#i won't there some questionable parts but overall...i like

[noellefan101]

How They Love-Heartslabyul

Characters; read the above >_>, riddle, trey, cater, ace and deuce x gn reader

Warnings; fighting and gang stuff(deuce), paranoia kind of, Spicy food(kay kay), teeth(yk who)

Title may be changed, idk its both too short and the other one too long, and then corny af

Still in a writers block void, i dont think i will ever get out tbh

Riddle Rosehearts

Riddle now has an occasional rule-breaking tolerance, but only with small rules that he (after his overblot) can see challenging ways to follow correctly, or ones that seem silly even to him.

No matter how much I know he would never call a rule silly, he still admits to some being just a little too ridicules. And therefor I think it's important to say that he cares a lot when reminding people of rules, since he knows there are reasons for them to be placed or (often bad) consequences for the person in question.

He doesn't want to see you being punished for something, so he's warning you of certain things/rules ahead of time to secure your safety and overall mood. So sometimes he may let things slip if he sees its something you really just can't control, or wasn't your fault at all.

Studying is a hard and grueling part of school life for most individuals, that's why he will make absolute sure that you won't overwork yourself when doing so. It may look like it comes easy to him, but even he struggles on certain topics. He'll tutor you on any subjects that you need help with, making sure that at least decent test scores and that the information actually stays in your head.

He's a very caring person, and although he isn't the best at showing that in a way people can understand, he'll make sure you succeed and have you healthy at all times. Sometimes he seems a little pushy, but that's just how he is. (f u miss rosehearts)

Trey Clover

Noting down your favorite sweets, or baked goods in general, and making sure there's always 'leftovers' of said pastry.

He has extra toothbrushes in his room that he doesn't even use, not because they're just extras, no. Its because they're yours, he keeps them in case you stay over or to force gently teach you into using more than one for different parts of your mouth. No you cannot just borrow his, that's really unhygienic.

Sometimes he puts a note in his sweets, like edible paper on the bottom of your cupcake or just straight up normal paper inside your tart. These notes are to you only, and usually says "I love you.", "Your eyes are really pretty." or "I put oyster sauce in this one." and "Drink Me."(-the latter is never on something drinkable)

Master of comfort, no problem will go entirely unsolved and leave you feeling sad. He'll make you vent your feelings within minutes, and have you engrossed in hugs that feel like home.

Your problems will be talked about and will be sorted out, no matter how big or small, he's there for you.

Trey is from a family of bakers, so he wakes up earlier than anyone in the dorm. Whether its out of habit or he really needs to get up at 5, that honestly depends on the day. But he'll let you sleep, mostly. There's at least 2 days a week where Trey wakes you up early, and kidnaps you to the kitchen. Good luck if you like sleeping in.

Cater Diamond

6 million pictures of you he hasn't posted. It's the ones he wants to keep to himself, and some he just couldn't post because he had been crying two minutes before taking it. About 70% of them are photos of you sleeping or making dumb faces in said sleep.

Also posts a picture with you in it somewhere at least twice a day, a good bunch are of him kissing your cheek with #iScored or #FinishedHomeworkReward, something stupid like that.

Loves spicy ramen, and would love to share some with you no matter your spice tolerance. Have a high tolerance to spice? Watch him "prove" that his is better, only to be humbled when he started downing milk like it's the main meal.

If its low however... you'll just be suffering with him, try to enjoy the taste of pain and any other spices harvested straight from the Underworld.

Shows you moves he just learned on his skateboard, convincing you most are cooler than they actually are. You have frequent dates going like that, were he just shows off a little before turning soft the second you come near. Just don't be surprised when you become a cameraman who's paid 5 kisses per hour.

He's mostly an over the top extrovert, putting himself out in the world and making sure all eyes are on him... or at least the "him" he willingly shows to them. With you its different, he'll reveal his saddest sides on accident and realizes he doesn't even mind that much.

Ace Trappola

Ace tries so hard, so so hard, to make it seem like he doesn't care about that much. But he does.

It's a stupid amount of caring that only he could convert into infinite types of denial. Covered up by lots of teasing, calling you down bad as if he's better, laughing when you're nice to him, yk Ace stuff.

He's been collared many times, more times than anyone could count, because of something he did for you. Sneaking out at night when you had a bad dream, swearing it wasn't because he cared but only because he didn't want to hear you complain a bunch. Totally, yep. (Ace wasn't able to use magic for a whole two days, and his dormmates still haven't stopped teasing him about it)

Loves showing(distracting) you his newest card tricks, making sure to sneak in a kiss or two just to see your sweet cherry colored cheeks. He'll play a few card games with you between study sessions, totally not trying to distract you when he sees you struggling with a subject. No no, that would be too kind of him, he doesn't care that much... Yeah, definitely.

Cherries. Picnic dates with cherries. You don't have any say, you're going with him. Jokes aside, he likes spending time with you and would like that time be special, trying his very best to bake pastries he remembers being good(with the help of Trey), wanting to share them with you. Of course the ones he likes the most, are with cherries 70% of the time.

Having a hard time sleeping? yes? no? Doesn't matter, he's coming over and chatting your hearing away at 1:50 am. The topics are often stupid things that happened to, or around, him that day, weird rumors about teachers, and everything Deuce did wrong the last few days. If he does wake you up by spawning into your bedroom, you'll fall asleep soon enough anyway.

His voice is surprisingly soothing when he isn't being a little shit, or burning someone's ego to the ground.

Deuce Spade

Blastcycle rides are a frequent occurrence for you both. Sometimes it's a planned location you're driving to, others are going in a random direction and hoping you find something cool.

Probably teaches you to fight at least a little bit. He's not proud of his fighting abilities currently, and is definitely not good at teaching, but there's thoughts going through his mind, who are all telling him he can't protect you from the other gangs. So Deuce is making sure you'll be able to fight for yourself.

He is kind of paranoid about it sometimes, and although you weren't there during that time in his life, he'll still be haunted by the thought that people will target you because of him. Just hug the boy please.

Deuce has been studying so much now that his set goal is honor student, he would also love for you to join, and help, him in studying. It's not going so great, but luckily with Riddles insistence in getting him to succeed and your constant support, he's been improving his grades little by little.

He's trying his very best to be a better person, become someone his mother can truly love and be proud of. And now he wants to improve for you as well.

Likes to bake and cook with from time to time, he's improving with Trey's help but still sheds a little tear for each egg he has to crack himself. But he's been loving to make egg filled dishes, sharing them with you or even inviting you to cook with him.

I cannot write for deuce and ace i dont know why, save me from these dumbass boys-luv ya >Masterlist<

!You are welcome to reblog and like any of my posts, but you CAN NOT translate, copy or hate on anybody for liking my posts!

[wild-surge]

I'm a bit on the fence about this one; on the one hand, I don't think he'd want to deal with any of the Raven Queen's servants but I feel like the raven would be able to see things about him that few else can (I think it's supposed to be connected to/a part of the Raven Queen herself? Or some kind of perverted psychopomp in her service?).

I think it will be safer then if I leave this for you to write, maybe add some of Val's POV after everything is over and done with; she'd definitely be a bit testy with him and, knowing her, might forego explaining why - question is how he will react to this angrier, more mood swingy Val (I'm also this close to making this less serious and having Astarion - probably, because they have beef - just make a crude joke about the time of the month causing the mood swings).

I think this is cute; I think she'd understand Val and listen patiently, though she may not totally relate to everything she says. She'd keep Val's confidence, but beyond that I'm not sure yet....

I think Val would actually forget that this kitty actually talks with Deet and is on his side. It wouldn't be talking with Sister, more likely talking at her out of frustration general frustration with her own feelings and with Deet. She'd probably start doing that when Withers is busy with Arabella and then just gets used to talking at something alive that can't - to her knowledge - judge her or tell her she's an idiot. That sort of dynamic. More of the "canon" Val coming out.

I like this; would the group be able to feel a bit more of her divine self in that moment?

Honestly I could see this going either way so have fun :3 If going by divine anger I think others might finally notice the smell of burial flowers (though with the overall rot of SCL they might ignore it?) - I think it would definitely be associated with more negative emotions; anger, fear, discomfort? Though she could handwave it by being a Kelemvorite (question is who would believe it to be a sort of blessing from her god).

If not here, then in the Gate's cemetery - he'd smell the flowers and make an association?

maybe we can give Val a little break from feeling guilty 😭 and let him initiate that kiss? Now, I do have this thought that he's never really kissed anyone outside of sex, so he might assume that one always follows the other—and at the same time, it's the only expression of romantic affection he really knows? He'd be mentally preparing himself to "perform", but he's definitely in a bad place for it and I'm sure there's zero mood after fighting Balthazar. Deet would be relieved and very grateful if Val cut it off before things went too far.

Oh she'd still feel hella guilty 😅 but yeah she would definitely NOT initiate anything romantic with him - even is she already came to terms that what she feels for him is way-way beyond being protective, to put it lightly, he is in a vulnerable place. Having Val take the first step would - to me - read too much as abuse/grooming? (I think him being all soft-but-also-protective of the egg would have a reaction from her. In life, she gave the egg to Lae'zel and she herself never had any maternal instincts - and that won't change. But, "Deet is mama" actually hit a spot in my head and I could see a slight role reversal? If he's mama then she's gonna protect mama.)

And yes, I was tossing the ideas how far they would go at it - definitely not far but I was more wondering what would be more in-character for him in that moment; a shyer, softer approach or something slightly more animalistic because he feels raw after everything, and the dominant alpha behaviour would just be posturing to not appear weak (honestly the more I think about it, it could technically be a part of the role reversal where she takes on a bit of stereotypical male role - protecting him, watching over him as he sleeps etc, and he just feels he needs to set this straight?).

I like this! I'll think about this over the weekend. I do see the Thaniel & Oliver stuff happening before Ketheric is defeated (and pre-Shar's Gauntlet--I don't like leaving once we're down there so I save it for when I know I'm done with all the stuff I want to do).

Ok! I had a minor conflict planned before this but it won't work pre-Balthazar so I might need to do some brainstorming. I was thinking they just had a fight about something (nothing serious, maybe even the whole post-He Who Was spat - she's still there for him but just. Angry. Standing a bit further away, a bit quieter etc). Just something that would, for those brief few seconds, trigger him into thinking what now. Just to get that nogging of his going (now that I think of it, it would fit better before Gauntlet, so that the kiss would not come out of nowhere?)

I can see that and that's good to know. And yeah, I'm like 99% sure he'd be attracted to Halsin and accept his proposition in Act 3 (if he's established with anyone, he's of course clearing it with them first, but he'd be into it).

I was actually dancing around the idea of him not even asking her (he did ask Shadowheart and just got too excited at the prospect) but no matter how I put it, it feels too meanspirited for him.

Val would not say no, because she thinks that: a) he'd dump her (because of boring sex?) b) she will have to leave and does not want him to be left alone c) she does not want to pressure him into anything, too angry at Mystra for what she did.

She would, however, definitely be sad and uncomfortable. Question is how well she'd hide it from him and how he would react. If he botches the perception roll, she'd definitely grow distant from everyone - even if not in a physical way, so not to bring too much attention to that.

Face blank, Deet appraised her gear. "You look like an aarakocra during mating season," he deadpanned. He recalled that one season he spent in the forest canopy, pretending he wasn't enthralled by bright colors and shiny trinkets—it never went anywhere. A quizzical expression flickered across his brow and he gave the sorcerer one last, lingering look before shaking it off and walking away.

And this brings me back (and actually inspired it in the first place) to the idea of a bit of role reversal. I don't remember much about aarakocra but for the sake of my train of thought I pictured the males as having a more colourful plumage. And just ran with that ^^; I'm trying to figure out anything companion specific for her in SCL but I don't think there would be any "companion quests" for her; because it's at the same time too much and too little?

I'd stick to her using her powers to free Shadowheart once Shar grabs her - maybe the cleric notices something weird about her then but would keep her secret (or not even address it?).

Shar is definitely stronger than her so there might be some effects from venturing into Shadowfell uninvited (though I think Aylin and Isobel would help with that afterwards). Myrkul is not at his full power and came up "only" in his avatar so there definitely would not be much interaction (even if she feared them) and after eons she knows how the fight with him goes, so she'd keep her distance in fight, maybe Misty Step to Aylin to free her.

On that note: I could picture Ketheric being absolutely triggered by her presence and not understanding why (though I do not remember how it went if you took untadpoled Halsin with you to the Towers so I really don't know if you'd want to have this included).

Raphael and Yurgir definitely see through the glamour. I know god!Gale zaps Raph's ass but Val is a minor deity so it's hard to tell where she stands in comparison to Raphael. I'm thinking slightly below him when he's on the mortal plane but he does not know that. So while he may tease/threaten about spoiling her secret, he wouldn't do it there. And she'd definitely refuse to go to House of Hope - there the glamour won't work at all and while she is still strong, she'd probably be terrified of Deet learning what she was.

Dream Guardian - who they are and what they represent for Deet? I think in this chapter I make a vague reference to "familiar eyes" but other than that I skip any focus on them.

Val? Val won't take that scene well, but the next interaction during honour guard attack will be worse.

I think I meant to add something but forgot it now -_-

"So… you're keeping the egg?" he hears the disbelief in her voice, knows what's coming next and feels his hackles raise in defence.

"If you come to jest--"

"What? No, I--" she groans, her shoulders dropping, glances at the egg with such an odd expression that he's not sure whether to shield the little one with his own body.

"I'm sorry," she whispers finally "I'm not…" shakes her head, kneels in front of him, brows furrowed but a small smile dancing on the corners of her lips "We'll need to figure out how to carry him so he doesn't get harmed on the way."

"Him?" her eyes widen, purples flashing.

"Or her." she shrugs, but there is some uneasiness to her now "You might need a better blanket, the nights are getting colder the closer we are to the valley, you don't want him to get cold."

"I know how to care about the egg," he growls, he took care of abandoned nests before, raised the hatchling to adulthood. He didn't need the girl to tell him what to do.

He turns away from her, arms wrapping around the little one again as he becomes aware of the temperature dropping. If he's not enough then he will call for Sister to lend her heat.

He sleeps through the night and in the morning wakes up under a heavy blanket, soft from years of use but still thick and smelling like bramble flowers. EDIT: Holy shit, I completely forgot but: Balthazar is one thing but what about the fucking Silent Hill boss that is Malus? Good Doctor and what he's doing to that poor soul died to the operating table feels like a recipe for one of the more bloodier encounters in the game because I cannot imagine him just talking the surgeon into offing himself :x And I even mentioned him before but now with the context of the nightmare it might become terrifying.

This was a supposed to be a series of short snippets and this chapter is already 3500 words long, wtf brain, you have another long ass thing to write, why come up with another story T_T

[trickerys-domain]

So I just got a chance to listen to the Dev Q&A (thank you Ghil Dirthalen!).

Was anyone else extremely annoyed and disappointed by the answer regarding City vs Dalish Elf Rook?

Like that 'things are different in Northern Thedas when it comes to elves' comes across as such a lazy lore excuse for 'we didn't want backlash for restricting races to factions' considering from every other peice DA media released, we know that's not true. The dalish and city elves are very much seperate cultures and factions on their own.

It would be like saying orzammar and surface dwarves are 'basically the same' in northern thedas

[kalims]

he's a ten but he...

premise. sometimes certain bad habits of theirs make their overall rating just a tad bit lower—besides the fact that they keep doing it.

characters. dorm leaders

content. gender neutral reader

malleus (doesn't have a sense of space)

"look beastie, that flower is a native of ours,"

"I agree mal, but I didn't think you taking up the entirety of my seat will make me see it better,"

he blinks, then shrugs.

like i said, has NO sense of space.

if an average person would make an excuse to constantly be in physical contact with who they admire, then malleus is the complete opposite. well, not entirely but he doesn't even bother to construct an explanation as to why he's literally sat over your seat when you coincidentally get put in a table together.

if you start questioning him about it the most you'll get in a very outright 'because he wanted to.' it's not even one of those sarcastic replies he's 100% serious!

cause he believes there's no use in lying about things to be honest.. to further emphasize that, if he ever acts like he does hold fondness for you that surpasses the platonic meter but doesn't mention it he probably hasn't realized yet.

if he did he'd already walk over and bluntly tell you about it.

(I wish I could be that unbothered.)

lilia thinks it's the cutest thing though. you swear you see flashes of light for a split second from the ceiling but when you look up there's only a suspicious swinging chandelier.

^ totally has his own album full of pictures.

if malleus ever discovers it he won't even be disturbed, probably would ask for a copy 💯

since human lives, and their bodies are so fragile he'd taken it upon himself to protect you from harm. even if it means trailing behind you everywhere way too close for comfort, or standing a bees wing away.

while he is respectful most of the time, he's encouraged if you don't comment. if anything, he seems pleased you dont seem to be bothered! (and it'll get harder to tell him to stop when he's so happy the more you let it happen..)

"child of man, have you slept?"

*starts leaning his body forward, to squint at your eyes.* practically right in front of your face.

"WTF."

not even a warning or anything! but atleast he's concerned?

idia (won't even show up for anything and insists a 'virtual' date is better.')

user: where tf r u??

ghoul666: WDYM? at the dorm?

user: IVE BEEN WAITING HERE FOR 20 MINUTES

unintentionally stood you up 💀

you literally have to tell him that you're waiting for him to arrive at the specified area you discussed where your date would take place but would end up vastly irritated when he questions if you guys even did.

ghoul666: we do??

user: I'm taking my minecraft bed away from urs.

ghoul666: NO PLS

ghoul666: HELLO????

next time you log in minecraft it's probably because he begged you to play, you WILL end up seeing some kind of structure that probably took days to make. that's not even the entire thing cause the inside is entirely decorated to your taste.

in short: he constructed some kind of venue for a wedding.. even changed his skin to wear a tuxedo 😭

though he has sparked your pettiness, hence the ignoring him period. even you have got to admit that it's freaking adorable...

big sign, emphasis on please: Im sorry pls put ur minecraft bed back I can't sleep w/o u and I have to wait entire days for it to turn into morning :(

with what he's built you're sure it's 65% true.

if you do end up forgiving him, few weeks later attempting to schedule another date will only end up in naught.

ghoul666: can we not go there

user: 😐

user: you are testing my patience love

ghoul666: 😓 (he is screeching about the term of endearment part btw KABSJAJSAJA ortho would enter his room very concerned.)

ghoul666: how abt

ghoul666: mimic together? call

user: sighs

user: I'm only agreeing cause I want to spend time with you

queue more screeching from his end that you're completely oblivious to.

the only screeching you're gonna hear though is when you guys do get into call as you play, and it's mainly out of terror when his soul gets sent to the void ascending when the entity pops out of a corner and starts chasing him.

"I GOT THIS. ILL CARRY U THIS IS FINE" *screams again* but really wants to impress you so he pushes through.

unsurprisingly does carry you.

asks to match avatars right after (idia love languange)

vil (frets over you way too much.)

"vil, did you see the chocolate in the freezer?"

"oh, that? I noticed that you've already gone through the ideal number of bars this week so I took it upon myself to make sure you don't go sick on me,"

"I love you but please give it back—"

"I love you too, and no."

disclaimer: he does this for your own good 😜 (average mom excuse.)

looks out for you more than he does for his own dorm residents. everyone is wondering where he ran off to after class, especially since he's the one that scheduled the pomefiore meeting every fridays!

and to think he was the one getting irritated over the more newer first years for being late..

*shows up literally half an hour in*

why you ask? you simply shouldn't have texted him about abandoning your daily walk together through the gardens in favor of catching sleep since you called in sick (you're suspicious if crewel really did go in to check for proof, and not concern.)

vil's really feeling the absolute regret of not checking his phone during classes.. well, he only saw the message which was coincidentally sent like somehow ONE minute after the lecture started and he's only seeing it 59 minutes later.

oh you poor thing!! though the lunch break is short, he has about 5 minutes for a trip to the mirror chamber..

you'd think the 'seen' icon below your message was a weird omen for something you're not sure but it must be doom cause vil is right at the front porch of your crappy dorm. at his own expense?! looking more disheveled than you've seen him before.

if a few stray hairs was disheveled at all. more importantly, he still looked drop dead gorgeous!

you probably looked quite terrible with the blanket draped around your shoulders looking like you just crawled out of your grave, because he looked absolutely mortified at your state.

"oh great sevens.." he looked like he was faint, huffing and fanning himself with his hand. "look at you, why didn't you tell me sooner, darling?"

you blink, swallowing to make your throat less dry but your voice still comes out raspy. "I did, like an hour ago—" without your invitation whatsoever, he steps in. promptly shutting the door behind him (which surprisingly still stands sturdy.)

vil takes a hold of your shoulders before reaching his hands upwards to tilt your face around. "you should have sent earlier," he says. you keep in the comment that you were sleeping during it, and you told him about it during second period so.. "your face is so pale."

you sigh.

"yeah, I just saw. I know, I look hideous right now."

vil frowns at you, stopping to angle your face at him. "don't ever say that. I always find you beautiful even if you are.." he glances at you from face to toe, then back up. "sickly."

"... I feel offended."

"hmph, shush now. let me draw you a bath then I know something that will boost your system."

after much coaxing in his end, you reluctantly take a warm bath in the hopefully hygienic bathroom. true to his word, vil did... concoct something. though it looked pretty the random steam that flew from it was really suspicious.

the residents don't dare to question, except rook of course. who already knew what transpired! :)

epel: 😃 (atleast vil wasn't around.)

"roi du poison~ tell me, tell me! is the trickster well? have you cured them with your love?"

"rook, you have 5 seconds to get out of my face."

rook giggles away.

kalim (thinks money will buy anything, including your forgiveness.)

"here!" there's a suspiciously bright smile on his face as he hands you.. some keys?

you deadpan, jingling it in your hands. it weighs heavy than the average, probably because of the fact that it's literally made of gold. "... kalim what is this?" you emit a sigh, from suspicion and concern.

"a gift!"

"wait why does it say lot 111--"

as you can already, that was an actual, literal house. which you imagine would probably be a lots more grand, and new compared to your old baby ramshackle.

but you do love it despite it's love for falling apart at the most inconvenient of times..

fighting with kalim was rare but it was hard to even argue with him because the notion of disagreements are so bizarre to him that he unintentionally doesn't treat you seriously with your concerns, accidentally downplaying them aaaand now you're upset.

after the ranting to jamil about how you must be busy with a lot, since you haven't even talked to him in the past 2 days. all it took was a side glance to his friend in denial and jamil immediately knew.

"what do you mean they're mad!? D:"

"just.. go apologize, I don't want to get caught up in this."

if his definition of an apology is buying you an entire house...

( ^ it is btw.)

kalim really doesn't mean any harm. he just really wants to sate whatever anger you held for him <- maybe he's overthinking it but it's kalim so he's 99% sure it's his fault! even though it hasn't even been confirmed from your end he'd probably accept it whole heartedly.

he wanted you to talk to him again so badly that he wouldn’t mind showering you with houses... since your living situation doesn't live up to your kindness (sorry ramshackle love u xx)

you know what. he wouldn't even notice he's the reason you're upset at first even though he's been asking around on who put you in that mood. despite himself being the perpetrator but he didn't really know that did he?

the only reason he does is because he assumed you were just because you avoided him like some sort of.. cockroach! (he dislikes those.) and he couldn't take it anymore.

was probably 1 sec away from barging into your dorm which wouldn't take a lot of effort since one ram to the door would probably break it.

bless jamil for jailing all the carpets so kalim doesn't find them.

even if said carpets fling him off when he's riding them.

"kalim, why would you buy a literal house... and you also got a rare address paid--"

"for them! ;D"

"... you do know they'd be more offended by the fact that you'd try to replace that.., ahem. dorm, right?"

"oh... should I buy them a vehicle then?"

you only promise to forgive him once he takes back the keys, and the house entirely...

(grim begged you to keep it, 'house for him apparently.')

azul (keeps trying to offer you discounts thinking it's a good excuse to have you over.)

"I assure you. you'll find no deal better than this."

"I'm not even that hungry for sea food, actually I'm craving some--"

"you're in luck then! ahem, it's 26% off due to a special event for today."

pro tip: keep insisting to eat at other places cause he's gonna keep increasing the discount by 2% until you eventually relent. once, you made him go to the point of 75% off, it's almost hilarious if not for the fact it only worked once.

now he won't go last 50!

ahem. if you look closely you can almost spot tiny cracks accumulating with each denial you respond with, and each increase of his discount. he's grown to be wary about the bullshit 'lucky' promos you just happen to stumble on.

last time you did he practically lost a week's worth of the presumed income he's predicted cause you actually went around and told your first year friends about it... who.. in turn told some, other friends of theirs about it and you could guess.

love must hurt.. and unfortunately it's his wallet wailing.

but azul is not so easily swayed by this! for you have swayed him first! *wink wonk*

but azul has another trick up his sleeve... keeping on roping jade and floyd into it; whom are far too enthusiastic cause finally— something fun to do! someone to bother! not only have you got the most stubborn octopus having frequent suspicious 'deals' but here are his equally suspicious lackeys.

who keeps.. talking about fried octopus..

yeah, you're not sure if preaching about azul’s species is the job they were assigned.

they're fairly easy to point in the right direction anyways. the tweels have always associated you with the word 'fun' so just a little, friendly suggestion from and they were off to their merry way. mortifying every single person you come across with their sudden attachment.

one of their tricks? following you around. and just somehow, every single place you enter is just mysteriously full even though you peered inside and there was like 7 tables empty. what are they hosting? ghosts? spirits?

...

they do look like they've seen some though..

jade rn: "a shame indeed, you must be hungry. why don't we escort you back to monstro lounge?" :)

long story short you can't even reply cause the sleek eel is already guiding you around by the use of his hands on your shoulders. just to make sure you don't stray away from the destination, he says.

"didn't you say that yesterday's promo was like, a one day thing?" you quirk a brow, and you almost fool yourself into thinking he flinched.

azul clears his throat. "well—today is.. the month before you've graced octavinelle with your assistance—"

he praises himself for his quick thinking.

COME ON! it doesn't matter if you're sick of eating stir fried shrimp, or the butter one, or every single dish they serve that includes shrimp! (also do not mention that you ate somewhere else before you just decide to visit his dorm because that establishment just mysteriously got filed a non-legal business report.)

then you've got floyd chasing you around with a fork. which is more terrifying because he's holding it in a notion that would seem like he'd just stab down at you when he catches up with your little goose chase.

it's just.. you're not sure if your stomach could take another bite of the poor food he stabbed into, and is now chasing you around with.

you screech. "JADE PLEASE."

the man shrugs. "it's a free taste."

"AZUL."

"... only on a condition of course."

frankly. it took all the balls he had to actually sputter out the most simplest sentence ever, cause during the time he rehearsed that in front of his mirror it just plagued him with embarrassment but he's getting desperate.

'I'd like to take you out to dinner, somewhere else of course.'

actually, maybe obliterating any possible craving for the food of his lounge just might've been part of his plans to ask you out..?

leona (prevents you from actually being productive via dragging you down to 'nap' every. single. time.)

"I will literally fail if you don't let go of me right now."

"hmph. so what? it's not like failing a grade killed anyone."

"leona just because you've lived through a lot of fails doesn't mean I have to, we're not all rich enough to not finish school."

to which he'd retaliate that all you'd need is to marry him and you'd be set for life.

there is no winning an argument with leona when it comes to his naps. if he states that you're to be next to him as he sleeps, its final. no buts, no retaliations, cause apparently they're all invalid according to him even if you drag him to court.

rhetorically of course, that if its a comical court scene his only statements are; 'well you're wrong', 'who cares', and 'i dont care'. one way or another he's still gonna win you over and now you're fit snugly in his arms, lamenting.

and if crowley chastises you for not doing the errands (via leona's common interference.) the only thing you need to honestly do is to complain to leona about it and suddenly crowley has the kindness to forgive you for your 'laziness' then says something about enjoying your time together?

leona's work no doubt.

you suppose he does has its perks. even if most of it isn't exactly ideal.

if you're being smart then you should give him an ultimatum or something, or bribe him. but... that really has no guarantee to work either cause you're ending up defeated, or just defeated and flustered since he's somehow unconsciously flirty.

at the end of the day you can't really hate him cause the following day you find out he sent an already sleep deprived ruggie to do your work. 'so you can shut your fussing up and let me enjoy you.' he says, and you quote.

it goes something like;

"if i finish my work i'll stick by you all day."

a stready flow of confidence keeps your voice firm as you glower down at the blank-faced leona sat on the grass. he merely tilts his head, raising a brow at you and seemingly pondering from the way his eyes fly to the sky.

you'd think that maybe your plan actually worked but he merely grunts and flops backwards, holding the back of his head with his palms as he laid. and! he ignores you.

...this little greedy man... "why should i care whether or not you finish your work?" he huffs, like the evil, arrogant spawn he is but you can't really defend yourself cause said evil spawn bewitched you so much that you actually still like him.

"because you care about me?"

"...fine," he scowls, releasing a breath you'd mistake for irritation. "then, do you really think i need you to finish your work when i can just keep you right here?"

you sulk. "i'll do anything you want?"

he deadpans as if you said something stupid. "i don't need you to anything else but sit still and be pretty."

...

...

see what i mean about him eventually winning you over? yeah.

next morning there's a rebellion in savanaclaw about overworked residents and ruggie is the head of them.

"he said that he doesn't need you today." <- ruggie, steering you away.

"really?" <- you, confused

riddle (overthinks TOO HARD.)

“I'm just a little busy.”

“I understand,” riddle says.

“I'm just a little busy.” he understands.

“a little busy.” its just… a small thought…

“I'm just busy.” his mind is a hazard at this point. 

for someone as supposedly maintained as riddle—you'd think his mind is as composed as it is organized. like the pens you'd perfectly align in correlation to order of colors, or the neat pile of clothing folded neatly, tucked in some corner in your closet that is farther in since it's used less.

that's just how he is, or at least seems to be. a bundle of organized thoughts, every thought connected to another. a mind too clean to be going on haywire (when he isn't in a particular mood, that is.)

you're just busy. he thinks. you said it yourself, with that agonizingly nice smile that must be sprinkled with some kind of spell from the way it just eradicated all the protests in his throat upon sight. he isn't one to question it, he wants to help but not if you don't ask.

he can only stare with resigned acceptance at your insomnia induced eyes.

but when the curtain of darkness befalls night raven college, even in the comfort of heartslabyul is he still thinking about that thought–and he can’t help but wonder; why exactly are you busy? its not that he’s suddenly hyper aware of your lack of presence since you’ve been attached to the hip the previous week and now you’re just.

…busy…

riddle likes to think of himself as a level-headed, private person. like the boy he raised himself to be and therefore proud of. but its way past 10AM. which is usually the time he sleeps, and let me tell you that he’s never once broke the cycle for years. yet here he is, a frown of frustration present on his face as he wills his mind to sleep.

somehow closing his eyes felt forced, he immediately snapped them open once his mind decides to conjure an image of you even in the darkness his lids offers.

“THIS IS ABSURD.”

and the yell promptly woke up the entire dorm from the ferocity of his scream. (and of course gave them the flashback of their year.)

that night was one of the worst he’s ever had because he woke up with red rimmed eyes and a pounding headache that ensured his bad mood the rest of the day.

everyone noted to steer clear.

and he unknowingly steered clear of yours since you were ‘busy.’

“why are you sulking?” a voice queried, spoken as though they were eating something as they asked. a reprimand rises in his throat, but it all just dies down once his sharp eyes settle on you, slipping into the seat in front of him then raising a brow and the traces of irritation practically evaporates from his eyes.

he feels the need to cough–so he does. “i’m– i’m not.” he clears his throat, avoiding your eyes but still sneaking in glances, something he notes is that you’re still looking everytime he does. (and boring an unimpressed face because he knows you don’t believe him at all.)

guilt rises in his mind, because he feels a slither of annoyance and its the presence of pettiness that bothers him. riddle knows you’re not at fault, just his mind at convincing that you just somehow decided in the span of a day that you might not like him anymore–so he can’t help the bite. 

“why are you here?” a glance not intended to look mean.

“i thought you were busy.” he adds.

your brows raise, he spots your teeth holding your lips back from showing your grin and he feels warm. “what?” he hisses defensively, despite you not even having replied to him yet.

he leans backwards, straightening up in his seat when your chin leans forward, resting on your intertwined fingers. you flash him a smile. 

“mr. rosehearts, are you perhaps… sulking because i’m busy?”

“no!”

silence.

“no.” he repeats, weaker.

“well,” you continue, beaming. “i heard from ace that you were awake the entire night, and that you kept him awake too. are you alright?” 

he sputters. “it wasn’t because of you!”

you snort. “i didn’t even say anything about me.”

so you incline to following riddle around, poking fun at him and still trailing after the seemingly enraged red head because despite his angry protests, demanding you to go away because you’re annoying he keeps glancing back to see if you’ll follow,

so cute…….

[alice-angel12x]

The complicated heart

I want some Angst so here is some Pure Vanilla x Y/n knight cookie. Also pt.1 of overall fanfic story.... I guess. (Blue Knight)

Part 2 -> this way

This is the last thing Y/n Cookie wants to wake up to? Especially on the first night when the two of them share a bed together. They could only silently stare at Pure Vanilla's sleeping form. He is a bit of a sleep talker.

That one sentence fills Y/n's mind with so many questions. From "Is that what he really feels? If he still feels that way, why is he with me? I can never measure up to someone like her."

Suddenly, sharing this space didn't feel right. Y/n slowly tries to wiggle out of the entanglement of Pure vanilla's arms. Only for him to cuddle closer to them, clinging onto them. With a sigh, they twist and turn, eventually escaping Pure Vanilla's grip. Y/n quickly replaced themselves with a pillow in his arms.

Y/n could feel their heart twist in their chest as they decided to sleep on the couch in Pure Vanilla's chambers. As emotions run high inside Y/n, they do their best to suppress them with logic.

'Of course. Those two have been friends since the beginning. '

Y/n thought to themselves, but it did little to hold back tears and the ache in their chests. They shut their eyes and tried to sleep it off. Thankfully, morning couldn't come any quicker.

Pure vanilla woke up with a yawn as he slowly opened his eyes. Which widden in shock when he found himself alone on the bed. Jolting up his eyes search around his room, soon landing on a lone figure by the window.

"Y/n? Good morning." Pure vanilla smile as he walks over to them. "You're up early."

"Yeah," Y/n says, trying to put on their best smile. It's very weak.

"Are you alright, Y/n?" Pure vanilla asked as he gently wrapped his arms around them. Giving a light peck on their shoulder

Y/n was silent for a bit, contemplating what to say. They turned to face Pure Vanila and gently returned the hug.

"Can I be completely transparent with you?" They asked the ancient healer.

"Of course, love," Pure vanilla welcomes as he guides them to a chair.

So Y/n would tell Pure Vanilla what he said at night, and how it makes them nervous about where his heart truly lies. Eventually, the two sat in an awkward silence.

“So where does White Lily cookie place in your heart?" Y/n asked with a calm sorrow.

Pure vanilla opened his mouth to say something, but there was no sound. Y/n could already see the conflict in Vanilla's expression. Their heart wanted to shatter than and there, but sucking in a deep breath they put on a brave face.

"Seems you need some time to search your heart," Y/n sighs as they stand to leave.

"Y/n... Im sorry. After all this time, I thought I would be past this," Pure Vanilla apologized, gripping his knee in, shame? Sorrow perhaps.

"I mean... You two have been through almost everything together for hundreds of years. Childhood friends, schoolmates, and a close team of heroes, and you lived long lives together. Something like that won't be washed away with-," Y/n stops themselves. "I've only been with you for a year or two now.

"Don't say that. I loved the times we shared together," Pure Vanilla said as he stands to stop Y/n with a hug. "I don't know why the thought of White Lily came rushing to me like this. It's been happening for a few nights now."

"It's a sign prehaps. That you might see her soon," Y/n says with a sad smile.

"Do you think so? White Lily Cookie... Changed and became Dark entress Cookie. How would that be possible?" Pure vanilla asked with surprise.

"If she is like how you describe her, then I wouldn't put it past her to actually seek out the witches. And we have no idea which one she met, meaning anything could have happened," Y/n said, thinking deeply. "Tell me, along with your dream. Did anything else stand out to you?"

"Yes, a voice. It was calling out to me, to go to beast yeast," Pure vanilla said as he recalled his dream.

"Then you have your path. And if I'm not mistaken, Entranchress cookie has a strong hold there," Y/n said when suddenly images flash in their mind.

A Map, a shattered soul jam, fairy wings, a giant tree, and a bright light over beast yeast.

"Y/n? Y/n, did you think of something?" Pure vanilla asked.

"You... You might actually are being called. You must go quickly," Y/n said suddenly.

"Wha- Why so suddenly?" Pure vanilla asked in surprise.

"You might find who you're looking for there. I believe that white lily cookie might be there," Y/n said. " White Lily's soul is still out there."

As Y/n held his hands, they could see it. Hope and a bit of something else flash in Pure Vanilla's eyes.

"Thank You Y/n! I shall depart to Beast yeast," Pure Vanilla cookie thanked with a bright smile. "Wait for me, White Lily cookie."

Pure vanilla quickly leaves to prepare everything for this dangerous journey. Y/n stood there, trying to hold back tears.

'Don't cry, Y/n. He thought he had lost his friend and might see her again. Don't be selfish,' Y/n silently scolded themselves.

Days passed as Pure Vanilla spent all his time gathering all that he would need for such a journey. One day, from morning to noon, Y/n mindlessly wandered the streets when a familiar voice calls out to them.

"Y/n Knight Cookie!" Gingerbrave called out.

"Ah, Gingerbrave, strawberry Cookie, and wizard Cookie. How can I help you?" Y/n smiles warmly at the young cookies.

"Pure Vanilla cookie has asked us to accompany him to beast yeast, and we wanted to ask for you to come with us," Gingerbrave said.

"What?! Why Me?" Y/n asked nervesly.

"Beast yeast is a big unknown to us, so we need as many strong cookies to help," Wizard cookie explained.

"And we've seen you fight waffle bots by yourself. Your help would be appreciated," Strawberry Cookie said.

Y/n wanted to say no, but the three younger ones looked up to them with baby doll eyes. Crumbling their resolve to turn them down. The three practically dragged them to the airship.

"Gingerbrave! Everything is ready. did you find what you-" Pure vanilla pauses, surprised to see Y/n before him.

Another awkward silence falls between them. The ancient hero was a bit embarrassed after remembering how their last conversation went. Pure vanilla wanted to say something, but Y/n raised their hand.

"We have a friend to save, and that is more important right now," Y/n Cookie said a bit strenly.

Gingerbrave and co, could feel the strange tension. So they hurried onto the ship.

"Y/n cookie," Pure vanilla said softly.

"I am your knight and am ready to serve," Y/n kneeled, stoic.

They get up to walk onto the ship.

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

Part 2 out

[thesvnandthemooon]

𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬

18+ MINORS DNI

a/n: again, a request :)

summary: delivery driver!nat, artist!reader (not part of the request, but i decided to add it anyway), g!p nat

warnings: brief smut (handjob), implied sex, forgetting to eat (not sure if this needs to be a warning but i’m adding it anyway), mildly creepy behavior but only if you squint

word count: 7k

part 1, part 2

✷ ✷ ✷ ✷ ✷ ✷ ✷ ✷ ✷ ✷ ✷ ✷

Hands splattered with yellow paint. A white overall. Messy hair and the smell of turpentine mixing with some expensive perfume.

Mundane things, but she won't be able to get them out of her head.

Natasha never knows what kind of people she's going to run into while doing late-night deliveries and, frankly, she usually doesn't care. All she wants is the money and maybe a solid tip — that's it. She does it for the extra cash, not because she's desperate for even more social interactions.

She's been doing this for a while now. Being a car mechanic at a small shop, her salary is far from sufficient. The $20 an hour don't stretch far, barely manage to fully cover her rent, so she decided to pick up a few extra shifts at night. Bless DoorDash for making those quite flexible as well, otherwise she'd probably be living in the streets now.

Again, she doesn't care who her customers are. She meets all kinds of people like this, and she's seen everything from teenage boys ordering Chick-fil-A for their 2am-gaming sessions to lesser known celebrities who can't be bothered to cook. Alcoholics and single dads, college students and people who just got home from partying. In the end, their faces will all be a blur, anyway.

Your name doesn't stand out when she accepts the delivery. All Natasha notices is that she's never delivered to this address before — a somewhat remote area, up on a hill, no neighbors and nothing to do. She doesn't question what kind of person would live in a place like that, even though she maybe should. What she also should do (but doesn't) is worry about driving up there by herself. It's the middle of the night, nobody else lives up there, and the cabin looks as run-down as it does abandoned.

When the motorcycle's headlights die down, so does the last source of light she has. All the house's windows are closed and dark. Judging by the looks of it, she's delivering food to ghosts.

Natasha swings her leg off the motorcycle and grabs the paper bag from the little top-box. She notices the residual grease on her hands a second too late, but decides it isn't important. The paper bag is full of stains either way.

Once she steps on the porch, a tiny light turns on. It flickers pathetically, barely holding on at this point, but provides enough light for Natasha to see your face when you open the door.

Doe eyes and paint on your cheeks, hair pulled back carelessly. Hands that look like they have enough color on them to make even the grayest days a little more colorful. Suddenly, she regrets not taking a closer look at your name. She would've remembered.

"DoorDash", she says, holding out the paper bag.

"Right!", you say, face lighting up and eyes turning more lively. Natasha feels her thoughts falter. "Totally forgot. Lemme just-"

You turn and, just like that, disappear in the darkness of the house. Natasha pauses, still holding onto your order, before snapping out of it. She glances into the hallway and tries to locate a single source of light, but finds nothing.

That is, until you seem to appear out of thin air again. She flinches slightly.

"Thanks", you say, wiping your hands on a rag. "Had trouble finding your way up here? I know one guy who got lost in the forest. Somehow managed to take the wrong exit. Never saw that pizza."

"No, no issues", she mumbles, handing you the food and stuffing her hands into the pockets of her jacket. "It's dark in there."

"Oh, yeah." You nod and grab her hand. She stares at you, stunned, and then you smear the rag on the back of her hand. The streak of paint that's left behind glows faintly. "Glow-in-the-dark paint!"

"Seriously?"

"Looks great, doesn't it? I wanted to paint my bathroom with that, but decided against it."

Natasha hums, looking at the paint again. Her eyes meet yours. You give her an expectant look, as if you're waiting for something she can't place. All she's doing is deliver your food, after all. But you keep staring, so she shakes her head.

Enough. She has at least half a dozen more deliveries to get through before she can call it a night.

"Okay", she says, slowly, and steps back. "Well, uhm, enjoy your food."

You nod, already tearing open the bag of fast food and grabbing a fry. "Don't get lost on your way back."

She glances at you, seeming a little distracted. Then she nods and waves absently, already on her way to her motorcycle. The door closes behind her, a soft thud that cuts through the quiet of the night, and she tracks the vehicle where she left it.

It's an old, beat-up thing, but it's reliable. It gets her where she needs to be, it allows her to earn some extra money. She's thankful for her Harley, she really is. But in that moment, when she's hopping on her old Sportster and grabbing the handlebars, she wishes it wasn't the reason she's able to leave again.

. . .

Can doing what you love make you starve?

Maybe. Possibly. Actually? Pretty damn likely. That's your conclusion after working on a few new projects made you forget about eating for almost an entire day.

Aside from a bowl of Cheerios in the morning, topped with a bunch of sugar, you haven't eaten anything all day. Instead, you've been mixing colors and washing paintbrushes and filling your sketchbook. Doodles on walls and paper scraps on the floor, paint in your hair and a pencil between your teeth. One foot resting on the edge of your seat, you tug at the straps of your overall. The color on your fingernails isn't nail polish — it's paint.

You lean forward and inspect the little sketch again. At this point, you're not even sure what this is going to be. Another scrap? A comic strip? No way to know until you're at least halfway there. Maybe you won't know even then.

Music is making the floors vibrate. In front of you are a couple of cups. Some contain tea, others water you've been cleaning your paintbrushes with. You glance at them and resist the urge to take another leap of faith. You've had one too many sips of murky, paint-infused regret.

You turn toward the sketch again, but your stomach rumbling distracts you from the thick lines of charcoal and graphite. You sigh and shift, trying to ignore it and get back into that creative, pulsating headspace again, but it's no use. Your body is hungry.

As usual, you're not in the mood to cook. You're working, and you're scared of getting into another creative block, so you open the DoorDash app and order one of your favorites.

When Natasha looks at her phone, it's not just your name that stands out. It's the address. It brings back images of vines on the sides and tangling around porch railings, winding dirt paths, paint on the back of her hand and a heart that won't stop thrumming.

There's been a lot of this over the past few weeks. At first, it was just a coincidence — due to you ordering food at the most ungodly hours, not many drivers are available. Natasha is one of the few who are desperate enough to work past midnight. Just bad timing, in the end. Or good, depending on how you look at it.

Then, it started to feel like more. She's not sure why, or how, but it did.

It was the same for you. After a few nights of being too distracted and sleep-deprived to notice anything, you finally caught onto the fact that, hey, you'd been getting the same driver over and over again. And hey, you like that driver, and it's not just some case of classical conditioning due to the yummy food, but actually more than just that.

Natasha noticed as well. And now, seeing your name and address on the screen, your order up for grabs, she taps on 'accept delivery'.

The route to your house is familiar by now. The lack of light doesn't disrupt her ability to find her way to your porch anymore. The paper bag in her hands has ceased to merely be a way to earn more money.

You open the door and, as basically always, give her that slightly absent smile you tend to sport. Eyes just a little distant, like you're constantly chasing some cloud of thought in your head, and hands and cheeks smudged with some kind of art medium — charcoal, paint, ink. Natasha can't help but stare, her own forearms oil-smudged but concealed by her jacket.

"Hey", she eventually says, holding out the paper bag. "Your food."

"You were quick this time", you say, grabbing the bag and putting it aside. "No traffic? Or were you just that eager to get here?"

"A bit of both", she says. She's leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed. "You do tip quite generously."

You hum, eyes subtly tracing along her arms. They're hidden by her leather jacket, but you can tell she gets some sort of physical exercise. Workouts or something. Maybe manual labor. Whatever it is — it's working.

"Driving into the middle of bumfuck nowhere should have its perks."

"Oh, I can think of a few."

You shoot her a quick smile. "Hm", you say, briefly glancing into the hallway. Natasha follows your gaze and spots a half-finished painting. She decides not to comment on it, but the colors distract her for a moment. "So...any more deliveries tonight?"

"Huh? Oh, yes." Natasha nods, spinning her keys around her pointer finger. "Still got to get through a couple."

Tilting your head, you let your eyes linger. She tilts her head right back at you, but much more subtly. The air between you heats up, despite the chilly October air seeping into the hallway. Sparks fly and bodies subconsciously move closer. Just a tiny, harmless step. Nothing to worry about.

"Pity. I was going to offer you a fry", you say, peeling some dried paint off your thumb. "But I can't keep you from your adoring customers, can I?"

"Probably not", Natasha agrees, pushing off the doorframe and taking a step back again. It's getting late, and she needs to get her ass back on her motorcycle. Flirting with a customer probably isn't the smartest move, either. "Though 'adoring' isn't exactly a word I'd use for them."

"Why not?", you say, watching her walk back to her motorcycle. A black, rugged thing that makes perfect sense for her. "You're always on time."

"Maybe that's only your experience", she counters. "Like you said — eager to get here."

You lift your eyebrows. Natasha sits on the old Harley and lets the engine roar, a sound that cuts through the quiet night sharply. You can barely see her, that's how dark it is outside. But then the motorcycle's headlights come on and you feel your heartbeat quicken.

"Drive safe", you call out once you've pulled yourself together.

"Always do", she calls back.

As she drives off, you can't help but wonder whether it's still just a coincidence at this point.

. . .

There's a thin line between being romantic and being a creep.

You may or may not have been toeing that very line.

Ever since noticing Natasha works the night shifts, you started ordering food later and later. It went from 11pm to midnight, then to half past midnight. 1am followed, then quarter past.

Why? To allow her to linger.

What you don't know is that Natasha's been doing the same. Maybe even worse. She scans the orders, looking for yours. She doesn't even think about it anymore — it's just instinct.

With each delivery, she stays longer. Stalls. She lingers in the doorway, her voice hushed and raspy, silently trying to figure out what colors you used based on the stains on your hands and face.

And with each delivery, you become more used to seeing her. It turns into a routine, something normal. Like waking up to the movie posters taped to your bedroom ceiling and listening to the owls at night, you start to expect it. That shows a few weeks later, when Natasha pops up to deliver your birria tacos.

"Where were you yesterday?", you ask, sleepy and groggy, and grab the greasy paper bag. She lifts her eyebrows.

"You didn't order anything yesterday."

You pause and look up, blinking slowly. It's nearly 2am, and you really need to sleep. But you've been up, waiting to order something and have Natasha deliver it.

"You sure?"

She smiles faintly. "Didn't see your name anywhere. I'm pretty sure, yes."

"Oh." Your face falls and you scratch your cheek. The dried watercolor on it is irritating your skin. "I think I forgot about dinner, then."

"That's concerning."

You wave your hand dismissively. "Happens all the time", you say. "Maybe I need someone to remind me."

Natasha stops in her tracks when you give her an expectant look. There's no way you're serious, right?

But you are. You grab your phone and hand it to her. She looks at the screen, smudged and cracked, before glancing at you again.

"You deliver my food all the time, anyway", you argue, ignoring her soft sigh. "Why not cut out the middleman? Much more practical."

"And the reminding you-thing?", she asks, already typing in her number.

"That was a joke."

"It didn't sound like one. Here." She hands you your phone back and crosses her arms. You tuck the device into the pocket of your overall. "For emergencies, right?"

"Of course", you say, smiling. The exhaustion seems to have disappeared from your face.

It's a lie, and you both know it, but Natasha can't find it in herself to care.

. . .

"Seriously?"

"I ran out of charcoal."

"I had to drive all the way across town", she points out. "Plus, my number was supposed to be for emergencies only."

You lift your chin, silently challenging her. She doesn't seem too impressed, though, but the look in her eyes tells you she doesn't mind this as much as she pretends to.

"Food emergencies", she adds. "Not art emergencies."

"You still went and brought it."

Natasha only partially succeeds at biting back a half-frustrated, half-fond noise, and shoves the plastic bag into your arms.

The words do it yourself next time are on the tip of her tongue, but she doesn't utter them. God forbid she has to quit stopping by your house.

You peek into the bag and hum approvingly. Natasha watches you, first unmoving, then reaches out to touch the blue paint on your cheek. She swipes her thumb across it and smudges it further.

You look up, staring. She shrugs.

"Missed a spot."

"Very considerate", you say, lifting your hand to let your fingertips ghost across your cheek. Red and blue create purple.

Natasha shifts, but doesn't step away. Her eyes trace your face. You want her to stay, and she doesn't want to leave.

"No more bullshit", she adds. "Otherwise, I'll start expecting much bigger tips."

"You drive a hard bargain", you reply, cocking your head. "Can't promise anything, though."

She sighs, but the tiny smile betrays her. She can think of worse things than getting more excuses to see you.

"You're spoiled", she states. "How come you're always up this late, anyway? It's, like, 2am."

You shrug, turning on the spot and sauntering into the living room. Natasha, to your frustration, stays glued to her spot in the hallway.

"Can't sleep", you say, crouching in front of the large sheet of paper and tearing open the new charcoal. "Working on something."

She hums, trying to catch a glimpse of you and what you're doing. She can see the corner of a paper, covered in a bunch of comic strips. Then, you crawl forward on your knees and your head comes into view.

"I'm surprised I see no coffins in here."

"Huh?"

"You know. Always up at night, afraid of the sun."

You lift your head, momentarily puzzled — you're spacing out already, and you're sleep deprived, and this late, nothing seems to make sense. Then, the meaning behind her words registers.

"You're asking if I'm a vampire?", you say, sitting on your knees and wiping your face with the back of your hand. Natasha's lips twitch as she sees you smudge the charcoal there further.

"It'd make sense", she replies. "Now you're refusing to answer, too. Guess there must be something to it."

"Well", you say, wiping your hands on your overall, "let me bite you and find out."

Natasha malfunctions for a solid three seconds. Once she's gotten her bearings, she rolls her eyes and knocks on the wooden door. You look up from your project and tilt your head.

"Deliveries?"

"Yeah", she says. "Two more, then I'm done for tonight."

You nod, disappointed but not ready to argue. You get up and pad back into the hallway. You're not even sure why — she can find her way back outside by herself, obviously.

Natasha keeps her eyes on you. Her hands are in the pockets of her jeans, red strands of hair framing her face. She sees the charcoal on your bottom lip and wonders what kissing you would taste like.

"I'll text you", you say, rubbing your lip to get rid of the charcoal.

Emergencies only, she wants to say. She decides against it.

She steps back, adjusting her jacket. She should leave. She needs to leave. Somehow, she can't bring herself to. She just stands there, watching as you shift your weight from one foot to the other, the light from inside catching on the paint smudges along your collarbone.

"See you", she says, voice lower.

"Yeah", you mumble, eyes on her.

She finally forces herself to turn around and step outside. The cold night air cuts through her jacket, but she barely registers it. She swings one leg over the motorcycle and puts on her helmet, then waits.

You're still in the door, the golden light spilling out from inside framing your silhouette.

Natasha shakes her head and kicks the bike to life.

The roar of the engine fades into the night, and you close the door.

. . .

Having your motorcycle break down in the rain is less than ideal.

Natasha swings her leg off the bike, frustration etched into her features, and crouches down beside it. She filled up on gas right before leaving, so that can't be the issue. She checks the cables and wiring, inspects the spark plugs, takes a look at the battery. Once she's done that, she curses and kicks the tire.

The battery's dead. She's screwed.

Running her hand through her wet hair — of course she had to forget her helmet today —, she looks at your house in the distance. It's almost two more miles, and it's pouring rain, but she's got your In-N-Out order in the top-box and, truthfully, she‘s itching to see you.

She tries starting the bike one more time, even if it's hopeless. The battery's dead, which means the motorcycle isn't getting anywhere. Accepting her fate, she grabs the handlebars and starts pushing.

Wet hands slip on metal, rain drips down her face. Her jacket is soaked, as is her hoodie. Her boot briefly gets stuck in mud. Raindrops feel like dozens of tiny whips against her cheeks.

By the time she's gotten up the hill and to your house, half an hour has passed. She's soaked to the bone, dripping wet, out of breath, her arms hurting — and somehow, she doesn't care about any of that. She grabs the paper bag from the top-box and makes her way to your porch. Cold, reddened knuckles meet old wood.

You open the door and stare at her.

Drenched, out of breath, her once light gray hoodie now the shade of cracked pepper. Water drips from the red strands of hair that are framing her face. Clutching the takeout bag like it's life or death, her green eyes staring right back into yours.

For a moment, neither of you move.

When she lowers her gaze to the floor, a puddle forming on the wooden porch beneath her, you jump forward and cup her face.

Kissing her feels like second nature. Her lips are cold and wet when they press against yours. Her cheeks are cold, and she smells like a mixture of perfume and rain-soaked clothes.

You tug her inside, only pulling away slightly. She's still out of breath, but for a different reason now.

She sneezes, turning her head to try and hide it, but you notice anyway. You help her out of her jacket and steer her to the couch. She sits down and off comes her dripping wet hoodie. Her shirt is soaked as well, so off it goes as well. Fingertips brushing against skin, you notice how cold she is.

"You're insane", you say, returning with a towel. Natasha glances at it and subtly raises her eyebrows when she spots the paint stains on it, but you've already started toweling her hair dry. "You'll get pneumonia!"

"I'll be fine", she says dismissively. "Just a little rain. My bike broke down."

"You could've called", you mutter, rubbing her hair with the towel. "Or texted. I would've called a taxi or something."

Natasha goes silent. She didn't even consider that option. Maybe part of her wanted to prove something. Hopefully, she succeeded. If not, this may have all been for nothing.

You go upstairs to grab some clothes from your room. Natasha stays on the couch, her eyes scanning her surroundings. She expected art supplies, many of them, and she also expected some messiness. But she didn't think it'd be so...comfortable. Lived-in. Warm, despite the chaos.

Paint splatters on wooden floorboards and half-finished paintings leaning against the walls. Charcoal sketches and pastel doodles, postcards on the walls. Mismatched furniture — most of it thrifted — and glass paint on the massive window. A teddy, with a knitted dress on it.

She smells tea and turpentine, with a hint of something floral woven into the unique smell. A glance at the dining table tells her it's coming from a vase full of lilies.

You return, bare feet padding against stair steps, and walk back to Natasha's side. You hold out a sweater for her to put on, nodding in encouragement, but she grabs your waist and pulls you into her lap instead.

It's unexpected, but not unwelcome. She tugs the sweater out of your hand and tosses it aside, then kisses you again.

Fingerprints of paint stain her face.

. . .

You don't stop ordering things. In fact, you only start to order more.

You know you're being an annoying little shit. It's clear as day, and your chats prove it.

You: bring me more

washi tape pls? — 1.04am

Natasha: you're fucking

kidding — 1.04am

You: the clear one with

the stars :) — 1.05am

Natasha: this isn't a

convenience store. — 1.05am

You: it is if you bring

me what i want — 1.06am

And, half an hour later, she was in front of your door. There was a striped bag in her hands.

Once she saw your smile, she'd forgotten all about her complaints.

"This is the last time", she said, letting you lead her into the house. You tilted your head up to kiss her jaw. "Don't even try to butter me up. No more running errands for you."

You know she doesn't mind, though. One night, as you're kneeling on the floor and gluing magazine cutouts to a painting, someone knocks. You get up and open the door and, oh surprise, it's Natasha.

The first thing you notice is that she looks exhausted. Circles under her eyes, her face even paler than usual. The poor excuse of a paper bag she's clutching is crumpled and grease-stained.

"You order anything?", she asks.

Of course not. You never order on Tuesdays. Not anymore, at least — it's the only night Natasha has off.

You tilt your head in silent response. Her jaw clenches, she shifts on her feet and drums her fingers against her thigh, and you finally decide to stop torturing her.

"Come in", you say, grabbing her hand.

"Figured you'd want something", she mumbles, padding into the living room.

"Uh-huh. Here, sit down."

She sinks onto the couch's cushions, sighing quietly. You straddle her lap and take your sweet time with her for a moment. Just look at her, run your fingers through her hair, gently push the jacket off her shoulders.

Her eyes meet yours. You smile softly and grasp her chin between your fingers.

"You must really like me."

She bites the insides of her cheeks, eyes staring up at you. No response — she doesn't know what to say, because denying the truth would be as uncomfortable as standing by it.

You trail your fingers along her jaw, then slide them up into her hair. You lean in close, so close you can taste her breath and feel her lips brush against yours, but not close enough to kiss her. Finally, Natasha grips your thighs in unspoken frustration.

You laugh quietly and lean in, deciding to go easy on her. You press a kiss to the corner of her mouth and guide her to lay down.

"Cat got your tongue?", you murmur, placing lingering kisses on her jaw.

"Just tired."

"And you decided to show up here."

"Nothing else makes sense this late."

The admission makes you pause, if ever so briefly. You kiss her, hands cupping her face, and feel her hands slip under your shirt.

Fingertips inch higher up and tug at your bra. The clasp comes undone, making the pressure around your chest disappear.

It's slow. Clothes come off, lips meet time after time. Straddling one of her thighs, you litter kisses and little bites on her neck.

"You should sleep", you whisper against her skin. Your fingers are fumbling with the zipper of her jeans.

"I will", she rasps, eyes closed. "After."

"You seem tired", you point out. You tug the waistband of her jeans lower and expose Calvin Klein boxers. An involuntary noise leaves you at the sight.

Natasha puts her hand on the back of your head and pulls you into a kiss. Her other hand grips yours, slowly guiding it into her boxers.

You feel the heavy weight of her length in your hand and nearly moan. A few slow strokes are enough to get her to harden in your palm. You feel every vein, every soft throb, her quickening breathing like music in your ears.

There's something vulnerable about being in this position. Natasha is used to being on top, but with you, she doesn't seem to mind letting you take control.

Her head drops back against the armrest. With her neck exposed to you, your lips linger on her pulse point as you start moving your hand up and down her shaft. The pad of your thumb circles her tip, gathering precum and lubricating her hard-on.

She squirms underneath you, frustrated and restless, a silent request for you to pick up the pace. But you keep your movements slow and steady, drawing out the pleasure and letting it build gradually. Natasha's hips buck into your hand, her hand clasped over her own mouth to stifle moans.

She twitches and throbs hotly in your hand. You kiss her collarbone, your hand applying pressure to her cock. You're drawing her to the edge so gently she feels like she might lose her mind.

Your thumb traces veins and rubs the underside of her length. Another soft whine comes from her mouth. You lift your head to kiss her and swallow the pathetic little sounds she's making. When she comes, her body tenses through the slow, shuddering unraveling. Cum spills on your hand and you pull away.

Dazed, spent, out of breath. Natasha clears her throat, her cheeks flushed.

. . .

You only need to take one look at the bag she's holding to be able to tell.

"You forgot something", you say, paint-smudged hands on her waist as you steer her inside. Much to her dismay, you absently wipe your fingers on her hoodie. She shoots an exasperated look at the blue stains.

"You haven't even opened the bag."

"I can tell. You forgot the snail shells."

Natasha glances at you as she plops onto the couch. You put the bag on the coffee table and rummage through it. You were right — no snail shells. But you do find the requested Oreos and vanilla milk.

"You only eat trash, you know", she says, one arm tucked under her head.

You roll your eyes. "Don't even start with that."

"I mean it. Oreos and sugar-milk aren't exactly the most nutritious dinner."

"Oh, hush", you mumble, swatting at her. Natasha just grins and reaches out, grasping your wrist. "Hey, what-"

She ignores you. With one swift tug, you topple over and she's got you on the couch next to her. You grunt and adjust your position.

"You hush", she retorts, arm wrapping around you and snuggling you closer. "Always complaining. Would it kill you to be grateful for once?"

You huff, smiling. Natasha pinches your side and you let out a gasp.

"Hey!"

"Come on, say it."

"Forget it."

Her fingertips dance over your ribs. You shift and squirm, trying to get away from her grasp, but it's a halfhearted attempt.

"Come on", she repeats. "Say thank you."

Her fingers brush against the underside of your breast. Your laughter turns into a barely contained sound of pleasure.

Natasha laughs and slips her fingertips under the fabric of your bra.

"Say thank you", she whispers, "and maybe I'll be nice."

"So unfair", you retort. "Fine. Thank you."

"Mhm." She hums and kisses your cheek. "Better."

"You know, if you weren't the one delivering me stuff..."

"What?" She scoffs, smiling, and tickles your ribs. She knows better than to get offended by what you said. If it weren't for her delivering your orders, this never would've happened. Neither of you really know what 'this' is, but you both know you like it.

You squirm in her arms and bat at her hand. "You heard me!"

"Is that all I am to you?", she mocks, lightly cupping your breast. "I'm wounded. Truly."

"No", you say, not thinking. "You don't know how much you mean to me, I think."

Natasha goes quiet for a long moment. She feels your heartbeat speed up, rapid like a prey's, when you realize what you just said. But then she shifts and sits up, and she guides you to roll over, and you feel her lips on yours.

She never stays the night. She doesn't let herself get too close to anyone. She's seen you naked, touched every inch of your body with her tongue, yet staying the night always felt like it'd be too much.

This time, she stays. Fully clothed and keeping her space, she lays down. She makes sure not to breathe in the scent of your bedsheets. At some point that night, though, she wakes up. She reaches for you blindly, fingers feeling the air until they graze your arm.

She hesitates. Something has shifted, and she can feel it deep in her bones.

Finally, she pulls you closer. Tucks you against her chest, brushes her fingers along your spine.

. . .

Before she's even managed to open her eyes, you're up and about.

Digging through your closet, brushing your hair, making tea and toast and opening windows. Wind makes the curtains billow out and her hair flutter, so she rolls over and buries her face in your pillow. The sun isn't even up yet.

"Why are you up at this ungodly hour?"

"Watch the sunrise", you say, slipping into a tank top. "Paint a little."

"You're insane."

"Up, up", you say. You throw aside the blanket she's covered with and pat her butt. She doesn't move an inch. "Come on! I need your help with something."

That manages to briefly get her attention, but it doesn't last long. She slumps back into the sheets, her face hidden.

"Forget it", she murmurs.

"Nat", you drawl. "Please. It'll be worth it."

"Define 'worth it'."

You tug at her boxers, just enough to expose a sliver of her butt. She swats at your hand. It's obvious she's tired, so you decide to let it go for a while. As soon as she's out of bed, though, you're dragging her out of the house and toward a shed to the side.

You feel grass under your feet, tickling your ankles. Natasha trails after you, hand in yours, her red hair in a braid. The top she's wearing is one of yours, and it's covered in charcoal and watercolor stains. She's not complaining anymore — too distracting is the sight of you in nothing but an oversized shirt and her boxers.

But then, you open the shed. You reveal a red Fiat.

First, she just stares. The car looks relatively new. Maybe not brand new, no, but no older than about five years. Natasha's a car mechanic, so she can figure that out pretty easily.

"You have a car."

You nod and lead her into the shed. "Yeah. This is DaVinci."

She shoots you a brief, disbelieving look, then stares at the vehicle again. "You've had a car. This whole time."

"Mhm."

"...I've been driving around in the crack of dawn for nothing."

You wave your hand and lean against the wall, ankles crossing. "Not for nothing. It, I dunno...won't start. It cranks, but doesn't really do anything."

Natasha rolls her eyes. She lifts the hood and secures it with the rod, then takes a look at the engine bay. You stay where you are, subtly checking her out. A black tank top and cargos, her braid resting over her shoulder. Hands that are slowly but surely getting covered in grease.

You'd jump her bones, but you already made her roll out of bed for this, so she probably wouldn't appreciate you trying to make a move on her right now.

"Didn't take it to a shop?"

"Wasn't in the mood."

You earn an exasperated look for that. You shrug, and Natasha turns toward the car again. You have no idea what she's doing, truthfully, but that's fine. The view's nice.

"Coolant's good", she says, checking it for leaks. "Battery terminals are a little corroded."

"No idea what that means."

"Of course", she mutters. She frowns and tugs at a belt-like thing. Loose, which isn't a great sign. She unscrews the fuel filter and a nasty liquid drips out. "Jesus. When's the last time you changed this?"

"Change what?"

Natasha purses her lips and puts the filter aside. "I see. Neglect."

"You're being dramatic."

"You should've taken this thing to the shop ages ago", she complains, voice muffled as she leans deeper into the car. Tank top riding up slightly, you catch a glimpse of her toned stomach. Her biceps flex and you almost miss her next question. "Got a toolbox?"

You tilt your head and pretend to have no idea what she's talking about just to mess with her a little. She stares back at you, eyebrows raised. Once she leans onto the car, one hand on the side of the hood and the other covering her forehead, you saunter to the shelves in the back of the shed.

"Oh, thank god", she mutters. "You got a replacement filter?"

"Aw, honey. You believe in me too much, I think."

Another shake of her head. She steps out of the shed, walks to her bike, grabs something, and then returns. You eye the cylinder-like thing with the two tubes sticking out of it.

"That it?"

Natasha doesn't even respond. You do see her lips twitch, though.

She grabs the creeper you for some reason have and lays down on it. Again, abs. Muscles, covered in small grease stains, flex. You stare at them unabashedly.

She slides under the car and unhooks the filter. You crouch down to get a better view of her.

"Now what?"

"Changing the filter", she replies. Fuel dribbles down her forearms and she wipes it off with a rag. "You can thank me later, by the way."

"Will totally do."

She replaces the filter, tightens the clamp, then gives the undercarriage an encouraging tap before rolling back out. You're sitting on the floor cross-legged, shooting her a teasing smile when she reappears.

"What?", she asks, wiping the fuel off her arms.

"You're so good with your hands."

Natasha rolls her eyes, but kisses your cheek anyway. She changes the serpentine belt as well, then closes the hood and pats it. She nods at the car.

"Go on", she says. "Give her a try."

"'Her'?", you say, sitting down behind the steering wheel.

"Cars are always female."

"You learn something new every day." You put the key in the ignition and turn it.

The car seems to hesitate for a moment. It rumbles, cranks, and you're already about to give up — but then it comes to life, smoother than ever before, and you clap your hands.

Before she can register what's happening, you're out of the car again. You throw your arms around her and jump into her embrace, squeezing a little too hard. You hear a soft grunt from her.

"Hey", she laughs, "I'm covered in grease."

"Don't care." You pull away just enough to reach her lips. They're plush and warm against yours. "You're a genius!"

"I do what I can", she mumbles, a little too rosy cheeked and happy, and kisses you again. Walks you backwards until you're sitting on the hood of the car, slowly leaning forward so your back is flush with the cold, hard material. "What now? No more deliveries? I'm officially useless?"

"No", you whisper, tugging her closer by her pants' belt loops. "I'll find a way to keep you entertained."

Metal creaks beneath you. Sunlight seeps into the space. The shed's doors are still open. The air smells like grass, fuel and Natasha's cologne.

Her hands palm your sides, push the shirt you're wearing a little higher. Fingertips trail over smooth, soft skin. Her nose nuzzles your jaw, then you feel wet, hot kisses along your neck.

You wrap your legs around her waist.

"Think DaVinci can handle this?", she murmurs, one hand sliding around to the small of your back.

You pretend to think about it — and then pull her back in.

. . .

You're both on the rug in the living room, a paint-stained blanket draped over her lower half. She's on her stomach, arms crossed underneath her head and her eyes staring at nothing in particular. You're straddling her butt, a paintbrush in your hand.

You've had all kinds of canvases so far. Linen, cotton, in rolls or on panels. Small ones and bigger ones, raw or primed. Yet, none of them come close to the one you're sitting on right now.

Neither of you really talked about this. After sleeping together on the floor, though, surrounded by art supplies and sketches, Natasha’d rolled onto her stomach. You’d seen the smudges of paint on her shoulder. You’d brushed her hair aside and kissed her neck.

"You ticklish?", you’d whispered.

She'd shaken her head 'no'.

It may have been a lie. You can see her twitch ever so slightly whenever the bristles brush against the more sensitive areas of her skin. You put your hand on her shoulder and push her back down when she tries to shift.

"Not yet", you insist, trying to finish the painting of the two little bats.

"Whatever", she mutters. You smile and add tiny teeth to the creatures' mouths.

"It's cute."

"I look ridiculous."

"What?" You huff, getting off her and scooting away on your knees. You grab a different color and return. "Bullshit. You look adorable. Such a shame I'm not a tattoo artist."

She turns her head enough to look at you. Red strands fall in front of her eyes and you reach out to tuck them behind her ear. Your fingertips, stained in black and red, leave specks of paint behind.

"I truly hope you aren't being serious."

"Maybe, maybe not." You grin and wave your hand at her. "Come on, put your head back down. I'm not done with you."

"Oh, for fuck's sake", she mutters, but does as told.

Index finger dipped into black paint, you write the word mine on her lower back.

Natasha tenses, but only briefly. Her fingers curl into the rug underneath her. She exhales, her face buried against her arms again. She's enjoying this a little too much. Not just the feeling of your weight on her body, of cold paint on skin, but everything else as well.

It's been months. You still haven't given up your little routine of ordering stuff and then making her stay the night.

"I felt that", she mumbles, voice muffled.

"What?", you ask innocently. You decide to add a few hearts.

"What you wrote." She hesitates. "You mean it?"

You add another heart. You smile at your own creation, then peek at her face. You can't see her, so you tickle the back of her neck. All it leads to is a small huff, though.

"Is it important?"

"It's not not important."

"So it is."

"Y/N."

"I mean it."

Finally, she looks up. Her eyes search your face.

You haven't defined your relationship. You're staking your claim on her, anyway.

"I mean it", you repeat, seeing the incredulous look on her face. "I wouldn't have spent hundreds of dollars on deliveries if it didn't mean getting to see you."

"Yeah", she murmurs.

"I don't need the deliveries." You let out a slow breath. "I just need you."

The tips of her ears burn red. She shifts, swallows, like she wants to say something but doesn't know how. You nudge her side with your knee.

"Too much, too soon?"

"No." She laughs, dropping her face back onto her arms. "Keep going."

[felassan]

EuroGamer: 'BioWare knew the deepest secrets of Dragon Age lore 20 years ago, and locked it away in an uber-plot doc'

Original creator David Gaider on how "some of the big mysteries are being solved".

Rest of post under a cut due to length and possible spoilers.

"As I write about the secrets hidden in Dragon Age's mysterious Fade, and as I uncover some of them playing Dragon Age: The Veilguard, one question keeps rising up in my mind. How much did BioWare know about future events when first developing the series more than 20 years ago? That's a long time, and back then BioWare didn't know there would be a second game, which is why Dragon Age: Origins has an elaborate and far-reaching epilogue. Why lay so much lore-track ahead of yourself if you don't think you'll ever get there? But look more closely at Origins and there are big clues suggesting BioWare did know about future Dragon Age events. There are obvious signs in the original game, such as establishing recurring themes like Old Gods and the Blight and Archdemons. But there's also Flemeth, Morrigan's witchy mother, who's intimately linked to events in the series now - more specifically: intimately linked to Solas. Does her existence mean Solas was known about back then too? There's only one person I can think of to answer this and it's David Gaider, the original creator of Dragon Age's world and lore. We've talked before, once in a podcast and once for a piece on the magic of fantasy maps, where we discussed the creation of Dragon Age's world. And much to my surprise, when I ask him what he and the BioWare team knew back then, he says they knew it all. "By the time we released Dragon Age: Origins, we were basically sure that it was one and done, but there was, back when we made the world, an overarching plan," he says. "The way I created the world was to seed plots in various parts of the world that could be part of a game, a single game, and then there was the overall uber-plot, which I didn't know for certain that we would ever get to but I had an understanding of how it all worked together. "A lot of that was in my head until we were starting Inquisition and the writers got a little bit impatient with my memory or lack thereof, so they pinned me down and dragged the uber-plot out of me. I'd talked about it, I'd hinted at it, but never really spelled out how it all connected, so they dragged it out of me, we put it into a master lore doc, the secret lore, which we had to hide from most of the team.""

"This uber-plot document was only viewable on a need-to-know basis, he says, and only around 20 people on the team had access to it - other senior writers mostly. And even though Gaider left the Dragon Age team after Inquisition, and then eight years ago BioWare altogether, meaning he didn't work on The Veilguard at all, he believes - by looking at the events in the new game - his uber-plot lore "has more or less held up". That's impressive. What's even more impressive, or exciting, is that back then he also envisaged a potential end state for the entire Dragon Age series - a point at which it would make no sense for the series to carry on. "I always had this dream of where it would all end, the very last plot," he says, "which I won't say because who knows, we could still end up there. But the idea that this uber-plot was this sort of biggest, finite... That the final thing you could do in this world that would break it was there as a 'maybe we would get to do that one day'... There was just the idea of certain big, world-shaking things that were seeded in that arc, some of which have already come to pass, like the return of Fen'Harel." You've read that correctly: the idea to have Fen'Harel, also known as the Dread Wolf, reappear, was seeded all the way back then, way before Inquisition - the game in which he does actually reappear. But the concept for Solas, as a character who was Fen'Harel in disguise, was a newer idea. "That spawned from a conversation I had with Patrick [Weekes] and a number of other writers," Gaider says, "as an idea of 'what if you had a villain that spent an entire game where he's actually in the party and you get to know him?' Now, the god version and his larger role in the plot, yes that was known, but not that he would be presented as a character named Solas." Fen'Harel being known about means the other elven gods were known about, which means all of that stuff Solas reveals about his godly siblings - that they're not gods at all but evil elven mages he locked away behind the Veil - was known about back then too. "Oh yeah," Gaider says. "Everything that Solas tells you [at the end of Inquisition DLC, Trespasser]: it's all part of that original uber-lore - that was all in our mind." But why have so much lore if you're not certain you'll get to ever realise it? Well, to create a believable illusion. By creating an "excess" of lore, as Gaider describes it, Origins made Thedas feel like an old and believable place. A place with history, rather than a Western set that was all facade and no substance."

"BioWare also did something canny with the lore it did relay then, too: it shared it through the voices of characters living in the world, making it inherently fallible. In doing this, Dragon Age veiled its truths behind biases. The church-like organisation of the Chantry proclaims one truth, while the elves and dwarves proclaim another. Sidenote: you can experience this yourself through different racial origin stories in Dragon Age: Origins. This way, there's no one, objective, irrefutable, truth. "To get the truth, you kind of have to pick between the lines," Gaider says. So even though elven legends are coming true through the existence of Solas and The Veilguard's antagonist gods, it doesn't mean that's the one and only truth. There's truth in what the Chantry teaches and what the dwarves say, he tells me, which ignites my curiosity intensely. BioWare has also been tricksy in how it's rubbed out the lore the further back in time you go. "In general, the further the history goes back, we always would purposefully obfuscate it more and more," Gaider says - "make it more biased and more untrue no matter who was talking, just so that the absolute truth was rarely knowable. I like that idea from a world standpoint, that the player always has to wonder and bring their own beliefs to it." It leads into a founding principle of Dragon Age, which is doubt - because without it, you can't have faith, a particularly important concept in the series. It's where the whole idea of the Chantry's Maker comes from and with it, the legend about the fabled Golden City - now the Black City - at the heart of the Fade. This is the very centre of the lore web, and, I imagine, it's close to the series endpoint Gaider imagined long ago. All secrets end there. Did Gaider know what was in the Black City when he laid down Origins' lore? That's the question - and it startles me how casually he answers this. "Oh, yeah," he says. "What was in the Black City: that's the uber-plot. I knew exactly. "Was it as detailed in the first draft of the world?" he goes on. "No. I had an idea of the early history because that's where I started making the world. So the things that were true early-early: I knew exactly what the Black City was and the idea of what the elves believed, and what humans believed vis-a-vis the Chantry - that was all settled on really early. Then I expanded the world and the uber-plot bubbled out of that.""

"Gaider shows me the original cosmology design document for Dragon Age: Origins as if to prove this - or rather for the game that would become DAO. The world was known as Peldea back then. I can't share this with you because I see it via a shared screen on a video call, and because Gaider doesn't want me to, mostly because the ideas are so old they're almost unrecognisable from what's in the series now. But I can tell you it's a document that's just over a page in length, and that there's a circular diagram at the top showing the world in the middle and the spirit realm ringed around it. And on that document is reference to the Chantry's beliefs about a God located in a citadel that can be found there. Gaider says BioWare knew about Fen'Harel (the Dread Wolf) 20 years ago when it was developing Dragon Age: Origins, and that he'd one day reappear. The Fade wasn't known as the Fade back then, either, but as the Dreaming, because it's the place people go when they dream - an idea that lives on still. And if that sounds familiar to any fans of The Sandman among you, it should. "I'd say The Sandman series was probably fairly prominently in my head," says Gaider. "I liked that amorphous geography that was born from the psyche of collective humanity. I'd say yes, if I was to point at something specifically, that's probably where the very first inspiration of it took root." It's a lot to take in, but it reinforces the admiration I have for Dragon Age. Just as I have when hearing about the creation of my other favourite fantasy worlds, such as A Song of Ice and Fire, I begin to understand the magnitude - and the deliberateness - of the plotting that went on. I wonder if one day the Dragon Age series will end in the way Gaider first imagined, albeit slightly altered by the many other pairs of hands shepherding it along now. What a curious feeling it must be to know, so many years in advance, where things might go. Where that end is, I don't know, but I do know we'll take a significant step towards it in The Veilguard. After all, we're coming into contact with gods who were there at the recorded beginning of it all. "Yeah - we have access to people who can tell us the truth from first-hand experience," Gaider says, "although again, it depends on what the writers did with it. But if they continued the tradition of Dragon Age, you never know for sure if Solas is telling you everything, or what you're learning is the entire truth. "But yes, some of the big mysteries are being solved. I mean, will they one day definitively tell you about the Maker? Will we crack the big mysteries of the world and just make them answered finally? And does that ruin one of the central precepts that Dragon Age is founded upon? Maybe," he says. "Ultimately, that lore, when you make it big and you hint at it and hint at it and hint at it, it becomes a Chekhov's Gun of sorts. Eventually you got to pony up.""

[source]

[just-null]

which of the clones would we soften up to first? because it's gonna happen eventually, right? I imagine it's Urogi > Karaku > Aizetsu > Sekido

Aizetsu then Karaku, i think.... Urogi and Sekido are spot on yeah!

Who you choose to pursue first is up to you. This is who gets all mushy for you in what order. once you have Urogi pining, youre hard locked into their route, sorries.

[rambling about losers softening up]

Urogi, he's just a needy guy who gets pretty hungry.. It's easy to set him off at first because while he's reckless, he's not about to trust a stranger! His problem is when optimism and overconfidence accidentally mix making him receptive to you. You can't do anything to him, he's upper four! but once he's in the palm of your hand, he'll refuse to leave. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and any kindness and tending make him really happy. Being with you brings a different kind of joy he never expected. It's warmer, kind of nerve wracking but exciting at the same time. Like he found his place with you. His heart flutters in a way that gets him so giddy, he can't help but want to reach out to you forever! The addictive tightness in his chest pushes him to crave you, since you're the only one who makes him feel this way!

Urogi softens up to you first because you're not a real threat to them. You're just a squishy weakling! A cute one! A reaaaally really cute one, like very cute.. too cute to eat...... DEFINITELY too cute to let anyone else eat!

The rest have their guard up to some degree and won't just throw their heart around at anybody. The world is against them after all!

Aizetsu is a tough nut because of his demotivation and overall apathetic sorrow. He makes no moves to progress or distance himself in the beginning, you're just someone, and he's stagnant. he's quicker to warm up to you than Karaku if you pamper and spoil him a little. like cleaning his spear, providing a place for him to rest, to wash up, or rescuing him from the others into a quieter room. Hell, if you get him food somehow, he stares at you with wide eyes and accepts the gift. It's not difficult to notice how Aizetsu melted after a while when he quietly follows you around like an cat that's constantly seeking affection. What shocks his clone counter parts is how he willingly volunteers to actually DO things for you. You make things so bright, he can't help that he's like a moth to a flame.

That's if you're doting to some degree, but Aizetsu comes around eventually either way, just because you provide shelter (that they technically forced their way into, but never mind that.) He does things with impressive efficiency the others were not expecting he was capable of. So what if he wants to show off a little..?

Karaku isn't easy because he really feels nothing for you aside for entertainment at first. the fact you're able to juggle all four of them amused him is all. He'd enjoy picking and teasing you, the others as well. Calling out when their faces would get red around you and cackling at them. It's difficult for him to tell the difference between pleasure and actual affection, but he never thinks on it too hard. Karaku probably even flirted with you or fought for your attention cause the others wanted it. When asked about you, like your name or interests, he deflected the question. What do you mean? how was he supposed to remember that?! He realized he fell when he's on his own and finds his mind wandering to you, thinking about the little things you do. How you eat, look when something mildly upsets you, when you're genuinely happy. then cusses under his breath cause now he fell for the same trick the others did. Oh, well, no use fighting off these feelings.

Karaku is like the play boy who falls for the first time, except he just needs time around you to actually fall. he accepts it cause this just makes things ten times more interesting. Now he's emotionally invested!! The others clown on him when he slips up and calls you by your name instead of a nickname.

Now for the toughest nut to crack since he's actively rejecting these feelings, Sekido! They rejected their humanity even as a human, why the hell is he going to allow himself to get attached to their food? Because he's as foolish as the idiots he's around, including you! He finds himself sputtering for words if you agree with him after venting, actively listening to him and trying to make his life easier. he's so... conflicted. Similar to the others, he doesn't deny his feelings once they've taken root. he might as well fight air if he were to try. And it's internally comforting to have someone capable of rangling his clones to some extent..

You'd need to have the favor of the others before Sekido fully allows himself to warm up to you. Like the ultra secret tough route of a dating sim..... but its so worth it when you get to see how he sends everyone away except for you so he can "think" on his own and insists that your presence is absolutely necessary.

[bearflinn]

Writing Advice: Worldbuilding as Tension

One of the most common pieces of advice/points of critique I see for writers of all skill levels, is avoiding exposition dumps, often accompanied by the age old 'show don't tell'.

When writing fiction in general, but especially sci-fi and fantasy, it's important that the reader understands how your world differs from our own. And worldbuilding is one of the few places where you're less likely to get hit by the proverbial SHOW hammer, since some things, like the rules of your magic system, are difficult to show. So telling becomes more permissible.

However, it can be incredibly tempting to just infodump at every opportunity. Especially for those of us who have a wiki with more words than the finished project will have. But as I'm sure you've heard before, doing this can break immersion and destroy the pacing of your narrative.

While there are multiple ways to make exposition engaging, I'm going to focus on the approach I use most commonly: The Drip Feed.

Filling an Ocean One Droplet at a Time

Before we get into the actual methodology, I want to take a moment to dissect how and why exposition dumps can be problematic.

The Problem: Context, Relevancy, and Retention

Context is both the thing we're trying to communicate, and the source of excessive exposition. It starts simple, like maybe the reader needs to know that the main character is poor. And I guess I should explain why they're poor. Next thing you know you've spent 4 pages describing the socioeconomics of your world.

That's what I call 'context chaining'. Since everything in fleshed out worlds is interconnected, it can be very easy to just keep on filling in the gaps. Preemptively answering any questions the reader might have. The problem?

Relevancy. When you introduce a ton of worldbuilding in one fell swoop, the vast majority of it won't be relevant to the current place in the narrative, even if it will eventually be relevant for the story overall. Which, you guessed it, hurts:

Retention. Without immediate relevant context for the worldbuilding you introduce. Readers won't have anything to anchor the information too. Calling back to the example I used earlier, readers will remember that the character is poor, and they will likely remember why. Anything beyond that is unlikely to be retained.

The solution?

Restraint and Trust

For many of us, the world we've built is a large draw of the narrative we're crafting. However, one of the best ways to draw people into your world is to talk about it as little as possible. But how will they know about x?? They won't, until it matters.

Now I'm not talking about soft worldbuilding. This will work for both hard and soft worldbuilding (honestly it's even better for hard worldbuilding).

Instead of straight up telling the reader about the world and all of its intricacies. Introduce the most complex aspects as questions that you answer bit by bit throughout the narrative. As an example, maybe our poor character is struggling to buy food because they went into debt casting spells.

Suddenly, the reader is wondering: Why do spells cost money? Who controls the supply of magic and/or components? Is spellcasting something everyone can do? What kinds of magic are more valuable than eating? and so many more.

But here's the key: don't answer them. At least, not until absolutely necessary or there's an organic place to do so. Wait until the perspective character is directly interacting with one of those questions. Maybe they walk past a trickling fountain, revealing that the mana wells are running dry. And later debt collectors come for the main character, revealing who controls the mana.

Unanswered questions are a huge source of tension, and worldbuilding can provide a subtle sustained undercurrent that you can leverage to propel the narrative in slow points and/or make your payoffs hit even harder. All you have to do is answer the right question at the right time.

The best part of this method is that by waiting until your perspective character is engaging with a part of your world. It allows you to convey exposition and character at the same time. But what about worldbuilding that the characters don't interact with directly? It doesn't matter.

Well it does, to you as the author. But in general, if something doesn't matter to at least one of your characters, it won't matter to your readers. If your character isn't a politician, they aren't going to care about the intricacies of your political system. So why would the reader?

In short, keep any worldbuilding closely tied to your characters' experience, and let the reader wonder. The end result is a smoother and more engaging learning curve that pulls the reader in. Giving them the satisfaction of putting the pieces together themselves.

If you have any questions or additional thoughts let me know!

[stove-top96]

Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree

Y Batfam x Gn Reader

Synopsis: With your family all in town, they decide it’s finally time to decorate the Christmas tree.

Featuring: platonic Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne

2.1k words

Something I whipped up while I shoulda been studying for bio. All advice is appreciated!! Supposed to be a one-shot but I might make a part two who knows?

9 months, you’ve been here. Sure there have been other holidays like Easter, birthdays, and Halloween, you just “weren’t adjusted enough” to celebrate them with Bruce and his family. it still feels wrong to celebrate Christmas even if you’re “adjusted”. Years Before you haven’t really had anyone to celebrate it with, but you still had the choice to celebrate how you wanted. In all honesty you preferred being alone, away from Dicks clinginess and anger issues. Jason’s protectiveness was insufferable and you always get caught in the middle of his and Bruce’s fights. Tim’s stalking and creepiness is so unsettling. Damian’s intense stares and demand for your attention drive you crazy. Bruce’s overall presence is just way too intense for you to handle.

Sitting in your room, eyes fixed on the book you're reading. There’s a fast knock, and your door swings right after. “Everyone’s at the manor today, so we decided now’s the perfect time to decorate the tree” Dick’s voice filled with excitement. You never got a say in this decision, but then again when have you ever. “You sure it’s not kinda early?” You question, carefully with the wording so you won't get in trouble for having an “attitude” whatever that means. Looking up you can see his grin, he’s clearly excited and you're almost jealous. It'd probably be a lot easier if you felt like them. “It’s already December” he answers dismissing your objection, now there’s no way you’ll be able to get out of decorating this tree. “And when is everyone in the family all here together at the same time” you do see his point, much to your disdain. Jason could never tolerate being in the same room as Bruce, only showing up when he was on longer missions or to whisk you away for the night. Damian had started to take on longer missions as well, although they only took about a week. Dick and Tim had their own teams to run, taking up a good portion of their time. These facts really made you jealous, being stuck here because of their selfishness while they still get to see the world made you hate them even more. “I guess you have a point” you agree, following Dick down the long hallway.

Holding your hand he led you to the living room. You want to pull away, but he’d probably just get upset and cling to you even more this evening. Grinding your teeth you’ll just have to bare it until you get to the living room.

Clearly they’ve planned to do this for a while. boxes of decorations already clutter the big living room, Bruce is currently following Alfred’s instructions on how to set up the tree, Damian and Tim are digging through boxes, and Jason is untangling lights. It’s honestly a very uncharacteristic scene of your “family”. this is probably the closest thing to normal you’ll get tonight, might as well play along hoping no one will bother you too much tomorrow.

Dick makes his way over to some box, labelled ornaments. Still not letting go of your hand you try not to roll your eyes too hard, opting to help him sort through the box. “These all gonna fit?” You mumble to yourself absentmindedly as you unwrap the ornaments, and gently set them on the table. “We’ll make it work.” Jason pipes up, finishing the lights. He motions you over, you assume part of the reason is to help him the other part to get back at Dick for something. Why else would he have such a shit eating smirk? Dick sends Jason a quick scowl in retaliation. God, all your doing is helping him with the lights, it really isn’t that deep.

“Kay Bridie, all you gotta do is wrap them ‘round the back once I pass them to ya.” Bridie is his nickname you know he knows you hate. He's obviously trying to get a rise out of you. Why else would he talk to you like your five. Bruce sends him a warning look, telling him not to push it. You roll eyes and nod your head giving him a response is probably the worst thing you could do right now, it’ll just raise his ego and he’ll tease you for the rest of the evening. As you and Jason pass the lights back and forth, it never really occurred to you just how tall this tree was. Wincing at the thought of how long this will take to decorate, let alone spending it with these people. Like everything else you don't have a choice, so you keep passing the lights forward. “Sure you’ll be able to reach the top?” He knows the answer, once again he’s just trying to get a reaction. “We’ll see” you know you won’t be able to reach, but there’s a chance if you go on your tip toes and reach real hard. “I can always lift you if it’s too hard” Jason’s comment makes the family briefly pause what they are doing, Damian even shoots Jason a glare. Anything’s better than that. So you stand on your tippiest of toes and reach as hard as you can, and you’re actually able to make it to the top. Much to the families relief, if Jason got to carry you like that it’s likely he won't let the others live it down

Dick seems done with unwrapping the Ornaments. Truthfully you’ve never decorated a Christmas tree before, and all though you’d rather be anywhere but here there’s still that inner child who has always dreamed of decorating their own tree. “You gonna help me put them on babybird?” Dick asks, saying no will do more harm than good so you opt for a different excuse “What if I drop one though?” You ask, hoping he’ll take the bait, knowing he'd never fall for it. “We’ll just clean it up then, no big deal.” Like always he doesn’t fall for it, although you admit the excuse was kinda dumb. “If you say so” he has his grin from earlier, as he passes you the colourful ornaments. Looking closer at them it’s clear they’re expensive, rightfully so they’re beautiful with red and gold accents. As you look for the right spot to place them Dick comes up beside you, “don’t think to hard about it babybird, just put them on it’ll all come together” he can sense your growing anxiety and doesn’t want to spoil your mood so early, so he keeps his space and offers words of encouragement. You're thankful at least he somewhat knows when to back off “I don’t know, I’ve never done this before”, you step closer to the tree not really knowing where to put it, so you just place it next to Dick’s. Pride swells in Dick’s chest, “just like that” he encourages smiling to himself. Placing various ornaments on the whole tree you lost track of time, maybe because Dick was giving you some space to enjoy yourself for once. Whatever the case, as you decorated the tree your smile brightened the room, and was appreciated by everyone.

“Why don't you put the star on top this year?” Bruce’s voice calm and content, his lips slightly upwards, which is the closest you’ll ever get to a smile. “I won’t be able to reach the top though” you were barely able to reach with the lights no way you’ll be able to place the star on the very top. “Don’t worry about that” Bruce says, passing you the gold star. it’s beautiful with intricate carved designs, it’s a little heavy. You wonder if it’s made of gold or not? “What do you mea-“ before you can even finish your sentence you're hoisted up into the air by Bruce. You're a little mad he gave you no warning, but you're willing to let it go. Bruce probably won’t mention it again he’d probably just keep the memory for himself, he definitely would never tease you about it. As he holds you near the top of the tree, you secure the star on top. Smiling that bright smile as he brings you down, any earlier feelings of unease washing away as you let yourself get carried away with all the decorating.

“What candles should we light?” Tim approached you, holding three different candles in his arms. Grabbing the first one, dark green in colour it smelt like pine. “That one’s nice” you note passing it back to him. The second a deep red smelled like peppermint and made you feel just a little nauseous. “I’m not into that one” passing it back to Tim who just sets it on the coffee table. Grabbing the last candle a light brown one, it smelt like a warm cozy cinnamon, you figure it’s the one that will make the room feel most welcoming. “I think we should light this one, what about you?” You ask, wanting to make sure he’d be okay with your choice. “I agree.” Tim says, not even bothering to smell the other candles. He leads you away from the tree and towards the mantle, the box still full of decorations beside it. Why is nothing done? What were they all doing while you and Dick were decorating the tree? “I kinda don’t have a vision for the mantle” Tim admits, you're pretty sure he’s lying and just wants this opportunity to be close with you. Although you're kinda getting into this whole decorating thing, it’s even starting to feel a little fun. So you're not as mad as you want to be. “Okay, I guess I can try”. Finding fake greenery, pinecones in the box, even some red ribbon. you're starting to get a vision of what you want to happen. Too tired to get up and do it yourself you start bossing Tim around. It's kinda fun, he’s good at following your instructions, always knowing how exactly you want the ribbon draped over the greenery and the exact spot you want the candle holders. Tim knows what he’s doing, he likes seeing you smile and hearing your voice even if that means you’re bossing him around, he’ll gladly follow any order you give him.

“We must hang up the family's stockings.” Damian states, motioning towards some sort of metal rack he put together. At least he did something. The rack is fixed with 7 hooks, they must have bought a new one to hold your additional stocking. “Sure” you smile “what box are they in” you ask, “that is the issue, someone did not label the box they put them in last year” he grumbles, shooting Dick a glare. You giggle “we’ll find them”. The family pauses for a beat, it had been months since they heard you laugh. Today truly is a day worth celebrating in their eyes. After about 15 minutes of searching you finally found them. “I found them!” You exclaim, and Damian turns around to sort through them with you. The stockings are actually kinda cute, red knitted socks with everyone’s names on them. Your stocking was the exact same. You wonder how far in advance they had yours made? As you and Damian hung the stockings starting with Alfred’s and working your way down, you didn’t expect yours to fit in so well when hung on the hooks but it didn’t bother you, it’d be more weird if yours was out of place.

“It actually looks kinda good” you hate to admit, but the warm lights radiating off the Christmas tree bring a nice ambiance to the room, the colorful ornaments adorned on every branch, and a sparkling star that rests on top. The Cinnamon scented Candles flicker on the mantel, draped with red ribbons and greenery. Each family member's stocking hanging in front of the fireplace waiting to be filled, the crackling fire really completes the look. Taking a step back to really appreciate the room you feel a sense of pride bubbling in your chest. “Why wouldn’t it, we’re the ones who’s decorated it” Damian states matter of factly, clearly also somewhat proud of his work. “I think this is the best it’s ever looked” Dick’s excitement still present from earlier. “You got a point,” Jason agrees, with a small smile on his face. “It’s been a while since I got to relax like this” Tim states, smiling soaking in the view. “Alfred informed me dinner will be ready in about 10 minutes, why don't we start to head over”. Oh god, you’re way too exhausted to deal with a family dinner.

[formulakracing]

leap of faith — t.w.

pairing -> student intern!reader x toto wolff

word count -> 1.4k

warnings -> slow burn, cursing, mentions of marijuana/drug use, power imbalance, boss x employee dynamic, smut, alcohol use, mentions of alcohol use, yearning (big time), overall mature themes

a/n -> here we are. chapter two. i apologize if this is nothing like the internship at mercedes. my bad if this chapter drags a little! i hope you guys enjoy! <3

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december 1st, 2024

"oh my god."

"what?"

"i-i just checked my inbox. i got an email from mercedes."

⨯ . ⁺ ✦ ⊹ ꙳ ⁺ ‧ ⨯. ⁺ ✦ ⊹ . * ꙳ ✦ ⊹⨯ . ⁺ ✦ ⊹ ꙳ ⁺ ‧ ⨯. ⁺ ✦ ⊹ . * ꙳ ✦ ⊹⨯ . ⁺ ✦ ⊹ ꙳ ⁺

your best friend, iris, arches a brow, leaning forward, "what did they say? did you get in? have you opened it yet? i wanna see—"

shaking your head, you scoot over in the booth, waving a hand, "not yet. come over here and we can read it together."

with no hesitation, iris springs to her feet, eagerly sliding in beside you, "fuck, my heart is racing. open it, open it, open it!"

"okay, okay," a giggle bubbles up in your throat, fingers gliding across the touchpad, "i'm pulling it up now."

clicking on the mail tab, your inbox loads, a plethora of emails appearing. since the email you used for the application was your university email, you had to dig through your spam folder to locate the message. moving the email to your inbox, you inhale a sharp breath.

"here goes nothing."

tapping on the message, you heart races, blood roaring in your ears.

you barely make it through the text before your jaw goes slack.

it is with great pleasure that we offer you an apprenticeship with our filming and editing team!

please respond to this email by december 15th, 2024, if you accept our offer.

welcome to the merecedes amg petronas family! we hope to hear from you soon!

letting out a squeal, iris wraps you in her embrace, pulling you in close, "congratulations! i am so fucking proud of you! you made it! you got in!"

"h-how?" you sputter, the shock dissolving by the second, "h-how did i make it in? surely it has to be some sort of—"

iris rolls her eyes, tutting as she puts a finger to your lips, "ah ah, none of that! you made it in, and that's that. from this moment on, there will be no second guessing or self-doubt."

"w-what am i going to tell my parents?"

her brow furrows, head tilting ever so slightly, "um — that you're going to be moving away to pursue your dream career? it's not rocket science babe."

at that, you can't help but laugh, "iris, you of all people know that's not going to fly. the first thing they're going to do is ask a thousand questions. then they're going to plant every seed of self-doubt into my mind so that i second guess myself and decline the offer."

"hmmm," she hums, drumming her fingers on the table, "what if you just didn't tell them until the day of your flight? what they don't know won't hurt them."

"iris," your eyes widen, lips parting, "i can't just hide this from my parents! this is way too big of a secret to be kept between the two of us—"

"but look at it this way," she interjects, "if you call them the second you get back home, they're going to shut it down. you'll end up declining the internship, just so that they'll be happy.

sure, they'll have you around for the holidays. your boyfriend will like having you at home during break. however, you won't be happy. i know you. you're going to mope around for the rest of your life, wishing you would have accepted that offer.

i just want my best friend to be happy. i want you to do what makes you feel alive. i want to see you smile again. if going halfway across the world and filming fast cars is what makes you happy, i support it one thousand percent. and who knows? you might meet a hot european man while you're there and end up marrying him."

i want you to do what makes you feel alive.

and formula one was just that. it's what kept that spark ablaze deep within your soul.

the torrent that swept through you during race day was indescribable. it was a high that you were constantly chasing. and in your heart, you knew that watching from a screen would never be enough. the hours poured into edits and compilations would never satisfy that hunger. the views, likes, and reposts would not fill that void.

the only way you would ever be satisfied is if you were at a grand prix, camera in hand, filming every exhilarating second.

fuck, was iris right.

the one time you put yourself first, you managed to secure the internship of a lifetime. you weren't sure how, but you made it, and that's all that mattered.

your happiness is what mattered. fuck what your parents thought. fuck what your boyfriend had to say. fuck all of things they would say in order to hold you back. that's all they were going to do anyway.

everyone and everything in this town was going to only hold you back.

well, not quite everyone. there was one exception.

"iris, if i accepted this offer, would you come with me?"

december 15th, 2024

"please, natalia, i'm having a shit day. if it's anything to do with the—"

"it's about little lamb, sir."

"come in."

dipping her head, the assistant strides in, folder in hand. placing it on his desk, she crosses over to the door, pulling it closed, "should i lock it, sir?"

"no need," he tuts, "does lewis know?"

"not yet, sir. we just received word that she accepted the offer."

"good," swiping a tongue along his lower lip, his eyes scan over the first page, "when is she expected to start, natalia?"

"little lamb has orientation on january sixth, like the rest of the apprentices. she flies in on a thursday, i believe. it might be the second or third. i'm not entirely sure, sir."

toto wolff, team principal of mercedes amg petronas hums, flipping through the pristine pile of papers before him, "how long is orientation?"

natalia clicks her tongue, firing a rapid response, "orientation is approximately a two week process. the first week is about the basics of the apprenticeship. the second week is a lot of coursework. the apprentices attend a series of classes that are more specific to their program. the soonest we could pull her out is january twentieth. would you like for me to send an email to her orientation leaders?"

"we will wait until we have confirmation she's made it brackley. thank you for the update, natalia. i appreciate your hard work."

at that, his assistant beams, straightening in her seat, "of course, sir. is there anything you would like for me to do in the meantime?"

"do you have her social media accounts?"

"they're already in her file. i highlighted them for you."

"atta girl," the team principal shoots natalia a wink, "i will let you know when it is time to hunt down our little lamb. have a good evening, natalia. thank you again."

"of course, sir."

dipping her head, natalia rises to her feet, promptly exiting the room. the moment he hears that click, he reaches for his phone, his thumbs a flurry as he types in her username.

you see, toto wolff was fixated on this particular apprentice.

was it a little insane? yeah.

did it violate a few ethical principles? sure. would it raise a few eyebrows? of course it would. would there be a few human resource violations? maybe.

nothing that he couldn't handle.

besides, the girl knew how to reel you in.

the storytelling throughout her media was compelling. she captured the essence of motorsports in a way that toto had never seen before. with over thousands upon thousands of followers across three acounts, she was gaining some notoriety among the formula one community. she even had a couple of sponsorship deals. drivers would like her posts, some even going as far to repost the clips.

in fact, lewis was the one who introduced her to toto.

one rainy morning in brazil, toto peered over lewis' shoulder to see that he was deeply invested in his phone, scrolling every so often. from what toto could see, lewis was looking at someone's instagram. or was it tik tok? toto couldn't keep up.

"what are you looking at?"

"nosy are we?" a smooth chuckle flowed from the british driver's lips, "to answer your query, i'm just taking a look at this girl's account. she makes edits. at least, i think that's what they're called. don't quote me on that."

"and what does she post edits of?"

"formula one."

"what is so special about her 'edits'?"

however, the british driver did not answer. instead, he placed the phone into toto's hands, giving him a slight nod. almost as if he was prompting him to take a peek.

"what's so special about them? take a look and see for yourself. then you'll know."

⨯ . ⁺ ✦ ⊹ ꙳ ⁺ ‧ ⨯. ⁺ ✦ ⊹ . * ꙳ ✦ ⊹⨯ . ⁺ ✦ ⊹ ꙳ ⁺ ‧ ⨯. ⁺ ✦ ⊹ . * ꙳ ✦ ⊹⨯ . ⁺ ✦ ⊹ ꙳ ⁺

taglist -> @the-secret-formulaone @gmfj6 @ssarqhxo @ravyn94

thanks for reading! if you would like to be tagged, just comment down below! <3

[bluekidchaos]

Silco x Reader

i have nothing coherent to say but i've been rotating this man inside my mind like a microwave dish for a week straight and need it out of my system, so here is huh, sucking silco off while he smokes

Pairing: Silco x Reader

Warnings: 18+, blowjobs (turns into face fucking??), pet names (pet, love, dear), hinted dacryphilia, dirty talking (mix of praise and degradation), boot humping (huh ?? what ? who said that, guys i think there's a ghost here), no use of pronouns but female parts mentioned

Words: 1.5k

Can also be read on AO3!

Back to masterlist.

silco coming back to the last drop after a meeting with the other chem-barons notably frustrated, huffing and muttering under his breath about "imbeciles and morons"

as he sits himself down in the big leather chair behind the desk trying to light a cigar but the lighter won't work in his angry grasp, getting him on edge even more until he throws it across the room in a fit of rage

you sigh as you get up from your position on the couch, so far seemingly unnoticed by the man, and pick up the lighter

making your way over to the desk silco finally looks up at you, his eyes softening a little when they land on you, you perch at the edge of it and hold the lighter up to him

he puts the cigar up to the flickering light and takes a long drag before exhaling, already feeling more relaxed as he inhales the tobacco. silco leans back into his chair and takes another slow drag while looking you up and down closely

"bad meeting?" your foot coming up to rest in between his spread thighs on the chair, the question of what he needed from you unspoken but understood

he grunts in response, "bad week overall.." the hand not occupied with holding the cigar lands on your foot, stroking up and down the expanse of your calf giving you your answer

almost like it was instinct you slide down from the desk and down on your knees in front of him, now trapped between him and the desk

his hand comes down to stroke a stray strand of hair back behind your ear and you nuzzle your cheek into his warm palm

silco leans down in the chair to your level, nose almost touching yours, "how about you make me forget what a bad week it was, pet?" the heavy smoke envelopes your senses for a second before you jump into action

you start by slowly dragging your hands up his thighs, letting one hand graze over the bulge in his tight pants while the other comes up to unbutton them

silco raises his hips slightly off the chair to help you lower his pants and underpants for easier access while you grab his cock out of its confinement, giving it an experimental stroke you hear silco gasp above you

the hand left on your cheek moves around your head and tangles in your hair, his eyes never leaving yours as you finally lean forward and lick his entire length

when you reach his tip you stay there giving soft kitten licks, you make sure to keep eye contact with silco while doing it, you loved seeing his reaction while you pleased him

his grasp on your hair tightens a bit and he sucks in a sharp breath as your tongue flicks at his tip, you can tell he's about to chastise you for teasing him so before he can get a word out you take his full length into your mouth, well as much as you can at least

silco finally breaks the eye contact, throwing his head back with a grunt as you take him down your tight throat, "fuck, good pet"

the pet name makes your pussy throb and you can't help but to clench your thighs to try and create some friction

he lets you set the pace at first, bobbing your head at a comfortable pace while letting one hand stroke what doesn't fit in your mouth, you trace your tongue along the veins decorating his dick and give his tip a couple of flicks whenever you come up for air

the hand not occupied with helping your efforts travel up his shirt, letting it rest against his stomach, using your nails to scratch at him from time to time to aid the sensations and you can feel him shiver under your touch

silco is now completely relaxed in the chair, head leaned back and cigar in his unoccupied hand, inhaling and exhaling thick smoke, the almost indifference he shows you makes you even more turned on somehow

to anyone else, it would look like he's ignoring your efforts but you know him better, the hand clenched in your hair, the heavy breathing, and the few noises that escape him give away how this is really affecting him

you decide to tease him more, not going down fully this time, just keeping the tip in your mouth to suck on while your hand jerks him off lazily while looking up at him

silcos head snaps down to look at you, his eyes burning with desire and frustration, "now, now, pet.." he growls out at you, "let us not get lazy when you were doing such a good job before" he adjusts the grip on your hair to a makeshift ponytail before searching your eyes for consent

you give him a small nod and try to smile up at him but he presses your head down on him fully now, nose pressed into his pubes, and holds you there

he leans his head back again and lets out a low moan at the feeling of your throat constricting around him, he revels a bit in your small struggle, the feeling of one hand scratching his stomach and the other desperately clinging to his thigh before letting you up for air

when he finally pulls your head up you take a deep breath and cough, you try to blink the tears clouding your eyes away so you can meet his gaze

silco groans at the way you look up at him, lips red and swollen, tears running down your cheeks, but it's the way you smile up at him that has him throbbing for you

he pulls your head down again, this time setting a brutal pace that has you barely catching your breath and you can't stand it anymore, the ache between your thighs is getting too much and you need something, anything

you whimper around his cock, the vibrations send a jolt of electricity up his spine, you look up at him and try to make a pouty face, which considering your mouth is stuffed full of his cock is pretty hard

silco knows your every expression however and you get your point across either way, he chuckles at the desperation in your eyes, "hm, poor you, need something to soothe you? is my cock in your mouth not enough for you?" he mocks you

but he moves one of his legs between your legs and you feel yourself get wetter at the display, "there, there, pet, make yourself feel good while i use your throat as i please"

you can feel your cheeks heat up at his words, you can't believe this is happening but you're honestly too turned on to think about it for too long before you roll your hips against his boot

the feeling of finally getting some friction against your clit makes you moan around his cock and you roll your hips again and again and again before you've set a pace likewise to the one silco is guiding your head at

silco was already close but the vision of you brings him to the edge, eyes closed and tear-stained cheeks while you were humping his boot, your noises muffled around his dick but the vibrations are making him go crazy

you feel yourself getting closer to ecstasy with every roll of your hips, you're sure you've made a mess on his boot by now but you couldn't care less, all you could think about was dragging your tongue around silcos cock while his hips meet your face and humping his leg like an animal in heat

both of you could tell the other is close now, you hollow your cheeks around him and that's enough to bring him over the edge with a shout, emptying himself into your mouth and you try to swallow every drop of him but there's too much and it spills out and around his cock

the feeling of your mouth tightening even more as if that was possible makes silco tense and he pushes his leg into you more, putting unexpected pressure on your clit just as you made contact with him again and you feel yourself being pushed over the same edge, warmth spreading through your whole body as you ride out your orgasm

silco carefully lifts your head off of him after a little while and you take a deep breath again, you start coughing as some of his cum slides down to wrong pipe

he rubs and pats your back until you've calmed down and brings you up into his lap, letting you curl up against him as you both catch your breaths, "thank you dear, are you alright?"

you snuggle into him more as he brings his jacket over you as a makeshift blanket, you can feel soreness in your jaw and thighs creeping in but you were too tired to care right now, "hmm, sore, tired"

silco smile agaisnt your head before giving it a quick peck, "rest my love, i'll be here when you wake up to take care of you" and with the sound of his smooth voice whispering in your ear you finally fell asleep

[yuvany]

# STRAWBERRY WEEK``

๋࣭ ⭑ 𝐄𝐍𝐇𝐘𝐏𝐄𝐍 with a partner on her period ♤

OT7 enhypen x female readerˏˋ ´ˎ˗ GENRE / WARNING(S) :: fluff + cramps + periods + kissing + skinship + est relationship + not proofread + lazy written. % WC : 1027 𝜗𝜚 CHECK BOX !!

( reblogs + feedback always appreciated! )

𝗟𝗘𝗘 𝗛𝗘𝗘𝗦𝗘𝗨𝗡𝗚 ━

You groan annoyingly as you exit the bathroom, and Heeseung who was nearby caught that. He got out of his chair, and made his way to your room, seeing you by your drawer. He tries to peek, but you manage to turn around before he does. "What is it, Hee?" You ask, sounding exhausted. "Just curious what you're up to." He says, and you walk around him with a hand in your pocket, making your way inside the bathroom again. "No need to follow me around, you know." You shut the door in his face, and Heeseung walks back to the living room, saddened. As you walk out again, feeling slightly refreshed, you realised how harshly you acted towards your boyfriend, and walked over to him. "I'm sorry, baby." You crawl into his arms, and he hugs you close, handing you a bowl of fruits with chocolate dip on the side. "It's your period right? I forgive you, sweetheart." In return, you kiss him on the cheek.

𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗝𝗢𝗡𝗚𝗦𝗘𝗢𝗡𝗚 ━

Noticed something was bothering you even before you told him. "Baby, are you feeling okay?" He asked, his fingers finding your ear as he combs stands of your hair to the side. Jay looks at you lovingly, though you just feel aggravated. "No, I'm not." Your cramps have been acting up, painfully spiking your abdomen, and you feel slightly bad for Jay when your voice comes out harsher than expected. He is slightly taken aback, but still confronts you. "Is it your period?" He throws his guess based on the period tracker installed on his phone, and you lean your head against his chest, nodding as he pats your back. "Hmm, let me make something nice for you." Jay hums and kisses your forehead, and guides the two of you to the kitchen, letting you hang onto him like a baby koala to its mother. Jay also asks if he needs to buy you more pads, overall the ideal person to have by your side.

𝗦𝗜𝗠 𝗝𝗔𝗬𝗨𝗡 ━

He saw you twisting and turning on the carpet, so he hunched down beside you with a questioning look. "My love, what's going on?" His voice sounded concerned. You look up at him while laying on your back. "These cramps, they won't stop." You painfully explained as you return to finding yourself in weird formations. With no hesitation Jake pulled you up, and sat you in between his legs, his palms finding the area beneath your stomach to apply some warmth. He had seen it somewhere before and wanted to try it out. "Does it feel better?" He asked, and you hummed in reply, "Definitely. Thank you baby." You let your hands rest above his as he presses a kiss to your temple. He will probably be the type to say, "If I could, I'd take your pain so you won't have to struggle," but the way he says it is so genuine, and filled with sincerity.

𝙋𝘼𝙍𝙆 𝙎𝙐𝙉𝙂𝙃𝙊𝙊𝙉 ━

"I feel disgusting" You mutter as you walk into the room, standing by the door frame feeling awfully aware of yourself. Sunghoon looks up from his book and arches an eyebrow. "Hmm? Why's that, angel?" You sit on the edge of the bed, and Sunghoon does as well. "I just feel weird, like every part of my body is itchy." You explain as best as you could, and he listens intently, his fingers massaging your scalp. "I hate periods!" You exclaimed at last, and Sunghoon nods his head. "Stay here." He says and walks out of the room after leaving a kiss on your forehead. You make yourself comfortable as you wait for him, and he returns after a couple of minutes with a tray of your favourite snacks and a warm glass of water. This time you look up at him with an arched eyebrow, and he notices it. "This always helped my sister."

𝗞𝗜𝗠 𝗦𝗨𝗡𝗢𝗢 ━

Sunoo and you were watching a movie, unfortunately it was a rather emotional one, and you started sobbing in the middle of it. Sunoo who sat beside you with his arm over you, turned to you worriedly. "Dear, what happened?!" He asked, his voice filled with shock. You explain what went through your mind when the scene played in the movie, and he listens. "It's just that I feel bad for that kid who he kidnapped." You sob, and Sunoo rubs your back. "Really?" "Yeah, I wonder how his parents feel," you dry your tears with your sleeve before starting the previously paused movie. Sunoo is dumbfounded by this and looks between you and the screen, then he remembered the date. It's been a couple of days now since you started your period.

𝗬𝗔𝗡𝗚 𝗝𝗨𝗡𝗚𝗪𝗢𝗡 ━

"woni, these cramps are killing me." You complain, and slump onto his bed while laying on your stomach. Jungwon who was occupied by his phone, looked at you worriedly, concerned at how much your were complaining, and even more so after he heard how much they actually hurt, being compared to a heart attack. "Come here, sweetie." He cooed, his arms wide open for you crawl in and cuddle with him, fitting like two puzzle pieces. Right as you were about to do so, Jungwon got up and told you to wait, which made you impatient, so you just laid there on your side silently, waiting for your boyfriend to return. Not long after, he returned with a heating pad and your favourite snacks. "Sorry, baby, had to get these first."

𝗡𝗜𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗠𝗨𝗥𝗔 𝗥𝗜𝗞𝗜 ━

He notices how much water you're drinking and decides to question you about it. "Babe, why are you drinking so much water?" Your hand held onto the glass filled with water, half way up until it reached your lips, "I saw online that this will make my period shorter." Rik rose an eyebrow at how atrocious it sounded, but shrugged. "Is it working?" "I don't know." You chugged down the last glass of water, and added, "Doubt it though." "I heard it helps with cramps though," Riki said, approaching you as he pulls you into a hug. "Now that you mentioned it, it kind of did work," you said shockingly, and hugged him back, letting his warmth radiate on you.

[jinjojess]

Stupid Names: Hundred Line Edition

It's taken me far too long to get around to this, but let's do it.

We all know the question: just how stupid and narratively linked are the names of the Hundred Line characters?

Come on and find out with me!

Spoilers Ahead!

Let's address something first, because it seems the term "kirakira name" has breached containment into the English-speaking internet, and I want to discuss a bit what that term means and how it relates to what I mean when I call a name "stupid".

A kirakira name is, boiled to its essence, a name that a Japanese kid is given by their parents who are trying to make them stand out. This can include things like using weird readings for kanji (i.e., I know a couple who named their kid "Runa" and spelled it with the moon kanji to evoke the Latin "Luna"), or giving kids Western names (when I was teaching there were plenty of Alices and a few Edwards or Johns), or giving a kid a extremely historical or ostentatious name (again when I was still teaching I had a Masamune once, and a current coworker gave her son a four syllable samurai name).

Think of it like a white mom giving her child like seventeen y's in Mackenzie, or that meme where the dad is talking to his son, Karkat. Japan has some failsafes in place to keep things from going full the twins from The Pinballs, thankfully, but the names can still get pretty out there.

When I talk about a name in a DanRon game (or any Japanese media) as being "stupid", it will undoubtedly include kirakira names. However, it's not limited to that, because unlike real life, this futzing of meaning and reading can extend to family names in addition to given ones, and can be more subtle than irl.

I actually have a set of criteria I consider when I'm ranking how stupid a name is:

Does this name exist irl? Could this name exist irl?

Does this name, when read aloud, sound the same as an existing word?

What kanji does this name use? How rare are the choices? Do these kanji fall under jinmeiyou status?

How meaningful is this name? Does it reflect something about the character or their place in the narrative?

How much would it make a homeroom teacher gawk at seeing it on a class list?

My judgements may appear frivolous, but I promise you I have some measure of standards in my methods.

Anyway, I hope this context enriches this dumb post for you, reader.

Sumino Takumi 澄野拓海

In keeping with Kodaka's MO, protags generally don't tend to get especially stupid names. Very few people write "Sumino" that way, but it does exist. It's the meaningful bent which gives it some stupidity points, since the first kanji can mean to "clear something up" and it's a common practice in Japanese pop media to tack 野 on the end of a meaningful term to make a stupider, meaningful name.

Takumi is just a regular name, often written that way. It translates roughly to "breaking up the sea" which I guess you could argue discusses how Sumino likes to defy fate, and phonetically it's the same as one of the words for "a great piece of art" which we know Kodaka thinks Hundora is (because he won't shut up about it).

Overall, pretty normal name to start.

Stupidity of Name: 3/10

Personal Pronoun: オレ (ore), very masculine but softer than if using the kanji version, it's hard to explain

Mode of Address: Last Name No Honorifics for both boys and girls, with the exception of Karua and the twins who are First Name No Honorifics

Shizuhara Hiruko 雫原比留子

Shizuhara's name roughly translates out to "Field of Drops, Child Who Keeps Comparing" which I think is pretty meaningful. The "drops" part to me makes me think of the killing blow animation when they bathe in the blood of a captain they've killed, and Shizuhara is always pushing for everyone to measure up.

"Shizuhara" is an extremely rare last name, though it's written as "Quiet Field" instead of "Drop Field". Stupid, but not especially. "Hiruko" meanwhile is a name, though not for people. It's the name of the first child of creation gods Izanagi and Izanami, who is born with some sort of disability (no bones, no limbs, etc.) because of his mother fucking up the marriage ritual, and he's cast away into the sea as a toddler. Obviously this refers to the first scenario, where Shizuhara gets unceremoniously merked in her bed and then dumped out into the ruins of civilization.

All of this adds up to a name that is pretty damn stupid, but doesn't feel stupid because it sounds very normal.

Stupidity of Name: 6/10

Personal Pronoun: 私 (watashi), pretty normal and to be expected by someone like Shizuhara who's all business

Mode of Address: everyone gets called by Last Name No Honorific, except the twins who are called by their first name

Yakushiji Takemaru 厄師寺猛丸

Believe it or not, Yakushiji is a real last name people can have! It's definitely not written as "danger master of the temple" though (usually it's the "medicine master of the temple"). Takemaru is a pretty rare name, but it could theoretically exist, though that first kanji for "excess" probably wouldn't be used, since it often comes up in less-than-savory contexts.

The name sounds way more stupid than it actually is, weirdly enough, which is a variety of stupid name we normally don't see in DanRon. The name is pretty meaningful, though, given that Yakushiji's whole character is centered around defying first impressions: he is excessive, but he isn't dangerous, and instead is willing to throw himself into danger for others.

Baseline stupidness.

Stupidity of Name: 5/10

Personal Pronoun: 俺 (ore), despite technically having the same pronoun as Sumino, using the kanji feels harsher and more confident; I can't quite articulate why, really, it just does

Mode of Address: everyone is Last Name No Honorific except the twins, who are First Name No Honorific

Amemiya Darumi 飴宮怠美

Here we go. Now this is a stupid fucking name!

"Amemiya" is a real last name, sure, but it's almost exclusively written as "Rain Palace" and I can't imagine a person who would have "Candy Palace" as their surname. And "Darumi"? Dude. It's clearly from the term darui, which means to be utterly knackered. The kanji choices are also ridiculous, roughly translating to "lazy beauty".

Presumably you've played the game. You know that Darumi is constantly complaining about not having energy, refusing to eat real meals in favor of snacks, etc. You could argue there's a bit of irony there, since she perks up considerably and has energy for pathos, but hoo boy this is a very, very dumb one.

Stupidity of Name: LazyBelle Candyland gets a big ol' 9/10, held back only because "Amemiya" is a real name

Personal Pronoun: 怠美 (Darumi), as usual, Kodaka gives his third person self-referencing to his silliest female soldiers

Mode of Address: everyone is First Name No Honorific, except for when she starts calling Shizuhara "Hiruko-sama"

Aotsuki Eito 蒼月衛人

Here's a fun example of a name that's pretty stupid, but almost entirely because of the context of the game itself.

Here we have an unusual reading for the kanji (蒼月 comes up more often as "Sougetsu") but nothing that weird. Plenty of real names are just "descriptor-moon" so that's not that strange. "Eito" exists as a pretty normal name, though I've almost always seen it written as 瑛斗 ("shining north star") instead. Our "Ei" here is the one that means "protect" or "defend" while the "to" is "person".

So you've got Blue Moon Defender of People, which seems very ironic, doesn't it? The moon part causes some question since the moon features so prominently in the game as a symbol of what's left of humanity, too.

So it's an ironic name? Not just that, actually.

What actually does "blue moon" mean? (Forget the beer for a second.) There's the "second full moon in one month" thing, which isn't really all that relevant. In the U.S., it usually refers to a long period of time (i.e., "once in a blue moon" meaning something that happens rarely), and it can also refer to when the moon literally looks blue, which is often the case when there are natural disasters that disrupt the atmosphere. Blue is also the color associated in shounen anime with the deuteragonist, who is more level-headed and logical compared to the emotional and impulsive red-coded protag.

Then we've got the first name. While 衛 does in fact mean "defend", one of its most common uses is in the word 衛生, or "hygiene". That was the first association I made upon meeting him, and when he started talking about being fussy about cleaning I was nodding along. In that light, the meaning transforms from wanting to defend people to wanting to cleanse them.

It's more normal than a lot of the ones we've got, but the meaning alone makes it pretty stupid.

Stupidity of Name: 6.5/10

Personal Pronoun: ボク (boku), fairly normal, less aggressively masculine than "ore", feels more casual because it's not using kanji

Mode of Address: girls are First Name-san, boys are First Name-kun (in Mattari-hen, he calls Eva "Evacchi" and she calls him "Aopii")

Kawana Tsubasa 川奈つばさ

This name is disturbingly normal. There is very little here to rag on, given that Kawana and Tsubasa are pretty common as irl names written this way. Writing girl names in only hiragana to make them cute is, as we'll get into later, a common practice also. Unsure if "wings" refers to anything meaningful, since nothing has come up so far in the routes I've played, but I guess I will make an edit to update this if it does come into play.

Til then, though, Kawana is the John Smith of this party.

Stupidity of Name: 1/10

Personal Pronoun: 私 (watashi), in keeping with her normieness, she uses the most normal personal pronoun

Mode of Address: boys are Last Name No Honorific, girls are Last Name-san except for the twins, who are Ima-kun and Kako-san

Maruko Gaku 丸子楽

Similar to Kawana Tsubasa, this is an extremely grounded name. Both of the names exist irl with those kanji choices.

On the meaningful side we get a bit more to work with, since Maruko is deliberately Showa-era-coded and I believe the name is meant to evoke Chibi Maruko-chan. Since she represents the innocence and purity of childhood, it's ironic to pair that with lewd crude dude Maruko Gaku. His first name is written with the kanji for "comfort" which, again, is intended to be ironic since he's had such a tough life.

Overall very unassuming name but has a lot of irony baked in.

Stupidity of Name: 4/10

Personal Pronoun: オレ (ore), same as Sumino

Mode of Address: everyone but the twins is Last Name No Honorific, while the twins are First Name No Honorific (same as Sumino...again)

Ginzaki Shouma 銀崎晶馬

Ginzaki does say when you first meet him that he doesn't deserve such a high-class-sounding name, and it does seem to be largely the intent here.

Loosely translating to "The Silver Penninsula's Crystal Horse", the whole name doesn't come off super stupid. Ginzaki itself isn't a common name in the wild, but it does exist out there. (The internet is telling me it originates from Hyougo Prefecture?) Shouma is a pretty common name, and both the kanji used are often included in names, so it's reasonable to assume you could write it this way even if it's not as common as other kanji choices.

You could argue the horse inclusion hints at his affinity for animals, and that he's more of a workhorse type personality than a leader, but mostly it feels like the name is just meant to evoke an ironic elegance.

Stupidity of Name: 4/10

Personal Pronoun: 僕 (boku), same as Aotsuki, though a bit more formal maybe because of the kanji use

Mode of Address: mostly Last Name-san for everyone but the twins, who are First Name-san

Tsukumo Ima 九十九今馬

After a string of pretty reasonable names, we come to the twins. Hoo boy.

These names are very stupid, but they're even MORE stupid in relation to each other, since "Ima" is just the word for "now" and "Kako" is the word for "Past". The way they've decided to write "Ima" here is using the kanji for "now" and "horse".

Unlike Ginzaki, I 100% believe this is an Ouma nod. How can it not be? Ima's the little shit with purple hair! You combine that with his VA being Ogata Megumi and you have a perfect blend of both Ouma and Komaeda!

As for meaning, Ima's very practical and very good at adapting to whatever is going on at the given moment. He's one of the few characters I could see not going insane after his brain is transplanted into Sirei's body, for instance. A real "live in the moment, take things as they come" kinda guy.

Now, Tsukumo can be a last name, and it's written that way (it pops up a lot as a place name too), but the fact that in HUNDRED Line about a HUNDRED day period, having someone whose last name is written as "99" is a bit much.

Very dumb.

Stupidity of Name: 8.5/10, held back by Tsukumo being a real name that's actually written that way

Personal Pronoun: 自分 (jibun), very gender neutral

Mode of Address: everyone but his sister is Last Name-senpai; Kako starts being called Imouto-chan (little sister) but then he starts calling her Kako after she stands up to him

Tsukumo Kako 九十九過子

Like her brother, Kako's name literally reads as "past", but unlike Ima, her kanji use is the much less neutral "kid who overdoes it". 過 means "overly" and comes from the verb 過つ, which means to "make a mistake" (it is the first part of the word for past also: 過去).

Obviously, Kako's more hung up on their shared past and still has lingering attachment to their parents (especially their father), so it's meaningful as well.

Again, Tsukumo is a real last name written that way, but if I rocked up to the 100 Day gauntlet with my name literally written as 99, I'd be a bit anxious.

Stupidity of Name: 9/10, higher than Ima because at least his name doesn't use kanji with negative connotations

Personal Pronoun: 自分 (jibun), very gender neutral, same as Ima

Mode of Address: everyone but her brother is Last Name-senpai; she starts out calling Ima "Oniichan" (big brother), but then calls him Ima after she learns to stand up to him

Kirifuji Nozomi 霧藤希

This is a name that's moderately dumb at first glance but becomes dumber in the context of Kodaka's oeuvre.

On the surface, Kirifuji ("Fog Wisteria") is not a name that exists as far as I can tell, but it's one of the ones where the component kanji are pretty common in last names, so you could suspend your disbelief and just think it was rare. Nozomi, meanwhile, is a common enough name and it's usually written that way.

The issue is that this is a Kodaka joint.

"Hope" (and for that matter, "despair") are not neutral terms that get to just exist free of baggage. Guess what "nozomi" means? Notice how she's always giving the group inspirational speeches?

In addition to this, Kirigiri is a long-standing, very prominent figure in the DR-verse, and any echo of her dumb name will resound (heh, a little joke based on her first name) across all of Kodaka's works. Kirifuji even looks a lot like Kirigiri, with the silver/purple hair, the lavender eyes, the dark-purple jacket over the button-up shirt, etc.

(As an aside, my gf and I had a Kirigiri/Junko lovechild OC we named Nozomi, so our ongoing joke is that Hundora Nozomi is that kid but after Junko goes out for milk and never comes back so Kirigiri remarries.)

This is a deceptively stupid name. Not excessively, but pretty dumb in context.

Stupidity of Name: 7/10

Personal Pronoun: わたし (watashi), normal for a girl to use, has hiragana to make it softer/cuter

Mode of Address: boys are Last Name-kun, girls are Last Name-san except for Kako, Kurara, Moko, and Kyoushika, who are all First Name-chan, and Ima, who is First Name-kun

Oosuzuki Kurara 大鈴木くらら

Someone on Twitter was going on about how Kurara has a kirakira name, and while that's technically true, it's not that odd to run into it in the wild irl, so I don't think it's particularly egregious. It's even written with hiragana to make it cuter, which emphasizes that it's meant to be more Japanese-feeling. It's definitely not a Celes situation, is what I'm saying.

I probably don't need to tell you that "Oosuzuki" isn't a real name, because the game itself addresses this, by saying that Kurara-chan's family was originally just Suzuki but then a bunch of lines decided that they were going to merge to be big and important and Togami-esque, so they added the kanji for big to make themselves the "Grand Suzuki" family. Suzuki is a very common last name that is not at all remarkable.

In this way, Kurara-chan has one of the more grounded names in the game, which obviously is intended to be ironic. (See: Tanaka Gundam)

Stupidity of Name: 4/10

Personal Pronoun: アタシ (atashi), very feminine, though the use of katakana gives it a sharper edge; Fun Fact: this is sometimes considered Junko's baseline personal pronoun

Mode of Address: everyone is Last Name No Honorific except for her girlies (Nozomi, Kyoushika, and Moko) and the twins, who are all First Name No Honorific

Magadori Kyoushika 凶鳥狂死香

Holy shit. I never thought Mukuro would ever have any direct competition, but this is pretty dang close. There is no way that anyone would let you name your baby this.

"Magadori" or "Ominous Bird" is not a real last name. Come on now. In no universe is 凶 going to be used for a human name. "Kyoushika" meanwhile could be a first name (be it archaic and deeply Buddhist). But not with those kanji, jesus fuck. "Insane Death Fragrance"?! One of those is legally allowed to be used in names!

I love this name a lot, actually. It's so over-the-top and balls-to-the-wall.

Stupidity of Name: 9.5/10, Magadori is standing with the jumonjitou pointed at Corpsey McWarSword in challenge

Personal Pronoun: 拙者 (sessha), an archaic pronoun reserved for samurai (used by Yamada sometimes in DR1)

Mode of Address: boys are Last Name-dono, girls are First Name-dono, except Ima, who is First Name-dono (when she's mad at someone she sometimes will drop the "lord" honorific)

Omokage Yugamu 面影歪

I was prepared to go in really hard on this one, because that first name is not fucking happening, only to discover that apparently there are people out there named Omokage ("Face in Shadow"). There aren't may of them, and they mostly live in Akita and Tottori apparently, with a handful in Osaka of all places.

So touché, Kodaka. I guess this is a real last name with real life kanji choices.

That first name though, no way. "Yugamu" means "twisted" and as apt as it is for our little freak, it is in no way a real name a real person would have.

Stupidity of Name: 8/10

Personal Pronoun: 私 (watashi), fairly normal, if a touch feminine and/or formal for a teen boy to use

Mode of Address: boys are Last Name-kun (Ima aside, who is Ima-kun) and girls are First Name-chan

Mojiro Moko 喪白もこ

I will endeavor not to make any kind of FuwaMoco joke in this section but I make no promises.

"Mojiro" or "Mourning White" is not a real name. ("Mourning Black", 喪黒, however, is the last name of the titular character in The Laughing Salesman series.) By itself, "Moko" is not a name either, though lots of names have "moko" in them.

As you may know from...sources, mokomoko is an onomatopoeia for "fluffy" and the name being written without kanji feels like it's trying to push your mental association in that direction.

I can't quite call this an ironic name, though it is in some ways. Despite her stronk exterior, Moko is pretty soft and fluffy personality-wise. In the original timeline, we never even get to meet her and her sacrifice is felt throughout the rest of the story, fitting in with the idea of both mourning but also being a blameless/face character (except for the captain who impersonates her not being blameless and putting us squarely back in ironic territory).

Also don't come for me: DanRon established "shiro = innocent, kuro = guilty" okay? That wasn't me.

What I'm saying is that this is a very, very stupid name.

Stupidity of Name: 9/10

Personal Pronoun: アタイ (atai), a shortened, rough form of atashi meant to evoke someone you shouldn't fuck with

Mode of Address: boys are Last Name-kun (except Ima, of course, who is First Name-kun), and girls are First Name-chan

Kashimiya Karua 柏宮カルア

This is one's a strange one. So Kashimiya ("Oak Palace") does not exist as a real name, though it uses kanji that commonly come up in last names, so it sounds and looks very believable. Phonetically, it's identical to the loanword for "cashmere" (on my mind lately as I'm simultaneously playing a lot of Fantasy Life i), which could be relevant as demand for cashmere has had some adverse environmental effects in China and Mongolia, the world's largest producers. Unsure if Kodaka intended this, but it's extremely on the nose for Sumino's major reason to continue his people's genocidal conquest to seize a new world after they fucked up the old one to have the name of what is essentially our world's thneed.

Karua as a name is driving me crazy, because I want so badly to just say "Carla" but it's not that, because Carla is カーラ in katakana. My second (admittedly lushy) instinct is to change it to Kahlua, but that's カルーア with a long ru. I guess if you mean a Kahlua Milk specifically, it often gets shortened to カルアミ but like...

Anyway, katakana does indicate that this is intended to not be a Japanese name (please contrast with Kurara's hiragana), and that's a bit out of my wheelhouse. However, I did some digging and it seems like Karua is an Abkhaz name meaning "amber". Perhaps it's significant because Abkhazia is a partially recognized state that sits at the junction of Europe and Asia? You could argue that relates quite a bit with the themes of Hundora. Could also relate it to current events quite easily, with wars of conquest happening in roughly the same area.

Amber is interesting, because it's probably most famous for the role it plays in preserving specimen of times long past, which I could see relating to the story in that Sumino can't move on and grow so long as he's trapped longing for a life he can't reclaim. In addition to a relevant coming of age theme of not being able to go home again, this again connects to the idea of tradition as baggage, which is very relevant for Japanese media.

Sorry, wandering away from the path a bit here. This is an incredibly stupid name.

Stupidity of Name: 9/10, would be higher if Karua didn't turn out to be a real name in a real world culture

Personal Pronoun: わたし (watashi), unsurprisingly, the same as Kirifuji

Mode of Address: I haven't seen her interact with anyone else (so far at least), but she calls Sumino "Takkun"

Bonus!

Sirei

No Japanese here because this one is just written in romaji. And about that: Kodaka please let go of Nihonshiki romanization and embrace the "sh" sound, you fucker! This one is kinda dumb I guess in that it's a shortening of Sirei's role--commander, or shireikan--but it's not that unusual for a non-human character. Feels a bit like referring to a sergeant as "sarge" instead of their name.

Stupidity of Name: 2/10

Personal Pronoun: 本官 (honkan), which is generally used by military commanders when issuing orders.

Mode of Address: First Name-kun for boys and First Name-chan for girls

Nigou

This one's pretty straightforward as well, though there's a tinge of melancholy here, I'd argue. "Nigou" more or less just means "the second one" in a series of things (the vibe is like the second machine, or the second large thing; in Japanese, Eva's Unit 02 is called "nigouki" for instance), and that kind of highlights that she's less of an individual and seen more as an extension of Sirei. Clearly that isn't the case in practice, so score another big fat zero for nomative determinism here.

If you wanted to, you could maybe scour through the game for evidence to draw parallels between Nigou and Asuka, since I'm pretty sure the reference to Unit 02 was intentional.

Stupidity of Name: 4/10

Personal Pronoun: 本官 (honkan), same as Sirei

Mode of Address: First Name-kun for boys and First Name-chan for girls

Shion シオン

The game itself addresses this, actually. This is the name of a flower, which in flower language (a Japan classic) means "I won't forget you."

Extremely meaningful, but also a pretty common name, so minimally stupid.

Stupidity of Name: 4/10, most of it coming from the meaningful nature

Personal Pronoun: ボク (boku), same as Aotsuki

Mode of Address: Honestly I don't think he's casually referred to anyone by name yet so far, but I could be wrong; if I figure it out as I play more, I'll update this part

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

There you have it! There may be some details that are off in the modes of address here and there (do you know how hard it is to go back and find a part where Omokage, Kurara, or Moko are talking about a girl who isn't one of their close friends?), but overall this should be pretty accurate. Nvm, my buddy lenga managed to find the relevant info for the last bits I needed and now understands the pain I went through combing the timelines.

It took me quite a while, hunting out all the personal pronouns and the modes of address, and I did a lot of due diligence to see if names existed or not, so this post took much longer than originally planned. Sorry about that.

Hope you enjoyed and see you next time!

[storiesofmyhead]

Myung-Gi searching for you after the bathroom incident

Summary: Myung-Gi had always looked for you when things got rough. Always seeking your comfort. So, after he kills Thanos in the bathroom the first thing that he thinks to do after the incident is to find you.

Sitting in the bathroom, Myung-Gi tries to keep his tears at bay his ears listening to the fighting as it finally calms down. Though he could care less about what the bathroom looked like now, all he wanted to do was see you. Stepping out of the bathroom stall, his eyes looked down to see Thanos laying still on the floor covered in his own blood. His body shivered for just a moment before he shook his head and walked towards the door, trying to ignore all the bodies on the floor.

However, what he didn't know was that when all of the men exited the bathroom all bloody and bruised, your eyes immediately noticed that he wasn't a part of the group that exited. Your nerves skyrocketed also realizing that some people didn't come back out, which only left you to come to one conclusion as player numbers were called out over the loud speaking as eliminations.

Though you hadn't heard his number, it still left you with the thought that he was suffering in that bathroom and most likely dying. Sitting up on your bed, you watched the door waiting for Myung-Gi to walk out and finally after a few moments he did.

Letting out of large breath you didn't know you were holding; your feet flew towards him. His face was bloody and so was his jacket, but overall, he seemed ok. His face was stoic, but you knew that had to be due to him having something to do with a death. His body was tense as you ran over to him, but once his eyes connected with yours, he seemed to relax just a bit.

"Myung-Gi." You breathed out, hands lifting to hold his face as you push him to sit down on your bed. "What happened? Are you ok? Is this your blood?" Your voice spouted off questions as your hands moved and tilted his head in different directions, looking for an wounds or injuries.

His eyes were stuck on your face as he took in your worried expression the only thing he could do in that moment was remove your hands from his face and bring them up to his lips, placing a kiss on the back of each of them.

His voice was scratchy, due to Thanos choking him, but his words were clear enough for you to understand. "I'm ok. A bit roughed up, but ok." His lips pulled up into a small gentle smile. "I just-I just need to hold you right now. I'll tell you what happened later. I think something bad is going to happen tonight and I need you to stay close to me so I can protect you. Ok?" His voice turned into worry towards the end as his grip on your hands tightened just a bit.

Nodding, your arms wrapped around his body quickly; your head laying on his chest as his resting sideways on your head. "I love you. You know that? I love you so much and I won't let anything happen to you. We will make it out of this together." He promised to you as all you could do was nod back.

Sitting on the back his back laid against a metal pole that held them together, your body curled up underneath his arms as both of your eyes studied the other side of the room, the O's side.

"Lights out is in 5 minutes." The robotic voice spoke as a timer began to count down.

Everybody began to walk to their beds for the night, Myung-Gi's body was still sat up against the metal poles, yours curled into him almost asleep despite the lights still being on. It was obvious that all the stress recently had taken a toll on you, so Myung-Gi was glad that you were sleeping while nothing bad was happening. He didn't know what was going to happen tonight, but he knew it wasn't going to be good. Another thing he knew was that people was targeting him and with that they were also targeting you too.

Your breaths were calm and relaxed as he stared down at you, his eyes full of love. He was glad that throughout all of this he had you, even though he was heartbroken that you had to be in this death trap of a game because of him. He knew you were doing this for him. Getting extra money for him, so he could pay off his depts. It still hurt him to know that you had to go through all of this trauma and death because of him.

The only other thing that worried him other than your safety was the fact that his pregnant ex-fiancée was also in this game. When he first arrived not only was he shocked to see you, but also Jun-Hee. This worried him that you would meet her. It's not like you didn't know about her, just he was worried that her being here was cause some type of conflict and he would end up losing you which is something that he wouldn't be able to live through. You were his life; without you he was convinced that he'd be nothing. You helped him at his worst and saved him without even knowing.

"Myung-Gi." A soft voice said from behind him, his finger lightly scratching at your head and playing with pieces of your hair. His head turned to see Jun-Hee, his expression shocked as he had tried to talk to her after your lecture about how what he did was wrong and he shouldn't leave his baby without a father. Her eyes glancing down at you before looking back at him. "Hide somewhere when the lights go out." She paused, his eyes watching hers fall to your sleeping form. "And whatever happens don't get involved. She needs you." Her eyes were worried and stern as she looked down at him. It was true, you did need him. She could see it and as much as it hurt the first time, she saw you both together she now knew that you were good for him, and you were what he needs. She could see the love in your eyes whenever you looked at him, the worry when you were without him. It was the same she had for him before he left.

His head nodded as he breathlessly said, "Ok." His finger moving to scratch as your head again, something he knew you loved even when you were asleep.

Jun-Hee's eyes left you and moved back up to look at him. "You should wipe off that blood." She stared at him for a moment before turning around and walking away, back to her bed.

Looking back down at you, he carefully moved his left arm out from under you, causing you to move and cuddle closer into him. Even when asleep you wanted to be closer to him, the thought bringing a smile to his face as he brought his arm up and wiped his face hoping to get the remaining blood off.

"Lights out is in 10 seconds." The robotic voice sounded out again. "10, 9, 8, 7-" It started counting down. "6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1." It finished, the lights going out, leaving everything in pure darkness.

Myung-Gi couldn't fall asleep now, not with thought of somebody coming after him or even worse you, on his mind. It was dead silent, not movement, nothing. Before he could even think another though, he heard loud footsteps as the other side ran over yelling and grunting. Screams were heard as what he could only assumed was them being stabbed and killed.

He felt your body jerk up at the noise, your eyes blinking rapidly before looking back at him. "Myung-Gi, what's going on?" You whispered scared as your grip on him tightened.

"Shhh. It's going to be ok, baby. We just need to stay quiet." He whispered back, holding your body tighter and closer to him.

The lights flickered on and off as some of the beds fell over making loud crashes and screams were heard. People begging as they ran from the ones who had weapons.

Suddenly the lights came on and the men in masks came in holding guns of all sizes. They began to shoot them in the air, causing other to scream as they broke up those who were still fighting, suddenly some of the others began to fight the guards as they took their guns and shot at them.

Whimpering, you moved into closer to Myung-Gi for safety as he moved to shield you from the shots in case any were to go haywire. "What's going on." You whimpered again, flinching at ever shot that rang out.

"Retreat. Retreat." The robotic voice sounded.

"They're revolting. Just stay close to me baby." He whispered back, holding you close as you nodded.

So enough the shot began to slow down as player 456 yelled, "Hold on! Cease Fire! Everybody stop!" Other with guns ran out and pointed at one guard who was left in the room. Finally taking in your surrounding you noticed the number of players and guards that laid motionless on the floor around you.

"It's going to be ok, baby. I won't let anyone hurt you, alright? We just can't pull any attention towards us." His voice calmed you; nodding you hugged him closer, burying your face into his chest and jacket as he rubbed your back.

~~~~~~~~~

Do we want more? Maybe a part 2?

[lara4eclipze]

“take a chance with me”

sypnosis; "damn it i love you—how hard is that to understand!" you exclaim

cw; angst , fluff , slow burn , dream academy contestant!reader , crying, erm not proofread , angst with a ____ ending

now playing: “take a chance with me” by NIKI

train , eat , sleep and repeat , this was basically your daily routine, it was boring? tiring and overall exhausting not only physically but mentally, every end of mission you get the gruesome privilege of watching your friends get eliminated — not only that you can get eliminated too

you question if this is even worth it, I mean this was your dream right?—only reason you stayed was for her

you made a promise to Lara that if she gets eliminated you would leave too , but as long as she's in the competition your in it too

you couldn't leave her , over the course of weeks and months of being together you developed a crush on her— shes perfect really

—★

"y/n—please step forward and receive your invitation" the voice says , it felt unfair — yet you stood up and got your invitation, going back to your seat Lara held your hand noticing how you were about to cry

"hey are you alright?" she says after the cameras stopped rolling

"i hate it here—Lara I don't wanna do this anymore" you said as tears fell onto your cheeks , she quickly hugs you resting your head onto her shoulders

"we can do this—don't give up" she reassured you , you felt her kiss your head while patting you'r back

"don't leave me" she says , you heard her voice crack , as she started tearing up aswell

"hey don't cry" you said finally looking at her , you wipe away her tears and held her cheeks in your hands

"I won't i promise" you said hugging her yet again

—★

as you and the rest of the girls made your way back to the dorms — there was tension or just silence

everyone was tired and upset over the eliminations yet what can they do

as you walk back into your room it felt empty with some of your roommates eliminated

"y/n" you hear Lara from behind you , you turned around seeing her in some pyjamas, her eyes half lidded and about to close

"why?" you ask she should be in her room by now , so why was she here , she looked adorable with her hair messy and how she's practically about to pass out from drowsiness

"can I sleep with you? — please" she looks expectantly, I mean who are you to reject that right?

you nod , after so going to the showers to freshen up , as you made your way back to bed you saw Lara already in there using her phone

"thought you were tired" you chime , she giggles , god her voice was like a bandage to your wounds

"just waiting for you" she replied hugging you till you fell in bed next to her , she was very clingy awfully so , but a small part of you screamed that it was more than clinginess

as she fell asleep you held her close , enjoying the warmth that she provided , you hum out of relief

"i love you goodnight" you doubt she heard it but you hear her hum so that's something

—★

the house was silent and so was the dance practice for mission 3 , you got paired up with Laras group (confident)

at this point you really doubt if you will ever make it to the finals or even in the group

"from the top!" missy exclaims , as you made an mistake in the choreo causing you to be in the wrong position

"sorry everyone" you said as the rest of he girls groan out of frustration

after perfecting the choreo it was finally time to film it , you were a nervous wreck and so were the other girls , before shooting everyone got a 10 minute break

you went to the restrooms as you try your best not to break down , the toll this has in you was crazy , every single move was getting critiqued and one mistake can lead you to go home

"y/n?.. you in there" Lara knocks , you sniffle up and straighten your voice

"yeah?" you replied

"it's filming time— you need to be ready"

—★

after 10 plus takes , you guys finally got the perfect video, by this point you were exhausted your chest was heaving and your covered in sweat

one by one you all left the set , and went back to the dorms , the girls planned to eat out which you politely decline

you slum in bed , wearing Lara's t-shirt , doom scrolling in tiktok

until you heard the door clicked , the girls are home , you heard endless chatter and laughs

as you waved them in , you saw Sophia and Lara was still in the car , Lara was facing away from you but you saw them — they got closer to eachother eventually kissing?

oh.

oh.

you felt your heart ache , why can it not be you who does that to her — instead of dwelling and risking getting caught you ran back to your room drawing some attention to you

you lied on your bed your face hidden beneath some pillows as you tear up

"why am I crying" you question yourself, after all you and Lara weren't anything

—★

"y/n-" you heard Lara outside your door

"go away" you huff out it came out harsh but you didn't want it to

"why are you acting like this?" she says , surprised by the way you answered her

"can't you hear me i said go away!" the last thing you want is Lara coming in seeing you crying over her, you heard the footsteps fade away as she walks away

you let it out , but soon your roommate Daniela came and knocked on the door , you forced yourself up and wiped away your tears it's obvious you cried but you just hoped she wouldn't question you

"hey" you said letting her in

"is it true?" she asked , you were confused on what was true

"what?" you ask

"you screamed at Lara" the latina sighs

was it that loud? , did she tell anyone? why does Dani know?! god why

"yeah..." you said guilt chewing you up

"great job Sherlock , shes crying now — WAIT are you crying too?!" the older exclaimed

"wait shes crying?! — but I didn't mean to make her cry" why did she cry god you were supposed to comfort her not make her feel like this

"where is she?" you ask

"in Sophias room" the shorter explains

you debate whether to go there or not , first you didn't wanna see Sophia , second you didn't wanna see her with Lara

"are you going?" she asks

"fine"

—★

as you enter Sophias room you're met with a crying Lara hugging Sophia

why did you even go here , to hurt yourself?

"Lara—I'm so sorry I didn't wanna scream at you I was just not in the mood I'm just tired" you exhale

"everyone here is tired y/n! why are you acting like your the only one" Sophia cuts you off patting Lara's back

"this isn't your business—plus I'm talking to her" you snap

"oh really?! , the last time I checked Lara's my friend too" Sophia stands up , yes she was intimidating and yes you were scared

"just give her some time with Lara" you heard Manon behind you say to Sophia , before leaving the room Sophia glares at you

can this day get any worse?

"Laru — I'm sorry" you said sitting down beside her , she looks at you wiping away her tears

in a blink of an eye she hugs you tightly, her tears getting soaked up by the shirt you wore , you cradle her making sure she felt safe

"I'm so sorry okay?" you repeat as she nods , understandingly

"what were you doing anyway" you hear her sniffle , shit now what would you say? oh I was crying cause I saw you kiss Sophia and I liked you so it hurt me?

no that sounded stupid and so immature

"nothing" you said , as you hug her tighter , was it gonna get ruined? your friendship? you didn't want that nor any tension

"I know you , don't lie to me" she says , pouting , and huffing

"I swear it was nothing, now quit crying okay?—ill let you sleep with me if you do" you knew Lara loved sleeping with you , she was just very affectionate and clingy

"really" her voice low and mellow

"yes" quickly her demeanor changed all smiley and giggly

"what the fuck" you heard Manon and Daniela at the door , they looked astonished i mean who wouldn't be , that's all it took to make her stop crying?!

"shut up" you mouth to the duo , who quickly left

—★

obviously tension was still there , afterall you saw what Sophia and Lara did— every time you closed your eyes it's all you can see

anytime Lara approached you it felt , weird and forced

little to your knowledge it also hurt Lara, she didn't know why you acted like this

"tell her" Marquise pipes up

"how? — I can ruin our friendship if I do , and I swear to God I saw her kiss Sophia" you said sighing out of frustration

"you never know—plus Sophia is taken man"

"What?! are you serious!" you exclaim, so your practically imagining shit now??

"by yours truly" marquise giggles

"you're as gay as me" you point a finger at her , still in shock with the news

but still didn't they kiss?! , was it just because of your angle?!

—★

as you and Lara got further away from eachother it was like everyone noticed

everyone knew , Lara barely left her room it was really weird , but as the finale approached you had to put a game face on and do your best

"hey y/n" Megan sighs entering your room

"why?" you knew why she was here , you just couldn't tell her why your drifting away from Lara

"what's up with you and Lara" Megan scolds

"nothing" you nonchalantly reply

"shes been isolating herself from the rest of the girls , whatever is happening between you two — fix it " Megan says before leaving the room

you grunt in frustration , how did you get yourself into this arrangement?—not thinking much you just wanted to leave this place and run to her , to what you know is real

—★

you'll regret this you know that but Is there any other way?

"are you serious?" Daniela says as tears appear on the corners of her eyes

"it's for the better" you sigh , urging the latina for a hug

"why are you gonna quit— how about us being in the group?" the shorter sniffles

"trust me I'll support you no matter what" you sigh

"ill tell the rest , you stop crying it's not like I'm dying" you giggle

—★

"it's alright?" you sigh after explaining why your leaving and how you would still support them

one by one the girls run to you hugging you as they shed their tears

except where is Lara? — thats okay you'll just tell the other girls to tell lara

"tell her" Manon says

"I can't - I just can't do that" you stammer

"your gonna break her heart even more" Manon tsks

—★

now standing outside the indians room , your hands were sweating your heart was racing

before even knocking Lara opens the door , she looked tired and almost like she hadn't slept in a week

"what" she coldly ask , okay so we're off with a great start

"can we talk for a moment" you exhale

she lets you in the room , mess is an understatement there where hoodies all over the room you spot yours aswell but chose not to speak on it

"what do you need" she huffs sitting on her bed

"I-Im leaving..." you said , you hesitated for a moment , fiddling with your shirt , eventually looking up

was she crying? , her hands covered her face as you heard endless sniffles and hiccups

"hey don't cry"

"how can I not! , we promised eachother— you've been acting like I'm the dirt on your shoe! your ignoring me like I did something so bad! just tell me what I did!!" she retaliates , angry tears leaving her eyes

you were stunned , the sweet Lara you knew who barely would hurt a fly snapped at you

"you didn't do anything—its me I'm the problem"

"I want you to continue in this shit academy and win , obviously it's gonna be hard but you can do it right" you said

"I know I did something to upset you!— why are you lying to me!" she says , you try to hug her but she pushes you away

"why are you acting like an idiot! — god we promised eachother to stay in this shit of an way to fame now your leaving me?!" she screams

"it's not like that!" you finally break

"you make me feel like you like me but then I see you kissing another girl how does that make me feel?!— and yes if sounds selfish but don't you get it , I like you how hard is that to understand!" you scream back , your voice slur and it silenced the room

"I didn't kiss anyone" Lara says

"so what did I see that night when you and her were alone in the car?" you sniffle , was she lying to you now?

god you wanted to run and jump out to oncoming traffic , you loved her — yet it felt like you were wrong for doing so

"we didn't kiss y/n , shes my best friend" Lara calms down collecting herself

"yeah and I'm blind now apparently" you said chuckling at her blatant lie

"believe me" Lara says her voice softening

"I'm so tired of doing that—it just makes me think I have chance with you — it messes me up can't you see?" you said , standing up from her bed you get your bag and got all her shirts out of it

"here" you said giving her the shirts you pick up your sweater from the ground and left her room

—★

talking with Missy and Mitra was another story , they didn't allow it due to some contract problem

"but"

"sorry but we can't do that" Missy replied

going back to the dorms the girls obviously knew why and they helped you understand more

"I don't know anymore —i feel trapped in this place" you sigh

Megan and Daniela exchange a look which you didn't fail to notice

"what" you ask

"nothing..." the two drags out their words

"i know that stupid look you guys have what is it"

"you'll see"

—★

you woke up to a empty house and a note at the fridge

"out eating see you later xx" the handwriting was like Megan's , it was messy

"but I'm hungry too" you sigh , you open the fridge and get some leftovers heating it up before eating it

ring ring

you answer your phone

"what" it was Megan who called

"soo we won't be home till like 8pm , it's currently 12 so figure it out" Megan says ominously

"what do you mean?" you ask

"also can you bring home some gummy snack" you follow

"guess who's home aswell" the older says

"wait..LARA?" instead of replying they hang up gigglibg

—★

it's alright, you don't have to interact with her

you hid in your bathroom, since you thought maybe doing your make up would distract you

"shit" you swear under your breath as you had to do your eyeliner for like the fifteen time

click

was it already 8? who's in your room , what if it's a buglar , wait Lara's alone!

you check your phone and there it is , it's only 2pm

you creek the door open just giving you a view of who's in your room

black hair , tan skin , belly button piercing — wait that's literally Lara what is she doing in here

before you got to leave the bathroom she goes into your bed , was she gonna sleep here?

"I miss you" you hear her whisper , the familiar scent of her perfume wafted through the room , it threaten you to just run out and hug her assure her that you love her yet you couldn't you felt too nervous to

she stayed there until you heard her soft snores , heaving breathing

you walk out of the bathroom quietly trying not to startle her

she looked peaceful almost as if it's her first sleep in weeks , her face was relaxed as she hugged your pillow

you sat next to her slumbering form , and brush some stray hair off her face , you enjoyed the moment of silence, all your thoughts and worries washes away

"hmh?" you hear her hum , she pulls you towards her with surprising strength, you laid next to her as she snuggled her head in your chest

"I'm sorry , I still love you — please don't leave me" Lara whispers

"I won't , and I'm sorry if I doubted you i should've just told you how I felt insteadofhidingititwassostupid" you blurt out , you got cut off when you felt her lips on yours as she hushes you

she smiles into the kiss

"relax silly" she chuckles as she feels your heart pounding , you were as red as an tomato and about to scream out of excitement

"I can't help it"

"so.. uhm what are we" you ask

"nerd" she giggles you start to get playfully defensive

—★

you were hopelessly captivated by her , who isn't right?

you heard a knock on your door , but since sleeping Lara was clung onto you , you decided not to open the door

until the knocks fade , you wait and then

1..

2..

and there they are , the rest of the girls were outside as Megan opens the door smirking

she pulls out her phone followed by the others and took pictures of the scene

"oohhh" Yoonchae and Ezrela gasps

"guys no pictures no pictures" Daniela says acting like a bodyguard as if she didnt take pictures too

"you all look stupid" you said chuckling

"yeah? and what are you doing there.." Manon teases

"hmh?.." Lara wakes up a bit and sees the girl she flushes and hides her face at your chest

they all gasps in faux surprise

"i won the bet Manon give me my money" Sophia says to Manon

"what bet?" you question

well soon you found out they took a bet on how they're gonna see you two when they came home—atleast you took your chance with Lara

funny how you thought that love was overated yet here you are inlove with her with Lara