#backgrounds? what r those idk them

[ratsnu]

POV: they hate you

alternative POV: your name is alexander hamilton

[opens-up-4-nobody]

How is it that after watching The Terror literally countless times, I still want to rewatch it?

[rauberrauber]

line up baby

wanted to make a sort of ref for everyone so i can keep track of everyone's designs, heights, etc

side hcs below cuz i wanna ramble lol

fyi any links are just for pictures to help visualize what im trying to say

also add to these with ur own i love reading hcs :]

general:

the sides work with a kind of cartoon logic (kinda like who framed Roger rabbit) which is what their shape shifting and such is, they can survive pretty much everything, dont bend to reality type thing

i also dig playing around with the idea that they just arent human, they dont need to eat, sleep, even breathe or blink if they dont wanna. They just play more human around thomas so they dont freak him out (everyone but remus at least, dude doesnt give a fuck lol) they all have their priorities regarding that kinda stuff. like logan doesnt eat or sleep almost at all (there r exceptions tho obvi (crofters))  while patton rly likes to cook and bake so why not eat the stuff you make? meanwhile remus eats literally anything he can find

they can also float if they wanna, same thing where they just dont around thomas. this came about me just imagining remus consistently floating around in the mindscape instead of walking for whatever reason? so yeah they can do that

theres a core mindscape and a ‘dark’ mindscape, that sorta works like the upside down from stranger things (as in the dark mindscape is like literally upside down and mirrors everything, like this)

everyones also got their own unique doors to their rooms. logans is very sleek and modern, pattons in more childlike and almost vintage, romans resemble castle doors while remus’ is more like a dungeons, virgils is typically angsty teenager with tons of posters and ‘keep out’ signs, and janus has tons of locks on his

design wise the core sides have straight teeth and fluffier hair while the dark sides have sharp teeth and rougher(?) hair (since changing, virgil has vampire-esque fangs)

logan:

square rimmed glasses

loves the rain

unintentionally fidgets with his clothes, always adjusting his glasses or rolling his sleeves up and down or messing with the buttons or his tie

playing more into the whole ‘sides dont have to eat thing’ he finds food kinda nasty lol, again only rly eats stuff thats very good to him (ultimate picky eater basically) patton has tried and failed many times to get logan to try and like new foods

roman was the one who got him to try crofters

watches those long ass video essays about random topics on youtube for background noise

patton:

round glasses and heart eyes

has roller blades/skates! specifically these ones that retract the wheels. good way of getting energy out (even if hes super clumsy with them)

tallest + dad bod

tons of bandages, kinda playing around with the phrase ‘broken heart’

him and janus play video games together (both of them are terrible lol)

definitely listens to dad rock/dad music

roman:

starry eyes!

crown can float on its own (same w/ remus’)

has one of these couches in his room to dramatically faint onto

him and remus dont share a room, but they have a sort of portal to each others rooms if that makes sense. a big mirror but instead of reflecting, its showing into the other room and only the twins can go thru

wants to be his own side after the split

roman and remus pierced each others ears when they were younger

virgil:

decently tall but slouches a lot which hides it (slouching hes shorter than the twins but still taller than janus) also rarely stands or sits straight at all so it kinda shocked the core sides when he showed them how tall he rly was (queue roman being mad cuz hes actually the shortest of the main four lol)

has stereotypical emo hair and still has some purple dye in it

hot topic skeleton fingerless gloves and muddy sneakers (idk why it just feels right)

tons of random bruises

draws his nails black with sharpie

listens to metal music to calm down. remus got him into a lot of numetal, screamo kinda music when virgil was still one of the others, it was one of the few times theyd hang out and virgil wasnt 100% freaked out by remus

definitely experimented with scene fashion when thomas was a teenager

drinks tons of energy drinks

janus:

shortest ha

yellow eyes

bow wrapped on his hat

long flowy cape and heeled shoes with spats (thats what theyre called right?)

uses the staff from pof as a walking cane

speaks fluent pig latin, remus and logan are the only ones who can somewhat understand what he says (remus cuz hes been around janus so long, and logan wanting to research and understand whatever the hell janus is saying) it also has always drove virgil up the wall cuz hes never been able to get it, janus will start speaking it just to annoy him

only rly relaxes when by himself, always kinda putting on a mask with the others and thomas, regardless of how trustworthy he considers them

constantly coming up with proper plans and schemes, typically wouldnt let remus near them with a 10 foot pole (affectionately)

knows how to lockpick

scared of the ocean

remus: 

broken crown

eyes can go all crazy, pupils can be different sizes and such (there was a cartoon that did this where the eyes would go red and have a ton of rings around the pupils like spirals kinda? i cant find a pic of what im rly visualizing rip i hope that makes sense)

ton of rings (one of em is an eyeball ring)

is like half an inch taller than roman and will never let him live it down

enjoys all the ‘bad’ disney/pixar movies. (cars, home on the range, etc) and like unironically enjoys them. prolly started ironically to mess with roman but he genuinely find those ones the best and cant fathom why theyre disliked (totally not self-indulgent cuz some of those movies are my favorites)

comes up with random weird plans and ropes janus into them whenever possible, janus plays along best he can

somewhat wants to fuse back with roman (even if hes unsure why)

remus and virge used to make fun of roman together all the time

remus is the one who gave virge his septum and gages

[insidereagan]

the gang (+ jr and a.b)’s ideal date

(inside job) sorry if anyone’s done this before haha I just had this idea

reagan:

despite her being like my main crush/f/o, she was probably the hardest to do but I feel like it would really depend on her mood. she’d either want to go to a museum (“we both know museums are the sexiest places on Earth!”) or just chilling at home watching tv.

if you two go to a museum, she’d probably really enjoy holding your hand while you walk around. physical touch is more bearable for her when she’s engaging in her special interests or doing something she enjoys.

she also doesn’t watch a lot of tv, so when you’re watching stuff with her, she usually lets you pick what to watch. I think she’d enjoy things like physiological horror. (same reagan, same)

restaurants are a nightmare tho. like she gets so stressed and overwhelmed as it’s loud, and she really struggles to be herself in busy environments, especially when eating.

if she’s eating a comfort food though, she can manage!!

you also bond when ur in the car together! it sounds stupid, but she probably ends up talking about smth rlly random, and you two talk about it for hours.

it could just start off with smth like “hey,, y/n, is a hotdog a sandwich?”

and ya’ll most likely lightheartedly argue about it for ages.

she doesn’t say it a lot, but she really loves and appreciates spending time with you.

brett:

OH <33 BRETT’S SUCH A SUCKER FOR SIMPLE CUTE DATES

like take him on a picnic in the woods (he’d totally make you and him matching flower crowns)

also taking him to still valley and having an 80s style date, it would make him cry :((( /pos

speaking of, after a long day of work, pls cuddle him on the couch and watch the growing years with him <333

it would make his year

just anything soft & simple would just make brett melt :( like reagan he finds big dates v overwhelming

but if there was anywhere in particular he wanted to go, but couldn’t because he was so anxious, get the man a fidget toy to fiddle with.

gigi:

this was quite hard, but y’know those photoshoot places you can go to with pretty backgrounds, where you take photos? yea, she’d like those. then taking you to a fancy restaurant after.

also movie nights where you cuddle on the couch watching shit and she points out the subliminal messages in them.

smth like “hey, y/n, did you know that Hwang represents the shadow gouvernment?”

also I think as a treat, maybe once a month, if you’re comfortable enough, she’d take you to a club!

you’d dance together and it’s a v nice experience.

very big on double dates. idk why, she just gives that vibe.

also CLOTHES SHOPPING. like you two will go to the store, try on different clothes, and she WILL compliment you.

glenn:

again i find mr. dolphman hard to write so bear with me

my guy would melt if you took him to like an raf museum? like just him explaining all the parts of the plane, you not really understanding, but just saying “that’s lovely, dear,”

also classic dates! fancy restaurants, cinema, etc etc.

i think he’d be really into hearty food, like lasagne.

he’d also be obsessed with surprising you with food.

andre:

CONCERTS.

idk why, he’s just the type of guy to take you to a lot of concerts. he really enjoys high-energy experiences with you like that.

also going to get fast food at 3am. like my dude would randomly text you at 3:00 in the morning like “hey babe, wanna get mcdonalds?”

like gigi, he’d take you to clubs. but not as a treat like gigi, i mean like every 2 weeks.

myc:

y’know those 50’s style diners? yea. that’s myc’s shit.

also staying in and having deep conversations while jazz music plays on his record player.

just v classic, traditional dates. any fancy restaurant he will love.

im sorry i don’t have more for him 😭

jr:

GO GOLFING WITH HIM

pls he’d love that :((

like crazy golf specifically? just for fun

also he’d take you to fancy restaurants.

when I say fancy, I mean over £50 just for starters.

let him spoil u his love language is gift giving,

robotus/alpha beta

just snuggling up on the sofa, ordering takeout and watching friends.

he’d die <333

i can just imagine him melting into your touch like <33 he feels so fucking loved??

[conkorse]

Can I ask how you pick your colors? I'm very fascinated by it and how well it works with your style

sure i will try my best 2 explain !!! >_<

typically i start drawing my main subjects on a grey colored background. this makes it so my color range is alot larger than if i sketched and colored on a white/lighter background because the colors that surround your piece will affect how they are perceived. i will attach an example below:

as you can see the drawing on the left (which is a wip i havent posted this drawing yet lulz) heavys skintone changes to match the context of the colors in the background which when you compare that bg to the bg on the right it is much darker in comparison. i also simply wanted to play around with colors coz i try not to restrict myself in any capacity. coloring is the most fun part of drawing to me and part of that fun comes from imposing zero limitations on myself which is why alot of my art has the most stupid ass color combinations u will eva see #live #laf #lov

this is what my drawings typically look like once i finish the actual main subject of the piece as you can see scout n pyro are in a grey void gidbles them. i typically do backgrounds last (which is something i should prbably change up sometime soon) because i tend to create them around the main drawing and it makes it easier for me to make everything more cohesive in the end because i can make the background however i want to fit the main drawing. i do not recommend doing this 24/7 becoz then u will struggle with environmental backgrounds/perspective shit and other stuff which is something i want to get better at but struggle with alot hashtag supaaa mega sad hashtag noob lyfeee

as for coloring itself and choosing colors its really just a combination of experimentation (and by that i mean i go through so much of the color wheel before i decide on something) and intuition. i already have an idea of what looks good together well in mind because well ive spent quite alot of time fine tuning ermmm idk what 2 call it i guess my color sense ??? hallppp but anyways i really recommend not just using bright/neon colors exclusively! the best way to make colors pop is to couple them with more muted ones so the contrast is better evident btwn the two. OH ANDD i tend to try not to use straight up black and white/grey to portray those colors. for example if a character has ermm lets say a white shirt i wont use white or grey colors to depict it but rather maybe a light cyan orrr yellowy green :p

i also overuse textured brushes and patterns in my art alortttt (see abovee) HALP so maybe try that??? i use clip studio paint and there are so many rly awesome textured brushes that i overuse coz they r SUPAAAA epik. IDK im just rambling but your biggest take away from this should be to GO EXPERIMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!! and have fun anddddd mix "ugly" colors 2gether coz u just can never know what will and wont work unless u try :33

ALSO I ALMOST FORGOT play around with this feature in csp if u have it coz its another way i create textures (my heavy mii shown as an example) and here is a link to a tumblr post where i link all of the brushes i use in csp 0 .o I HOPE THIS HELPS SOMEWHAT!!!!!!!!! SOZZZ I AM NOT THE BEST AT EXPLANING >_<

[thatdeadaquarius]

I just reread your Language Barrier AU and the ballpoint where reader was pissed because these fuckers just couldn't help but talk like Zhongli-

MINCE YOUR WORDS.

IN ONE SENTENCE.

PREFERABLY 5 WORDS OR LESS.

EXPLAIN IT TO ME LIKE I'M RAZOR.

Argh, God. I'm getting mad just thinking about it. 😤 Imagine in a fight and these dudes just sttaight up blurted a fucking 5 book-length, hard bounded soliloquy- I cannot-

No, Venti, Kazuha. You cannot use Haikus-

No, Cyno, you cannot use jokes either- but that is debatable-

And Oh. My. God. I kept thinking about when fighting and y'all kept throwing words (like when using a skill) and I'm just here standing, bracing myself SO HARD trying not to laugh (also irl). And then maybe now and then some mistranslation on Reader's mind since they use JP VA since the start of Genshin (assuming they play?) are new to Teyvat's Language:

'One with the Floor!'

One with the what?

'Shake your ass, sir!'

Cue spitting tea-

(Sorry, that's just me mishearing things 💀) But like at those times, Reader is the one dying of laughter lol. Imagine them explaing to Beidou that they thought she said 'Power of the ending Hotdog' instead of 'Power that ended Haishan'.

Aight, imma just.. go.

*imma send this anonymously because im shy, but do know that I love bread 🥖

Also @2:20

For you 🤲🥨🍩🥧🥐all the bread for the superior ask, anon

I could definitely see myself saying "ONE SENTENCE. U HAVE TO RESPOND IN ONE SENTENCE ONLY." then they manage to still make it a whole 40 word sentence 💀

^^ Confused Bakugou gif is literally u being shocked bc u keep mishearing everyones bursts on the battlefield LMAO SHAKE UR ASS SIR THAT ONE TOOK ME TF OUT ANON

☆

"Speed of Bite!" (Keqing's Speed of Light lol)

"I will have whore her!" (Zhongli's I will have order 😭)

"Time for... Execution!" (Diluc's time for retribution lol)

...

You in the background like: 🧍‍♂️... tfs wrong with yall, u glitched??

◇

They're like, physically incapable of making your kind of simple blunt sentences

Like i think some people would get close: Albedo, Xinyan, Klee, Qiqi, Sayu (rlly likes it bc it lets them be lazier), Cyno (maybe at first but then he would like, explain for 10 min after every simple sentence what he meant like his jokes 😭), Hu Tao, Heizou, Lumine/Aether, Xiao (can kinda get close but he gets frustrated and then rants for 30 minutes lmao), Razor (holds the title for the closest to your simple speech,👏👏LMAO PPL ACCIDENTALLY THINKING HES A GOD)

♤

People who will never get it, not even if ur in battle & ur life depends on it LMAO:

Zhongli (he rlly wants to but habits over thousands of years r hard to break 🙏 rip), Yun Jin, Xingqiu, Kuni/Babygirl, Venti, Kazuha, Sucrose, Shenhe, Kokomi, Ei, Nahida (tho it was a valiant effort), Noelle, Alhaitham, Sara, Ningguang (she doesnt want to even try lol), Mona, Fischl, Jean, Ganyu, Eula, Barbara, Diluc + Kaeya (unsurpringly both of them are tied for being the worst attempts at speaking simply 💀, guess its just that fancy etiquette training, its too hard to break) 😔

♡

Yeah, ur pretty much begging the ppl who can get close to ur speech to constantly translate everyone else

Rest in peace traveler, theyre like the first person u turn to,

(Paimon is also kinda bad at speaking simply, closest shes gotten is when she demands food lol)

☆

Idk how good this was, but THANK U FOR THE ASK AGAIN I AM ALWAYS READY TO HEAR OTHERS MAKE MY BRAINROT WORSE OVER LANGUAGE GENSHIN <3

ALSO I CANT BELIEVE U SENT ME THAT CYNO JOKES VIDEO PLEASE ITS SO LONG IT WAS SO FUNNY I STILL HAVENT WATCHED THE FULL THING

Feel free to send another in whenever i love talking to yall ♡

Cheers,

🌒🌊🌧Aquarius♒️🌌🌘

♡ the beloveds:

@karmawonders

✨️✨️✨️✨️💖✨️✨️✨️✨️

[riacte]

i never really paid attention to it but wow false and ren. they really do hover around each other huh. they r like bugs

Hiii anon thanks for the ask <3 I'll use this to talk about them and them in fanon because I have thoughts woooo (and I'm vibrating with excitement because I'm listening to the HC Grand Prix at the same time)

You said it exactly— like we all know they're buddies and stick together, but most of the times, we don't really notice it because it's just natural. Nondescript even. Like of course their pixels are next to each other in the background. Of course they're hanging out. It's not flashy or anything, they're just there.

[long and winding analysis that goes off in a Direction, will definitely not be maintagged, mentions of shipping and the fandom's worst enemy (comphet / heteronormativity)]

Pairing up

They're like those anime characters who are fully fleshed out individually, but for some reason, their screentime is tied together and they're always shown next to each other. That was actually my first impression of them back when I only watched Grian in HC6 lmao, every time Grian flew over the fantasy district he would casually go "that's False and Ren's bases" and my brain was like "hmm new names :) idk who they are but they stick together :)". Like you know when you're new to an unknown cast of people so you try to comprehend and memorise them as efficiently as possible? And so you start sorting the cast into duos / groups so it's easier to remember them? That was me trying to compartmentalize the hermits in HC6. Grian + Mumbo. Iskall + Stress. Scar + Cub. Joe + Cleo. ZIT. False + Ren.

It did not help that from Grian's POV, there was a part in the civil war arc when he collabed with False to prank Ren because they thought he'd pranked her and so my brain was like "weeewoooo I still don't know who False and Ren are but they continue stick together, and that's convenient for my internal sorting :)))". And that mutual association genuinely never stopped lmao (it only got worse).

Shared audiences?

I've talked about this on privtwt: False+Ren as a fanon duo (like duo Duo as in desert duo) is strangely niche even though they do stuff together all the time and they're both fairly popular on their own. And there is so much intermingling between their audiences— I know this is the case for all hermits' audiences, but it seems especially obvious between their audiences. I know in a stream Ren said he met up with False and they had a discussion like years ago about the two of them hosting a meet and greet with fans in a restaurant (that didn't happen) and internally I was like "yeah, that'll only work if they have a solidly integrated fanbase so no one feels left out in the restaurant WAIT. That's literally what's going on here".

Funny how when I was writing this, an anon sent an ask about Ren's chat basically being full of False emotes LOL. Integrated audience kinda real <3 like, even if you only watch one of them and don't actively watch the other, you still know and think of the other fondly.

Different styles? And sticking together

Actually outside of yayyy fun minigames, to me at least they have quite different styles + ways of presentation? Which feels slightly different from the above duos I mentioned? So I totally understand why people only main one of them and don’t watch the other (but still aware of the other obviously). In terms of taste and personal preference, I’ve been here long enough to know what loyal False mains generally like and what loyal Ren mains generally like. (Like, very verrrry generally.) Ren’s the dramatic roleplay storyteller and False is like, sneaky and shifty and has a wry sense of humour. They’re both funny and charming in different ways. I would say Iskall and Stress have similar presentations (“aha? AHA?”) even though they excel at different things. Cub and False are also similar to me— competent and cool people who are nonchalantly chaotic. And we all know Ren and Martyn’s instant chemistry and their similarities. It’s why a lot of Ren fans gravitated to Renchanting and Rendoc for their dramatics and flirting in the way some False fans gravitate to Fress and Falseren for the fun/mildly hysterical/teasing/sweet/pranking moments.

BUT

False and Ren bounce off each other well— it’s the playful tension and the sudden mutual whiny energy like “noooo don’t leave me🥺” but they start hitting each other 0.5 seconds later. And of course the mutual clinginess. I know people have made jokes about how they’re both smart and competent people individually but when they get together they suddenly become the silliest sillies and share one braincell <3 and I know people (read: mutuals in my DMs) have joked about Ren’s currently extremely obvious bias for her (it's as big as the BRR sign I swear 😭) and the usual “orbiting around each other group recordings”. Compared to other duos, they don’t get paired together bc of similar presentations / style. They get paired together because of the chemistry and they share so many moments lol.

Tldr: they make for entertaining on-screen interactions. It’s fun watching them rotate around each other and punch each other off things. And they do this so much that 1) everyone’s aware of it 2) everyone’s used to it.

Branding? (Or the lack of it)

Last I checked, their tag has 46 fics on Ao3 and 16 of those fics are from me (I love being spiders georg). As with every pair that's not the juggernaut pair, realistically the actual number of fics that actually focus on them is less than what we see. And you know how sometimes for the "niche" pairs, there's more ship fic than platonic fic? (Actually I think for most pairs, there's more ship fic than platonic fic.) That's also not it, they don't even have 20 ship fics. Like clearly, the current fanon interest in them is not ship motivated versus *gestures to whatever is happening in the general shipping chaos post 2021*.

What I concluded is that they lack the kind of branding that for example Convex possesses. I think it's kind of because... they're an ubiquitous constant throughout the years. They don't need a storyline or a named group to tie themselves together. No matter what they're doing, no matter what characters they're playing, no matter which servers they're on— they just kind of stay in each other's orbits. But they don't play it up or anything like hashtag SHIPrendoc or Renskall or whatever. They don't even have a proper fanon name ffs (outside of fairy pirate grotto or whatever in HC6).

(Although imo this is likely to avoid comphet irl shipping because God forbid a man and a woman are friends :))))) heteronormative irl shipping / truthing was an annoyance for years (pre the HC6 boom). But strangely enough, modern anti hermitshippers on Twitter rarely bring up the real problem of truthing in public comments and instead target people making Scarian fanart in a small corner or whatever. When many cases of Compulsory Heterosexuality literally exist in YouTube comments. But I digress.)

Ren and False are just there, pranking each other and basing together and playing five million minigames and being casually supportive of each other. Like, their biggest shared "storyline" that left a strong impression on fans / converted fans was probably MCC9. We all still talk about it today the way Ren and Martyn still talk about 3L Renchanting. And MCC9 was in 2020 when they'd already done a lot of stuff together prior to that (eg. literally being neighbours in HC6).

And the thing is, they do collab semi-frequently. In like every Hermitcraft season. In recent memory, we've got the Blue River Raceway of course, but we also get those pranks and minigames and random silly interactions like Ren breaking into False's eagle and False pranking him at her elytra race. It doesn't need to be big and theatrical in classic Ren fashion (I remember the Renbob / Falsewell storyline in HC6; her nonchalance and confusion was so funny in contrast to Renbob's hippie demeanor).

And I kind of like the way they've kind of (?? or not???) escaped from the intense duo-ification from the fandom. Okay, to be fair, I know I am the worst offender of the duo-ification of them (with my desperate do not separate agenda), and maybe I've had a negative effect on the fandom, so feel free to throw me off my soap box. I remember how hermitblr as a collective suddenly lost it when they split in MCC17. We took them for granted, we all got to used to them being together, we got used to seeing them in the background, and then suddenly they’re not??

So we’re all kind of aware of them. But it’s not a terribly big thing…. until it is.

It's the same on the M/CC Reddit. Everyone knows they're iconic. But nobody makes a post about how we need more False and Ren duo interactions because they already interact a lot. It's just a natural constant. They don't really need a spotlight because they're just... here doing funky cute friendship stuff.

But if they ever, for some reason, become a mainstream duo on twt in its mainstream duo way with some [insert random noun] duo name, I will be so 🫠😒🔥💥🔥💥. But I literally cannot see this happening unless they team with Grian / Grian adjacent people in Life series. But even then I think they’re kinda exempt because everyone’s so used to them lol. It’s not like a shiny new uwu duo. It’s like how Stresskall is just Stresskall. Or Jleo.

(Actually, speaking of Stresskall, the entire Stress-Iskall-Ren-False group would make for an interesting fanon discussion bc it’s essentially made out of very solid and fan favourite duos. But not now. Team FRIS my absolute beloved though.)

Also, thinking about the ensemble HC fics I've read and how they're just casually kind of chilling in the background. Ren is usually paired with Doc (both platonic / romantic) but False is usually somehow mentioned in a passing comment. Same with False who's usually with the Hermitgals in ensemble fics, but there's also passing comments about her hanging out with Ren. Again, it's just a natural part of the background. Trivia that's sprinkled in between.

And that's why I think I'm so 🥺🥺🥺🥺 because it doesn't need to be big and grand... it's all the little moments <3 they have such a fun and playful dynamic and all the love for minigames <3

I don’t know if this is comprehensible or I’m just going crazy and overthinking things no one thinks about. But writing this was fun at least <3 If at least one person gets maybe 30% of this post (whatever it is), I'll be happy haha.

Post sponsored by the three people who liked my tweet from months ago 🥹

[streaminn]

People look at Enid, Wednesday and Bella and goes Aww what a cute family

And Enid and Wednesday just turns tomato faced cause them, a family?

Enid stands there, blinking as the words sink in her head.

There's a beat in her ears and it rises with every second as her fingers fiddle with the cloth holding Belle to her chest.

Family.

"o- oh," Enid starts, a shy smile on her lips as she nods towards the old lady they helped across the road. "thank you ma'am," she settles with saying, not wanting to make things awkward.

A part of her is afraid to look next to her, towards the very very obvious prickling source of a heated stare.

Oh jeez, today was not the day to know whether demons can kill with a look.

"oh dearie, idk how you youngin's do it but congratulations!" the gramma continues, all happy smiles and totally unaware of what predicament she just placed Enid onto. The wolf's ears burn at the insinuation and there's shivers on her skin, yeah Wednesday didn't like those words.

"magic!" Enid trails off, giving Lil jazz hands before jostling Belle towards the old lady. Family, the word repeats in her head. "cmon belle, say bye bye to the nice lady!"

Belle simply gives a "Ba.." before snuggling closer to Enid's neck with a side eye.

Enid snorts, yep that's Baby Belladonna alright.

The Lady didn't seem bothered, if anything she seemed to expect it as she tilted her head with a laugh.

"just like her mommy, huh? She has the same furrow too!" grandma points out and Enid blinks, nodding because she does have a point.

"yeah!" Enid says, ever so indulging. Must be a demon thing to be so intimidating. "Just like her mo-"

Something jabs onto her side and Enid gave a 'Urk-' as she stumbled a Lil.

Blue eyes squinted at the intense look in Wednesday's face. It was as blank as always, not a crease on her skin yet there was a feeling in Enid's stomach that warned her to tread carefully.

Oh shit.

She got too comfortable.

Family, someone confused them as family.

"Enid," Wednesday says, voice so carefully normal that it has Enid giving a shaky smile in turn. "we will be late."

"r-right."

When the whole thing is over and they all scramble back into the apartment, Enid will be in the kitchen with a thought in her head.

The knife clacks against the wood as she cut into ham. it's a familiar sound because this is routine.

A babble will catch her ears and Enid will glance over her shoulder to see Wednesday poking the cheeks of a fussy Belladonna as the TV speaks in the background.

This is a routine.

But when Enid finishes fixing up the food and Wednesday helps put Belle into her chair, she can't help but think.

She watches, she eats and she thinks.

Enid looks at the two in the dining table with her and feeds a grabby Belle a bit of her food.

Them, a family?

Doesn't sound so bad for a wolf like her, does it?

[trashbins-stuff]

Hello. I have seen that you have been tagged by @neobixiscool on one of their posts. I am planning to make a rant post on them. If you can provide some background info and your side of the story, that would be great. If you feel uncomfortable discussing this, that's ok. Have a good day/evening.

rub hands together like flies. my time has come/silly 😋😋

and thank you for coming to me :3 i appreciate it/gen also i get to go all cabby on this hehe

oh and, im not really hurt-hurted by them, i feel like mocha (mochablogger), liam (moonmxple) and mac (blairdrawzstuff) are most affected. They did have a book with my character in it but in a different universe or something (without my consent nor credit btw). Anyway under the cut is my observant. Honestly i think i might have jsut make the rant post for you lmao hrgbnhe 😭😭

the background/before:

mocha was working on a little story and xe said we could be in it! so obviously me and my friends signed up for the fun, not really expecting anything, the story was called "The Traumatized Cup", thats when we first meet him.

In one of the chapter mocha had introduced rubix, at first i didnt really think much about him, i was just aware of his presence, i do notice him and mocha started to become friends and i thought that was great :)

something that you should probably contact cuppy for more info:

so rubix (or according to rubix, "jasp" was roleplaying) and mocha were friends on facebook, and they roleplayed there i think, this i just know but apparently he said crap about liam (mocha's platonic partner and my best friend). Mocha is very sensitive and even in roleplay xe's still uncomfortable with what rubix said

"bezel's" divorce headcanon (and possible influence on further problems):

i heard people talked about it but never knew where it came from, but thne i found out and,,

tdlr; 1st one is about mocha and rubix, i dont know if mocha consent to it. 2nd one is uh a bit weird i i guess like he could have ask facemoji to make another one ;-;. 3rd ah yes the divorce that i had heard about!/vneg

rubix said bezel forced him into making the 1st one, even if thats true, rubix said the divorce was bezel's headcanon but hes the one that decided to post the 3rd one ("okay i asked facemoji again..")

seem kinda sus not gonna lie..but what do i nose right :-)

bezel probably influence more but even after all these months im still not sure if he really did do those things, idk lul, it is pretty weird that bezel's blog was a sideblog though (liam told me)

heres a bunch of words with link attach, those r my opinions lmao:

these u can just click to read so i hope thats okay

on wattpad he have a book in which he painted mocha, hazel and blair as manipulative (admittedly his writing was good, he could have used it for something different though)

he also uses some of our characters (such as mocha cuppy, hazel, blair, harp, blueberry, winter, bin (mine btw), seedling, galaxy journal,...etc) he did the delete that book tho, anyway heres more screenshot proof (credit @moonmxple )

mocha asked liam and neobix said its cringe

i remember this one also

the one where he tried to ban pet name and online dating (in 2023) (check the comment and other reblogs also theres alot, its practically a goldmine/silly)

and can i say he barely knows our friend group? like sure he knows mocha but hes trying to fit into our group (very poorly)

please read what cass wrote in the comment (thanks cass for speaking out about it ily)

the ask i sent him

NOT to get all bitchy here but mocha blocked you therefore you literally dont appear anywhere on xer dash, you're out of xer life and xe had no reason to pester you, not everything has to be about mocha. You guy's relationship (or supposedly lack there of) had change but honestly? thats okay they dont have to like the same people that they liked yesterday. You might think you know that's them but it wasnt, mocha in real life is kinder and better than the version inside of your head and they're happier now and its so sad that you cant see (because you're blocked)

and again, not everything has to be about YOU

he also made it all about HIM like excuse me ???? can i not complain for little bit without you coming in and nag about your problem ??? if you're suffering go talk to someone dont talk to online strangers ??? :)))???????

bro cant even read a long paragraph post like go back to elementary school lmao, also reporting ppl just because they use their right to not forgive you is such a sore loser move, it make you sound like petty six year old (also max be spitting facts tho)

bro brought out HIS right (reporting mocha, which he actually cant do if he doesnt have a valid reason) while ignore MOCHA's right (not forgiving him, which isnt a valid reason for him to report xem). The definition of petty is literally complain way too much about unimportant things that could have and should have ended already

"you dont have to relate to everything you see on the internet, somethings are simply not about you" :)

did you know that to report someone you have to click alot of buttons??

common salad W &lt;3333

oh yeah, this doesnt have links but jasp/neobix is being so casual abt bezel's death but also uses it as a way to make people feel bad for getting upset with what he did

Sorry for playing the dickhead role, but you wouldn't be laughing if you knew how we felt about every single one of you. (why it sound serious all the sudden lol)

why i still doubt (uh and heads up, galaxy brush, kodu, cuppy,..others who think @/rubixisanidi0t was saying the truth, im not saying he isnt but you cant blame me for not trusting can you? please skip this part if you're sensitive):

naw so if this was suppose to be jasp then whats jasp motive lmao :/..he dont gain anything from this + who tell people their secret plan publicly?? + how did jasp know about rubixs hallucination?? rubix please dont tell such personal things to jsut your friends and please just talk to an adult in real life. And jasp, dont let these kind of things on the internet its not safe/srs

this is just straight up weird and also why did neobix/jasp said "old friend" like hes rubix?? when he supposedly told rubix and i quote "yeah.. Soo.... This person named @/mochablogger seemed like some cool person, and when I tried to talk with them... Nothing happened, so when I figured they didn't care... It all happened at once." neobix/jasp and mocha werent even friend to begin with why was he SO obssess over getting mochas forgiveness when they supposedly barely interact much??

aint it a bit weird how this is supposedly jasp/neobix but why would they make this video??? it???doesnt make any sense?? and like were rubix and jasp still good friend??? why wood bezel make jasp of all people do it??? unless yk

HOL UP, WAIT A MINUTE..if rose jelly dated rubix but rubix tunred out to be jasp then..WHO IS ROSE JELLY ACTUALLY DATING??????

if @/neobixiscool is suppose to be jasp then how did he get a screenshot for a show rubix was making???

i translated it and head up. it has death threat in it

you know, if someone stole my account and ruin my reputation i wouldnt be following them and be mutuals with them :)

i appreciate him saying hell save us but like..why would @/neobixiscool linked the real rubix's yt and discord knowing full well that the real rubix was there and could told joiners the truth??? that seem kinda dumb ngl also on the channel you can find a video called "waitng for forgiveness" which @/neobixiscool had talked about. and lets do a bit of timing here, if rubix really was telling the truth and havent been on social media since his alst post on @/rubixcuix (last posted in august) and the divorce arc and the roleplay thing and EVERYTHING had started in september, and if the yt belonged to rubix, then he shouldnt have known that mocha didnt forgive him and make that video????? bc he wasnt suppose to be there since august??? bc if anything he shouldnt be waiting for forgiveness bc if jasp really did steal his tumblr account then its not his fault?? like i find it absoltuely HILARIOUS that the evidence agaisnt what rubix said was on both the account @/neobixiscool AND @/rubixisanidi0t's PINNED post?? and it boggles my mind how no one talks abt this???/lh/nm i mean its quite obvious maybe im jsut really observant though idk

if you got your account stolen and jasp supposedly brought back a wattpad book, i dont think you should be continuing it?? and didnt you said your reported him on wattpad?? on the same account where the book is?? why are you acting like "yes i did promise them this and im fully aware of what happen even though i supposedly havent been here since august and i will continue this book" has it hit you?

uh yeah so these are just my silly little takes, but hey! what do i nose? :-)

[leggo-my-aego]

MY HONEST REACTIONS TO THE **HEARTSTEEL BOYS** PLAYLISTS FROM SOMEONE WHO HAS BARELY CONSUMED LoL CONTENT (PART 1/2)

note: i am SO sorry if i accidentally mischaracterize but these r my opinions based on VIBES i get from the media ive consumed of these 2D men

note2: will NOT be rating cuz music is SUBJECTIVE and i love ALL OF THEM (k`sante has my fav songs of everyone tho 🫶)

Aphelios 💙

>the description is so cute w him just monologuing ab going on a walk with his sister 😭 like sir, this isnt twt but thnk you bbg

>THIS MAN IS ME WHEN I WAS IN MY INDIE/TECHNO ERA LOWK

>like deadass think hed be the type to listen to vaporwave/those mixes of songs w homer simpson high in the background (plz ppl know what im talking about) or like Slow Dancing in the Dark by Joji, idk

>gives the vibe of being out at night w headphones on; in your own world; surrounded by the city environment (neon lights and multiple cars passing by). getting off of work from a late shift and taking your time getting home cuz you wanna enjoy the commute alone

>definitely had a soundcloud before he had a spotify and still is active on it

>also seems like he'd def vibe to video game music from like persona 5 or smn

>also also everyone stream the fanmade song Lost in Silence by Marcus Skeen, its out on spotify!!!

> Personal Song Reccs based off this playlist💙:

• Breathe - Dahlia Sleeps

• rock + roll - EDEN

• Time to Heal - Slowtide, Idune Nicoline

Ezreal 💚

>this man is GAY, sorry dont make the rules. literally has Conan Gray and Troye Sivan in his playlist (I KNOW WHAT YOU ARE), may aswell add mitski 🙄

>rlly tho, Washing Machine Heart started playing after this and i didnt even question if it was part of the playlist

>anyways, very good vibes!! would def be a playlist id have playing in the bg if i was just hanging out in the living room or in the car with friends

>would give aux for a sing a long kind of ride where we're too engrossed in karaoke to pay attention to the road and accidentally start speeding down the lanes c:

>also someone equated him to baby-justin bieber kind of famous in this world and i can only think of howd he would definitely be unironically listening to that song as a guilty pleasure or Taylor Swift, idk

> Personal Song Reccs based off this playlist💚:

• God of Music - SEVENTEEN

• NO SZNS - Jean Dawson, SZA

• summer - keshi

K'Sante 💛

>UNDERRATED PLAYLIST, WHY DOES HE HAVE THE LEAST LIKES OF EVERYONE ???

>no notes, has my fav kinds of vibes of RnB and hiphop. like yes. ily k'sante 🫶

>this is what i listen to at night to keep me motivated with my work, very good vibes if you listen to ppl like UMI or SZA

>like omg will i get high and just chill in the house listening to this.. currently have it low on speaker with just my lamp illuminating my room with the sounds of the city in the distance and i am living for it

>would trust with my drink at a bar

> Personal Song Reccs based off this playlist💛:

• My Own - H.E.R.

• Everbody Business - Kehlani

• Irresponsible - Kiana Ledé

[todayisyourturntolose]

Share pdude hcs??? 😈

ok soooo. idk if you mean one pdude in particular sooo imma do the basic ones! (p1,p2,p3,p4)

good lord it has been forever since ive been able to write down my hcs for these sillies, and i have a whole bunch so i'll put it under le cut :)

p1

-well versed in ASL, uses it in overwhelming situations

-sunglasses double as prescription lenses (i give this hc to basically all of the other dudes, but i think p1 would need glasses more than any of them)

-probably the smartest of the other dudes. essentially a polymath. if you ask him a question about almost anything, he'd probably give you a reasonable answer

-surprisingly good at drawing. does better with drawing portraits rather than full body. has a very scratchy and rough looking art style

-(technically canon bcuz of like, the war journal) writes in a journal (essentially a diary, but he'd rather die than call it that), mainly writes about his emotions and internal struggles, but sometimes writes about the other dudes and his experiences with them

-cannot go to sleep in silence. he's gotta have music on or some sort of background noise or else his mind starts to wander

p2

-physically can't stay in one place without moving. whether it be rocking in place, tapping his foot, or shifting his weight from one foot to the other, he's always making some sort of movement.

-actually pretty friendly to those around him. he just has a pretty short temper, getting easily agitated by things (or people) around him

-besides p1, probably the skinniest of all the dudes. mans is all bones compared to say p4 or p3

-champ is his emotional support animal. he's been through a lot, and champ is basically his only refresher from the hell he lives in

-strangely flexible...can slip through fairly small cracks and corners easily

-has a LOT of vocal stims. this mf meows whenever he sees a cat. he makes random noises to himself. he repeats things that he hears others say

p3

-got a surprisingly good amount of muscle on him. goes to the gym pretty often. definitely flexes whenever he gets the chance

-slight southern accent. very noticeable when he gets angry or when he talks fast. if you point it out to him, he'd probably get really embarrassed

-average r&b enjoyer. out of the blue, p1 once asked who luther vandross was, to which p3 gave an almost hour long lecture about the importance of r&b and why it's one of the best genres to date, why old r&b is miles better than new r&b, quizzing p1 on different artists, etc

-also an unironic country music enjoyer. he begs and pleads the other dudes to let him play just a little bit of johnny cash whenever he's offered the aux cord. maybe a bit of dolly parton. hell, probably some shania twain, if he's feeling bold.

-a fairly good singer. he's no freddie mercury, but to say he's horrible would be an overstatement. knows what songs are in his range, and which ones aren't. isn't really one to sing out loud in front of a lot of people, though. (one time, he sang to p1 in an attempt to calm him down during one of his moments. it worked, surprisingly :0)

p4

-one of the happiest dudes. at this point in his life, he's not nearly as violent as the others (he still has his moments, of course, but he's not one to just spontaneously go ham) and just sorta accepts things as they are

-a genre GOD. this man listens to pretty much everything. his favorite genres are funk, nu-metal (or metal in general), pop, and r&b (he and p3 bond over their fav artists)

-while champ is basically an emotional support animal to p2, to p4, champ is more of a service dog. he's getting older, which means he isn't able to do things as easily as he used to, so champ is there to fetch things for him and in general, just help him with daily tasks

-very confident with who he is. he isn't embarrassed by the things he does. he takes pride in being different.

-doesn't give himself labels when it comes to sexuality or gender. it's not that he's against it, he just prefers the idea of being unlabeled. (though, i personally hc him as being pansexual and transmasc. you go grandpa.)

-DAD BOD. a fair bita muscle, though. he's pretty strong compared to the other dudes.

-has an array of random talents. one day he'll just start juggling randomly and be like "oh, this? yeah, i picked it up a few years ago. nothing to write home about, to be honest."

--

aaaaand that's all! sorry if it's a lot, i just rlly have a lot to say abt these goobers (and even more to say abt the dudes i didn't include!)

[notgivingafuckopolis]

Spoiler for those who have not played baldur’s gate 3 or haven’t finished playing everything yet for Astarion. Idk if things happen with each companion’s story regardless of who you romance (I’m thinking like Otome games when you pick someone and everyone else’s story falls to the background )

So tiktok got me in a rabbit hole that is romancing Astarion from Baldur’s gate. And I’m gobbling up as much fanfiction as I can on tumblr and ao3. It’s so crazy bc I can’t play this on my laptop it’s a simple school laptop I’ve had for a few years so I doubt I could. And I think I seen something about it being playable on ps5 and I don’t have it like that. Took a long minute just to get a switch. So what I’m saying is it’s crazy how obsessed I am over a game I can’t play. So I’ve been watching cutscenes and edits and reading fic. As much as I would love to add by doing my own fics I don’t feel confident with my limited information about the world of the game in general so I rather share an idea I have an idea for a fic instead.

So I’ve been hearing about ascended vs non ascended Astarion and I think the general consensus is it’s better in the long run not to especially with how he treats the player(or tav??) and how vastly different than preascension or if you never ascend him. So hear me out. Time travel.

Like Tav ascends Astarion and they realize when it’s too late that it’s was a wrong idea. He turns tav into a spawn and he promises never to control them as he was before. But he’s high on power and let’s say tav realizes this isn’t the same man they fell for they may want out or they don’t jump to agree to do things he’s wanting them to do. Then he does the unthinkable and forces tav to do something they don’t want to, it doesn’t have to be r*pe (I prefer it not to) it could be he forces tav to kill someone or bring him pray (bringing that abuse with his old master full circle). Or maybe he’s feeling himself as a powerful and attractive vampire he can have anyone, why ‘settle’ for tav? What if takes another ‘consort’ and tav is betrayed. This is the thanks they get after helping him ascend?

So tav could somehow end up dead, maybe the new consort murdered them with their guard down, maybe in despair they step into the sun. They don’t want eternal life if they can’t be his only. They don’t want forever with a man they don’t recognize. They wished they can do things differently. Or (like some transmigration theme manwha) they go to bed crying and hurt thinking ‘if only I stopped him, this isn’t the Astarion I knew’ and they’re filled with regret. Or they can even stumble across a magic item (again idk what kinda magic or what’s possible in this universe I’ve only seen random cutscenes on tiktok). Anyway tav wakes up back in time. Back from before it can be right before the ritual or ideally it can be further back. Tav is shocked, confused they just died/went to sleep after getting the worst betrayal of their life. How can they be back with all their companions and Astarion and they have to make different choices with him to be able to guide him off the path of darkness that will come with ascending. The back in time thing is literally the same as when you restart a save file bc you wanted to see the outcome of your choices before committing to them. Only in this story tav gets one shot of course. So it’s like tav goes back in time and they choose if they want to romance him all over (depending on how far tav goes back) or just save him and never look back (but like of course tav stays bc this is the Astarion they love and remembers so by the end they’re so happy when they get all that sweet stuff with non ascended Astarion. Rather if he or anyone else other than tav finds out about the time jump is up to you, the writer. Maybe he gets random moments of dejavu and perhaps when the outcome changes he’s a bit confused. Maybe right before shit hits the fan he has a nightmare about the old timeline I could see that being how he remembers. And like the guilt (bc by this point he’s in love with tav) like how could this have happened? He cause so much pain to the one he loves. And like maybe he chooses himself not to do the ritual rather than others trying to stop him. That’s a fun idea to toy with too. But I think tav being stressed about making the choices all over us fun too.

Anyway someone please write this. Or if someone has and you’ve seen it link me tag me whatever I gotta read.

[opens-up-4-nobody]

...

[emblazons]

I think the thing that makes me sometimes "doubt" Byler endgame is how the writers seem to treat Will in the narrative by either making him nonexistent, sidelined and unimportant overall with often minimum screentime. Idk. A lot of ppl tried to explain why it was necessary for him to be sidelined but that resulted in the audience thinking that Byler has no chance of becoming canon and that Will is just a useless background character. Add the monologue moment in S4 and Mike constantly talking about all in S4, how do you explain the duffers will make the narrative fit in what they have showed so far in the show? Most ppl will think Byler came out of nowhere and if Will gets a huge moment regarding fixing/saving the world ppl will think it came out of blue and there was no buildup. It takes really pains to prove Will's importance and Mike's love for Will. And not sure if the writers will manage that.

—so I’ve answered some version of this kind of doubt several times on this blog before, so I’m going to direct you to those posts, so as not to reinvent the wheel:

Will's Taking a Backseat in S3 + Dustin companion piece

The Duffers, Show v Tell, and people missing subtext

The Duffers Aren't Writing "Casual TV"...they're writing for themselves and people like them

Why people assume ST is written poorly (like other shows)

General Audiences, Media Literary, and "Catching" Byler

Why I Don't Understand "Duffer Doubt"

On: "Objective" Byler (and ST) Commentary

The Duffers, the "GA," and how your value system affects how you go about interpreting (or missing things in) media

Mike & Will's 3 season arc (and how it fits in the wider narrative)

On: M&R being "2 Straight White Guys" writing a queer story

+ a cut for more thoughts about how Will really wasn't all that sidelined lmao

That said: if I’m honest, I fundamentally disagree with the premise that the duffers somehow need to “make the narrative of Will fit into s5,” as though he hasn’t been integral to the Hawkins connection to the UD since literally day one.

That, combined with the fact that he was barely even in season one outside of flashbacks (and yet still managed to carry all of S2) + hasn’t really been sidelined at all if you know how to read emotional beats and not just “action” ones? Like, sure, him not being front and center was true in S3, but given that he is the center of all of Mike’s emotional decisions across all of S4 and is now quite literally holding the “main relationship” (which it’s not, but we’ll let that go) together…saying he’s not central to what’s to come given his active connection to El, Mike, every single Byers, the rest of the Party and now Henry/Vecna as we file back into Hawkins is insane.

IMO, the real problem (and at the risk of sounding like every byler critic on the internet) is that the show is made of an ensemble cast who have all had their rounds in the spotlight over the seasons…which means that Will is not going to always be at the fore front of the action, because this is not The Will Show and not every season is written with his story as its primary narrative core. That said, if you are paying attention to the emotional and even supernatural beats of the show, you can clearly see where they’ve set Will up to hold an important and even critical role in the final season—

—especially given that characters like Henry and Vecna didn’t even technically exist 2 seasons ago, and yet now hold primary weight in the story and in the minds of this “general audience” people love acting like matter most to the Duffers (even tho they have repeatedly said they don’t lmao).

I personally do not give a damn about what “the GA” thinks is possible given that half of them were mad when Will was central to the story in S2 (the 'S2 was my least favorite season / the season I don't watch much of people) and half of them couldn’t even tell he was gay, despite being plain as day to anyone who doesn’t need every single beat of the story spelled out for them….and that the duffers literally and repeatedly make fun of people for doing I throughout the show.

All that said...I respect your right to doubt, but…of all the things I could doubt The Duffers being able to pull off in the minds of this nebulous “GA” everyone thinks is so stupid they haven't picked up on any subtext or plain narrative (which I could make a strong case they aren't...which is why they pitch such a bitch lmao), making Will central to the 5th season after all the pains they’ve taken to flesh out both his connection to the UD and his romantic feelings/sexuality is not one of them.

It's not as nearly "blindsiding" as people seem to think it is—because the second you stop thinking everyone is heteronormative, you realize a lot of people who just aren't as loud as the naysayers on the internet see it plain as day.

[lucy-sky]

Just Another Friday Night (Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin x f!Reader)

Alright folks, I keep experimenting with writing for different fandoms because why not shitty writing is not a crime after all xD 

Words: 3515; Warnings: mentions of casual sex and alcohol consumption. No explicit smut though, sorry :’D 

Also in this fic: Slight enemies to lovers trope; slight insecurities from the reader’s part; Hangman is a huge show-off; guest appearances of Coyote and Bob (and Rooster playing the piano in the background :D) 

AO3 link if you prefer reading there

Tagging @munsonownsmyass​ because idk anyone else who would be interested in this :D

On a Friday night The Hard Deck is always pretty crowded, but the atmosphere is lovely. All the steady customers and pilots are here, chatting, laughing, drinking and enjoying the evening. Rooster took a place at the old piano and is playing some vaguely familiar tunes - sometimes you joke that Penny should probably pay him a salary for live music. At times like this you actually feel lucky to work at such a nice and friendly place.

There’s only one thing that’s making your mood a bit darker tonight. Jake Seresin, callsign Hangman is here too. Well, of course he is, as well as the other pilots. Where else would they go on a Friday night? He seems relaxed and unbothered, as always, and you hate the way his presence makes you feel. It’s over. O V E R. Period. You’re hundred percent sure it was the right decision, the best one for probably the both of you. So why the hell it’s so hard to just… feel normal about it? Damn, you really miss the good old days… Well, not that old, actually. It’s crazy how only like… a month ago everything was so simple. Why does sex make everything so goddamn complicated? Or is it just you…

“You really think it’s gonna work?..” Bob asked quietly, looking at you with those enormous puppy eyes of his. “I mean… What if she… uh…”

“Are you kidding me? Of course it’s gonna work! She literally talks about you all the time, Bob!” you assured.

“Really?..” he looked genuinely surprised, “Sh-she talks about me?..”

“Well, not with everyone, but I’m her friend, so yeah… We discuss you boys from time to time,” you giggle softly. “Trust me, you have nothing to worry about.”

“I know…” he sighs deeply, blush creeping over his cheeks. “But she’s just so beautiful, I-”

“That’s true, she’s pretty. But she’s humble too. And Bob… Lily really really likes you, a lot. So just go for it!” you winked at him, and Bob smiled back sheepishly. Then he turned to search your colleague with his eyes. Lily just finished wiping one of the tables in the corner and was about to return to the counter.

“It’s your chance, c’mon!” you whispered, gently pushing him on the shoulder.

“Okay… Okay, I'm going.”

You couldn’t help grinning as you watched Bob approaching Lily. He looked so cute and bashful, and she smiled at him so brightly and happily. For sure they would make an adorable couple. You were even a tiny bit jealous. Not because you liked Bob or something - your feelings for him were purely platonic. It’s just the way he looked at her… To be fair, you could hardly imagine someone looking at you like that. You could keep scrunching your nose and saying the romance was overrated, but you had to admit it at least to yourself - a part of you was curious to know what it feels like. Nevertheless, you sincerely felt happy for your friend. You loved Lily a lot, and thought she absolutely deserved all the happiness in the world.

“‘Scuse me…”

Damn, with all this romantic novel worthy stuff you almost forgot you were actually at work.

“Yeah?” you turned to see Coyote at the counter.

“One beer for this asshole, please,” he muttered, pointing at Hangman who stood next to him, a smug grin on his handsome face.

“Ah, shit… Not again!..” You sighed, giving him a compassionate look. “I’m sorry, Javy.”

Hangman plays darts very well, and everybody knows it. But still from time to time his fellow pilots make desperate attempts to beat him. So far, none of them was successful.

“What can I say, sunshine? I always win,” he shrugged with a content smile.

“Oh, is that you, Hangman? Sorry, your ego is so huge I barely noticed you behind it,” you said sarcastically as you handed him the beer.

“Sassy as always,” he chuckled.

“Hey, what’s Bob doing?” Coyote suddenly asked, nodding in the direction of Bob and Lily. They were talking about something quietly, you could see Lily smiling at him as he gently touched her hand. Both looked a bit shy and completely smitten with each other. “Did he finally ask her out?”

“Yes! Well, um… I hope so. He was about to do it. I encouraged him.”

“As you should!” Coyote nodded in agreement. “I mean… Look at them! Literally a couple of lovebirds!”

“Right?? So glad Bob finally dared to approach her…”

“You know what, I don’t get what’s all the fuss about,” Hangman said lazily, sipping on his drink. “I mean… He really didn’t have to be that antsy - all the girls love pilots after all.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, darling, but I’m afraid that’s not entirely true,” you retorted.

“Really? Okay. Name one girl you know who wouldn’t date a pilot then.” Hangman wiggled his eyebrows.

“How about me?”

“You?” He looked surprised, and so did Coyote. “Mind telling me why’s that?” He leaned against the counter so that his face was inches from yours. You could even smell his cologne like this. God, this man’s so full of himself it makes you sick sometimes… And yet, there’s something dangerously attractive about him.

“Alright, I’ll tell you,” you lowered your voice as if you were revealing a big secret. “Most of you guys are way too cocky for my taste. And way, way too full of yourselves. And, you know... guys like that... In reality they’re not nearly as good as they think of themselves,” you winced. “All they can do is showing off.”

“Ouch! Girl!” Coyote laughed as Hangman’s grin faded. “What’s that I just heard? Is it someone’s ego crackin’?”

“Shut up, man,” Jake grumbled, but it took him seconds to get back to his usual attitude. “It’s not cocky, it’s called charisma, baby.”

“Oh, okay… You can think so if it makes you feel better,” you shrugged, giving him an innocent smile as Coyote snorted another laugh.

That’s how it used to be. You and Hangman kept poking each other like this all the time, sometimes rather flirty, but nothing more than this. It was fun, and everything was great until that Friday night.

That night, for once you weren’t in the bar for work. It was Penny’s birthday, and everyone was invited, including you. And yes, Hangman was there too, along with the other pilots.  

You were having a great time. It’s been a while since you felt so relaxed, so happy and careless - just drinking, laughing and dancing. Even Jake Seresin didn’t seem all that annoying that night…

You vaguely remember walking out of the bar to get some air, and him holding you probably a little too close than you would normally allow. And you can’t tell who made the first move for a kiss, but what happened happened - in the end of the night you found yourselves in bed together.

It was a bit weird and clumsy, but still, as ridiculous as it sounds, probably the best sex you’ve ever had. The cocky bastard made you come twice, left a couple of hickies on your neck, and you could swear he also got a few marks from your nails digging into his broad shoulders and back.

The morning after was awkward as hell, but your head was aching so bad you simply weren't able to think much about what happened between the two of you. Thankfully the next day in the bar Jake acted as if nothing happened, and you breathed out a sigh of relief. Just a drunken one night stand which was most certainly not gonna happen again. And honestly you thought it’s for the best.

It happened again a couple of weeks later. That time you had a really bad day. To your surprise, Hangman noticed that something was off and suggested to drive you home after work. You couldn’t really explain why you said yes. Probably because you felt really shitty and it was just good to have someone around, it gave you some sort of comfort. You were also not in the mood to talk much about your problems, but thankfully he seemed to be satisfied with your vague answers and didn’t insist on you getting into details. It was also nice, and you were thankful, so you leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. He kissed you on the lips in return.

That night wasn’t as messy as the first one. In fact, he was pretty gentle, as if he really felt something for you. You didn’t allow yourself to fall into this trap though. Clearly you’re not the kind of a girl golden boy Jake Seresin would seriously be into. But at least it was a good distraction - in his arms you simply lost your ability to think for a while.

He left early, while you were still asleep, saving the both of you from another embarrassment.

And then there was that time when not you, but he had a bad day. You still don’t know what exactly happened. It was late, and you almost fell asleep in front of the TV when he knocked on your door.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you?” you frowned as you tried to read his expression - he was frustrated for sure, and angry too. “Someone beat your ass in darts?..”

He didn’t answer your sassy remark. Instead, he stepped in and you instantly found yourself pinned against the wall, his lips kissing you furiously, hands almost ripping down your sweatpants. His hot breath against your skin, and he smelled like alcohol and sweat mixed with some expensive cologne; that musky scent somehow made your head spin as if you were drunk as well. Or maybe it was his kisses? Feverish, deep and merciless. It’s like a hurricane that swept you away, not giving you any chance to resist.

It was just sex. Nothing wrong with that. After all, you're two adult people. You may hate his cockiness, he may hate your sarcasm, but who cares when he makes you literally see stars with his tongue, or his cock, or those big hands and those long, thick fingers of his? Makes you moan out his name as you grip onto the sheets? Who cares when the warmth of his bare skin against yours feels both spine-tingling yet so comforting when he wraps his arms around you? Who cares that when the morning comes, the magic fades, and you get back to your usual roles: you’re a random waitress, he's a self-centered yet charming pilot, just one of the many customers you see every evening?

And relationships? Pff. Relationships are simply overrated.

For a while you were really good at convincing yourself you were fine and what’s happening between you and Hangman was just purely physical. It’s when you saw him one day shamelessly flirting with another girl, you realized you weren’t fine at all. It hurt as if someone punched you in the chest. Yes, he slept with you from time to time, but he wasn’t yours, never been and never could be. And actually you knew that all this time, just refused to pay attention.

The girl Jake flirted with was new in town. She got the men’s attention from the very first night she entered The Hard Deck. Perfect body, perfect makeup, sexy dress and high heels. She looked like a top model or a movie star and she definitely knew it. And well, of course she had to choose the most handsome guy. He’s a Prince Charming, and she’s a beauty queen. They looked great together, you couldn’t deny. Way better than you would look next to him - a clumsy nerdy girl, neither very slim, nor tall, and almost always wearing old baggy jeans and a pair of chucks. Maybe in a way you’re cute too, maybe you also have your own charm. Maybe. But you and Jake are simply from different leagues, and it’s stupid to think you could be something more than just… fuck buddies? Or whatever the hell you were.

You couldn’t tell if he noticed you distancing yourself from him. You wanted to think so, but maybe he’s been too busy with himself and his new girlfriend to pay attention. Probably you needed to talk to him, but you simply couldn’t bring yourself to do it. What were you even gonna start with? “Jake, I’m breaking up with you”? But you weren’t dating anyways.

Soon, you got the opportunity to explain yourself though.

Just another Friday, just another crowded night. You walked between the tables after bringing an order, when someone grabbed you by the wrist.

“Hey there, sweetheart,” the man at the table looked at with drunk eyes, predatory grin on his face. Right, of course. This asshole had been eyeing both you and Lily the entire night - something simply had to happen.

“How ‘bout giving me your number? We could… ya know… have fun together,” he continued, licking his lips.

“I doubt that,” you winced, trying to pull away from his grip, surprisingly tight for someone that drunk. “Let go.”

“That’s pretty fucking rude to talk to customers like that,” the man’s voice started to sound threatening, although you weren’t scared.

“I said, let go of me right now,” you hissed. “Let me work.”

“Hey bud. Haven’t you heard what the lady just said?”

You didn’t even need to turn your head to recognize Hangman’s voice.

“You got problems here, flyboy?” the drunkard asked boldly, finally letting go of your wrist and standing up to look Jake in the eye.

“I don’t,” Hangman shrugged with his signature smirk. “You do.”

“Oh, really?”

The next moment the drunk man tried to make a strike at Hangman, but his condition betrayed him, and Jake easily caught his arm and twisted it behind his back.

“Guess you have to leave, buddy. We respect the girls here,” he said, pushing the man towards the exit to throw him out of the bar. The crowd cheered, and Jake smiled triumphantly.

“So… Hangman saved the day again, huh?” he winked, coming closer to you.

“Oh fuck off,” you rolled your eyes as you turned away from him and headed back to the counter.

“You could at least say thank you, you know.”

Apparently he expected you to be grateful, but all you felt was annoyance.

“I didn’t ask you for help. I’m pretty much able to stand up for myself,” you snapped.

“Whoa,” Jake frowned in confusion. “What's got into you, sunshine? Can’t let someone care for you?”

“Oh please,” you snorted. “You care for me? We both know it’s not about me. It’s about you - you just always have to be a fucking hero of the day and a center of attention, isn’t that right?”

For once Hangman seemed to be lost for words and it felt strangely satisfying.

Hours later, when you got home from your shift, he knocked on your door.

“Wanna talk about what the hell’s happening?” he asked, hazel eyes scanning your expression.

“Thought I already told you everything tonight,” you muttered.

“Yeah, well… It’s not just about tonight, it’s been a few days already.”

“Oh wow. You actually noticed.”

“Hey, would you stop that with your sarcasm for once? What did I do?”

“Nothing,” you sighed deeply. “You were just being you, that’s all. And I… I’m just tired.”

“Tired?..” he blinked in slight confusion.

“Yeah, uh… You know, casual sex was fun and all, but I can’t do that any more, okay? It’s over. So why don’t you go hang out with that new girl of yours and leave me alone?”

“Wait, I don’t… Oh, I get it! You’re just jealous, aren’t you?” he cocked his eyebrow. Damn, this man was absolutely insufferable. The smug look on his face made you want to punch him.

“No, Jake, I’m not jealous. I just feel like I’m kinda… being used. You know, when you sleep with me, and then flirt with someone else like it’s nothing… I guess this kind of a relationship - just sex and nothing else - is not for me after all.”

“Didn’t you say I’m not the kind of a guy you’d date?”

“Yes, I did,” you admitted. “But that’s how I feel. I wish I didn’t, but I can’t help it. I shouldn’t have let this happen, but now that it happened… All I can do is just finish it, before I fall for you more than I already did and get hurt even more.”

There, you said it. You didn’t plan to admit having feelings for him out loud, but it just just tumbled from your mouth like that. Jake's smile faded at your words, and you gulped nervously, cheeks burning.

“Anyway, let’s just… You do what’s better for you, and I’ll do what’s better for me, okay?” you mumbled.

“Okay…” he nodded, and for the second time today you had a feeling he didn’t know what to say, all his cockiness suddenly disappearing. You knew it’s not for long though, so you forced yourself not to let this new, oddly vulnerable expression of his melt your heart.

“Bye, Hangman,” you said simply, closing the door.

“Hey there.”

There he is. As if he sensed you thinking of him, Hangman makes his way to the counter.

“Hey,” you reply, as dryly as you possibly can. “Another beer?”

“Yes please.”

There’s something unusual in the way he sounds today, but you can’t quite catch what exactly.

“Here you are,” you say, as you place a glass in front of him. “Anything else,” you add, as he seems somewhat hesitant, still standing there leaning against the counter instead of grabbing the beer and returning to his pals.

“Yeah, uh… there is something else, actually,” he says, clearing his throat and slamming his hand against the counter loudly enough to make the people around turn their glances at you. “Lily told me you’ve got a day-off tomorrow, is that right?”

Wait, what? He talked to Lily?  

“Jake…” you let out a deep frustrated sigh. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Trying to ask you out. Kinda seems pretty obvious, no?” there's a soft mischievous chuckle on his lips - you hate how charming it looks.

What the fuck.  

“I told you, it’s over,” you lower your voice to almost a whisper, but you still sound so incredibly loud, because goddamn Rooster stopped playing, and is watching the “show” with the rest of the bar. You have to fight the urge to throw something at him. “Whatever it was between us, it's-”

“Exactly,” Jake cuts you off, “Whatever it was between us is over, and now I’m asking you out on a date. Officially. That’s it, I mean it,” his face suddenly turns serious. “No more hiding or shit like that. How ‘bout that?”

“I…but…” you blink, lost for words. He surely can’t be serious about this… Or can he?.. You’re still from different leagues, guys like him don’t date girls like you. Impossible. And yet, these hazel eyes tell you a different story.

You can still feel all the eyes on you, the “audience” nearly holding a breath as if he’s proposing to you, and they’re waiting for your decision.

“What about the new girl?” you blurt.

“Well… Had to tell her it’s not gonna work,” Hangman shrugs, “Sadly, she’s just not sassy enough for my taste.”

He grins at you widely, the same signature Hangman’s grin, and yet… There's something different in the way he looks at you, his eyes so warm and filled with sudden tenderness you could never expect from him. And you simply can’t help it - you smile back.

“So… Is that a yes?” he asks. “C’mon, sunshine… I know you think I’m a cocky ass, but ain’t I worth a chance?”

You know he already knows the answer, but well… People are waiting.

“Okay… Yes, I’m officially going out with you,” you declare, and his smile gets even bigger.

“Yeah, man!” someone cheers in the back, probably Coyote, “You go, Hangman!”

Ugh. This bastard always manages to be a hero, doesn’t he?

“Please don’t make me regret it, Seresin,” you whisper, leaning closer to him.

“Will do my best,” he smirks, and before you know it, he closes the distance between the two of you, his lips catching yours in a kiss, that’s somehow so much sweeter than usual. You giggle against his mouth as you hear a round of applause.

“And now, ladies and gents,” you say loudly as you pull back and reach for the bell above the counter, “Mr. Hangman’s buying a round for everyone! Yay!”

“Hey, what was that for??” Hangman clamors dramatically.

“For being the biggest fucking show-off around here,” you grin. He laughs and shakes his head.

“Rude. But fine, I take it. Get over here.”

He cups your face and kisses you again, the crowd cheers and applause even louder. The room instantly fills with laughter, clinking of glasses, and Rooster finally gets back to playing - another Friday night goes on, as it should.

Thanks for reading! Idk if I’m gonna write for this or any other Top Gun character again, but it was fun :)

[sunskate]

FD-

with nearly half the teams cut after the RD, the FD was all teams who had Grand Prix assignments (except S/F who weren't yet eligible 🇨🇦→🇮🇪)

PiriHara's Chicago program was a surprise - it hadn't made much of an impression over a stream, but what do you know, Broadway is better live 😅

Olivia and Tim - they never did work out the timing glitches in this program. at least he made it to the end without struggling so much condition-wise like he did at Challenge Cup a few weeks ago. catching up to her in one season was a tall order. i really love how languid and easy she can make it look while covering big ice. send him to IAMO for the summer. it's no consolation to them, but going below both sibling teams allowed the Czech Republic to keep 2 spots for next Worlds

Taschlers were low balled - in no reality should they be below Davis/Smolkin

the swan lakes - D/S in this context, skating against strong teams, look so very small, shallow and with not much ice coverage. it doesn't help that they picked huge music that normally would be danced by an entire stage full of swans. plus their music cut had a couple awful jarring edits - the audacity to slug in extra notes in Tchaikovsky 💀 i might be the only one so bothered lol

the Mrazeks by comparison looked smoother and faster and smarter in that they picked some of the gentler swan lake music including the waltz. for a first year senior team, they can be proud. another first year team who's been even more stellar is Hannah and Ye -

omg they were so good - they're able to be so emotional without feeling over the top. just expressive and connected to each other. lovely ❤️

i like Demougeot/LeMercier - i'm going to look forward to see what they do next. i hope they keep being quirky

really happy to see T/V and R/A live - T/V are willowy and ethereal, and her ballet background shows. but i don't think they get down into the ice. i like this FD a lot, but the interest in it is in those arm movements and elements more so than the skating. R/A i liked the RD a little more than the FD but like them very much

CPom are raising their game all the time - so happy for them and their well earned rise. what i love is that not only do you see them becoming better skaters and performers, but you can see they believe - their confidence in themselves is at a completely different place than it was 2 years ago

omg, live i didn't see just how long Charlene's skirt was caught on her blade at the end. idk if Barbara in the kiss and cry was holding her breath to see if the judges used the little mistakes to put F/G ahead. thank god they didn't, because G/F still have such a higher quality

and Piper and Paul - this program uses the glide and sweep of the music to emphasize that in the skating in a beautiful way. a skated program is so much more satisfying than an element-fest like C/B's. as impressive as their elements and performances can be, i don't know if i've ever been moved by a program of theirs

my favorite of the entire event - LaLa - i was crying by the gorgeous OFt. they alone would have been worth the trip. but gratitude to all the skaters and their coaches - my cup's full. i'm still processing