#idk what it is it’s just !! it feels so sharp and precise and tbh I really just love to watch them perform it it’s really one of my faves

[arohawe]

may I take a minute to just say,, how much I love the choreo for every minute

[favoniuscodex]

masquerade. [ diluc x reader ]

prompt: you’ve never liked people who stick their noses where they don’t belong. but, then again, you’re a hypocrite, for you fell in love with diluc ragnvindr. well, that and the fact that you’re just trying to figure out how he’s alive when you buried him three years ago. (”you’re adorable” for my 2.5k follower event) pairing: anti-hero/villain(?)!diluc / knight of favonius!f!reader warnings: mentions of death, alcohol word count: 2.2k words

a/n: stepping a bit out of my comfort zone for this one, but god, this was fun to write. my diluc favoritism shines once more fjdskfd. this feels like it should be the start of a long fic, but tbh,,, hmm ?? idk !!! would y’all be interested in that?

it was only a matter of time until you saw diluc again. surely, you hadn’t expected it to take three years, but seeing your supposedly-dead lover at a masquerade party? such theatrics were only ingrained into his bloodline. the darknight hero loved to be in the spotlight, as long as nobody knew the person behind his actions. of course, it was only in diluc ragnvindr’s nature to make his reappearance into society at one of teyvat’s biggest yearly events: fontaine’s very own moonlit masquerade, a ball intended for the likes of government officials and greedy socialites.

under normal circumstances, diluc would have been extended a proper invite, much like you had been gifted one. you, captain of a battalion of mondstadt’s finest soldiers, were high both within the ranks of teyvat’s political and social sphere. what elevated you to your highest status, however, was your former affiliation with diluc himself. you were the former fiancée of the ragnvindr heir, only having had your title severed through his rather untimely death alongside his father.

as diluc’s almost widow, you had both inherited his estate and the responsibility of burying him. which is why, of course, you nearly dropped your flute of champagne that had once rested comfortably between your fingers as an oh-so-familiar voice leaned in behind you and murmured softly into your ear.

“would you care for a dance?”

you whirled around, the golden beverage sloshing onto the ground from the sudden movement, and came face-to-face (or rather, mask-to-mask) with eyes that you had longed to see every day for the last three years. if this is some sick joke, you thought, if this karma for how i failed to protect him, then let barbatos strike me down now.

yet, no flash of green anemo energy came. rather, you were greeted by the parting of his lips to reveal a familiar set of brilliantly white teeth as the corners of his lips upturned into a devilish grin. it was unbecoming to see such a serpentine expression painting your lover’s face and it only served to form a pit in your stomach. despite the mask, you knew beyond all certainty that this was diluc ragnvindr.

but, you also knew it wasn’t your diluc ragnvindr. that diluc had died the day you buried him, even if diluc himself was standing in front of you at this very moment. rather than respond, you press your lips into a firm line as a multitude of emotions pass over you. even if you wanted to respond, you weren’t sure if you could wrack your brain for anything coherent to say. you stare silently into the eyes of diluc ragnvindr, which were once vibrant like unpicked cherries glistening in the summer sun. now, they were no warmer than the chilled wine he had once derived his fortune from. 

you look at the eyes of your lover. another man stares back. as the two of you dance with the silence between you, rather than each other, diluc’s smile inevitably drops before he clears his throat.

“might we talk elsewhere?” his voice is less sultry and less playful. like a professional wine taster, you knew how to read the hints of emotion within diluc’s tone. even after years apart, you still knew how to discern the flavors that carefully interwove themselves into each syllable that fell from his lips. in this moment, the bittersweet aftertaste of vulnerability shines through.

and with that, your steely resolve breaks as you spoke your following words.

“upstairs. down the hall and to the left, there should be an empty meeting room. no nation has claimed it as their space for the evening, so it should be devoid of any people. go there, i’ll meet you there in ten minutes,” you instruct and the dumb, arrogant smile appears on diluc’s face once more as he nods at you before quietly slipping away.

you briefly consider slapping it off before he can go, but just like before, you let him slip through your fingers once more.

precisely ten minutes later, you walk into the designated meeting room, having excused yourself from an enlightening conversation with one of sumeru’s top scholars. despite the short discussion, your talking partner had been rather intriguing, but you had bigger problems to deal with. letting out a sigh before entering the room, you take note of the way diluc, who leaned against one of the walls, stands straight up upon your entrance.

at least he had that respect.

you close the door behind you and, for good measure, you lock it. as the lock clicks shut, you hear the noise of diluc unclipping his mask. you flutter your eyes shut and inhale before turning to see what you had longed to see the most over the past three years: the face of your dead fiancé. a scar mars his cheek. it is faint, but the sight of it grounds your thoughts, for you know that he is not a ghost, nor is he the man he used to be.

he has changed.

your heart leaps at the sight of the man you once loved, the only man you thought you could ever love, the man whose last name you had taken on out of honor after his death, even if the wedding plans had been cut short. but your brain scowls at the sight, wanting nothing to do with him. it screams within you, demanding attention over the way your heart beats rapidly and urges you to rush forward into your lover’s arms and hold him close.

diluc takes a step forward, but he seemingly senses your trepidation as a brief flash of uncertainty crosses over his face. he makes no move to close the distance between the two of you. neither do you. diluc parts his lips to speak, but you hold up a hand for him to stop.

“no.” you say, voice resolute. “i talk first.”

diluc visibly swallows as you unclip your mask, only to be met with your irate expression.

“three years. it has been three years. where were you?” your voice is steely and you smooth over any shakiness in your words with your anger, filling in the cracks with bitterness.

“(y/n), i’m sorry, but i-” he begins, but you take a step forward, your scowl worsening.

“cut the bullshit and answer the question i asked you, diluc.” you snap and diluc’s eyes widen, as if he’s somehow just registering that a simple apology wouldn’t be enough to immediately woo you back to his side.

“i was hiding in the inazuman countryside and i only did so becau-” he begins, but you cut him off once more.

“thank you.” you say dismissively, waving off any additional words he has to say. the corner of his lips twitch with amusement, but you elect to ignore such a thing, for the sake of your own temper. “i only have one more question. why did you come back?”

hurt mars diluc’s expression as he registers the embittered tone of your words, but, much like you, quickly smooths his own expression over to one of indifference. yet, the affection he holds for you still shines bright in his eyes. you hate it. most of all, you hate the way your stomach does backflips at the sight.

“i came back for you.” diluc confesses, finally realizing that any longer of a statement and you would have cut him off. a sharp bark of a laugh exits your lips as you stare at him.

“it’s been three years. you could have come back at any time. and yet, you waited three years. pardon me if i don’t necessarily believe you.” you scoff, turning your body slightly away from him.

 “it’s always been you. i had to do this to protect you. my father and i, we discovered things that we shouldn’t and he got killed because of it. i was next. if they didn’t get me, they would have come after you first.” diluc explains. you listen to his explanation wordlessly, before glaring at him.

“who is they and what makes you think i couldn’t handle them?” you snap and diluc’s expression contorts as if he expects his next words to cause you pain.

“ordo favonius,” diluc says, voice quiet. much to his surprise, you laugh. it was the laugh he had fallen in love with, yet it is different. a shell of what it used to be. he wonders if this is what his absence did to you -- or if it is the result of his return. he’s not sure which answer is worse.

“really? really? that’s the best bullshit lie you can come up with?” you say, folding your arms over your chest as you look at him incredulously. “the knights of favonius don’t want to kill you nor your father, nor me or anyone else you might know. they’re harmless.”

“no, they’re not. they’re wolves in sheep’s clothing, you have to believe me.” there’s an unfamiliar desperation in his tone that pulls at your heartstrings, but despite his earnestness, his words still play the wrong notes. you aren’t convinced. your eyebrows scrunch in thought before you turn to look at him, eyes narrowed.

“diluc,” you begin, words cautious. “are you the one who attempted to assassinate grand master varka?”

the acting grand master had returned to mondstadt from his expedition last month. not even a week later, an assassination attempt had been made on his life. much to everyone’s surprise, the organization, especially varka himself, refused to release details about the attacker. if diluc was the attacker, then the knights were seemingly scared of revealing that he was. but... why?

doubt finally plants its seeds in your stomach, but you know you can’t make any brash decisions tonight. not now, not when you know there are good people within the organization. jean, the dandelion knight, the one whom you had cried to after diluc’s death. albedo, the calm and collected alchemist and his younger sister klee, the knights’ resident spark knight. kaeya, diluc’s own estranged brother, whom had not contested your inheritance of the ragnvindr fortune and had gone so far as to decline any amount of money you offered him as his rightful share. they were all good people. they wouldn’t stand for such corruption. would they?

no. you think. they wouldn’t. they’re not safe either.

diluc is lying. he has to be. he wouldn’t have stood idly by for the last three years if such good people were all in danger. he wouldn’t have stood by for the last three years if you were in danger. would he?

your former lover notices the way your expression alters with each new thought that passes through your mind, so he closes the distance between the two of you and places a hand on your shoulder.

“come with me, darling,” diluc pleads. you refuse to meet his eyes, knowing you’ll break if you do so. “please. i can keep us safe.”

“i can defend myself,” you snap, but your words sound hollow, as if you’re trying to convince yourself. his hand doesn’t leave your shoulder, but you make no move to shrug it off. his refusal to answer your question gives you the answer you need. “why did you try to kill him?”

“he is not the root of the problem, but he is one of the main pieces of it. i cannot explain here, but if you come with me, i can. i promise, i swear to you that i can. just... please. we don’t have much time, they’ll notice your absence from the party soon.”

hadn’t he also promised to love you? love does not mean abandoning me for three years, you think bitterly, yet your heart urges you to listen to your lover. you take a step back and diluc’s hand falls to his side. you finally meet his eyes with your own cold gaze. the warmth of his pyro vision that courses through him does nothing to soften their iciness. diluc’s expression is no longer stoic. he looks tired and utterly devastated by your rejection.

“you are as beautiful as you were the day we met,” diluc begins and you tear your gaze from him, unable to keep your eyes fixated on him any longer. “archons, even when you are angry with me, you are adorable. i lov-”

“don’t.” you murmur, finally turning away from him. “don’t say that.”

you walk over to the door, hand hovering over the handle. you stand there for a few moments and the silence between diluc and you is nearly suffocating. tears brim at the corners of your eyes, yet you reapply your masquerade mask to hide them from any partygoers. you let out a soft sigh.

“five days. meet me in mondstadt in five days. as to whether or not i’ll go with you, i’ll give you my answer then,” you murmur, before slamming your hand down on the handle and exiting the room at a brisk pace, head held high. five days of mourning was all you had been given in the first place. it is only fitting that you give him the same time period.

[bondsmagii]

Miceal i just saw one of those ‘read a real book lmao fanfics are inferior’ post and i guess i read it in a bad timing but it makes me feel kindda shitty :)) because as a fic writer i treat my work as if it were to be fit for publishing (amateur, i guess, because my editor is a friend who aspire to be one) and reading that take just make me go ???????

I just wonder if these people ever consider how much work writers have put to their works. Like ofc i know there are tons of rough works out there but still at least those people... tried? (And even if they didnt like... so what honestly)

Idk i guess i need a bit of your sharp insight on all these ur like a ray of light in the middle of these mess of sewage gas tbh

this attitude makes me curl my lip like a YA villain honestly... very bad take. sure, there are shitty fanfics out there, but boy HOWDY there are shitty books out there too. I think this attitude has come, partially, from the toxic fandom environment that’s so prevalent these days, because a lot of these terrible takes come from people who could benefit from reading other works outside of a fandom context and you know, learning how content works in the real world. (especially with regards to warnings and censorship.) unfortunately people have taken this attitude and ran with it, and also generalised to everyone who interacts with fanfic, and because they want someone to attack they blame the writers, and... yeah. messy, and ironically the precise kind of cold take that comes from being terminally online (just like what they’re accusing the people they’re attacking of!). 

but to get to the point: I’m a serious writer, writing is now officially my full-time job, I aim to be published sooner rather than later, I read 100+ books a year... and I write fanfic. the biggest project I’m working on right now (currently 150,000 words and nowhere near done; will likely be around 400,000 words when I finish) is a fanfic for a YouTube horror series that was active in 2009-2014. I don’t read a lot of fanfic, admittedly, but out of the ones I have read I remember some of them as vividly as I do my favourite books, and I also write a lot of it and I have been doing so since I was 13 or 14 years old. I’ve seen this argument so many times, and it’s bullshit. literally all the writers I know also write fanfic alongside their original projects, and some of them write exclusively fanfic. does this make them lesser writers? absolutely not. to be a writer all you need is a story to tell, and all you need to do is write it down. boom. that’s all it takes.

guaranteed the people who say this shit aren’t writers themselves, and if they are I do worry about the... quality of their work. I also wonder how much they actually read, or if it’s more an aesthetic/gotcha than an actual passion. people with this kind of attitude tend to be very pretentious and certainly more concerned with putting other people down than practising their art or actually engaging meaningfully in their hobbies, and as a certified Book Person I resent how people like this give us normal readers a bad name. as somebody passionate about writing, and who intends to make it my career, I support writing in all its forms. nothing is lesser. nothing “isn’t real writing”. if you tell a story, and it makes you feel something, and if you choose to share it, it goes on to make others feel something? you’ve done your job. you’ve created something good, you’ve worked hard and it’s paid off, you’ve practised your craft and done something you’re proud of, and another thing exists in the world be it for your eyes only or not. what have these people done? been a clown on tumblr dot com, but that’s about it.

[musashi]

sending u this ask as an opportunity for u to talk to me abt fi!! i love ur thoughts n words on things nd i don't send asks as much bc i don't have. good words to talk to u abt stuff but i rlly enjoy just. ur Passion nd stuff. autistic people r the best at talking abt stuff i stand by that we r just Epic. anyways if u wanna, i'd love to hear more about just... how fi sorta. changes, over the game? like the Little Things that show her starting 2 care abt link more, or becoming more "human"!

i love this whole ask. you’re right autistic folks r sexy as hell idk how the divine powers that be fit so much passion into my tiny body but i’m glad they made the attempt. 

ANYWAYS FI. i don’t think i’ve ever actually laid this out because for the most part it is incredibly subtle and requires a lot of filling in gaps yourself, and i think that someone who cares less abt her can probably come away from it with an entirely different interpretation. fi’s development of actual feelings are a very sudden a mysterious thing, and i have a LOT of thoughts about them going in a lot of different directions so forgive me if this answer isn’t particularly linear or coherent. i’m not just gonna talk about her slow burn into feeling things, i’m also gonna talk about... why i think it happens.

we don’t get to learn a lot about sword spirits and how they come into being, other than it takes great power to enchant a sword with a spirit/temper a sword with one inside it. hylia obviously created fi and, presumably, demise created ghirahim, and they are pretty much as opposite as two people can be with their only real characteristic in common being precision, intelligence & otherworldly loyalty to their respective masters. 

we thus don’t get to learn how much control the creator of a sword spirit has over what kind of spirit comes of it, if their personalities are organic to their experiences or crafted from the moment they awaken. what i mean by this is like... ghirahim could have been a cold, calculating AI like fi when he was first tempered and gained his dramatics over time, we have no idea how long he’s been alive in comparison to her, if his personality is so much more extroverted because he was allowed a life outside his blade whereas fi was isolated in hers for millennia. or if he just came into creation immediately ready to scream and stick his tongue in ppl’s ears.

i swear to god i’m going somewhere with this. ok. anyways.

fi in the beginning of skyward sword is, i think, how most people remember her--data-interested, icy, and detached. there is a reverence in how she addresses link from the start, even before he formally becomes her wielder, but beyond that she is calculating and precise and rarely wastes words. all of this kinda paints a picture of hylia creating fi, to me--breathing life into the spirit and willing her to be effective, be efficient, be loyal, and be sharp. when you have that image in your head, a lot of how fi operates makes sense--she wasn’t created to have emotions, because emotions get in the way of what her purpose is. hylia made a weapon and a servant, not a friend. it sucks to think about, but that is fi’s purpose.

the game is very careful, however, to show you it’s not that simple from the beginning. because hidden in Ice Queen Fi’s introduction is... a surprising amount of personality.

like this shit, where she straightup just dunks gaepora in the trash because his #Lore is out of date. it’s hysterical because you really do not know if she’s just a) an AI who doesn’t understand when she’s being kinda Rude or b) being snarky On Purpose. and that ambiguity in itself crafts this beautiful air of mystery where you, from the get go, don’t entirely know what to expect of fi all the time.

or this, which she says directly after link hesitates to accept the blade:

this scene, which people who have edgier takes on fi constantly use to paint her as intentionally manipulative, where all i see is... her using emotional validation to calm link down enough for him to take in what’s happening. a really important thing about fi is that she’s paradoxically an empath? she can read auras and detect emotion with extreme precision even if she’s incapable of feeling it herself in the beginning. so she knows everything link is experiencing here, understands that it’s holding him back, and takes care to deconstruct the whirlwind of emotion he’s collapsing under and explain to him why he can and should trust her words.

again this is all in her introductory scene. they write her very specifically to be a seemingly flat character with this... rumbling of something more going on under the surface. so much so that the first time you get to a sacred spring and fi, completely randomly, just starts skating across the water’s surface and speaking ancient poeticisms to you, you don’t question it. you’re not like hey, why is sword alexa doing a little dance? you just accept it as something fi is doing, because fi always feels like she’s at her job, and you don’t know how she acts outside of work, but you kinda feel like maybe you want to.

fi’s affinity for music is another way they insert humanity into an AI without making you think too hard about it. singing and dancing are inherently human, artforms are something we associate with the heart and soul. even teaching a robot to paint is, in itself, an art project crafted by a human hand. but you don’t really... consciously think about that, when you watch her do these things. you just kind of accept that she is this otherworldly thing guiding you. you don’t think about the contrast of this programmed assistant performing music alongside you in a sacred ritual. you’re just kind of like, yeah? i can’t JUST play nayru’s wisdom on my harp, i need someone who can sing and god put a vocaloid in my sword???

throughout the game, fi’s dialogue chains when you summon her don’t change in any meaningful way (besides based on what you’re carrying, where you are, etc) but as you near the end, there are a couple things of note. one that sticks out to me is what she says about one of the mid-game minibosses, who is also an artificial intelligence--

a lot of people laugh abt this line and make jokes about fi being hot for the tall handsome robot pirate and they’re valid. but the thing is, like, from the beginning of her mission, fi knew she’d essentially be dying once the world was saved. and early game fi has no hesitations about her part in things regardless, because, as we know, she wasn’t created to feel things like that. she wasn’t created to fear death, to grow attached to life or anyone in it, or to experience sorrow at the idea of saying goodbye. but this is mid-game fi, who still... never says anything she doesn’t deem entirely necessary, but she says this. for no discernible reason, she says this. it’s an unskippable dialogue option, one they WANT you to see and one that is different when you know where she ends up. admiration is already something you wouldn’t really expect of her, but it’s more than that--she’s longing for her own story to mirror it. by the sand sea, fi has started to realize she doesn’t want to go to sleep.

it’s another one of those moments where you’re kinda like, ‘haha, what, fi?' and then move on. another one of those moments where she kinda does something a little unexpected, but not so unexpected you question it too hard. fi excels at those.

before you go off to fight demise, fi stops you to warn you that it is the final battle, and you cannot return. and when you tell her you’re ready, she says this:

as i’ve said, fi doesn’t waste words. almost always, everything she says is for the purpose of efficiency, and rarely does she offer thoughts without fixed probabilities and ultimate endgoals in mind.

this is a sentiment.

it serves no purpose. it is purely an expression of devotion.

and because of EVERYTHING i’ve mentioned thus far, this line both hits you HARD as significant and foreboding in how suddenly tender it is, AND manages to read as in-character for her to say. because the way they write fi’s humanity is so beneath the surface, so easily missable, so hard for me to even lay out with concrete evidence despite the fact that i’m a person who reads a text dump of all her dialogue before bed every night.

but to me, what lays out fi’s inner workings best is actually her actual goodbye, and... not the moment most people would think, tbh? it’s not her tender farewell that speaks her emotions loudest to me, but the moment right before:

these lines, which would read as perfectly in character if it were early game fi, cut you. her complete and utter flippancy, the way she talks about all you’ve been through together as though it were nothing to her, the absolute coldness here after everything. you as a player feel kind of pathetic when she says this, like you were misguided in growing attached to her and thinking of her as a friend. and you KNOW thats the intended effect, because this is what link looks like:

he takes a moment in that last shot to like. swallow sadness and turn away from her, but even as he’s turning his head, he doesn’t take his eyes off her until the last possible moment. she hurts his feelings! why.

because it’s an act, is why. of COURSE fi loves him. of course she’s grown attached to him, of course she’s happy to have known him, of COURSE they’re friends. but fi was NEVER supposed to feel that way, she was never supposed to have the capability to love, and there’s no calculation she can run to set the uncertainties of that at ease within herself. so those lines up above is her trying her best to reset herself to who she was in the beginning, to snap herself back into the role of an emotionless servant to the goddess, to convince herself--not link--that saying goodbye won’t hurt. she’s trying to cope with something she has no idea was in the cards for her, and that’s why she’s seemingly so cruel for a moment.

all of this becomes apparent when she calls him back moments later and tells him how she really feels. there’s major whiplash because fi herself is Going Thru It. but essentially what’s happening in that moment is she thinks she knows what will hurt the least, but she miscalculates and backpedals and realizes even if saying goodbye hurts, it hurts less than pretending she doesn’t want to.

i think a lot of people overlook that line--“the most precious data i have on record.” fi, who contains multitudes within her. who contains knowledge immeasurable, the thoughts and feelings and stories of thousands. of civilizations, of gods, of countless ages passed. everything she holds within her is dwarfed entirely by what she feels for link, beside link. nothing in her encyclopedic knowledge can even compare to her friendship with him in the significance it has to her. like all things, fi has her own way of communicating her meanings, and this is her way of saying she really, truly loves him. 

in addition, she very carefully does this after he abandons the sword, so it’s clear that it’s of her own will, not a part of her purpose as his servant. for this whole cutscene, up until she end, she drops the honourific and calls him just Link. 

and while i see a lot of people debate if she truly does ‘feel,’ anything, like... she says it right here, she does. whether or not she was able to feel from the beginning or not, she can feel now. she has trouble putting words to those feelings, or explaining to herself and others where on earth they came from... but she feels now. that cannot be disputed.

happiness that she was able to know him. loyalty she wants to transcend lifetimes. sorrow at the idea of them having to part. gratitude that he took the chance, and did so beside her.

let’s talk about gratitude.

in skyward sword, gratitude is a tangible source of magic. it opposes malice, which as of botw is a reoccurring thing in zelda lore. skyward sword has two items--evil crystals and gratitude crystals--that represent malice and gratitude respectively. while the first isn’t entirely relevant, the second is something you’re actively encouraged to more or less harvest by helping people and basking in their thanks toward you. these feelings of gratitude are so canonically powerful in the zelda universe that they can turn monsters into humans entirely, and the outpouring of energy that event causes makes every monster & hostile creature within all of skyloft turn docile at once. 

according to batreaux, the monster in question, this is well-established legend, the idea of gratitude granting humanity to the nonhuman. skyward sword literally said the power of love was canon.

the song that plays over the goodbye, of course, is called fi’s gratitude.

this is just one theory i have on the matter, but... whether hylia intended or foresaw fi to be capable of feeling human emotion or not, i do believe it was gratitude that woke her heart up. whether she was meant to love or not, link’s spirit contained within it enough love for the both of them, enough to touch her soul and rouse her from her cold and emotionless state. as always, through everything, they work in perfect tandem--his passionate heart touches hers as it sleeps, her wisdom holds him steady and level-headed. 

when fi says “may we meet again in another life,” she says it like a prayer, because it is one--she knows hylia, knows that hylia loved link’s spirit just as she did, and knows that hylia of all people understands what the sword spirit is going through. and fi also knows that hylia immortalizes those she loves with cycles, with reincarnation, eternal life without the pain of never dying. fi doesn’t have a soul that hylia can bring back from death nor a physical body to revive, but she works with what she can--and so long as link’s spirit breathes anew, he finds fi. in a sunlit grove, with light bearing down on her, safe and warm and always loyal, even as the world rages on outside. fidelis, she was named for--“faithful.”

the fandom doesn’t really talk abt it, but fi is an angel. she’s an angel god sent to watch over one human, and when god said your mission is complete fi faced god and walked backwards into hell. her divine mission is long passed, but it stopped being about what she was fated to do long ago.

fi began to watch over link because he was her master. and fi resolved to stay forever because he was link.

[in-class-daydreams]

Youth Coach!Bokuto x Youth Coach!Reader

Hey Anon, so sorry for getting to this so late, but I finally had the time to do this request! Hopefully this is kinda close to what you were expecting!

- Kiwi 

~~

Being a sports med college student is definitely not the easiest thing in the world 

Why? Well...because college is a thing. College = broke bitch

 No tengo dinero :( 

So you figured, “hey getting a part time job won’t be the worst thing in the world”  You’d be able to make some extra cash

¡logramos este pan!

There’s a youth center close to campus that’s hiring so you figured why not because

You love kids (most of the time)

You have decent volleyball experience to be able to coach since you did play for a while

Few weeks later you heard back from them and you got the job! 

Your boss asks if you can come in a couple days before your first day so you can get used to the place and get an idea of how things work

So you get there and you see a VERY familiar floof of white hair sticking out from around the corner

You had to do a double take for a second 

Bo.

Bo?

BO?!?!?

He turns around and then he has to do a double take before he recognizes you

“Y/N?!?!?!”

“KOUTAROU?!?!?”

“What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing here????!”

(excessive hooting ensues)

But when you finish he’s like

“I work here as a volleyball coach...oh hold up, are you the new girls’ coach?”

“Yup!”

He was so happy when he found out y’all were working the same shift

Alrighty so backtrack, you guys know each other because you played on the Fukurodani Girls’ Volleyball team 

Since first year, you managed to befriend this hyper-energetic kid 

You saw this crackhead all 3 years of your high school life which meant that your life was guaranteed to never have a dull moment upon meeting him 

And you definitely didn’t have a crush on him what? who? (Y/N)? idk her ahaha

But seriously he's prime boyfriend material ur just a weenie who had fOUR YEARS to shoot your shot but u didn’t boo thumbs down

But tbh he ADORES you

You’re his precious (but scary when necessary) bean and will fight anybody to protect you

You honestly don’t know what you did that made him decide to become captain of Protect Y/N Squad but he is

Aaaand that stayed true even in college. He was so excited when he found out y’all were attending the same university 

But since college is a big meanie, you guys haven’t been able to spend as much time with each other >:((

Needless to say, when Bokuto found out you worked the same shift as him, he was so freakin happy

Literally jumping off the walls 

He was just really happy to spend more time with you

Before your shifts start, you guys arrive early so you can just chill in the lounge 

Actually, more like you’re getting school work done and uh, Bokuto is uhm, well...being him

But it’s not his fault!!

Bo is not a school person

That’s just not his specialty

But he is so so smart in other ways and you will s c r a p with anyone who says otherwise

Anyways

It wasn’t uncommon for a co-worker to walk in and see you getting some schoolwork done, and Bokuto, well, being him

Exhibit A : you’re working on an assignment that’s due later this week, but since you have some time now, you decided to get some of it done until -- 

“Hey (Y/N) if I punch myself and it hurts, does that mean I’m strong, or I’m weak?”

“Why don’t you find out for yourself?”

“I’ve been trying to! My arm just really hurts, and I still don’t know the answer!”

*Pouty Bo has entered the chat*

Or Exhibit B: For once you’re not doing homework. Bokuto actually brought you some smoothies he bought on his way to work, so y’all are just sipping on smoothies until -- 

“Hey (Y/N), ya ever notice how cold water tastes sharp, but warm water tastes smooth? Like isn’t that whack?”

＿φ(￣ー￣ )

All jokes aside, he’s really good with kids

His group of 9-10 year olds - The Owlets - absolutely LOVE him (but who wouldn’t?)

Honestly you were kinda surprised at how well he gets along with the kids but not really 

Let's be honest he’s the same mental age as them

He’s just as childish as them 

Whenever a volleyball from your side of the room rolls over to his, he takes it upon himself to send it back by spiking it towards you

Luckily, you’re able to receive it, and it doesn’t cause much trouble

Other times he’ll just openly sling his arm over your shoulder, and put all his weight on it but uh

he has this thing called... M U S C L E 

AND THERE’S SO MUCH

I mean have you seen those back muscles? Literally a blessing from the high heavens themselves

He’s always been toned and had muscle since high school BUT OH MY GOD he got SO BUFF in college and geez those are h e a v y 

But your eyes are being blessed everyday so can you really complain? 

The answer is no you can’t complain

But you will complain because you’ve had a crush on this mf since high school and yanno that wack feeling when you have unresolved feelings for someone and you feel weird when you look at them?

Like you kinda have feelings but you’re not sure?

Or you’re wondering if your feelings are feeling feelings or they’re just old, stale feelings coming back to harass you?

Mhmm that’s you

And uh you’re not really vibin with it 

So the fact that he’s gotten even buffer is not helping your case

AND

He’s always been a sweetie but since college he’s been taking WOMEN’S STUDIES COURSES

You asked him about it and he said he wanted to make sure he was socially aware so he can “use his male privilege to help women make their voices heard”

Is he even real??

He’s drinking his respecc wahman juice ™ everyday, twice a day

Luckily, for the next few weeks, everything goes super smoothly

Your group of kids - The Penguins - are very driven in trying to improve themselves

And kids who want to get better at something they’re passionate about is absolutely ADORABLE

So while you guys are cleaning the gym up Bokuto asks you if you could come to his game on Saturday 

And bring the kids ofc because it’d be a good learning experience 

Obviously you agree cause you’re not missing out on watching him play volleyball

So it’s finally the long awaited Sunday, and you get there kinda early just so you have more time to make sure all the kiddos get there to the meeting spot safely

And in case you run into a certain volleyball player before the game starts

Turns out, Lady Luck was on your side today 

You’re walking down the hallway when you spot a certain owl-haired man 

“Koutarou!”

He whips around so fast and his face lights up upon seeing you call out his name

He sprints speed walks over to you 

“(Y/N)! I thought you’re supposed to meet up with the kiddos?”

“Yeah, but I got here early so I ended up walking around for a bit,” 

In his eyes, you’re so adorable right now

You face is kinda flushed with a light pink spread across your cheeks, and your hair just flows around you and he’s just so in awe 

His trance was broken when you checked the time and realized you should be heading to the meeting spot soon

“Ah, I should probably head over to the meeting spot. Good luck, Koutarou! I’ll be cheering you on with the kids!”

“Thanks, I’m looking forward to it!”

So you guys go your separate ways, and make it to the meeting spot 5 minutes in advance. All the kids show up on time, and the parents saying thank you for watching their kid, etc. 

You bring them to the front row of the cheering section, but a little off to the left so the kids don’t get caught up in whatever the cheering section happens to be doing 

The game starts and the kids are in absolute awe over Coach Bokuto and tbh so are you

Now, this isn’t the first time you’ve seen him play, but goddamn every time you do it’s so mesmerizing 

He does a complete 180 whenever he plays

Completely focused, and all his movements are precise

 and the back muscles oh the high heavens are really testing you today 

You can’t help but notice how the energy from the crowd makes him so excited

At some point you could’ve sworn that he was scanning the cheering the section trying to find you 

He totally was, and he spots you and the kiddos and it makes him so happy 

His captain had to snap Bokuto back into the game since he got distracted, and that made you laugh a lil 

The rest of the game progresses smoothly

Really smoothly actually. The team had a comfortable lead and they were match point from winning their second set, so they were doing juuuuust fine 

Throughout the game, you point on things that should be brought to attention, and the kids kept asking question, which you were more than happy to answer

The match ends with victory for Tokyo U with a solid 3-1 win, and you escort the kids back to the meeting spot where their parents are supposed to pick them up

What you didn’t expect was for Bokuto to be there too 

The kids sprint over and flock him, showering him with compliments about his performance during the game

The parents arrive, and one of the parents asked if they could get a group picture with everybody, and soon all the parents were getting their phones out

Ya know the thing where one parent asks to take a picture and now you have a gallery of parents and like 60% of them take like 2 mins just to take one picture?

Yeah, that 

All the parents ended up with a whole bunch of cute pics, and the kids were on their ways home

Since Bokuto was still in his uniform, you walk with him back to the locker rooms, and just as you were about to turn the corner, he suddenly slings his arm over your shoulder, and puts all of his body weight onto your back. You’re really trying hard to shimmy out from under him, but he’s SO FREAKING HEAVY

(It’s the muscles, they are d e n s e)

Ofc he notices this and whines about it

“(Y/N)! Why’re you trying to escape?? I’m so sore, please let me use you as a human crutch for like 2 minutes!”

“Ew, no, Koutarou. You’re still sweaty and smelly, get off of meeee”

You somehow manage to drag your poor body to the locker room doors with this man child dragging behind 

“I’ll wait out here Kou--”

Before you could finish your sentence, Bokuto turned you around and wrapped his arms around you, enveloping you into a warm hug 

“Thanks for coming to the game, (Y/N)”

Your brain is not comprehending ANyTHing is boy is saying

Your high school crush is hugging you like it's some shoujo manga like eXCUse mE? 

And sis you’re not missing this opportunity, so you wrap your arms around his torso, and you can feel him tense up a little underneath your hands

Your brain finally catches up to you, and you’re able to formulate thoughts before you speak (cause otherwise you’re pretty sure you would’ve stuttered like a blubbering mess)

“Of course. Anytime, Koutarou”

“I’m gonna go clean up. Do you mind waiting for me?”

“Not at all. Take your time.”

“Ok, thanks. I’ll be out soon.”

Just as he pulled away from the hug, he leans down to kiss your cheek before reaching out for the door handle

Hold up

He

Kissed

You

On

The

Cheek 

AND HE’S TRYNA RUN AWAY FROM WHAT HE DID

NAH UH

Before you convince yourself what you’re about to do might change the whole dynamic of your guys relationship, you grab a whole muscley arm, and pull him down a little, and you return a kiss on his left cheek 

Oh shit

Oh shit

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh dear god

WE HAVE BUNGLED THIS MISSION

In order to save yourself from any further potential embarrassment, you let go of his arm, and skedaddle (skidoodle ur dicc is now a noodle) 

over to the lobby 

This poor boy

One (1) whole confused owl 

You kissed  him back…

YOU KISSED HIM BACK

Kinda. It was on the cheek, not like a kiss in reciprocity

*YOU KISSED HIM ALSO

He realized he’s standing there like an idiot so he hurries into the locker room and showers because even he recognizes that he stank

Mansweat

But he’s literally thinking about that cheek kiss the entire time he’s freshening up 

And so were you

You’re sitting on a bench in the lobby trying to think of how to talk to him without making it awkward

But the fact that your heart spazzing out in your chest, and your stomach is doing backflips certainly doesn’t help

But hey...you kissed your crush (go you!)

Time passes a lot quicker when you’re thinking about smooching Bokuto because he’s walking towards you with this bag slung over his shoulder 

You get up from the bench sweating anxiety bullets and start heading over to him 

“Hey Kou, about earlier I--”

Before you could finish your sentence, Bokuto who is also sweating anxiety bullets but at least he’s smelling nicer quickly interrupted you 

“(Y/N) I’M SO SORRY I DIDN’T MEAN TO KISS YOU I JUST THINK YOU’RE SUPER CUTE!”

He’s yelling cause (duh it’s Bo) he can’t help it, but like you also get caught up in it so: 

“OH IT’S OK DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT, IT’S COOL..!”

“JUST BECAUSE I LIKE YOU DOESN’T MEAN WE CAN’T BE FRIENDS...ALL CASUAL AND SHIT”

“aHAHAHA CASUAL YEAH YEAH THAT’S RIGHT, WE’RE TOTALLY BUDS ”

“I MEAN JUST FRIENDS IS CHILL, THAT’S COOL I RESPECT THAT, BUT I’D LIKE IT IF YOU WENT OUT WITH ME”

“GOOD CAUSE I WANNA GO OUT WITH YOU!”

Rip to everyone’s eardrums

Meanwhile…

Akaashi: “I suddenly feel super embarrassed… but I don’t know why.”

Back to the main show: 

“COOL ARE YOU FREE THIS SATURDAY?”

“YEAH”

“cOOL”

“COOL”

*aggressive hand shake*

Passersby are very confused 

But oh my god this poor boy

His hands are shaking, and he has armpit sweat galore

But it’s ok you’re just the same as him

Less pitsweat, but still stressed

Poor Bo was so out of it that when heard his phone go off he jumped a lil bit 

Luckily it was a text from you

From: (Y/N) [8:26 pm]

“You’ll ace this date! <3”

Cut to Bokuto, having the meltdown of the century

[andiestonks]

✦ * ·  ˚ ⌜ gemma chan, tri, eighteen, aest, she/her ⌟ was that ANDROMEDA TONKS ?  i heard the TWENTY-EIGHT year old is working as A HEALER now. not surprising, seeing as how they are INDEPENDENT and EMPATHETIC, although some say they can be BLUNT and OLD-FASHIONED. maybe that’s why SHE is rumoured to be NEUTRAL. here’s hoping they have what it takes to survive the war.

links: stats page & pinterest

BACKGROUND

andromeda was born and raised to be the epitome of a perfect pureblood little girl. her sweet, feminine looks and sharp, razor tongue complimented each other so precisely that she quickly became the favourite child. she was the leading image to promote the good name of the black family and was nearly always the centre of attention at every pureblood party.

and tbh, she was into it. growing up spoiled af meant she learned to crave attention, to crave praise, and she would stop at nothing to please her parents. of course, she wasn’t always perfect, she was still a child, [ ABUSE TW: but any time she stepped even a toe out of line, she was met with punishment at the end of her fathers belt. END TW ] therefore, she never did step out - and she didn’t want to. she liked to be adored, praised, doted on, and it gave her an intense sense of superiority tbh.

so basically she was the perfect little girl up until she started at hogwarts. and then... well, things started to change.

you see, the thing is, andromeda had never before in her life met anyone with muggle blood, and therefore had no idea who it was she was hating - she’d always just followed in her parents and sister’s footsteps. but when she started at hogwarts, andie met plenty of boys and girls who claimed to be muggleborn or halfblood and...  they weren’t that bad?? and she started to get super confused and wondering why the hell it was she was supposed to hate them so much? and i mean, plenty of them were even better at magic then her, so her entire ideals began to shift 

[ ABUSE TW: but christmas break of her first year, when she went back home and started questioning everything that she once believed in, her father beat her so heavily she was left with a scar across her shoulder. END TW ] after that, she kept her mouth shut.

but it was clear from here on out that andie was no longer the perfect little black child. she was labelled a rebel, she refused to attend the parties her mother begged her to [ ABUSE TW: and she received beating after beating to try and whip her back into shape. END TW ] still, however, she remained strong in her beliefs - she didn’t understand why muggles were beneath them and she would no longer stand for prejudice.

still, however, she was just a young girl. still at hogwarts and still living with her family, she found it incredibly difficult to detach herself from the lifestyle which she grew up in. not only that but she still adored her family, still loved her friends, and she wasn’t so sure she was brave enough to face them on the opposite side of the battlefield.

things changed when in her sixth year she fell in love with a boy called ted tonks. though things might have shifted before they completely changed from here on out, and it quickly became apparent that andie would do anything to be with this boy. even if that meant leaving her beloved sisters and her childhood friends.

with not even a penny to her name, andromeda ran away from home after graduation after admitting to her parents that she had fallen in love with a muggleborn.

both broke and both too young to even understand what they had done, ted and andie stayed with ted’s parents for a while as they worked at bars and restaurants and cafes to try and get some money to find their own place.

and by the time andie was 19, they did it!

they were married young and fell pregnant with nymphadora not so long after. at the age of 21, andromeda gave birth to nymphadora, and while she should’ve been over the moon, things were never going to be so easy.

it wasn’t too long after giving birth that andromeda was diagnosed with post-natal depression. she was hardly able to look after her own little girl yet alone herself. in the tough times when she felt so utterly alone, she found herself turning to alcohol as a way to relieve stress, and she has not been able to ween her way off it since. 

although it’s obviously not post-natal, andromeda still suffers from depression and a form of ptsd. growing up in the home she did and leaving at such a young age, it was hard for andie to not feel hopeless, and she still suffers hard from it to this day. (but will she see anyone about it?? nope.)

a year after dora was born, andromeda enrolled in the healer’s program for a more steady income and for something that she was familiar with (she’d always been known to be a bit of a fretting mum at hogwarts tbh). she’s now a fully trained healer and works specifically with spell damage.

PERSONALITY

can someone say mum friend?????

very protective over those she considers friends/family. has been known to just take people under her wing and treat them as her own, especially people who have had similarly crap upbringing’s. she knows what it’s like to grow up in a toxic home and really just wants to prove that there are nice people out there who will look after you and love you and just wow i love her

those left over bits from when she was a true pureblood bitch lmao

l isten, it’s impossible really to just completely detach yourself from that with which you grew up believing. she’s been known to still be quite snappy and demanding at times, as well as quick to judge and sometimes manipulative. 

she’s trying her best to be a better person i swear pls give her a chance

*coughs* alcoholic *coughs*

the side of her that spends night after night huddled in the dark corners of seedy bars, downing drink after drink without a care in the world bc she just hates the world tbh and yeah it’s just?? easier.

idk she’s just a mess pls love her

[fantroll-purgatory]

@sartoonis

Art is mine-

FIRST: Alternia or Beforus or some type of AU?

Alternia!!!

Name (preferably include how you came up with it and why): Kazmal Nepila

I think Kazmal can stay because it sounds like a change from “Kamal,” a name which means “perfection/excellence” in Arabic and “lotus/pale red” in Sanskrit. I think it’s fitting both because tailoring means fitting something with precision and because you’ve written a character who is defined to an extent by his pale red relationship - his moirallegiance.

For the last name, how about Halgus for hallux valgus, another name for bunion, which is a sneaky reference to a tailor’s bunion which was commonly developed from tailors sitting crosslegged while they worked and developing joint deformity in their pinky toes. Also fitting because he is in a situation in which the nature of his work for his moirail is causing him strain and deformity in his self.

Please help with my name- I like it but like i just randomly picked letters and stuck them together

Age: 7 sweeps

Strife Specibus: hornkind

He uses his horns to ram his victims (they jut out front and point. They kinda act like blinders on a horse but they are very sharp and pointy)

I like it as a concept but I feel like if we wanna tailor (heh) his bio a little more closely we could go with needlekind? And if we wanna play into him being a purpleblood he could have a chucklevoodoo doll that he uses as a pincushion and could weaponize against those his moirail tells him to kill.

Fetch Modus: no clue really

Let’s go with a seamripper modus; captcha would be ‘sewn in’ and he would need to rip the seams to get it out; if he makes a mistake he could damage the item itself.

Blood color: Purple!

Symbol and meaning: Capririus

Sign of the contender (Derse + Hope) (if you can help with the sign that would be great too)

I don’t know that he seems like a Dersite or a Hope player. As a blind follower who would rather reshape himself than reshape the world around him he’s a definite Prospitan. For his aspect, I think we could reasonably swing Space, especially since sewing and the like is so intimately associated with physical manipulation in Homestuck.

Trolltag: none yet tbh

If we wanna go GCAT maybe greatCouturier? I assume a lot of his work is for fellow purplebloods since Alternian trolls generally think fashion is stupid and purplebloods are like…the only caste that wears patterned fabric? This trolltag would indicate his status in society but also seem insufferably frou-frou to most other trolls, making him a likely target for harassment.

Quirk: he doesnt use any capitalization. even when mad. he has committed to having almost a monotone kind of tone to his typing.

Special Abilities (if any): does tailoring count?

I think I wanna add the chucklevoodoo doll to his abilities given that purplebloods gain abilities from being in the juggalo cult.

Lusus: :00 a bull head on a rhino’s body, actually

In general, purplebloods live near the sea and have lusii that can presumably exist in some form both in and out of the water. I like the big grey thick-hided aesthetic, so how about a manatee with a rhino head? You could also have him wrap thread around his dad’s horns either for sewing assistance or as a way of showing his dad he loves him. You could still keep the theme of isolation this way, too; purplebloods’ lusii are more likely to be out at sea. They can’t pursue their parents since they’d be encroaching on seadweller territory, and they have no way of knowing if their lusus has been culled to feed Gl’bgolyb.

Personality: he is a blind follower. Hes manipulated by his moirail to murder other trolls, trolls in castes lower than him that she couldnt get away with so she can cook them. She acts like she cares but then will shut him out. But he clings to the relationship because he feels like thats all he has. He has hope that this will all turn out good for him and her. He keeps a stoic expression and thus paints on a face to make it seem like he is smiling. But he isnt really. He seems void of all emotion but in reality hes just really good at hiding them. He likes to make things for his moirail to show his compassion (even though she never wears or uses said things and sometimes throws them away right in front of him)

I think this has a lot of potential! First off I’m very intrigued by this cannibalistic moirail of his, but second off, I want you to expand on his relationship with her! As a reminder, a moirallegiance is not necessarily akin to being a best friend; it’s a partnership with the very specific purpose of each troll balancing an imbalance in the other. Now, this doesn’t mean that every moirallegiance is healthy; while we saw Nepeta and Equius as the platonic ideal of one, we saw plenty of examples of kismesissitudes and matespritships that devolved into something sinister. This can be a really good example of that if you answer the following questions: what does Kazmal think he’s getting out of this? What is it about this relationship that makes it an unhealthy moirallegiance rather than merely an unhealthy friendship? What imbalance does he think his moirail corrects in him, and what does he feel he gives to his moirail?

As an example, how does Kazmal feel when his moirail throws away the things he makes? Does he view that as a critique of his work? As encouragement to work towards getting better? How does he view her requests to murder other trolls? What does he think he’s giving her? Does he feel he’s protecting her from something? What is the imbalance he thinks is being corrected, and how does he envision the “perfect” version of this moirallegiance? Answering these questions will tell you a lot more about Kazmal’s relationship.

Interests: tailoring :0 this man loves making clothes!!! Even if he isnt so good at it he still loves doing it. He made his own!! He is currently working on his ultimate clown suit for when he has to inevitably fully commit to this clown juggalo cult aesthetic thing. He also likes to ram his horns into things like trees or punching bags with his lusus for fun.

Title: seer of hope (idk what i m doing help)

Man given Homestuck’s history of Pages as gentlemen who try very hard and get pushed around by the people they care about, I think this dude is for sure a Page of Space, which would eventually make him incredibly powerful. It especially fits with his being a not-yet-great tailor whose moirail throws his stuff away. Also, because the Robin Hood outfit would be funny to stick a tailor in.

Land: idk rlly

Land of Rips and Frogs (LORAF). I like the idea that he’d have a planet that was extremely broken and full of ravines, and that his job as a Page of Space would be to mend these enormous rifts in order to advance to Echidna (and would make frog hunting harder, though not impossible).

Dream Planet: Prospit

Aha, so here you say he’s Prospit. Good. We’re in agreement here! Which makes his sign Caprigo, Sign of the Lacuna! WHICH MEANS A GAP IN A MANUSCRIPT OR A BONE. This dude’s themes are LOCKED THE FUCK IN with gaps and gaps and gaps.

Horns - I usually try to sprite horns from scratch but naphal’s sprite sheet had a set that just worked so incredibly well with his symbol and the whimsicality of purple horns??? Edited them very slightly but it’s mostly presented as is. If you want a set from scratch just lmk and I’ll work on it.

Face Paint - I gave him Flowey’s smile from Undertale! Firstly because it’s the smile he gives us when he first says “it’s kill or be killed,” a philosophy Kazmal is no doubt subjected to by his moirail, and secondly because Flowey is himself a character who represents being trapped in unhealthy cycles.

Eyes - once again edited from Naphal’s sprite sheet.

Mouth - purplebloods tend to be toothy, so I gave him very narrow and needle-like teeth.

Clothes - aside from some plain black pajama pants, this is all naphal. I deliberately wanted to avoid the neutral colors we usually see in Alternian outfits. I surmised from your design that Kazmal’s moirail is a goldblood, though if that was incorrect I’m happy to fix it up. I wanted his color scheme infected by his moirail’s as if by a virus, culminating in the apron, which is so subsumed by his moirail’s color that his symbol looks quite lost in it! I also wanted some clashing patterns both to represent his struggle and to show that he’s still a fledgeling designer. The vine-y pattern on his apron is courtesy of mirz123 on deviantart.

Shoes - these are some comfy slippers from fan-troll, which I have elected to keep as his blood color to…I dunno, inspire some hope? Despite all the bullshit he’s going through, he’s still fundamentally grounded in his own sense of identity.

So that’s my review of Kazmal! Thank you for sharing him!

-TR

[arimendoza]

Andreil for the "Taking a class and not talking it seriously" one. Bonus points if they are both forced to go by someone else!

andreil + we both decided to take a [yoga/fencing/cooking etc] class and we’re the only two assholes not taking it seriously and everyone else is giving us dirty looks but we keep grinning over at each other 

notes: slightly tweaked so that it’s more of a first meeting au, and they don’t really grin all that much lol akdjjgj actually tbh this barely follows the prompt except theyre both in a class iM SORRY I TRIED,,, also this is kind of long rip idk if it even makes sense or has a real plot or point to it but hey look at the smols dancing amiritei’ll make it up to u w a pt 2

Neil having been willing to make the decision of attending a dance class was a ridiculous thing to believe. Absurd, really.

Yet there he was, clad in faded gray sweats and a loose fitting shirt with an expression so dead and scowl so prominent that those within five feet of him could do nothing but offer either tentative smiles or feign ignorance. 

Next to him, Jean was in no better shape, but Renee was calm as ever, unperturbed by their attitudes. 

“I do not understand as to why we agreed to do this.” Jean whispered.

“Because we couldn’t say no. Why are you speaking in French?”

“…I do not wish for the little one to hear.”

Neil’s scowl softened ever so slightly, amused by the remark. Before he could reply, however, Renee spoke. “Who’s little?” 

Neither of them gave a reply, deciding to awkwardly wait for the class to start instead. 

The instructor ended up being a pretty blonde Neil somewhat recognized, perhaps from a magazine, but couldn’t place a name to. She walked into the room loudly, confidently, footsteps echoing as she all but commanded the room into a buzzing silence. 

Neil had managed to come to a short realization that she was most likely the reason the three of them were here today before the buzzing silence erupted into a sort of chaos. It was the type of chaos that came unexpectedly and unapologetically, with so much current and electricity that Neil was certain he could feel it running in his veins. 

“A Hemmick and half a Minyard. Where’s the better twin?”

“Fuck off, Reynolds.”

“Sorry we’re-”

“Late. Like you are every week. And also like every week, you’re either going to get out or get your assess inside. You’re holding up my class.” She turned to the rest of them. “Hello, I’m Allison Reynolds, and welcome to contemporary dance.”

Neil watched  as the two made their way towards the back and beside him. The hum of a current, however, was still running through him, and he felt his skin prickle with anticipation at what felt like a coming storm.

Though to shelter himself or to face it head on, Neil was never quite good at figuring out. 

“Nice of you to join us, Andrew.”

“Of all people, I thought you’d be the one to appreciate the aestheticism in lateness.”

Allison rolled her eyes, a biting remark already at the tip of her tongue. Just a second before its delivery, however, Andrew’s eyes met Neil’s, and he was certain that her was no sheltering himself from the storm. The downpour had already begun. 

“Andrew, just get to the back already so we can start.” 

Start they did, with simple warm ups and a short introduction on contemporary dance. Allison was all graceful steps and fine angles, her movements sharp and precise. She seemed feather-light, lost in her own world, expression solemn. Neil wondered how he would be expected to perform in such a raw manner, and with the way Jean’s lips were pursed, eyes narrowed ever so slightly, Neil could tell they were sharing the same thought. 

“If you two aren’t comfortable,” Renee whispered towards the end of Allison’s routine, “you don’t have to force yourselves.”

“It is fine.” Jean told her. “Maybe a bit uncomfortable at first, but we have handled worse. We will tell you if we need to stop.”

Neil nodded his reassurance. “I’m fine.” 

And he really was for the first half, staying in his group, making sure not to trip over himself or others. He did his best to avoid anymore contact with Andrew. Neil refused to be swept up. I’m fine, he told himself over and over, pulling at the words that he had etched into himself for as long as he can remember. So long as we don’t have to-

“Get into pairs, please! Quickly!” 

Renee stood between him and Jean, and Neil could practically feel the quiet panic rising inside the other boy. Though Jean’s strength was never in question, Neil was aware of a sort of fragility there was to his character. The two of them had experienced their own hells, but Jean was still learning to push his own boundaries, to trust those around him, to assert and vocalize his opinions, establish a present voice.

Neil, well, he never really had boundaries to begin with when it came to assertiveness. It came with the attitude problem. 

Ultimately, this was how he decided to let Jean go with Renee, promising her half-heartedly that he’d look for someone else to dance with. Neil let himself wander the room aimlessly for a few seconds before attempting to slip out quietly. 

The door, however, was blocked by what Allison had referred to as “a Hemmick and half a Minyard.” 

Neil couldn’t help himself. “Where’s the better twin?”

The taller one laughed, but the other didn’t so much as deepen his scowl, sizing Neil up before making a gesture. Neil stared, perplexed for a brief second before realizing what, or rather who the gesture was for.

“It’s rude to leave unannounced.”

Neil turned to face Andrew with every intention of rebutting his statement, but instead all that came out of his mouth was, “It’s also rude to arrive late.”

Andrew’s expression was blank, uninterested, as if Neil’s words were nothing but white noise, but Neil noticed a slight flicker of emotion in Andrew’s eyes, almost as if they were a trick of the light. It was not amusement, Neil wondered if he were even capable of such a feeling, and definitely not exasperation. The closest thing Neil could relate it to was something like recognition, though of what, he couldn’t say. He doubted he’d ever see it again anyway.

“What do you want?” He tried. Neil figured that if he planned to make this conversation the least bit fruitful, straightforwardness was the way to go. Andrew didn’t seem the superfluous type.

Andrew sighed, as if the answer were obvious. “To dance.”

Neil just stared, caught off guard by the reply. “You want to dance?”

“Yes, but you see, this exercise requires a partner.”

“And you want me?”

“’Want’ is overstating it a bit, don’t you think? It just so happens Allison is preoccupied.”

Neil filtered through his options. The door was still blocked by Andrew’s groupies, Jean and Renee were rehearsing a routine under Allison’s instruction, the rest of the class was blissfully unaware of the situation at hand, and the closest exit was out a window. 

Neil had jumped out worse, but he figured no one would appreciate the action right now. Besides, despite the wariness Neil felt around Andrew, he didn’t necessarily consider him to be anything other than perplexing, if not also a bit irritating. 

Dangerous, too, perhaps, seeing as how the Hemmick boy, or anyone else in the class for the matter, could barely meet his eyes. 

Neil could also sense, however, that this was a challenge. Back down from the storm, or risk being whisked away by it? Neil was never quite good at figuring out such choices, and he never quite liked dismissing a challenge either. 

And so, sheltering be damned, Neil took a step towards Andrew, and another, until he passed the other boy by barely an inch, extending his hand out behind him in mock invitation. 

“Are we dancing, or what?”

[serendipitousoracle]

Mixtape n wardrobe for like... ALL the ocs?

[♡ OC ask meme ♡]

i will give you six (6) ocs.

Egeire Mahariel:

mixtape: 5 songs that describe your OC(s) or songs they themselves would like

1. “Love Love Love” - Of Monsters And Men (basically The song for Egeire/Zevran tbh. love and reluctance and duty and fear and pining, which eventually breaks down as despite it all they keep getting in deeper and deeper until Egeire finally goes fuck this and for once decides not to sacrifice everything he wants to hold onto)

2. “Rather Be” - Clean Bandit (happy fluffy love song for Eg’s sweet, loyal attachment to various love interests. he is devoted and adoring and when he is with the one he loves he would never want to be anywhere else)

3. “Wolves Without Teeth” - Of Monsters And Men (wqieujb?? devotion and consumption and non-physical wounds idk how to explain)

4. idk. something emo? and then instead insert “Not Gonna Die” - Skillet bc it’s really the message Egeire should be taking home

5. and then as throwback to something he’d like maybe smth Gorillaz or Disturbed just for “smth that would probably be on Egeire’s music playlists somewhere“

wardrobe:what’s your OC’s style like?                                  

In DA-centric universes Egeire ends up becoming fairly all-or-nothing re: clothing. at the end of the Blight, into Warden-Commanderdom, and to some extent post-Wardenhood, he is either in full armor and weaponry (with some extra flash and ideally some small piece of elfiness in the Awakening period), or when he is completely alone and not paranoid and with people he trusts in a space he feels safe in, he is wearing like comfortable loose-fitting pants and that’s about it.

In more modern AUs Egeire wears more like… practical clothes, probably? flannel and open button-ups over tank tops with sturdy pants and tough boots, whatever clothes have been Gifted to him over the years, annnnnd at-home muscly shirtlessness with loose sweatpants

Also he looks so great in lace

Under Cut: Egeria Surana, Flytter the Junior Historian, Cyrron Mirevas, Soveliss Liadon, Grey Surana

Egeria Surana

mixtape: 5 songs that describe your OC(s) or songs they themselves would like

1. “Arms” - Christina Perri (still p much the First and Most Egeria/Alistair song. being Wardens is one rough thing and then the elven mage and the bastard prince is harder still. it works out in the end, but….)

2. “Retrograde” - James Blake (ouch that isolation and your friends are gone, and your friends won’t come, so show me where you fit. i’ll wait, so show me why you’re strong– i’ll wait, we’re alone now)

3. “You May Be Right” - Billy Joel (whoops it’s The DenRia Song)

4. “Beth’s Theme” (Broadchurch OST) - Ólafur Arnalds(Ria’s canon is just so like…. sad. unintentionally sad. quietly, wordlessly sad.)

5. “Stolen Dance” - Milky Chance / “Budapest” - Georga Ezra / “Break Stuff” - Limp Bizkit (just kind of misc songs for Ria Chilling Around The House)

wardrobe:what’s your OC’s style like?

DA: a mix of aesthetic robes and practical ones, some with long flowing pieces and embroidered flowers that gradually transition to black dust, wearing her mage blood and magic specialties quite literally on her sleeve, some that are more armor than robe (bc spellsword/arcane warrior) but with elements of robes nonetheless. Dresses more lightly in private for ease of movement, with fur shawls and fine shoes and all. may be talked into some sort of short top + long skirt look by her fawning husband. in private.

Modern: light blouses and either loose-ish pants or long skirts, fond of flower motifs, plenty of like cardigans and soft jackets and things that generally perfect that sweet and trustworthy and caring outward demeanor she wields like empathy made tangible and precise. also has regular graphic tees and jeans for gardening.

Flytter

mixtape: 5 songs that describe your OC(s) or songs they themselves would like

1. “Little Talks” - Of Monsters And Men (grief is what drives Flytter from home to wrap themself up entirely in their work… for better or worse, despite the best wishes of those who cared about them)

2. “Non-Stop”, “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story”, … - Hamilton the Musical (um excuse me if somebody made a musical about Egeire Mahariel/WAWsquad/The Fifth Blight Hero you fucking know Flytter would be all over that)

3. “Radioactive” - Imagine Dragons (radioactivity… lingering Blight corruption… same difference, right?)

4. “Heavy In Your Arms” - Florence + the Machine (not entirely happy with this pick but struggling to find something for just– that kind of background gnawing of the slow, slow, painful death seeping into their being, the constant pain and the losing fight to the ebb of the corruption and their inability to keep it effectively treated or soothed or just. nesdfds.)

5. “Beyond the Veil” - Lindsey Stirling (trippy instrumentals for recording things and remembering dreams? sure why not. clear Veil joke? woo!)

wardrobe:what’s your OC’s style like?

.DA: robes, again. robes with a focus on complete head-to-toe coverage and not irritating rough patches of skin or what not too much. Something comfortable enough to sleep in. Not really much variety once they lock themself away in Kinloch Hold rebuilt.

Modern: light shirts tied up and semi-professional vests and the ability to quickly create a skirt in any situation when they need to really move in a hurry

Cyrron Mirevas

mixtape: 5 songs that describe your OC(s) or songs they themselves would like

1. “Enemies” - Shinedown (i didn’t even have to think about this one everyone hates Cyrron except like…. you jay. only you. everyone else goes ‘ew’ or ‘why are his eyes sockets not full of sharp/sharp-ish utensils’ when i bring him up. only you cheer when he shows up or hand him over to tentacle monsters but)

2. “Simple Man” - Lynyrd Skynyrd (and the complete flipside– a simple kind of man, not rushing, revering the gods, settling down with a bondmate and having children… it was the life Cyrron intended to live, not exactly a soft or warm or gentle man by any means, but a simple man. Then he lost everything, and survived Vir Banal’ras, and we have present day Cyrron.)

3. “The Dalish Elves Encampment” - Dragon Age: Origins OST, or something (this is basically a placeholder to state: what do you think super traditional Dalish elf music sounds like? for Ferelden Dalish if you want to get specific maybe. Basically, whatever Traditional Dalish Music is, that is all Cyrron himself cares to listen to. That’s it. He hoards it. maybe even plays an instrument. the world will never know.)

4. i swear to god i’m not putting “Closer” on this list SO HOW ABOUT THAT BODIES SONG HUH IT’S SUPER MURDERY N STUFF

5. “Indestructible” - Disturbed (fitting, since it was on Egeire’s list, and he definitely got that from somewhere. really, Cyrron is indestructible to a point that even upsets himself until all the venom he sank into others finally comes back to flood his veins)

wardrobe:what’s your OC’s style like?

DA: Armor. Sturdy Dalish armor, long updated and cycled through with parts, blades on hand at all times, each meticulously well-kept and menacingly. The only time he’s not in armor is if he’s for some reason in disguise to get closer to someone to kill them.

Modern: ranges from business semi-casual to business ultra-formal and nowhere below that range, at least not for wearing out in the daylight. Cyrron mostly has his crisp dress shirts and pressed black slacks and all that easy “I am wealthy and important and you don’t need to know what I do for a living” class, even despite the clear vallaslin, but he also has a variety of tougher garb and more lowkey clothing for when his real line of work comes calling in the night for a slit throat or a poisoned drink.

Soveliss Liadon

mixtape: 5 songs that describe your OC or songs they themselves would like

1. “Addicted to Love” - Florence + the Machine (possibly the earliest defining song for my vague thoughts of ‘Soveliss and his feylock patron’. Soveliss insists he knows what he’s doing! He just has to keep his wits around him! … gods, though, he is so lonely.)

2. “Carousel” - Melanie Martinez (have I mentioned Sov is really super doomed? And it’s all fun and games/‘Til somebody falls in love/But you’ve already bought a ticket/And there’s no turning back now)

3. “Believer” - Imagine Dragons, & “Whispers in the Dark” - Skillet (the main brain-chewing songs for fiendlock!au Soveliss)

4. “Dust Bowl Dance” and “Broken Crown” - Mumford & Sons (hypothetical #mood for potential Angry parts of potential Soveliss character/story arc “You haven’t met me, I am the only son.”)

5. “A Martyr for My Love for You” - The White Stripes (i’m just saying if anybody else dies before we finish this adventure Sov is gonna start getting real antsy about forming attachments to normal, mortal people)

Bonus 6. Welp. (a ghost monk floats through Soveliss’ room as Sov puts up a bard band poster up in his room in the monastery like “soooooovelllllissssss whaaaat isssss thissss” and teenage Sov is just Instantly Teenage Annoyed “MUSIC, JUST LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE, IS CHANGING, DAD” (all the monks in the monastery are Dad sov has like 2 dozen dads it’s a time))

BONUS 2 EDIT EDITION: i forgot “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)” - Florence + the Machine was also a Sov inspiration song whoops

wardrobe:what’s your OC’s style like?

D&D: Soveliss at the moment generally has his greyscale Acolyte of Kelemvor robes/garb, some dark leather armor, maybe some shiny beads or baubles, and his gorgeous blond hair (it is probably literally enchanted t b h), buuuut he has no real exposure to like….. choice of clothing let alone fashion. idk we’ll see if aub ever gets us somewhere cool where I can get him a truly art-worthy outfit or if he dies first i guess.

Modern: ????????????

Grey Surana

mixtape: 5 songs that describe your OC(s) or songs they themselves would like

1. “Stray Italian Greyhound” - Vienna Teng (whoops first song is a Grey/Tamaris song. but: Grey is every bit the tongue-tied hopeless romantic that Egeire is, except he somehow works himself up about it even harder bc in a way Grey can be summed up as Eg But Extra (i love this song tho))

2. “I of the Storm” - Of Monsters And Men (wh o o ps it’s another Grey/Tam song. but it is also a good sort of song for Grey’s general insecurities, still carried over if reflected differently from Egeire’s. not measuring up. not being loved. feeling trapped. are you really gonna love me when i’m gone? are you really gonna need me when i’m gone? i fear you won’t; i fear you don’t)

3. “In My Sleep” - Mystery Skulls (can’t find a good video but you can’t do this like i do/i fucking wrote this in my sleep is just. 1. it mostly inspired an au. 2. take Egeire’s mild peacock tendencies and turn them up to fucking 11 and you might start to approach Grey levels of pride and showboating. tempted to put “Magic” on this list but just. it’s so great. just go look it up.)

4. “Through Glass” - Stone Sour (something quieter. bringing back that feeling of isolation from Ria, but a bit more self-imposed– putting up walls of glass to keep a distance from everything and ending up sitting alone inside his own head, which really could account for a lot of his doubts. a negative feedback loop of sorts. but he is so used to it.)

5. “Work Song” - Hozier / “Iris” - Goo Goo Dolls / “Rather Be” - Clean Bandit (just some more love songs for the hopeless romantic bc I’m p sure I’ve spent like 8 hours on this ask and I’m dead now)

wardrobe:what’s your OC’s style like?

DA: so fashionable. whether he’s the Circle Ambassador or the Warden-Commander, Grey is dedicated to keeping up with trends and edging out ahead of them where he can. It’s a careful balance to keep, neither being so compliant as to be invisible or stepping so far out of line that he’s branded “outsider“ again, but he loves it. Grey is all about politics, wealth, luxury, prestige– whatever the Circle and the Chantry wanted to deny him, he will take, one way or another.

Modern: so fashionable. if it’s In he is at least looking into getting his hands on it, if he doesn’t already have it. as the Circle is traded out for more like…. slicksharp white collar big business laddering-climbing type ambition, so too are robes traded for suits, and so some manner of dress shirt + jacket/blazer/etc + slacks/dress pants/etc becomes his norm. Whether he’s climbing or charming or sleeping his way to the top, he enjoys surrounding himself with luxury and learning how to take advantage of it.Is still a sweetheart who looks nice in lace though.