#This is a fun piece of trivia tbh :3

[lowkeyclueless5137]

So, Idia makes an explanation video. Does he make an explanation video for anything. In any AU that allows him to have some semblance of technology?

:0c gud question.

And I assume this is mainly chapter 7 spoilers(jp side, since en also got a new piece) so imma put a smol read more. :'3

From what I gathered around, Idia did make an explanation video. Does that mean he made the STIX introductory video? Or maybe that was his father, who later taught Idia how to do it too. (kinda like sum papa-son bonding :3)

You may correct me, if I'm wrong, but I believe Idia made his dream a safe space from the blots, until Silver & Co. Came up. And by the rule of the thumb, Dreams have different time-lines. Maybe for our group it took days in Lilia's dream, maybe for Idia it was a few minutes while trying to make the video, maybe it was a few hours, as suggested by the reality plane, where Ortho tried to deck Malleus. :v

So, by definition, we don't really know HOW much time it took Idia to get this. Most likely our group stumbled in just after Idia finished the last touches.

Anyhow, with the aus, definitely Idia would make an explanation video is 2 conditions are met:

1. There's no secret identity/danger situation/hurry.

2. Idia has access to his tech.

The best example in here is the NRSSAB, where Idia makes content revolving around doll repaints. It is a staple of his that he's soft spoken in there and manages to explain pretty in depth. He also makes other kind of explanation videos, but that is smth that the avid visitors of this blog didn't yet find out. ;3

The Demon/Angel magical girl au and the genshin au are, probably, the only 2 exceptions and I'll get as to why:

In the first one (it's a oneshot, mainly revolving around Ace and Riddle), Idia is a reaper. A magical girl whose powers were coming from within, thus he's responsible to handle more delicate missions. Ortho, post his death, is an angel, who tries to get used to this. And while Idia had both the time and tools necessary to make videos abt this + experience from working with angels and their guardians, to help his little brother understand, he has a more practical approach to things. A more warm approach if you will, as a way to help his brother cope with all these drastic changes in nature.

As for the double Genshin Isekai au, in here it revolves around the movie event genshin hosted once. As Fontaine is revolving around steam-punk-ish tech, no doubt they would have vintage movies(Think of the Charlie Chaplin, or if you want sound & color, the ones after the 18th century). But the production is hefty and it takes a lot of time and effort. In here, Idia loves machines and likes to dissect those suckers as a past time. Because, when he was little, he dismembered a perfectly working guard robot, Neuvilette introduced him to the movie camera, per condition that Idia cannot dismember it. The camera opened on the side and it showed all the mechanisms, thus Idia didn't need to actively take it apart. So he took a liking to it and how movies are made. Hence why his burst attack is revolved around the movie setting. And since going to NRC for school(post the oneshot), Idia joined the board game club, too anxious about going in the film appreciation club, but sometimes Furina insists for he 'little brother' to film certain shots. Ortho, as a fellow movie club member, absolutely feeds into the fire. (your honor, they are besties U-Ub)

Basically he doesn't make simple videos in here, but helps in making full blown movies. :v

Yes, Furina absolutely is the main actress in Idia's movies. Big sister privileges, am I right? U-U9

[astro-break]

Thoughts on the 7th ep of Hypmic Rhyme Anima+. Spoilers beware

Season 1 | Ep.1 | Ep.2 | Ep.3 | Ep.4 | Ep. 5 | Ep. 6

I love the mindgames that these two factions plays its fun to see both of them bend over backwards to get the upper hands wwww

Rei knows more than he lets onnnnn though we all expected that www

bro just siad nah you'll play our games www check and mate assholes

i love how hifumi threatens TBH with a rose lmao thats so camp

damn we got our first onscreen death lmfao

Im so happy that jyushi makes sure that amanda is safe, thats so cute.

LMAO of course you gotta put some manzai in to this. ripp we almost got three deaths in one episode I love DotsuHon's comedic potential

is it the once is physical and one is memory? Eyyyy thanks kuko for saying that just as i was typing it www Thank you one piece for giving me that useless piece of trivia

I wonder if there really is any relevance to the small fillers they put in like gentaro fixing his coat and hifumi falling. or if its just silly character interactions. i feel like gentaro would have more weight/importance

genuinely how the hell are they doing this?? like the hovering the magical aspects?? is is just one mass hallucination? I'm so curious

LETS GO MAD COMIC DIALOGUEEEE NAUGHTY BUSTERSSSS I love how they're all separate into old times

I appreciate that all of them getting more or less equal spotlight but it does mean that animation is much more limited. I'm not mad but I do wish they got more budget to do more animation

not the selfiee lmfaooosdjkflha he's still on vacation

I love that they're spelling it out for us so clearly www

oh damn they're brainwashed too! and there's a overall big bad too. i guess not even TBH is the final boss

Ah. it is a mass hallucination it seems. or at least some sort of simulation

LETS GO NAUGHTY BUSTERSSSSSSSSSSSSS I adore this combi and miss their stupid boys will be boys dynamic. just frat boys being boys

LMFAO CHUUNI

Again slightly choppy animation animation but I'm not too mad

Waterpolo ripp i hated that sport so much as a kid www I also love how they only animated three members of the team with actual faces to save some budget

YO DUO SONG????? I AM IN AWE HOLY SHIT

Hm, don't like this song quite as much which is a shame. The animation quality is also going down a bit in relation to the other songs but the tiger and dragon imagery for ichiro and kuko respectively is cool

overall the mix of BB and BAT aesthetics in the animation is cool but the their song styles meshing just isn't my kind of music.

Damn its the BAT ending which does kinda mean to me that BAT won't get much of a time to shine in comparison to BB. Fair enough I guess since BB is more popular in general

Lots of hell imagery in the titles tho which is interesting I wonder if they'll go anywhere with that

[junipuzzle]

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

"tenacious D" by Nathan Hale

Time: 11:34

Difficulty: ★★ Theme: ★★ Fill: ★★

Lookups:

4D: Chris formerly of 50-Across (4) 50A is "NBC stable since 1975, in brief" (3)

Favorite Clues:

39A: First murder victim (4)

61A: Something you shouldn't take lying down? (9)

tbh the theme clues were all good but the theme as a whole was lame imo

lots of blah all around in this one for me - too much US-centric trivia, a natick of foreign languages, and two halves of a theme that didn't really jive with each other. the "crossed a bear" bit of each of the theme clues intersecting with the name of a well known bear is... fine, but not really interesting as an "aha" moment, nor was it particularly helpful in piecing together the solve. the other half (___ to ___ -> ___d a ____) really needed a reavealer of some sort, because it took way too long for me to figure it out and it seemed clunky. in concept and construction, there's nothing wrong with the theme, it's just... really blah for a publication this well known. combined with the other trivia issues, it was just hard for me to have much fun with the puzzle.

Answers to noted clues:

4D: RUDD of SNL

39A: ABEL

61A: POLYGRAPH

[ashren]

hhhhng I want answers to all of them for everyone BUT, how about:

Why did you give them the name they have? What is the in-universe reason for their name?

What inspired you to create your oc?

Does your oc have any notable skills or good personality traits? Why did you give them those traits? Why do they exist in-universe?

Which canon characters (if any) do the oc have bad relationships with? Why those characters?

Share a random piece of trivia about the creation of your oc. Examples: scrapped ideas or changes you didn't expect to make.

For Peter and Ren? No pressure to do 'em all, I'll be excited for any combination :)

AHHH thank you!!! I will absolutely Ramble on about my ocs so don't u worry heheh 💞

Why did you give them the name they have? What is the in-universe reason for their name?

Ren: I think I've actually answered this some time, a LONG time ago, but dont @ me i answer differently now LOL. In universe, he picked the name Ren because it's a shortening of Loren, the name of his Uncle who had the farm. The IRL reason for the name is because I see a lot of cool names at work and I write down my favs hahaaaa ((side note, i forgot until way after i created him, but the first guy i kissed at college was named Wren. I did not go anywhere.))

Peter: SOOO you get some bonus Calvin facts here too! Oringally Peter and Calvin were kind of the same character that I turned into two different guys. I had called them Peter kind of as a place holder bc I was reading a lot of Spideypool at the time, and well. You know what happens with placeholder names. Then I redesigned them both, and the demon felt more like a Calvin to me, so vampire boy got to keep the Peter name! In universe, Peter's original last name was something generic like Brown or Smith idk but once he was bit and Maggie started calling him Peter V. Pyre as a joke, it kinda stuck. (Later on, Florence ends up taking the name Pyre as well. Makes things a lot easier for everyone, and she says it feels more 'her')

Ok this is already long so I'm gonna put the rest under a cut!

What inspired you to create your oc?

Ren: My baby boy was my Outer World's Captain! That's how he started, my first play through was as "Ash" but only in name really. Then I finished the game and was like must consume fanfic, which then lead to me developing Ren as his own Boy. I had been working on a lot of lore for Ash and my Fallout 4 OCs! Then I was like "Ohhhhhh no,,,,, sorry my children Ren's my fav right now"

Peter: Cowboy Vampire. Needed one. Also a lot my ocs starts as loosely veiled self inserts so they tend to all be a little similar in like,,, body shape and size so I was like... Beefy cowboy vampire???

Does your oc have any notable skills or good personality traits? Why did you give them those traits? Why do they exist in-universe?

Ren: He's really good at like, being stealthy, because that's how I TRIED to play TOW the first time. I am impatient, so Ren get all the patience I don't have LOL. In Universe I ended incorporating it into his backstory- he's got a bit of a criminal background and learned how to get around unseen and unheard during that time. It helps that he's a small boy :3

Peter: He's got some fun Vampire ~abilities~ that probs vary from story to story bc im too lazy to stick a set of rules. Stuff like being able to see in the dark, and like, idk he's got some good reflexes. Also a heightened sense of smell. Bc of reasons. All of those are just cuz its fun tbh! I also have him being a really good shot with a pistol BEFORE his transformation, so with his reflexes as a vamp he's near unmatched.

Which canon characters (if any) do the oc have bad relationships with? Why those characters?

Ren: In TOW Canon, aside from the obvious, he's got a rough relationship with Max for... most of the story lol. For a while he'd ONLY travel with Max if Parvati was with them as well. She's the only one he wasn't constantly arguing with. Max's "violence is the immediate answer to everything" attitude reminds Ren of some not so great ppl in his past, and after Fallbrook, Max is on Ren's shit list. Max becomes more tolerable to him after Scylla, but Ren still never gets as close to Max as he does the other crew.

Also Lilya Hagen specifically bc she tried to "poison" him once.

Peter: I haven't really figured out a lot of details, but at least in the beginning, he and Calvin have a... tense relationship. Peter wouldn't consider them friends for a while, a work partner maybe. Calvin likes to push Peter's buttons and Peter doesn't really understand at first that Calvin is just having fun. Calvin IS a demon, though, so they know exactly what they're doing. ((Bonus fun fact: Peter is actually legitimately older than Calvin. Peter was born in uhh some time in the 1790s? and Calvin was born in 1933))

Share a random piece of trivia about the creation of your oc. Examples: scrapped ideas or changes you didn't expect to make.

Ren: Ren was supposed to be a lot younger at first! Originally I had him ~25 during the games events, but then as I developed him more i was like.... what if.... older??? A lot of that was inspired by my need to give Felix someone older than him that WOULDN'T fucking betray him in some way. So, you have my love for Felix to thank for Ren's age In turn, because I made him older, I ended up having a lot more time to play with in Ren's pre Halcyon life, which created Johnny.

Peter: Peter's still pretty new so there's not too much I haven't already talked about BUTTT a little peek into the future of Peter's story, I did end up expanding on the Maggie/Peter relationship, and it's part of Peter's eh origin story now~

[karla-the-elemental-dreamer]

KH-OC Week 2022 - Day 7 Package

@khoc-week

This one is a bit of a read :3

I felt much better about KH-OC Week this year as I was much more prepared, and there were no ‘mental blocks’. It has been fun seeing all the OCs of the contributors, as well as reading the thoughts on various works. Just imaging how big and vast the Kingdom Hearts world would be if all the OCs were networked into the same reality.

Day 7 is all about ‘special connections’, and I am going out with a bang. Firstly, on the emphasis on the strong bond that I have with Riku and Terra. For those of you who do not know. Riku started off as the sole dream guide, coming in on 22 MAY 2020. From around mid-2021, Terra started to observe what Riku was doing, and decided to help out a bit. During that time, I asked him if he wanted to be a dream guide, but he got a bit finnicky about it. On October 2, something happened which made Terra actually panic and therefore rush in to finally put his hand up and say yes to being a dream guide. So now, in terms of just looking at Kingdom Hearts, I have two ‘father figures’. And there is an advantage as Riku and Terra already get along well together.

Riku works with more verbal and active teaching, whereas Terra seems to take a gentler approach, and excels more in physical action and affection, as well as teaching me about aspects of love and life through every day experiences.

Even Aqua is aware and fully supports Terra being a second dream guide (and is really happy for him), as for 2021, and the first 5 – 6 months of 2022, she always tried to take over in dreams as Terra still felt weak. Terra has been a dream guide for a while, but once again felt slow. It was only about a month ago that Terra has ‘woken up’ to his role, and in return, Aqua is stepping back and no longer feels like she has to do his work.

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The following is an artwork that was done for me earlier this year via commission from kofiscrib, aka. Yassen Shopov. A really easy person to work with. To make it more affordable, I said, “you do the lines and I’ll do the colour”, so the colouring and the background is all me; as well as inclusion of the dress print :3

And there you have it, a new Kingdom Hearts trio!

Artist's Tumblr: kofiscrib.tumblr.com

Can't put their @ for some reason, so hopefully the link works.

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An instrument all about connection in Kingdom Hearts is a heart station! I drew one of myself.

TBH I didn’t know how to portray my OC (myself) this year as I don’t actually have a default outfit. So I used the Heart Station design:

Trivia: My outfits change (/can change), but Selvian’s and Sierras are concrete (for now anyway).

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

In preparing for KH-OC week, I realised I was working with Riku and Terra a lot as they’re my dream guides. But then I realised; “Oh my gosh! I’m ignoring all the other guardians of light!”. So coincidentally when it got the start of the week (the Monday), I said to them in my book, “alright, you all have a chance to submit a piece. Ask Riku or Terra for instructions”.

So then this happened and all of them decided that they would say something to me. The way they speak is based on what I perceived them saying, and therefore wrote down in my book. The order is based on their submission day/time. I felt Sora (via energy) waiting to go last on purpose, for a reason you will see at the end.

So enjoy what each of the guardians of light have to say about me and/or my world:

“Hey Karla, I’m sorry I don’t know you well, even though you’ve been with us for two years. Thank you for always being there for Riku, especially in reminding us of the light during Sora’s absence. And thank you for taking me through that public event [Kairi Week 2021] last year. I haven’t used my Metallic Wielder keyblade since, but I still have it in my inventory”.

“Heya Karly! Oh… I got your name wrong. Well, Donald and I just wanna say thank you for stickin’ with us [whole KH group] and helpin’ out our good Keyblade Master Riku. Sorry I don’t know too much about that Terra fella. Say, I have a hunch you’ve been visiting Sora with Jak. If you see Sora next time, can ya tell him that Donald and Goofy really miss him?”.

“Hey there girlfriend. Sorry, just got a bit carried away there. But you’re with all the other big boys, being Riku and Terra; so when’s my turn? I’ve got a big sea-salt ice-cream with your name on it, and I’m sure Roxas misses you being down this way too. Don’t keep us waiting sugarplum”.

“Karla… Thank you. Words can’t begin to describe how thankful I am for you being in our life. I’m fighting back tears while writing this. I’ve never come across someone who believes in me so much, and the fact that you’ve given me a seat on your three thrones alongside Riku and Jak. It means so much to me that since October last year, I’ve been able to work alongside Riku and gain perspectives on your life that no one otherwise would. And it also warms my heart how at times you stood up for me in front of Master Eraqus even though you didn’t have to. Keep being that beautiful girl that lights up other peoples’ lives, and bring your bears over to the Land of Departure for a visit”.

“Hey, Karla. Sorry if I’ve ever taken over too much in the past. I was only trying to keep the bond between you and Terra alive in times where he didn’t understand as much. But I’m glad that you two have finally found the happy ending, and seeing your confidence in Terra has opened my eyes up too, that he isn’t just some feckless youth that needs to be watched all the time. And I see Riku has taught you well. I just wish that Ven and I could get to know you better”.

"Goofy said it all".

“Gosh Karla, I don’t know where to start. You and Sora are similar in a lotta ways. I’ve seen Riku become a person he’s never been before, in terms of a light so bright I never imagined. To be honest, I was a bit worried at the start when Riku would get angry with you, but now I see it. You were just trying to push him out of his comfort zone and get him to trust you. I think you’re a swell person, and both Riku and Terra are lucky to have a dreamer like you”.

“Hey Karla, sorry I didn’t get mine in sooner. I just wanted to wait for a time when you wouldn’t be flooded with so much of your projects. And that’s what Terra and I, and all our friends are amazed with. The fact that you can work so hard and be so dedicated to your passions. Guess I didn’t give you enough credit back in 2020 huh. But now that I know you a lot better, it’s a whole different kettle of fish. I know that sometimes you get a little intimidated by the idea of me being a Keyblade Master, and I see you step back sometimes and question where we’re at. I just want to remind you that regardless of my role in Kingdom Hearts, I will always be your dream guide, and I love you. I’ll always be around to keep your steady or be a shoulder to cry on. Thanks for helping us all out, especially with Sora”.

“Hey Karla, it’s Roxas. I guess I’ll start off by asking how you’ve been. The Twilight side doesn’t hear much from you lately, aside from maybe Namine as I know you’ve been to the mansion. Come down and have an ice-cream with us someday. I can introduce you to Hayner, Pence and Olette. Aside from that, I don’t have much else on my mind at the moment”.

“Hey, Karla. I probably know you the least out of all the guardians, but I’ve heard some great stories about you. Apparently you know where Sora is but can’t tell us for reasons to do with the Order. Good luck with your journeys to the other world. I hope we can talk sometime soon”.

“Hey Karla! It’s Ven here. Thanks for being a good friend to Terra, Aqua and myself. Oh… I stand corrected, you’re Terra’s ‘dreamer’, and Riku’s too. I see you’re finally learning how to use the keyblade in full. It’ll be exciting when Terra and Riku teach you enough so we can spar together. Apparently you can also summon Terra’s keyblades? That’s awesome! Terra’s been a lot happier around the castle lately. I think it’s got something to do with your promise of ‘giving him back the ten years he lost’. Remember! I wanna be the first one you spar with outside Terra and Riku!”.

“Hey Karla. It’s Namine. Sorry I’ve written a bit after the deadline. Some of the stuff you do is similar to me. I noticed you and I share the same bonds of Riku and Terra. I helped them when they were in the darkness. You’re helping them after they found their way back to the light. The bonds you share with them are powerful, and I actually think that be being your mentors and dream guides, they’re evolving into a role and place that even Kingdom Hearts cannot comprehend. You’ve been to the mansion a number of times. So I’d like to swap, and spend more time in your world to see what you do and where your magic happens. Let me know when you’re ready”.

As Sora is stuck in Quadratum, he has done an ‘absentee submission’ via my non-kingdom-hearts dream guide Jak:

“Hey! Karla, is it? Sorry, my memory’s a little foggy. I wanna say a lot about you, but I only know so little. You don’t know me, yet you want to be my friend. I enjoy hanging out with you and Jak every time you come to Quadratum. Though I’m confused about why you’re saying I have so many friends when I only know Strelitzia and you guys. That dream I had about a talking dog and a duck knowing me is freaky. It’s obvious you come from somewhere else, and you’re trying to help me remember a life I’ve most likely forgotten. Still, the energy in Quadratum feels lighter when you’re there, so I can’t wait until you come back… Wait… You want me to write a letter to the dog and the duck!!!?”.

My idea with Sora is that no Kingdom Hearts characters are allowed in Quadratum until Nomura (the IRL games) allows them to be. Hence why the ‘compatibility’ rule comes into place. For any dreams where I am in Quadratum, I must be under dream guide protection. So with this condition in-place, as well as the ‘compatibility’ rule, Jak is the only dream guide allowed as he is the only non-kingdom-hearts. If the compatibility rule was in place for Jak, then only Riku or Terra would be allowed to act.

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THE FINALE! – How KH-OC Week 2022 has changed my lore:

Participating in a concrete event has seemed to push my lore in a certain way; whether it’d be via waking life or something that happened in a dream. Here are some of the changes that have spontaneously occurred:

Before: Karla would avoid using a keyblade for fighting; she would only do so as a last resort if she had to. After: Karla uses a keyblade whenever there’s a need to.

Before: Riku and Terra were simply Karla’s dream guides. After: They are now also her keyblade teachers.

Before: Karla could only wield her own keyblades. After: It has been discovered that Karla can wield the keyblades of anyone she’s connected to. In this case; Riku, Terra and the teddies.

Before: The teddies were originally not able to wield keyblades at all. After: Selvian and Sierra are also able to wield keyblades. Their keyblades are a miniature version in order to match the size of their bodies.

Thank you all for putting on this week; and for your very insightful comments on each package :3 💙

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Same content but in WordPress view: https://karlasworld1998.wordpress.com/2022/08/07/kh-oc-week-2022-day-7-package/

[thedandelion-writer]

I’m so excited for the 600 followers event, and CONGRATULATIONS on 600! You deserve 600 more!

If I may, I’d like to request a male matchup please! For the questions:

1: Male matchup (I am female)

2: INFJ-Libra

3: I’m a little introverted, I’ve been told I’m really intelligent, but honestly it’s only book smarts. I’m VERY highly attuned to peoples emotions and can literally tell how they’re feeling all the time (it usually makes ppl freak out I’m so sorry I don’t do it willingly). I enjoy reading books, going on runs, and playing with my cats. There are some board games I like, like battleship, chess, Axis and Allies, and Trivia! I hope this helps!

4: first date has to be in a more public space, you can never truly trust anyone. Either restaurant where we can get to know each other, or taking a walk in the park. Really anywhere that’s public

5: someone I feel safe and comfortable with, maybe someone who can make me laugh, someone who’d never hurt me and would protect me. I’d try to protect them too ofc and take care of them!

6: first date kisses on the lips are a no, on the cheek maybe. Brushing hands but not outright holding haha. That’s 2nd or 3rd date material

7: yes I would! I’m a genshin characters whore!

Thank u for doing this Lynn and I hope it won’t be too much on you with all the requests! If it is just ignore this tbh! 💜😸

A/N: I'm so glad you were excited for this event because I honestly didn't know if people would be interested! Thank you for the overwhelming support on my event (and sorry to the 10+ submssions I turned down because it was past deadline). You were one of the easiest ones to decide for, once I read it through it was an instant match hehe

But without further ado, you're going with...

Xingqiu!

My reasons!

For starters, I saw you mention books and reading and immediately thought of him. Whether or not you are as into the hobby as he is, a little common ground is always a positive thing! Xingqiu is definitely a person that is able to humour you, and would never ever wish to harm you on purpose. He'd definitely work better with someone on the intelligent side, and because he sometimes hides the way he truly is to set up a facade in front of his father and brother, you acknowledging how he truly feels (so you can hopefully make him feel better) would be a pleasant thing. I also think that he'd try his best to cheer you up whenever you're done, whether it's with cheesy prose, or a fun, carefree outing or even just sitting down together to read in silence. I honestly didn't really have another match in mind for you I'm sorry! I struggled finding another possible candidate so I shall leave it at that :)

The First Date:

"Aha! Checkmate!"

You triumphantly knocked over his king piece over with your rook. "Better luck next time?"

"No way, I'm picking the game this time. Haven't you had enough fun beating me thrice in a row?" Xingqiu took a defeated sip of his drink before cleaning the table of the scattered chess pieces.

You watched his back as he returned the box to the area that had stacks of all sorts of board games free to use for the customers of this particular cafe.

Xingqiu called it a 'board game cafe' and after hearing about it, you pestered him to put down his damn book and take you there.

"It's a shame Chongyun and Xiangling couldn't make it, it'd be a lot of fun if they could play too wouldn't it?" You slipped out the new activity out of it's box, careful not to damage anything, and started setting it up.

"Truly a shame," Xingqiu said, clearing his throat. "Ah, battleship! I used to play this with my brother back in the day."

You tilted your head, unsure if he suspiscious for changing the subject too fast, or if it was merely you who was thinking too much. You mentally shrugged your shoulders. Even if the other two weren't here, spending some time with Xingqiu outside of reading quietly together was new, and quite enjoyable in it's own way anyhow.

"Ready to lose?" You taunted, making a show of cracking your knuckles.

"'Tis I, who should be asking you that milady," he switched into his formal tone and you know it's on.

Two losses and three wins later, the topic diverts and you find yourself showing him pictures of your cats and him telling you about a novel he's been working on.

"Well it's far from ready, but I will make sure you are the first to read it when it's done," he assured you before taking downing the last bit of liquid from his cup.

You do the same.

"Oh, and before I forget, I finished the book you recommended me last time! It was so good I couldn't put it down!"

Slipping the hardcover from your bag, you place it on the table to return to its owner.

"What did I tell you?" Xingqiu grinned. "Just wait until you read the third chapter of the second book, it was enough to give me goosebumps."

Chatting about it certainly made you more and more curious, so the both of you head down the street to your favourite book shop to buy your own copies of the installment.

You looked through the various titles available, but ultimately settling for just the books you came for.

After paying (in which you had a small back-and-forth because Xingqiu insisted to buy them for you, and that he did) you held clutched them close to your chest, excited to pore over the pages later.

"Thank you for this, you didn't have to..."

You looked down as you both walked, a strange, unfamiliar feeling of shyness bubbling up inside you.

"It was no big deal," Xingqiu laughed slightly, swinging his arms in a carefree manner.

"And no, you musn't pay me back. I know of all your tricks, my liege."

"Ugh you and that nickname," you huffed, rolling your eyes as he chuckled in response.

"Or, if you are really that desperate to pay me back I suppose you could. But of course, I'll take no such thing as money."

You raised an eyebrow,"uh huh? And what would that be."

Realising that he stopped walking, you looked back to wait for his response.

"Another outing--wherever you'd like to go," his usual collected expression with a dash of cheekiness was replaced with something akin to nervousness, maybe even a bit bashful.

You knew exactly what he meant but decided to tease him a little.

"Well that's easy! I'd love to go out again, maybe the others would like to see the cafe too."

At this time, your back was to him to hide a little grin that was playing on your lips.

"What I meant was! You see," you heard him clear his throat. "I wanted to go out with you again, Y/N. Without--Chongyun and Xiangling..."

"I don't mean to exclude them forever of course, what I meant was- wait, why are you laughing?"

"Oh Xingqiu," you wiped a tear from the corner of your eye, heaving in a breath. "I was just teasing~ I'd love to go out together sometimes, just us two."

"Yes, yes that would be nice my liege," a smile spread across his face, giving you a mock little bow.

"No no, please, raise your head my loyal subject," you waved your hand like royalty, which elicited giggles out of the both of you.

As you watched him walk away, a flutter in your heart was a telltale sign that you were excited to see this friendship, perhaps, bloom into something a little more.

[jiminslight]

tag games

a frankenpost of some tag games (mostly bts quizzes ayooo) i’m behind on asdghjh 

tagged by: a lot of moots that i love dearly! i’ve @/ everyone below who’s tagged me, according to game. huge thanks to you guys for always including me, even if my dumb ass gets to them late 🥺 it means the world to me that you still do!! ♡♡♡

what bts core are you? 

(via @taee​​​​ & @cowboyjinbop​​ ♡)

which btscore aesthetic are you? 1.0: koocore 

which btscore aes are you? 2.0: jimincore

-

aesthetic tag ✨

(via @ggukminii​​ ♡)

>> 𝐒𝐎𝐅𝐓 13/20

baby pink | iridescent | glitter is always a good option | no bra | minimalistic tattoos | cherry patterns | sweet scented perfumes | wearing generous amounts of blush | doodling hearts | getting excited to pet an animal | fun nails | rewatching old barbie movies | hair sticking to glossed lips | heart shaped sunglasses | taking pictures of the sunset or sunrise | stuffed animals | protecting nature | stickers everywhere | teen movies | the light rain that falls from a clear sky at the beginning of the night |

>> 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊 𝐀𝐂𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐀 9/20

neutral tones | masculine outfits | studying languages | worn down copy of books | grey skies | turtleneck sweaters | loose fitting pants | hair tied with a silk ribbon | trying to remember a cool difficult word you read somewhere to use in a convo | thick belts | minimal makeup | windows fogged by rain | vintage jewelry | blouses with cuffed sleeves | reading a murder mystery and trying to solve it | oxford style shoes | sweater vests | subtitled old movies in a language you don’t speak | leaves crackling as you walk | annotating books to express your emotions about the story |

>> 𝐄𝐃𝐆𝐘 8/20

closet full of dark clothes | fishnet tights | makeup sweating off | neon signs | searching for unknown songs | chokers | band tees | doodling on old converses | finding smoking aesthetically pleasing but not doing it | weird humor | accidentally very dramatic | dim lights | layered outfits | chain belts | chipped nail polish | messy hair | low quality pics | piercings | combat boots | scribbling on desks |

>> 𝟕𝟎’𝐒 6/20

colorful wardrobe | doodling flowers | wearing short shorts | using a bikini top or bra as a normal top | listening to ABBA | flowers in your hair | DIYing everything | jamming to songs alone in your room | drunkenly telling your friends you love them | patterned bandanas | mid heeled shoes | messy braids | flared sleeves | walking barefoot on grass or sand | bold sunglasses | the good kind of tired you get after doing something you enjoy for hours | feeding stray animals | fun patterned socks | room decorated with succulents and other plants | likes to go roller skating or skateboarding |

>> 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐏𝐏𝐘 𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐔𝐀𝐋 7/20

collared clothes | drinking juice out of a champagne glass | getting excited to see the met gala looks | thick headbands | small pastel cardigans | making your friends take your ootd pics | plaid mini skirts | tweed two pieces | watching reality tv to pass time | frilly tops | watching old hollywood movies | academically driven | long manicured nails | new year’s eve fireworks | colourful tights | layered golden jewelry | yearns for luxury brand items | decorating your room with fairylights | cursive and neat handwriting | lace details |

- 

bunch o‘ quizzes

(via @cowboyjinbop​​​ ♡)

1. What are your best qualities?

you're charming, generous and wise.

you always seem to know what to say. people admire the ease with which you seem to navigate your life. maybe a few jealous ones even despise you for it. but your strength is your independency. whether the entire world is falling at your feet or not, you don't let your ability to learn and move forward be affected by them. it's admirable how much wisdom you give away for free, how nice and charming you remain even if others refuse to treat you the same and how you navigate life. i hope you know how much you're looked up to. and i also hope that you have someone to lean onto at times. however strong you might be, you weren't made to carry the weight of it all on your own.

2.  which btscore aesthetic are you? 1.0 (refer to top of this post hehe)

3. which member would you vibe with? (also tagged by @calicooky​​​ ♡)

Jimin is a true lover and maybe a bit of a people pleaser, but he has found a perfect balance for nurturing himself as well as others. He's magnetic and bright, and by getting him as a result perhaps means you are as well--don't forget to give yourself that credit. If you have an affectionate nature like Jimin, you bring a lot of comfort to those around you.

4. which btscore aes are you? 2.0 (refer to top of this post again)

+ What’s your go to, must listen to once a day (or week), song by BTS?

OT7 Track: black swan, autumn leaves, home, 2! 3!, just one day--SO MANY 

Vocal Line: house of cards (either ver.), love is not over, dimple, 00:00

Rap Line: ddaeng, outro: tear, tbh all the cyphers (esp. if i need to wake up driving to work lmao)

Multi Member: friends (vmin), a brand new day (vhope), all night (namgi), who (jikook- I WON’T LET THIS SONG DIE), and fly to my room (yoon/seok/min/tae)

Vocal Solo: serendipity, promise, stigma, my time, awake, epiphany

Rap Solo: just dance, trivia: love, interlude: shadow, 28, seoul

-

rules: post your lock screen, the last song you listened to, and the last photo you took! (via @jiminswn​​ ♡)

-

which bts member is similar to you? (via @taee​​ & @loverjimin​​​ ♡)

you got namjoon! you're a healer. you learn from your past mistakes, and you're not scared to apologize. your aura is an enchanting shade of emerald green, which makes you an enthusiastic, balanced person. you're very passionate about your hobbies, and just like joonie, you're very much amazed by the little miracles that happen in nature. you're a simple, genuine creature, and you're immensely smart. you remind me of the feeling of finally coming home, of knitting a scarf for a friend, of steamy cups of coffee. i envy whoever gets to hang out with you.

THE END

the rest are visual tags that i’ll get to eventually!! (i.e. moodboards, gif challenges, etc.) 

[ugdohyun]

let’s get it 😤

mun info

name/alias: ej age: 18 + pronouns: she/her/hers timezone: est (gmt-5? 4? wtf is daylights savings???) discord: cozyboy#6004 little trivia fact: tbh i’m a k-hiphop/rnb junkie so watch me pretend like i can rock lol

character info

character name: nam dohyun age: 25 zodiac sign: cancer (meh, is this even accurate? tbd) group/band/position: singer & rhythm guitarist for CTRL info links or quick points about your character: half-baked stats and bio are up. apologies for the messy messy bio; messy me was racing against the app deadline lmao. so instead, here are way too many tldr points about the boy: 

background

born to a borderline chaebol mother and a borderline b-list rockstar father who really shouldn’t have gotten married at all; but it’s a shotgun wedding made possible by the conception of ~yours truly~ 

his dad is quite literally terrible and among many things, a serial adulterer. the man leaves (more like kicked out at last...) when dohyun is no older than ten. nam is actually his mother’s last name, which he takes thereafter

does dohyun have daddy issues, you might ask? ermmm well, let’s just say he doesn’t even know or remember the man well enough to hate or miss him so it’s whatever

spoiled growing up b/c his family pities how he’s fatherless. but probably they’re more worried that if they don’t ‘love him enough’ (read: expensive gifts and lots of nagging) dohyun will end up like his good-for-nothing father *shudders in rich grandparent* ... but he just plays this weird leverage game with them to do whatever he wants, running around with his ragtag bands and whatnot

in reality, there’s a lot of gaslighting in both directions. an implicit cloud of blame and pity looms over dohyun’s head, like ‘damn if u didn’t pop into ur mommy’s womb, none of this would have ever happened.’ idk, he’s a living reminder of the most shameful thing that’s happened to this family. everyone’s hoping that dohyun’s not like his dad but deep inside, they kinda believe he’s fated to suck anyways...

prime piece of evidence no. 1: why the hell is he doing this rockstar thing ??? dohyun realizes it’s pretty shitty to do this to his mom and whoever else but... it just feels right. ‘music is my life’ yadada but it’s also just fun, and he thinks he’s pretty good at it. the continued chain of success and unexpected fame from his various musical stints seem to agree. sure he had to burn some bridges and breach a whole lot of trust with his family to get where he is but come on -- they thought he was going to be a huge bust anyways, no? just meeting expectations!

personality

dohyun can be... other-worldly. 4d, sure. he’s in his own realm a lot of the time. like everyone else around him is on one orbit? he’s on a one-man spaceship vibing on another. doesn’t mean he’s clueless though; he’s actually extremely perceptive (just cancer things... or the result of sussing and being sussed out by his family his entire life) but will pretend like he doesn’t notice things b/c it’s more convenient to not care

often told he has a natural charisma which helps as as a performer, i guess. but more than likely it’s just (1) his face (ngl he knows he’s pretty) or (2) people stick around b/c they want to see what wack ass shit he’s going to do or say next. definitely a bit of a showman in that regard. anyways, he’s probably a fun guy to be around?

his whole ‘larger than life’ public image is not fake per say, but dohyun in intimate settings is more of a grandpa soul than you’d think. gets very excited and also very existentially tired about things rather quickly. probably an introvert at heart who is way too talented at being an extrovert

funky antics and ‘cool kid’ vibes largely hide the fact that he does have aspirations / desires (he’s serious about his music and what he’s doing in the indie scene; ctrl is hitting big and he’s seemingly getting places) as well as really dark thoughts and insecurities shh

super open guy without actually being open. definitely that guy you think you know really well until you really start to think about it... and realize you really don’t know him at all. damn. he’ll often listen to others and lend them a shoulder to lean on or pour them a shot, but will never seek it out for himself. really his upbringing has made it difficult for him to receive affection or care without being skeptical af or feeling like he’s being pitied

he’s got a lot of growing and soul-searching to do / i’m still figuring stuff out and would love for u all to be part of it <3

wanted connections

umm page to come eventually but some quick ideas i’d like to see for dohyun: 

ctrl bandmates! so many fun dynamics and moments we should figure out -- very ready to make all the other bands jealous heh

a real trooper friend and confidant who doesn’t give up on him, even when he’s being a little dodgy shit

a squad to just set hongdae on fire with -- not literally but figuratively. like live for the nights you won’t remember ayy

exes, flames, 'are we just friends?’,  one-sided(?) crushes, and any variants. dohyun is entranced by the idea of love but is trash at it in practice (genetics, right? an empty excuse for his actual rship problems lol). definitely breaks hearts but gets his own smashed way harder so it’s even, okay?!

i really dig a good childhood friends trope; whether that’s like friends to lovers(?) or enemies or rivals or ‘how the hell are you two friends’ or whatever

someone he keeps running into in the most awkward or embarrassing situations only

someone who sees through his bs; and vice versa

musical collaborators, rivalries, mutual fans, anything really; “um i think i liked you better on stage / you are not what i expected” moments?

an antagonist. sorry this is vague af, but point being: i’m good with ‘negative’ plots too!

i swear i’m better at this 1-on-1, so please! let’s chat it up!

[datastate]

character ask meme: xiriel or myrre

aaa thank u!!! i decided to both n it got long so im putting it under a read more bhvlskdfd

xiriel:

favorite thing about them: he! is! good dad energies!!!!! very physically affectionate and genuinely tries his best to be kind n listening at all times. he’s understanding and sweet on a personal level and i care him.

least favorite thing about them: he needs to be more confident and set in his standing his ground against the jedi council too. he and uriala are the only two out of my jedi ocs who can really criticize them without consequences. selinn would be brushed away bc he’s a padawan, vynara’s... very close to just being removed from the jedi order. xiriel needs to take his position and the trust the council has in him and use that to help the clones like he wants to.

favorite line: that one part where he’s essentially like “I am not leaving my battalion in the hands of someone who very well might be Piell or, Force forbid, Krell” bc. yeah. he wont leave the war bc he wants to protect the 406th and he acknowledges there are some jedi who are :/ good on him.

brOTP: with selinn!!! that is his Son and they trust each other a lot,,, before the war started, he mostly helped selinn cope and heal so he wouldnt end up relapsing so often :’) + selinn’s the main reason xiriel even had a chance at connecting with the clones as anything other than ‘general’ in the first place. 

OTP: vynara n xiriel,,theyre a messy pair but once the war’s passed they can work through it. i have. a soft place for these two working through their issues. and then obviously hyriel is very sweet and even more supportive than vynara n xiriel is.

nOTP: he’s uriala’s padawan so, yknow. not those two.

random headcanon: i’ll take this as a piece of random trivia so: fun factz! xiriel more anxious/frustrated stim is scratching at his hands. vynara had to buy him gloves just so he wouldn’t scar

unpopular opinion: xiriel and vynara shouldn’t have gotten married so young

song i associate with them: hmm,, grow by the oh hellos tbh? this is how he copes, most of the time.

favorite picture of them: ngl this one still makes me happy

myrre:

favorite thing about them: bastard energies (ha hA long dramatic monologues, teasing the jedi, making fun of yikan, etc.)

least favorite thing about them: bastard energies (he purposefully went after shinies in battle just so he could get his kill count up :/)

favorite line: this:

brOTP: yikan,,, myrre loves them and literally risks raven’s wrath just to give them a chance to escape. he’s the only person who made yikan’s stay as a sith bearable.

OTP: myrre and therapy (/joke but also not really. he needs it after what raven’s done.) i think it’d be neat if myrre/yikan were canon but i dont know how i’d get that to work bc he’s. unfortunately loyal enough to raven to choose not to leave him and im pretty sure yikan would leave it strictly platonic.

nOTP: myrre with raven....no thanks.

random headcanon: myrre literally cannot tell infatuation from actual feelings so he just assumes everything is infatuation to make it easy on him until he realizes oh, shit, i have a crush on yikan and it’s not going away.

unpopular opinion: in a good au he could be properly redeemed over a few years and saved from more of raven’s manipulation. in the canon universe there is literally no going back after what he did to [redacted] and he deserved the death he got at the hands of [redacted]

song i associate with them: right now? really vibing with once & for all by the crane wives for him. tho i do have an entire playlist for myrre if you want to listen to that

favorite picture of them: :3

[garreaus-a]

hi, everyone ! it’s jessie again. i couldn’t help myself, ok ? i had to bring in my Chaotic Good, espionage-elite, French son samuel ... i hope u like him :’). he’s a character i’ve had awhile from a previous rpg / my indie ( aka the Archive ) so i adjusted his backstory a lil’ to fit here. again, please hmu on discord if you’d like to plot !! <3

⌠ BEN BARNES, 36, CISMALE, HE/HIM ⌡ welcome back to gallagher academy, SAMUEL GARREAU ! originally hailing from BLACKTHORNE, this alum specializes in THREAT ELIMINATION. when i see them walking around in the halls, i usually see a flash of ( complacent smirks paired with attentive eyes; the aroma of expensive, but fresh cologne; the decision to just “wing it”; a cigarette between lips ).  it’s the ( leo )’s birthday on 08/14/1983, and when they were still in school their most requested dish was BOUILLABAISSE from the school’s chefs. hopefully their presence can help ease the minds of gallagher students.

𝙷𝙸𝚂 𝙱𝙰𝙲𝙺𝚂𝚃𝙾𝚁𝚈.

in the late 1970s-80s, there were a string of infamous art robberies and trafficking occurring around france, which linked to notorious art thieves from both france and america. french-american cia agent matthieu garreau was assigned to assist the central directorate of the judicial police and the dgse in their investigation. french art curator adeyln legrand ( her fam is Old Money rich bc they own museums across the country ) was involved in the case as well, helping the agencies identify the stolen art pieces and their worth. as soon as matthieu laid eyes on her, it was love at first sight !

samuel elias garreau was born in paris, france — just before matthieu was sent back to washington d.c. he was raised by his mother and maternal grandparents ( who lived in marseille ) for most of his childhood. his childhood was filled with love, art, linguistics & french cuisine. he became a polyglot at a very young age, knowing how to speak french, english and spanish fluently. his father visited his wife and son as much as he could in france, but eventually, the two moved to washington d.c. when samuel was 10-years-old. 

a bit of context on the garreau family: the garreau family name has been involved in espionage for a VERY long time. lineages stem back to being loyal spies for the french monarchy for many generations before the surviving garreaus immigrated to america to escape WWII. many relatives eventually returned to france, but samuel’s paternal great-grandparents decided to continue to raise their children in the united states & establish connections with american intelligence agencies. 

immediately, matthieu wanted to begin espionage training ( already samuel was a couple years behind in hand-to-hand combat / weaponry training, so he’s eager ). adelyn was a bit Conflicted but ... lil’ energetic, happy-go-lucky samuel was ECSTATIC !! what better way to bond with your father, am i right ??

those 4 years before spy prep high school was full of father-son bonding, grueling combat training, & survival skill training. but, samuel was also a normal, private elementary / middle school student in washington d.c. it was a lot of pressure — juggling school, his blossoming social life, and keeping the whole “ i’m training to become a spy ” thing a secret bc sam CANNOT stop talking

before samuel busted at the seams, he was sent off to a prestigious spy prep school on the east coast to truly hone his skills and begin to identify what he may excel at as a spy; however, sam didn’t take it seriously ... like at ALL. it was mostly because he was so bored — he needed something stimulating / challenging. often samuel was being a Sneaky jerk, pulling pranks & being a kleptomaniac; however, his grades showed the opposite of his delinquent behavior. he was excelling in all of his classes.

the garreaus did not know what to do with samuel. literally, they had a whole damn family meeting about where he’s headed in his spy career bc there’s NO WAY any spy university would be willing to take him. the plan would be to utilize their connections in france and get him enrolled in an academy there until ...

blackthorne academy showed up outta nowhere and was like “ hey, we’ll whip his ass into shape. give him to us. ” the garreaus were reluctant due to the academy’s reputation and suspicious as to HOW blackthorne caught wind of their samuel; however, maybe this is what he needed. the most against this was his mother, but her voice held no authority. 

samuel was in for a RUDE awakening at blackthorne. maybe it was for the better ? he majored in THREAT ELIMINATION + LINGUISTICS, CULTURE, & ASSIMILATION ( whatever was blackthorne’s version of those were ). 

his first year there practically BROKE him, but by his sophomore year, his flaws became refined skills. somehow, his extrovert / devil-may-care and shrewd personality still shined amongst his callous and/or sadistic peers. 

the codename HERMES seemed to be used by his instructors sometimes to “ make fun ” of samuel, the label representing his ability to outwit his peers, mischievous and intrepid nature, proficient adaptability, and most importantly, he mastered the art of infiltration & extraction — just as the god of thieves would ( the ONLY time he’s the quietest compared to his peers tbh ) u know ... also stole lives too ... i know that’s cheesy SHHH

of course ... we all know the whole deal about blackthorne. he was molded into the perfect assassin, not a sophisticated spy that could have a drink with james bond or ... with his prestigious, royal spy family. 

throughout his many years of fieldwork across the globe, samuel was many things for both private clients and espionage / government agencies ( mostly doing a lot of infiltration / extraction & surveillance undercover missions ), even sometimes an actual thief for the right price. 

however, despite samuel’s slight identity crisis, he earned quite the name for himself in the espionage world and solidified himself as a reliable secret agent. but he’s still a pain in the butt :-P

during blackthorne’s last years, samuel often was asked to come by as a guest instructor, a desperate attempt to liven things back up to relive its better days. despite the absolute DEMONS his students were being, it surprised him that he actually enjoyed teaching. 

so, he was a bit shocked ( and ecstatic ) to hear that gallagher requested HIM out of the many blackthorne alumni to be a part of the faculty, let alone the threat elimination instructor. who would be a better teacher to teach future spy how to take down an assassin than an ACTUAL assassin ( and one who made quite a Reputation at blackthorne for outsmarting his upperclassmen and instructors ) ?

𝙷𝙸𝚂 𝙿𝙴𝚁𝚂𝙾𝙽𝙰𝙻𝙸𝚃𝚈.

tbh, samuel is the epitome of ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

he lives for the adrenaline rush; he will go out of his way and even risk his life sometimes to make missions more exciting ... but obviously, with a little planning beforehand to make sure missions are completed successfully

sam surprisingly is cooperative ( even if he really wants to do the opposite, he’d listen unless his quick-wit is essential for the situation ). his many years of experiences have made him realize how important intel and medical agents are to missions. he has a lot of respect for his fellow agents and students who aren’t concentrating their studies in the more physical combative majors

samuel likes being a nuisance. he’s quite devious and gets away with it a lot LMAO

he’s such a thespian it’s Unreal ... he’s so dramatic. but, this makes him excel at undercover missions bc this man enjoys acting way too much

samuel LOVES his students and it really cracks him up because if blackthorne student sam heard he’d be a mentor in the future, he’d laugh in your face

aka he’s the Cool Teacher at gallagher ok :’)

𝙷𝙸𝚂 𝙳𝙾𝚂𝚂𝙸𝙴𝚁 / 𝙵𝚄𝙽 𝙵𝙰𝙲𝚃𝚂.

he still has the slightest french accent when he speaks, mostly to latch on to a remaining attachment he has to his mother and previous “ normal life ”

an excellent cook ... obviously he enjoys cooking french cuisine the most 

he also is an avid art enthusiast and also loves fashion and architecture. he spends the majority of his salary on designer clothes and art pieces

if the faculty have to become normal professors, samuel is definitely up for teaching anything world history related !!

randomly knows a lot of natural history trivia thanks to his maternal grandmother, who was a botanist

the languages samuel currently knows is: french, english, spanish, italian, russian, german, arabic, japanese, and chinese ( mandarin & cantonese )

and that’s it !! im exhuasted and i can’t think of any wcs atm so pls if u guys have anything in mine PLEASE let me know :’)

[wild-aloof-rebel]

i didn’t think about moving in that might make more sense esp considering it would make more sense in show for david to announce that he’s moving out whereas that might be a little weird in real life (bc david is so dramatic and bc of the way the family is/the show is set up). so moving in feels more plausible, bc i do agree, getting engaged feels like a big step for them. it’s also possible they’re entirely unrelated? david could be making a store-related announcement and patrick could be (1/?)

asking him to move in w him on the hike. or maybe things are stressful at the store and patrick wants david to have a rest day. hence the “patrick tries to take david on a romantic hike.” that “tries” is what really gets me. if it’s a proposal it seems believable that patrick would be trying to get david into the plan w our giving it away. same for moving in. it feels like something more than just “they go on a walk” but tbh i could be overthinking it and (2/?)

patrick literally just wants to do something fun for no reason and david being david doesn’t want to go on walk. the possibilities are endless w these two and i’m just driving myself insane w theories (3/3)

also sorry to totally spam you but i feel like “patrick’s parents end up with an even bigger surprise” isn’t that patrick is w david. it feels so obvious i feel like there’s going to be a twist where it’s a different sort of surprise, or maybe patrick is the one to be surprised. it’s phrased like it could go either way

Wow, ok, hi, I’m home from trivia (we won, in case anyone cares, lol) and ready to tackle some speculation.

Tries is definitely an interesting piece of that description, I agree. There are so many things it could mean. It could definitely be that the trying is related to getting David to go on the hike in the first place. I think we all know that wouldn’t exactly be his cup of tea–there might be bugs with milky exoskeletons out there after all. But for whatever reason, I personally keep reading it as the trying being related to the romantic part. Patrick takes him on this hike that he wants to be a big romantic thing and it just… isn’t. Maybe there are too many bugs. Maybe someone sprains an ankle. Maybe it rains or he forgets to bring the picnic he’d packed for them or there are too many other people around. I don’t know why, but that’s the route my brain keeps taking: that something happens/goes wrong that make it less romantic than Patrick wants it to be. (And of course David will be lovely and reassuring and tell Patrick that it’s all fine because they got to spend time together either way.)

And obviously we all are trying to relate the hike to the announcement somehow, but like you said, they could be totally separate thing, such as an announcement about the store. If I can make another wildly-speculative potential connection here to take things in a totally different direction, the description for “Roadkill” says that David runs into an old acquaintance running a similar business, so there could even be a similar setup to the way that Klair breezed into town and dropped a job offer in Alexis’s lap. Maybe someone has a business opportunity for David that he (after much discussion with Patrick) decides he can’t pass up, which will take him away from SC for a while. Then you’d have them navigating a long distance relationship, Patrick running the store on his own, etc. etc. Obviously it would have to be a temporary opportunity because David isn’t going to spend forever away from his family, his store, and the love of his life, but that could be a totally different route to take going into another season.

(If you want to see some other people’s thoughts about the hike and the announcement and the finale in general, check out the notes on this earlier ask.)

Last but not least, there’s Patrick’s parents and the surprise. My thoughts on this are perhaps too nebulous for me to really get down in any comprehensive, understandable way. I’m generally all over the place on this one.

I will contribute this particular thought to the discussion though, as I haven’t really seen anyone else point this out: Patrick coming out this season is not something already widely known by general audiences watching the show. We’re all basically up Dan’s ass at this point, so we’ve read all the articles and seen all the interviews and done all the homework, which means we know Patrick is going to come out and can likely connect that to this episode. But most people don’t know that that’s something that will happen this season. Just because we think it’s [too] obvious for that to be the surprise doesn’t mean that it would be obvious to everyone, and so I don’t think we can fully throw out the simplest explanation here: that Patrick’s parents are indeed surprised to find out about his sexuality/relationship with David. At the end of the day, they can be surprised and still immediately supportive.

So I don’t know. It could be as obvious as it seems, or it could be something else entirely. Either way, we trust Dan with our lives around here, and whatever he has chosen to do with this episode will undoubtedly be the right choice.