#honestly my head feels clearer typing that out

[messyhairedhazeleyeddude]

‘ Blurry, Tired Eyes ’

A Drunk! Megumi Fushiguro x Male! Reader | SMUT |

A/N ; Yooooo, ngl, I’m running on zero right now yet I’m still doing this shit so sorry in advance. I don’t know how I honestly found the strength in me. It’s currently two in the morning and my ass is still up. Wide awake. So, I decided I was going to make this and finish it anyway. While staying up the entire night. Ain’t that fun? Anyway, here’s some random guilty pleasure prompt and peep the contents below.

Contents ; Masturbation, inexperienced reader, groping, drunk sex, praise, and daddy issues.

Dynamic ; Best Friends To Lovers

Sexual Dynamic ; Sub!Male!Reader | Dom!Megumi

P.O.V ; Second

Age range ; 18+ 21+

To be honest, you weren’t expecting this many people to show up after announcing the birthday party for Fushiguro. But, here you were, faced with an impending crowd all shoved up against one another, grinding and doing every inexplicable thing as they danced. I guess it’s what you get for entrusting Satoru with the planning.

This was the worst. You hated these types of celebrations and you knew Megumi hated them too. It didn’t help that you happened to be claustrophobic and everybody was sweating. Your face scrunched up, grossed out by the smell of liquor and onions. This was pure puke bait.

“And why the fuck does everybody have to be a whore?” You complained out loud before realizing you did so and watched a bunch of heads turn to look in your direction. That was not supposed to be said out-loud.

You took that as your cue to use your technique to disappear into the shadows and escape out of the situation by traveling to another place in the building. Although, it was extremely straining and gave you a headache once you made it into one of the hallways. Time to look for the birthday boy you’ve been trying to find all day.

Gazing up at the pictures that were hanging about, you looked over a couple that had your peers, hovering over to the stoic frowning Fushiguro who bore his eyes directly into the camera in the photo.

A small smile crossed your face, laughing a little at the memory of Itadori harassing the ravenette until he snapped just before it. Those two were always bickering back and forth, never giving each other a break, not once. It was entertaining to watch them chase each other around. Sometimes, joining in on it when it got out of hand. But, it was usually to hold Megumi back from killing the dumb guy.

You weren’t going to lie to yourself, maybe you also helped because you felt left out. The twinges of jealousy when Yuuji would get too close to his face or he’d get in a position with him that looked risqué. Either way, it formed a knot in your throat and you couldn’t help including yourself.

But, that couldn’t mean much. You figured it was because you were overprotective that this feeling frequently came to mind. Megumi had been your exclusive best friend for a couple of years by now. That had to be normal.

A part of you knew that there was more to it than what you were acknowledging. Though, you didn’t want to elaborate on it. There was no point in figuring something like that out if you hadn’t even crossed the flirting stage. And you didn’t know if he was interested in men.

The noise of an object thudding on the ground in the nearby room knocked you out of your mind ramble, causing you to jump in surprise before narrowing your (E/C) eyes at the door. You could sense it wasn’t a curse so that was good. That didn’t mean you were any less curious about who it was.

As you walked toward it, you could hear sounds from the other side getting clearer and clearer. And they didn’t sound innocent. It was groaning and huffing, desperate too. But, not just from anyone, no. This was the familiar voice of the boy you were thinking about a second ago.

Like a hypocrite, your heart felt like it was about to break. ‘He couldn’t be hooking up with somebody, right?’ you worriedly asked in thought, a wave of emotions washing over you before another loud moan muffled through the wooden door.

There was no way you were going to stop yourself from figuring it out after that. Apologizing to Megumi under your breath, you reached for the door knob and opened it to something you never expected to see instead.

The raven-haired male was completely naked from head to toe, leaning over a trash can with his left hand placed on the wall while the other was rubbing up and down his shaft.

His hair was drenched with sweat, strands sticking to his forehead, and his chest glistened in the lamp light. There were veins popping from his arms, neck, and most of all, his dick. His thumb focusing on his tip every couple of pumps as he mumbled out questions, “Fuck, why do I have to get so hard? Why won’t it go away?”

‘Jesus, fucking, Christ,’ was the only thing you could think. You were watching your best friend touch himself, bare. And it wasn’t taking you much before you were struggling right alongside him. The front of your pants tightening and a bulge poking through the fabric.

He noticed your presence once he adjusted to fucking his hand and took a minute to process, his dark blue eyes slowly widening as he stared back at you. You didn’t say anything, choked up by anxiety. Leaving the two of you to stand in silence, waiting for either one of you to break it.

Megumi covered himself with the sweater resting on the desk near him, eventually speaking up while trying to shake off the shock of being caught, “How long have you been standing there?” A red hue spread across both yours and his cheeks as you struggled to make eye contact. How come he had the ability to be so direct even during something like this? It was a quality that you liked, regardless.

You answered him in a quiet voice, “It’s been a couple of minutes…” Lowering your head out of embarrassment but not looking away entirely. You had just enough access to see what he was doing. And in that peripheral vision, you saw his attention flicker downwards.

Quickly, you hid your hard-on with your hands. Although, Megumi knew exactly what that gesture meant so it wasn’t successful. You could tell from the way his eyebrows switched from furrowed to raised like he was surprised. Then how more silence followed.

Not a single chance in hell were you going to look directly at him again, not when he was staring you down like this. You were hoping, praying to god that he wouldn’t point fingers despite not believing in that which meant you knew you were screwed. Was your friendship finally going to end here? What did this mean for the rest of the friends that are connected to you both? Panic was settling in the more he let you stand there.

“Can you close the door? I want to talk to you,” he asked bluntly after what felt like forever and honestly, that made your fear worse. “Please don’t say we can’t be friends because of this,” you interjected before he said anything else and closed the door like he suggested.

Fushiguro laughed through his nose and grumbled as if he was offended that you thought that, “Why would I want to end our friendship because you caught me jerking off, [F/N]?” Hearing him say it so casual made you get the comfortability to look at him again, seeing that he was picking up his clothes and acting like nothing happened.

He let you watch him get dressed, his back facing you the entire time, but you got the whole show. How he snapped his boxers around his waist, the indents in his back as well as the scars, and how his hair sprung back up into the spiky hairstyle he loved to style it in after he pulled his shirt over his head. You didn’t mean to stare, but it was really hard not to when you secretly admitted the feelings you have to yourself. And you just saw him masturbating. You saw his…

Not trying to finish that sentence in your head, you moved on by walking over to an outlet in what appeared to be an old classroom and kneeled down next to it to plug in the charger you brought. Thank god, you have an excuse now.

Awkwardly snapping it inside of the lightning port of your phone, you left it resting on a windowsill and turned to face Megumi. He was back in the outfit you had given him for his birthday. A cerulean sleeveless top with black Nike sweatpants. It was simple, yet he made it look like gold.

“Are you going to answer or are you going to keep checking me out?” He tilted his head, those wolf-shaped eyes of his burrowing into yours and making you unable to pry them away.

Your breath caught in your throat and all at once, thoughts became jumbled and you couldn’t figure out a thing to respond with. He was acting so careless just a second ago but now, he was flat out telling you that he knew what you were doing. What was going on?

Megumi sighed and rolled his eyes, “You don’t have to tell me. It’s obvious you liked what you saw. Your dick’s been rock solid this whole time.” He nodded his head toward your lower half, causing you to choke on your spit, and sputter, “What? No! No! I’m just drunk…” You struggled to breathe and had to hit your chest to help yourself. Hopefully, this excuse will hold up.

But, it didn’t. The ravenette began to walk towards you, his abyssal blue orbs never leaving yours once while you froze there. Until he was right in front of your face and glancing at your lips. “That’s convenient. I’m a little tipsy myself…” he said softly, looking back up through his long eyelashes.

God, he was so beautiful. You were beginning to fall for his tricks already. But, you didn’t care about how fast you went for it, you cared about the fact he was showing interest.

The pretty boy pushed forward, his hands placing themselves on either side of your head as his nose connected with yours. Your breathing escalated. This was happening. It was happening. He was going to kiss you.

Your eyelids fluttered shut while both of your lips locked with one another. His lips softer than a cloud and the pressure enough to relieve the tension in you. You had been waiting for this for so long. The tugging between his mouth and yours. When his teeth pressed into your bottom lip or how his lashes brushed against your skin. He tasted like Sake and somewhat bitterly sweet like dark caramel. It was worth every ounce of waiting. Every bit.

His hair brushed with yours and the palm of his hand reached up to cup your cheek, moving it to the back of your neck over time. At some point, he needed to pull away for air and as he did, the two of you were back to locking eyes.

The way Megumi was staring at you gave you chills. It was like pure lust clouded over his expression. He was giving you that ‘fuck me’ look so obviously that it made your knees slightly buckle. To follow up with that, he went straight to the point by sliding down one of his hands to your bulge and groping it. His voice smooth like whiskey when adding, “Can I take these off?”

You melted like butter in his hands, instinctively bucking your hips into him and groaning with a nod. It was crazy how bad you wanted this. The damp spot of pre-cum on your boxers getting bigger and bigger the evidence of that.

Fushiguro unbuttoned and unzipped your pants easily, hooking his fingers in the loops to pull them down to your knees. He kissed your cheek and the side of your jaw while continuing down with them until he was at your neck, searching for a secret sweet spot.

Moans cascaded out of you bit by bit during his exploration, getting sharper around an area he kept brushing past. When he figured out where it was, he suckled on the skin and abused it enough to where a huge hickey rested there. He got your boxers off as well and the moment his fingers touched you, your hand grabbed his wrist and tightened.

“Fuck! Wait! I haven’t done this with anybody else before! This is a lot to take in,” you exclaimed, panting and looking down at the sight of your naked bottom half right next to his covered hard one. Sort of wishing that he didn’t put his clothes back on.

Megumi didn’t seem to be phased by that. Instead, he figured out what you were looking at and got to stripping them off too. Once he was in nothing, he gave a soft smile and reassured, “It’s okay, [F/N]. You can trust me with this. I just… I really need to do this with you.” It worked and made you relax your muscles, getting closer to him unconsciously.

Then he leaned forward and pressed his tip against yours, wrapping his big, rough hand around them before spitting on it. Pumping it up and down, matching the pace he was going for himself earlier, and using the same hand now that you mentioned it. Your head rested back into the wall as you grunted out what you were thinking impulsively, “Fuck, daddy.!” You weren’t trying to say it, you just did. Outing a kink to him that you swore no one would hear a single peep about. That was what you get for attempting something slightly not-safe-for-work with a guy you’ve had freaky dreams about.

You scanned his face for any small detail of him feeling disgusted, weirded out, all of the above; you found none of that. Rather, he was seemingly in awe from how his mouth parted. It shifted into him giving a small smirk, letting out the most sexually frustrated voice you’ve heard yet in a whisper, “Keep calling me that… And don’t you ever fucking stop.”

Shuddering, you were letting more and more noises go that you didn’t know you could make and he was savoring every single one. Moaning along with you, fucking his cock against yours, and smearing his pre-cum over the both of you like it was lube.

The sorcerer got impatient. He needed something better than this. He knew what he wanted, the idea felt so right to him, he couldn’t suppress the urge to. You were right there, perfectly laid out.

Fushiguro guided himself down, using one of his hands to grab your thigh and move you to the desk. You placed both of your palms behind you to support yourself, just as ready as he was, maybe even more. With a rush of dopamine, you got the courage to dirty talk back, “Please… I want you… Daddy.” The nickname was hesitated on, but that was because this was all so new to you. How could he be so comfortable with this?

As low as it was, Megumi was pleased with the request and bit his lip at the sight of you spreading your legs below him. He never would’ve thought he would get you like this and fuck, he wasn’t complaining. Hell, he felt lucky.

He positioned himself against you, but teased by rubbing in circles. Making sure that you were wet enough for him to slide in with no issue. That proved helpful as his dick inched inside soon after, easing all of it until he could feel himself so deep that it was close to your stomach. You were gripping onto his arms, one on his bicep, the other on his forearm. Squeezing harder than you ever had.

It hurt so fucking bad. Like he was ripping you apart and forcing your body to succumb to him. Tears brimmed your eyes and he noticed it, stopping and keeping himself there so you could adjust. ‘Fuck’, he mentally cursed to himself, ‘It’s his first… I’m his first.’ A part of him got excited repeating that, proud of it. “Shit, sorry… I’m sorry, baby… Tell me when you’re okay…” Megumi rambled while placing a tiny kiss on your lips to make up for the pain. Never fucking a guy had its drawbacks.

Eventually, you got used to the fullness and it eased away into the pleasure you’ve heard so many things about. You gave him the go by nodding and tightened your grip to get yourself ready. A shocked gasp jumped out when he did the first thrust. It felt amazing. Too amazing.

You begged for more, “Please, faster. I want it. I want you to destroy me…” Losing yourself to the feeling of his huge dick fucking in and out of you, your cries got louder and desperate. Especially when his hand went to wrapping around your shaft to stimulate you even further. The pumping, the ramming, and his growls from his own enjoyment with your body all crashed down onto you.

Your edge was nearing, rushing at you with full speed, and coming closer by the minute as Megumi buried himself to where you could feel his tip poking out of your stomach. You cried out in pleasure, “Gumi! Fuck! You’re too deep…!” Arching your back and rolling your eyes, your dick started to twitch.

He chuckled and went faster with his hand, pumping the cum out of you basically and letting it explode onto your chest. It covered the majority of your lower half and dripped down as he continued to ram you into the desk. More sputtering out while he was fucking the high out of you. Your eyes were lazily closing, your mind becoming numb and dumb from the overstimulation.

Moans were blending together as your body threw a fit, digging your nails into any skin you could. He held you tightly there so you wouldn’t escape, doing you so hard now that it was sounding like everything was going to collapse underneath you.

Fushiguro praised you throughout this as an apology, “God, you feel so good… I can feel you holding me there inside… Like you want me to fucking breed you, [Y/N]..!”

That sent another orgasm over you and caused your cum to spill everywhere again, your legs sticky with it at this point. But, he kept going. He was so close. Right there.

The raven-haired man clawed at the edges of the desk when he was reaching cloud nine, thrusting in hard and passionate. He made sure to fuck his seed inside of you until it was like you were being bred by him. You knew you couldn’t conceive, but it sure as hell would be the case if you could. His muscles stopped tensing the moment he was done and he let out a satisfied sigh that was rare to hear, “If I knew sex with you was going to be that good, I would’ve made you my boyfriend sooner.”

With a peck on the forehead, he pulled out of you and let you catch your breath. ‘Boyfriend? He called me his boyfriend?’ that was all that could repeat in your mind as he walked over to where your clothes were scattered to clean. When everything was put away and he wiped up most of what he could off of the both of you, Megumi decided to have you come home with him. Walking out of the classroom together, he excitedly chimed, “Thanks for the birthday present, [F/N]!”

[hiraya-rawr]

looking for your favorites 3 (sagau)

synopsis !! they can't possibly be your favorite character. . . right?

characters !! wanderer, scaramouche, chongyun, abyss prince aether, razor

note !! EVERYTHING WAS WRITTEN IN MY FREETIME bit by bit, hence why it sometimes sounds a little off i guess? i tried to fix it as much as i could ++ I'm honestly not sure if I can continue writing for the og sagau concept, I keep twisting it into something else eeh- heheheh

contains !! gn reader, mild religious themes, honestly the sagau concept is a little everywhere in this one, i couldnt seem to settle on one type, spoilers on sumeru's archon quest, scaramouche/wanderer spoilers

• • •

A Genshin Player typically has a variety of characters to choose from. Such options can range from free-to-play characters to limited five stars. Regardless of how much one invested in the game, they're bound to have at least a handful of options.

This is what all characters are aware of— that they are options among hundreds to thousands of vision holders across Teyvat, with every character being special and enticing in their own way.

There's no way they could be the favorite.

Right?

[x] WANDERER

He doesn't quite know who he is.

He doesn't understand what his purpose is either.

He just wanders, lost, nation to nation in hopes of maybe discovering a sense of fulfillment.

And with all the wandering he's done, he -of course- has heard about you. A special entity to this world. A small part of him wonders if you'd know the answers to his questions (or perhaps, you could make use of him? If he could be useful to someone like you, then surely he would feel fulfilled?).

Despite his quiet hopes, he wasn't in any rush to find you. Nor did he hope for you to actually make use of him. He just continued wandering, from the mountains of Liyue to the forests of Sumeru— all the way to where he is now. The barren desert, with nothing but sand for miles and miles to see (and perhaps that rather intimidating, flipped pyramid at a distance).

Needless to say, he wasn't expecting you of all people to follow his tracks out into the desert.

At first you were just a spech amongst the sands, then you became clearer with your approach, showing more and more the familiar features he once saw in passing amongst statues or paintings.

When you were finally within hearing distance, you raised a hand as if to call out his name, hesitating for a moment before deciding what to say—

"Wanderer!"

He tilts his head, pausing to face you as you walk closer. The sand around you stills, as if no longer fighting against every footstep you take, and instead assisting you to come closer.

"You are. . . the one this world was created for, right?" He asks unsure as soon as you were close enough

"I suppose I am?" You reply with a laugh, and he finds that he quite likes your laugh. "I tried looking for you, I'm glad I caught up before you got too deep into the desert."

"You tried looking for me. . ? Why?"

"Because how could I visit Teyvat without meeting you?" You smile softly. He looks away, it doesn't make sense.

"Meeting me, huh. . . then may I ask for a favor?"

"Anything you want."

His eyes catches yours -sunlight hitting them just right- and without missing a beat, "Can I be of use to you? Can you give me purpose?"

You freeze, hands to your side as you stare back at him. In truth, you were expecting something like this, but now? So soon on your first meeting? He looks back seriously.

"Sca– Wanderer," You begin, "You're doing this. . . to find out who you are, right?"

He nods. You sigh.

"Well. . . I know a friend back in the city who can help you. They're a traveler as well. In fact, you can say they're a friend of yours!"

"A friend of mine. . ?"

"Trust me. You'll love them. And shall we go back?"

Go back? He wonders. There's miles and miles of sand around you.

"It would be nightfall soon. I don't think we'd be able to make it back today. I'm sorry."

You turn to him, lips in a wide smile. There's something wrapped between your fingers as you hold it out for him to catch. He opens his palm, it settles down slowly— it's. . . an anemo vision. Glowing brightly.

"Why walk when we can fly?" You grin.

bonus :

"Don't you feel hot at all?" You whine, shielding your eyes from the glare of sunlight.

"I have a hat."

"I see. . . "

[x] SCARAMOUCHE

* It's conflicting, really. Scaramouche despises gods— their invisible influence taunting him like he was a defective product, like he should be ashamed to ever think he could stand on their level.

* You were... an oddity in his feelings towards such powerful beings. The world was made for you, catered to you, and people naturally adored you (just like how they adored the traveler you've shown your favor to).

* So when you, the being which his very world was created for your entertainment, landed in Teyvat, as human as any human could be— he didn't know what to expect.

* He didn't care. There are hundreds for you to meet, and he's not about to wait in line, dilly-dallying for your attention like a common peasant.

* But in the open halls of the Tsaritsa's palace, you approach with the quick pattering of your heels.

* The crowd of Fatui workers naturally part as soon as they noticed your approach. It's odd enough to hear that the player begged to go to Snezhnaya -land of nothing but barren snow- but to rush to Scaramouche's main headquarters? Unheard of!

* Yet there you were, face to face with a single option out of hundreds (the single option you chose).

"What in Teyvat are you. . ." He trails off, his face scrunched between irritation and shock. He doesn't know what to say, really. Would insulting you incur some sort of divine fury?

"I came looking for you!" You reply.

He thinks you're an idiot. He shouldn't call you that, right? Would it damn him to the abyss or something?

"Why. . ." He tries to form the words, "Why in Teyvat would you–" He pauses, looking around at the small crowd.

With a glare, the Fatui agents scatter away from the hall. It doesn't take much to scare them away like little rats. As he turns back to you, you look back unafraid, if not a little excited.

"Why are you here? Do you pity me, is that it?" He asks with a bite to his voice.

"Yes."

"I– what? So you admit it?" He scoffs, is there a limit to your shamelessness? Is this a trait natural to the gods? "Unbelievable."

"I pity you, everything you went through, but that's not the reason why I'm here! Isn't it obvious?" You say, a wide grin beginning to form, "You're my absolute favorite!"

He freezes. What? Absolutely. . . favorite?

As if understanding his speechlessness, you continue on, "I've been wanting to meet you since the very first event– ahem, first time I saw you!"

"You truly are an odd one." He mumbles under his breath because why him? Why the one who was abandoned and used numerous times? He's merely a puppet without a heart.

An empty vessel.

"And why should I believe you?" He says unconvincingly, arms folded. He notices the little chatter behind the walls, those darn recruits are listening in.

"Why would I be here if you're not my favorite?" You quip back.

He scoffs, "I don't know, but there's certainly something wrong with you in the head. You're not exactly what I expected."

"If you were expecting a certain level of power, then I could still do that. I can give you gifts."

". . . gifts?" He tilts his head.

"Artifacts, weapons, talents— they're all for you since the very beginning anyway!"

Artifacts, weapons. . . power? He thinks. Truly, if you were such an ultimate being, you could provide him anything? As if pondering over it, he suddenly pauses.

Yes, indeed you could give him these things.

But why him?

Because of favorites?

How could he be favored when he was once thrown away.

". . . Can you give me a gnosis?" He says, voice uncharacteristically soft.

"Um. . . we'll work on that. Maybe on the later arcs."

[x] CHONGYUN

* Despite modern Liyue's sovereignty from gods, it's still a nation that values traditions and piety. It's natural that with your arrival, you only deserve the best!

* That included invites from some of the highest ranking nobles and guilds. It's no surprise that Xingqiu, the second son of the largest Commerce Guild, makes an appearance to greet you in the Jade Palace, his brother and parents already done with their turns.

* Xingqiu expected a lot from you, maybe discussions of the arts (or perhaps you're even interested in novels?). What he didn't expect was for you to ask such a random question.

"Oh Xingqiu! You're here! Ah– but where's Chongyun?"

He only pauses for a second. Chongyun may be the son of a longstanding exorcist clan, but they're not much to boast about in terms of influence or wealth. Chongyun is... well, Chongyun. His dear best friend.

"I apologize, I wasn't aware that you'd like to meet him as well. Chongyun should be. . . hmm around the harbor by now, perhaps." He stands straight from his bow, "We were planning on meeting after this, your Holiness, to look for haunted h— I mean, to stroll Wuwang Hill."

You already know what they're up to as you clasp your hands together.

"Excellent! I'll go with you!"

"Wait- what?"

* Oh poor Chongyun, he would be a frantic mess in disbelief. It was hard enough to believe that you suddenly went to Liyue, but to approach him of all people? Did you mistake him for someone else? Are you going to ask for directions? Did he do something wrong?

* The thoughts swirling around his head is enough to destabilize his yang energy as you helplessly reassure him that you're there because you want to meet him as soon as you could.

"Chongyun!" You rush up to him, arms wide in an embrace— the cryo allogene freezes in place, stares with his cat-like eyes in wonder because wait, wait, wait– is the one and only controller of this world approaching him for a hug?

"I- Wait, me?" He stutters, tumbling over his words as you smile. His arms are awkwardly raised, unsure if he should hug you back.

"Yes! I met Xingqiu a while back and was wondering why you weren't with him."

"You- you were looking for me?"

"Of course I have! I've always wanted to meet you in person like this!"

As you squeeze him in your arms, you feel him go limp as his face turns red in heat.

"Oh no! His yang energy!"

[x] ABYSS AETHER

Aether knew he was damned. The minute he resolved to see through everything till the end, despite everyone thinking otherwise, he knew no one would understand why he decided to do this.

Alone, is how he decided to do this. So he sits lonely on a throne in the nave of what seems to be a dark cathedral. The walls depicting menacing murals of an era where everything went wrong. The abyss mages that normally float in worship are no where to be seen, just the way he wanted it.

Until you appeared, the little soft patter of footsteps echoing down his aisle, the heavy doors moving back to reveal your underwhelming entrance. He sees you and he wonders if he expected you to come, to blame him or get angry because how could he stray so far from his oh-so-favored sister, Lumine.

Yet, you walk up to him with a look of what seems to be sorrow.

"Are you here to blame me?" He asks and his voice echoes against cavernous walls.

"Blame you? No. . ." You reply.

"Then do you pity me?"

"Aether, I just want to understand." You confidently say, finally by the foot of his throne. He doesn't feel comfortable looking down on you like this, not you, so he stands to approach your eye level.

"Shouldn't you already understand?" He questions, curious.

"I— don't. . . I don't know everything there is to this world."

Aether frowns. Maybe because he was hoping that you of all people -mortal or god- would understand why he's doing this.

"That isn't my problem. There are bigger things for me to think about." He turns away and just before he could take the first step;

"I don't know everything about this world but if it's you– then I want to understand. I'm sure you have your reasons. I trust you more than anything."

He pauses, face in wonder, because how could you trust someone so blindly?

With an exhale and a decision made, he turns to you, "Then follow me. If you want to understand why, then stay with me."

"Okay."

[x] RAZOR

It was a classic welcome— arriving in Mondstadt, touring around the city, greeting the characters you've always wanted to meet. Despite their initial formalities and decorum, you've managed to tone down the professionalism and started to treat each other as friends.

That didn't mean they weren't very open to the idea of you meeting the less. . . civil of the bunch.

"I'd like to visit Wolvendom." You tell the small group. It's another day in the city, enjoying drinks by the taverns under the sun. Lucky for you, the Cavalry Captain and the Outrider have their time off to enjoy with you.

"Oh? Is there a reason why?" Kaeya leans back, head tilted.

"To be honest. . . I wanted to visit Razor. I'm sure you know him!"

Truth be told, you just wanted to meet a certain good wolf cub hidden in the woods. While everyone has went out of their way to meet you, Razor kept to himself in Wolvendom. Perhaps he was too intimidated by the crowds pouring into Mondstadt, or maybe he just wasn't familiar about you, but Razor was nowhere to be seen since your arrival.

". . . Razor?" Kaeya says hesitantly, "Hmm while I have no problem with you going to Wolvendom to meet him, there is another issue. . ."

"What issue?"

"The knights decided not to let you meet Razor," Amber quips in, "I mean– It's not that there's anything bad about him, it's just that he hasn't learned his manners yet. We thought it might be disrespectful if he met you so soon."

"Disrespectful?" You voice out in shock.

"Of course we know that you're not strict about that now! But I guess we never clarified the situation with Razor. . "

You huff, standing up tall with new resolve, "That's it! We're going out to find Razor and give him the biggest hug ever!"

"We are?" They echo back in unison.

"Yes we are!" You hook both your arms around theirs, dragging them out the gates of Mondstadt.

ko-fi support || general m.list

[hells-wasabii]

Emm...If it's not too much trouble, can I have something((short drabble,but will be happy with headcanons too)with Rosie and Cherri please, would be grateful in advance!!!!👉👈

I also wish you luck in your endeavours and inspiration.(⁠ﾉ⁠◕⁠ヮ⁠◕⁠)⁠ﾉ⁠*⁠.⁠✧

A/N: Hey anon! no trouble at all! And thank you! I took different approaches with both characters since you didn't request anything in particular, so hopefully you'll like what i came up with!

Characters: Cherri Bomb, Rosie

Type: Drabble (Softness In Unexpected Places, Fluff)

Cherri Bomb

Cherri could be described as many things. She was boisterous and outgoing. She did what she wanted, when she wanted, taking on any repercussions head-on with a smile on her face.

She was a party girl, through and through. You had been smitten since you had first met her, and how could you not be? She was an absolute bombshell of a woman.

Clubbing was a common occurrence among your group of friends, though as of late, Angel Dust had been shacked up in the princess's new hotel or something. Cherri had often complained about it, missing her best friend.

But you had noticed that tonight was different. Partying, clubbing. They just weren't calling out to her tonight like they usually did. You recognized it for what it was. A distraction. So you grabbed her by the hand, paid your tab, and left the club with the party girl in tow. You knew exactly what to do.

You knew how she felt, of course, Angel was your friend too. You missed him just as much as she did, but what Cherri needed now was a place to think, not the numbing effects of alcohol and other intoxicants. A place to vent her woes.

And that was exactly where you took her. See, you had a spot of your own, a safe place up on the roof of your apartment overlooking Pentagram City.

The two of you didn't speak much as you sat shoulder to shoulder on the rooftop that night, you didn't have to. You knew that Cherri had been partying harder than usual lately, trying to keep her mind off of things. But you were here now together. You were here for her, something that you reminded her of with every squeeze of the hand.

"Thanks, love." She uttered softly, almost as if she was afraid that if she spoke too loudly, the peace would shatter.

You simply smiled, pressing a kiss to your girlfriend's temple. "Anytime."

x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x

Rosie

Rosie was frightening, but this went without saying. She was both an overlord and the leader of Cannibal Town, after all. The woman was a force to be reckoned with. At least, that had been what you'd heard. You had never met her before, only in passing and in the company of other demons.

When you finally officaly met the cannibal, you were lost and at a loss. As you walked the streets of Cannibal Town looking this way and that with trepidation, you could feel a pit of despair settle in your stomach. How did you even get here?

With no true destination in mind, you drew a deep breath and entered what seemed to be an empty shop. You, or at least the were promptly greeted

"Welcome to Rosie's Emporium, dear. Give me a moment and I'll be right with you." called a voice, sweet as syrup, from what you assumed to be the back room.

You were honestly surprised by the elegance of the place. Walking over to a display you marveled at the selection of items. The same voice from before called out again, clearer now. "Sorry for the wait, darling! My assistant is out for the day and- oh, I don't need to be worrying you with my problems. What can I do for you today?"

"Um, hi." You greeted. Weary still, you turned to face the demon who now stood behind the counter. Rosie was tall, and so very pretty. There was a graceful air to her, something that you had picked up on before in passing. With cautious steps, you made your way to the counter. Rosie however, skipped the greeting.

"You don't seem to be from around here darling. Oh! Are you looking to expand your palette perhaps? I have a wonderful selection to choose from for first-time foodies!"

"Ah, no.. sorry. I'm actually kinda lost-" You barely had been able to get the words out of your mouth before her sharpened grin widened. She clasped her hands together as she rounded the counter to stand before you.

"Oh, my! That's not good! I tell you what, dear. Give me a moment to wrap this delivery up and I'll help you find your way."

And help you she did. She even gave you a tour of the town. It had been an absolute delight. Conversation with the woman came easy, and any unease that you might have had before melted away. You learned about the town and those who inhabited it.

You really hadn't expected her to be as sweet as she was. As ironic as it may sound, you might have gotten a taste for Cannibal Town. Or at least the woman in charge. You would be sure to come back through, on purpose next time.

[elliesbelle]

nobody compares to you

chapter 5

pairing: ellie x reader

synopsis: you're in your junior year of college and at a party, you run into the girl who broke your heart: ellie williams. despite the time it took to reset your life, will you risk a broken heart again for her?

content warnings: modern college au, cursing, angst, slight slut-shaming, brief mention of death, minors do not interact

word count: 2.3k

chapters: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen

series masterlist

my masterlist

i have a ko-fi if you like my work so much that you feel compelled to tip me ♡︎

the "nobody compares to you" spotify playlist

featuring the isa song “sometimes you lose your soulmates”

Present Day 

Though you didn’t exactly enjoy Mondays, it was at least the one day of the week when you got to wake up naturally instead of at the crack of dawn. Your first class isn't until noon, so when you wake up at 9:30 in the morning, you decide to get your day started early. 

You weren’t always the type of person to completely do themselves up just to go to class. Maybe in freshman year for the first few weeks, but you were a seasoned vet now. Most of the time, some leggings and a simple shirt or sweater sufficed. But after such a shitty weekend, you figure you could at least make yourself feel good by looking good. 

After half an hour of getting ready, you look yourself over in the bathroom mirror. You smile, fairly satisfied with your appearance. Despite the cold breezes of Saturday night, the forecast called for a rare warm day. As a result, you allowed yourself a floral sundress, decorated with a puffy knitted, button-up jacket on top of it in case the season’s true weather decided to show. A pair of simple white sneakers finished your outfit; not the most stylish, but practically, you still had to walk around campus. 

Your lips shine from the bit of lip gloss you’d applied. You’d only applied some light mascara on today (you figured that your Literature and Sexuality class did not warrant your bold, false eyelashes). You’d lightly painted your eyes with colours that complemented those of your sundress, blending them seamlessly onto your eyelids. As you did this, that one memory that was prodding you two days ago became clearer. 

“I have no idea how you do that so naturally, dude.” Ellie’d said, watching you in awe from the foot of your bed. 

Her ocean green eyes watched the meticulous strokes of your makeup brush applying eyeshadow to your lids. It was early on in your “friendship” and it was still a couple more weeks of her calling you “dude” before you became “babe” and “baby.” 

“It’s not that hard, honestly. Just takes some practice.” You’d said, trying to keep your hand steady as you grew nervous under Ellie’s watchful gaze. 

“Nah, it’s natural talent. You’re an artist.” She’d replied. 

You’d scoffed, saying, “Ellie, all I’m doing is my makeup. You’re the actual artist, remember?” 

“No,” She’d shaken her head. “I just draw. You’re the artist here.” She’d said decidedly, eyes full of admiration as she continued to stare. 

You’d blushed furiously then, and you would continuously do so when you’d replay that memory the months following after. 

But it was two years later and now, the memory instead has you staring at your reflection tight-lipped and frowning. 

Why is she still everywhere? 

It was roughly a fifteen to twenty-minute walk from your apartment to the university. You lived in an off-campus apartment complex that was in a decent location from both the school and a downtown area nearby. It was less convenient than living on campus like several of your friends still did, and this certainly wasn’t what you’d had in mind when you were planning out your social college experience. But after the freshman year events of Rafael’s death and Ellie’s abandonment, you were far more comfortable where you were. 

You liked walking anyway. You found solace in the strolls you took, accompanied only by your thoughts and headphones. 

About five minutes into your trek to campus, you pull out your phone to text your friend Tara. 

A couple of minutes later, you were just officially entering the campus when Tara texts you back. 

You continue walking as you frown down at your phone. Dina had spent most of the previous day at your place, cheering you up and taking your mind off Ellie. Your group chat with your other friends was blowing up and by the end of the night when Dina had left, you were overwhelmed by the amount of unread texts you had. The group chat remained unopened until right now. 

The chat consisted of your friends Tara, Sidney, Astrid, Rebecca, Kristen, and Mina. You’d met them all in freshman year. Tara was your assigned roommate and Astrid was Dina’s. They were all initially casual friends, ones that you saw on a usual basis and got along well with, but they weren’t necessarily very close. You were better friends with the gang from Jackson. But after you came back to campus for sophomore year, you detached yourself slightly from Dina and Jesse, knowing full well that Ellie had them first. They both tried to remain closer to you; but they remained inseparable from their childhood best friend, not fully knowing what events led to what “broke up” you two. It wasn’t the same and it was a much different dynamic with this other friend group, but the girls were there for you all the same. 

Reluctantly, you click on the group chat named “Wilson Crew ❤️‍🔥” (Wilson Valley had been the name of the freshman dorm building most of you had resided in the first year). Scrolling up to where you’d left off, you scan the messages your friends had left the previous day. Your eyes grow wider and wider the more you read. 

The previous day, Tara, who worked at a campus coffee shop called Ruston Coffee, was tasked to train a new girl. To her, your other friends’, and now your shock, the new girl Tara was training was Freshman Girl. The same Freshman Girl who stayed glued to Ellie’s side for most of Saturday night. The same Freshman Girl who drooled over Ellie’s every word and move. The same Freshman Girl that mistook your Ellie’s signature lavender-laced joints as lilac. The same Freshman Girl who wore Ellie’s old motorcycle jacket the entire night. 

It turned out Freshman Girl did have a name: Daniela. Your friends had sent messages with different levels of shock and horror. Kristen called her a whore, to which Sidney agreed, to which Astrid reprimanded and told them both to be nice. Mina sent memes as a response. Tara also texted that Daniela would be working with her again today. 

You look up. Ruston Coffee is just down the way. You don't have to go in. You can skip coffee for today and hide out in the library instead. 

“I’m not expecting you and Ellie to magically make up. I won’t try to get into the middle of it because I know that’s between you two. But you definitely need to figure out this out, babe. This doesn’t seem like something that should remain unresolved.” Dina’d said.

“But don’t also let it affect all the other parts of your life, okay?" She continued. "She shouldn’t be stopping you from hanging out with me and Jess more often or going out to parties we’re at or anything that involves Ellie in some way. Don’t let her stop you from enjoying your life.” 

And Ellie certainly shouldn’t stop you from getting coffee. If you want to get a coffee and relax before class, Ellie should not be getting in the way of that. 

You take a deep breath and march towards the coffee shop, fingers gripping tightly onto the straps of your backpack and feet stomping in rhythm to good 4 u by Olivia Rodrigo blasting loudly through your headphones. 

A bell above the door tinkles as you enter Ruston Coffee. The shop was a little busy, most seats taken up by other students sitting with their laptops or biding time before class. There's a line of people by the register and you begin approaching it until you hear your name being called. 

Your friend Tara waves you over by the counter where orders are usually dropped off. In one of her hands is a straw and your ready-made mocha frappe. 

“You’re the literal best, Tara.” You sigh, pulling your headphones off and walking up to her. 

She hands you your coffee order. 

“No problem.” She says, smiling. “You know that I don’t mind.”

“Thank you for indulging in my caffeine addiction,” You say, whipping out your phone and sending her $6. 

Tara frowns and says, “You better not have given me a $3 tip this time.” 

You sip from your straw. 

“Dude!” Tara reprimands, laughing. 

“$2 tip!” You say, defensively. 

“Just for a $4 coffee.” She chides, shaking her head. 

You shrug. 

“So uh,” Tara begins, her voice lowered slightly. “Did you see what I said in the group chat yesterday? Cause you weren’t responding.” 

You gulp. 

“Uhh. Yeah, I did, just now. Sorry, Dina was at my place yesterday, so I was busy—” 

“Nah nah, it’s cool, man. But like. You saw what I said about that girl, right?” 

“Is she here?” You ask, chewing the inside of your cheek. 

“Not yet. But—” Tara checks her watch. “—she’s supposed to be here in less than five minutes or so.” 

Fuck. 

“Oh, okay.” You gulp, your heart rate increasing. 

“Are you okay, dude?” Tara asks. 

“No, yeah, I’m fine.” You lie. “How did training her yesterday go?” 

Tara crosses her arms and rolls her eyes. 

“Literally the worst. She kept on looking at her phone instead of listening, she left one AirPod in her ear the whole time, she kept asking when we were gonna be done. And now I have to go through it all again once she gets here.” 

You give Tara a sympathetic look. 

“I hate that,” You say, sucking on your teeth. “Can’t you just, I don’t know, not hire her?” 

“We’re short-staffed as fuck, so we don’t have much of a choice.” Tara sigh. 

One of Tara’s co-workers comes up behind her and attempts to elbow her ribs which she dodges easily. 

“Get back to work, Maclay.” He says, putting down two cups of coffee next to her before heading back towards the register. 

“Fuck off, Khanh!” She replies, shooting a middle finger to his back. 

“Should I let you get back to work?” You ask. 

“Nah,” Tara reassures. “I wanna shit talk this Daniela girl first before I have to deal with her this morning.” 

“Do you know how often she’s gonna be working with you?” You inquire. 

“I’m not sure yet, but if Bonnie thinks she’s gonna stick me with a lazy new girl this early in the year—” 

You hear the bell above the door tinkle as someone enters the coffee shop. Both you and Tara look instinctively at the new arrival. Tara groans silently and your throat goes dry. 

Freshman Girl Daniela walks in. Wearing Ellie’s jacket once again. 

Fuck, fuck, fuck. 

“Crap, I gotta go now, I guess.” Tara whines begrudgingly. 

“Y-yeah…” You say, unable to take your eyes off of that same jacket that used to often adorn your shoulders back in your freshman year. You hate that it looked good on Daniela. 

“I’ll see you later, dude.” Tara says, wrenching her elbows off the counter and walking towards the register. 

“Good luck.” You reply. 

You aren't exactly subtle with your stare, but thankfully Daniela doesn't seem to notice. It's a little different seeing her now in the daytime. She was very pretty, you have to admit to yourself. She has a short, pixie cut that complements her sharp bone structure. She's wearing a bright yellow tank top below Ellie’s jacket that clings to her lean figure, making her stand out slightly. The light makeup she has on looks so simple and natural. 

Daniela wasn’t Ellie’s first conquest since you ended things with her. She didn’t waste much time dating around after you all came back for your sophomore year. You’d avoided her as much as possible so you wouldn't have to come face-to-face with the girls she’d get involved with. You still heard about them, of course, and you were sure there were even more than the ones you’d known about. 

But Daniela was the first you were forced to encounter. You weren’t prepared to be thrust right into Ellie’s love life once more. But here you are, staring at the most recent fling of the girl who you were once so desperately in love with. 

As Daniela lazily makes her way through the shop towards the back, you eventually tear your eyes off her and head straight for the exit. 

♫ Maybe she’ll come through / If he waits some more 

But she doesn’t / No, she doesn’t ♫ 

You're leaning against one of the trees in the quad, backpack laid next to you and headphones back on your ears. Your next class is in the building right behind you, but you still have a while until it started. 

♫ It’s not like the movies / Like you dream it’ll be 

Sometimes you lose your soulmates / And sometimes they leave ♫

Your journal and pen are laid out on your lap but abandoned as your fingers pick at the grass around you. Your mostly empty coffee cup sits next to you, condensation dripping into the soil. Your eyes are completely glazed over, watching the clouds in the sky. 

♫ She’s not a girl you forget / She’ll run through your head 

With all of the moments / You loved but now dread 

To remember / Burning like—♫ 

Your hands and voice react quicker than your mind does. Your sudden movements cause your headphones to fall onto your neck. After a second, you realize that you had shrieked and that your hands had flown up to your face to catch something. As you bring the object down to look at it, you realize it was a football. 

“Shit! I’m so sorry!” 

You look up to see a tall girl in a dark t-shirt and grey sweatpants jogging towards you, a dirty blonde braid bouncing behind her. 

“Abby?”

author's notes:

sorry for the delay in uploading this! i'm back from my brief vacation, and after i settled in after getting home, i almost immediately plopped down in front of my laptop to finalize this ldksfjsdlkds

not very chockful of ellie in this chapter, i know, i'm sorry! y'all got plenty last chapter! but don't worry, more will be coming up soon. i just enjoy keeping y'all in suspense.

i just wanna mention that most (if not all) of the names that i use in this fic are picked out people in the games themselves. also tara's last name is maclay as an homage to my lesbian queen tara maclay from buffy the vampire slayer. she's not the same character obvi, but i just enjoy putting in the reference :)

freshman girl aka daniela may have been named after and based on some whore girl that my ex left me for and that i'm still bitter about it oops

i hope y'all enjoyed the surprise guest appearance at the end of this chapter! she will be integrated further into the story from this point on, so stayed tuned :)

taglist: @lonelyfooryouonly, @elliesinterlude, @sawaagyapong, @peppesgirl, @iconsoft, @maybeidohaveadhd, @ellieswifee, @valiantllamapersonpony-blog, @nil-eena, @echostinn, @uraesthete, @softbunlvr, @cherriessxinthespring, @amitycat, @chrissyfishywissy, @yevheniiaaa, @machetegirl109, @bertandfearnie, @ximtiredx, @efam, @elliesnoviecita, @oatmilkchaii, @tayyyystan, @emothurman, @livvy-2000, @abigaillovestoread, @gold-dustwomxn, @liabadoobee, @yuckyfucky

[allthingsfangirl101]

The Good Samaritan – Joe Keery

Joe's POV

Walking through downtown Hollywood, I couldn't get rid of this feeling in my gut. I've felt like my life was a little too predictable the past few months. Nothing new happened. I'd wake up, go to work, run through my scenes, head home, and do nothing. I felt like I was missing something, but I couldn't figure it out.

I walked into my favorite coffee shop, smiled and waved to my fans as I headed to the counter. I ordered my usual and sat at a table by the window. I spent twenty minutes slowly drinking my coffee.

I was just about to leave, but something outside caught my eye. At the corner of the street, a beautiful woman was waiting for the light to change. She was scrolling through her phone as she nodded to the music playing through her headphones. Something about her made it so I couldn't look away.

She was the kind of girl who could easily make my life heaven or destroy my heart. And, honestly, I was fine with either. I silently prayed for the light to stay red.

I sat up straighter, my stomach clenching when I saw a guy approach her. My grip on my coffee mug tightened as I watched their interaction. It was clear that he was into her. It was even clearer that she was not into him.

The longer he tried to talk to her, the more I got out of my seat. When it looked like he was starting to get angry, I officially got out of my seat and left the coffee shop.

"Look," the girl was saying as I walked out of the shop, "I'm honored but I'm not the type of girl who goes out with the random guy I meet on the street."

"Come on, baby," he tried to say in a sexy voice but it came off creepy. My stomach dropped when the girl took a step away from this guy.

"Is everything alright over here?" I asked, forcing myself into their conversation.

"We're fine," the guy said through a clenched jaw.

"Are you okay?" I asked the girl, completely ignoring the guy.

"I'm fine," she said softly. I turned toward the stranger, instantly glaring.

"She clearly isn't interested in you," I said as calmly as I could. "You can go now."

The guy scoffed in response. "This doesn't concern you, man."

"When a guy is harassing a woman, it is the concern of a bystander who sees how uncomfortable she is." I glanced over at the girl to see her smiling softly at me. "Are you comfortable?" I asked the woman.

She looked between me and the stranger. I watched as she opened and closed her mouth, struggling to admit it. I sent her a smile before glaring at the guy.

"Why don't you go find some girl that wants your attention," I warned.

"This doesn't concern you," the guy snapped. "If I want to talk to this chick, I will."

"This chick doesn't seem like she wants your attention." I cringed just calling her that. I cleared my throat and added, "Walk away before I make you."

"Make me?" The guy laughed. "And what are you going to do if I don't leave this sexy chick. . . "

I heard her gasp as I punched the guy. He instantly fell to the ground as I shook out my hand.

"I said she isn't interested," I said under my breath as I forced myself to calm down. "Now, walk away before I get angrier."

I stood my ground until the asshole walked away holding his nose. The second he was gone, I quickly turned toward the girl.

"Are you alright?" I asked, changing my tone as I took a hesitant step toward her.

"I'm fine," she said shakily. "Thank you."

"Of course," I said. As the adrenaline wore off, the nerves surfaced.

"You didn't have to do that," she said, her voice still soft.

"I couldn't just stand by as the guy harassed you," I shrugged. I cleared my throat, not sure what else to say but knowing I didn't want the conversation to end. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," she repeated. "Really. I'm. . ."

We both gasped when it started to rain. Without thinking, I grabbed her hand and led her into the coffee shop. I turned toward her, my heart jumping into my throat when I saw her smiling and laughing.

"Let me buy you a coffee or something," I offered. "I'm Joe."

"I'm Y/N, and you really don't have to do that," she said, a blush forming on her face.

It suddenly hit me that she may think I was acting like the guy outside. I cleared my throat and tried to get rid of the lump that thought created.

"I didn't mean to. . . I was just trying. . . I'm sorry."

"It's okay," she said, sweetly. She thought about it for a second before adding, "By the way, I didn't get the same feeling from you that I got from that guy."

"What do you mean?" I couldn't help but ask.

"That guy was a creep," Y/N said with a small laugh. "But you? I wouldn't mind getting hit on by you."

"Really?" I cleared my throat at how pathetic that sounded. I wiped my suddenly clammy hands on my pants.

"Really," she smirked at me, causing my clammy hands to get clammier. "Why don't you buy me that coffee you offered earlier and we can get to know each other while you hit on me and I hit on you back?"

I stood there stunned as she walked up to the counter. When she got there, she turned around and smirked at me. I cleared my throat and quickly walked over to her.

"What can I get started for you two?" The girl behind the cash register asked.

Y/N glanced at me, but I gestured for her to go ahead and order. As she did, my mind went crazy. I couldn't believe that I was doing this. She ordered her drink and I ordered mine. We walked to a table, an awkward tension between us.

"Thanks again," Y/N said, breaking the silence. "For stopping that guy. He just wouldn't leave me alone. I can't believe you stepped in like that."

Before I could respond, our order was called. I sent her a soft smile before getting up and going to the counter. I grabbed our drinks and went back to the table. I handed her's to her before sitting down.

"About earlier," I continued our previous conversation. "It really wasn't a big deal. I saw the guy harassing you and intervened."

"It was a big deal," she said, still smiling at me. "Thank you, Joe."

"No problem," I said, unable to stop my smile.

We spent the rest of the rainy afternoon drinking our coffees and talking about our lives. An hour later, Y/N's phone started ringing.

"I'm sorry," she sighed before excusing herself. I couldn't help but watch her walk away. For some reason, I couldn't take my eyes off of her. I forced myself to when she looked at me. I kept my eyes off her as she walked back to the table.

"Everything okay?" I asked as she sat down.

"Yeah," she said, clearing her throat. "Sorry. It's work."

"Do you need to go?" I asked, my stomach dropping.

"It was easily handled over the phone." She paused before adding, "Besides, I didn't want to cut this short."

"We could continue it," I blurted out.

"What did you have in mind?"

"Maybe we could go to dinner tonight?" I asked. "As an official date."

"Official?" She teased. "Then what was this?

"A pre-date?"

I felt weird when Y/N laughed. "Like a warm-up?" She chuckled.

"I was thinking more of a meet-and-greet."

"Well, this has been a wonderful meet-and-greet," she laughed. "I look forward to our official date."

"6 o'clock work for you?" I asked.

"That's perfect."

[pineappleciders]

can you do a scenario with stan walking in on the reader engaging in sh? and also one with wendy please

TRIGGER WARNING: self-harm, wounds, blood, blades etc.

STAN and WENDY walking in on reader s/hing

A/N: i like doing these types of asks, they are very comforting :D platonic as always. sorry if wendys is too short, i got a bit lazy

•••

stan marsh

"mr. garrison, can i go the bathroom?"

you scurry down the hall, snagging your backpack to bring to the restroom with you. today hadn't gone so well.

you close the door and enter one of the smaller stalls, locking it and sitting down on the toilet seat. you didn't typically enjoy sitting on it with your pants on, but it'd have to do.

time passes, and you feel yourself get a little light-headed. you lay your head on the wall to catch your breath, and you jump when you hear the bathroom door open.

"Y/N? dude, what's taking so long? we have to start the test soon!"

"sorry, i'll be out in a minute!" you begin to gather your things and zip up your bag, sighing of relief when you hear stan walk out.

you sling it over your shoulder and leave, meeting face to face with stan in the hallway. "jeez, what were you doing in there? mr. garrison told me to come get you so we could start the...." his voice starts to trail as he catches sight of your arm.

it suddenly hits you that you didn't roll your sleeve down, and your heart sinks to your stomach. you rush to pull it down.

"dude, are you okay? how did you get cut like that?" there's a look of concern on his face, and it kind of hurts to look at.

"oh, uh, my cat..-"

"what cat?"

"..... my friends cat scratched me the other day. it didn't really hurt, nothing to worry about."

"those are still bleeding though, are you sure?"

you honestly can't tell if stan it catching onto you, or if he's just genuinely curious about this said cat. you don't know where to go from here, so you opt to flee from the scene

"yeah, yeah, c'mon we oughta get back to class. everyone's waiting for us." you rush past him, speed-walking to mr. garrisons classroom, but you're abruptly stopped when stan grabs the handle of your backpack

"..?" you look back at him, growing even more nervous.

"dude, you know you can talk to me right? i mean, i know i'm not the best at feelings, but i'm still here if you need advice or something." you can tell stan's getting a little anxious. he's never been in a situation like this before!

you can almost feel a physical sting in your heart when he says that, and you can feel a few tears prick your eyes.

"no- no, i'm-" you try to say something, but your throat begins to hurt and you can't keep a tear from gliding down your cheek.

stan's mouth opens a bit, and he quickly places his hand on your back, giving small little rubs and pats of reassurance. you're scared, you didn't want anyone to find out like this.

his face is scrunched with concern and what appears to be sympathy. he's quiet as you sniffle and try to clear your eyes.

"no.. no i'm..." you get the words out a little clearer now, but you can't seem to lie. your throat stretches and hurts.

stan flinches in surprise when you quickly engulf him in a hug, grabbing onto his coat and he awkwardly pats your backpack with one hand, the other still on your back.

"stan... i don't.... i'm sorry." you want to talk. to tell him everything that's been going on and all of your pains. but, you truly can't get the words out.

and so, you opt to cling onto stan as hard as you can, sobbing into his shoulder and getting snot on his brown jacket. he doesn't say anything. he simply holds you, patting your back and occasionally ruffling your hair gently.

it's nice, you think. there haven't really been a lot of opportunities whereas you just got to cry in someone's arms, let alone one of your friends. you can only imagine the ridicule you'd face if eric saw you hugging stan like this.

stan is patient, and waits for you to calm a bit before speaking.

"hey... i know it's really hard.. and, um.. i'm proud of you, OK?" his words are awkward, but you can tell he means it with his facial expressions. "seriously. i don't really know much about this kinda stuff, but i'm here if you wanna explain it. sorry."

you're not sure why he apologized at the end there, but you can only assume he feels somewhat responsible for your state. or perhaps that he wasn't always the best listener, or greatest friend... you know he tries though.

you give a small smile and pull back a bit. "yeah, thanks. it's fine. thank you."

he gives you a small smile back. "do you.. need to see the nurse? i can tell mr. garrison you had diarrhea."

chuckling at the word, you shake your head. "haha, no it's alright. let's get back to class, yeah?"

•••

wendy testaburger

wendy had always been known for being incredibly progressive and understanding. especially in the more recent years, when you couldn't help but notice her kindness and general personality improved.

you'd always thought she was nice, but it seems that those little smiles she gives you in the halls are more genuine now.

it'd been a hard day for you, and you've retreated back to your room after a long day of school. you didn't exactly want to do this, but you needed to relieve the pressure.

you sit on your bed after closing your door, a razor blade in your dominant hand, and your wrist bare. you were kind of disappointed in yourself for losing your sober streak.

a few minutes pass, and you nearly hit a vein out of fear when your door swings open and wendy bursts through, looking very excited and holding something in her hand.

her smile quickly transitions into a horrified look when she sees you, a blade pressed to your arm. you share the same look, and you two just stare at each other.

"Y/N?" she's in shock for a moment, before regaining her senses and rushing over to you. "oh my god, Y/N, what are you doing?"

she almost sounds like a mother scolding you, but the compassion and worry in her voice reaches your ears.

she takes the razor from your hands and sets it aside, returning her gaze to you and kneeling down, clasping your hand within hers. the look in her eyes makes you want to cry.

"Y/N, why... that's right over a vital artery. god, don't- don't do that, okay?" her voice is shaky, and she seems really panicked. her eyes dart around the room, landing on yours, staring you down deeply.

she takes a few deep breaths, before standing up and sitting next to you on the bed, still holding your hands. "Y/N... why didn't you tell me you were hurting?"

wendy's eyes are full of desperation, searching for an answer from you. tears blur your vision, and everything starts to turn grey.

"i... i'm sorry. i didn't want to worry you."

this seems to hurt her, and she pulls you into a warm hug, before pulling away again.

"Y/N.. i really care about you. i.. this seriously isn't good for you, you could seriously injure yourself! please, we can- you can talk to me. i try to let you know all the time, but i really do care, so please- just tell me next time."

her voice is a bit less panicked now, but you can still tell she's incredibly anxious.

"here, let me patch you up. stay here."

she gets up to leave to get medical supplies, and you can't help but notice that she takes the razor blade with her.

wendy tries to be serious a lot of the time, but her composure always crumbles when someones hurting or in danger. she doesn't get nervous often, but it can completely wreck her when she does.

so, in a way, you've both seen a secret side of each other tonight. sometimes you smile to yourself thinking about it.

[lincolndjarin]

The BKS Screen Adaptation ˖⁺‧₊˚✦

(aka the really fucking dorky thing i've wanted to do for ages.)

if you like Best Kept Secret and you've wanted to know what i imagine in my mind when i write this is the post for you. i put way too much time into this if i'm being honest, but it was so much fun i hope others enjoy it!!

includes fun things like hypothetical casting and soundtrack !!

SPOILERS FOR BEST KEPT SECRET CHAPTERS 1-25

ever since i started writing Best Kept Secret it's helped me tremendously to imagine it in more of a cinematic sense. i love movies. i love all of it, the cinematography, the soundtracks, the casting, all of it has always greatly interested me. so that's how i've always pictured bks in my head, as a movie, or more appropriately a single season of television lmao. anyhow, i've been feeling real fucking fried lately and i just started a proper schedule with my meds so i'm exhausted and i wanted to take a short break from writing to put this together, (more writing) this is long and self indulgent but i had a lot of fun with it so who cares i guess.

The Media Source :

in all honesty i think bks probably wouldn't work as a movie? this might just be the entitled author in me speaking but there is just like, so much stuff? i feel like it wouldn't be properly represented in the 90-150 minute format because there's just too much shit happening. ALSO i write my chapters the way i write my DND sessions, meaning they typically have a prominent ending point that i think translates best in a show format so i'll be presenting this as more of an Max original type beat, 13 episodes ranging from like 50 minutes to 90 in length. (pretty hefty but this is my hypothetical world where i get whatever i want lmao)

The Casting :

bks has a fair amount of original characters that all exist in my brain and in said brain i visually know what they look like and in y'alls brains you have an idea what they look like. like lowkey if i'm being real in my brain space bks is sort of animated? like in the style of arcane sort of lmao, so i don't really have physical manifestations of them but i have always had actors in mind of who i imagine would play them so here's that.

Leodall :

i mean if this is my dream hypothetical and i can do whatever i want i think it would be hilarious but also relevant to cast someone sort of silly as leo.

i think that it's important that leo is a little rat bitch by the end but also like he should be just sort of a clumsy disarming guy to start. i get a couple different vibes but like lowkey hear me out.

Jack Quaid??

like he's sort of just a lanky silly guy but also is capable of doing terrible things, i think he'd be a great leo and would also he'd be able to be disarming and likable at the start. just sort of harmless and nervous (until he isn't)

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Lysa :

honestly the hardest person to cast. i love her dearly because in my brain she's done way more than she's done in bks lmao and it's hard for me to seperate that sometimes but i thought about it for a while and i settled on someone who i think would capture Lysa as i imagine her in my mind.

Stephanie Beatriz :

she's visually how i imagine Lysa but also i love her so i think she'd be great.

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Elaine :

this one has always been a no brainer to me. i'd want an actress who is instantly likable and capable of bringing a character that i've grown very fond of to life. there has only ever been one person that comes to mind when i picture someone playing Elaine.

the mother herself : T'Nia Miller

Elaine & Lysa have been sort of wishy washy in description for two reasons, one being that as the story has progressed and they've developed they've become clearer in my mind, two being that there is so much bks and posting something this big chapter by chapter means sometimes i forget what i've previously said (nobodies perfect lmao) but personally T'Nia Miller is one of my favorite actresses and i think she would 100% do Elaine justice.

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Kodo :

this has always been a tough one for me. this is kind of wild but when i started bks i never intended to kodo to be downright evil (idk if i've ever said that before but it's true lmao) i originally intended for him to be more of a harmless idiot? the plot was going to revolve more so around how princess had a lot of internal battles about cheating on a husband who was neglectful at the worst of times but still absolutely harmless.

i realized pretty quickly how much of a fucking bummer that was LMAO. it's hard to write a hot sex scene when the main characters internal monologue is full of guilt, so i VERY quickly made the switch, and it was definitely the right choice, the story needed a villain and i needed to give Kodo some sort of depth so it fell into place pretty quickly. i was also rewatching game of thrones around this time so, surprise surprise, i bet you can guess who i was inspired by. that being said, i don't think Jack Gleeson is the right choice for this role, first off bc that guy should never play a villain again lmao, get him a fucking romcom or something, but also because if i could pick anyone in this hypothetical situation i would pick an actor that is relatively beloved.

kodo is supposed to be really fucking hot (unfortunately) princess isn't interested in him because he's an ass but he's supposed to be pretty attractive, but also at the end of the say he's a prince. like we know he sucks but i would want to cast someone that lowers an audiences expectations and makes them think that he's gonna be chill at first. if you've seen the movie Promising Young Woman (if you haven't drop everything and watch it rn) they do something that i fucking adore, which is casting men that are liked, Bo Burnham, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Max Greenfield, etc. to lower the audiences guards. that movie is jarring for several reasons but i myself fell prey to the casting, i was comforted by actors who i loved and felt a personal pang of betrayal. (great fucking movie, cannot stress this enough)

two actors come to mind for this role, one more than the other but i'm still fond of both.

one choice being : Nicholas Hoult

the only thing that i don't love about this is that it would be a bit repetitive, we've already seen him in the terrible husband role lmao, but it would be fun to see him be far less redeemable than his character in The Great lol. but also he's fucking phenomenal, there's no doubt in my mind that he would be able to capture the character.

my second choice is gonna be a huge hear me out. like some of y'all are about to be real mad at me but fucking- just give me a second to explain i swear there's a vision here.

my second and preferred choice would be : Josh Hutcherson

listen listen listen. i adore him. actually my pookie bear ^^

which is exactly why he's fucking perfect??

people who don't know the source material are lulled into a false sense of safety bc he's just a little guy, he's just a silly little guy. and if you do know the source material you're like is that fucking peeta?? did they make kodo cool as hell?? no they did not. they just wrapped him up in a pretty package.

i'm saying lets get this man back to blonde and let him let his acting chops loose, i think he's perfectly capable of playing the nightmare that is kodo harand and i think he's the best choice like let him be evil.

pretty boys can be evil as a treat.

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Din Djarin :

i mean, come on, we all know who's being put in this role.

Pedrito :

he's din djarin don't tell me otherwise. this era pedro ^^ is bks din like i didn't make starwars but i did make bks and this is canon bks din lmao.

but also like whatever they put in his pedro juice when he was doing plays? i'd get him some of that for this.

˖⁺‧₊˚✦

Princess :

this is all in my self indulgent fantasy right? then yeah i suppose i'll play the princess, pull a lin manuel miranda and step up, i was in into the woods in highschool so i've got plenty of experience.

in all seriousness i would cast someone who sort of reminds me of myself, i would be lying if i didn't write her as a vague reflection of myself. i haven't really written a reader like that other than her, she's special to me so in a screen adaptation i would want to be sure that she's done justice.

the obvious choice to me is Stephanie Hsu :

she's a princess, idc. absolutely fucking phenomenal actress (robbed of her oscar btw) and i think that she would be perfect also cause like please cast asian women in things where their entire character isn't built around the fact that they're asian, let them have a character unrelated to that fact PLEASE. she's gorgeous, talented, and charming like she's my bks princess, always has been, anytime i've fancasted bks in my head she's my leading lady.

but also there is a second option that comes to mind which would be the lovely : Simone Ashley

i haven't been shy about how bridgerton inspired bks. she's the love of my life, another actress where i see her and i'm just like yeah she's a princess, it's a no brainer like that could very well be bks princess.

The Plot ( things i'd add, keep, or remove ) :

i'd keep most things the same, obviously i'd cut certain things to properly fill the available time

i would go full hbo max privilege, i want steamy fucking sex scenes, the sex is important to the story like let's be real. some of dins growth is shown through sex, the way he goes from being completely in control of things to being more willing to be vulnerable?? that shits important.

i would def add a lysa and elaine plot, they would have a side plot

there isn't really much i'd cut, if anything i'd cut the blowjob in chapter seven lmaoo, just bc that's the only thing i've ever considered changing in the story just bc it's always felt unnatural to me.

The Episodes :

this section is gonna cover how i would present each episode and also what chapters would be featured in each episode.

also just as a general creative choice i think princess would lowkey be fleabag lmao. like she def talks to the audience cause she's a little silly but also bc her internal monologue is written to be a little funny

Episode One :

chapter one

chapter two

i think this episode would follow the source material well. i actually really like the first couple of chapters of bks, i think they were a good hook for the story so i would keep things similar to how they're written.

Episode Two :

chapter three

chapter four

same as episode one ^

Episode Three :

chapter five

this would be the din episode, instead of princess talking to the audience i like to think just for this episode he would instead. also i have sort of a specific vision for this.

it's canon that bks din is relatively hard of hearing so i would want this episode to open on him getting ready in his cabin before doing all the flashbacks of his point of view of everything. he's not wearing his helmet for the first few minutes while a song plays and he cuts his own hair, his face is never visible in the shot.

everything else stays the same

this is where i get dorky.

dins internal monologue will convey something that i'm not sure i've properly gotten across in bks LMAO but i've always written a din who feels naked in front of princess and not in a sexy way but in an emotional way. he always feels as if she can see through his helmet and it makes him real fucking nervous around her lmao.

so like lowkey hypothetical ending shot is from out in the hall, princess inviting him in and from behind he isn't wearing his helmet bc metaphors.

Episode Four :

chapter six

chapter seven

chapter eight

i think the focus here would be six and eight tbh, if i'm being honest the rules were supposed to be way more important than they ended up being lmaooo, i just went in a different direction with it so i would maybe change that to something else. the book is still important for chapter 25 so maybe like a contract or something that they both sign.

Episode Five :

chapter nine

chapter ten

chapter eleven

yeah i mean this is me being unoriginal but like if it aint broke don't fix it so like i'd keep a lot of stuff relatively the same

Episode Six :

chapter twelve

chapter thirteen

chapter fourteen

^^ same here

Episode Seven :

chapter fifteen

chapter sixteen

i think that the ending spot would be different here than in the source material, the chapter ends with din asking her to come to the cabin but i think instead i would just end with the kiss and open the next one with the cabin convo

Episode Eight :

chapter seventeen

chapter eighteen

chapter nineteen

this is like the anti angst episode, these chapters should be all relationship building up until the chapter nineteen sex scene which i would want rather tastefully done but still filthy. that's sort of the tagline of this hypothetical show, tasteful and filthy

Episode Nine :

chapter twenty

chapter twenty one

another anti angst chapter except this one has a big bad ending so yknow, big dramatic ending, i honestly think there is no need for 'tasteful' violence. like this should be extremely jarring, like din has been protective to a fault but this is like straight up mandalorian possessive rage like fr get his ass yknow? lets see that blood

Episode Ten :

chapter twenty two

chapter twenty three

chapter twenty four

this would probably be the longest ep in my opinion. twenty two is real fucking hefty but also the lunar markets is gonna be the big surprise set piece i want that shit to be gorgeous like i imagine it being so fucking twinkly and delightful

Episode Eleven :

chapter twenty five

lets keep this one straight from the source material, like just use the chapter as a script yknow?

Episode Twelve :

chapter twenty six

chapter twenty seven

i can't say anything about this because it's not technically written yet lmao

Episode Thirteen :

chapter twenty eight

chapter twenty nine

same here ^

The Soundtrack :

music is important. we wouldn't have bks at all without music because it was music that inspired me to write in the first place and it's helped the story along since then, every time i get stuck on something plot wise i play music until something clicks. it's always been the secret ingredient for my writing so it would be extremely important to a screen adaptation.

i think it would be fun to have each episode end with a smash cut to the credits with music, i've always been a big fan of that so this section contains music that i'd use for specific scenes but also what song i would want playing at the end.

Episode One :

end this ep with :

I Can See You (Taylor's Version)

i mean it's a little on the nose but this is lowkey bks anthem so i think it's a solid choice for the ep one ending also it's always fun to end on a pop song yknow?

˖⁺‧₊˚✦

Episode Two :

end this ep with :

Honeymoon - Lana Del Rey

another bks anthem, like listen to the lyrics it's crazy, and i think based on the ending of chapter four this would be an appropriate ending song

˖⁺‧₊˚✦

Episode Three :

Losing My Religion - R.E.M.

this would be the opening of the episode. din never facing the camera and he would get ready for his day while this plays

end this ep with :

Not Strong Enough - boygenius

this is def his ending song like bks din would cry if he heard this song.

˖⁺‧₊˚✦

Episode Four :

end this ep with :

See You Again (feat. Kali Uchis) - Tyler, The Creator

this is one of those ones where i'm just sort of like hell yeah. in my minds eye this works, there is a visual here like trust.

˖⁺‧₊˚✦

Episode Five :

end this ep with :

I'm Your Man - Mitski

mitski is another artist that bks!din would listen to in his cabin while he cries like this is def how he's feeling at the end of chapter eleven

˖⁺‧₊˚✦

Episode Six :

end this ep with :

Saturn - Sleeping At Last

with where this one ends i think that something sort of soft is important, a solid instrumental works well here

˖⁺‧₊˚✦

Episode Seven :

end this ep with :

Starboy - Vitamin String Quartet

i wanted something a little more upbeat but also sort of on theme and i think this is extremely accurate.

˖⁺‧₊˚✦

Episode Eight :

Religion - Lana Del Rey

this is the sex song.

like this is and always has been the song that plays when they have sex without his helmet one for the first time, i consider that to be the first time he's really din with her during sex and this song is straight heat so of course this is what plays during that scene.

end this ep with :

Electric Love - BØRNS

i mean it's a little cheesy but i think it's fun and this episode ends in a happy place so it's neat to have a happy song refecting that yknow?

˖⁺‧₊˚✦

Episode Nine :

Like Real People Do - Hozier

i mean, this is the song that inspired the chapters featured in this episode, it's an important song because a lot of bks later on revolves around the need for normalcy, these two just want to love each other like real people

end this ep with :

I Fought the Law - The Clash

i mean like, this is a bit silly but also like i love when a show ends in a dark spot and a hilarious upbeat song plays, like, i eat it up every time and i think this is just so fun lmao like he fr fought the law (im hilarious)

˖⁺‧₊˚✦

Episode Ten :

end this ep with :

Lover - Taylor Swift

sort of a calm before the storm song, relaxing ass song before all hell breaks lose in the next episode yknow?

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Episode Eleven :

The Secret History - Kerry Muzzey, The Chamber Orchestra of London

this is our searching for din song. long ass sequence, def longer than it is in the chapter lmao

end this ep with :

Borderline - Tame Impala

god i fucking love this song

but also i feel as though this song has a sense of dread to it that i think is perfect for the way chapter twenty five ends

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Episode Twelve :

this is a hard one to pick definitive music to, there's a lot of music that is relevant to the chapters featured in this episode so here's just like, a cluster of music that i think would be relevant

Skyfall - Adele

The Night We Met - Lord Huron

Eleanor Rigby - Cody Fry

Fourth of July - Sufjan Stevens

˖⁺‧₊˚✦

Episode Thirteen :

My Love Mine All Mine - Mitski

i obviously can't say what this would be in reference to but the last technical scene of bks would end with this song. i think the epilouge would have different music

Flightless Bird, American Mouth - Iron & Wine

i kinda sorta think that the epilogue could be crammed into a montage that could just be a post credit scene to this song.

that's all, if anyone actually read all of this i will kiss you fr like you're crazy for that and i love you.

if you write fic this was so fun?? like i really do recommend doing this or like a less extreme version of this lol i've been trying to force myself to take a little break from writing but i couldn't think of anything else to do so i did this haha

[thelyingjoke]

what's something new you noticed on your rewatch of v3?

ah this is an interesting one!!! also a little difficult, since my memories on things like this tend to blend together quite quickly, so i’ve had to think a lot about how to answer (which is why this took so long, along with typing it all up, sorry for that!). i probably don’t have everything, but luckily i did take some screenshots while watching! so there’s some bits i definitely know that i noticed!!!

i was really focused on exactly how kokichi’s character develops because i did Know generally beforehand but i didn’t have a full clear progression in my head—and well it’s kokichi so there’s not really ever gonna be 100% full clear progression for him but i think i see it a lot more now!

like how he’s a lot more open to cooperation in chapter 1—he loudly supported going through the tunnel the first times, and was the one to suggest the daily dining hall meetings!

he’s much more open about his intentions in early chapters (there’ll be more examples of this later, but here’s one for ch1! himiko quickly brushes it off as a lie but it really doesn’t feel like one)

and he’s the one that’s the most insistent on monokuma being dead and the killing game being over. he REALLY doesn’t want anyone to get the idea of starting it up. and then there’s the shock when monokuma does show up (he quickly brushes it off with “at least it’s not boring” but you KNOW he’s screaming on the inside)

actually, i’m just noticing this now, he seems to have a strange amount of optimism towards the idea that everything will just work out in ch1—he doesn’t even investigate because he thinks everything will be completely solved through the pictures, and to do so would be pointless, which he later expresses regret for. it’s overshadowed for most people, i think, because of the tunnel scene and his later behavior, but honestly the fact that he even tried it without skepticism in the first place, along with his insistence about monokuma being dead and thinking that rantaro’s case will solve itself… wow he is showing Quite a bit of belief here without reason! hmmmmmm!!

i’d say he probably compensates for that for investigating even outside of cases in ch2, and being more skeptical of things. when everyone tries to ignore the killing game, kokichi brings it up (he’s tried to ignore it before. it didn’t work). kaede’s death also had him believe that cooperation would be punished—she was the one encouraging it, after all, and look at what happened to her—upping his paranoia, and the fact that he still believed there’s a mastermind didn’t help matters! now he has to be careful not only about working with anyone out of fear he’ll be punished in some way, but also about who he works with, destroying any good chances of working safely with the group as a whole!! yippee!!! that’s probably even more frustrating for him considering his talent is literally being a leader of a group

“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not saying we shouldn’t care about killing or dying… But I think it’d be better if we didn’t cooperate with each other… Actually, we *definitely* shouldn’t cooperate with each other!” […] “Think back to all of Monokuma’s actions so far. Whenever we tried to work together, Monokuma would retaliate with a plan to make us suffer. It happened when Kaede wanted us to cooperate, and again with these motive videos, right? Which means, the more we try to cooperate, the more he’ll try to make us suffer. That’s why I had no choice but to screw with you guys. But you ingrates didn’t even notice.”

THIS BIT GETS ME SO MUCH like Honestly he couldn’t be clearer with his intentions here. he denies an assumption he doesn’t care about death; he states his beliefs; he clearly outlines why he believes this with examples; even directly says Yes he screwed with them for a reason they just didn’t notice and tells them Why! (although he still has to insult everyone of course. he’s an ass who thinks he’s better than everyone else [affectionate]) but it goes ignored, and the reasoning is really interesting. shuichi’s thoughts are:

It’s *because* we’re trying to cooperate that Monokuma is making us suffer…? But what about… everything we went through..? What was the point of Kaede sacrificing herself…?

it’s been like 2 months since i was on ch2 so i don’t remember Exactly but i’m pretty sure nobody brings it up after this. it’s so interesting to me, i don’t have the brainpower to put my thoughts together more eloquently but i’m rotating it in my head. (i remember you bringing it up in the tags of the kaede/kokichi parallels post actually!!! mixed in with that bit about kokichi suggesting a family member of rantaro being the mastermind. i misremembered this the exact same way too until i went back to check i could’ve SWORN shuichi brought up the promise to kaede then but he didn’t💔iirc he actually considers the possibility? which was interesting but then it was never brought up again. Anyway back to the post)

rantaro also says something similar to kaede in ch1:

”You have what it takes to win…” ”What…?” “I was just thinking, what you said back there would have pissed off whoever’s running this. They definitely don’t want us holding hands, workin’ together… …They’re going to come for you, Kaede. With everything they’ve got. I’m a little worried about you. You’re just so…straightforward.”

and kaede just goes “geez that guy could stand to be a little less cryptic!” IT’S A REALLY INTERESTING PARALLEL TO ME and the fact that both him and kokichi describe “winning” the game 2nd survivor kokichi real

oh and also something i’ve been thinking about! i think kokichi had the mastermind plan forming in his head relatively early, but he didn’t actually want to do it at all, and didn’t start going “okay, i have to do this now” until about ch4. it’s more of a plan B, “if nothing else works, at least i have this”. but the issue is that in order for that to work, he has to keep it in mind until he knows whether he has to use it or not, which puts another barrier between him and working together with everyone else. even if other plans would be better if he could gain everyone’s trust, he has to keep the option available, so he can only gain people’s trust indirectly. he’s more actively looking for other ways to do this earlier on though, particularly in ch2. he expresses distaste about how people treat him early on (this bit immediately reminded me of the 4th trial where he’s like “bullying? yeah, what about it? that’s what you do in this game, right? you guys blame and gang up on me, but now you pretend to be good people?” and i was like Woa!!! his frustration in that scene does not come out of nowhere!!!)

it’s also the reason he frames the motive video watch party the way he does. if he says outright he’s trying to prevent more murders, and people don’t watch the videos, a later mastermind plan wouldn’t work! BUT, if he can get everyone to watch them, then his motive video plan works and people would know he doesn’t mean harm because they would see his video, better convincing them than he could do so himself! best case scenario there are no murders and people will see he’s being serious when he says he’s trying to help them. of course, watch party ends up not happening in the end, and also he’s lost quite a bit of trust from his closest ally (which could have also been prevented had he not been so paranoid since gonta DID agree to get everyone to watch the motive videos), so he’s getting closer to that mastermind plan.

another thing in ch2 is kokichi losing much influence in the group. this isn’t just because of the insect meet & greet! from the beginning people are wary around him, but he’s actually able to steer conversations in his favor at times, and if you look closely you can see his leader talent popping up. when he speaks up against kaede, the majority agree with him; the majority agree with him when he insists that the killing game is cancelled; again, when new flashback lights are presented, he expresses concern and everyone agrees not to use them. except kaito. and shuichi, i guess, but he doesn’t even get to answer before kaito cuts him off. people question kaito, he gives a speech to convince everyone to try them, and though it doesn’t work on kokichi, it sure works on everyone else!

they’ve clashed before, but now kaito is the one making things sway his way. this happens in the trial, too. kaito says he believes in maki without any reasoning, kokichi calls him an idiot, and everyone starts to agree. but things end up going in kaito’s favor. almost everyone else thinks he’s an idiot, but then tenko and shuichi switch around to his “side” of wanting to believe in maki despite all seemingly logical reasoning. most people still don’t agree with kaito before maki admits to seeing ryoma, but those two do, and kokichi is so baffled by shuichi believing in this (i feel like this could be worded better but i can’t think of anything right now, hopefully you get the idea though!)

the mastermind plan grows ever closer with ch3 and more being added to the courtyard message. it’s still not something he’d like to do. i’m unsure of the exact timeline, but i believe ch3 is around the time he asks miu for the inventions (possibly even earlier for the bugvac)? he wouldn’t be able to do it with her around, and he wouldn’t want to kill her just to keep to the plan. he’s probably trying to find the best moment to present the stuff to everyone so they can fight monokuma, and waiting for miu to make enough of them so that they can, considering there’s only enough electrohammers for the remaining people by ch5. but the guy’s in a tough situation, because on one hand he wants people to trust him so they can work together but on the other he needs them to distrust him in case plan B becomes necessary. he needs to be careful so that monokuma doesn’t notice him cooperating, because he also wants to keep being his favorite (i love it when he goes “riiiiiiight, monokuma? aren’t i so evil and twisted haha don’t you love me i am so entertaining if i died it would make the viewers mad haha right” he’s trying so hard). he doesn’t know who the actual mastermind is. people are already rightfully distrustful of him. but he still wants them to know his actual intentions, if they’re willing to. it doesn’t seem like it’s too late yet. (he is so wonderfully contradictory and human, i love him. paranoid asshole who wants to be Known but the idea is also terrifying and dangerous and he ends up sabotaging any opportunity for that to happen) so, he presents a piece of information he hopes will make people trust him: maki’s talent.

ok, well, that sounds like a lot of guessing stuff that’s not really in the game. i suppose. but i do have a reason!!! these lines stood out to me as i was watching:

he doesn’t even follow up with “that might be a lie” or anything. he really does want to work together with everyone, it’s just that finding a good opportunity to show it safely is Difficult and people don’t believe him. and he is really set on the idea that trusting people too much is a bad thing. there’s a few reasons why he only chose to reveal her talent now instead of before, when apparently “given his position” he’s known since the beginning: kaito’s blind faith in maki prompting him to show that actually, she Isn’t trustworthy! the believing thing is stupid and false, see? hopefully getting more people on kokichi’s side rather than kaito’s side. he tries again later to get people on his side, accusing kaito of trying to turn everyone against each other by defending maki and dragging her places

everyone mostly ignores him though and moves onto the flashback lights. as this and the next chapter go on he continuously tries to provoke maki, probably to get her to snap and show people she really Is just a killer or something, although she doesn’t budge until later. this was probably me reading too much into it but all of that did really stand out to me

well all the Good Plans fall apart with ch4. they could’ve all worked together using miu’s inventions but then The Case happened kokichi has a chapter-long mental breakdown ough it makes me so sad to think about. i mean after all that there wasn’t much coming back from it, the mastermind plan was likely the best thing he had. the “everyone hates me so the role of villain is perfect for me” always made me sad but especially This time after looking for everything else. dude…negative character development…..so good but also making me cry! me when i have good intentions but my own distrust and paranoia becomes my downfall as i start to have no one to turn to. me when the same person’s death that led the main character to become more open and outgoing towards others led me to become closed off and solitary despite both our earlier attitudes!!

he also succeeds in provoking maki in the end. i don’t have any particular comment for this i just took the screenshot i can’t remember what my thoughts were on it

i don’t have any other screenshots to do with this so that’ll be the end of that i guess!!! not super eloquently worded i’m just kinda throwing ideas out there, i can elaborate on any points that might not have been super well-explained if you want !

oh and for more silly stuff:

i like this maki line, it’s after shuichi says “about the size of a girl”. there’s one later (in ch4, i think) where i don’t remember what the first part was but she says “not to sound like tenko, but you men can really be like that”. these are 2 very throwaway lines but they almost make me think she was supposed to be the new feminist after tenko’s death (just without the weird stereotyping and much less extreme). she should’ve been. especially given kaito’s casual misogyny at times this would’ve been cool! unfortunately we didn’t get that :(

oh and

shuichi is a yo-kai watch fan, kokichi is a pokémon fan. this is a source of conflict between them and it is unknown if they can overcome this

okay i made this WAY longer than i should’ve. i’m sure there may have been more things but they’re slipping my mind. hopefully this is sufficient!

[whatsaudreythinkingabout]

Idk if u d0 r0mantic headcanons but… Dating Matthew Patel headcanons

I haven’t done romantic headcanons before (at least in terms of “x reader” stuff) but I’ll give it my best shot!

Quick disclaimer: I am a lesbian who is very much not attracted to men, so I’m approaching this from a purely objective standpoint just to get a better idea of how I interpret his personality & overall approach to relationships (& it’ll also help me flesh out my MattLee headcanons so I can get a clearer idea of their dynamic in my head)

So anyway:

Dating Matthew Patel

As I mentioned in my previous post about Matt (which you can find in the tags), after what happened with Ramona he became hesitant to pursue another romantic relationship because he figured it would only end badly, so he started to play up the whole “mysterious brooding loner” schtick so people would leave him alone. Unfortunately, this only attracted him more attention because 1. he was trying way too hard so it just made him come off as overdramatic and 2. there was a select group of girls in his grade who thought he was secretly a vampire and took him rebuffing their advances as “playing hard to get” (yeah this all technically takes place before Twilight [and by extension the vampire craze] comes out but it’s my headcanon & I’m allowed to have a little fun).

If he did catch feelings for someone, he’d probably start out repressing them pretty heavily like the angsty little bitch he is. He talks a pretty big game for someone who claims they’re so slick, but when the time comes to actually tell someone how he feels he shuts down & it would probably take him a while to work up the nerve to confess.

Either that, or he’d come in overconfident with some kind of ridiculous pick-up line, then cringe at himself on the inside whenever he inevitably crashes and burns.

However, once he does finally feel comfortable enough with a partner, he would be completely and utterly OBSESSED. This man is first and foremost a theatre kid, so he is dramatic as fuck and not afraid to show it. Expect a lot of big, flashy, over-the-top romantic gestures; gifts, food (I do HC him to be a good cook), nice dates, fully-choreographed musical numbers—you name it.

It’s been said that the difference between being in love with a hero vs. a villain is that a hero would sacrifice you to save the world, but a villain would sacrifice the world to save you. Matt might be more of an edgelord than a true villain (no matter how much he claims he’s totally evil, yeah sure you are), but regardless he would burn the entire world down if it meant the person he loved would be warm.

It’s also been demonstrated that for all his big talk he has a pretty fragile ego, so he’d fall apart at the slightest indication that you were mad at him. Just totally pathetic (/affectionate) malewife guyfailure energy

Overall he acts all doom & gloom on the outside but when he does love someone, he’d both die and kill for them

honestly that’s about all i got for right now. i might come up with more later but it’s a lot easier for me to do these types of things for female characters bc women

[elwynnie101]

OFMD Finale Spoilers

I've had to think about this for a few hours, literally slept on it, and I've finally come to my conclusion on how I feel about the Finale.

(I am not going to be discussing the representation of disability as I simply just do not have the ground to stand on for that it is not my place, I will just be coming from someone who's done film and media studies.)

I would have been okay with Izzys' death, if Ed deserved it.

Don't get me wrong, I love and adore Ed deeply, but he simply hasn't progressed enough as a character for Izzy to have this 'mentor death' as David Jenkins wanted it to be. Yes, Ed has grown as a character, from the persona of The Kraken, to who he is now is a big distance, but just as Lucius called out, he hasn't actually apologised for what he's done. I don't think his brief 'Sorry about your leg' was enough for the weight of what he and Izzy did to each other. And again, I understand their relationship isn't very emotionally open, but part of both of their character arcs was accepting the love of others and growing as people.

(also the other characters reactions felt so out of place? We had just gone through so many episodes of the crew caring for Izzy, making him the ships figure-head, to just have only Ed be near him in his final moments? Not even Fang or Jim?)

I think if Izzys' life was left ambiguous, if Ed and Stede had decided to separate from the Crew when Izzy was in critical condition, I think that would have given Ed the chance to reflect on his and Izzys' relationship now that he isn't in the homicidal-suicidal headspace like in episode 2. He has Stede now to be able to help him grow as a person (and Stede can tell him what happened to him with Chauncey and his insecurities, then they can both grow, don't want anyone to think I think Stede isn't guiltless, he has a lot he needs to apologise for and talk about), no longer at sea with the reputation of Blackbeard to smother him, and I would have been happy with that ending.

It leaves room for a third season, with the narrative theme still that Ed and Stede aren't perfect people and need to work on themselves and their relationship. I would have been happier with that ending, I know it isn't perfect but if the verdict was to kill of Izzy anyway, at least he would have been with the crew that truly cares about him, and Ed would have had to face the reality of his actions in a clearer headspace.

(Also I just feel so bad for Con, to have this character that obviously meant so much to him, to have him killed off in such a rushed and honestly anti-climatic way)

I'm also just appalled at Izzys' character at the very end, after all of his growth, being chalked up to just being the dark side of the Blackbeard persona and 'needed' to die to free Ed from that. And this is coming from a Season 1 Izzy suffering enjoyer (in the sense of him being a rabid chihuahua type, not the toe cutting and eating).

I fully get that with HBO Maxs' budget cuts and episode constriction this season wasn't going to be what the writers wanted, but in the end to me it felt like when you write big lettering in pen, starting off fine and even and then everything gets messy and crushed at the end. I honestly now just want a season 3 to just see where the fuck do they go from here? I legitimately just don't know what they can do.

I want to love this episode, everything until Izzys' death was fine, a bit rushed but I had come to expect that from the last 2 episodes, but then after that it was so rushed that it didn't even make sense to me narratively. It's now just left a bitter taste in my mouth for those last 3 episodes, and almost this whole season, it was going so well :(

[retheagirl]

Here for You

modern au with xiao! This is my way of coping while I finish my research papers

cramming a research paper for four days straight is bound to cause some pent up stress and the feeling of being overwhelmed. (ahemI'mdefinitelynotprojectingahem)

and of course, xiao, being the ever so loving boyfriend took notice of your highly stressed state as you're sitting in front of your laptop with endless documents and notes on your table sipping probably the 10th coffee for the day with a sour look on your face matched with eye bags under your eyes.

like a caring boyfriend would do, he tries to get you to rest before letting you continue your struggles.

"[name]" Xiao is now leaning on your bedroom doorframe with a concerned look evident on his face.

He came to check up on you to see if there's any improvements on your mental and physical well being as you continue fight through your research paper that is due a day from now, he was honestly expecting for you to take a break during the 4 hours he had been staying at your apartment.

However, the whole time you stayed glued on your seat and eyes never leaving the screen typing away on your keyboard, the only time where you aren't working on your research papers is when you need another cup of coffee and kissing his forehead before heading back to your study table (the only time you give him a speck of affection since he got there).

"[name]" another call of your name, he walked towards you this time determined to get your attention away from the screen and on to him, to let you properly rest. 

You hummed half-heartedly as your respond not even noticing him inching towards you, his hand grabbing the back of your chair before dragging you away from the table and turning it around to make you face him.

“X-Xiao! I’m still finishing up my-”

“You need to rest.” 

The tone of his voice shuts down any form of complains and retaliation from you, he immediately picks you up and walk towards your bed before gently dropping you there followed by him laying next to you, effectively trapping you to the bed by clinging onto you like touch-starved koala. 

he is not letting you go until you close your eyes and he hears you snoring. (if you don’t snore then you’re not getting out honey)

he will make sure that you are completely asleep before shifting a much more comfortable position; making you lay on his chest an arm around your upper back and getting the covers properly on you two.

you’ll be the little spoon in this cuddling session, your laptop long forgotten once your eyes are closed. 

don't worry, he’ll save the documents and shut it down for you once he is 100% sure you are asleep before going back to cuddling you.

you finally got your most needed rest after pulling three night straight of burning the midnight oil.

and you wake up in the morning to the most gorgeous sight with a much clearer head, grateful for your ever loving boyfriend xiao <33

note: not proof read so there’s probably grammatical errors. I shall now go back to my pit of academic struggles.

[pantoneyoongi]

neon signs | just a really nice friend

title ; just a really nice friend  pairing ; campus crush!yoongi x campus crush!you 

notes ; 

this is part of the neon signs drabble series, where drabbles are released in random order (but listed chronologically in the masterlist!) 

series description ;

namjoon doesn’t think it can get any clearer outside of yoongi building a giant neon sign saying i have the absolute biggest crush on you but apparently, book smarts don’t exactly translate when it comes to you and your massive crush on min yoongi. 

(alternatively: namjoon and hoseok try for three years straight to get you and yoongi together.) 

word count ; 1.2k

tags ; friendly reminder this series is released out of order, fluff, pianist yoongi, pls go to masterlist for more / general tags 

“so you know how i might’ve had a thing for yoongi last semester?” 

namjoon’s eyes slowly raise from his book, hand stilling on the page he was flipping. his expression doesn’t change much, but you can already see the exhaustion setting into his eyes, his body steadily catching up as he somehow sinks deeper into the armchair. 

the two of you are camped out in one of the student lounges, a place largely popular for the commuter kids, so it tends to be quiet on the weekends. namjoon likes to hide away here to read, and sometimes you’ll join him when you want to actually get some work done. namjoon’ll kick your chair if you get distracted by your phone. 

“what do you mean, ‘might’ve’?” he asks, turning his head to face you. you’d dragged over one of those desks that had the chair attached to them, so you could sit next to namjoon, who preferred the comfy, sage green armchairs lined across the back wall of the room. 

you scrunch your nose at him. “whatever. my point is, the crush is over. no feelings.” your hands sweep outwards, palms down, like a referee calling, ‘safe!’ you’re safe from crushes. no more. 

namjoon puffs out a breath, one eyebrow arched. he sets his book down. “really,” he says dryly, examining you. your best friend has known you for over eight years now. there’s no one who knows you quite like he does, not even yourself. you’ve always had a penchant for writing off crushes a little too quickly, and namjoon’s bore witness to your habits several times before. your crushes are always long term. a year at minimum. no matter how you twist and turn and try to deny it, your petty feelings always come running back. 

“yeah,” your voice pitches up, which only seems to prove namjoon’s point. you shrug, dragging the tip of your shoe against the carpet. “he’s just, like, a really nice guy. and you know, yoongi’s a new friend, i probably just got confused ‘cause it was exciting having him around, and he’s so different from most of the guys i know, and he’s really nice, and-” 

you’re rambling off excuses (all lined up because you knew namjoon wasn’t going to believe you), and namjoon looks poised for rebuttal, except the massive wooden doors to the student lounge swing open just then, catching both your attention. your mouth clamps shut immediately, and namjoon covers up his snort with a cough. 

yoongi’s always been the type to be observant of his surroundings. mostly this is because he’s usually trying to scout the fastest escape route, given that he’s allergic to human interaction yet somehow always seems to draw people’s attention. either way, it means he spots you and namjoon almost immediately, dull, sleepy expression flickering to life with a sweet smile and a wave. 

the two of you wave back, yoongi making his way past chairs and desks to reach you. “what are you doing here?” he asks when he approaches, and namjoon lifts his book in response, you tilting up your notebook. 

“he’s reading and i’m doing homework,” you say. “why are you here?” 

yoongi points to the opposite end of the room, diagonal from where you’re sitting. there’s a baby grand piano there, and honestly you’ve never known why they left a piano inside a student lounge, but it’s there. “was gonna play,” his lips do that endearing bracket-shaped smile thing again for a quick second. “there’s usually not many people here on the weekend.” 

you glance about the room. there’s maybe two or three other people in the room, scattered about. it’s a large space; with so few people, it makes the room feel even bigger. 

“you play piano, yoongi?” 

he does two quick nods, eyes blinking in near tandem. it’s really cute, actually, not to mention the way he bids his goodbye and ambles over to the instrument, settling down on the piano bench. it’s right by a window, so the natural lighting casts a soft glow around him, and you hear him tap one note, then two, the sound crisp and clear in the quiet of the room. 

he takes a slow breath, hands settling properly over the keys, tilts his head a little like he’s thinking. then he begins to play, and you straighten, homework forgotten on your desk as you watch him. 

he plays beautifully. the entire room seems to fade away; it’s just yoongi and the piano, fingers elegant across the keys, like they’re dancing ballet. “wow,” you rest your chin against your palm, mesmerized. “is he just good at everything?” 

namjoon rolls his eyes, amused. “you’re over him, huh?” 

this shakes you out of your reverie, head snapping back to namjoon. “what? yes. i am! why are you asking like that?” 

namjoon stares at you in disbelief. “you can barely take your eyes off him, y/n.” 

your head leans back until you’re forming multiple chins, all scrunched up. “that doesn’t - he’s - he’s just - he’s, like, objectively handsome. that’s all. pianists are - “ you stumble for words. “pretty.” 

namjoon squints. “what? y/n, nobody is objectively attractive.” 

you turn to him. “when half the campus thinks he’s cute, then he’s probably objectively attractive, joonie.” 

namjoon opens his mouth to argue, then clamps it shut. he clicks his tongue. “your phone’s buzzing.” 

“hm?” you glance at your phone to see texts from yoongi, even though he’s right across the room from you. you hadn’t even realized the room had gone quiet again. 

[2:12pm] yoongi: are you super busy? 

you glance up to see him watching you, head tilted, waiting for your response. you shake your head instead of texting back, and he beams, in that yoongi way, subtle and happy. he waves you over. 

“it’s a crush,” namjoon sings under his breath, and you thwap him on the side of the head before you head towards yoongi, reveling in his tiny “ow!” and the huff he follows up with. 

it’s not a crush. yoongi is just a really nice friend you happen to really enjoy spending time with who also happens to be really cute. no biggie. 

when you reach yoongi, he slides over on the bench, giving you room to sit next to him. “do you know how to play?” he asks. 

“not really,” you bite your lip, staring at the keys. “but i thought you wanted to play?” 

his lips twitch in amusement, and he looks fondly at you. “yeah. but you’re here,” he says, matter of fact. “i’ll teach you something. watch.” 

he guides you, letting you use just one hand to play a simple tune. “just repeat this, over and over, okay?” he instructs, and then once you get into the rhythm of it, he joins you, and together, you manage to play a simple rendition of ‘heart and soul’, yoongi grinning whenever you trip over some of the keys by accident. “you’re doing good,” he encourages, even though you know he’s lying straight through his teeth. it makes you laugh, bumping shoulders with him, eyes crinkled happily. 

yeah. namjoon can think whatever he wants, but you’re just having a good time with yoongi. like friends do. 

series masterlist ; neon signs

taglist ; @thelilbutifulthings​ @bbsantc​ @chickentenderx​ 

[adobe-outdesign]

I bother you for a review of the Sobble line, my beloveds?

I see a lot of hate for this line, but honestly, Sobble is pretty cute. An anxious little Pokemon that weaponizes its tears is a fun concept (#relatable), and visually, I like a lot of what's going on with it.

The little chameleon-style mitten hands and feet are nice, the fin on top of the head adds a perfect touch of color, and the little tear markings under the eye are a nice way to hint at the theme when its not actively crying, which in turn is paralleled by the blue circle at the tip of its tail. My only visual nitpick is that the eyes could've stood to have some yellow in them to make them pop.

I gotta admit, however, that it does suffer from a kind of generic body shape. All of the gen 8 starters have the same basic form, and so it feels like the nice visuals of Sobble are held back by an underwhelming and generic execution that make it less memorable than it potentially could have been. It's still perfectly good, just not as memorable as it could've been.

Drizzle gets some points for at least being unique in the line, but it was always my least favorite stage due to, once again, feeling generic—except this time, it doesn't have the strong balanced visuals Sobble has to compensate.

I think part of the problem with Drizzle is a lack of clear focus or direction, which stems from the whole line. Sobble's concept is that it's a timid and fearful chameleon that uses its color-changing abilities to hide, but it evolves into... a super spy (probably because spies are stealthy, which once again ties into the invisibility thing, except Inteleon is more of a basilisk lizard than a chameleon anyway). So Drizzle's left just kind of being emo, I guess to tie back into the sadness thing? I feel like if they just subtly hinted at the spy thing and focused on that from the beginning instead of randomly changing themes, the line would've been more cohesive, and Drizzle here would have more direction.

Visually, putting the bland body shape away, it retains some of Sobble's good elements, like the mitten hands and tear markings. However, the color palette changes randomly here to include green and purple, which go away again as soon as it evolves (the green areas could've easily been yellow, for example). The fin is generic looking and lacks the nice structure and colors of its evo/pre-evo as well. It's not the worst thing, but it's fairly bland.

This might be a hot take, but I actually really like parts of Inteleon's design. Even if the line could've focused on it more, the idea of a spy chameleon with basilisk attributes is pretty cool, and I like some of the biological aspects, like it having nictitating membranes and a sharp, knife-like tail.

I also like the head area. The fin looks cool, the face is properly lizard-ish, I like the expression and the yellow eyelids, and the built in "glider" is neat. It's nice to see it finally get a more distinct shape after two stages of generic round heads. Also, the wetsuit markings are clever for a water-type. Also also, it looks pretty good in motion:

However, I do agree with the general opinion that the body shape is a bit off. First, it's ridiculously thin, almost like an anole or long-tailed grass lizard; it feels like a strong breeze could break its arms. This is also emphasized by things like the long, human-like legs and human hands (lizard hands are more spread out, and don't have joints in the same places as human hands). If it just had more lizardish anatomy—think like Kecleon, Salazzle, Heliolisk—I could see myself liking it a lot more.

I also feel like it could've stood to be a little more chameleon-like, as that's the only reason its a spy to begin with. Nothing wrong with the basilisk elements, but why not give it some cool weird chameleon eyes that look like night-vision goggles, or let it keep the mitten hands? Emphasize that and the stealth and the concept would be a bit clearer.

Also, some small visual nitpicks: The stripe down the tail adds nothing and isn't needed. Also not a huge fan of the white diamond on the stomach as it seems out of place (even if it is supposed to be a suit). Mostly, though, it's just the anatomy that throws me.

The g-max is the best out of the starters on the grounds that it's at least not an item that becomes larger, even if the entire body still hasn't grown much. Also, the concept is pretty fun, with it using its long tail as a sniper tower.

However, I also feel like this doesn't make much sense. First, what does a sniper have to do with spies? Just because they both use guns and are stealthy, I guess? But secondly, this thing is 100 feet tall. Isn't the point of snipers to be unnoticeable? Who is gonna get sniped by this thing because they didn't notice the 100-foot tall lizard tower of death? It's fun on paper, but doesn't hold up when you think about it actually in-battle.

Also, it's weird that the tail starts out spiraling and then suddenly straightens out, especially when the fin curls around. Why not just make the entire thing spiral-shaped? I feel like that would be a lot more natural as opposed to the suddenly perfect straightness going on here.

Anyway, overall: Sobble is cute and has a nice design, but suffers a bit from a generic body shape. Drizzle lacks direction, and Inteleon is pretty cool looking but stand to be more chameleon-ish, both conceptually and visually. The g-max is fun but doesn't really make much sense when you stop to think about it.

In fact, the more I think about it the more I think this might be my fav gen 8 starter—though that isn't saying a lot.

[changelingsandothernonsense]

WRITING QUESTION for you, HONK!

You've said you're pretty new at writing fiction. I notice you have a very clear idea of your characters and their voices. When you write, do you have a plan for each character and for the story as a whole? What sort of themes do you find yourself writing about most with these characters? Also, what part of the writing process feels the most difficult for you and how do you try to overcome it?

I've had these ideas swimming around for months now. Honestly, I've played through all the main beats in-game multiple times and my mind kinda swims when I do it. So I decided to write about it. I've been using the OC asks to get a better feel for both Sydari and Teldryn's characterisations both individually and recently as a couple. Doing that has made working out how both of them will deal with the plot points a lot clearer.

I'm in my head a lot with writing, worried that people will figure out that I'm dyslexic, though I've gotten pretty good at hiding it. It's a problem that's stopped me from writing in the past. I was heavily discouraged from pursuing any form of writing, but have gotten to a point in my self-development where I just don't give enough of a fuck to feel ashamed of my deficiency so... I decided to make an attempt. I'm actually enjoying it, negative self-talk be damned!

I'm partially projecting my own frustrations onto these characters, vicariously trying to remake and solve some of these issues to be more neutral? I don't think the version of happiness I'm aiming for at the end of Serious Mistakes is the sunshine and rainbows type. They're looking for understanding in a hostile world and so am I, so the themes (being broken from past trauma, not handling the issue upfront and then destroying everything because of it) are kinda reflective of my own experiences (with some fantasy exaggerations and Tamriel-related topics). The aim is that they find something worthy in each other to keep themselves going. Sure they are bad news but they do make each other better people in the end.

Last year I had a massive, massive mental breakdown and focusing on this has helped me to start to climb out of it a bit. I'm still having episodes but having a new focus has helped. I want to embrace the brain worms this time. Even if I have no idea what I'm doing! XD

[sentientgopro]

Okay, screw it, It's been on my mind alot, I'm writing the damn mirror post so I can get it off my mind.

There's a song I listen to often that has a couple of lines about "breaking the mirror". I'm the type of person who feels the need to understand every line of every song they listen to, so I googled the meaning. (Side note, part of me felt like it was right to write girl instead of person and she instead of they? I almost always use gender neutral terms in anything I say online regardless of being about me, but feeling like saying she is not something I've done before. That was weird. Back to the point.)

So I don't know how commonly known it is or whether people still pay attention to old superstitions, but apparently breaking mirrors brings you years of bad luck, but eventually you'll be just fine.

And there's obvious parallels between this idea and transitioning. Things will get alot harder after you start, but you'll be infinitely better off when you start to reach the other side. Right now, I can live simply as a guy and not have to worry about the perils of being trans, but once I break the mirror, it's on.

But I can't get over how there's this really old symbolism of taking the very thing that displays who you are, and shattering it, and it's gonna cause alot of problems for a while, but then the reflection is restored, better than ever, and all the bad is washed away.

And this was just a neat little idea in my head, until I saw a CERTAIN game with a certain stereotype was on sale for like £3 and bought it. And oh my fucking God, mirror symbolism is EVERYWHERE, because of course it is. The very incarnation of the bad parts of Madeline literally come from looking herself in the mirror and breaking it. People have talked before about the heavy Mirror symbolism in Celeste, often mentioning trans people's relation to mirrors, but recontextualising that with the superstition and the things I just mentioned made it hit so hard for me when it clicked and I put it all together.

Now, I always knew this would be an aimless rant, but I still spent a while trying to think of a good way to tie it together but its not working. I'm just gonna talk about the lyrics now and how they reflect my specific situation. Its 4 lines, in pairs, in two seperate verses:

"I need time to break all the mirrors,

But my mind is in pieces and not ready to make it clearer."

"Time to make it all clearer,

And if time never ceases I'll be ready to break the mirror."

How often do you hear trans people talk about how theyre not ready, or theyre finding excuses for themselves, and they don't know why? I'm the same, but I genuinely have a rock solid excuse for myself, that I live in an unsupportive and overcontrolling household, so I couldn't even start doing anything in secret because of how restricted I am. I should be going to Uni in about a year and a half, so that's the starting point. But even if this wasn't the case, I dont think Id start transitioing yet, Im not ready, my mind is in pieces and not ready to make it clearer.

But that's the thing, it IS time to make it all clearer. Ive got time, with no pressure, to figure myself out and improve my mental state so that I'm in the best position possible to break the mirror. So as long as I never cease doing that, I'll be ready to break the mirror.

If you're wondering what the song is, It's The Gift by Kevin Sherwood and Elena Siegman. The rest of the song isn't a trans allegory or anything, I honestly couldn't tell you what most of it is about, it's from fucking COD: Black Ops 3 Zombies lmfao. Every map in the Zombies mode of the Black Ops games has a secret song, usually by Kevin Sherwood and often with Elena Siegman singing, but sometimes its a different vocalist.

The reason I'm mentioning all this is because the map this song is on is Literally called "Revelations". Yep, certainly having a few of them lmao.

So, thanks for reading this unhinged rant about mirrors that's probably unoriginal as shit, I'm going to cut this off Immediately before I launch into a rant about how good Kevin Sherwood's music is. Honestly, hes too good to be working on COD, not to mention how Elena Siegman has the voice of an angel and a demon at the same time, that girls range is insane. Fuck, Im already slipping into a rant, I just need to stop writi

[relicsandoldstories]

You guys wanted it so here it is! I was reading it as I was copying it and I'm so happy I'm redoing it entirely

Chapter one of Admin's Watch

Chapter One

The things the Hermit, Grian, dreams as he sleeps are normally happy.  From fond memories of him and his friends playing pranks to being pranked himself, to even just spending hours with them chatting and building. However, tonight was not the case. He had been struggling to fall asleep, or more accurately, stay asleep. The heavy rain from the thunderstorm roared outside. The gentle pitter-patter against his home which normally brought comfort,but brought a cold unsettling sensation. He shifted tiredly onto his back raising his hands up  and out in front of his face flexing his fingers. “These are starting to become frequent events…” He mumbled and glanced out the window fixing his red jumper. 

That’s when, from the corner of his eye, he saw something. Even before he could fully process what he saw, his body shuddered with dread. He slowly sat up, keeping his gaze away from the window, watching for the thing just within his peripheral vision. He was focused on it. Grian sat there for a long while, his breath stuck in his throat. Until he saw it again. Even clearer this time. Six purple spheres that seemed to float and glow just outside his window. The same feeling of dread washed over him,but he couldn’t pinpoint why. He knew it wasn’t an enderman, he would be able to see its outline, but as lightning flashed, all he saw were those eyes. 

He slowly got out of bed and against his body’s wishes, he stepped closer to the window. “What are you?” he found himself asking curiously. “You know who I am. After all, you spent most of your youth with us. Xelqua.” Grian spun around, not expecting an answer from behind him. Nothing. There was nothing there. He looked back to the window, startled and about to equip his sword. “That’s not my name…” He whispered, unsure what else to say. “Oh…but it is. We should know. We were the ones who gave you that name.” 

Again the voice seemed to taunt. Grian couldn’t believe his ears. He had the faintest memories of his mother, but what the voice said seemed to resonate in him. “No..Go away. Just go away… I don’t believe you.” Grian turned away clutching the hilt of his sword beside him as it materialised. He closed his eyes tightly as the voice, echoing around him, seemed to taunt, “You will soon…and then you will return to us. You will return home. Back to us.” He tried blocking out its taunt, covering his ears. Go away, go away, go away. He thought slowly sitting on his bed once more.

The voice continued to jeer at him, repeating over and over and over again. “Xelqua. Return to us. Return to us our child.” This went on for hours, driving the hermit crazy. No matter how hard he tried to block them out, he just couldn’t. Finally, the voice stopped, the storm ceased and the eyes had vanished. Even though that was the situation, Grian could not sleep after that. He was able to settle down, but all he could do was stare at his ceiling until the sun rose. He felt his wristband vibrate well into the morning, snapping him back to reality. 

He let out a groan and lifted  his arm in front of his face tapping the gem, opening the chat hologram seeing what the other players were up to. Knowing them, probably the normal chaos that always seemed to ensue on this server. He half expected to see a death message from Scar honestly and low and behold. There was one. 

GoodTimeWithScar hit the ground too hard whilst  trying to escape Iskall85

<MumboJumbo> oof

<Iskall85> Sorry mate!

<GoodTimeWithScar> I thought I had my elytra on…

Grain snorted and sat up shaking his head, before typing in chat. 

<Grian> You my friend pulled a Mumbo XD

Then he finally closed chat, grabbed his own elytra and rockets, before heading out. He had plans to continue building his mega base and stock his shop. Again. Like his other shops in the previous seasons of Hermitcraft, this one needed to be restocked very frequently. First he went to see what needed to be restocked and needed to collect payments. As he glided to the entrance, he saw Xisuma inside looking around. “Hey X-eye-zoom-uh” He said, landing behind him. The admin of the server jumped a bit before turning, looking at him chuckling. “Hey Gman. You restocking? You are kinda low on a few things.” X commented. “Yeah. What’re you up to?” The shorter hermit asked as he opened the barrels grabbing the diamonds. 

“Normal rounds, and wanted to get more golden carrots but you’re completely out.” Xisuma shrugged. 

“Aw mate really? I just restocked it yesterday!” Grain groaned, dragging his hand down his face.  

Even though Grian couldn’t see Xisuma’s face  clearly through his helmet's visor, he could feel him smirking at him. “Alright well i’ll let you know when it’s restocked. I’ll-” He yawned mid sentence and sighed before continuing. “I’ll be working on my mega base if you need me later.” 

“Tough night?” 

“A bit. Had trouble falling asleep but I'll be fine. See you around X-eye-zoom-uh.” Grain chuckled and stuffed the diamonds in his enderchest, before flying off to start collecting materials. He needed to gather wood, carrots, quartz, redstone and a lot of iron. As time went on, the events of the night privy became forgotten. After depositing the materials in his shop, he went to collect shulker boxes upon shulker boxes of blocks for his base. It took hours and he knew it might not even be enough but he decided to build with what he had now. He was determined to do the back of this base this time. 

Even though his plan was to work only on his base with no nonsense today, that didn’t go as he hoped as he heard a creeper explosion behind him. He jumped forward and spun around with a yelp, only to realise it was Scar. Of course it was Scar. He looked at his scarred goofy friend for a moment as he started laughing. “I can’t believe you got me again.” He huffed and smiled and fixed his jumper. “By the way, what did you do to Iskall to die?” He asked, sitting on a shulker box. “I tried to end crystal him, but he saw it coming.” Scar chuffed leaning back. 

Grain laughed harder, shaking his head. “Oh Scar.” He smiled. “Yeah…” His bud smirked. “Also I have a gift.” He said as an afterthought and  tossed Grian a few stacks of bricks. “I heard you needed them.” “Thanks man, I could not find any clay at all for hours and I didn’t have enough diamonds to buy enough.” Grain snorted. The two continued to talk for a while as Scar offered to help build Grian’s base. They recounted the events of the previous seasons, all the times they pulled pranks on others or got pranks pulled on them. Their wristbands buzzed or lit up as someone asked if they could sleep. Being the builders the two hermits were, they were always carrying a bed on them or had one set up at their build sites so they did before any mobs could get them.

The next day, Grain continued building alone, rather peacefully until he felt as if he was being watched. He checked the tab list to see who was online. Xisuma, Iskall, Ren and Cleo. But half of them were AFK. He tried to shake a feeling and continued building, before the feeling became more intense. He opened the chat to ask if anyone was watching him about to pull a prank until he remembered the night before. The voice and the eyes outside his window. He shook his head thinking, No it's all probably nothing.

Grain closed the chat, reassuring himself his mind was just playing with him a few times. “Back to building…” He sighed, opening his shulker box again. Then something strange happened. As soon as he closed the box, something killed him. He looked at the death message in chat as he respawned. His body was sore and heavy. Different from other deaths he had and he wasn’t at his spawnpoint.

 

Grian fell out of the world

<Iskall85> You good?

<Rendog> How did you do that?

<XisumaVoid> What happened?

Grain slowly collected his thoughts as he typed. 

<Grian> No clue…it just happened.

<XisumaVoid> Odd…

<Grian> Ya telling me

Grain slowly got up, struggling to at first before his eyes started to blur and he sat back down. “Xelqua…” An unnerving voice behind him sent a shiver down his spine and he whipped his head around to see no one there. “What do you want….Where are you?” He asked as his eyes continued to blur. His mind raced wanting answers, not focused on anything but that. He didn’t even notice his wristband buzzing and flashing as his body got weak. The last thing he remembered before everything went dark was the voice, now sounding as if it were under water echo, “Everywhere child.”

Unaware to him, Xisuma had seen where Grain had respawned through data and had tried messaging him seeing why he respawned so far away  and told him he had collected his items, confusion at first had turned to concern. He went to check on him to find the hermit lying unconscious on the ground. “Hey G?” The admin asked, kneeling beside him gently, shaking him by the shoulder. When Grain didn’t stir, Xisuma tried again. “Grain mate, wake up.” Again, no reaction. This stumped Xisuma. That was till he felt something off around the area. A weird presence that had disappeared as quick as it appeared. He decided to bring him to his base and try and see what was going on. He didn’t live that far away so it wasn’t a long trek. 

Hours passed until the admin was able to wake Grain up. The short hermit grumbled squinting his eyes, feeling nauseous. He put a hand to his head, only to see his jumper off and a ceiling he knew to be X’s. He squinted, tilting his head to the left to see the man himself sitting on a chair. “X?” He questioned clearing his throat, causing the helmed hermit to jump.

“Hey. How’re you feeling? What happened? I tried messaging you to tell you I got your things but when you didn’t answer I got worried and checked the specs to see where you were at…how did you end up all the way out there?” Ximua asked and helped him sit up. 

“I’m not sure. I was just getting more stuff to build with from a shulker and then I just died. I didn’t  spawn in my bed. How long was I out..?”

“About three hours…I tried waking you up a few times but you didn’t react. Did something happen after you repawned?”

Grain debated on explaining what occurred before he had passed out for a few minutes before sighing. He knew he should tell Xisuma seeing as he was the admin for the server and if it was a bug or something along those lines. “It was painful when I respawned…more than normal and I wasn’t able to focus a lot. The last thing I remember was a voice I heard two nights ago call me some weird name and then I blacked out,” he explained, “Before I fell out of the world I felt like I was being stalked or something but none of you guys were either online or near me.”

Xisuma’s brows furrowed behind his visor. “What happened two nights ago? What did they call you?” He asked, leaning forward. This made the short hermit uneasy at first, deciding to be quiet about the events. He wanted to figure it out himself first. He looked down shifting, before the admin leaned his elbows on the bed, looking him in the eye. “Grain. What is going on?” He asked again. “You can tell me. Something is bothering you.” 

Grian sighed, brushing his hair from his eyes, “When I said I couldn't sleep that night…It was because it felt off…” He started and closed his eyes thinking for a moment. “I saw something outside…in the corner of my eye. Six floating circles…they looked like eyes and they were just floating there, watching me…”

As Grian explained, the more crazy it sounded. “Then there was a voice behind me. Nothing was there. It called me…Xelqua…and kept saying something like, ‘come back to us’ or something along those lines.” When he finished, it was quiet for a while, causing him to look over at Xisuma. “X?” He asked. He could practically see the admins' gears churn.

“Yeah sorry…we’ll figure it out later but get some rest for now. Everyone else logged out, you should too.” Xisuma stated getting up, putting a hand on his shoulder. 

“Alright, see you later mate.” Grian nodded, opening the menu and exited the hermitcraft server to take a break. But as he was leaving he could’ve sworn he heard Xisuma say one word.

“Watchers…”