#had a fun interaction with my boss bc of it though

[badasbebi]

the cupid project ➛ 1/2

part two

✦ pairing: bada lee x fem!reader

✦ summary: you and your long-term work crush devise a plan to win a company contest. in the end, you wind up going to extreme lengths to commit to the bit

✦ genre/au: fluff, fake dating, videographer reader, bada's extra sweet here, slight friends to lovers

✦ word count: 7k

✦ warnings: isn't proofread. another unrealistic meet cute that doesn't really make sense. smut in part 2

✦ a/n: another two-parter simply bc my fics are too long. 2nd part is finished and will, again, be posted soon (literally tomorrow). didnt put as much thought into this one as I have with my other stories, which will probably be a pattern from now. still think its fun. enjoy!

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"It's been three minutes. Why are we still waiting on people?" Youngj fusses, running his fingers through his hair, tousling it

"Relax, Jae. You called us here last-minute. People are busy," Minho says from where he is sitting, scrolling through his phone.

Youngj's eyes snap to him. "Too busy for an emergency meeting with their boss?" He retorts, raising an eyebrow. 

Minho looks at him, then shrugs. "Well, that's what happens when you hire a bunch of ultra-talented, sought-after dancers. We don't need you," He finishes, swiftly turning back around, sunglasses concealing his eyes. 

Youngj gapes for a second, then seemingly surrenders, slouching back in his chair with a scowl. 

Meanwhile, you're balancing a camera lens in your hand on the sofa across from them, twisting and turning the machinery in your hand as you stifle your laughter. Still being somewhat new to the team, you weren't sure if you necessarily had the right to take part in Minho's teasing. You became an employee at JustJerk Dance Academy only six months ago, after JustJerk announced that they were looking for new hires. However, you weren't a part of their star-studded lineup of top choreographers and instructors. Instead, you were hired to be a videographer and photographer, working behind the scenes to ensure that every breathtaking move, every impassioned sequence, and every dancer was captured flawlessly. 

Which, it was not like it was very hard. The people here were phenomenal enough as it was, making your time spent at work nothing less than a blessing for someone who's long watched dancers from the sidelines. Even better, the members of JustJerk Dance Academy aren't just a group of talented dancers, but also a lovely group of people. They're kind and caring, often inviting you out to eat after a long day of filming or helping you with the things you struggled with. Sometimes, you still got awestruck around them because it was such a far cry from what you were used to. But, it was beginning to feel like home. And, as the days went by, everyone started to feel more and more like family.

Well, almost everyone.

Suddenly, you hear the doors swing open and glance up to see who's arrived.

"Sorry I'm late," A voice rings throughout the room, revealing none other than the legend herself, Bada Lee. 

Even after having passed by her a million times, the woman never failed to take your breath away. She was gorgeous and had an allure unlike anyone else, with a presence that seemed to shift the energy in every room she entered. In other words, she was also intimidatingly cool, which led to you frequently avoiding her because you were, simply, terrified. Though she's always been nothing but sweet and brilliant during your brief interactions, this kindness almost made things worse. It'd be much easier to disregard her if she was an asshole. Unluckily for you, she was one of the most charming people you've encountered in your life, making it nearly impossible to ignore the magnetic pull that's been causing an increasing amount of debauched thoughts and dreams. 

Bada walks toward the rest of the group with an apologetic smile on her face. Her long, black and blonde hair was tied back in a bun, and her baggy clothes were noticeably wrinkled, suggesting that she came straight from practice. Despite her slightly disheveled appearance, she looked as enticing as ever. 

You avert your gaze and continue playing with the camera equipment in your hands, attempting to appear nonchalant. 

"What happened? You're never late," Youngj asks, sitting upright. 

"I was helping one of my students out with a routine and got a little distracted. Sorry," Bada explains with a pout, sitting down on a separate couch next to yours. You keep your eyes on the camera in your hands.

"Don't worry about it, I just need everyone's attention for a few moments," Youngj says, scanning the room. "Is this everyone?"

"No, Redllic should be coming in soon. She was right behind me," Bada says, looking over at the door.

Your eyebrow inadvertently quirks up at the sound of Redllic's name escaping her lips. 

"Good enough, then. Let's get started," Youngj leans forward in his seat, clapping his hands together. "I want to first apologize to all of you for calling you here so abruptly. Unfortunately, this was the only time I had to get you all here together.”

Everyone eagerly waits for him to speak, the air thick with curiosity as Youngj takes a deep breath, his gaze shifting from one person to another.

"So, to clarify, I didn't call you guys here for anything particularly important."

Minho laughs bitterly. "I fucking knew it."

Youngj gives him a pointed look before continuing. "There's a special event that the company is holding and I wanted to inform all of you about it in-person, because even though it isn’t anything to worry about, it is admittedly a bit...unusual for us."

"What is it?" Redllic asks, appearing out of thin air. Everyone, except for Bada, jumps slightly, surprised by her sudden arrival.

"Redllic!" Youngj says, placing a hand on his heart. "You scared the hell out of me."

"Oh, sorry," Redllic shrugs, plopping down next to Bada, throwing her feet onto the coffee table. "What's going on?"

"Right, um," Youngj clears his throat. "As I was saying, there's an event that we're hosting for Valentine's Day. We're calling it the 'Cupid Project.' Basically, you're all going to get into pairs, and you'll be doing a variety of activities together," Youngj explains, his eyes scanning the group, watching the reactions on everyone's faces. 

Ew, is the immediate word that pops into your head. This reminded you of the group projects your teachers forced you to do in school. You can already see how this project will play out, and it's probably not going to be pretty. Based on the skeptical expressions you can make out, you are at least relieved to see that you aren't the only one feeling hesitant. 

"What kind of activities?" Bada asks softly, tilting her head.

"Just activities to get to know each other. Doing things you wouldn't normally do," Youngj replies, shrugging his shoulders. "Jho and I have some planned activities, but the point is for you and your partner to find things to do voluntarily. If we plan everything out for you guys, then it'll be completely forced."

"Wait, wait, wait," Minho interjects, pushing his sunglasses onto the top of his head. "So, you're telling me I have to go on a date with someone here?"

"No," Youngj shakes his head. "We're not forcing you to fall in love or anything. This is purely platonic, just a fun way to bond with each other. And there'll be a prize," Youngj says, wagging his finger.

"A prize?" Minho echos, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. You and your partner will compete against the others and the pair who does the most activities and seems to have actually become good friends with each other will win a reward."

"How are you measuring that?" Hoyeon, another videographer, asks. 

"We'll conduct anonymous votes and collect them at the Valentine's Day party we're hosting," Youngj explains. "But, it's not supposed to be all that serious, everyone. We're just trying to do something fun and, you know, team-build since we've gotten a lot of new hires recently. And, we'll get a good video out of it. We're planning on making a highlight reel of the Cupid Project for our Youtube Channel, which will be nice promotional material, too."

So that's what this was really about: content. Truthfully, you wouldn't have an issue with this if it were not very likely that you'd be the one filming or editing this highlight reel. You internally groan, realizing you'll have to deal with an increased workload because of this clusterfuck. 

"I think it's a great idea," Redllic says, a mischievous smirk on her face. You watch her glance at Bada, who is staring at nothing with an unreadable look in her eyes.

"Well, what's the prize?" Minho asks. 

"600,000 KRW"

Others around the room whisper in excitement. You almost drop your camera. Out of shock, yes, but also because that was exactly the amount of money you needed to buy a brand new camera that you've been eyeing for ages. You've been wanting to record more complex videos, wanting to work on actual music video sets, but your current setup is limiting you. If you were able to get your hands on that camera now, you'd be about a year or two ahead of the original timeline you had in mind. You bite the inside of your lip, hoping Youngj doesn't see the desperation in your eyes.

"Holy shit," Hoyeon mutters. 

The two of you make eye contact, and you already know that the two of you are working together. You were close, having joined the company at the same time and being around the same age. This would be an easy win. 

"Alright, so it's settled, then," Youngj says, a confident grin forming on his face.

"Are we choosing our own partners?" Redllic asks, moving a blonde strand of hair away from her face. 

"No. That would lead to a bunch of people asking to be paired with people they're already friends with, which would make the whole thing pointless. We're drawing names out of a hat," Youngj says, gesturing towards the baseball cap resting on the coffee table.

Everyone collectively groans. You try not to cry. 

"Stop, come on, don't make this difficult," Youngj frowns. "The sooner you choose, the more time you have to prepare. Now, who wants to go first? I already have your names written,"

"Wait, let me go first," Hoyeon volunteers, jumping up and grabbing the hat. She reaches her hand inside and picks a small slip of paper out, then reads it aloud. You bite your lip, praying.

"Howl," Hoyeon declares, holding the piece of paper out for everyone to see. 

Your name is not Howl, but you nearly howl right then and there. Realistically, the probability that you would get who you wanted was unlikely considering the number of people in the room. Nonetheless, it hurt. 

The man with the wolf-centric name quietly stands and moves away from the corner he was situated in. He had been quiet the entire meeting, and most did not really notice he was there until Hoyeon mentioned his name.

"Guess it's you and me," Hoyeon laughs, smiling at the tall figure beside her.

Howl gives her a slight smile, shakes her hand, and they sit back down.

"Alright, Bada. Why don't you come over here?" Youngj says, gesturing to the coffee table.

"The one that everyone wants, I'm sure," Redllic comments with a bemused smirk, causing a clamor of chuckles.

Bada scoffs, and heads over to the table. She reaches into the hat, rustling through the papers. You hold your breath, reminding yourself of the unlikelihood that you'd be the name she pulled. However, as the woman's fingers curl around a single sheet of paper, your heart skips a beat. You feel as if you were the one reaching into the hat.

Bada pulls the paper out and unfolds it, her eyes scanning the sheet. Then, her eyes lock with yours, and your heart leaps. 

"Y/N," Bada calls out, holding the paper up.

You freeze, the room spinning around you. There's no way. 

Bada cocks her head to the side. "It's you, right?"

"Oh! Um, yeah," You sputter, quickly gathering the camera equipment around you.

You hear whispers and feel a hundred pairs of eyes on you as you walk over to the girl. You ignore the feeling of your skin burning. 

"Hey, Y/N. It's nice to officially meet you. I've seen you around a lot," Bada says, eyes warm.

"Yeah, nice to officially meet you, too," You say, extending your hand.

Her hand is warm and soft, enveloping yours like a blanket. Your hand feels cold and sweaty. 

"Interesting," Redllic quips, eyes darting between you two, a glint in her gaze. Bada tears her eyes away from you, giving the blonde woman a questioning look as she retracts her hand.

You take the opportunity to step away, returning to your seat and letting the other dancers pull names. The rest of the pairings are revealed without much commotion, except for Minho's, who loudly complains when he has to partner up with Jaeyong, a good choreographer, but awkward man. 

After all the names are drawn, everyone is dismissed. You're quick to leave the room, eager to return to the comfort of your familiar space behind the camera.

"Y/n! Slow down! We need to talk!" Hoyeon calls, catching up to you.

You turn around, side-stepping out of the way of people walking past you in the hallway. You wait for her to stop in front of you before you speak."With all due respect, I don't really want to talk right now. I just want to record. Then go home, and eat some ramen."

"With Bada?" Hoyeon sings, a cheeky grin forming on her face.

"Shut up," You mumble, rolling your eyes and continuing down the hall.

"Wait, why are you so bummed?" Hoyeon starts, following behind you, "Bada's cool?"

You sigh. "Exactly. She's cool. I'm...not."

"What? Yes, you are. Why would you think otherwise?" Hoyeon scoffs, her eyes narrowed.

"I just," You pause in the hallway again, trying to formulate the words. "I'm a little scared of her, is all."

"Scared?" Hoyeon questions, her forehead wrinkling. "She's nice though. You don't have anything to worry about."

"Yeah, but she's so pretty, and talented, and again, I'm not. Not in the way extraordinary way that she is, I mean.” You explain, shoulders slumping. 

A look of realization dawns upon Hoyeon's face, and she laughs menacingly. "Oh, I see what this is. You think she's hot, and you're a scaredy cat who's afraid of rejection. Case closed. I understand."

"That's not how I would phrase things but, essentially, yes," You concede, turning the corner.

"You're being silly. She's not a god. She's literally just a human being...a very sexy human being but a human being nonetheless. Just talk to her like one," Hoyeon suggests, shrugging her shoulders. "I mean, are you not going to try to get that money? I know you want it. I saw that crazed look in your eye once Youngj made it to that fifth zero."

You laugh, "I mean, yes, I really want that money. I don't know if it's possible though. Even if I wanted to reach out to her, she’s so busy I doubt she's planning on actually committing to this. Especially because she's already loaded."

"You don't know until you try you wimp," Hoyeon says, nudging you in the arm.

"Ow," You groan, rubbing the spot in a manner that probably proves her point. "Aren't you going to try for the money too? Where's Howl, huh?"

"We're friends already, it'll be chill. I don't know if we'll necessarily win the money, but, like, we'll have a good time," Hoyeon states, grinning.

"Ugh, gross," You say, sticking out your tongue.

She ignores your immaturity. "What do you wanna do with the money anyway?" Hoyeon asks, leaning against the wall next to an entrance to one of the dance studios.

"Remember that equipment I told you about? So I can start working on sets?"

"Oh, right," Hoyeon says, crossing her arms. "You said that you've been wanting to do that for a while, y/n. Are you really not going to talk to Bada? I’ve recorded with her a few times now and I mean it when I say that she's nice as hell. I feel like she'd probably be down, or, at the very least, will understand if you explain things to her. "

"I'll try. Maybe. At some point. It's not going to be today, though," you mutter, reaching for the studio door before you are stopped by Hoyeon jabbing her french-tipped fingernail into your chest. 

"You better. Or else," Hoyeon threatens, a dark expression coming over her. 

"Move your finger, please," You say, swatting her hand away.

Hoyeon rolls her eyes. "Whatever. Good luck filming. I'm gonna go find Howl. Love ya,"

"Yeah, yeah. Have fun," You wave goodbye to her as she walks down the hall, pulling out her phone.

Once she's out of sight, you release a deep sigh and push open the door, only to be met with the sight of a familiar face. 

"Oh," You breathe.

Bada turns, a surprised expression on her face. "Y/n, hi. Were you coming in?"

"Um, yeah," You reply, slowly entering the room and closing the door behind you. "Are you rehearsing something?"

"Yeah," Bada answers, glancing at the mirror.

"Sorry. I can go-"

"No, no, don't worry about it. If you need to film in here, that's fine. I'll just go next door," Bada says, waving her hand.

You pause, taking a breath. Now’s your chance. "Actually, forget the recording, could I talk to you real quick? About the...cupid thing?"

"Yeah, of course. I was actually hoping we'd get a chance to talk," Bada grins, sitting down on the floor and patting the spot beside her.

You hesitantly walk over and sit down next to her. You take a moment to compose yourself, running your fingers along the smooth fabric of your pants.

"So," Bada prompts.

"Uh," You stammer, wracking your brain for what you were supposed to say. "Um, well, I just wanted to say that, uh, you are really, um, talented. And-oh, this sounds really weird." You finish, running a palm down your face in embarrassment. 

"No, no, it's not," Bada chuckles, a gentle smile on her face. "Thank you, though. But, um, that's not what you wanted to say, right?"

"Right. Sorry," You apologize, a rush of blood filling your cheeks.

"Don't worry. Take your time. We have a lot of it," Bada reminds you, studying the expression on your face. Her voice and words are calming, but her staring is freaking freaking you out further. 

You take another deep breath, hoping to quell your nerves. "Okay. I'm sorry. Uh, I'll try again. What I really wanted to say is, I know that it’s a stupid contest, and that you probably don't care about winning, but I actually really want to participate in that project and win that prize money. And, I was hoping you'd, maybe, help me win?" Before she can respond, you launch into another tangent. "I'm sorry, you're probably busy, which is okay, but I just want to upgrade my equipment so I can get more opportunities outside of-"

"Hey," Bada says, gently laying her hand on top of yours. "Of course I'll help you. You don't have to apologize. I think it'll be fun."

You nearly spiral, but Bada's touch is surprisingly soothing, and you calm down despite your anxiety. 

"Oh, wow. Thank you, so much," You breathe.

"It's not a big deal, seriously. I'm looking forward to it," Bada insists, squeezing your hand.

You stare at her, and her kind, sparkling eyes. What have you gotten yourself into?

You both sit there for a second, a pregnant pause in the air, before you quickly pull your hand away, remembering how sweaty they were.

Bada smiles, unphased. Then, she begins tapping her fingers rhythmically against the ground, a contemplative look on her face as she stares at the space where your hands were previously intertwined. 

"So," Bada suddenly looks up. "If you're just in it to win it, and you really want a fair shot, I think we need to do something a little extreme."

You blink, scared. "What do you mean…extreme?"

She bites her lip and you have to resist the urge to stare. "Youngj said this was supposed to be platonic, so that's how most people are going to approach it. How do we seem better or stronger than other platonic relationships? What’s more intense than that?"

You must be misunderstanding where she's going with this. "Um, a romantic one?" You say, furrowing your eyebrows.

To your shock, she nods. "Exactly. Y/n, I'm saying that we should make our Cupid partnership a romantic one," Bada states, her expression serious.

Your head is spinning. She is taking this much more seriously than you were anticipating. You were expecting to just go out for coffee a few times, and maybe post a picture of your twinning lattes on instagram to sell your friendship. You have no idea how to process this more intense proposition.

"Are you suggesting that we pretend to date each other?" You confirm.

A beat of silence. She leans back slightly, her eyes flickering. "I mean, yeah. Sure," She pauses. "Unless you're not comfortable with that."

"I am," You respond, the lie escaping your mouth with ease. 

Bada's eyes widen and she sits up, a smile growing on her face. "You're sure? If you're not cool with that, we don't have to. I know the idea is a little bit out there. I just, uh, want to help," She babbles, her fingers tapping against the floor again. 

You laugh. Was Bada Lee nervous? "I'm not uncomfortable with it. I trust you. As long as it helps us win,"

"It will, I promise. I'll make it worth your while," Bada vows, her expression determined.

"I can't wait," You laugh again, feeling the butterflies in your stomach flutter.

"Cool," She breathes, her body relaxing. "Well, I should go. I'll talk to you tomorrow?"

You grin, nodding. "Yeah, that'd be great."

"Awesome," She smiles, standing up. She reaches her down and grabs your hand, pulling you up. "I'm not gonna be able to actually meet-up with you tomorrow because I have something scheduled, but I already have your phone number. I'll text you."

You nod, distracted and unable to speak as her soft fingers brush against your palm.

"Bye-bye," She waves cutely, her long legs swiftly carrying her across the room. You wave back, her departing smile etched into your brain as you watch the door click shut behind her. Then, you're alone. 

You stare at the floor, processing the interaction. You had just agreed to pretend to date one of the hottest and most intimidating women you had ever met. You had no clue why you did it. Maybe the promise of money and fulfilled dreams had blinded you. Still, the whole thing seemed a little too ridiculous. Too dangerous. 

But there was no backing out now. You already went through the trouble of telling Bada about your desperation, and you told her that you trusted her. You'd have to commit. 

"Well," you whisper, hugging yourself in a soothing motion. "Here goes nothing."

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You fidget within the plush confines of your seat, hesitantly glancing around your dimly lit surroundings as you twist a gleaming piece of silverware between your fingers. Your other hand remains in your lap, afraid to touch the red linen covering your table. Your gaze settles on a couple a few tables away from you, clinking their wine glasses together with pompous grins. It crosses your mind that the wine they're drinking is probably worth more than the money you're doing all of this for, and you make the executive decision to reach for the bottle of wine the woman sitting across from you generously bought. 

When you drop your fork to outstretch your hand toward the bottle, the woman in question seems to notice, hurriedly grabbing ahold of it before you can reach it, and pours the liquid into your glass, herself. 

"Thank you," you murmur, retracting your hand and finally allowing it to fall on the table. 

"No problem," Bada replies, her voice warm and velvety, like the wine. She pushes your drink toward you, and you hurriedly snatch it up to take a large gulp, allowing it to trickle down your throat. The heat of the alcohol soothes your anxiety, and you exhale deeply. 

Your relief lasts for approximately one millisecond. Because, in the next, you're putting your drink down and are being reminded of the predicament you've gotten yourself into. Bada's preoccupation with her menu gives you the chance to observe the way the soft glow emanating from a nearby lamp illuminates her features. The light traces the curves of her face, accentuating every perfect line. Her eyebrows furrow in concentration, compelling you to consider reaching over the table to smooth the lines over with your thumb. When you try to look away, your gaze locks on the pouting of her lips as she focuses on whatever she's reading. 

"I'm thinking of getting the Frutti Di Mare," she voices, snapping you out of your trance. She sets the menu down and looks up, a gentle smile on her face.

"I don't know what that is," you respond dumbly. 

She laughs, the sound light and airy, causing the skin near her eyes to wrinkle adorably. "I thought Italian was your favorite?"

"It is," you confirm, feeling flustered. "I just-the Italian places I go to are super watered down. The fanciest thing you'll see there is fettuccini alfredo,"

"That makes sense," Bada nods, her smile turning playful. "Then, I'll let you know what it is. It's basically seafood. I think it's usually served with pasta."

"Ah," you reply, nodding slowly. "Tasty."

Bada laughs again, and you feel like a scratched CD—unable to get any words out, twitching in place, devilish sounds threatening to enemate from you at any moment. "I'll make sure to order an extra portion for you to try. Unless, of course, you don't want me to."

"No, that works. I'm fine with that," you respond, quickly.

"I figured." Bada smiles knowingly.

Your hand clutches your chest. "Hey, is that a little shade? Did I miss it? Please, elaborate," you joke, leaning forward.

Bada giggles. "Maybe. You've been drinking a lot of that wine. And I think you ate most of the breadsticks."

You glance at your breadcrumb filled plate, then at the half-empty basket of breadsticks. "Oh. Wow. I did."

"You did," Bada affirms, her expression amused. She scoots her chair closer and takes a sip of her own drink, her tongue darting out to lick her lips once she's done. You have the overwhelming urge to mimic the motion, but resist, choosing to instead stuff another breadstick in your mouth.

You swallow the last bits of the breadstick, wiping the crumbs off of your mouth, only for a new, smaller, crumb to appear. Bada notices, and when she raises her arm, your breath hitches. You feel her soft hand graze the side of your face, the pad of her thumb rubbing the crumb off your lip.

"There we go," Bada smiles, satisfied. You can't help but lean into her touch, the warmth of her skin a pleasant contrast against the cold room.

You're startled out of the moment when the waiter appears, setting a basket of warm bread down. You jump, moving away from Bada.

"Have we decided what we'd like to eat?" he asks, his accent thick.

Bada nods, seemingly unaffected by the exchange. "Yes, we're ready. I'll have the Frutti di Mare."

"Great choice," the waiter says. "And, for you, miss?"

"Um, Spaghetti," you answer, your voice strained. 

The waiter scribbles down the order. "Anything else to drink?"

"I’m good, thank you," Bada answers, her tone sweet, smiling gratefully at the man.

"I'll be right back with your food," the waiter bows his head, his ponytail bouncing, and swiftly leaves the table, leaving the two of you alone. 

Avoiding eye contact with Bada, you grab ahold of your glass and drink. The air crackles with something subtle, and you find yourself stealing glances at Bada’s pretty face in between sips, your cheeks warming.

But you needed to get down to business. It’s already been two days since you discussed fake-dating, and this is the first time you’ve done anything together. The clock was ticking.

You placed your drink down on the table and swallowed loudly, causing Bada to stop fiddling with the napkin in front of her in favor of looking at you. 

"So," you start.

"So," she copies.

"What's the plan?" you ask, drumming your fingers against the table.

Bada's eyebrows furrow again. "The plan?"

"For the whole Cupid thing," you clarify.

"Oh," she says, blinking. "Right. Well, I was thinking, that this was sort of the plan."

"This being..."

"Dinner. At a fancy restaurant," she responds, gesturing to her surroundings. "People will see us hanging out together here, and it'll get the rumor mill running. I wouldn't be surprised if the media picked it up, honestly. I think it's a pretty solid first step. We're just planting the seeds,"

You nod. "Yeah, okay. That makes sense. How do we get from here to actually dating?"

She leans back in her chair, pondering the question. "Hm. I don't know. An Instagram post, maybe? A soft launch?"

You consider this. "Okay, sure. But, what would the picture be of? This is all so, vague."

Bada shrugs, nonchalant. "We'll figure it out as we go. We're gonna be spending a lot of time together for the next few days so there'll be plenty of opportunities for pictures. For now, I think we should just enjoy dinner. We're supposed to look like a couple in love right now and I don't know if trying to scientifically plan a soft launch is really giving romance."

"Right," you sigh. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize," Bada says, reaching across the table to give your hand a quick squeeze.

You're interrupted by the waiter returning, bringing the food. He carefully sets the dishes down, and a delectable smell fills the air.

"Bon appetit," the waiter bows his head and disappears again.

"Thanks," you call after him, taking a moment to observe the meal.

"It looks great," Bada comments, reaching for her fork.

"It does," you agree, grabbing your own utensils. You take a tentative bite, moaning loudly as the flavors immediately explode in your mouth. "Holy fuck."

Bada stares at you, wide-eyed and frozen, a piece of pasta still stuck on her fork.

You blush, covering your mouth. "Oh my gosh, sorry."

She gulps, snapping out of her stupor. "No, no, it's fine. That was just, a, uh. It seems like you really like it!"

"It's really good," you confirm, your words muffled by the food.

"I can tell," Bada chuckles, her voice low and her eyes twinkling.

"Sorry. I'm gonna try not to embarrass myself any more," you say, chewing more delicately.

She laughs softly. "There's no need to apologize. You're funny, y/n," Bada says, the sincerity of her words and the fondness in her tone making heat rise to your cheeks. 

You eat the rest of your food quietly, listening to the bustling noise around you, the sound of Bada's utensils clinking against her plate unusually relaxing.

As you're finishing your last bits of pasta, a group of loud voices and giggles pass by your table. One of the girls, a brunette, notices the two of you and stops.

"Oh, my god," you hear the girl not-so-discreetly whisper, clutching her friends' arms. "Is that who I think it is?"

You glance at Bada, and she's looking at you. You raise an eyebrow.

"Bada Lee and...I don't know who that is? Who is that?" The brunette's friend replies.

You look down, pretending not to hear the conversation.

"I don't know either. You think that's her girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend?! No way. They're probably just hanging out or something."

At this, Bada drops her fork and reaches across the table for your hand, grabbing it gently.

"You okay, baby?" Bada asks, her tone sugary sweet.

You're taken aback by the pet name. But, you decide to play along. You smile at her, placing your other hand over hers. "I'm fine, sweetie. Just a little tired."

"Do you wanna leave, honey?"

"I think I'll be fine," you grin.

"If you're sure," Bada smiles, stroking the back of your hand with her thumb.

"I'm positive, honey bunch," you affirm, biting onto your bottom lip to contain your laughter. 

"Aw, they're cute!" the brunette sighs. "I've gotta tell Sooyoung about this."

"Yeah, we should leave them alone, though. Let's go."

You and Bada watch the pair walk away. As soon as the women are out of sight, the two of you burst into laughter, dropping the facade.

"Did you see their faces?" Bada giggles.

"'Who is that?'" you imitate, your voice high pitched and nasal.

"Baby," Bada says, smirking. 

You laugh, but the endearment sends butterflies to your stomach. "Sweetie."

"Honey bunch," Bada grins.

"Honey bunny," you fire back.

"My love," she replies, tilting her head with a smirk, her voice playful. 

"Lovebug," you answer, raising an eyebrow.

"Is this foreplay?" she jokes, laughing. 

"I mean, if you want it to be, I'm not stopping you," you say, the words slipping out before you can stop yourself. Bada's eyes shoot up, and you feel slightly mortified and shocked by your own brazenness. 

"Do you mean that?" Bada asks, her voice dropping down an octave.

You open your mouth, then shut it. This is odd. You were regretting your lack of filter at first, but Bada seemed a bit too intrigued by the idea of consensual foreplay with you. She could just be joking, or really committing to the fake-dating bit. The look in her eyes was telling you otherwise, though.

However, you're cut off by the waiter reappearing. "May I interest you in dessert, or shall I bring the check?" he asks.

"Just the check, please," she says, not breaking eye contact with you.

The waiter bows, leaving the table once more.

You opt to stare down at the table. "I'll pay half," you offer, avoiding her earlier question.

"It's on me," Bada says. "I brought you here."

"Thank you."

"It's no problem," she says, a small smile on her lips.

Once the waiter comes back, Bada gives him her card. When he returns to your table with the receipt, Bada locks eyes with you, your heart thumping loudly.

"Let's get out of here," Bada says, and you nod.

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

You stand at the entrance of the restaurant, a gentle breeze caressing your face. Your hands are stuffed in the pockets of your coat, and the chilly air nips at the tip of your nose.

"Are you ready?" Bada asks from behind you. You turn around to look at her, and the way her eyes reflect the light of the streetlamps above you causes your chest to tighten.

"Ready," you confirm, a hint of a smile on your face.

"Alright," Bada says, shoving her phone, which you don't remember seeing her pull out, into her coat pocket. She leads you to her car, opening the passenger seat door for you.

"Thanks," you smile, and she responds with a nod. 

After the door is closed, she goes around to the driver's seat, starting the engine and driving out of the parking lot. You're both silent as she navigates through the streets. You peer out the window, watching the city lights flicker and blur as you replay tonight's events, attempting to ignore the now obvious tension. 

"So," Bada breaks the silence, causing you to whip your head toward her. "You still haven't fully explained to me what plans you have in mind for that camera you're wanting so badly."

"Well," you begin, relieved that she took the conversation in this direction. "I love what I do at JustJerk. Seriously, watching you guys dance is amazing, and the people are the best. But, I don't want my career to end there. I want to do more on top of that, diversify my portfolio and all. What I really want to do is get onto a music video set. Maybe start directing, too. One day."

Bada hums and smiles. "That's amazing."

"Thanks," you grin, scratching the back of your neck.

"With all due respect, though, do you really need the new equipment for that? You do such a good job with our choreography videos. I don't know anything about videography, but I'd be surprised if that alone couldn't get your foot in the door."

"Well," you draw out, considering your words. "That's probably true. But, I don't think I'm that lucky. The equipment will help, the camera will be useful...the lenses will be nice to have…”

Bada frowns. "Have you given it a shot yet, though? As much as I'm going to try my hardest to help you win this money, realistically, there's a good chance that we still won't win. I'd hate to see you postpone your dreams just because of this camera, or because of this project."

You pause, staring at the car's interior, listening to the sound of the engine running, lost in thought. You weren't sure if it was because you admired Bada so much, or if it was something about her tone, but you were actually starting to rethink things. Perhaps you were holding yourself back a bit. 

"Maybe," you simply respond, unable to say much else. 

"I mean, the equipment will probably help," Bada concedes. "But, not having it won't stop you, I'm sure. Our videographers really don't get enough credit. But, you're all great and you're especially amazing at what you do, y/n. The only reason why I haven't gotten around to working with you is because the other dancers keep getting to you first," she admits, bitterly. 

"Wow," you breathe. "Thank you."

"Of course. You're awesome," she says, the confidence in her words filling your heart.

"So are you," you say, turning away from her, trying not to blush.

"I know. You’ve said it already," Bada smirks, and you simply roll your eyes.��

A more comfortable silence envelops the two of you, and the tension from before dissipates. You lean back in the passenger seat, a smile on your face, feeling content.

Soon, Bada pulls up outside of your apartment, and you're disappointed. 

"This is you," Bada announces.

"Yep," you nod.

"I had a lot of fun tonight," she says, smiling.

"Me too," you reply with a matching smile. "Thank you for dinner."

"It was no problem," she states, waving her hand.

You step outside, but, before closing the car door, you hesitate. "Um," you say, unsure.

"What is it?" Bada asks, a hint of worry in her tone.

"Can I give you a hug?" you blurt out.

Bada looks startled, but her expression softens. "Sure," she nods, turning the engine off and stepping outside.

You meet her on the sidewalk, and pull her into a hug, wrapping your arms around her torso and pressing your cheek against her chest. She hugs back, and you swear that you can hear her heartbeat.

"Goodnight," Bada whispers into your hair.

"Goodnight," you echo, pulling away, already missing her warmth.

She opens the car door again, ducking inside. "Text me when you get upstairs," she instructs.

"I will," you promise.

"Great. Goodnight, y/n," she smiles.

"Goodnight, Bada," you reply, watching her drive away. Once her car disappears, you sigh.

As you trudge up the stairs to your apartment, a single question repeats in your mind: What the fuck am I doing?

You finish cleaning up and getting ready for bed approximately two hours later. As you lay in bed, scrolling through social media, a post from a JustJerk fanpage catches your eye. It's a picture of Bada and you together at dinner, with the caption, "Caught on a date?!"

You laugh at the predictability of the situation, and just as you're about to turn off your phone, you think to check Bada's Instagram, curious. She posted a new story.

You tap it, and it's a picture of you, taken from behind, standing outside the restaurant. There are no words attached to the picture. Just one, pink heart.

You smile, saving the picture, and fall asleep with the image burned into your mind.

✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧⋄⋆⋅⋆⋄✧

Three days later, you are stationed near your camera, watching Bada teach. The day after your fake dinner date, she sent you a text describing the next stage of the plan, which was attending each other's events and collaborating in public whenever it seemed right. This initially felt like an excellent idea. You'd been dying to watch and record one of Bada's classes since you started working at JustJerk, and it brought you guys one step closer to convincing everyone you were seriously dating. What could go wrong?

The actual execution of this idea turned out to be much more distressing than you previously imagined. It started this morning when you were filming Minho's class. You kneeled in the front of the room, prepping your camera as Minho made rounds around the studio to talk to his students individually. Engrossed with your equipment, you didn't hear the sounds of the door opening and closing, or the following eruption of loud murmuring. It was not until you saw a pair of sneakers stop in front of you and caught a whiff of a now-familiar sweet aroma, that you bothered to glance up. When you did, you found yourself making eye contact with Bada, holding a bouquet.

"These are for you," Bada said, a proud smile on her face. 

Your jaw dropped and you scrambled to get up, almost knocking the camera over. They were roses, vibrant and beautiful against the dull gray of the dance studio. No one had done this for you before. 

"They're gorgeous," you whispered, accepting the flowers.

"I'm glad you think so," she replied, her smile deepening as she observed your reaction. You cradled the bouquet in your hands, inhaling the smell of the roses with a pleased hum and missing the endeared expression on Bada's face. You certainly didn’t see the way she started to lean forward to press a soft kiss to your forehead. Shocked, you loosened your grip on the bouquet, feeling nothing but the rush of warmth spread through every inch of you as a result of her tiny peck. 

She shifted back, as relaxed as ever. "I gotta go, but I'll see you later?" 

"Definitely," you nod, clutching the bouquet once again, head spinning.

"Great." She nodded, then made her way out of the studio.

After she left, you turned to face the room, only to be met with everyone’s staring. Right. That is what this is about. Getting attention. Nothing else. 

You glanced at Minho, who had a teasing smirk on his face.

"What?" you asked him, scowling. 

"Nothing," he laughed, then restarted his class. 

Now you are recording Bada's class. Or at least, that’s what you’re supposed to be doing. But, having to observe her so confidently lead her students through a routine, hearing her call out corrections with a simultaneously gentle yet demanding tone, noticing how hard her abs are when she lifts her shirt to wipe the sweat from her brow for the last hour? It's been painful. You're so busy trying not to swoon you've nearly forgotten to press record a couple of times.

She suddenly looks at you, flashing a small smile at you accompanied by crinkling eyes. You give her a thumbs-up and quickly shift your gaze toward the camera as if you were busy setting the frame, even though the shot is already perfect.

Bada returns her focus to the class, and the lesson continues. Every once in a while, Bada walks over to you, checking in and asking how everything is going. Each time, she offers a smile, a wink, or some form of encouragement, and every time, it takes everything in your power not to blush. She's clearly playing it up for the audience, but the effect she has on you is no act.

Her students are buying it, though. The moment she gets near you, the girls (and a few guys) start whispering amongst themselves. It's working.

"Alright," Bada claps, signaling the end of the session. "That's it for today. Good job, everybody."

"Thank you, teacher!" they all exclaim, bowing and gathering their things.

You're packing up your camera when you feel a pair of hands grasp your waist. Startled, you drop your tripod.

"Gotcha," Bada giggles.

"Shit, that scared me," you say, placing a hand on your heart.

"Sorry, sorry," she laughs. "How'd the recording go?"

"Pretty good," you say, bending down to pick up the tripod. Bada immediately crouches, beating you to it. "Thank you."

"No problem" she says, straightening up, extending the tripod towards you.

"Thanks," you say again, taking the device from her. "Anyway, you did good. It's not going to need much editing."

"Really?" Bada smiles. "Thank you. That means a lot, actually."

"It’s no problem," you grin, suppressing the fluttering in your stomach. "And, uh, thanks again for the flowers, by the way. They were beautiful."

“You are very welcome. Just fulfilling my fake-girlfriend duties," Bada beams, and you have to look away.

"Well, anyway, I should probably head home," you say, avoiding eye contact. "Gotta get started on the footage."

She tilts her head. "Uh, I don’t think so. That’s gonna have to wait for tomorrow,” 

"Huh? Why?" you ask, confused.

"Because, y/n, we're going bowling with Youngj and them? Don't tell me you forgot," she chides, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh," you say, remembering. "I thought that was supposed to be later."

"It's 7:30," she says, a slight frown on her face.

"Fuck," you curse, running a hand through your hair. "Sorry, I'll get out of here."

"We have to go there together," Bada reminds you.

"Shit. Okay, yeah, let's go," you sigh.

"Are you okay?" she asks, concern etched onto her features.

"Yes. No. Ugh. Sorry, I just had a lot on my mind today. Didn't get much sleep," you say, rubbing your eyes. It wasn’t a complete lie. Ever since your date at the restaurant, you’ve been getting bombarded with messages from friends asking about the two of you, giving you little time to rest alongside your work for Justjerk. There was more going on today, though. 

"That sucks," Bada sympathizes. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Not really," you answer, bluntly.

"Okay," she says, softly. "But, if and when you do, I’m all ears."

"Thanks, Bada. I appreciate it," you reply, and a part of you is telling yourself not to get attached. But the bigger part of you, the part that wants nothing more than to fall into her arms, tells that smaller part to fuck off.

"Of course. Anyway, we should really get going," she says, and you follow her out the door, leaving your thoughts and feelings behind.

read part two

[ganondoodle]

one of the things in my totk rewrite that im most confident about is removing the building gimmick (to put it in another game truly build around it, its such a waste here imo) to add the hookshot instead

everyone loves the hookshot, i have never heard anyone say they didnt like it

in a world like botw it would be a perfect fit- it adds a unique and different movement option while-

it does not destroy the world design (like the building aspect does, though the towers also need a different function, letting you fly anywhere and skip everything everywhere all the time, including puzzles in both shrines and dungeons, something like that in a world thats build around climbing and gliding WILL end up destructive to the world design without really careful changes and balances .. that absolutely werent done in the game)

opens up a whole new way to think and do puzzles in a way that wasnt there in botw

preserves the feeling of dread when high up or in the sky, since falling is still a danger even with the parasail ( bc removing almost all warp points up there makes the danger being loss of progress rather than the fall itself- removing the parasail as a whole for the entire game is not an option and it will always be a security to not die by fall damage, so there should be a different danger even if im usually not a fan of loss of progress pressure, the bird mechanic i mentioned in other post would also help you not lose everything even if you make a mistake)

it makes climbing easier WITHOUT making it obsolete or skippable, especially with adding the main way to get up to sky islands as islands to climb up via the hookshot, its just adds another way to interact with the terrain instead of .. not interactign with it at all, the range is still limited and you still have to cling to the wall and get down to shoot it again

it being built into links prosthetic shiekah arm makes it more unique both in looks and mechanic/narrative aspects so i dont think it would be boring to have an old 'item' reused in a new way, especially together with the rest of the abilities- like it being not an instant 'pulls you to the thing' but a reactivatable one instead (so you can grab things to move them if lightweight enough similar to ultrahand)

bosses can benefit from it too, imo one of the coolest things in twilight princess was grabbing onto a boss to pull yourself to and onto them, being able to do that even to smaller ones shadow of the colossus style would be so neat

grabbing onto something moving and not pulling yourself immediately to it opens up not just fun but also funny scenarios aka you being flung around by whatever you grabbed (grab on a dragon ...weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee- on a lynel ...'ragdoll chaos')

(with the removal of building and thus the majority of all the puzzles being fly thing from point A to point B not being a thing it also makes way for cool kinds of ways to get to the next sky island for example- a thought i had was making the reason they fly and are practically invisible from most angles being that they are swimming in a special kind of cloud that hides them due to breaking of light in certain ways withing them- thus hiding it from below most of the time, eliminating the problem of 'sky too full' which was apprently a reason why they removed alot of them too, and it would be incredibly fun to be able to poof into little clouds (they look a certain way so you know which ones you can swim in) also! lil cloud bridges between islands! a boat to surf on them high up in the sky! mario galaxy vibes!

probably more im forgetting

anytime i think about the hookshot mechanic i get so sad bc i just keep imagining how much you could have done with in totk and desperately want to play that :U

[aves-ery]

CEO or Mob boss Wanda and stripper R👀 maybe she's just getting some visit to a certain club and she only have her for R but R is kind avoiding her. R is kind of snappy and feisty for Wanda but Wanda loved her more. One night she saw R entertaining other guests so she brought the whole club and kicked everyone out so she could have R all for herself.

Idk maybe you'd like to consider, btw you works are great and wonderful and so are you! Thanks!!!

one, thank you! two, this is ctually so bad bc I'm tired and for some reason forgot how to write good smut? but heres just wanda crazy for you.

pairing; CEO!wanda x stripper!reader

warnings; smut 18+ ONLY, infatuated wanda, praise!!, strap-on, fingering

if anyone saw wanda at a strip club, it'd be a field day for press. but quite honestly, she didnt care when she laid her eyes on you. she saw the flashes of the cameras when she walked in, but when she saw you in that lingerie, she didn't care what the articles were gonna read the next day.

wanda sat snug in a booth, watching you from afar. her silk button up was unbuttoned down to her upper stomach, her boobs only covered by her tight fitting sports-bra.

"i want that one," she pointed you out to all of her boss friends, a beer bottle still in hand. you were all over someone else, a lap dance she presumed.

one of the guys whistled you over, waving a "come here" motion. wanda knew it wasnt the way to get your attention, but you followed through, stalking over to them. you smiled, waving.

"hey gentlemen," you said seductively, plopping your pretty ass onto Tony's lap. wanda rolled her eyes.

"actually, as pretty as you are baby, this one wanted ya," tony pointed to wanda, and wanda waved her fingers.

"you just caught my eye, pretty," she said. you recognized the CEO immediately. you had to fight an eyeroll because no way in hell you were letting some snob like wanda touch you. you turned to the gruffy man whose lap you are on.

"i came over to see you," you avoided. the men around the table laughed, making fun of wanda. wanda just told them to all "shut the fuck up."

she tried to get your attention all night, buying you drinks, complimenting you, trying to just make you say hi. all she'd get in response is an eye roll and a "leave me alone."

"yo, get away from the girl she told you to stop," a bouncer said, pushing wanda away from you.

"look man, im not trying to cause a problem. she's just a pretty lady," wanda laughed, trying to use her charm to make him let her through.

"sorry, the girls not comfortable with you," the bouncer said again. wanda groaned, pulling out her wallet.

"c'mon ill even pay to just talk to her, man," wanda pulled out a few hundred dollar bills, and you rolled your eyes at the interaction. "i wont touch her, fucking promise. just wanna get to know the gal," wanda pleaded.

the bouncer looked at you, pointing at the money. wanda was at least holding 500 dollars in her hand currently. it was a silent agreement, and wanda was allowed into the private room

she handed a bill to the bouncer, then a few to you, before sitting in one of the booths. "you're a feisty one," she joked. you rolled your eyes.

"you can't buy me," she snapped. wanda nodded.

"im not trying to, babe. you're just... very intriguing," wanda said.

-

you had complained all of the next week, even after you didnt see wanda. you just didnt want her around, and didn't want her paying her way to you.

wanda found that out quickly, but she couldn't help it. you deserved to be worshiped with everything she could buy.

she sent you flowers, chocolates, everything to work. she didn't even know what days you worked, and she still sent them. Every time, you snacked on the chocolate and left the flowers in the trash. you didn't complain about that though. if she was going to spend money on you, she was going to laugh about it.

wanda came again two weeks later. she smiled and waved at you, but you continued flirting with a client. your hands on the man more than usual, making sure to get a rise out of her. you avoided her, but from close by. she'd call you over, and you'd give a lap dance to a guy near her.

wanda was fucking tired of it. that week, she bought the whole strip club. when you found out, you quit.

"no." wanda said.

"what?! you're fucking crazy. you're stalking me!" you screamed. wanda raised her eyebrows, standing up

"im not stalking you!" she screamed back at you

you laughed, "right. you're just fucking craz-" wanda kissed you. hard. you pushed her away, looking at her like she was actually insane, because she was, and then you kissed her back harder.

wanda grabbed your hips, picking you up and setting you on her desk. "you were just too pretty to leave alone. I'd buy the whole earth to be with you," she told you.

you thought she was joking, but she really wasn't. wanda was infatuated with you. when you looked her in the eyes, you could tell. you kissed her hard, allowing the woman you barely knew to have all of you.

"you're so pretty," wanda said, removing your sweater and kissing your breasts. you blushed, nodding.

"thank you," you whispered, moaning softly.

"you'll never have to work again, okay? and I'll win you over, i promise. I'll take you out on dates, I'll buy you dinner," wanda got on her knees sliding your shorts down, looking at you in the eyes. "I'll do anything, for you."

you blushed again, nodding, "win me over," you moaned. wanda nodded, sliding your panties over and taking you in.

"such a good girl," she praised, licking you fully. you shook softly, tangling your hands into wanda's hair. her lips found your clit, sucking softly.

you let out another breathy moan, and another as two digits pushed into you. your hand flew everything off the desk, and you lied back. wanda could deal with it later, you decided.

she was quick to make you cum, cleaning your thighs and kissing them both. she got rid of her pants, revealing a large red strap on. you looked at wanda with shaky arms and legs, smiling at her.

she didn't bother to take her button up off, only her pants and boxers, before shuffling towards you. "can i make you mine?" wanda asked, kissing your palms. you smiled up at her.

"yes," you said again, kissing her deeply. wanda smiled, lining her strap up with your cunt, before softly making her way into you.

the strap was the biggest you've taken, so you were grateful for wanda's soft nature. she looked at you, searching for any sign of discomfort. when she didn't find any, she started to go faster.

your hands found her back, gripping her shoulders and scratching down her back, "faster, wanda," you pleaded.

wanda nodded quickly, making sure to pick up the pace, "anything for you, doll," wanda kissed her thumb. she grabbed your boobs, kissing them both before kissing your lips. "you're so pretty like this," wanda said, kissing you again.

"thank you," you moaned. wanda's hand found your clit, rubbing softly until you came around her strap.

when you finished, she pulled out and washed you up with a washcloth. she then put you back into your shorts, and then her own hoodie.

"gonna get you back home and run you a bath, kay? dont gotta worry about anything ever again. I'll take care of you."

[stomach-bugg09]

summary: [y/n] has always been an angry girl. why wouldn't she be ready to fight any avatar that puts their hands in her siblings?

sully family x sully!reader

a/n: i just did this one for fun because i wanted one where she's an absolute boss and a half. love her !! remember , reqs are open and waiting. i probably won't write anymore fali x [y/n] stuff unless i get specific reqs because they're really difficult to write without direct inspo and ideas. once again , motivation is really important to keep me writing , so please comment feedback + reblog !! i would seriously appreciate it. ( also , for some odd reason my two most recent works have barely gotten any interaction -- idk if that's just bc tumblr is being a problem , or if it's because fali has lost his magic touch ( which if so , i completely get it ) , but if you guys could help me out to try and figure out what's going on ?? )

warnings: violence, guns, fighting, weapons, death, killing

tags: @rafeslovergirl @wxnderingthoughts @liyahsocorro @bonnibuckets @hjkshshjkhklhkl @itssiaaax @grierpilots @23victoria @nyotamalfoy @gcldtom @eywas-heir @historygeekqueen @missroro @sweetheart-bo

angry spirit

nobody quite understood the rage that naturally flowed through the veins of the women in the sully family. nobody quite understood the urge to protect that seemed to be carried between each and every one of the children that jake and neytiri shared and adored together. nobody quite understood… not until they experienced it themselves.

and trust me, plenty of people have experienced it, humans and na’vi alike. even from a young age, there were times where one of the kids were ( one-hundred and ten percent ) willing to fight another kid if it meant they would stop picking on their siblings.

luckily — of perhaps unluckily, depending on the perspective — that shared agreement only seemed to get stronger with age. as the relationships between each kid developed, as more seemed to join the family in general, there was a camaraderie between the five sully kids. even tuk, just a tiny thing herself, was well aware of her willingness to risk her own life if it meant she could save her sisters and brothers.

that being said, there was absolutely no way any of her older siblings would ever let that slide, but it was a sweet sentiment on its own.

even though this habitual response seemed to run through every sully’s blood, it was strongest in the eldest girl.

being neteyam’s twin — younger by just a few minutes — allowed for [y/n] to balance him out. while he had the expectations of future olo’eyktan on his shoulders from the moment he graced pandora with his birth, [y/n] was a freer spirit.

she was also a much more angry spirit.

not that she held fury against every person she interacted with, but [y/n] wasn’t scared of disliking anyone. she also wasn’t scared of letting them know that she didn’t like them; a blessing and a curse, the sully family often called it.

but it stemmed further than that. it ran stronger than that.

from a young age, jake taught his oldest daughter how to channel her anger much healthier. what did jake sully consider a healthy outlet? well, fighting, of course.

so, the sully child that’d been this close to fighting another kid in lo’ak’s honor? yeah, that was [y/n].

not to mention her iknimaya — the rite of passage that quite possibly boosted this girl’s ego far too high. she deserved it, though. not many young na’vis could complete the event in such little time, especially against the pain that her ikran was.

he was a bitter fellow, similar to his spirit sister. angry at the world for every little thing and always ready for a fight. they truly were connected in every possible way.

but, her iknimaya was physical evidence that fighting fire with fire never worked. the truth was that one flame had to overcome the other — one flame had to envelop the other. it was just a matter of which flame was stronger.

[y/n] knew from the moment she locked eyes and that joyful, adrenaline-filled grin blessed her face that she would win.

thank eywa she believed in herself, because neytiri and jake nearly lost all of their faith at the sight of the monster that towered over the young girl.

another notable moment — or perhaps a series of moments — of her oh-so optimistic and joyful personality was prompted by her very own father. if there was one thing that the oldest daughter was confident in, it was her father’s love. she knew that he loved her — loved all of them — and that made it extremely easy for her to argue with him on any topic she disagreed with.

as annoying as it happened to be to jake, neytiri loved that she was raising a strong woman. it often reminded her of herself at a young age.

but, every single one of those stories were child’s play compared to the raw anger that surged through her body when her and her siblings’ lives were held under knife and gunpoint.

[y/n], the original rebel and inspiration for lo’ak’s ‘admirable’ choices, was happy to join the crew on their adventure through the jungle. with lo’ak grounded from flying due to his choices just the other night, he’d practically begged his older sister to join them.

they were partners in crime, afterall.

once neteyam decided to become all responsible and stuff ( not that [y/n] blamed him… but it was disappointing ), [y/n] and lo’ak seemed to have magnetized toward each other, although that might be a sign to turn the other way and run as fast and as far as you can.

either way, [y/n] found herself exploring the similar jungle scene alongside all of her siblings minus neteyam and with the additional presence of spider.

as soon as the familiar scene turned not-so familiar, it seemed that [y/n] had a feeling. a feeling that something was wrong, that something else was creeping. she should have listened to her gut.

and that same thought resurfaced as soon as the stomach-dropping view of the avatars overcame her view from the bushes.

it was only once said avatars put their hands on her baby siblings that the familiar settled, bubbling beneath her thick layers of skin. it was only when [y/n] fell into an eerie silence and state of pure calm that every other sully sibling felt their own fear.

even as tuk squirmed and cried against the bruising grip of the avatar’s, even as kiri cried out at the sharp knife edge against her throat, even as spider fought his restraints, even as lo’ak stared into the terrifying eyes of the same man that had nearly killed his father…

[y/n] stayed perfectly compliant. stuck on her knees, queue throbbing at the feeling of her opponent tugging it, [y/n] merely stared straight at quaritch. silently, her urge to fight was building, and everybody that knew her was perfectly aware. and ready.

she ran her tongue smoothly against her fangs, eyes narrowed straight at the man that threatened the lives of her siblings.

a solid thirty minutes had already passed, eclipse coming quicker than [y/n] would’ve preferred. she just had to hope that, without being used to their forest and bodies, the avatar’s didn’t have the same keen night vision as she did.

“you okay there, kid?” the avatar teased, attempting to startle her with his threatening voice. he tugged her braid, nearly drawing a hiss from deep within her rib cage, but she held it back. he seemed to be bothered with the fact that her eyes hadn’t once left the body of their colonel.

but, for once, she drifted her gaze to meet her perpetrator and summoned english for his benefit. “ask again in a few minutes.”

and, almost as if [y/n] could feel the presence of her parents, a familiar bird call echoed through the nighttime breeze. her ears pressed back against her head in shock before she quickly recovered and flashed an innocent smile to the avatar.

he merely grunted, pulling her braid one last time for good measure, and looked back up at quaritch.

now, she just had to be patient. she could do that. well, as long as she got what she wanted in the end, and that was a good fight. she deserved it after letting the chains rub back and forth against her wrists, eating at her skin through the friction.

that being said, as soon as her mother’s signal became clear, she straightened up and locked eyes with lo’ak. a discreet nod was enough between them. grab tuk and go. she knew kiri and spider would handle themselves.

plus, the extra connection between spider and quaritch was just another layer of protection for her baby sister. perhaps it was a terrible way of thinking, but [y/n] wouldn’t dwindle too much on it. the urge to survive had its faults, afterall.

and finally, once neytiri’s arrow soared through the air, it was go time.

while lo’ak and tuk bit the arms of their restraining avatars, lo’ak also doubling duty and releasing whatever gas canisters had been accessible on the guy’s belt, kiri and spider were lucky enough to be given a chance to run as soon as the avatars lifted their guns.

[y/n] liked to do it the hard way, though.

she swung her legs in a swift motion, wrapping them around the avatar’s. she weighed his bottom half, keeping him from being able to move far, and in a split second, neytiri’s arrow was embedded in his chest.

[y/n] let go, scrambling to her feet and up the nearest tree, finding a moment of solace nested in the upper branches. she could see everything, and they couldn’t see her — she was a master of disguise and hiding, if anything.

and then, it seemed the world went a few clicks quieter, gunfire calming down just a tad. one scan of the scene, and [y/n] knew it was because they’d lost sight of her siblings.

“the kids are gone.” a voice crackled through the walkie strapped to a dead avatar’s chest at the base of the tree, the small noise quiet against the chaotic scene. [y/n] was merely lucky she was in little enough of a proximity to even catch the words.

“what do you mean gone?” quaritch. she could tell from his stingy accent and infuriating pronunciation of vowels.

a beat of quiet against more raining gunfire. “the boy and youngest girl ran off. tarzan and the other girl split to the opposite direction.”

“which other girl?” [y/n] felt a familiar smile on her face.

“what do you mean —”

quaritch was angry, and [y/n] couldn’t help but find pure enjoyment from the scene. little did he know that the young na’vi girl could now see him from her spot in the tree, eyes narrowed on the colonel hunched behind a fallen log.

“there are two girls. one of ‘em quiet and useless, the other looks like her devil of a mother.” the same mother that managed to kill him the first time.

[y/n]’s eyes focused on the demon in na’vi skin, watching his face contort at the familiar arrow pierced in the wood beside him. it was almost as if he’d conjured her very own “devil of a mother” into existence. “seems that very mother might be in attendance this fine evening.”

[y/n] scrunched her nose in disgust, her skin crawling at his words. she really could not stand him. but, her attention was quickly pulled back to reality when he dropped the walkie and called into the open air, all while reloading his gun, “that you, mrs. sully? i recognize your calling card.”

instantly, [y/n]’s head whipped around, locating the exact tree in which her mother hid behind. unfortunately, [y/n] was a few feet away and at the worst possible angle to help.

“why don’t you come on out, mrs. sully?” quaritch continued, and [y/n]’s eyes followed a different avatar that began to creep past the colonel. “you’n i, we got some… unfinished business.”

“demon!” neytiri’s voice caused panic to spike in the young na’vi’s heart, blood pumping with adrenaline. “i will kill you as many times as i have to.”

it was only when [y/n] looked back at quaritch that she noticed the other avatar was missing. a million different curse words rattled deep within her brain, eyes widening in fear.

meanwhile, quaritch would not be distracted from his tangent. “i guess you an’ the corporal have been pretty… busy, haven’t ya? got yourself a whole litter of… half-breeds.”

what could she do?

as quickly and as silently as she could, [y/n] scrambled through the wet tree branches, cursing herself every time her feet lost grip. nerves added up with rain never helped.

at the very last second, [y/n] reached a spot in which she could just barely see her mom. well, her mom, and the avatar that had a gun aimed right at her. just as [y/n] opened her mouth and prepared to scream a distraction, an arrow flew right through the avatar’s body.

gunfire followed almost immediately after, and her dangerous balance finally lost way, causing the girl to topple from her position and into the muddy ground below.

[y/n] was quick to stand up — she had to be — but the scene was not a pretty sight to behold.

she was surrounded. surrounded by three different avatars, each with their own weapon that could quite easily hurt her, if not kill her on the spot. she just prayed that, if they did manage to get to her, she could make them scream first.

[y/n] knew she would. it was always just a matter of mentality, right?

and so, as if the clock slowed down just for her, [y/n]’s eyes flashed around her and gauged every detail possible. the machine gun, loaded and prepared ( although she had noticed that it was already halfway empty ), in the hands of the avatar to her right, the two knives ready in the hands of the avatar to her left, and the last avatar just in front of her. nothing but his fists.

a smile surfaced.

she could deal with that.

and then, before the rest of her body returned to the consciousness of time, her feet began to move. [y/n] lifted her arms so she could see her wrists — still wrapped in chains — and she leapt upwards.

her long legs gave her a higher jump, bringing her and her hands to the perfect height to wrap her chains around the weaponless avatar’s neck. she swung herself around, legs hooking his torso as she tugged with every bit of strength she could muster.

at the chaotic sounds around her, [y/n] knew that bullets were being fired now. lucky for her, she had her very own personal shield, but that meant the tree she was choking was about to go timber.

once she felt the warm splatters of his blood against her stomach, she knew she only had a matter of time before getting squished under a dead man’s weight. [y/n] shifted her weight, unhooking her legs and placing her feet on his hips very carefully.

[y/n] kept her ears aware at all times as she leapt up and off of the now dead avatar, pushing him onto the ground with her jump. her ears moved vigilantly, picking up the sounds of the bullets just before they were shot so she could move just in time to avoid any casualties.

and then her favorite sound rang through the air. an empty cartridge.

at that, her infamous smirk surfaced as she locked eyes with the now useless avatar.

now, behind her, the third avatar with the knives thought she was being slick, creeping behind her with both weapons raised to stab her in the back.

luckily, [y/n] was far too aware and far too pissed to miss such an important detail.

just as the third avatar broke through stabbing distance, [y/n] whirled around and disarmed her in a quick movement. both knives flew into the air, and she swiftly grabbed each of them.

each blade found their own homes embedded in the chests of her enemies

and then, just like that, she’d won.

[y/n] huffed for air, three dead avatars laying around her feet. blood pooled, swirling in an overwhelming pool of maroon. and none of it was hers.

[pyode-luar-ke]

Can we get a yautja and a reader with dental braces?

teething problems | gn!yautja x gn!reader

A/N: everyone please just assume that the yautja in this story is like hyper-new to earth, like a first time scout or something, bc i know realistically there’d be no way a yautja wouldn’t know anything about braces 💀 they’ve studied humanity for like centuries or whatever, they’ve gotta know more about us that we do at this point lol

also, the “sand fish” thingies? made em up. think of a sea squirt.

enjoy!

summary: who knew that having braces could be kinda fun?

word count: 895

content: 18+, gn!reader, gn!yautja, pre-relationship, discussions of dentistry, arguing, warming up to each other, play fighting, my attempt at comedic writing

—

"So they are purely corrective?" Your alien... visitor asks, and you once again bat their clawed paw away from your mouth. They click, mandibles quivering in a manner you've come to learn as: Amusement. The ass.

For whatever reason, they've found your braces to be incredibly intriguing.

"Yeah, I guess. I certainly don't wear them for comfort." You laugh dryly, swatting away their paw once more before focusing on your work. Lately, they’ve been much more grabby, a far cry from when you first interacted with them when they wouldn’t even breathe near you for fear of contracting some “ooman virus”. 

Whatever. Two could play that game. You avoided them like the plague— saying they had Space Yautja Flu— until they inevitably stopped being ridiculous.

Now they’re touchy and frequently invade your personal space. Recently the fascination has become your mouth. Double-edged sword, you suppose.

"Such an archaic form of medicine." The Yautja snorts, crossing their arms over their chest. They shake their head, pitying, "Yautja technology would remedy your teeth in a matter of minutes.”

"Well, it's too bad we don't have that, do we?" You snap, and it definitely strikes a nerve in your companion, because they literally roar at you— Mandibles flaring, ivy green tresses raising, and all. You flinch, even though you don’t mean to. Yautja get nasty when you show weakness. They back off with a low growl.

The only reason, really, that you are currently harboring a Yautja in your dining room as you try to type up a report for your boss is because their ship got stolen. A huge embarrassment for them. Maybe they shouldn’t have landed it in fucking Yosemite. 

“Sorry, geez.” You mutter, clacking a bit harder at the keys of your laptop. It’s not your fault that Big Brother seized their ship, but it is a sore subject for them. You feel a bit bad. Shouldn’t’ve used that jab.

The Yautja says nothing for a long enough time that you nearly completely focus on your report again. Only the clock on the wall ticks, your keys clicking, and some light shuffling from the Yautja makes any noise. It’s peaceful— A rarity these days.

Halfway through the analysis section, you hear a door open somewhere in the house, followed by lumbering footsteps. Confused, you look to see that the Yautja had abandoned their spot next to you. Before you can call out, you hear a clatter quickly accompanied by a trill that tapers into rapid clicking.

“What the Hell are you doing?” You shout and the heavy footsteps fall closer and closer until the Yautja comes barreling around the corner. You jump when they leap next to you, their tresses swing wildly. Their green eyes are wide and bright, and their tusked jaws click together.

“What is this?” They ask, seemingly breathless, and you can barely process the question through their excitement before they thrust an object in your face. You have to stare down the bridge of your nose, and recognize the white metal contraption immediately.

“... My Waterpik?” You ask slowly, a quizzical look crossing your face as you stare at the device you use to clean up sometimes if the toothbrush or flossing missed some spots.

“The device plays like sand fish!” The Yautja exclaims, and they make that drawling, warbled trilling noise again, and it’s so strange, but you can’t help but smile. It must be the Yautja equivalent to laughing— to expressing joy. You tilt your head and ask, “Sand fish?”

“From childhood. As pups, we hunted the sand fish at Yautja Prime riverbanks, and when you grabbed them, they would squirt water at your eyes! Then we fileted and ate them. Very fun, very tasty.” The Yautja clicks so rapidly that you almost can’t follow what they say, but then they decide to make a case in point.

Before you can stop them, they’ve clicked and aimed the Waterpik at you, and the tiny jet stream of water hits you smack dab on the center of your forehead. You yelp, shielding your face with your arms only to get hit on the cheek and then on your side.

“Stop!” You can’t help but shriek in laughter, scrambling up from your chair to try and flee the unrelenting spurts of water. Big misstep. Yautja are hunters. You make it three steps— not even past the dining room table— until you’re seized by the arm. The large hand with its sharp claws wrap firm around your forearm, and your visitor all but pulls you back to them.

It’s a very... compromising position. The Yautja holds you against their body, their very toned thighs below your legs, your head against their chest. You look up at them, they look down at you. Your cheeks start to feel warm. They click their tusks together, and you catch sight of the forked tongue behind their secondary row of sharp teeth.

Then they start to purr. Then their mandibles relax, spreading wide and pink. 

For a second, you expect the evening to take a very different turn...

... Which is then ruined when they spray you with the Waterpik, directly in your eyes. You shriek, closing your eyes, your hands blindly swatting at the Yautja’s reptilian-esque hide.

They take the opportunity to stick their clawed fingers in your mouth, victoriously trilling.

The fascination is lost on you.

[ryelleart]

Can we have more headcanons between both brothers usagi and yuichi?

And there interactions with leo along with the whple hamato clan🥰

Oh wow, thank you for asking! I haven’t had anyone really expressing interest in this little idea of mine like this; it makes me so happy 🥰

I’ve actually been thinking about the brothers a little more since I shared their designs, and here’s what else I came up with:

Usagi is autistic and Yuichi has ADHD bc I tend to project onto my characters

When they were kids, the brothers would do almost everything together despite their age gap

Usagi doesn’t have any allergies, while Yuichi has a laundry list of allergies (if you threw a dart at a list of every allergy, odds are he has whatever it landed on)

Usagi is a perfectionist with a fear of failure (is that redundant?)

Usagi is 4 years older than Yuichi, and he abuses his older brother privilege all the time (it used to be for silly, petty things like claiming first dibs for something or bossing his brother around, but now it’s more along the lines of “I’m responsible for you, so stop arguing with me and do what I say”)

Usagi became more serious and reserved than he used to be with his new role as his brother’s guardian, which affected his relationship with Yuichi

Yuichi hates when people lie to him (which includes keeping secrets)

Usagi is overprotective of his brother and will do absolutely anything to keep him safe

They don’t regularly hang out anymore, but Usagi still tries to do stuff with Yuichi from time to time

They customized their hoodies themselves (it was one of Usagi’s early attempts to bond with his brother after losing their parents)

One of Yuichi’s favorite hobbies is messing with his brother, from pranks to meaningless debates where he intentionally argues for an objectively wrong stance bc watching Usagi get heated over trying to convince Yuichi he’s wrong is funny

When he’s not busy working or taking care of his brother, Usagi likes to read about ancient history (he’s also into fan fiction and conspiracy theories, but he’ll never admit that out loud)

I won’t get too much into it here, but Usagi struggles to provide for Yuichi after losing a job, so he eventually becomes a bounty hunter with Gen as a last-ditch effort to make money

He doesn’t tell Yuichi about this

He does tell Leo, partly bc he trusts him to keep Yuichi from finding out, but mostly bc Leo was his first official bounty so keeping it a secret from him would be pointless

Speaking of Leo, he and Usagi don’t actually hang out after he convinces the bounty hunters not to take him in, yet they somehow keep running into each other in the Hidden City

Usagi initially finds Leo irritating, while Leo thinks Usagi is rude; they change their tune once they decide to hang out for real and get to know each other

They complement each other pretty well; Leo gets Usagi to open up and have fun, and Usagi acts as Leo’s confidante for things that he can’t really bring himself to share with his family

Although he acts more serious than Leo, Usagi’s not above being pulled into his shenanigans

Yuichi is pretty similar to Leo personality-wise, so ofc they get along great

They also get along with the rest of Leo’s family once they meet; Yuichi obviously favors Leo the most, but Mikey is a close second, and Usagi is closest to April (they can swap stories about all the jobs they’ve had!)

I’m torn about which direction to take Yuichi’s relationship with Donnie; I like the idea that they’re just so diametrically opposed and they get on each others nerves all the time, but I also like the idea of them actually being pretty close (mayhaps Donnie sees his beloved twin in this kid and develops a soft spot for him?)

I feel like Raph would absolutely adore the brothers once he gets to know them, though I feel like his relationship with Usagi would be a bit complicated; he’s initially a bit overprotective of Leo for reasons I won’t mention here, but he ends up really liking/relating to Usagi, so doesn’t stay that way for long… that is, until a certain point in Usagi’s relationship with Leo 👀

Usagi and Leo ofc catch feelings for each other over time, but Leo’s bad history with dating (again, I won’t get into it here) kinda keeps him from acting on anything

They do, however, tell each other how they feel anyway, so even though they’re not together yet, they know they’re into each other

Ok I’m gonna stop here bc I think I might’ve gonna a bit overboard lol. Besides, that’s all I can share without getting into angst territory 😉

As for stuff like comics, I genuinely have no idea how far I’m gonna take this; will I wanna turn this into an ongoing comic? Will I stick to making some sketches here and there? Idk! Ig we’ll see

[kafus]

i’m going to be honest i do not know if i have the passion for pokemon X to go into meticulous detail like usual and towards the end of my playthrough i was really starting to feel burned out on it so this post is gonna be kinda short and discussing my admittedly mixed feelings (shoutout to XY stans im so glad you love this game, this post is very subjective)

first, here’s all my hall of fame stuff and whatnot. i spent 51 hrs on the main campaign - the pic of my trainer card was taken directly after beating the game and the pics of my team were taken right before the league.

despite having mixed feelings abt this playthrough i did get really attached to my team, Sai, Knife, and Taser in particular :]

it’s worth noting that afaik i caught every single encounter available in the game before beating it, including tuesday exclusive rotom and thursday exclusive banette. and shortly before beating the game i ascended to Duchess rank in the battle chateau

i also farmed a metric fuckton of berries and did some other tasks so suffice to say i have interacted w this game’s features a lot

all that being said i have two main takeaways from beating X again for the first time in a decade and one is gameplay related and the other is story related

first, gameplay wise, i was surprised by how easy X is - i think “pokemon is too easy now” is a tired criticism that isn’t usually accurate or fair, but it’s really hard not to feel that way about this game in particular, coming from experience with playing both modern and old pokemon games extensively as an adult. this game definitely isn’t balanced around its own exp all and there are SOOOO many trainers to fight which means if you like fighting all the trainers when possible (which i do, and i dont have issues like this in other pokemon games) you overlevel extremely quickly. i’m unsure if XY was balanced without it first or something, but this is definitely an issue i haven’t seen to this extent since. i am aware i could have played with it off but since it’s the first pokemon game to have it and it’s given to you so early i wanted to see what the intended experience was with it on

on top of that, all gym leaders only have 3 pokemon! most boss battles in the game had so few pokemon, it honestly felt strange. i love gym battles and stuff in pokemon games, i love using unorthodox strategies and going in underleveled for fun, and i play every pokemon game on set mode w no items in battle by default casually so there’s almost always some sort of thinking i have to do, but w X i was so overleveled and the gym leaders had so few pokemon that for the most part it was just spamming A for a minute and then it was over. at the very least when i beat the league i had some fun with it and set up with my unevolved skiddo w bulk up to tear through diantha’s team

bc of how braindead battles were for me in this playthrough i mainly got enjoyment from pokedex completion which is something i always find fun and X is no exception - most of those 51 hrs are probably me looking for rare hordes and whatnot, i had a blast with the encounter variety in this game and trying to collect everything possible as i went. i also thought the berry fields and battle chateau were super cool and i interacted w those a lot daily. there’s a lot i could say about the smaller features too, super training, amie, the PSS (best online service for pokemon ever btw), o powers, restaurants in lumiose, etc, but i don’t have the energy to get into it rn. suffice to say when X’s side features they shine, they do really shine, even though i found the main campaign underwhelming

as for story…

when i started this playthrough all i really remembered from playing this game when i was 13 was the post-e4 sequence with AZ (still made me tear up as a 24 year old lol) and the cool xerneas encounter cutscene, and they are definitely the highlights of this game because the story of XY is what i was most disappointed by, i was really hoping i’d find new appreciation for it despite what everyone says about the story being weak and i really did try so it’s a little frustrating the game just didn’t deliver

yeah the pacing is weird and the rivals might as well have the depth of cardboard cutouts (one note and completely unable to be characterized outside of their roles) but that’s not really my main issue w the game. i don’t think i picked up on this stuff as a 13 year old but as an adult playing i was really uncomfortable with pokemon trying to make a story about literal genocide and eugenics but handling it so carelessly. like some of the dialogue actively disturbed me and i don’t think the writing is good enough to convey the nuance of what it’s TRYING to say, especially to kids, which i think is necessary for topics like this

i assume that they were trying to say something about the obliviousness of adults and people in general because of Sycamore being so blindly trusting of Lysandre and also totally incapable of accomplishing anything himself (seriously how did anyone like this guy, it must solely be because he’s french and hot, dude dropped out of learning about mega evolution bc he just Gave Up, and then he shoved that on some kids as if it was new research but it wasn’t, and then when lysandre tries to commit genocide his apology is so halfassed and Nothing, and also dialogue implies he’s not even doing professor shit he’s just goofing off while you save the world and do his research for him, it’s not charming it’s Annoying and irresponsible) but god damn i dont think it came off how they intended. all of the adults in this game are blind to what’s going on (even having their holocasters spied on) and give sympathy to Eugenics Man but even after the world is saved, new NPCs after the fact still express sympathy to Lysandre and the main characters like Sycamore don’t properly make up for their behavior. the game’s writing just sort of excuses everyone being a dipshit about literal eugenics and doesn’t properly apologize to the children who took a stand (the apologies given were basically nothing) in a way that i think is genuinely irresponsible considering the subject matter. it’s one thing for a pokemon game to have lackluster writing and another for it to have shitty writing when something so analogous to real life like this is involved. plus the plot moves on from the events of team flare so quickly it just feels Silly tbh and its not helping the writing’s case

idk i think XY had some interesting lore and history (btw that museum in lumiose city is super cool) and the potential with AZ was crazy and that post-e4 sequence still hits like a train, but the poor handling of the eugenics topic and the shitty pacing really took me out of it. i’m glad that after this pokemon scaled back the sheer gravity of its subject matter just a bit because oof

if i wrote this directly after beating the game my thoughts would probably be more organized so sorry if this isn’t making my points effectively but yeah idk. i’m still on and off working on my friend safari and i plan to do more in X eventually but for now i am good

[supermacaquecool]

Odd pair commentary now

Okay, I'm not sure when I started writing this, I have the vague inkling of wanting to finish it for the first Survive week? Or is it just because I wrote a lot of Ryo fic for it? Beats me.

...

So yeah, I went to check my twt and I posted the first excerpt (the one above) I wrote for it on Jan 26th of last year lol It was around those times.

I remember a mutual had brought the topic of ships and how Ryo is likely the second most shippable Survive chara lol At any rate, it got me thinking I wanted to explore their dynamic. This funny interaction was the seed from which the whole thing sprouted lol Before I started the game myself (I knew plenty of spoilers already, though) , I knew from a certain drawing on twt that they cook together in Truthful, so I had been looking forward to seeing that a lot. I think the fact they're the same age and Ryo helps her out brings a sense of equality to their relationship that Aoi doesn't really have with her juniors, much less Shuuji. So I thought it could be fun. Incidentally, the way the affinity dialogue plays out where Ryo shows up to help her crackled me up really hard lol The way she ends up bossing him around much to his chagrin and the way he swallows his pride are pretty priceless lol

Another scene I really like with them (the other one I know of???) is that one that takes place when they're about to head to the northern shrine, and Takuma and Aoi show up late bc they got sidetracked with repairs LOL I loved the way Ryo chewed her out for not prioritizing lol So this is kinda inspired by that, tho he gets frustrated at her here for not asking for help (or expressing herself, period LOL). Now that I've written more, I have noticed that I like writing other characters finding my fav annoying, which is just unbelievably funny.

So, it was fun writing those points of friction between them, Aoi disliking Ryo's rude attitude and Ryo finding grating that she clams up lol It was not the cause for huge conflict, but it gave way to some fun smaller instances of awkwardness. I'm very fond of Ryo getting admonished for speaking rudely to her only to nearly call her a dumbass five seconds later lol

Aoi's reticence to rely on others takes the bulk of the scenario:

Ryo cranes his neck over her shoulder to take a peek at whatever she was doing on the counter.

This was a fun, physical way to get accross the way he's basically having to force brute his way through understanding her, since she isn't really communicating. She's clamming up so much to the point it makes Ryo nearly lose his patience near the end. Aoi doesn't really budge much in this fic, it's all Ryo and Labramon having to do the heavy lifting to bridge the interaction which is also funny. All the things she goes out of her way to cover their bases and not trouble others causing her to be cumbersome to be dealt with lol I'd like to write them scolding each other more, plus the mutual annoyance they learn to tolerate as they grow to trust each other more lol The way they're nearly opposites in the way they choose to deal with social interaction makes them very funny in my head lol Rude boy and proper girl, get on each others' nerves, now! Despite that, I think they're likely to feel real kinship with each other as the only competent caretakers and cooks of the group lol It's just a matter of growing comfortable with each other, so that's what I'm aiming for portraying.

As per usual, Ryo's pov is very fun to write. His brusqueness marred to his keeness are a blast, so I mostly think of this one as a fun little snapshot at how their dynamic could play out.

Ryo sighs, catching her drift. Despite all their talk about how charging to the factory will mean facing the Last Boss, some part of her doesn’t believe it’ll be over yet. Not like he can blame her. He doesn’t buy it either, that they will be done with all of this that easily. Really, given how things turned out in the waterways, preparing for the worst isn’t wrong but…

Highlighting this paragraph bc I didn't explore this aspect much, but that's another common ground for them: their catastrophizing LOL They could either make each other's anxiety worse or really bond over it. If I were to write them together again, I'd probably want to explore that territory.

[ferrocyan]

well this is a last hurrah i suppose.. so i've been having shipper brainrot abt don quixote/heathcliff ww since they fulfill the good old sunshine/grump archetype, while also both being lcb's most emotionally charged sinners. they're compatible to me in that way, being always the first to charge into a situation bc they feel like it. and also like! the way their emotionality is honed into a weapon, yknow? like compared to sinclair whose emotions are a festering wound, don's emotions spur her to reckless action fueled by her ideals, while heath's has become a means of self defense. they're both their own masters in that way (even if don misjudges herself pretty badly lol) i didn't know i love emotionally charged characters this much but don and heath are both well characterized and fun imo

oh when i say they're compatible i don't mean romantically or anything since like. heath definitely doesn't give a shit in that way, i think it's just don who's expressed interest in interacting w heath www. these two are just similar enough to fuel my delusions

what spices this ship up for me is that despite looking young don quixote has ended up as the leader of associations in other identites. like the cinq director, and the relevant one, shi association director. as heathcliff's boss. the shi association dynamics are great. heath as a guy who's ended up at the lowest position possible in society, and he's, like, dogshit at his job there wwww like he's good at the murder but not at being an assassin. in the assassin group. great going heath! but not to worry, don the director is someone who fully believes that she's doing the right thing, and also doing right by her subordinates, so she would never cast heath out even if he is a bad fit in her group. opting to just shoulder the costs and pains of the awful reality of their work all on her own. ughh love that the theme of shi association is clinging onto the one chance at life you have left through all the pain and suffering. heathcliff clinging onto being a shitty assassin bc its all the life he has. don quixote clinging onto the idea of both meting out justice to evildoers and being a good leader bc this association is all she has. even if you cannot believe in yourself anymore just keep holding on. just hang in there. maybe it will be easier w others by your side. (sorry for not including ishmael here i don't rly get her...)

anyway. i had been thinking abt writing abt them, but like, man these guys' dialogue is hard! not don quixote and her ye olde speak, i mean heathcliff. he's british dude, that's bogus. that was partly /j though but now i guess i never will because Reasons! oh well. this was fun while it lasted

[dykedragonrider]

(voice of someone who puts off reviewing things for days at a time) finished Inscryption and while I'm not into ARG stuff much so despite having looked into it I won't comment on that, I will comment on the fact that the substance of the game is. Really fucking good actually. I played MTG as a child with my friends and this game hits good because of that, to a degree.

First off. Love the metagame elements with interacting with the exterior world in acts 1/3. That's fucking great. Picking up little items to use along the way as you progress the story, or directly progressing it with them (I popped the fuck off about the eye thing tbh, that was sick). The presentation with the tabletops is also just like. There'll be a recurring thing here that I bring up, that it's exactly what you wish you had when you were playing tabletops sometimes, a whole space devoted to it, and it's all just beautiful.

The roguelike deck building is fun, I'm a slay the spire enjoyer (even if I'm not a Pro gamer:tm: at it), so it was pretty straightforward to make broken and fun decks, and the game knows this, I think the volatility of the cards plus the fact that bosses have bullshit stuff they can do makes this feel like, really earned? You get ideas based on that to break the game further and it's encouraging innovation in such a smart way? Act 2 and 3 do this better (shoutouts to the instakill turrets that respond to something being in front of them, i made one and it was soooo nice), and I really liked act 2 because Grimora's deck had some really cool like, pseudo-infinites it could enter with how it interacted with sacrificing, so experimenting with that felt rewarding as shit. I do wish we got to spend more time with her though, bc I liked her style.

And that's kind of like, exactly what I adored about this game? There's some cool metafictiony stuff and I like the found footage presentation, but the main core of Inscryption I think is done so well through Leshy, the sheer love of the game and playing a character and *making an experience out of it*. It's broken. And that's OK. I like that that even gets lampshaded with Kaycee's mod, tbh. But the ending is what elevates this from like, a solid cult classic to something that has stuck with me in terms of pure sentimentality? When the deletion starts, Leshy takes you for one more spin, purely for the joy of the game. I handily defeated him instantly (trifurcated strike card with 4 power) but he just. "we don't need score" and you play a few rounds, and when you can't go farther, you shake his hand.

Grimora comes next. It's something wholly new! I adored her segment, the presentation the style, I wish I coulda had a shot with this! I'd probably really like this! I did like what was there! But it's over. She's going. And you shake her hand.

Magnificus finishes, and his is this whole spectacle (with its own tongue in cheek reference that, despite not playing that card game, i got). It corrupts itself as data is lost, and he tries to go and shake your hand, but doesn't get the chance. I found myself rather struck by that? It was poignant, I wasn't too fond of the guy with what I had seen, but that doesn't mean that it didn't like. There's a great tragedy here.

And that's what stuck out to me about this, going into personal experience here (not that discussing art isn't invariably talking about yourself imo, but the pretense is being dropped here fully) was as a kid I was a bit of a joyless ass when playing MtG, I liked winning, hated losing, and tried to build decks that could cheese wins from my friends (but was limited by my lack of spending money on them) for easy wins. And as an adult I look back on that with both shame and adoration, I had something I cared about a lot that made me think laterally, it was nice, but it was also... I was going about it the wrong way. It's fine to be motivated by stuff like that, but the love of the game I had early that drove me got lost along the way, and this game captures that *feeling* of the love of the game so well.

[jeschalynn]

Oh man who are your WoW/blizz faves?

Wrathion—I love how he interacts with the other characters, he is so smart and witty. Also, his dragon form model? Amazing. I liked his encounter in Ny'alotha too.

Majordomo Selistra—I love them, one of my favourite characters in Dragonflight honestly.

Renethal—my prince! I love Revendreth so much, best SL zone and you can fight me on this. My main was Venthyr even though it was the weakest covenant for my spec because I loved it so much. LOL

Lor'themar—he might be my oldest WoW crush. LOL He's one of those lore chararcters that feels dependable to me, I don't have to worry about him going mad with power and causing too much trouble.

Illidan—fan favourite for an obvious reason. I really warmed up to him in Legion since I didn't start playing until the end of BC. I'm still trying to get his glaives though, I'm missing one.

Anduin—I play Horde 95% of the time (except for my one Alliance alt I use for faction-specific mount/pet collecting). I really warmed up to him in BFA and Shadowlands. His cinematics have been SO GOOD, props to his VA.

Khadgar—the Solomon of WoW, I love this guy. His jokes are so bad, they're ridiculous. A total dilf for sure.

Rokhan—one of my favourite characters in BFA. I love trolls.

Bwonsamdi—sketchy af but hilarious. Troll fav bias showing here too.

Problematic favs (aka mostly bad guys/anti-heros I'm down bad for):

I am secretly #TeamOldGods except for C'thun. I dig the lore and the aesthetic and the creepy language and tentacles they're just really neat.

Denathrius—oh, Daddy D and his horny sword. Love this asshole, love his zone, love his raid, love his boss fight, love his little sword pet that kills things when she follows me around. BIG FAV.

Guldan—I don't like many orc characters but the chokehold he has on me. He's so evil and menacing. And his voice???

Azshara—she's been such a recurring villain throughout the game, it really built up the hype for me by the time she had more screen time in BFA. Her Warbringers cinematic was amazing. What a queen. Her boss fight was so tedious but still kind of fun. Actually, I enjoyed the Eternal Palace raid overall.

Zul—it was so obvious he was gonna go bad, but I did not care. My troll bias is showing again.

Taran Zhu—don't ask.

Falric and Marwyn—I am so weak for their voices like hello? Absolute monsters, but I'd let that happen.

[mercurypyrite]

spoilers for trailblazer-related plot points during the jarilo-vi final boss fight, though not for the boss themself

ok so theory time

we met qlipoth the preservation in the simulated universe first (in world 1) & then later unlocked the path of preservation

(we also got the fire element in jarilo-vi, an ice world, which is a related-but-separate thing. this is kinda a stretch but i think it’d be interesting to get an element that counters wind like fire does ice. definitely not for angst reasons, i promise. and i think it’s cute that we got to match paths with march 7th and potentially dan heng first)

since we met lan the hunt next (in world 2), if the trend continues we’ll get hunt mc next

…i don’t actually know which aeon we meet in world 3, if any — i haven’t gotten that far and wasn’t able to find much online 😓 input is welcome [edit] in world 3 we meet nanook the destruction and immediately get murked (thank you @yeeted-into-the-multiverse!) why am i not surprised… at least we got an interaction with them, i guess, even if that interaction was murder

but from what my friends have told me and what i’ve dug up online, it seems like we meet ix the nihility in world 4 and yaoshi the abundance in world 5. correct me if i’m wrong bc, again, i haven’t gotten that far myself

(and of course we may meet other aeons like fuli the remembrance and aha the elation in world 1, it’s just that they don’t have playable paths.)

so i’m gonna guess that, for path progression, it’ll go like:

destruction [canon]

preservation [canon]

hunt

???

nihility

abundance

???

not sure whether we’d get erudition (nous) or harmony (xipe) first but i kinda wanna go with harmony…? which would leave my beloved aoe trailblazer ‘til last rip

^and this is mostly because we got asta as a kind of “tutorial” character — and i know we were given herta too! asta just came first.

(but also i think it’d be funny to see trailblazer bounce from harmony to nihility. imagine the whiplash for their teammates.)

just for kicks, elements to go along with them:

physical [canon]

fire [canon]

ice

wind

lightning

imaginary

quantum

reasoning:

canon.

canon.

wind is fast & i think ice is a good counter to that. slow enemies down, freeze them. can’t attack if you’re frozen.

this was actually the last one i put down via process of elimination kek. but, coincidentally, it ties back into matching with march (ice) and dan heng (wind) again so i’m happy with it.

honestly i think it’d be really neat if the trailblazer ended up with a similar skillset to kafka — lightning + nihility.

imaginary and quantum both feel like endgame elements to me since they kinda stick out against the more “mundane” elements.

a lot of early-game enemies in the space station are weak to quantum. said enemies are the antimatter legion, followers of nanook, the big bad. so it wouldn’t surprise me if they became late-game enemies as well, or if nanook shared that weakness.

i think that’s everything i’ve got. i’ll reblog this with updates as i’m proven wrong or right.

i’m probably not the first person to bring this whole thing up but i don’t care because i had fun thinking about it /lh

[coral-melon]

Ohh could i get an obey me matchup if u have time? :D

Appearance: i’m afab, tall but skinny like a noodle, still have curves tho. i have light brown hair and dull blue eyes i’m pale af and have a slightly larger than average number of moles. i have had purple under-eyes since i was 12 they are never going away

Personality: professionally i’m doing well but every other area of my life is in shambles lmfao. still live with my parents can’t drive depressed as hell and barely any relationship experience💀i hate responsibility but i’m still responsible because i hate letting people down. i make a conscious effort to always meet deadlines and show up to meetings on time and it bothers me when other people don’t. but still i’m pretty lenient with others and give them the benefit of the doubt. i am fairly whimsical and quite unbothered by everything. not afraid to push boundaries and attempt things no one has done before, when ppl tell me my goals sound unrealistic it just motivates me more

Strengths/weaknesses: good at drawing and school, graduated college with a 4.0 gpa and a bunch of honors and stuff, and i am the creator of several viral posts and quizzes. good at taking advantage of opportunities that come my way. and i can see humor in everything i love to laugh. i’m kinda irony poisoned and struggle with sincerity, but i’m also an open book i don’t rly have anything to hide. i always talk pretty casually with people no matter who they are but i get away with it cuz i’m smart and good at my job or something. i may come across as impulsive but i do think through everything i do and say, i’m just a fast thinker. i’ve been told i’m too trusting but i haven’t been hurt yet sooo idc ^_^

Likes/dislikes: i am fan of any kind of creative hobby. i like being in nature and interacting with animals but i’m also a pwetty pwincess who hates getting dirty. i hate doing chores and paying for stuff too 💅🏻 i avoid drama and conflict like the plague, though i enjoy it as a spectator. and i hate office jobs, specifically because i work very efficiently then have to pretend to be productive for my dumbass boss when i finish everything early. i love to hang out with people even if it’s something boring like running errands. for some reason people think i don’t like hugs or texting but i do :( i constantly crave novelty i love new experiences

Other: when i really like someone i’ll take an interest in their interests and memorize every little thing i learn about them to the point where i gotta play dumb sometimes so i don’t sound overly invested. we would probably have to have a strong friendship as a foundation cuz u gotta be patient with my repressed ass. i don’t have a lot of preferences for dates so i’d be happy doing whatever they want, i’m v indecisive so it would be good for both of us if they like taking the lead

- 🦝

Hello -🦝! Thank you for taking the time to introduce yourself, it a pleasure to meet you! ^^

This felt really fun for me bc I already had a few silly hc in mind for you, so I hope you enjoy!

I match you with…~

꩜ Never a dull moment when your around him.

꩜ The two of you are a funny duo, to say the least. If it were possible, it would be like you taking care of a leash kid.

꩜ Not to worry, with this jackass over by your side, he will make you forget about your depression with his bullshit and shenanigans! That’s right, The Great Mammon himself! >;D👍✨ ((plz don’t take this too seriously..))

꩜ When it comes to you, he might as well not have any experience either. When others look at you, sometimes they think you’re the one who knows the ropes even if that’s not the case at all.

꩜ He’s supposed to keep an eye on you, but the fact of the matter is that it got twisted real quick and you ended up responsible for him instead. You keep him in check when it comes to his studies and duties he must finish. Oh what’s that? Sike! Even if you didn’t want to, he’ll beg you to help him out before Lucifer catches a whiff that he failed a test for the 1738929th time.

꩜ You’re motivated to want to improve yourself, so why would t you want the same for those you care about? No matter how hopeless someone is, surely there’s always a way!

꩜ Doesn’t matter how much he tries to hide something he did wrong though, Lucifer knows way before he himself does. So you’ll often see him upside down hanging from a ceiling. He temps you first before resorting to begging you to help him out again.

“Are ya takin’ me seriously, human?!”

— “Pfft- Yea yea of course!👌” nah, not really

꩜ As time passes by though, he starts catching your drift slowly without being told what to do. Simply wanting to get your attention and praise is enough to have him determined to want to do better. So in a way, both of you help each other out to get yourselves organized; May it be your actions or mental state. Thriving forward because of it.

꩜ He appreciates you never me giving up on him, thinking about it makes him soft and weak.. He’ll never admit it though! Not the Great Mammon himself! Not in a million years! Pretty obvious tho..

꩜ He, too, is an open book; not on purpose though. He tries to hide it but ultimately just reveals even more.

꩜ But It’s funny watching you two play dumb with each other when it comes to the other’s interests. He is just as invested in what you like — or perhaps even more — like you are with his.

“Oh, you like -insert hobby-? Ha, lame!” *Proceeds to look up everything there is to know about it*

꩜ Lovely to know you like to hang out, cuz best believe this guy is stuck to you like glue. He might try to come up with an excuse as to why he just barged into your room or sent you some random message, but it’s all bs. He just wants to be with you even if there’s no reason. He just really enjoys your company.

꩜ On days he gets paid, He’ll say he’s feeling generous and willing to spoil indulge you a bit. You better be grateful to the Great Mammon! Whenever you go shopping, he’ll keep an eye out for anything you might glance at, even if it was just for a brief moment.

꩜ And even if it’s rare coming from you, he’ll immediately sense if there’s greed coming from you. So he’ll buy you whatever it is that you want so badly! *cough* you just glanced at it.. *cough*

End

I hope I was able to make you smile

Take care -🦝!✨

[livingasaghost]

september was not great folks, but we're trying <3

in the saddest realization of the season i discovered that my favorite part of the day is my 40m drive to work because it's chilly and i can see a lot of trees and the morning light and i also am in the perfect headspace to listen to Good Music and it's like when i used to make my morning playlists for opening the coffeeshop except soooo much more enjoyable

been listening to lots of holly humberstone and NF's new album and justin vernon stuff (bon iver, BRM, etc) and unfortunately gracie abrams - there's just something about all these artists being like "I AM THE PROBLEM ITS ME IM SORRY" that just speaks to me! that's not concerning at all!

laura and i talked for like two hours last night and it was like old times and god i really do miss when we'd just ride the same bus home and i could walk to her house ):

i've been trying to make taylor's chai cookies for like a week and i realized i absolutely have time to make them today so i'm trying to buck up the energy to do that in the next two hours before i have to be a person and go to a photoshoot

"good day" by olivia barton

i'm trying to get back into crying in h mart because mom finished reading it and we're supposedly buddy reading it so we can discuss it but i haven't felt like reading all month because i've been depressed...but like damn cancer sucks guys

in other news, i think because i've had such a shitty brain month this september i've almost pushed myself so far that halloween season sounds really fun!!! i'm trying to work through my halloween hate bc i think it's kind of silly and all my friends love halloween so i should love it too! and like i wanna watch spooky movies and be chilly and have FUN! god!

i kinda forgot a vital piece of jennalore which is that when i was a kid my mom's college roommate used to send us frosted sugar cookies shaped like bats every halloween and it was actually kinda the best thing ever? so i'm trying to channel that energy this season

work is batshit insane and i'm so exhausted by it i literally slept for 11hrs on like wednesday night bc i was so tired but also......when we're busy i always feel like i'm actually Doing Something and my bosses are so happy with the work i do so like.....it's good even though it's bad!

therapy has actually been really really good? like it Sucks bc it's therapy and i hate talking about my feelings but my therapist is the sweetest NB person ever and they're always just like "uhhh that's emotional abuse my dude!" and i'm so fucking excited bc at the end of october they're gonna have saturday openings which means i can finally go talk to them in person and not on my lunch break in our tiny break room!!!! at this point i have to pretend like my coworker can't hear everything i say during therapy otherwise i'd go insane so i always leave my sessions being like ......did max hear that i'm aroace and i have depression and i might be neurodivergent??? idk!!!

which speaking of, even though max and i definitely aren't like friends by any sense of the word....we are also just like having a time together! it's wild i see him most out of all the people i know but i think we're both going a little insane from the workload and being Depressed so we just spend all day being kinda wacky and for whatever reason i've reached a point where i stopped having a filter with him so i just start talking about the most random shit and he's cool with it lol

i think i might maybe be a little lonely! idk! i've been struggling to figure out what i need or who to talk to and i generally just want to talk to like two or three of my friends or my gc and everyone's just busy ): but then when i have the chance to talk to anyone and i Sit Down to try to interact bc i know some people are probably around i just get a little overwhelmed idk make it make sense!!!

and i realized i don't have a lot of IRL friends anymore bc a lot of the ones i had from the coffeeshop are Not My Friend and the ones i met on instagram are also Not My Friend and the ones i used to live with are Not My Friend and so my list of people to hang with is teeny tiny and idek what i need or want anymore so it's just my brain screaming .

the most frustrating thing rn is that i know i'm in a bad mental place however i cannot distinguish what i need! but when someone asks me what i need i get this intense panic/dread and i spiral real bad and if anyone tries to be kind to me it makes me feel worse and so it's like....i'm stuck in this stand still where i can't get what i need but i don't know what i need so i just eat cereal, listen to music, and go to bed early!!!

i don't wanna watch anything, i still haven't finished this season of only murders, i need a DVD player bc i want to watch the director's commentary of hill house, there's a bunch of shows and movies coming out soon that i feel overwhelmed by at the moment and it's just like !!! this is all so unfair

and i need to make all these appointments like getting my oil changed and going to the doctor for my annual but i cannot bring myself to do those things but also like should i ask my doctor about medication for depression??? surely it isn't that serious but like maybe it is idk!!!!

the depression isn't as bad as it's been in the past (i think?) like i felt a lot more hopeless in 2017 and i think a lot of that is because i do have a support system and a therapist and a good paying job and things to look forward to but like i'm very aware that many days i do just feel that feeling of "everything is meaningless and nothing will bring me joy ever again" so it's like !!! idk!!!! maybe i'm gaslighting myself into thinking i'm not that bad when in actuality i am!!!

i've just been stuck in that space of middle limbo with all my "diagnoses" that i cannot rationally understand if i'm allowing myself to see myself the way i am? like i always felt like i wasn't depressed enough to be Depressed bc i'm not suicidal but like ??? that's silly !!! maybe i am Depressed!!!!! but i don't even know how to go about getting meds and what they would do and it's almost more overwhelming to think about that than to just be depressed ): bc i still am convinced a lot of it comes down to the heat and the lingering effects of summer

but now i'm thinking about 2021 when it was the bad times and i stopped working on creative stuff or literally any year from 2017-2020 when i just spent the early fall Not Creating and having a crisis that i'd never create again and it's like.............is that bc i'm always depressed around this time? it's comforting bc i know life is seasons and i will come back around to making things and doing my silly projects but it's just sort of making me wonder how it would be different if i tried to find a way to get meds ....like would that Fix Me....would that Solve the Problem....what if it doesn't! what if i'm not depressed enough for that!

(this is all just thoughts, i'm fine, etc, just haven't let myself fully think about the depression this month bc i don't think there's a solution rn i'm just trying to get through it)

anyway, "good day" by olivia barton

[ryssabrin]

finished kotor 2! that last like two hours of the game really drags lol. having a game where the combat system revolves around a party of companions and then having levels where you’re left by yourself can be fun and interesting but not for the entire ending of the game. i had to do the first phase of the final boss twice bc i slipped up right at the beginning of the second phase and died without saving. really annoyed when i figured out how much easier the second phase is lmao. for some reason my lightsaber attacks were just not doing any damage at all (they kept missing? no idea why) so all i could was slowly chisel down her health with all of the two offensive force abilities i had and rage every time she spammed the life drain ability. anyways. now that i’m done venting about that wow! the story was so good!

i think you can def tell it switched developers part way through bc parts of it feel very bioware and parts feel very obsidian. all of the companions have really interesting story hooks but either i sucked at progressing their dialogue or they’re just not written with much depth past a certain point. atton and kreia get a lot of focus and then mira gets a decent amount (but feels much less connected to the main story), but bao-dur, visas, mandalore and the droids get hardly anything. (why was hk-47 even there?) i did dantooine last so i didn’t see much of the disciple (slight blessing in disguise bc i was not expecting smellis to be in this game lmao), but he seemed like he might have had more focus than the droids. i know some of it is tied to your force alignment but still lol. loved what was there in terms of the character writing but a lot of it felt half baked, unfinished, or just missing key moments. there being no loyalty missions of any kind is very felt. i just barely managed to make atton a jedi right before the part of the game where your companions just aren’t there anymore.

if they’re ever able to remake the kotor games, the first one would be pretty easy to just one-to-one remake. add a voiced protagonist, dialogue wheel and proper character creator, beef up the gameplay and cutscenes (and flesh out the romances) and that’s it. but kotor 2 i feel like would need a full restructuring. the main story around the exile and kreia is so good. the way it digs into how different force users experience and relate to the force and how that affects them is good good star wars content and obsidian really nailed that. i wish sion and nihilous were more fleshed out and actually interacted with the exile more to really hammer home that idea and atton’s addition shouldn’t be locked behind figuring out his weird influence gains lol. anything that doesn’t tie in to that kind of falls to the wayside though.

i think it work better if it were less of an rpg. keep the player on their own for the most part with some story sections giving you different companions as uncontrollable npcs. you can keep the sections where the party splits up and you play as a diff character but have it be a set character with a similar moveset. keep the companions in set locations, maybe on the ship maybe not (mira really doesn’t have a reason to leave nar shadaa and mandalore doesn’t need to leave dxun tbh), and have them each have a questline. that would allow the player to engage with the companions as much or as little as possible and focus in more on the exile as a character and their interactions with kreia. the exile could honestly stand to be more of an established character with less player input as blasphemous as that sounds lol. keep most of the dialogue choices and the ability to play it light side or dark side but anything about the exile’s past should be set. and the planet order shouldn’t be variable. i followed the “best” planet order according to google and i didn’t like it actually lol. korriban should absolutely be last as it’s the only planet where you don’t get a companion, you fight sion for the first time and it has that whole optional vision quest thing. dantooine or possibly nar shadaa could be first and the other second with onderon third.

all in all i’m very happy i finally got to play this game and would be so stoked if it got a remake but i don’t think i’ll be doing a dark side run anytime soon lol.

[acerikus]

I posted 16,338 times in 2022

That's 12,642 more posts than 2021!

230 posts created (1%)

16,108 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@localcryptideli

@unsuspecting-person

@something-about-sunflowers

@sugarsomg

@dopaminerjic

I tagged 2,512 of my posts in 2022

#utdr - 479 posts

#kh - 216 posts

#tsp - 182 posts

#deltarune - 97 posts

#kris dreemurr - 75 posts

#khdr spoilers - 67 posts

#portal - 56 posts

#susie - 53 posts

#baldr - 47 posts

#unreality - 47 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#or at least arospec 🤷 still figuring out if i genuinely have crushes or not occasionally bc i've had a long term gf before? it's a mystery

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Okay so now that we have the pipis post AND the spamton q+a I feel like we have a lot more context on the Noelle, spamton and egg situation now:

(alt text on images)

Spamton wasn't Noelle's digital pet egg - that was likely the 'white one' spamton talks about. Possibly linked to the man behind the tree who gives us eggs, or a future secret boss?

Spamton's spam emails (furthering the theory that he's a corrupted email client) contained random strings of numbers and letters that nobody ever opened - Noelle is the only one to ever open one of his emails and use its contents and that's why he knows her and appreciates her

See the full post

252 notes - Posted September 18, 2022

#4

WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT OTHER THAN GASTER'S ROOM THERE'S ANOTHER DOOR IN UNDERTALE NOELLE'S DRAGON BLAZERS STORY REMINDS ME OF

Somewhere watery but also icy? (it was part of the ice palace, don't forget)

Somewhere with a strange locked door? I can think of one...

It's always felt so weird that this room looks so much like it'd fit in with waterfall despite being on the opposite side of snowdin - and it's right next to that little house you can see at the bottom that someone occasionally steps out of, too. AND it has the delta rune on the door, AND it's the room Toby is working in... Idk, there could be an interesting connection there :o

329 notes - Posted September 19, 2022

#3

TOBY HOLY SHIT

339 notes - Posted June 1, 2022

#2

Absolutely hilarious and incredible to me that the deltarune fandom has seemingly gone from 'krusie and kriselle are lesbian erasure' to 'oh shit, lesbian polycule real?' within the past year 😂 especially bc it feels like there's a lot more general awareness + respect of kris being nonbinary than there used to be!

477 notes - Posted October 11, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Don't think I've seen this pointed out yet, but Susie saying this to kris implies we're in for some really great Toriel content in chapter 3, a very high chance for some fun susie and toriel interactions, and perhaps toriel being a little silly and finally letting loose a little 👀

It's also possible they'll get to talk to asgore some more in hometown, and/or that asriel will be back! Toriel said asriel will be there next week, and most people figure that since there was talk of no school and going to church, chapter be 3 will be Sunday... Maybe he'll come home on Monday?

Edit: upon further thinking, I think chapter 3 will probably just take place overnight and chapter 4 will be Sunday, since that'd give kris and Susie the time they need to explore town. Makes me feel Asriel is less likely - could still happen if he decides to surprise them a day early though, or if toriel considers Sunday the first day of the week!

606 notes - Posted September 15, 2022

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