#full song seems fitting tbh

[florenceisfalling]

looking in deep down at all that's gone, the pain you feel goes on and on close your eyes and fall, beautiful fall, beautiful end, beautiful fall

[fairyhaos]

seventeen as seventeen songs

requested by @nishloves

notes: honestly this was hard to do 😭 i kept thinking about songs that are most iconic for that member rather than which song they fit, but hopefully it's still somewhat accurate <3

[the spotify playlist with these songs in too]

masterlist

seungcheol

clap. if there's any song that screams "i'm the leader of seventeen and we're better than any of your lazy asses", then it's clap. it's also such an iconic song, and the hypeness and brightness and the coolness and suaveness it radiates all at once is very very seungcheol, if you ask me. it also doesn't hurt that he looked so so good with his silver hair in the mv.

jeonghan

snap shoot. okay, this one sounds really unusual, but hear me out. snap shoot gives encore song vibes, goodbye song but not quite goodbye, "today was fun and i hope to see you soon" vibes. it's like standing back and watching everyone have fun because of something that you did. it's being happy n having fun by seeing that you made others have fun. and that's jeonghan.

joshua

falling for u. it's such a delicate song, all polite and sweet and delicate and therefore it's just very very much joshua. the youthful, almost playful edge to the melody reminds me of him, along with the kind of naive, "you're so pretty so i fell in love" kind of loving that the song feels like makes me think of josh. also a bonus that he has tons of lines in this song, since it's just a duet w him and jeonghan haha

junhui

my my. the hope!! the sweetness!! the little funky music in the intro that adorably reminds me of junhui's voice!! it's all just so him. the way this song just encapsulates feelings of youth and life and being forever young and forever going towards your dreams... that never-failing optimism is so junhui it almost hurts

hoshi

hit. if you don't think the constant "woah woah woah woah woah"s and "let me drop the 음악" aren't the most hoshi things ever then idk what you're on, man. it's hype, it's powerful, it's "im better than you and even you know it" and so cocky but also so True that you can't even refute it. it's about always doing better, always going further, and that's just so hoshi.

wonwoo

lean on me. jazzy, chill, dependable vibes are a very very wonwoo thing, actually, and that's what this entire song is about. it's laid back, and yet loving at the same time, caring and comfortable and ready to be by your side. it feels like a song you'd listen to while on a walk with him at night, his camera up to his eyes, his hand wrapped around yours.

woozi

247. it's romantic, but also a little wistful at the same time? elegant, yet nostalgic, thoughtful and sweet and like dancing across a glass lake. it's what woozi feels like, with his intelligence and how delicately he feels things. to be honest, a lot of the ballad-style, romantic earlier songs of svt fit him rlly well, but 247 even more so

minghao

hit song. it's a smooth feeling song, like running a cloth over a black marble countertop. honestly, finding a minghao vibe song is really hard for me, but some of their gentler songs seem to fit him, full of devoted, almost shy love that feels very minghao to me. that devotion, that softness and yet the determination also present feels like him

mingyu

boomboom. purely based on the vibes of the song tbh, and the prominent drums and chromaticism of the melody feel like mingyu, along with the brass accents and the confidence and coolness is just all so very very there that it makes me think of mingyu practically almost instantly.

dokyeom

kidult. not only because his vocals in this song are both iconic and utterly incredible, but even its message is very dokyeom. it encapsulates his innate urge to help people, to heal people, to make sure they smile and that they know they're loved. it's a precious song, and a song about letting others know they're precious, and has me crying and smiling, just like dokyeom does.

seungkwan

'bout you. it's a devastatingly romantic song, like a simple, easy love. it's like the type of love with zero complications, just full of two people laughing and running through fields hand in hand and hearts full of love for one another. the entire song feels so fresh, almost citrusy, and never ever fails to bring a smile to my face. just like seungkwan, actually.

vernon

crush. im gonna be real with u i have no idea how to explain this one but yeah. crush gives me vernon vibes and idk, maybe it's the funky vibes of the song with its mild chromaticism that give me a vernon feeling, but yeah. vernon is crush. (maybe it's because that's what i have on him-)

chan

domino. it's a light song, like floating but not quite. almost as if bouncing on your feet in midair, leaping across clouds which just gives me chan vibes. it also gives me movie ending credits song vibes after a bright, high school-set rom com learning-to-grow kind of movie which is very very chan in my opinion

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[wheeboo]

seventeen as wave to earth songs

FEATURING. seventeen (ot13) GENRE. headcanons WARNINGS. none WORD COUNT. 1.3k

notes: i thought n wrote this within the hours of 3-4 am because my brain couldn’t fight the urge even tho no one asked for this lmao ;; im blaming this seungkwan edit on tiktok that conspired me to do this. a lot of ppl have prob done this but this is my take (some of them were HARD) :') honestly any of these can be switched around

choi seungcheol as calla

the first word i associated with this song is "devotion", and my mind immediately thought of cheol. he is the definition of loyalty and puts in his all when it comes to love and towards whoever his calla will be. he has the power of reassurance and hope, and this can also be interpreted vice versa will cheol being the "calla" of the relationship--the one who may be withering away inside, so he needs that other half to supply him with the rain that he needs to grow

"But Calla, you can always grow back, oh If you don't have enough sunlight I'll blow the clouds away, Calla Bloom yourself until the end"

yoon jeonghan as daisy.

jeonghan as daisy just MAKES SENSE?? he is the splash of colour within a simplistic life, a constant source of happiness even in the most mundane situations. i just love the vibrant feels of this song and it makes me imagine a scenario of running down the beach holding hands with him. seeing his presence just never fails to brighten up my day up, and its just a very comforting song in general which reminds me sm of him

"Oh, daisy, it's my happiness to run into you Life always goes on and on But, I'll live with you forever So, be my daisy"

joshua hong as bad

the instrumentals of the song gives me joshua vibes. and just like the lyrics, how can the sight of joshua's smile/just him in general not make your day even better? for some reason i also had an imagination of him serenading someone with this song plsss, it would be so swoonworthy to hear that. its such a romantic song abt finding joy and happiness in your loved one, and i think joshua has a lot of love inside of him

"How could my day be bad when I'm with you? You're the only one who makes me laugh So how can my day be bad? It's a day for you"

wen junhui as light

the constant mention of the moon and the sky just gives me jun energy. i don't know if the word quirky is the right word to call this song (probably not, now that i think abt it, maybe more calm) but its a word i would definitely describe jun with. he's always a person who tries his best to shine as much as he could and he's just someone you can rely on yk

"You are my sea, you are my sunshine The star, the moon"

kwon soonyoung as pink

this song is just very... freeing and nostalgic? and it reminds of me soonyoung where everything just feel so liberating and free when it comes to being with him. his spirit just seems to rid of any worries just so easily, and it kind of reminds me of the sunset, where the colour pink is shown, and just like the song says- it's such a beautiful colour just like him

"During the sunset The pink light is clear It drew you, the beautiful you Your image" (translation may not be accurate because it's in full korean)

jeon wonwoo as seasons

someone had to be seasons and it was such a hard choice of who to give this song to but ultimately, i picked wonwoo. this song is just so bittersweet and melancholic. it holds so many heartfelt emotions inside of it but also so many unhappy emotions as well. it displays vulnerability and how that kind of feeling can feel burdensome to those around you and overall, i feel like he is the more perfect choice for this song tbh

"Oh my life is fallin' apart Maybe no one will notice if I disappear But I'll pray for you all the time If I could be by your side I'll give you all my life, my seasons"

lee jihoon as wave

i absolutely adore the instrumentals of this song sm. it's about embracing the unknown with someone special and i feel like the kinda fits with jihoon very well. i just love the symbolism of waves and stars in the song and how it symbolises this desire to adventure and traverse thru the unknown. i also think jihoon is very introspective n knowing that nothing lasts forever, but with the wave being mentioned that will last forever just,, perfectly contrasts with that? this was a bit hard to explain asljkdlas n made more sense in my head

"When you spoke to me, The words are like a floating star Now I'm next to you The waves will take us far away"

xu minghao as ride

the lyrics of the song is basically describing someone else being your safe space, and i definitely think minghao is that. he is the type of person whose presence is an easy source of comfort to whatever sort of emotional baggage one may hold. he's simply just the definition of the word comfort and to me, is what this song gives

"I'm on a ride Ride You are my city Everything"

kim mingyu as peach eyes

mingyu is just the type of person whose eyes seem to hold SO MUCH love or appear so lovestruck? or just him in general tbh--he just seems to hold so much love and is willing to dump that all for the person he adores w all his life. like eyes can carry so much within them istg. this song is also more on the cheery and upbeat side and i definitely think that resonates w the type of person that he is

"Peach eyes and blue skies It's on the moonlight, how many songs I write You'll be my sunlight, how could I not rely On you, peach eyes?"

lee seokmin as sunny days

the sun = seokmin hello?? i love the description of nature in this song and it reminds me of walking in the park on a sunny afternoon with him and it's just so perfect, like how everything is just so insignificant without the presence of the other person aka him. it's a golden type of love where it doesn't waver even as time goes by, and i can definitely see that with seokmin

"You are my golden age Evеrything shines so bright That my eyes go blind Our youth never ages here"

boo seungkwan as love.

this is my favourite wave to earth song btw. it may just be me being very biased but listening to the song while thinking of him just FITS him? the song is literally abt the strength of love thru hardships, being someone with a fragile heart, and reminds me of those types of hugs where it just feels... right? like everything is simply okay? the song makes me ascend each time i listen to it on full blast, and boo never fails to make me ascend with not just his voice, but his care and the amount of love he carries in himself, his strength, just HIM

"My little heart too Like small waves in it Broken and pushed back Melting into you Only then can I see my eternity" (translation may not be accurate because it's in full korean)

vernon chwe as so real

the instrumentals in this song esp at the end are so superior btw. other than that, despite the calm vibes this song emits just like vernon, it's also a song about feeling stuck, about being lost in your emotions. not that i'm assuming vernon is feeling this way, but in general, it reminds me of that feeling being alone in your own world which i think suits him with this song more than others

"I can't explain Where I'm buried now An empty vein You'll never understand"

lee chan as surf.

this song has such an uplifting and upbeat vibe and it's about enjoying the time that you have, even though it's temporary, and living in the moment spending time with yourself and also those that you love as well. the lyrics make me smile so much, and i definitely think chan fits the song very well because i def think he has this power to charge others (like his members) with energy just by being himself

"Dance my babe, dance my friends We don't have much time to enjoy Just sing it my babe Bigger than you ever did We don't have much time to enjoy Our time will be gone someday But I'm okay Life is like surfin' anyway"

taglist (open) ʚɞ @enhazen @haowrld @ylliris-hanniehae @icyminghao @slytherinshua @jeonride @lockburn-castle @vrnism @weird-bookworm @mhlsymlysn @ryuwonieebae

[loviatarsluv]

Would That I (2)

“True that love in withdrawal was the weeping of me

That the sound of the saw must be known by the tree

Must be felled for to fight the cold”

(all credits to the op of this gorgeous pic of my wizard <3)

pairing: Gale x f!tav (my own oc, Elara)

(takes place in an AU where the absolute and the cult basically don't exist so this is non-canon compliant, I guess)

rating: sfw, this one is pretty much purely fluff and angst

CW: yearning and pining, gale being very sweet and the gentleman he is, nasty drunk man saying nasty things, slight s*xual harassment, hurt/comfort, gale being protective, tara being tara

in summary: Elara and Gale plan to go to the market and spend the day together, which is cut short unexpectedly. nothing is ever easy for the two of them, it seems.

a/n: I’m torturing myself with this tbh I love a slow burn but GOD I just wanna write sweet romantic smut about the wizard already!!!

word count: 7.8k

Springtime in Waterdeep had to be one of the most breathtaking things she’d ever seen. 

The way the dogwood trees bloomed and blossomed in gorgeous shades of pink and pastel hues, the way the flowers that had been dormant during the colder months were now full of life and bursting with color, the way the sun shone so much brighter and the breeze felt like a warm but gentle embrace. 

Everything seemed to come alive with a brand new vigor— the streets were full again, the sounds of children running and playing as well as the Waterdhavian locals just existing and enjoying the sunshine for the first time in months echoed off the sides of the stone buildings that lined the streets. The faint melodic strumming of a lyre could be heard not too far from the Dekarios residence, as a bard occupied a spot just outside one of the nearby taverns and busked for coins throughout the day. 

She caught the end of a familiar tune as she approached the large window in her bedroom— a song that she remembered her mother singing to her before bed. One of the last vivid memories she had left of her. 

Elara hoped maybe they would pass the bard on their way to the market so she could toss them a few gold pieces. 

She gazed out over the expanse of the ocean and hummed along to the song until its eventual end, smiling somberly to herself and adjusting her dress to ensure it was perfect, before pulling on her boots and grabbing the basket she uses to gather fruits and vegetables at the market. 

It had been quite a while since she’d been able to wear her favorite dress, and today was the perfect weather, the perfect day, for her to finally bring it out again. She paces past the full length mirror in the corner of the room, stopping briefly and double checking her reflection. Her hair was mostly loose, half of her dark waves flowing along her shoulders and back and half of it tied back with a silver pin that adorned the shape of a mermaid, to keep it out of her eyes. Her dress fell right around her knees, the light blue fabric having small golden flecks throughout it as if stars were scattered across it. The neckline was low but not incredibly revealing, and it fit her waist and shoulders perfectly. She always felt so beautiful in this dress. It was her mother’s before she passed. One of her only other memories of her mother was seeing her twirling in the mirror as she tried the dress on for the first time. 

She always hoped that she could be as beautiful as her mother was when she got older. She wished that she could’ve been around to see her in it as she wore it now, but somehow whenever she put it on, she could feel her presence in the room. She could almost still smell the roses and sandalwood that used to linger on the collar of the dress.

Gale waited patiently for her downstairs as she got ready for their outing, busying himself by sitting at the table and reading the local news. He had to admit that he was quite elated to be accompanying her to the market today— feeling a sense of relief when she said yes when he asked her the day prior after her previous denial of his last invitation for an outing. He hoped she wasn’t doing it out of pity, but figured if she truly didn’t want to go that she would’ve just said so or made another excuse. 

He essentially jumps at the sound of her footsteps bounding down the stairs, standing quickly and straightening his clothes before she appears from the staircase, adjusting himself and ensuring nothing was askew or out of place. He smooths his hair, tucking a strand behind his ear and adjusts his sleeves just before she emerges from the staircase. 

He had to remind himself many times that this excursion was nothing more than a quick trip to the market— but it did little to quell the sweat beads rising in his palm and the buzzing in his stomach. He hadn’t spent a lot of time with her that felt like they were both choosing to. It almost always felt like they just happened to end up in the same room as each other by chance, rather than choosing to be in whatever room the other occupied just to be near them. If it were up to him, he would remain at her side every moment that her eyes were open and even while they were closed. But it wasn’t up to him. Not entirely, at least. 

He was only waiting for the right moment, or any sort of notion that she was even slightly interested— then, he would— well, do something. He hadn’t really thought that far yet. 

Now may be an apt time to start, though.

“Sorry I took so long, I had to make sure I had everything so we can stock up and last us a little longer.” She says, gesturing to the two wicker baskets draped over her arms. 

So this is what bards sing about so wistfully. This is what the love-stricken authors had in mind whilst they wrote hundreds of pages of longing and languishing— the beautiful girl that could make an entire room full of people’s heads turn in her direction just upon her entry, with long silken hair and stars in her eyes and on her dress. 

He’s rendered completely speechless, which was not a common occurrence for Gale. His heart flutters and pounds as she smiles at him expectantly, awaiting him to let her know that he was ready to leave as well. 

She notices him staring and glances down at herself, frowning. “Is it too much? It’s just so nice out, I thought, what better day for my favorite dress?” 

He’s completely transfixed by her, he almost doesn’t catch her words before he finally returns to reality after soaring through the clouds. He shakes his head almost in disbelief. 

“Not at all. You look… radiant, Elara.” He says, his voice low and reverent, as if he were admiring a painting hung in a gallery. 

A blush rises to her cheeks as she tries to fight off the widest smile she’d probably ever smiled. “Thank you. You look… handsome.” She replies, mimicking his phrasing and making him chuckle quietly.

“Why, thank you, my lady,” he says with a bow, then holds his hand out as an invitation for hers. She timidly places her hand in his, and he presses a gentle kiss to her knuckles. “Shall we?” 

She’s taken aback by the gesture, her already intense blush only becoming ever more prominent and persistent, the heat in her cheeks beginning to feel as though she may burn up before they even make it outside. 

She nods slowly, then follows his lead out the door, her hand lingering in his until they reach the front door steps. She takes a few steps ahead of him and tries to steady her breathing, as he quickly casts Arcane Lock on the door before rejoining her. 

They walk side by side in silence for a little while, both of them happily drinking in the sights surrounding them. Elara is still buzzing from Gale’s earlier comment and the sensation of his lips against her skin lingered on the back of her hand— they were so soft. Like rose petals. She could hardly focus on anything but their softness, even while the scratch of his beard tickled her skin. 

Radiant. He’d never complimented her like that before. In fact, she wasn’t sure anybody ever had. Not anyone that ever mattered enough to remember at least. 

But Gale— gods, she’d write it in the stars if she could. She would paint the night sky with each syllable in only the most dazzling of stars, the brightest she could find— so that every night she could remember the way it sounded dripping from his tongue like honey. 

A single word had never filled her entire body with a warmth that the sun could never provide. She felt as though she could fly if she really wanted to. 

Radiant.

“I’m not sure if I’ve ever asked you, but how have you enjoyed Waterdeep?” He asks, slowing his pace slightly to accommodate her, her legs being shorter than his so her shorter strides made her fall behind. 

He had asked, a few times. But that was months ago when it was all still new. Plus— her answer had changed considerably since the last time he asked. 

“I love it. It is so beautiful here. I certainly don’t miss Rivington.” She jokes, a soft melodic giggle following. Gale’s heart flutters. 

“There’s nothing quite like witnessing the changing of the seasons in Waterdeep. I’m happy to provide that experience for you, even under somewhat strange circumstances.” He replies, gesturing to the air around them. 

She smiles sheepishly and averts her gaze to the cobblestone beneath her feet as they continue to walk. “Thank you, for that, by the way. For… letting me stay with you. I know it’s not ideal, to have essentially a stranger in your home, and I don’t know if I’ve ever properly thanked you for it before, so,” she rambles, trying with everything in her not to look at his face out of fear of what she might see. 

He places a soothing hand on her arm, his fingertips featherlight against her flesh as she slowly runs them along the length of her bicep before returning to his side. 

“No need to thank me. Your presence has been a delightful change around here, one that was unexpected, but welcome nonetheless.” 

When she finally breaks and looks up at him, the warm and mirthful smile on his face nearly turns her legs to jelly, but she would happily melt under the sunshine that was his gaze. 

Before she can attempt to craft a response to him, a commotion is heard ahead, and both of their attention snaps to it. A crowd has begun to form near the front of the nearby tavern, and not a single intelligible word could be made out of the raucous whooping within the crowd of presumably day drunk patrons and bystanders craning their necks to watch whatever was taking place in the center of it. She furrows her brows, suddenly remembering the bard she heard that morning, and hoping they’d been able to avoid the commotion. She watches closely for a moment before she feels Gale’s guiding hand on her back, urging her to go in a different direction, any other direction. 

“Come, let’s push on. Tara will be waiting for us, and trust me when I say she is not the most pleasant when she’s been kept waiting,” he says, his voice low next to her ear. It was a throwaway excuse to pull her away from the ruckus and to safety to avoid potentially getting swept into a hysteria she needn’t get swept into. 

If her mind hadn’t been so preoccupied by whatever was happening in front of them, she’d have been blushing furiously at the position of his hand, just above the small of her back. Something to try not to think too much about later. 

Her eyes flick to him for an instant before she hears what sounded like a lyre being smashed against the side of the bricked building. Her head snaps in that direction, and the crowd parts in just the right way for her to see a young tiefling crumpled to the ground with his face in his hands, and an older human man above mocking him, gripping part of the smashed instrument in one of his fists. 

Her face twists to a deep grimace, and before she can stop herself her feet are carrying her forward, her pace quickening. Gale calls to her from behind, his voice distant and nearly inaudible over the loud pounding and drumming of her heart in her ears. The crowd has begun to disperse only slightly, but a handful of people still linger and are either cheering on the older man or encouraging the tiefling to stand and fight. The tiefling’s shoulders shake and tremble as he cowers away from the inebriated brute towering over him, bellowing nonsense.

The man stands above what she can now see is merely a child, no older than thirteen, shouting taunts of profanity and cruelty that she tries her damnedest to disregard so as to not use her very limited knowledge of magic to send him onto his ass as she approaches the child, kneeling before him. 

“Hey,” she says, her voice soft so as to not startle him. She places a gentle hand on his arm, coaxing him into looking up at her. “Are you okay?” 

Before he can respond, the booming of the perpetrator’s slurred mockery echoing throughout the small alleyway interrupts them both. 

“Oi, missy! Careful, the little foulblood’ll snatch yer coin purse when ye ain’t lookin’!” 

He looks at her with desperate eyes, his yellow tinted irises beginning to gloss over again as new sobs begin to wrack through his fragile looking body. “I didn’t— I swear, I didn’t do a-anything.” 

She searches his face for any sign of deceit, noticing the faint scar that ran along his cheek from his eye to the corner of his lip that looked like it had only healed somewhat recently. His body language resembles that of a frightened pup in a cage and his tears seem genuine, so she offers him a reassuring smile. “I believe you.” 

“‘M talkin’ ta ye, missy! Ye got shit for manners too?” The man yells again, the sound of the broken instrument clattering to the ground following it. 

She continues to ignore him, her stubborn nature refusing to let this drunkard intimidate her as she assumes that’s exactly what he wants, he wants to feel bigger than himself, and thus why he was picking on a child and a woman— easy targets for his drunken tirade. 

Her ignorance sets the man off into a blind rage, and she barely has a second to comprehend the situation before she hears a grunt of fury and large hands crash into the side of her body, surely bruising her ribs with the force it took to shove her to the ground, nearly knocking the breath from her lungs. She yelps as stone scrapes across her bare arm and the side of her head collides with the ground. The tiefling jumps backward and out of the line of fire of the older man’s warpath, eyes wide and boring into hers in terror. 

“Elara!” Gale calls out, pushing through the now dense crowd frantically. 

He finally makes it through, and the very second his eyes lock on her as she attempts to sit up, blood running down the side of her forearm and one hand clutching her ribs as the other presses over the tender spot where her skull met stone, fire burns through his veins. He’s at her side in an instant, gathering her up into his arms and holding on to her tightly. 

“Are you alright?” He asks her, his voice cracking with concern. 

She nods, then glances between him and the child backed against the wall, her main focus still on ensuring his safety. She motions to the child for him to stand with her, and Gale steps in front of them both protectively as he turns to face the drunkard. 

“‘S that yer boyfriend, eh, girly? Wanna know how it feels t’ be with a real man?” The man cackles, stumbling forward as he belly laughs at his own vile taunts. 

Gale’s composure is slipping and he feels heat in the center of his palm as it begins to emit a faint and crackling orange glow. His fingers twitch against the effort it takes not to hurl a fire bolt right at the bastard’s cocky face, but it seemed he wouldn’t have to as the man notices the faint glow of fire in Gale’s palm and begins to back away, fear etching into his weathered and sunburnt features. 

He raises his hands in surrender, then quickly rounds the corner and dashes down the alley without another word, and the wizard relaxes his hand, dispelling the cantrip from his palm. 

The air is still crackling with tension as the three of them try to steady their breathing, Gale in particular finding it difficult as the sight of her on the ground and her sweet face that, prior to this entire encounter, had been adorned with a smile that could stop a charging Minotaur in its tracks, twisted in pain and a gash on her arm. Not to mention the disgusting comment that foul—

Deep breaths. 

The crowd slowly begins to disperse, some eyeing Gale wearily as they begin to back away, some pointing at him and whispering to their counterparts, no doubt recognizing him as the great Gale of Waterdeep. Eventually they, too, depart, leaving only two of them and the tiefling who was still cowering behind Elara, gripping the back of her dress as if he would fall through a crack in the ground without her anchoring him. 

Gale spins around and cups Elara’s face gently, his umber eyes teeming with distress and a bit of anger as they scan her face for any further signs of injury or harm. Her icy blue eyes were glossy but he could see the restraint as she held back any tears from actually spilling. 

Gods, she has the most beautiful eyes. 

“Are you well? Did he hurt you? Is your head okay?” He asks frantically, the words tumbling from his lips in rapid succession as he gently turns her head to check each side of her face. 

She swallows hard and tries not to get lost in the way his strong but elegant hands feel on her skin as he fusses over her, and places her hand over one of his in an attempt at calming his distraught babbling. 

“I’m okay, I’m okay,” she shushes him, placing her other hand on his arm. “Everything is fine.” 

Gale frowns. “It is most certainly not fine, you hit your head and you’re bleeding. We should head back and clean that up, I’ll just run to the market tomorrow—”

“Gale.” She coos, cutting his rambling short.

He stops, his entire body stilling and a heat creeping to his cheeks. Reality washes over him again as he blinks out of his worrisome daze, and realizes his hands still on her cheeks, and her hand over his— oh, hells, her hands are so soft, so warm— and slowly begins to pull away. She nods her head in the direction of the child attached to her hip, reminding him that they had company still. He takes a deep breath and glances around, likely looking to see if he catches a glimpse of that bastard and hoping that he was still within range for him to send a witch bolt his way. He’s unable to hide his disappointment when his search is fruitless. 

The child’s eyes widen when Gale turns once again to face them and sighs deeply, his shoulders sinking low when all of the air exits his lungs, his body seeming to shrink with his posture. He slams his eyes shut tight, pinching the bridge of his nose and taking slow and steady breaths to calm himself. 

“Mystra, give me strength.” He murmurs under his breath.

Elara ignores the disgruntled wizard at her side, leaning down slightly to be closer to the smaller tiefling’s height. 

Elara smiles reassuringly and places her hands on his shoulders. “I’m so sorry about that. Are you okay?” 

The child stares up at her, his eyes darting back and forth between her and the man brooding behind her. 

“He’s with me, it’s alright.” She says, making her best attempt at a soothing and calm tone despite her voice wavering. 

The tiefling’s eyes dart to the wreckage that is left of what was once his instrument, and his frown deepens. “My lyre…” 

She follows his gaze, wincing when she sees the extensive damage. She could tell instantly upon inspection even from a distance that there was no repairing it, and it would simply need to be replaced. She offers him a sympathetic smile and a pat on the shoulder. What was once what appeared to be a beautiful instrument, was now shattered into several jagged pieces, sprawling across the ground around them. She frowns, feeling regretful for its owner but also for herself— an echo of a memory from this morning when she heard her favorite song being strummed by it reverberating in her mind. 

“What’s your name?” She asks him. 

He bounces back and forth heel to toe, his hand behind his back timidly. His peach-tinted skin contrasts the dark mop of curls atop his head, with two small horns peeking out of them. He’s quite slender, but still has the tiny bit of pudge that a prepubescent child would have, his cheeks round and youthful. He reminds her of one of her adoptive cousins that she’d only seen occasionally when her aunt would make an all too rare appearance— she hadn’t seen the rest of her family since she was around his age. 

“Dex.” He says meekly, his face downcast and defeated as if he’d been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. 

“It’s nice to meet you, Dex. I’m Elara, and this—” she motions to the man behind her. “is Gale.”

Gale’s attention snaps to her at the sound of his own name, clearly having been mentally elsewhere during the entire exchange. He meets the uncertain gaze of the child, and bows slightly, offering a warm smile. Dex smiles back, a small chuckle leaving his lips at the gesture. 

“Thank you, for helping me. I’m s-sorry you got hurt,” he points to her bloodied elbow and forearm, reminding her of the stinging sensation biting at her nerves shallowly within her skin. She winces but tries her best to disregard it. 

“I think I’ll live. I’m sorry about your lyre.” She says, motioning to the scattered wooden debris and frayed strings. 

He shrugs. “I’ll live.” 

She chuckles, her smile widening. Gale watches her with this unfamiliar child that she had no real reason to be so kind to, other than just out of the boundless kindness of her heart, and feels that warm twinge in his chest he’d grown all too familiar with since she made her grand entrance in his life. His heart skips several beats and the urge to whisk her away and kiss her on the stoop like he’d previously imagined becomes harder and harder to resist each passing second.

“Well, Dex. I think you’d best get going home. It’ll be dark before too long and I’m sure your parents will be worried. Hm?” She tries on her best schoolteacher voice, placing her hands on her hips. 

Dex sighs, his entire body shrinking at the mention of his parents. “I don’t want to go home without my lyre… they’ll be furious at me.”

She pauses for a moment, then shoots Gale a pleading glance, hoping he has any bright ideas that could magically fix everything for this poor child. She looked at him as if the child were a lost kitten that she was begging him to let her bring home. 

He looks toward the sky pensively for a moment, appearing as if he were doing calculations in his head, then wordlessly and effortlessly waves his hand in a flourish, whispering an incantation that reassembles the lyre with a purple hued fog of weave. 

Dex’s widened eyes sparkle with glee as each of the fractured pieces of the instrument rejoin as if they’d never been apart to begin with. The lyre floats toward the child, basked in violet and sapphire light, landing gently into his still shaky grasp. Gale smiles and nods at the boy as the light fades, his eyes gleaming with a hint of pride. 

“Weeping bleeding hells! How did you do that?!” He chirps, turning the lyre in his hands and inspecting each and every inch of it in search of any cracks or imperfections, then smiling a wide toothy grin, his pointed teeth peeking over his lips when there is not a single dent or scratch to be found. 

Gale chuckles, then pats the boy on the shoulder. “Stay out of trouble, young man. Hopefully next time we see you will be under better circumstances.” 

The young tiefling glances back to Elara, the exuberant expression on his face contrasting the tear stains still present on his cheeks. Before she or Gale have any time to react, he throws his body between them, wrapping his tiny arms around the both of them as best as he could manage, and nuzzling his face into Elara’s arm. 

“Thank you! Thank you so much!” He says as he pulls away and turns to leave, glancing over his shoulder and waving to them one last time before scurrying off. 

She watches the boy disappear into the distance, skipping along the cobblestone streets with a childish glee that fills her with a wistful sensation— to be that young and for everything to be so new, for something as simple as a fixed lyre to make her completely forget any hurt or pain that had befallen her. She envies him, silently, as she watches him run home to his parents surely to regale everything that happened to him today, just as she wished she’d been able to every time something exciting happened to her during the day. 

Gale notices her sudden shift in demeanor, then places a hand placatingly on her uninjured arm. 

“Elara?” His voice is gentle and tepid, cautious. “Allow me to help you with this,” he says, motioning to the still leaking wound on her arm. “Let’s head back.” 

She sighs, turning to him but unable to muster a genuine smile, still taken by real memories and those that never came to pass. Her lips curl, but her eyes remain glossy and sullen. She nods, the motion small and nearly imperceptible. Without another word, they head back to the tower, her arm never leaving the comfort of Gale’s hand as they walk. 

Something so simple, something that could mean nothing. But to her, it meant everything. 

~

The scent of balsam and sandalwood fills the room as Gale’s adept fingers gently clean the scrape on her arm, his eyes narrowed and his brows knitted together in deep focus. He pestered her until he could coax her into sitting right in this seat where he could tend to her, much to her protest as she insisted she could do it herself and that he needn’t worry about her. 

Stubborn wizard, she grunted as he gently guided her to sit. He did not regard any of her disgruntled murmurs, her insistence that she was fine and not to worry. 

Just as she’d helped that boy on the street, he felt the least he could do is take gentle care of her the way she would anyone else. He wondered if anyone aside from Alastor had ever done so for her, her insistence on taking care of it herself giving him pause. Had she always had to pick herself up? Had no one ever swept in and dusted her off when she fell? 

He would. From now forward. Even if it were something as small and simple as rubbing balsam on the angry and gashed skin of her arm and wrapping it with the softest cloth he could find. He would be that for her. He would be anything for her, should she ask. 

It wasn’t lost on him how intimate of a gesture it was, to treat another’s wounds, either— he couldn’t deny that he simply just wanted to care for her in a way that felt deeper than just feeding her and providing a bed for her to sleep in. 

“That was incredibly admirable of you, back there. Stepping in like that. That boy won’t soon forget what you’ve done for him.” He says, his tone reverent and almost thankful. 

She smiles a soft smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “He seemed like a sweet kid. And I would hope someone would do the same if it were me, in his shoes.” 

She says it, but she realizes that Gale sort of had done the same for her— the way he stepped in and made the man back off. The way he stood in front of them protectively, blocking them with his body as if he were willing and ready to take whatever blows aimed at her in her place. 

“He’ll remember you, too,” she continues, her breath slightly catching as he begins to wrap the cloth around her arm, and wincing as the fabric brushes against the tender skin. “You kind of saved him twice. Saved him from a drunkard and an angry lecture from his parents.” 

He chuckles, shaking his head causing a stray strand of hair to fall into his eyes as he does. “I suppose so. You took care of all the heavy lifting, though. I just helped with the clean up.” 

She fights herself and her need to push that hair out of his eyes. Would that be too intimate? Would that push things too far? 

Her eyes lock on the strand as she speaks. “You did your own heavy lifting, for my sake. Thank you. For stepping in. And for this,” she motions to where his hands are gently tying off the ends of the cloth. “Even though you didn’t have to.” 

He finishes tying a very delicate but sturdy bow, then sits back slightly, still close enough to see every detail of her face as clearly as he could see his own in a mirror when he was close enough, and eyes her for a moment, a smile ghosting on the edges of his lips. 

“To do something for someone doesn’t always have to be borne of necessity or desire for reciprocity. I wanted to.” 

His face was so close, she could nearly feel his breath whispering across the flushed skin of her cheeks. She wants to say thank you again, but finds that every single word in her vocabulary has escaped her as she basks in this closeness and the way she can see the reflection of the flickering candle beside her in his dark eyes that still managed to seem so bright with the way they twinkled as he looked at her. 

Had he always looked at her this way? Why did this feel so different? 

“Can I ask you something?” He breaks the silence but not the tension as their gazes stay locked. 

She nods, still trapped in the daze of the intimacy of the moment. 

“Earlier, I couldn’t help but notice— and feel free to disregard my asking, if I’m overstepping— you seemed a little… off. When the boy ran off. You looked pensive.” 

She swallows hard despite her throat feeling dry, her entire body tensing at his questioning. The emotions of the day had fluctuated so immensely and the mention of the culmination of it all in that moment only serves to bid them to return in full force. A pit forms in her stomach and she feels the urge to retreat. 

“Perhaps a story for another time. I’m… it’s alright.” She tries to maintain composure, despite her words wavering upon delivery. She offers Gale that same smile from before— the one that never quite reached her eyes. He frowns, but nods. 

“Understood.” He says simply, their faces still dangerously close. He moves one hand to comfortingly cover hers as it rests on her knee, patting it gently. “I'm always here to offer an ear, whenever you need.” 

The warmth of his hand and his words radiates throughout her entire body, down to her bones. She notices the strand is still hanging in front of his eyes. She doesn’t hold herself back from brushing it away this time, her fingertips lightly graze his forehead as she tucks it behind his ear. Her hand lingers near his face for a while, but not nearly long enough, before she drops it back to her side. 

Gale looks taken aback by the gesture, quick fire flickers of shock, trepidation, then elation flashing across his expression. He smiles a smile that sends a shiver through her, his eyes dropping to her lips and the gap between them suddenly seeming so much smaller. 

Oh. 

It was getting smaller, as she realized that the magnetic pull between their lips was getting stronger as they both began to lean in, her body taking the reins as her mind tried to make sense of what was happening and determine if she were dreaming or not— was this just an infatuation induced hallucination? Had she finally lost it? 

“Mr. Dekarios?”

The sound of Tara’s voice calling from down the hall cuts the moment short, both of their heads snapping in the direction of the sudden intrusion. Gale sighs, his head falling in evident disappointment. He glances at her, her eyes wide and her cheeks a bright rosy red that makes his heart flutter. 

“To be continued, perhaps. I should—“ 

“No worries, go ahead. I’m going to go rest, my head is killing me.” She waves him off, attempting to hide her own disappointment and slight shock. 

Gale stares at her for a moment, the desire to kiss her still lingering but ebbing as he sees her pulling away, suddenly feeling as though he’d done something wrong. He opens his mouth to ask, but before he can she’s standing and quickly darting across the room and into the hall, stopping just at the doorway and peering at him over her shoulder. 

She sighs, placing a hand on the doorway and using it for support, her legs feeling as though they may give out on the spot. “Thank you, again.” 

He watches helplessly as she disappears into the hall and the sounds of her footsteps fade slowly, preceded by the sound of a  bedroom door clicking shut. His eyes pinch shut so tightly that it nearly hurts, and he sinks back into his chair, wishing a blackhole would form underneath him and swallow him. He could conjure one, if he wanted. 

He heavily considered it. 

“Mr. Dekarios, fix your posture! Your back already aches enough as it is,” Tara remarks as she strolls into the room, blissfully unaware of the havoc she’d just wreaked on his sanity. 

As per usual. 

~

There were a surprising amount of cracks in the ceiling above the bed in the room that she stayed in. 

Everything else in this tower seemed nearly pristine aside from appearing well lived in and well loved, Gale evidently cared greatly about his surroundings. The home was cluttered but organized to his exact liking, perfectly tidy but still cozy and comfortable. Anyone who entered would feel at home. 

She felt at home, more than she wanted to admit to herself. She tried to continue to remind herself that at some point she would have to leave and move on. But as she lay in this bed— this large, ever so comfortable bed— gaze trailing along the strangely cracked ceiling of her bedroom, she wondered what the ceiling of his bedroom looked like. 

She was certain there were no cracks in his bedroom ceiling. There couldn’t be. 

Today had been immensely overwhelming in terms of her feelings toward Gale that had been simply burning embers and were now alight in full force— him having stoked the fires tenfold with his seemingly innocent touches and his evident care for her that he put on full display multiple times throughout the day, all culminating in an almost-kiss. 

They almost kissed. He almost kissed her.

They were so close. She could still feel the heat of his breath against her cheeks and the skin of the back of her hand tingled with the sensation as if his hand remained there still, his thumb rubbing languid circles against her wrist. In fact, every part of her skin that he’d touched today still felt as if it had been electrically charged, still buzzing, and her stomach aching. She missed the feeling of him already and it was only a mere whisper of a taste rather than an entire bite. 

It wasn’t entirely her fault, obviously, that it never came to pass— Tara had a way of having serendipitously terrible timing. She wasn’t always sure that Tara didn’t know exactly what she was doing, and she wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case this time. 

It was endearing, most of the time. 

But even if Tara hadn’t interrupted— would she have really kissed him? Would he have really kissed her? Or would some other force of nature and horrible timing pluck them out of each other's grasps yet again? 

She thinks maybe he would have. She hopes. 

Now, she’s not sure she’ll ever get the chance to. 

Guilt began to gnaw and claw at her insides furiously as she remembered the way she’d exited the study— hurried and curtly— and the way hurt and confusion etched into his features as he watched her leave. She couldn’t explain why she left that way, she truly didn’t know. She wished she did. She wished she understood why she ever ran away from Gale in the moments when they felt the closest. The moments she had longed for for so long— so why wouldn’t she let herself enjoy them? 

It wasn’t that she was inexperienced in the romance department— she’d had a few partners here and there, mostly in school, and one since then that lasted a couple years but ultimately just didn’t work out— and if she’s being honest, she’d never been nervous around another person the way she was around him. 

And strangely enough, she felt very comfortable with him most of the time— aside from the occasional flips her gut did when she glanced up to see him at his desk, deep in thought and quill in hand, glasses perched just on the end of his nose as he read whatever scroll or tome he was fixated on.

He’s an easy person to just exist with. That is, if you aren’t hopelessly enamored with him. 

Gods. 

She clenches her eyes shut and pinches the bridge of her nose— another habit of Gale’s that she’d picked up— wishing the large quilt and plush mattress beneath her would just swallow her. Just take her away from it all and save her from having to deal with the consequences of her own idiocy. 

Knock knock. 

“Elara?” 

The sound of Gale’s voice on the other side of her door lurches her from her thoughts and her body up from the mattress. She quickly hops off of the bed and approaches the door, her hand hovering over the handle. 

“Yes?” She asks, turning her head so her voice appears further away than it actually was. 

She hears what sounds like feet shuffling aside from a brief pause, before hearing a long and defeated sigh. 

“Can we talk?” Is all he manages, dejection evident in his tone. 

She reaches for the handle again, turning it slowly and pulling the door just enough to see him through the crack. 

He looked the way he did when something was weighing heavily on his mind or vexing him— she could tell he’d been raking his fingers frantically through his hair as it was uncharacteristically messy and unkempt, his robes were nowhere to be seen, and he stood only in his white wrap shirt and his breeches. 

Not now, brain. Not now. 

“Everything alright?” She asks, trying to hide the sound of her swallowing the massive lump in her throat. 

He shakes his head, placing his hand against the wood grain and gently pushing it, opening it further. 

“The very question I came to ask you,” he retorts. “May I?” 

She nods, backing away from the door to give him enough room to push it the rest of the way open, her heart thudding a million a minute. He stands in the doorway, leaning against the frame, his expression nearly unreadable. For as expressive as his eyes were, she had such a hard time understanding him or trying to sort out what mental storm was brewing in his head. 

“I could not bear resting my head upon my pillow and or fathom sleeping a wink tonight without knowing whether I’ve done something to upset you or not. If I crossed any lines today, please do tell me, and allow me to offer my most sincere of apologies for—“

What? 

“Gale—“ 

“—ever making you feel uncomfortable or uneasy in any way, I would never want to jeopardize the friendship that I feel we have formed over the course of your time here—”

“Gale, hold on—“ 

“—if I’ve done something to potentially sour anything, just know it was never my intention—“ 

“Gale!” She raises her voice in a final attempt to catch the rambling wizard’s attention, crossing the space between them and placing her hands on his shoulders. 

He takes a deep breath, his shoulders tense and she can feel the way his body trembles slightly. 

“Relax, please. You haven’t done anything to make me uncomfortable. Ever.” She coos, rubbing circles with her thumb into his shoulder. 

A few days ago, a gesture like this would’ve made her entire being feel as though she were on fire— but after today, it felt right. After receiving such care and comfort from him, the least she felt she could do was to return it in kind. 

He stares at her incredulously, as if he simply just doesn’t believe a word she’s saying. 

“You don’t have to spare me, Elara. I saw the way you looked when you left the study. I never want to make you feel that way, ever again.” His face softens as he speaks, the pain of potentially slighting her in some way weighing heavily on his chest. 

She blinks a few times, then that gnawing guilt returns with even sharper teeth, maybe some claws too. She pinches her eyes shut and releases a long breath from her nose. 

“It wasn’t you. Truly. I just— there is a lot on my mind right now, and I don’t want to burden you with any of it. It’s okay, really.” 

It wasn’t a lie, at least not entirely. There was a lot on her mind— even if most of it was that of a certain brown eyed wizard who happened to be standing in her doorway, looking like that. 

A great portion of it was her family, though. How much she missed them all. Her uncle, she had begun to miss terribly. She wondered what antics he was up to, as his vague letters did little to quench her curiosity. She hoped he was safe, wherever he ended up or wherever he was heading to. 

She wanted nothing more than to curl up in her mother’s lap and tell her all about Waterdeep and her lovely tour guide and everything she’d done since she left Rivington. She wanted to hear her father go on and on about how he must meet this man that occupies his most precious and only daughter’s thoughts. She wanted to introduce him to them. They’d love him, she thinks.

No, she knows they would. 

His eyes find hers in the dim candlelight, searching them for something, anything that could answer at least one of the myriad of questions he wanted to but couldn’t find the nerve to ask. The pale blue moonlight filters in through the large window on the other side of the room, almost haloing her and basking her in an ethereal glow. 

“It’s not a burden if it’s taken on willingly,” he retorts. “I care for you, Elara. Allow me to lighten your load.” 

If the room had been any quieter, she swears the sound of her heart booming through the smaller space would be deafening. “It’s not important. You have many other things to concern yourself with, I don’t expect you to—”

“The only thing concerning me presently is—” he pauses. You, is what he wants to say, but can’t seem to wrench it out of himself. “What is important to you is important to me. I meant it when I told you that I would be here for you, no matter the situation.” 

How this man has not been wed yet, is beyond madness to her.

“Gale…” it comes out more as a plea, as she feels her resolve to maintain composure weakening bit by bit as the conversation continues. She was exhausted, physically and mentally. And really, she felt now really wasn’t a very opportune time for an orphan sob story. Not exactly the most pleasant thoughts to have to sleep on. She knew from experience. 

His shoulders sink. This was one of several attempts now that he’d made to break down the walls she had built up, and he was beginning to feel like the villain rather than the hero coming to rescue the trapped maiden from her tower. 

“I do apologize. I fear I’m overstepping once again. Here may be a good place to leave this conversation for now. I’ll let you rest.” He resigns, his words betraying the sullen expression he held. 

“Gale, no, I didn’t mean—” 

He holds his hand up to stop her. “It’s quite alright. Get some rest. Goodnight, Elara.” 

Before she can stop him, he turns to leave, pulling the door shut behind him. 

The room suddenly feels several degrees colder than it had prior to what had just occurred. She feels as though all of the oxygen had been sucked from her lungs and every bit of strength had been sapped from her body within a split second— emotional fortitude included, as tears that had been begging to be shed that she had been neglecting for longer than she could confidently say finally began to fall, slipping down her cheeks and wetting the collar of her night shirt. 

Her head falls back as she makes eye contact with the ceiling once again, gaze finding a large crack just above where she stood. It looked fresh, almost. Like it had occurred within the last day or so. 

She wondered if he noticed it while he stood in the doorway. 

She wondered if he was in his room, staring at the ceiling of his own bedroom, checking for cracks.

“Goodnight, Gale.” She whispers into the darkness of the night. 

tags: @goddess-bound @mirandpeglell @celestialowlbear 🩷 (thank u guys for ur love I hope u like this chapter!!!!)

this is part two of a series - ✧ (chapter 1)

[holdontwstistakingovermymind]

MC Who is Completely Aware of Disney.

AHAHAHHAHAHAHA

I should be writing my book but instead this scenario has finally won over. Ever since I first heard about the game I've been thinking about this lmaoo.

MC doesn't know about TWST (that's a whole other beast) but they know Disney properties and make the connection very fast. Throughout the story comparisons are probably made, and these are the reactions (dome genuine some just funny) that I think could follow. (With a little bit of Polyam implications because I am that bitch)

♡

Heartslabyul

Riddle is heartbroken.

You're telling him his whole life, the queen he's looked up to, has aspired to emulate in his every action, is the bad guy???

(^^Everyone else in the dorm kinda new this was coming tbh. The rules don't help the whole "dictator of wonderland" thing.)

Ace and Cater are just offended at the depiction of card soldiers and how that's what they represent.

But while Cater can at least understand, Ace will fight tooth and nail against this.

("I didn't follow Riddle, I punched him! I'm not his stupid soldier.")

Deuce may or may not question his entire life.

(^He stopped being a punk for his mom's sake but does that make him a card soldier? Is he a weakling? A follower? Existential crisis sinks in.)

Trey just wishes you never mentioned this please Riddle is having a breakdown.

Doesn't totally help if you tell them it's your favorite movie.

Ace may brag a little to the other dorms though.

Cater has no opinions but definitely likes the fact that his partner knows so much. He also likes this little bit of chaos because he gets you to himself for a while. Everyone else is too busy settling their life crises while Cater has accepted his turbulent existence long ago.

(Maybe that's what happens when you have so many sisters?)

♡

Savanaclaw

Leona probably doesn't believe you, and if he does, he just does that little annoyed sneer that makes it hard to tell exactly what he's thinking.

(The fact that he is basically repeating Scar's various mistakes definitely weighs on him... but it also hits Ruggie and Jack hard too. Ruggie especially, who can't imagine how this schoolyard play could potentially evolve into full on murder)

Jack doesn't know where he fits in but for a long while he tries to keep you away from Leona and Ruggie.

It's an immature move. He knows it, you know it, they know it, but the dorm as a whole also seems to acknowledge that maybe he is right to be afraid.

Leona would much appreciate you not bursting into song. Ruggie, on the other hand, encourages such behavior.

Lion man might ask you to tell him about the other dorms. Something about hearing their stories makes him a little less self-concious.

(Especially Sleeping Beauty. Leona still has it out for Malleus lmao)

♡

Octavinelle

Azul probably doesn't believe you, and if he does, he probably makes excuses.

(The twins don't care all that much tbh.)

"Sometimes at the theme park Ursula's head comes off her animatronic"

^Melt down moment

Please just let him be the guy is barely surviving as it is don't shake his roots.

"My guy she literally kept merfolk against their wills I don't think she is who you should be idolizing."

He needs to rethink everything.

But Floyd and Jade kinda like the songs.

(Which is why I advise you not to even introduce them to the music, if you know it by heart. Jade might just absentmindedly hum it but Floyd can and will terrorize with it.)

Once Azul calms down he might ask you more about Disney marketing so he can possibly expand his buisness

It never stops with him 🙄

♡

Scarabia

Jamil is the one with the most notable reaction.

Probably immediately recognizes the similarities between himself and Jafar. Whether or not he sympathizes is unknown.

Kamil just finds it funny and really wants to know as much as possible.

He's so interested!

But like any similarities go right over his head because he's way too focused on the emphasis you put on the genie.

Tbh it just feels like telling a story to a child and a maturing teenager. Both find interest in different ways and neither want to hear your version of a Robin William's impression.

♡

Pomefiore

Eple is fucking furious because he understands right away that he's basically a pun.

Rook teases him with this information.

(^^As he does with several others.)

Vil is incredibly upset with the suggestion he'll never be fairest in the land.

("You'll always be the fairest to me" *cue an insult about you being a potato whilst a fierce blush begins to spread up his neck*)

Rook tries to use any information you have and apply it to other students. Y'know, like a stalker.

^^also very interested in romance scenes. He may try to recreate a few with you... or even worse (or better depending on how you view it) might give the others dating advice.

Rook doesn't know about personal boundaries, really.

Epel still can't give over that he's most likely named after a fucking apple. Probably resents apple carving now.

Vil is still glad he's in this dorm and not another.

♡

Ignihyde

Idia doesn't seem like the type to really care

Ortho makes up for that.

He's very excited to compare modern history with what you know. Also loves hearing about the music.

Probably gets more excited about properties outside of the realm of the dorms (Tangled, Mulan, Pixar, ext).

If you don't tell Idia, don't worry, somehow it gets back to him via Ortho.

An excited little brother talking about Disney movies is perhaps one of the most normal things you'll experience at that school

^That's how you might get Idia interested in hearing your tales. But he's never really looking forward to hearing Hercules

♡

Diasomnia

Chaos

Sebek is OFFENDED

Lilia is INSULTED

Mallues is APPALLED

Silver really doesn't care all that much.

Maybe Sleeping Beauty is not the best representation of their dorm founder.

Lilia assures you that's not what happened and he's well aware of this.

"Bro I didn't write the script"

Sebek is a menace he won't even hear you speak about this blasphemy.

Malleus might have an identity crisis.

^^ He's well aware of the fact that this doesn't change anything, really, but it's a lot to mull over. The worry that maybe the story you know has some truth, and he is destined for a similar path kinda screws with him.

Sebek grows a hatred for forest creatures out of fear they might be conspiring against the dorm. Silver is so confused.

[silkythewriter]

General dating headcanons for 2012 Mikey, Donnie, Raph, Leo, and Splinter?

General dating head canons for the 2012 TMNT!

Summary: as said in the title! This General dating headcanons for 2012 Mikey,Donnie,Raph,Leo,and splinter!

Daily song suggestion that ( kinda ) fits with the theme!

Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes! And sorry if they are OOC

Warnings!: This might be a bit bad sense I haven’t watched the show in a few years so this is all based on memory I apologize!

Fandom: Tmnt

🐢Donnie💜

I’m gonna be honest with you he’s probably a simp for you ngl like bro has hearts in his eyes around you- his brothers most likely tease him for it

Mikey always somehow in someway ruins a moment you two are having, about to kiss? Mikey’s doing something idiotic and you both have to make sure he isn’t going to hurt himself- you always laugh it off while Donnie probably mops  about his lost chance with you 💀

He loves talking about his machinery and inventions aswell as some things he’s planning to get to make some new inventions! He mostly only talks to you about sense your the only one listening without spacing off or telling him to stop

Probably goes to April for some dating advice sense your probably his first relationship and he doesn’t know what he’s doing, But he wants to get some in sight to make sure he’s at least doing something right

Let’s you watch him work on his inventions! But he makes sure your at a safe distance where you can’t get burned or hurt by any parts or things he’s using

He’s a doofus sometimes, he try’s to impress you and ends up making a bit of a fool of himself, but you find it adorable!

He likes putting his bandanna on you cause you look adorable with it on his own words not mine

Such a cute honey pie honestly he loves you with all his heart and don’t take that lightly he truly does!

🐢Raph❤️

Mikey slander. That’s it you just watch him slander Mikey

He’s rough and strong infront of his brothers but with you he starts lowering his tough guy persona, don’t get me wrong this man will never ambit he’s soft but you can tell especially when you guys are alone together hanging out

He lets you pet his turtle and feed him both of you for some reason love watching the lil guy eat while just chatting about your day!

He teaches you some self defense moves so when he’s not around he knows you’ll at least put up a good fight, he gets a bit worried sometimes surprisingly so you’ll have to reassure him your fine

He loves when you take care of any scars or marks he has after a particular hard fight, Though he might be in some pain it relaxes him to know your there for him, also he trusts you a lot so, this shows troughs this act

Like Donnie he’s probably a simp for you BUT he’s better at hiding it sometimes he does slip up though and shows it Mikey teased him relentlessly until raph snapped and started chasing the man- you had to step in and try defusing the situation

R.I.P to any one of his brothers if they tried teasing you in front of him, this man will defend you with his last breath Some of them had to learn that the hard way

Over all sweetheart but doesn’t show it much he still loves you though even if it’s hard to show <3

🐢Mikey🧡

Spams you with memes at 3AM so might wanna turn off your notifications 💀

A menace tbh

Very energetic! Keeping up with this guy sometimes seems impossible! his adorableness makes up for that for sure, I mean who could be mad at him? Look at him!

Uses you as a meat shield from his brothers. Dude will come at you in full speed before ducking behind you and grabbing your sides to move you around as raph tries getting him to drop you and fight like a “man��� so be prepared for that

Sometimes he can be an idiot but in a cute way!

I feel like he love’s physical affection so hugging,cuddling,handholding,etc! He likes to hold your hand and swing it as you guys walk together it’s honestly adorable- he also loves giving you hugs from the side randomly trough out the day!

Sometimes after some rough fights he loves to cuddle up with you as you kiss his head and complement him for his hard work, it makes him feel appreciated and loved! He also loves playing mini games with you on his free time! Like hiding seek or tag

Splinter sometimes scolds him for skipping training to hang out with you while Mikey just laughs it off, He’d be more careful sneaking off to you cause he doesn’t wanna get you in trouble too

Does that thing where you poke someone over and over again and saying their name again and again till they pay attention to you, it can be annoying sometimes but it’s honestly adorable how happy he gets when you finally give him attention! You cant stayed annoyed too long he doesn’t mean to be annoying…… at least sometimes….

Overall he’s a very energetic boyfriend! He’s sweet though! And he tires his best for you so just keep that in mind!

🐢Leo💙

I feel like he’s the chillest boyfriend out of this list

He likes showing off the new moves splinter taught him! He takes you trough each step of learning it even if you won’t use it he still likes explaining it!

Like Raph Leo teaches you some defense moves! But just the basics nothing to much only punching,kicking,dodging, etc

He likes discussing he’s plans with you! He also likes your in put if he should fix or rearrange some things in the plan to make it work more efficiently

He likes to lay his head on your lap as he rambles on about his day and his brothers, but would also love to hear how you day has been going!

sense he’s a mutant he can’t really take you on date to fancy restaurants or arcades or the mall sense it would draw so much attention- so! He makes a make shift date with a table two seats/pillows, some pizza, and a few roses he managed to pick in the night from a random garden he found.

He loves to watch films with you and just chill out in the layer while eating pizza or playing a game!

Overall hes one of the more chill boyfriend’s outta all of them at least in my headcanon but he’s still fun to hand out with! Especially when you guys go out ( at night of course) and just chill in the empty almost abandoned parks

Splinter

(This one might be a bit short)

Okay so! I feel like he lets you watch him and the turtles train new moves and such!

He likes embarrassing them infront of you by saying some sassy re mark or something else in that nature of course no harm done! Just a little funny comment

He’s a gentleman for sure you know opening doors for you, kissing your hand,and other things

I feel like he has baby pictures of the four turtles after they mutated and looked like lil baby’s it’s honestly adorable he especially likes doing this infront of them as you gush about how cute they were as kids, they get super embarrassed

I feel like he would teach some moves but unlike the rest he’d actually show you some more hard ones just incase,he does have a lot of enemy’s so I’d be dangerous if they knew splinter had a new lover, even more dangerous if they knew it was you

He meditates a lot so I feel like he would let you join if your up for it!, it’s really calming and relaxing it’s also a way to get away from the 4 almost always fighting turtles

I feel like the turtles see you as a second parental figure like a mom/dad/parent which splinter is pleased to find out!

He lets you brush your fingers trough his fur, it’s actually really soft surprisingly!

Sorry this took so long I apologize! Also sorry if they are OOC sense ( like I said in the beginning!) I haven’t watched the show in a while but I hope you enjoyed either way!

[melobin]

ship your mutuals with idols? ⋆⁺₊⋆🩵⋆⁺₊⋆

hmmm cute. i’m sorry if i missed anyone 😭🫶🏻

@starrypen .. jeonghyeon.. who would i be if i didnt? it’s not just because you ult him, you’d look so hot together and he’s just so?? you?? the domestic dominance, the puppy like personality .. feel like he’d love going on walks at night, wrapped up in cozy clothes.. you’d be the moon to his stars.

@ensite .. sungchan. possibly the only person i’d ship sungchan with … you deserve it. honestly he’d be so lovely to you, the dream, clingy boyfriend who’s obsessed with you and every little thing you do. the whiny boyfriend who begs for kisses and wraps his limbs around you even if he’s too long for it. stares at you everyday with stars in his eyes and heart full of love, lays in bed at night thinking about your future together …

@kissohee .. leehan. you deserve to kiss his pretty face every day. he’d be so happy to be a fish dad with you .. fish parents … he’d go with you to little pet stores to buy new fish for your tank .. even if he may try to force feed you fish food every now and then, he’d love you more than his fish!!!

@kkurokitty .. junghoon… i’d be heartbroken myself if i didn’t do that. he’s sweet and caring and tbh a little bit of a loser but that’s perfect for you !! every loser boy deserves a hot girlfriend!!! perfect for each other tbh.. we know his love for those certain type of women …

@seolboba .. ricky !! makes sense in my head.. he has that giggly, goofy side to him that i think you’d bring out in him.. always be holding his mouth to stop himself from giggling too loud .. he’d let you play with his hair whenever you want and would always giggle about being taller than you..

@ntoniac … minjae .. makes so much sense. you’re both so creative?? you’re both blessed with the ability to write such beautiful things, even if it’s in two different ways!! could easily imagine him letting you cuddle into him whilst he’s working on a song and you’re writing something … mood lighting in the studio .. so domestic and sweet.

@wonsy … sunwoo... that boy needs someone like you. you’re both so sweet and loving and a little delusional but it’s okay !! you make each other even more delusional with how in love you are but you fit each other so well, sunwoo would be so cocky walking round talking about his girlfriend being a hot nurse too…

@neosvcr … sung hanbin !!!!! he seems perfect for you .. the vibes are just there ?? you’re so sweet and talented .. just like him. soul mates? plus he’s such a girl dad and you give off girl mom vibes .. you’d have the cutest kids together i stg.. weekly play dates with the neighbours kids vibes.

@heesbaby .. jay!!!! the perfect, doting, domestically dominant boyfriend … the one who takes care of you and tells you he’s proud of you for every you do, the dream boyfriend .. the future husband .. the one everyone around you adores and thinks is perfect for you. he’d be so happy to cook you dinner and have everything settled for you for when you get home from work .. house husband jay just for you!!!

@hoondrop .. seungcheol !! always and forever will be. my parents. you’re so caring and sweet and loving, you deserve someone who’ll treat you the way you treat other people .. he’d take care of you.. support you in everything you want to do .. two pretty people would make the prettiest babies too.

@productiwity … johnny. i feel like you’d be well with someone older and more mature.. someone with their head on their shoulders? he’s sweet and loving and would take care of you and guide and support you through everything you do. not to mention the way he’d drive you to uni every day and make sure to be there to pick you up after .. classic dilf boyfriend everyone’s jealous of you for.

@ bunny … i was stuck between a few but i decided on anton. it’s probably not who you wanted but i have my reasons .. he fits you so well, he has two sides of him .. the sweet, fragile side that needs to be taken care of, loved and praised and you’d do that so well, he’d melt into you like it was nothing .. ice cream on your tongue. but he also has the doting, caring side, just looking at how he is with his little brother you can see how loving he’d be.. he’d be there for you when you need him, always reminding you how precious you are and how much he loves you .. his lovely bunny ..

[theboytatu]

on my youth - wayv: a review

it's not often that i look forward to an album as much as i did with this one tbh, so it was a little hard to accept the song description SM dropped for on my youth before it was released. "low tempo emotional hip hop ballad" is definitely not what i look for in kpop/cpop (this term will be used interchangeably sorry to the way is cpop purists following me) and i immediately let my expectations drop to nearly zero when this came out. SM has had a very, and i mean VERY hit or miss year - probably a combination of the hybe/kakao takeover fiasco and industry-wide creative exhaustion - for all their idols, with long-awaited comebacks missing the mark abysmally or simply putting out subpar "fine at best" insipid music.

wayv's last (and only) full album was released in the midst of the 2020 lockdown - a time so different in every aspect but specifically in the kpop world it feels like it could have been a lifetime ago - and after their 9/11, lineup changes, months of delays and two mini albums with mixed results, it's safe to say this album was make or break for the group. with that lengthy foreword out of the way i am very happy to inform that wayv not only delivered - they surpassed all my expectations and managed to deftly execute what was in their case their most awaited comeback ever. here are my highlights from the album:

on my youth

like i said, i really didn't know what to expect for an emotional hip hop ballad but this song packs a punch like few other low tempo title tracks do. it seems to hit every mark for a minor key progression - the slow start, the build-up, the emotional first verse being delivered beautifully by xiaojun's superb ability to emote, along with a really nice, kinda muted instrumental that consists of piano, some synths and a restrained percussion.

it even manages to deliver on the required second verse slow rapping about how people say we're too young to know better - thanks to yangyang's personality shining through on these verses the shtick manages to go from cheesy to enjoyable, and even hendery allows himself a moment or two of true sincerity in his rap.

the chorus is a welcomed switch-up with a catchy hook that quickly becomes an ear-worm. it's the perfect balance to make this song go from b-side to title track material. the final chorus has an amazing instrumental climax that matches the grandiose, emotional vibe of the song's theme and it translates amazingly in the performance video's choreography.

overall this song might be top 3 wayv's title tracks depending on who you ask. for me it's definitely up there and i actually love the english version better because well, you can tell this was originally meant to be an english language song. i give it a 9/10 (and i famously hate slower songs)

poppin' love

a lot of people would say that this should've been the title track and they might be right. i'm not sure what the artistic direction for this comeback was built around, but the emotional title track was definitely picked for a reason over a more conventional, easy sell like this one. but this one is not only an easy sell, it's yet another hit that proves wayv is the best and most 90s boyband coded group in kpop right now - because they are perfect for it. they fit the vibes and the sound in a way that few, if none, other current groups can pull off without feeling gimmicky.

the chorus is sultry enough to keep it in the r&b territory but the added hip hop elements keep it super energizing. it's like if love talk and nectar had a baby. the selling point for me is the added harmonization they included in the refrain of "you're the only one" and it's so cool. it feels like the entire song is tightly built around the bassline and the high melody of the chorus - at 3:05 minutes it gives you the exact amount you need of everything. nothing lags behind and nothing fizzles out too quickly. it has enough grit to stick your hands into while reimagining the classic boyband elements enough to keep you on your toes. a HIGH 10/10 from me.

rodeo

this song is just bonkers. is it that groundbreaking or original? not really, but it manages to make it feel soooo exciting it's like i've never heard a dj snake beat drop in my life lmfaooo 😭 the vocals are crunchy enough to give me asmr when putting on my headphones. the instrumental while very basic edm still punches in with some cool drums - but of course the star of the show is the bass drop.

referencing lil jon in this should be enough to give them an award tbh. like this is giving nct 127 unserious club banger in the best of ways.... and they still hold it down with their own personalities. this is not markyong going crazy with himalayas, this is yangdery showing they can pull off subunit songs (and winwin is there too i guess) while doing whatever in the recording booth. rodeo is just a VERY enjoyable kpop rap line playground and trust that i will eat it up every time it comes on. 9/10

moonlight

there are songs that can be amazing when you play the album, and there are songs that you just instantly know will be superior if you hear them performed live. moonlight is the second kind, and the entire vocal structure is enough to make me want to see wayv at a concert at least once in my life.

the chorus is insane. the stacked vocals give it a depth that is almost cinematic and i do need to give kun, ten and xiaojun their tens for this accomplishment, but specially kun. sure - xiaojun might be the most technically gifted vocalist in the group and i am in love with his tone, but this song has kun all over the foundations. i dont have the stems for the track but i can bet my life that kun recorded at least five layers for that chorus. his tone is so distinctive i can almost only hear him during the high points of the song.

anyway, this song is super pretty. it's just gorgeously designed. i actually wish it was a vocal line only song because the compulsory rap additions do not fit with the rest of the atmosphere at all. still, this gets a 10/10.

lighthouse

when i heard this the first time i wrote "wayv outsold both exo AND shinee for ballad of the year at sm" and i stand by it. again, this style is just classic boyband slow tear jerker and they execute it perfectly. i'm a notorious hater of ballads in kpop and yet not only can i sit through this every time i put on the album, i actively seek it out. like holy shit, this only happens with exo for me.

the song is very straightforward - a heartbreak song about missing the girl they lost. but it's so well made it just works perfectly. another point where wayv need to be praised is their ability to emote. xiaojun specially is amazing at this - you can hear the yearning in his voice. i actually think ten has also learned from him because he comes across just as sincere in this. (kun does famously stiffen up which is not an issue here but still, xiaojun carries this ballad for sure). the instrumental is very cozy and i like how the whole track is designed to sound as if they're singing from just slightly behind you. 9/10

[pinkandpurple360]

seen fans try to defend Stolas with 'well Blitzo was stealing from his house!' or 'Blitzo tried to snap his neck'

but neither of these points actually addresses critic's main issue with Stolas: that he used the fact Blitzo needed the job for his book and the fact he was getting shot at to extort monthly sex out of him.

nothing that happens in The Circus retroactively fixes what Stolas did in Murder Family. it just doesn't.

if someone steals from you, you're justified in throwing them out / having them arrested / using force to defend yourself. you are not justified in coercing them into sex later down the line. idk what point is even being made here, just that Blitzo is not a good person?? that wasn't even the issue being debated!

as for the snap his neck thing, this is just another place where the writing makes no sense tbh. you could just as easily read it as Blitzo wanting him to stop talking, since according to a later episode Blitzo didn't apparently think it was possible for him to get hurt that bad? idk, to me it's just another black comedy joke that opens up way too many plot holes - and even weirder, neither Stolas nor Blitzo even react to it. So either Blitzo did just want to shut him up or Stolas was so horny in that scene he didn't even react to his crush trying to murder him (and Blitzo didn't even react to his murder attempt failing despite how powerful Stolas is). that part is just bad writing imo, it causes more problems trying to act like it fits coherently into everything else that's going on (and it makes an already awkward 'love scene' even worse)

the whole 'Blitzo seduced Stolas when Stolas was mildly buzzed' thing just seems like another attempt by the writers to make it look like Blitzo was in the wrong first. but he wasn't. that he seduced Stolas and stole his book isn't an invite for Stolas to use said book to get monthly sex out of him once he realized it was the book Blitzo was interested in.

As far as the theft goes, Stolas would be justified in either punishing Blitzo or taking the book back, but not the full moon deal. Stolas was the one who deluded himself into thinking Blitzo would be into it, despite Blitzo giving him every sign to the contrary short of yelling in his face (which he eventually had to do in Ozzie's anyway): ducking his calls, continually rebuffing his advances outside of their engagement, rejecting Stolas flirting with him, the list goes on

The Circus got so close to having Stolas realize he'd been willfully blind this whole time but then his stupid song had him phrase it to make it sound like Blitzo had been flirting with him & fooling him this entire time, when he very much hadn't. If Stolas hadn't initiated the deal Blitzo would have been happy to just keep using the book and avoiding him, and maybe giving the book back when Stolas demanded it. they never had any kind of situationship until Stolas pursued him

When they’re defending the sex pest character and calling the other one the abuser who “SA’d him first!” Even though it wasn’t SA, even though if it was he’s changed! Even though he never did anything wrong!”

Is all of this supposed to make me root for this pairing? Actually he preyed on the other guy first c he abused him too. And? This is the pro stolitz argument??

Look at these pictures and expressions, and then tell me who has the power to take advantage of anybody in the situation.

The contrasting fear and force, versus the authority and desire (there’s no other word for the look on that kids face) and the happy ending is supposed to be the other guy blushing back? It’s just as much of an arrangement as Stella and Stolas mariage, yet that one is beyond contempt but this one is cute “strings of fate”?

Plot of The Circus: No father I don’t want you to give me this girl to take home with me!! I want to take home this boy instead! Wahhh she’s mean, I want the other guy! Wahhh hes mean too! He left!!

A poor person stealing from the rich is not the same as trafficking someone into sex, and calling them up every time you have an issue with your daughter or have even the slightest problems. And the circus only shows me, that stolas has been sexualising Blitzø for 25 years, since he was that size on the left. There’s never a second where he isn’t acting until he talks to him at the tree and sarcastically says he’ll be a good boss, also laughs at the idea that an inferior imp would hire a royal. Not cute. Not making me root for this at all. The only person I can think about is tiny Fizz back at the circus all alone, Barbie wondering where her brother is, or how Tilla would react to Cash trafficking their baby boy like an object to be a royals birthday present.

The Circus makes it all soooo much worse. He’s been desiring him for 25 years and obsessed with this encounter. Even saying “I recall how you like to make an entrance” in a flirty way, and he’s talking about a seven year old child.

Speaking of the breaking neck thing, one thing that I can’t forget is strikers violence, vitriolic hate, and murder attempt….apparently not being as violent and hateful as what Blitzø does to him. And Fizz straight up says Blitzø hates stolas outside of bed too. Now that’s nightmarish. Imagine stabbing someone for making you feel powerless, telling them how much you want them to fucking die, and all they do is have an orgasm. The “sex” was probably a murder attempt and then they both smiled after it.

Watching the scene again, Stolas gets sexually aroused on sight. He escorts him to the bedroom by force, and Blitzo miserably follows him, he even tried to “negotiate out of it” but was shut down. Stolas refused to let him break the fantasy. He also remarks “Ew” at the idea of sex with him. He fake flirted with him, not out of real attraction but to ensure survival and safety, and he then gave him a pity night after the “first ever friend” comment. Which some people have eerily suggested Fizz came to mind. That’s sooo uncomfortable. Was he pretending he was doing it with Fizz? And is that how he gets through it, pretending someone else is under him? Did he say “I love you” during the throes? Directed at him? Could that be why stolas became obsessed?

That’s too dark even for me.

Hell no, Blitzø never looked into his eyes and lied after that night. He’s given him countless, countless statements that he does not feel the same, that he finds his perverted bird needs disgusting. And what goes unsaid is the idea of Octavia witnessing everything is starting to get to Blitzø a lot. When Octavia walks away from him in the illusion at Ozzies, Blitzø looks at him as if to say “are you seriously gonna let that happen?” And stolas mentions how almost happy he is that Octavia isn’t home so he can sleep with him. I have a feeling that pissed him off too. He would never talk about Loona that way.

Like you said, the conclusion to this episode is good if they stick to it like glue. The moral is to not hold onto a fantasy to escape your pain, and that others lack of desire is something you have to accept. No drawing blitzø making uwu blushy faces. That’s not who he is. It’s just not. The little bit of bite he has towards stolas is the only thing keeping him from being completely controlled and taken advantage of by him. You can’t rewrite that to imitate the back and forth fizz and Verosika have with blitzo. In seeing stars it was awfk

[neoaya]

Hot take!!! (Nuclear tbh)

People are way too shitty to the LW devs, especially Yumeno Rote.

This guy is responsible for every single piece of non-story card character art in the game, that includes units, costumes, alts, expressions, Music Video CGs, etc. Seeing as a new unit is released per week, along with 2/4 event costumes and 2/3 rebirth costumes at the end of the month, this guy is at MINIMUM drawing 8 fully detailed illustrations and backgrounds per month, for three and a half years straight.

The only other gacha to my knowledge that has one artist doing all the character art like this is Limbus Company, which even then has a significantly longer period between new art being added to the game. (I'm aware there are likely a lot more, but most to my knowledge have multiple artists)

So when I see a post criticising Lost Word, what do you think is being criticised 90% of the time?

Is it:

The fact it's a gacha game

Genuine criticism of the game itself and its mechanics or story

Hell, even criticism of the questionable work practice of having one guy do all the game's art

If you guessed 4, "near insignificant nitpick of Rote's art, AUs shown, or a VA (in a game where you can pick from 3 for every character) because it doesn't fit within their headcanon in a game about multiple different universes" you'd be correct!

Don't get me wrong, I have seen the first two plenty of times, but they're always either fair critiques or people who just don't want anything to do with gacha games and don't care which is understandable.

But for 4? The sheer amount of hatred and seething vitriol people express for details most people wouldn't think twice about is insane to me. It never seems to come from a sincere place of disappointment but rather fear to fit in, like "Oh this relates to me, I better lay in to it as much as possible since everyone else shits on it, wouldn't want to give people the impression I'm weird for liking it after all". It just seems depressing to me that people feel the need to act miserable out of peer pressure and not wanting to stray from the popular opinion.

As someone's who played the game since launch at this point I feel more than qualified to tell you it's FAR from perfect, hell I wouldn't even call it all that good. Gameplay fluctuates from playing the game for you to forcing you to have a full understanding of the meta, grinding is a chore, drop rates are far too low, the nature of the game forcing normally evil aligned characters to act more reasonably, and I unironically think the lack of representation and downright bad writing for Aya until now is singlehandedly responsible for making her drop by one place 3 years in a row in the THVote popularity poll.

So why do I still play it after all this time? Because I genuinely just want to see what they do next. I like seeing what new takes on characters they come up with, I like seeing where the story goes, what the next event will be and I love Rote's art and all the other art contributed by the JP community, I even think the Hifuu and RoM section of the story is genuinely good. It's nice to have a constant and reliable stream of Touhou media to read through in-between the wait for actual new games.

Somehow I don't feel that guy in the middle would want to come on livestreams 3 and a half years after launch if he didn't find it fun, same goes for all the artists and doujin circles that have contributed their art and music, especially those with more than one card or song.

If you want anyone to blame, blame GoodSmile for publishing this game and making this the complete extent they're willing to promote it and Touhou as a whole. (Last new character from them was a Reisen nendo from six years ago btw!)

In conclusion, I think LW has objectively done more good for the series than harm. You can not understate the fact that this game is responsible for introducing Touhou to so many new people and giving the spotlight to characters that are otherwise overlooked. Inaccurate character portrayals are rarely an issue when the series embraces differentiating itself from the source material, that's the nature of doujin culture. That and it seems silly to try and gatekeep people who got into the series through Lost Word, telling them they're experincing it wrong only serves to turn them away and I don't blame newcomers when official touhou media is still hard to come across in the west and the three most popular games in the series still don't have a digital release.

As a tangent, I used to have a problem with how Aya was depicted in a lot of fan media, even from people here, but a friend taught me I shouldn't let those alternate interpretations ruin my enjoyment of her and that I shouldn't fault them for seeing her that way. I feel others should be able to learn from that.

(I definitely forgot some stuff but this is ranty enough as is, I just wanted to get it out of my system)

[myloveforhergoeson]

Hey there! :) For the ask game: 1, 2, 3, 8, and 13.

hello!! thank you for the ask! i love the questions <3

how did you become a big time rush fan?

my college roommate introduced me our sophomore year! my spotify tells me i added my first btr song to my playlist on oct 5th 2021 if we want to get specific about it. i wasn't allowed to watch nickelodeon growing up - had i been, i would have definitely been a fan when it was airing! i'm a huge boyband girlie, so my roommate was shocked when she asked me if i'd ever seen btr and i didn't even know what it was. i only knew of the song big time rush through that "why are you in such a big time rush?" vine :)

2. who is your favorite member (and why)?

in the showverse, james 100%! if you couldn't tell by my blog i love him very much. cute, silly, a little bit stupid... dream guy fr. but irl, definitely kendall! from interviews i think our personalities are similar and we'd vibe together well :) he seems really sweet and laid back. i also really love his work outside of btr

3) what are your top three favorite big time rush songs?

worldwide, paralyzed, picture this! worldwide bc it makes me feel so warm and fuzzy whenever i hear it. paralyzed because it's closest to my music taste outside of boybands; musically i think it's just incredible with the blend of rock elements into the love song and vocally the boys just kill it. i wish they had more songs like that. picture this because i love the little storyline woven throughout because it's so vivid i feel like they're singing to me and it always makes me want to put together a scrapbook lol! and the guitar is soooo sweet. honorary mentions to amazing, like nobody's around, love me, love me, this is our someday, and time of our life

8) who's your favorite character from the show?

lucy :) she is the loml i wish they didn't do her so dirty. i feel like she was created as a caricature of punk/emo culture and there was a big waste of opportunity to have her introduce her pop friends to a new genre idk. i'm very big into pop/punk/emo and i wish we got more of her music in the show as well even if it's not about her. the snippet of "you dumped me for her" always leaves me wanting a full song! and i really wish they didn't force her into a relationship with james lmao; they've both got some things to work out about themselves when they get together and i don't think them being together fits either of their characters! but regardless, she is my favorite. i love a little pot-stirrer alt girl :) and a singer songwriter? all on her own? such insane talent they do not really commend her on!!

13) what's your favorite picture of big time rush?

ughhh i just went through all my concert photos and none of them are any good 😭 but i’ll pick an oldie-

this one!! can’t explain why tbh, i just think they all look so cute :)

[makeitlookdecent]

somethin's not right...

i did it!! anyway the song i used for inspiration for this piece is "bugging!" by brakence. tbh i've been thinking of this au on and off for a bit, but that night when the full album of hypochondriac dropped and i listened to it everything fit!! it all made sense!! and i liked it so so much!! i could not focus for days/weeks when i put it all together, i was soooo excited!!! i made a thing!!!

its a shame im no good at animating (i could learn but i wanna be good. right now.) because in my head i thought of like, cool pv's for each song in that album. it was soooo cool!!!!

--

anyway in this first part our "Sig" demon is staying at the temple his benefactor, "Ms. Goddess" works at. while it's lovely staying there with her, (even tho the other people of the temple keep a good distance from him, for reasons he's not quite sure of) as time passes he cant help but feel like something, everything is wrong. his memories are fuzzy and he's not sure how he even got there, and it feels like something is calling for him beyond the temple grounds.

At first he ignores it because it seems like no big deal, but he keeps waking up in places he doesnt remember falling asleep in, and he starts seeing someone that he swears he knows from somewhere. but it seems like no one else sees that person. its not long before he starts seeing places he doesnt remember going to, overlapping with the reality that he's living. its getting real disorientating. everything is fuzzy, nothing feels real anymore but that damn calling sensation.

He also starts to notice the weird things "Ms. Goddess" does and tells him, that contradict with what he thinks he knows about the world and himself.

[theminecraftbox]

My Roman Empire is the ��Nothing” Awesamdream song because it fits so perfectly and I really can’t explain it in words. You’d just have to listen to it

Full disclosure that I wasn’t terribly familiar with this musical and that at first I thought you were referencing A Chorus Line and got confused. Further disclaimer that this opinion is based on me reading a plot summary and listening to one song.

But tbh to me this song seems not super close to the c!awesamdream dynamic? Dr. Stockill hates women and so experiments on many of them to purge their weakness or what have you, and seems fascinated that Emily is an exception, is not weak. He’s trying in some ways to convince himself that she is like the rest. Their connection, such as he feels it, is based on a routine attempt to break her that has become something other than routine because it doesn’t seem to be succeeding. He’s cold and jaded because he’s tortured and killed so many victims, and he feels a glimmer of something with this particular person because she’s not going down as easily as the rest. I don’t get a sense that he thinks she’s, like—threatening, so much as interesting.

Whereas I’d argue the situation with c!Sam and c!Dream is in some senses an inverse: c!Sam’s only prisoner is c!Dream. c!Sam’s only responsibility is breaking c!Dream, not for his belief in c!Dream’s fundamental inferiority as a person, but because of the near opposite: because he thinks Dream is too strong, too powerful, and needs to be subdued. Sam has never believed Dream is like any others—Dream is uniquely evil and uniquely capable, which has always been the crux of how he relates to Dream in the prison. Sam’s fascination with Dream doesn’t necessarily stem from Dream’s obstinance so much as it does from his abiding belief in Dream’s power.

Sorry to be a contrarian haha.

[souryogurt64]

aw man why was the arctic monkeys concert…like that?

the main thing was that i literally just thought it sounded really bad, both the band and the venues sound. i felt like the vocals were really bad and i couldnt hear the bass at all which was compounded by the fact i felt like the guitar work wasnt very good. there was a lot of feedback at one point during the show (i think multiple tbh) which i feel vindicated that i wasnt crazy. idk how but i somehow felt like i couldnt hear anything (never felt like that at a concert before) and like it was hurting my ears.

this is not really about the show itself but the lineup procedure was very bad, drawn out and disorganized and there was a lot of cutting for something that took 2 hours and a ton of screaming to do “fairly”. i also felt like the people there were kind of awful, usually theres like a sense of at least fake camraderie when youre in line for hours but there was none of that, plus i was next to this group of girls who were shit talking their friend who had headphones in and couldnt hear them.

also it was the most invasive and over the top bag policy ive ever experienced. venue was also fugly and was also not in an awesome location in terms of transportation, what was around, and safety. there also wasnt enough staff around at all given what they were asking of us

ive also never considered myself to be sensitive to flashing before but the strobing during the show hurt. there was also basically no set design, props, or confetti/inflatables, creative lighting, fog, water, anything. most big rock acts ive seen (weezer, mcr, green day, fob, panic, etc) have used almost all of them plus pyro/fireworks/other sfx so i was pretty surprised. i wasnt super close to the stage but i feel like i wouldve noticed if they had. they also abruptly cut the walkout music mid-song after only about 90 seconds or so and turned the lights up to full blast (ow) which was also really jarring and then they turned the music back on after maybe 20 seconds which i felt (like the mic feedback) vindicated that i wasnt crazy and whoever running sound was kind of clueless

opener also wasnt good. there was only one opener which i was glad for given how bad it was but i felt like the wait times between sets were a bit much— i feel like other big rock shows ive seen have managed to do a lot more in the same or not much more time, like somehow squeezed in 3-5 bands. the opener was also a pretty small band, which was fine but all in all it felt like kind of ripoff given how much it cost-- the most important thing is how the headlining band sounds but that was. also real bad.

finally alex also seemed like a very uncharismatic and uncomfortable performer to a degree that was offputting, he also didnt look so hot in general -- not like attractiveness, i mean as slang for sickly haha.

i dont want to be a hater but no one goes into a rock concert of one of their all-time top streamed artists they paid hundreds and *wants* to feel like they need to cover their ears during the show lol.

i know i was pitching a fit about the fob wrigley show but it wasnt actually bad, i was just mad i couldnt hear the bass at all during headfirst slide, they played 3 covers and i didnt like my 8ball song . otherwise it was fine. but this was like legit for real unpleasant. ive gone to over like 60 concerts including seeing the arctic monkeys a really long time ago so i feel like i have a good metric for what concerts are like normally haha

[earlgreytea68]

"Every Breath You Take" is stalkery in general but also such an inspired love song choice to improvise into immediately after talking about Pete, the more stalkery parts still read a bit obsessive/codependent but this is the guys who keep calling each other cryptophasic twin soulmates of ultimate destiny do not separate each other's full time problem, somehow "everything you do i'll be watching you, you belong to me" ranks thereabouts. And in the more charitable way of reading the "I'll be watching you"s, them coming after talking about how pete always wants to highlight him for tours and this time he got him performing solo (and his continued affront at pete shimmying offstage to leave him alone) comes as being aware of pete watching him perform and evolve. idk it being not entirely unproblematic makes it fit better as "love songs patrick would come up with when thinking about this guy that's displayed so much of that 5% of love he allows himself to show by being annoying <3 or clinging for dear life mid-concert"

Yes in all likelyhood this was mostly-to-completely unintentional from Patrick's part but it's fun to think about.

We do not talk about the peephole in patrick's door. Shh. Totally not immediately relevant to this analysis of EBUT and p2.

Ohhhhh, this is so good because you are SO RIGHT. I've been wondering why, when Patrick sings it, I'm not like, "Wow, this song is so inappropriate," lol, and I was just like, Well, that's Patrick magic for you! but no, OF COURSE Patrick sings it like a total love song because his experience of love is this. lol

Like, I don't even think the original is meant to be a love song tbh, the person in the song is breaking their vows, etc., but Patrick just sings it in a way that feels so unmistakably a love song because yes, for half of his life now he's been watched so closely, and that's how he experiences love. What do we say, about the way Pete looks at Patrick? And what do we say about the way Patrick looks at Pete? This is a love song, in their own way.

It makes me think a little bit about Swan Song, in that the lead singer of Swan is always thinking about how his OTP counts his breaths during the performances to make sure he makes all his cues. Surely, Patrick feels Pete paying attention to him just as keenly on stage. And vice versa. And I always think about how, the first time I saw them live, before Saturday, I watched Pete nudge his mic stand down a little bit for Patrick's lesser height when he was going to have to use it in a second, and that little moment killed me. I'm sure he does it automatically at this point, but still, such awareness and such care. The way they always seem to know exactly where the other one is on the stage. Etc.

But yes, also, there was once a peephole.

[lauronk]

36 & 39!

36. how do you come up with fic titles? what's the one you're most proud of?

i use song lyrics! i have a google doc full of lyrics that have jumped out at me that i'm constantly adding to. when i finish a fic i'll go through and see if one jumps out at me that seems to fit. if not then i'll start searching "song lyrics about [x]" and see what comes up. and most proud of - that's kind of a tough one tbh. it's a toss up between if you never bleed, you're never gonna grow (which is also just my favorite fic i've written) and there's nothing surgery can do (which is just the most on-the-nose title possible for that story lmao)

39. wildest au scenario you have written?

it's not super wild really, but sometimes i still wonder what part of my brain was like PUT THEM ON A BUS, y'know? like of all the alternate meetings, where did my mind pull a bus from?