses or tongue bath's he's eating that shit up (i mean. look at those extra comics w him and dogs he lets dogs just kiss all over his face omfg). He isn't a huge fan of getting his hair wet (sensory issue) but when it's your drool...he can't help but be excited. Laios is all like "they're grooming me?? this means they like me, right??? Can I officially say I befriended a monster???"

It's proof that you care for him and view him as apart of your pack...he is just over the moon at this.

I will say...Laios is way too "has no backbone with you" for a while. You're chewing shoes? You can't help it! Stealing snacks? It's instinctual! Playing too rough with Izutsumi? C'mon guys...

But when he notices his party actually getting upset. You will be surprised how he can put his foot down. Not even max puppy eyes work on him. He will leash and muzzle you if needed.

But you can always get away with messing with his stuff. He thinks its fun to chase you around when you got his shirt in his maw. Then he happily wears the torn up gear and Marcille is like "let me sew it..."

For Scaly Beastkin:

He's so helpful when it comes to shedding season. Laios finds nice rocks all the time and helps scrape off any patches that are drying and crusting and hes not even phased and doesn't think its gross at all. He would keep some skin to test its resilience if you let him.

And going with that, when you need to shed and soak he would help you find a place and will happily assist with the shedding. He's so excited to be there honestly. But he feels bad you are uncomfortable so he lets you cuddle up under the water with him while you wait for your shed to soften up <3

Laios runs his fingers over your scales absentmindedly...just loves feeling how smooth they are, especially after he spent so much time helping them maintain that pristine smoothness.

He gets Marcille's help to make a moisturizing ointment to put on you every now and then so you don't get to dried out in the dungeon!! Marcille starts to fret about that too. You're just kinda chillin and she'll reach over and put ointment on your hands/cheeks/tail. Just areas you may be susceptible to drying out.

Also...he lets you use him as a heating rock. Sunshine is really limited in the dungeon, so...when you need a warm up he's there and waiting and extremely excited to warm you up with a hug.

For Furry Beastkin:

Brushes you. He'd do this EVERY evening (and morning) if you let him. He takes notes, too. Do you have an undercoat? Or is it just one? What does this mean about what environment you originated from?

He probably tries to use your shed fur to embellish his own clothes or put in his pillow/blankets. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle I guess?

And to add to that...remember how Marcille made a cute little cat head from Izutsumi's fur? He does that too. He and Marcille make cute little shapes outta your shed and giggle together about it.

If you get fleas...he is the party member you should tell. He'll help you get rid of them and won't rat you out to the other members LOL. He'd probably blame himself if it spread and the rest of the party is like "you expect us to beleive. you got fleas. Laios you would be excited if you got them."

For Feathered Beastkin:

Preening....<3. When you have pin feathers he is so sweet and gentle. gently picks them out. It kinda tickles bc he's just gliding his fingers over your wings. You'll catch him sighing in content and burying his face in the softness. It's so sweet.

He collects your feathers and shows them off to Marcille (who also really likes them.) Your down is SO useful too. The party has the softest blankets and pillows thanks to you. When you're molting everyone is calling dibs on the feathers to stuff in their bedding.

Laios examines your wingspan and is really interested on stuff like weather you can fly or not. If you can, he's in awe. He wants to see it. Maybe even fly with you if he can. Its always been a dream of his to do that.

nsfw

tw (for nsfw). monsterfucking? if that counts. mentions of vent/cloaca/knot

This man. It is so easy to tell overtime just how fucking horny he gets over monster stuff. He is addicted to just how much you differ from him. Your scales, fur, feathers, wings, etc....he thinks they're all extremely sexy.

He just loves the primal aspect of it? Like you act on instinct. Do what makes you happy. Like of course you have human reasoning and such but STILL. You're so non human and otherworldly it makes his stomach knot up and his dick hard as a rock. He wants to know EVERYTHING about you.

If you have a heat/rut cycle...he is. fucking. begging you come to him for help. jfc you don't even have to let him stick his dick in you. He just slowly probes your hole with his fingers and legit GASPS when he feels it clench around him. Not only is he learning so much about you and monster anatomy but hes also having his monster fucking dreams come true.

I mean it is a given with Laios but his fucking face is always in your hole. He loves eating pussy/ass so fucking much. And having your dick, clit, or knot down his throat drives him wild. He eats your slick and cum like he's starving. He's so sloppy with it too--there's spit and slick and cum all over his face and he's just slurping it all up like its his last meal.

He definitely "examines" you. He'll stick his fingers in you and stretch out your hole just to get a better look at what's inside. (imagine his thumbs sliding in and prying you open.) The muscles pulsating and the color and the smell...god he's drooling. You feel all vulnerable and exposed but he's just constantly praising how amazing your body and its functions are.

He busts so quick with a beastkin it....wow. Like. You are seriously all he has ever dreamed of and shit. I can't imagine he'd be able to contain himself. He cums and just still wants more, he fucks you through the overstimulation until he cries

Oh he wants to know whats in your pants so bad its ridiculous. Like. I cannot explain just how much he is vibrating with excitement

If you have a cloaca...he's very gentle with your hole at first. You explain to him what to look for, what feels good. He'll gently explore with his fingers until he finds the right hole and then he's going at it. He's shoving his tongue in there happily too. He knows what a cloaca is. He knows it's a singular vent for waste and sexual functions. Doesn't matter. His tongue is going in there. Laios is beyond excited to taste everything and see what makes you squirm.

If you have a knot...it's a given he wants you to knot him. It takes him a few tries (he can't take your knot at first because he's too tight) but when he finally is able to its like. euphoric for him. He loves feeling your warm cum in his ass and your desperate pants against his throat as your overstimulated self gets adjusted to being stuck to him. Gods.

Plus...I've discussed this on my blog in more detail but with a beastkin reader he's definitely into

You biting/scratching him up. He lovvveess being marked. Use him as a chew toy PLEASE

Predator/Prey rp: He's a trained hunter but he wouldn't mind being hunted...He loves how strong you are and how you can turn the tables on him if you wanted.

Just?? You being feral?? He likes it when you act more like your monster side and just treat him like a toy.

Breeding Kink: Even if you aren't able to get pregnant or breed (either due to sex or incompatible genetics due to being part monster), he's still really into it. You can fill him up vice versa...He loves the feeling of having you last inside him and he loves knowing you're still filled up from him. Plus, it adds to the more animalistic part of sex which is what he likes

[devotionlest]

*Epically punch a hole through your door to unlock it then proceeds to crashes through the the wall right next to the door* Hey can I request the survivors thoughts on the new Survivor reader who has the abilities of a Fisher?

The plot Idea or whatever you want to call this: the survivors are happy that you are around because they no longer just have to eat pizza or chicken but they are worried that when the trials (idk what they're called in lore) start you might not last that long but luckily for them you were able to take care of yourself and be a major help like: (these are just ideas for the abilities you don't have to use them) they can use their fishing rod to pull the killer or the survivors near them like Isabel's fishing rod from Smash, set a cage trap, and maybe have a harpoon for self-defense.

🎣 survivors x reader w/ fisher abilities 🐟

generally, the idea of a new survivor itself was exciting for everyone. it certainly wasn't every day that someone new fell victim to being (unfortunately) dragged into this hellish realm, so they were rather stoked and intrigued to meet you in the cabin face-to-face for the first time.

it wasn't overwhelming at all. in fact, it was very peaceful and welcoming. everyone took turns asking basic questions and greeting you, enthusiastically taking their time to get to know you. and you got along with them well! though, the most common question that everyone took particular interest in: what exactly do you do..?

it was quite a surprise to see you actually pulling up into your first round carrying around fishing equipment with an unreadable expression on your face as if this was an every day thing. some even expressed their worry that they fear you wouldn't last very long without their protection. you insisted that you could handle yourself, so everyone decided there was no time for questions and instead should be busy making it through the next hour.

as the round went on and you expressed more of your abilities, your fellow teammates eventually caught on. elliot took particular interest in your healing capability, incredibly relieved that there was another person who could help him help out everyone else. he even makes sure to spare you a slice even if you aren't very low, just making sure you that have enough to get through the rest of the round. if anyone knows how stressful it is to chase people down to heal them, it's definitely him.

not only that, but you could also lure the killer in with bait right into an efficiently placed trap! a few people seemed to favor this little ability of yours the most, using the killer's moment of weakness to slash their daggers and swords.

builderman and guest always give you a pat on the shoulder for your proficiency, constantly cracking fish related dad jokes that never fail to make you smile despite how cringe they can be. 007n7 can only force himself a smile at these jokes as well, mentally adding them to the list of 'dad jokes' he's been keeping track of for future reference.

the fact that you can do so much with your limited amount of supplies is mind boggling to everyone, basically covering every field of survival.

two time, though, takes high interest in your method. usually sticking by you during the rather calm rounds to question you. unfortunately, their touchy tendencies driven by curiosity never do seem to die down, always poking at your gear and asking you to demonstrate your abilities personally for them, only because they're so mesmerized by how easily you can swing your rod around without struggle.

chance is also one to tag along during exceptionally slow rounds, comparing the concept of fishing to the gambling he enjoys doing in his free time. at first, you thought it was kind of a stretch in comparison, but the two of you actually ended up forming a friendly bond over that conversation.

what appeared to be seemingly useless skills proved to be so much more than some had thought. despite the silly concept and initial judgement, the survivors trust in your ability to fend for yourself, praising you relentlessly by the end of the round for your helpful aid!

post script: this idea is really cute & i hope i portrayed it well enough for your standards! sorry only a few survivors are included here..i unintentionally rushed this a bit

[controld3vil]

sand walking?

pairing(s): dune 2 cast x actor!reader (platonic!!)

synopsis: requested by this ask!

⤷ alt: how to seduce someone walking on sand.

notes: there hasn't been confirmed for dune 3 yet but denise villeneuve has said he's writing for it to happen. ill patiently wait for the day it's confirmed :) ALSO there are fictional/made-up mentions of the novel for the sake of the reader. they're made to be gender-neutral!! and this includes platonic flirting between cast members. i MAY have gotten carried lmaoo

“I mean- what do you think of the character? Do you think they deserved more screen time?” The clip starts off with you comfortably conversing with the interviewer. To say you weren’t deflecting their curiosity. In actuality, you were eager to learn what others thought about your performance and take on the character. The only other interpretation had on-screen was from the classic 1984 film by David Lynch.

The clip that has been widely retweeted back is of a cute moment you had from the first film of Dune (2021). Before release, little was known about your character’s potential. Apart from the enthusiastic book lovers, film viewers were clueless about what role your character would play after the first movie.

Denise Villeneuve didn’t reveal much to you in person. He wanted to keep ideas confidential until he was 100% on board making the project come to life. Still, rumors sparked through speculation and interviews with the cast members of Dune. Including an infamous short, that you forgot about, of yourself boasting about your hopes and wishes for your character.

“Yes! How could we not!” On the opposite side, the interviewer exclaimed as they leaned forward from their chair, closing into your proximity. Their hands clenched, tightening their grip on the flash card, full of questions. “The movie left us on such a cliffhanger. I think everyone would want to know what happened to Nerre,”

“That’s for Denise to decide,” Nodding you gave a relaxed smile while lifting one leg over the other. Your shoulders relaxed, feeling content and ecstatic about their response. “I can’t confirm anything until he gives me the green light to say anything,”

“I’ve also talked to Timothée this morning,” A shift in gears as the journalist flipped over another flashcard. You two had just fussed about the finale and its dramatic cliffhanger. “And all he had to say were the sweetest things about you,” At the mention of your costar compliments, you felt your skin heat up. Your eyes soften, expressing only fondness for the lovely message. A soft awh escaped your breath. “He’s very sweet. Timothee's always been fun to be around.” A fervent chuckle from the interviewer sends them into a feverish excitement. “And- he said- you had great flirting skills!” It was then your face morphed into complete shock and giddiness . “Really?!” The camera pans up on your initial reaction, eyes popping out in surprise and a bubbling laugh slowly erupting. “I’m glad someone appreciates my talents!”

Without context, the short clip seemed harmless. Your sheer reaction to Timothee's comment emphasized the fun chemistry the two of you had on set. Mirroring much of Paul and Nerre's friendship, you both complimented each other well in the first film, being the youngest surrounded by well-renowned actors. But the reason for the recent spike of interest was partially from Dune: Part Two and their interviews.

Fast forward to the debut of Dune: Part Two, it made success at the box office. Even surpassing the first film altogether. The entire cast of Dune was proud of the work they've made. The introduction of new characters played by wonderful actors and actresses all around.

Weeks after the early IMAX screenings, press interviews were being published amongst of the young cast members. A particular interview by IGV Presents brings together Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, Austin Butler, and yourself.

This would be considered to be one of your first interviews with the Dune cast after the box office release. You felt nervous yet overjoyed at the same time to be meeting your co-actors again after the conclusion of filming had taken place.

The spokesperson of IGV, Simon Harkness starts off the interview strong with a pleasant greeting. "Congratulations on an incredible movie. Uhm it is the definition of a sci-fi blockbuster and is absolutely phenomenal, so huge congratulations to you all!"

"Thank you!" The five of you all politely cherish his kind words.

"It's so lovely to talk to you. Um- Timothee, Zendaya, I'm going to start with you. This is probably the hardest question I've ever asked in an interview so you've been warned." An endearing giggle can be seen from Zendaya before allowing him to continue. "Sand walking, who does it better?"

Timothee immediately lifts up his microphone. "I'm going to give it to Zendaya here." Without glancing at her, you could tell Zendaya was happily smiling at his compliments. How quick he was to answer made it seem how well connected the cast was even given the amount of time spent together. The main lead continues very swiftly, diving more into how cinematic the shot was from an outside perspective, "I think it's the most- one of the most cinematic shots in the movie and she really has it very precisely down but it's the nature of the movie too that she's supposed to be better than Paul,"

"Is that what it is?" In return, Zendaya who sat next to him gave him a teasing look.

Quietly from afar where you sat, next to Austin Butler, you whispered. "He acted like he couldn't do it but," Soft snickering can be heard across the room.

"In fairness to me, I was going 65%- 65 to 70 too hard," Chalamet reasons justly as he glances in your direction before looking back to the interviewer.

"You dumbed it down," Harkness nods in a high-spirited manner. Right after, Timothee reluctantly agrees, keeping the mood light-hearted.

"I had to!"

"Just how committed you are!" Austin steps in, joining in on the joke.

"Zendaya, you can take that crown. I love that," The brown-haired man reassures as she recuperates with appreciative laughter. In truth, it was a beautiful scene between Paul and Chani you were lucky enough to witness behind the camera. And contrary to their light banter, you thought both actors did well at accomplishing what it was meant sand walk. Truthfully you had no scenes beyond walking through the desert but understanding the mechanics and traditions of the Fremen was as fascinating as it was watching it up close.

Suddenly it was Florence's turn to speak, "Zendaya taught me the other day and I had to just stop to stare at her feet."

"The swoopy swoop?" You asked in a cutesy tone, with furrowed eyebrows. You couldn't help but remember the few instances you witnessed your costars practice the sand walk to be one of the more adorable rehearsals you've seen on the sand.

"Yeah, her feet were so pretty! She was doing the swoopy swoops," The blonde acknowledges, waving her hands in a zig-zag pattern. As the replication of water and how her feet moved.

The interviewer's eyes light up, "Honestly I tried to swoopy swoop at home- um because we have a carpet in the bedroom."

"How did it go?" The mixed actress puts forward.

"Awful!" An assembly of bewilderment is seen between Zendaya and Florence as they quickly question why. However, they reassure him in the end that they would practice together in hopes of him archiving the sand walk.

Talks with simple questions went down the row. Florence discusses her experience from her beginnings, starring in Little Women, comparing those scenes in terms of royalty to Dune. In both films, she's worked with well-known actors and now Christopher Walken as the emperor and her father. She raves about how it was a dream come true. A dream she had when she was little. From this experience, Florence emphasizes the concept of learning and observing her fellow actors.

Another intriguing topic follows Austin for his experience between learning choreography fighting and Elvis's iconic rubber legs. In a sense, as you leaned forward on one of your seats, you became fascinated by the Elvis actor's comparison of it all. While Elvis's moves were televised and had to be precise for the camera, being a Harkonnens gave him more leverage in the freedom to move. It was a captivating question that you couldn't help but want to listen to more.

Comparisons aside, you didn't have much to note for your upcoming question. Which is exactly why you felt unprepared for what he was going to ask.

Harkness brings up your name for the finale. "You have done stunt work before. For the first and now second film, I've heard you compared it to rather- dancing. Is that what you think your relationship with the choreography has been?"

You gave a content hum, "You see it with the Fremen or Harkonnens right? Everyone moves so differently and for the course for me, I've had to adjust my choreo little by little. And I think that analogy you mentioned really does relate back to dancing. I don't know if it's because I was once a dancer or that I'm a visual learner," You shrug your shoulders, "But I see the choreography as a dance routine. You're moving alongside people, doing hits and jabs. Both are very hands-on so I would like to approach it as something I can always work on." Satisfied with your answer, you clapped your hands together.

"Kind of like sand walking no?" It was then that Zendaya swerved counterclockwise to face you.

Bringing back the conversation they had in the beginning about sand walking, your eyes instantly brighten. "Exactly like that!"

"I feel like you would be great at sand walking," Florence puffs, mindlessly shaking her microphone back and forth. "You- You already got the moves." Even Timothee came into agreement, humming and commenting you worked well with the choreography.

Austin Butler raises his microphone. "I think you gotta learn with me because I don't think I could,"

"Nonsense!" You give him a silly glare. "If you can do a killer rubber leg, I think you can sand walk." Florence and Zendaya both mumble their support and your male costar leans to have his arm around the back of your chair, warmly.

"Is that an open invitation I see?" The spokesperson, Harkness giggly pokes at than the rest of the cast turns to look at you. Your scowl morphs into an innocent one.

"Hm?" As you squint your eyes in hesitation.

"I feel like you could have the potential to sand walk but just with the right partner," Timothee chimes in, spreading his arms over his chair as well. Your brows furrowed accusingly, as if wanting to clarify what he meant by his comment.

And the French actor gives you a look, one you became so sure of. "Mm right!" A slight eruption of laughs before you straightened your back with proper posture. "With just the right partner,"

There were also hints mentioned in your interview with Timothee surprisingly not. This was one of the more recent ones to be published, as you finally were able to pair up with your favorite co-star (besides Brolin) from the first film. The two of you had strong chemistry despite having less screen time together in the second film.

The beginning of the video cuts to a clip of you answering an innocent question. "What I think about every day, is Timothee going to send to me a meme today? Uh, I hope so!" You give a sarcastic look to your seat partner as he latently laughs in front of you. "Or when is he going to text me you know?"

It then transitions to an interviewer from Heart commercial radio as he shouts out your names. "How are you both?"

"I'm doing good!"

"Going great!"

The radio show was more relaxed than you would've expected as the spokesperson was very down to the earth with his conversation starters and contagious warmth. Timothee was able to catch up with him from his last interview when he premiered his Wonka film. Eventually, the interview became more casual discussing working together, cooking, and trendy topics.

Timothee and you both went back and forth on favorite memories you had of the first film. And talking about the new cast members and new elements it had brought to the table for the film itself.

"Cool new characters this time," As you played around with the fuzzy microphone the camera crew gave to you.

"Yup lots of new people to meet," Timothee adds on, nodding.

The interviewer proceeds with the question, "And also you have seen- there's a clip about of you running around actually." He signals to you, "Of your reaction to something Timothee said about your performance in the first film,"

"Oh! I've seen it," Almost instinctively, your co-star raises his hand. "I was supposed to send it to you but I forgot." As he turns, to finds you looking lost at the topic at hand.

"Really what was it?" You almost looked concerned, seeing how you didn't understand what they meant.

Luckily for you, the Heart radio spokesperson managed to get a hold of the video from his phone, "It was a little callback of Timothee raving about your flirting skills."

As it plays, the camera zooms in on you and your co-actors reaction. The French actor couldn't help but look slightly embarrassed but smitten when the timing of your reaction came on screen. While you held an intrigued stance, arms crossed and a content grin.

"I am pretty good at flirting,"

"You really are, huh." At the same time, you both turn to make eye contact.

"I also heard Tim- that you thought that they would be your love interest initially?" At the radio speaker's inquiry, you couldn't help but in mid-sentence, finally, swerve your head suddenly.

"Yeah well, fun fact actually," The male actor tries to reason, sitting up. "In the novels, Paul and Nerre almost did become a couple!"

It was a well-known fact of that in the first novel, there had been slight changes to the story. Initially, it was said that the author, Frank Herbert had planned for Paul and Nerre, the character you played to have a romantic connection after the fall of House Atreides. Nevertheless, it was later scrapped for another plot, that of instead having Chani as the love interest. But even decades later after the novel’s release, it was something fans still fuss about.

"Oh, I heard about that!" Almost in awe, you nodded, your attention fully on Chalamet, wondering how far he was willing to go beyond spoilers.

"Do you think Nerre would ever meet someone then?" The afro man questions, adjusting his microphone. "Since- Paul has Chani, I feel like if we ever get a potential third film, that could open some doors!"

"If a third film could happen," You start, fiddling with the lining of the mic cover, "I hope so! I mean I got the moves, I got the skills!"

"Keep practicing your sand walk and we'll see," Timothee cutely chimes as you proceed to blow a raspberry at him. Only for him to lightly swat you away.

Despite your failures to have scenes of sand walking, your cast of a crew were more than happy to show you. Javier Bardem and Jessica Ferguson were quite supportive in your interest for something you did not have any part-time. A few behind the scene videos show the actor demonstrating from afar the slower version of the walk.

Though your back was facing the camera, viewers would pick up and recognize it to be you. Jessica as well was off to the side, in her luminescent costume of a million robes, clapping from side to side.

Another later pans to you taking long strides across the sand in the background. In front of the camera are Josh Brolin and Javier having their turn in the video, to discuss their relationship and the previous they have worked on together. However, viewers couldn't help but pinpoint your figure alongside the frame trying to master the patterns of what Javier taught you from the previous clip.

[multi-fandom-imagine]

What is your ideal meet cute for Fred and George? Or mistaking them as the other meet cute? (I love the twins)

A/n: I too love the twins 🤭

•Fred Weasley•

It’s the first weekend trip to Hogsmeade of the year, and the chilly autumn air is bustling with students excited to visit the shops. The Three Broomsticks is packed to the brim, with nearly every table occupied and the bar swarming with people ordering butterbeers. You, however, have just managed to snag the last empty booth in the corner, cozy but big enough to share if someone asks. You’re lost in your own world, flipping through a book you brought along, sipping your butterbeer, and completely oblivious to the chaos around you.

Enter Fred Weasley, juggling three butterbeers and a handful of snacks, heading back to where George is waiting at a table,except someone else has taken their spot while he was away. Mildly annoyed but mostly amused by George’s lack of table-saving skills, Fred scans the room and spots your table.

“Excuse me,” he says, leaning down so you can hear him over the noise. You glance up, locking eyes with his freckled face and mischievous grin. “You wouldn’t mind sharing this table, would you? My dear brother seems to have failed me as a table guard.”

You blink, startled but too polite to refuse. “Sure, I guess. As long as you don’t spill anything on my book.”

Fred slides into the booth across from you, setting the butterbeers and snacks down. “Wouldn’t dream of it. What are you reading?”

You hold up the cover, and his eyes narrow as he dramatically scratches his head. “Ah, yes. ‘Advanced Potion-Making.’ Riveting stuff. Do you read this for fun or…?”

“It’s for Slughorn’s essay,” you reply, smiling faintly. “But thanks for the sarcasm. Very refreshing.”

"Ah must be a Ravenclaw..could be the answer to me never seeing you." Fred grins, leaning forward giving you a wink. "You’re welcome. Oh...how rude of me. I'm Fred, by the way. I’d shake your hand, but they’re covered in crumbs from these suspiciously addictive pastries and you are?”

"I am in fact a Ravenclaw and I do know how you are Weasley. I think everyone at Hogwarts knows you and your brother." Your lips twitched into a smile. "But I'm Y/n."You stated and before you know it, the butterbeers he was meant to take back to George have been long forgotten as the two of you start chatting. Fred’s quick wit has you laughing, and your dry comebacks seem to entertain him just as much.

Eventually, George finds him. “So this is where you disappeared to,” George says, arms crossed but smirking. “If you’re done flirting, Fred, our table’s open again.”

Fred barely glances at his twin. “Flirting? Please, George, I’m merely making a new friend. And besides,” he looks back at you, his eyes sparkling, “our table is much better company.”

You roll your eyes, trying to ignore the warmth creep up your neck fiddling with the pages of the book. “You can go, you know. I won’t hold it against you.”

Fred shakes his head with a teasing grin. “I don’t think so. Someone has to make sure you don’t overwork yourself with all that potion-making nonsense. I’m staying right here.”

George rolled his eyes but the smile on his face showed he wasn't bothered by it as he gave his brother's shoulder a pat. "Alright mate...see ya back at Hogwarts."

And just like that, a chance encounter turns into the beginning of something far more exciting than a potions essay.

•George Weasley•

It’s the day before the school’s Halloween feast, and the Great Hall is buzzing with decorations being set up and students sneaking in early to help (or cause mischief). You’re perched on a ladder near one of the floating jack-o’-lanterns, carefully enchanting it to spit out harmless sparks in alternating colors. The first year's would love it and it's not like it's going to harm anyone.

Unbeknownst to you, George Weasley has decided this particular pumpkin is the perfect place to hide one of his new prank prototypes a harmless (mostly) enchanted bat that flutters out at random moments to scare passersby.

As you mutter the final part of your spell, the jack-o’-lantern suddenly jerks forward, shaking violently. Before you can react, a loud POP echoes, and a small bat leaps out, flapping wildly. Startled, you lose your balance and tumble off the ladder, your arms flailing as a small yelp escaped your lips.

Before you can hit the ground, a pair of strong arms catch you mid-fall. “Blimey, didn’t think you’d be part of the decorations too,” a voice teases as you’re set gently back on your feet. You turn to see George Weasley grinning at you, his freckled face brimming with amusement.

“That wasn’t funny!” you exclaim, though the heat creeping up your neck as you stepped a few feet away from him brushing off your skirt.

“Funny? No. Brilliant? Absolutely,” George replies with a mock bow. “I’ll take full credit for that bat well, unless it gets us both detention. In which case, it’s obviously my twin’s fault.” He gave you a wink.

You narrow your eyes at him but can’t help smiling as you fixed your yellow and black tie. “So you’re saying you sabotaged my perfectly good pumpkin just to test one of your pranks? Rude."

He gives a sheepish shrug, though the grin never leaves his face. “Sabotage is a strong word. I prefer ‘enhance.’...made it slightly better.Besides, it was a bit boring, don’t you think? Needed a little excitement.”

“You’re impossible,” you reply, shaking your head.

“But entertaining,” he counters, leaning against the ladder with a confident smirk. “Tell you what, I’ll help you fix it and maybe not rig any other pumpkins as long as you promise to join me at the feast tomorrow. Consider it my way of making it up to you.”

You blink at him, caught off guard by his forwardness. “You mean as an apology or because you think I’m gullible enough to trust you again?” You teased as you placed your hands on your hips.

“Bit of both,” he admits with a wink. “But I promise, no bats this time....pinky swear."

You can’t help but laugh. “Fine. But if you try anything else, you’ll be the one fixing all of the decorations.”

“Deal,” he says, offering his hand to shake, though the playful glint in his eyes suggests he’s far from done with his pranks.

And as you both set to work on repairing the pumpkin, you find yourself smiling more than you’d expected because maybe, just maybe, a little mischief isn’t so bad when it comes with a charming partner in crime, especially when he's as cute as George Weasley.

[hansmic]

*. * · ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ ʟᴇɴꜱ *. * ·

model! felix x photographer female! reader

MDNI!!

summary: A photographer and a model, whose lives have never truly intersected, find themselves working together on an important project. As the photoshoot progresses, the chemistry between them grows, leading to unexpected moments of intimacy and vulnerability.

genre: fluff, romance, smut

warnings, unprotected sex, fingering, kissing

word count: 2.9k

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As a professional photographer, you pride yourself on your technical skills and artistic eye. But there's something about this particular photoshoot that has you feeling a little nervous. Maybe it's the importance of the project, or maybe it's the fact that the model you'll be working with is none other than Felix, a man you've never met before but have seen in magazines and on billboards all over the city.

You arrive at the studio early to set up, and as you're adjusting the lighting and cameras, you hear the door open and in walks Felix, looking even more handsome in person than he does in photographs.

He introduces himself and you shake hands, feeling a small jolt of electricity at his touch. You get right to work, directing Felix to pose in different outfits and settings, snapping pictures as he complies.

As you continued to take photos, you couldn't help but notice how easy it was to work with Felix. He seemed to have a natural charisma and poise in front of the camera, effortlessly transitioning from one pose to the next.

"Is this what you had in mind?" he asked, as he posed against a white backdrop.

You smiled, feeling a sense of satisfaction at his ability to follow your directions and yet still add his own flair to each shot.

"Yes, that's perfect," you said, looking through the lens and capturing the image. "You're a natural at this, you know."

Felix chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "Thanks," he said. "I've been doing this a while, but it's always nice to work with a talented photographer."

You feel a little flutter in your stomach at his compliment, but quickly brush it off as you focus on the task at hand.

As the photoshoot progresses, you can feel a growing chemistry between you and Felix. It's subtle at first, but as the hours pass, it becomes more and more apparent. There are moments where your eyes meet and a silent understanding passes between you, or when his hand accidentally brushes against yours and a shiver runs up your spine.

But despite the growing attraction, you try to remain professional. This is a job, and you're here to take pictures, not get involved with the model. But it gets harder and harder to ignore the pull you feel towards him.

Finally, as the sun starts to set, the photoshoot comes to an end. You pack up your gear, feeling a sense of both relief and disappointment that the day is over. Felix approaches you, a small smile playing at the corners of his lips.

"Thanks for today," he says, his voice soft in the dim light of the studio. "I really enjoyed working with you."

You feel your cheeks flush a little at his words, and you quickly look down to adjust your camera bag.

"Yeah, no problem," you say, trying to sound nonchalant. "You were great."

He laughs softly, and you look up to meet his gaze. There's something in his eyes that makes your stomach flutter again, and for a moment, the air between you seems to crackle with electricity.

"You know," he says, taking a step closer to you, "I don't do this often, but I was wondering... would you want to grab a drink?"

You feel your heart skip a beat at his question. Part of you wants to say yes, to spend more time with him, to see where this attraction might lead. But another part of you is hesitant, reminding you that mixing business with pleasure can lead to messy complications.

"I don't know," you say, hesitating. "It's not really professional to hang out with models outside of work..."

Felix nods, respecting your concern. "Yeah, I get it. But I just... I don't know, I really enjoyed working with you today, and I thought maybe we could get to know each other better."

You can hear the sincerity in his voice, and you have to admit, you'd be lying if you said you didn't feel the same. But you're not sure if it's worth potentially jeopardizing your career for a night out.

You hesitate for a moment, torn between your professional instincts and your personal desires. But in the end, the pull towards Felix is too strong to resist.

"Okay," you say, a small smile tugging at the corners of your lips. "I suppose one drink couldn't hurt."

Felix's face lights up with a smile. "Great," he says, sounding genuinely pleased. "There's a great bar just down the street, if you're up for it?"

You nod, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness as you sling your camera bag over your shoulder. "Lead the way."

As you and Felix leave the studio, the cool night air hits your face, and you can feel your heart rate quicken in anticipation of what the night might bring. You follow him down the street, the neon lights of the city casting a glow over everything.

The bar is cozy and dimly lit, with small tables and a few plush couches. It's the kind of place where people go to have intimate conversations over cocktails. Felix leads you over to a small table in the corner and pulls out a chair for you.

You take a seat, feeling a little self-conscious as Felix sits down across from you. The atmosphere is suddenly more intimate than before, and you can feel the weight of his gaze on you.

"So," he says, a smile playing at the corner of his lips, "tell me a little about yourself. What made you become a photographer?"

You take a deep breath, glad for the opportunity to talk about something other than the growing tension between you. You tell him about your passion for photography and how it's always been a dream of yours to make a career out of it.

Felix listens intently, asking questions and nodding along as you speak. You can see he's genuinely interested in what you have to say, and it makes you feel seen and appreciated in a way you haven't experienced in a long time.

As the conversation continues, you find yourself opening up more and more. You tell him stories about your childhood and your family, your hopes and dreams, and your struggles and fears. And Felix reciprocates, sharing his own stories about growing up as a model and the highs and lows of the industry.

As the hours tick by, the conversation flows effortlessly, never growing stale or awkward. You find yourself becoming more and more attracted to Felix, not just because of his good looks, but because of his intelligence, his sense of humor, and the way he seems to truly see you.

Eventually, the conversation turns more personal. You talk about your relationships, past and present, and the lessons you've learned from them. Felix confesses that he's been single for a while, having grown weary of the superficial connections that often come with the modeling world.

The conversation eventually reaches a more intimate territory, as you start to talk about your own love life. You confide in him that you've also been single for a while, having been too focused on your career to make time for relationships. You share your fears of being alone, and Felix listens intently, his eyes full of understanding and empathy.

As the night wears on, the drink count starts to add up. Your inhibitions start to lower, and you find yourself feeling bolder and more carefree. You laugh louder, talk more freely, and let your guard down around Felix.

At one point, your hand brushes against his as you reach for your drink, and an electric shock passes between you. You look up and meet his gaze, and there's a spark of attraction that's impossible to ignore.

Without a word, Felix stands up and holds out his hand to you. You look at it for a moment, and then take it, allowing him to help you up from your seat. You're suddenly aware of how close he is, the scent of his cologne filling your nostrils and making your head spin.

He leads you out of the bar and onto the street. The cool night air feels refreshing against your flushed skin, and you realize how tipsy you've become. You're slightly unsteady on your feet, and Felix's arm comes around your waist to support you.

You stumble a little and fall against him, your body pressing against his side. You feel the heat radiating from him, and you can hear the steady rhythm of his heart beating in his chest.

He turns to look down at you, concern etched into his features. "Are you okay?" he asks, his hand grasping your elbow to steady you.

You nod, feeling a little embarrassed by your clumsiness. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," you say, trying to smile. "I just had a little too much to drink, I think."

"Come on," he says, his tone gentle but firm. "Let's get you home."

He guides you down the street, keeping his arm around your waist to help you stay upright. You find yourself leaning heavily on him, your head swimming with alcohol and the nearness of his body.

The walk seems to take forever, and you find yourself growing more and more aware of Felix's presence beside you. You can feel the warmth of his touch, the steadiness of his breath, and the strength of his body as he practically carries you through the empty streets.

Finally, you reach your apartment building. Felix leads you up the stairs to your door, and you fish your keys out of your pocket with shaking hands. As you fumble with the lock, his hand covers yours, stilling your trembling fingers.

"Here," he says, taking the keys from you. "Let me help." He unlocks the door, and together, you stumble into your apartment.

The familiar surroundings of your home seem foreign in your inebriated state. You cling to Felix's arm as he guides you through the living room and into your bedroom.

He helps you sit on the edge of the bed, his hands gently settling on your shoulders. You look up at him, your eyes bleary and unfocused. Your body feels heavy and warm, and you have to fight the urge to lean forward and bury your face against his chest.

You look up at Felix, your vision hazy but your mind clear on one thing: you want him. The alcohol has eroded any inhibitions you had left, and all you can think about is the feeling of his body against yours.

It's as if he can read your thoughts. His eyes roam over your face, taking in the flush of your skin, the slightly parted lips. He takes a step closer, his body suddenly looming over yours.

He reaches down, his fingers brushing against the exposed skin of your neck. You gasp at the contact, feeling a shiver run down your spine. His touch is feather-light, but it sets your senses on fire.

He leans in, his lips hovering millimeters from yours. You can feel his breath on your face, warm and slightly tinged with alcohol. "You're so beautiful," he whispers, his voice low and rough.

Before you can respond, his lips are on yours, claiming your mouth with a possessive fervor. You melt against him, your hands reaching up to clutch at his shirt, pulling him closer until there's no space left between you.

He pushes you back onto the bed, his body covering yours as he continues to kiss you. Your hands roam over the planes of his back, feeling the muscles move beneath his clothes. He kisses down your neck, nipping softly at the sensitive skin, and your back arches off the bed in response.

His hands slide beneath your shirt, his touch scorching hot against your skin. He kisses down your torso, his lips caressing every inch of exposed flesh. You tangle your fingers in the sheets, your breathing coming in ragged gasps.

He continues his path down your body, his hands coming to rest at the waistband of your pants. He looks up at you, his eyes dark and filled with desire. "Can I?" he asks, his voice barely above a whisper.

You nod, not trusting yourself to speak. His hands pull at the fabric of your pants, and soon they're off, tossed aside and forgotten. His lips press kisses along your thighs, moving higher and higher until they reach the edge of your underwear.

His fingers hook into the elastic, and he begins to pull them down, agonizingly slowly, his eyes never leaving yours. You lift your hips, impatient, and he chuckles, the sound muffled against your skin.

He finally pulls them off, tossing them aside to join your pants on the floor. He looks at you, his eyes taking in every inch of your body, and he lets out a low whistle. "You're even more beautiful like this," he says, his hands sliding up your thighs.

He moves back up your body, his lips trailing kisses up your stomach, your chest, your neck, until his face is level with yours once more. His hand cups your cheek, his thumb tracing the outline of your lips.

He kisses you again, his tongue delving into your mouth, and you respond hungrily, your hands wrapping around his neck to hold him close. You can feel the hard length of him against your leg, and a jolt of desire shoots through you.

He breaks the kiss, his lips moving to your ear. "I want you," he whispers, his voice low and gravelly.

His hand moves down your body, fingers tracing the curve of your hip, the softness of your stomach, until they find the heat between your legs. You gasp, your body arching into his touch, and he chuckles again, the sound sending shivers down your spine.

He slides a finger into you, his touch gentle but insistent, and you moan, your body tensing in response. He kisses your throat, his lips scorching hot against your skin. "You're so beautiful," he whispers, his free hand roaming over your body, worshipping every inch. "Perfect."

He adds another finger, curving them inside you, and your hips buck involuntarily. You can feel your body already growing unbearably tight, every nerve aflame with pleasure. He kisses along your collarbone, nipping at the sensitive skin there, and you can feel yourself losing control, your body arching off the bed. "Felix," you gasp, your hands tangling in his hair, "please."

He looks up at you, a sly smile on his lips. "Please what?" he asks, his fingers still moving inside you, slowly and torturously. "Use your words, baby."

You whimper, feeling yourself teetering on the edge of release. "Please," you gasp, "please, I need you. Now."

His smile widens, and he withdraws his fingers. You let out a strangled gasp, feeling suddenly empty and bereft. But he's not done with you yet. He positions himself above you, his hands holding your hips firmly as he looks down into your eyes.

"Are you ready for me?" he asks, his voice quiet and full of promises. You nod, your eyes wide and filled with desire. You lift your hips, silently pleading for him to take you, to fill the emptiness within you.

He obliges, sliding into you slowly, a low moan escaping his lips. You arch against him, your body stretching to accommodate his size. He holds still for a moment, his eyes locked on yours, before he begins to move.

His movements are slow and steady, his hips rolling against yours in a rhythmic motion that has you seeing stars. You clutch at his shoulders, your nails digging into his skin, and you feel yourself spiralling higher and higher.

He leans down, his lips finding your neck, and he kisses and nips at the sensitive skin there. "God, you feel so good," he says, his breath hot against your ear.

He increases his pace, his movements becoming jerky and uneven as he nears the edge. You can feel yourself clenching around him, your body tightening in anticipation. He captures your lips in a bruising kiss, swallowing your moans, and then he's shuddering against you, his body going rigid as he spills into you.

He collapses onto you, his body sagging against yours, both of you panting and shaking with the after-effects of pleasure. He lifts his head, a sly smile on his face.

"That was incredible," he says, his voice rough. He rolls to the side, pulling you with him so that you're resting against his chest. His arms encircle you, his body warm and comforting.

He brushes a strand of hair away from your face, his gaze roaming over your flushed cheeks and disheveled hair. "You're so beautiful," he murmurs, his thumb tracing the line of your jaw.

You nuzzle into his chest, feeling satisfied and sated. Exhaustion is slowly creeping into your bones, and you stifle a yawn against the bare skin of his chest.

He chuckles, the sound rumbling beneath your ear. "Tired?" he asks, his hands rubbing soothing circles on your back.

"Mmhm," you reply, your eyelids drooping with sleepiness. "We should probably get some rest." He pulls the covers up and over the both of you, cocooning you in a blanket of warmth.

You fall asleep with your head on his chest, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat lulling you into a peaceful sleep. As you descend into the sweet abyss of dreams, you feel his arms tighten around you, holding you close.

And for the first time in a long while, you sleep better than you have in months, your dreams filled with the memory of his touch, and the promise of something more.

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I really hoped you liked it this was my first time writing smut so it’s probably not that good but I tried. my masterlist is here if you wanna check out more stories.

[heartfullofleeches]

Another Round

Yan Demons + Secretary Reader

[While this Reader is intended to be male, no pronouns are mentioned in this particular blurb. Regardless of Gender, Reader wears a skirt. Mentions of alcohol consumption]

-

Wordless chatter congregates around you - blended conversation from neighboring tables mixing into a cocktail of intelligible gossip. Akin to a second skin, your spine molds to the leather cushions uplifting your weary body. It's not a perfect fit. Stiff, almost plasticity compared to the soft, breathable material you're used to. You wouldn't expect some run of the mill bar to import real leather anyway.

Pardoned from the bite your work heels have on your ankles, you roll your foot lazily beneath the table - an empty glass invading your peripheral. It not every weekend you have time off, but on the rare occasion you are your job is still never done.

Your friend taps the rim of their glass, a sluggish smile plastered on their face.

"Y/n, my man! Mind pouring me another beer?"

Speechlessly, you grapple the glass slide across the table towards you Folding a napkin, you clean the its innards of any residue, motioning for one of the few unopened cans of beer left. Cracking the tap, you hold the glass at a perfect fourty-five degree angle as you pour.

You pause as it fills halfway, tilting the glass upright as you complete the process - a neat inch of foam setting at the top.

A round of applause commends your skill.

"That's amazing, Y/n! You're faster than some of bartenders here!"

"I know your new job is top secert and all, but you sure you aren't some bottle girl for some rich business people?"

They aren't entirely wrong with that assessment.

"Yeah! How did you get so good at this? You don't even drink!"

.....

-

A serpent's tongue trails the length of your neck, talons hooked on the hem of your skirt as blackened feathers join the dance circumference around you. You aren't just a part of the party, you're the eye of the storm. The protect arm of a fallen angel hook around your waste, a snake mouthing at your jaw - lapping up spilled alcohol sprayed across your glowing skin.

"Sorry about the mess, Dove~" He hisses - throwing his head back to swallow the remaining filth at the bottom of his glass. It isn't nearly as sweet as it is when it has the taste of you as a chaser. Nor as filling.

"Do me a solid and pour another? Nobody does it quite like you. You got the magic touch, Dove!"

Charged by that special code word, the room erupts with chanting.

"ANOTHER ROUND!"

"ANOTHER ROUND!"

"ANOTHER ROUND!"

A single voice stands out from the crowd.

"Hey, Guys! Whoever gets the waiter to make a contract with them gets to drink the next one off Y/n's chest!"

All eyes point to you.

You shrug. "I'm game."

The entire room rumbles with energy matching an earthquake as your coworkers roar with victory.

"WOOHOOOO!"

-

....

"Just something I picked up at an afterwork party."

[spinfins]

Being in the Veilguard is dangerous, you guys.

These people are already courting death and injury with their regular everyday professions.

Davrin is a Grey Warden, ‘nuff said.

Bellara messes with dangerous artifacts in Indiana Jones style temples.

Neve is on the hit list of every thug in Docktown and can’t help but poke her nose into the business of everyone else.

Taash plays with dragons. For fun.

Harding is a do-gooder who has already cheated death for ten years and learned her self-preservation skills from the Inquisitor.

Rook, ‘nuff said.

Honestly, Lucanis is probably the safest one of them, and that’s because he deals death for a living, so he can see it coming better than the others.

It’s all okay though. Because Emmrich arrived at the Lighthouse, set up his skulls, took one look at their scarred, bruised, twitching faces and announced himself as their “de-facto physician.”

It’s a new experience to have someone readily available to stitch-up, or heal wounds with a wave of the hand and a thought. He notices when Bellara and Neve have gone more than two or three nights without sleep, and gently chides them. He listens patiently to Harding stress about dreams, and Lucanis complain about Spite’s nightly wanderings. He tries to pick at Taash’s shell and help them settle in the group until he realizes what’s really wrong (thanks to Rook), and then he moves forward with that knowledge until they are fast friends.

He tries to console Rook about Varric’s death and encourage them to open up about it. He has helped a lot of grieving people, but this particular incident seems to be one he can’t solve.

Altogether, it’s reassuring to have him there, a little bit older and a little bit wiser. Experience that tells them all everything really will be alright.

Until one day Emmrich gets hurt, carried limp through the eluvian in Taash’s arms with a bleary-eyed Rook running ahead of them covered in his blood. And Neve hasn’t done any healing magic since the Dragon attack in Minrathous. And Bellara knows more about dead elves than living bodies

And suddenly, maybe everything isn’t going to be alright. Because how are they supposed to fix the one who does the healing?

@knotyourdeer wrote an awesome continuation of this for anyone interested!

See below\/\/\/

[inafieldofstarflowers]

Since my last aftg re-read I’ve been thinking a lot about Kevin Day, and specifically about whether the view we get of him through Neil’s eyes is accurate. Over the course of the series, Neil consistently fails to recognize subtext (relatable), particularly when it comes to emotions (i.e. Andrew being into him and Neil not picking up on it, Matt consistently trying to gently ask about his sexuality and Neil never really picking up on what he means, Neil being utterly confused about what the bets on him could be). Neil is, however, very open about and aware of his love for Exy: beyond being good at it or enjoying it, playing makes Neil feel human—it’s one of the first things we learn about him.

Since Kevin is also obsessed with Exy, this is the side of him that Neil sees most often. Almost all of their interactions are centered around Exy—even their conversations about the literal mafia are inextricable from the sport they play (thanks, Tetsuji), so it makes sense that, in book two, Neil is saying that “The only thing that mattered to Kevin was Exy,” especially when considering that both Andrew and Aaron make similar statements in some of their first interactions with Neil (“Where the court is, Kevin is. He can’t exist without it” and “Exy is the only thing he cares about,” respectively). Given Neil’s obsession with Kevin (the way he’s tracked his success and is fixated on his survival), it’s easy to forget that, at the beginning of the series, Neil doesn’t know Kevin. They played a game of Exy together once, years ago, and then didn’t meet again until Kevin came to recruit Neil for the Foxes. For years, all Kevin has been to Neil is a horrific memory and a set of Exy stats, so of course when they meet again in an environment centered around the sport, that obsession with the sport is all Neil sees. In many ways, I think Neil intertwines who Kevin is with who he is from the beginning: in the same breath as he’s saying Exy is “the only thing that made him feel real,” he’s stating that “Kevin was proof Neil was real.”

I don’t, however, think this is a complete view of Kevin. I think there are hints of this in the way that Andrew’s appraisal of Kevin differs from Neil’s and Aaron’s: not that Kevin only cares about Exy, but that he can’t exist without it—he’s tied to it. Andrew’s not making a sweeping claim about Kevin’s feelings so much as expressing his irritation with Kevin’s obsession with the sport, and he’s not wrong: Kevin is inextricably connected to Exy, not only because Tetsuji raised him to be the future of the sport alongside Riko, but because Exy is Kayleigh Day’s legacy, and so is Kevin’s life, and (at least in the eyes of the world) those two are never going to be fully separate. Even if they were, Kevin would choose Exy because he genuinely loves it (that much is evident in his dedication to practicing until he has his skills down just so, and in the choice of the Trojans, who rely on skill and teamwork and incredible understanding of the game to win, as his favorite team).

I think TSC in particular shines extra light on Kevin by giving us Jean’s view of him. Things as simply as his choice of major become much weightier—history is something Kevin is apparently so passionate about that he convinced Riko to study it with him and convinced Tetsuji to let them do it, even though Kevin’s literal purpose at the Nest was to be the best (or, I guess, second best) Exy player, and the stated purpose of the Ravens all sharing a major was because academics were seen as less important. Jean’s comment about how “Kevin saw nothing but the court, but Jean had stopped hoping for more than that years ago” initially seems to support Neil’s line of thought, but I think that’s a much more personal reflection from Jean, really, because the rest of Jean’s narration shows a much different version of Kevin than we see through Neil’s eyes. Even though Jean has more reason than maybe anyone to feel that Kevin cares only about Exy, given the way he left the Nest, Jean recognizes that this isn’t true. He trusts in Kevin’s care for him, trusts his judgment in sending him to the Trojans.

Kevin’s care for other people doesn’t often come through, and I think that’s a combination of the way that he is as a person and the way that he’s painted in Neil’s narration. He definitely has moments of being incredibly callous (e.g. when Seth dies and when Andrew is being taken off his meds), but he also does truly care about people. He cares about Andrew, even if his “make Andrew care about Exy so he has a will to live” strategy is deeply flawed. He cares about Jean, evidenced by the magnets and postcards he would give him ad the work he put into setting things up so Jean could be on a team where he was safe even giving up some of his own secrets in the process. he cares about Neil, who he encourages to run (even though that would destroy the Foxes’ season) and tries to stop from going to Evermore at Christmas and trains every night by request, even though they both think Neil will die, and stands up to Riko for.

More than anything, I think the biggest evidence that Kevin cares about more than Exy is the faith that he has in people, time and time again, because that faith is in such contrast to his standard disdain for people. He has faith in Wymack taking him in (Jean says that he never doubted it), faith that Andrew will protect him at the Foxhole Court, faith that Jean will help Neil at Evermore, faith that Neil has a bright future. After a childhood spent mired in, at the very least, intense emotional abuse, it’s honestly amazing that he’s able to move forward with that sort of trust in people.

All that to say: I think there’s a lot more to Kevin than we see, and I especially think there’s a lot more to him than Exy. What’s his favorite period of history to study? Did he spend a lot of time picking out the magnets for Jean on his trips? When did he start drinking to try to stop his emotions (something that Neil never deeply addresses but which is a whole different post because this is already FAR too long)? What did he think when he first found out Wymack was his father? When he re-read Kayleigh’s letter over and over again, was it because he was reveling in knowing who his father was or because it was a tangible piece of the mother that he’d lost? Was he even worse about critiquing Andrew & Nicky et al. about their food choices when he first arrived at PSU because of the Ravens’ diet thing? I need to know everything about him that isn’t his love for Exy.

[phoenixlevine]

Forgive me if this one sounds a bit off—I’m trying to do the guy justice. Once more, the Space Riders AU belongs to @onyxonline, not me.

This took a while since Kane's a bit of an oddball compared to the rest of the team. While everyone else has powers that work offensively and defensively, his ability is purely defensive. That means he'd be pretty weak on his own, which is why he’s the team captain—Kane knows how to rely on his team, and they can always count on him in return.

Kainar Nightshade (or just "Kane"—he’s not too particular) is the level-headed, strategic captain of the Aegis Team. Unlike his more chaotic teammates, he has a calm and resolute demeanor, always focused on keeping his squad safe. His power is purely defensive, creating powerful energy barriers that can withstand heavy impacts, but it leaves him vulnerable if he’s alone. That’s why he’s so good at being captain—Kane knows how to balance his weakness by coordinating the team to make the most of their collective strength.

He's also a firearms expert—name a gun, and he can probably use it like he was born with it in hand. Kane even has a collection back at his apartment in the Space Riders’ complex, ranging from antique revolvers to advanced plasma rifles. When it comes to combat, he combines his barriers with precise gunplay, setting up defenses while the others handle offense.

Home Planet: Astraeus Kane hails from Astraeus, a high-end, laid-back luxury planet located in the Centaurus constellation. The planet blends rugged, aesthetically refined landscapes—like rolling hills covered in golden grass, crystal-clear lakes, and vast canyons—with modern, luxurious architecture. Wealthy visitors from across the galaxy often come to enjoy Astraeus’s serene atmosphere, fine dining, and high-quality handcrafted goods.

The people of Astraeus are known for their relaxed, sophisticated lifestyle. They appreciate practical luxury and tend to avoid unnecessary chaos—making Kane’s composed demeanor a perfect match. Despite the calm and cultured environment, Astraeus still attracts its fair share of trouble, mostly from he Cult and smugglers. Kane’s upbringing on this planet taught him to value preparation, sharp instincts, and, of course, impeccable marksmanship.

Personality: Kane is calm, collected, and responsible. He’s known for keeping his cool even when Vael accidentally sets something (or someone) on fire. As captain, he’s supportive and patient, never one to berate his team for their wild antics. Instead, he subtly guides them back on track with a few pointed words. Despite his serious demeanor, Kane does have a quiet sense of humor, often dry and delivered with a slight smirk.

Hobbies: Maintenance and customization of his guns, collecting rare firearms, practicing at the shooting range, and quietly making sure the team doesn’t accidentally blow up the apartment. He also enjoys the occasional high-quality espresso, a nod to Astraeus’s appreciation for the finer things.

Powers: Defensive energy barriers. Kane’s barriers are strong and versatile, but purely protective—he can’t manipulate them offensively. They are most effective when he uses them to shield himself and his teammates in combat. Kane’s skill lies in reading the battlefield, predicting attacks, and setting up barriers in the right spots to protect the team while they take down threats.