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mariaofdoranelle · 1 year

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Hiiiii for your drabelfest can i have a jealous ex chaol???

Lost the Breakup

Written for my Drabblefest

Nonnie, you absolutely can. I’m addicted to Maisie Peters’ new album, so I took some inspiration from it if you don’t mind heheheh

Also, I wasn’t clear in the post but the Drabblefest legislator (me) is adamant about writing for every single ask I receive!! with very few exceptions that involve creepy illegal stuff. but i’m okay with writing fun illegal stuff like drugs or murder. allegedly. don’t look at me, fbi agent.

Warnings: language, this fic isn’t Chaol-friendly

1k words

⨯ ⁺ ✦ ･｡ﾟ⨯ ﾟ♡ ✧* ･｡* ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

If anyone asked Aelin why she was sitting at a bar tonight, she wouldn’t know how to explain it. At least not without telling that last month she got the news that she’s not exciting and her boyfriend—now ex—isn’t in love anymore.

What she did know is that she must look pathetic having a drink by herself—which was definitely not the plan when Fenrys said he’d find someone to make her ex jealous. She sighed and texted her friend.

Aelin: where the hell is your himbo

Fen: on his way

Fen: just so you know

Fen: i picked him for his height and hotness

Fen: not his personality

Aelin: you’ll owe me one if he’s boring

Fen: i’m literally saving your ass

“Hey,” a highly familiar voice said when Aelin was texting a snarky response. “it’s been forever.”

“Hi,” Aelin gave him a taut smile. “what a coincidence.”

And by that, she meant what a coincidence that after stalking every college bar you go to on Instagram, checking which posts with daily plans you and your friends liked, and narrowing it down to two options, we ended up in the same place at the same time.

“So…” Chaol cleared his throat. “you wanna get a drink? Like, together.”

When Aelin opened her mouth to say no, a guy she recognized from the football team—Ronan? Roman?—put his arm around her shoulder and looked down at Chaol.

“Babe.” He cocked his head, looking down at Chaol. “Is he bothering you?”

Still sitting on her stool, Aelin leaned her head against Ronan’s torso, sent Chaol a fake apologetic look and said, “I’m kinda busy, but thanks.”

“Sure.” Chaol gave them a stiff nod. His jaw was tight, his movements unnaturally smooth as he walked away with clenched hands on his sides.

Dear Mala, it looked a lot like Aelin was about to win the breakup.

Ronan’s eyes were squinted at Chaol as her ex walked out. “The way Fenrys begged me to come here to make him jealous made me think he’d at least be hot.”

Aelin opened her mouth with a retort ready, but closed it again when something clicked “What do you mean Fenrys begged you to come?”

“I only came when he made it clear he was asking for a favor, not playing matchmaker.”

Aelin sipped her Moscow Mule, trying to figure Ronan out. “You won’t have a date with a girl unless it’s to make her ex jealous?”

He snorted. “Not a date Fenrys finds me, no.”

After brief introductions and a round of drinks, Aelin found out his name was actually Rowan, not her other guesses. She was so close, but the roll her tongue did while pronouncing his actual name made it much sexier.

Also, she made a mental note to thank Fenrys later. She asked for a usual hot guy, and her friend sent her the gods’ favorite soldier, built like an ancient warrior.

“Tell me how this short man broke your heart.”

Aelin wrinkled her nose. What a way to burst her horny bubble.

“He told me a month ago that he was bored in our relationship, and—“

“And?” Rowan’s tone was surprised, his eyebrows raised. “He insulted your charity work, and there’s more?”

Aelin groaned with her head in her hands, then focused back on Rowan. “We decided to take a break, and two days later Chaol’s ex told me he’d been hitting on her for a week.”

“Guilty of attempted cheating. He’s a piece of shit.” Rowan leaned closer to her. “And if you want, I can, you know…” he sneaked a look at Chaol's way and cracked his knuckles.

“No need, but thanks.” Aelin squeezed his forearm, a laugh almost bursting out of her. “I’m flattered, though.”

Rowan’s eyes widened. “I wasn’t being serious.”

“I doubt that.” She gave him a mischievous smile. “But you can be serious about dancing with me.”

Rowan’s face was starting to twist into a grimace when he stopped and looked at where her hand touched his skin. When he looked back up, something in his eyes had shifted.

He turned his palm up, held her wrist, pulled her close and whispered to her ear, “His friends are watching us, wanna give them something to look at?”

“We should make out.” Aelin licked her lips, taking his ravenous eyes in. “In the name of torturing exes, that is.”

Before she knew it, Rowan took her mouth as if he owned it.

He held her face and neck with both hands, and their languorous kiss turned into something much more fervent when he got up and pressed her against the bar counter.

She burned from the inside out with every flick of his tongue, Rowan luring her into a passionate haze where there was nothing but restless hands, his pine-scented cologne and broad shoulders blocking her from the outside world.

Someone cleared their throat behind Aelin, making them break their kiss. On the other side of the counter, the bartender was watching them with a bored look.

“Do you mind moving over to another place? This area is for ordering drinks.”

They gave him a quick apology and Rowan led her to another part of the bar.

“I can’t see your ex anymore,” he said, looking around while they explored the place. “but his friends are still here.”

Aelin smiled. She hoped she’d pissed Chaol off enough to leave.

“You know what’ll make him go berserk?” Rowan asked, a playful glint in his eyes.

She wiggled her eyebrows. “I’ll do it.”

“If we get out of here together,” he whispered in her ear.

“Fuck, yeah.” Aelin said in a husky tone, her breath heavy as she wrapped her arms around him. “And we should go to my place. My front-door neighbor’s girlfriend’s best friend babysits his little brother.”

Rowan’s parted lips slowly morphed into a smirk. “We can’t lose that opportunity, right?”

“Absolutely not.” Aelin ran her fingers through his hair. “And I think we could do that some other time too. Just for reinforcement.”

Aelin would say she won the breakup, but she barely remembered it as Rowan pulled her face to his again.

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#rowaelin #rowan whitethorn #aelin ashryver galathynius #throne of glass #rowaelin fanfiction #rowan x aelin #aelin x rowan #ask #rowaelin fanfic #throne of glass fanfic #drabblefest

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callsigndragon · 2 years

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The Christmas Date | Chapter 10: Santa's coming for us

Pairing: Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw x Fem!Kerner!Reader

(Ron Kerner is Slider, Iceman’s backseater)

Wordcount: 2.3k

Summary: Y/n “Athena” Kerner and Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw hate each other. Everybody knows. What happens when they have to fake date for a whole week to avoid Iceman and Slider’s matchmaking plans?

(there won’t be smut in this series)

Warnings: this one is a bit angsty, y'all. FLASHBACK CHAPTER. mentions of comma, death, wanting to give up, mention of carole's death, funeral, Rooster trying to pull Thena's papers. fluff at the end.

A/N: i managed to finish this chapter and here it is, for all of you to enjoy (been working on it for more than a week, don't think i forced my self 🤍). Italics are all events from the past.

Taglist:@ducks118 @milestellerwife @craftymoonchaos @littlebadariell @xoxabs88xox @alexxavicry @tayrae515 @shrimping-for-all @mak-32 @my-soulmate-is-mycroft @harper1666 @purplevortexx @abaker74 @ssprayberrythings @melllinaa @loveless-simp @k-k0129 @mygyn @castle-bookworms-world @chaoticversion @one-sweet-gubler @loveforaugust

@taytaylala12 @benhardysdrumstick @green-intervention @waatermelon-sugaar @smells-like-perfect-senses @interstellarloneliness @tay-bluey @diggorycullen @dhwanishah09 @inky-sun @luckyladycreator2 @nograce-nomercy @witchybabel @thegladeslut

(If you want to be added, write in the comments!)

Previous | Next | Masterlist

Years ago

It took three days for Bradley to wake up. He could hear everyone. When the nurses came in to check his constants. Whenever one of his "uncles" stood beside the bed, praying for him to not give up.

The young Bradshaw—the only Bradshaw left—was left without any reason to live. He didn't remember his father, being too young to have any clear memory left. He had lost his mother; she was like the sun, with a beautiful smile always shining until the very end. What did he have left? His father's friends, who had always looked at him with pity in their eyes? His friend, if he could still consider her so, was now lying in bed on the other side of the room. She would soon realize that he had destroyed her life, and she wouldn't want to breathe the same air as him.

He didn’t have anything to live for anymore.

And then, just as he was about to slip into the darkness that surrounded him, he heard a voice. Not any voice. The voice that cheered for him louder than the rest in the football matches. The sweet voice that wished him good luck before taking the last of his exams at high school. A voice he could replay in his mind at any time because it was the only sound he would have wanted to hear for the rest of his life if given the opportunity.

Her voice.

Y/n.

At first, he thought she was only trying to give him strength to wake up, even though the first thing he would have to face once he walked out of the hospital was a funeral. When he heard your sweet, heartfelt confession, he could almost feel your insides breaking at the thought of you losing someone you love. He knew how you felt, and if he could, he would do anything to spare you the agony. He had felt that for two years before his mom's body stopped fighting for her. The pain became like a friend, always there to greet him when he came back home from class, wishing him good night when the nightmares invaded his sleep; it was always there. And he didn't want you to feel like that.

Rooster had lost that fear, only to find another one. What if he decided to fight and live just for you to hate him in the future? Would he be able to overcome that? No, he couldn't just make you his only reason to live. That wouldn't be fair for any of you. You were his reason to fight—to survive in a world that had nothing left for him. He would need to find new reasons to live.

For hours, he considered all the possible options for his future. He should finish college first. That’s what his mother would have wanted. Maybe he could become an aviator like his dad. It was the dream that he had to leave aside to spend time with Carole. Now that she was gone, he could do it. He could become an aviator like his father and his uncles. And you would be at his side.

Yes, that looked like a good future.

For reasons that not even Bradley understood, when he woke up the next morning, he acted like nothing happened. Like Y/n didn’t confess her feelings. A part of him was afraid that she only confessed out of fear, that perhaps she wasn’t prepared yet. He could wait.

Y/n was beside him at Carole’s funeral. She couldn’t walk properly yet; she was in a wheelchair. But her hand was wrapped around his all the time. It was all the strength he needed.

Her hand on his.

“I am waiting to hear back from the Naval Academy”

That’s not the answer Bradley expected to hear when Maverick asked you what your plans were after high school. Not even a breath could be heard when you dropped that information.

“When did you apply?” Slider asked, leaving the fork on his plate.

“In May,” you said under your breath, shy due to all the sudden attention.

“Were you ever gonna tell us?” your mom questioned while getting up from her chair and walking towards you with long steps. Rooster thought for a second, judging from her body language, that she was going to slap her daughter. "What were you waiting for, Y/n? How could you decide that without me and your father?"

"My life isn't for you to decide, mom. Not anymore"

"Terry, she's right," Slider sighed, kissing your forehead and whispering, "Have you thought carefully about it?"

"Yes, dad. I want to be like you," you confessed, shiny eyes filled with emotion.

"Honey, I know that you are able to do anything you set your mind to, but…"

Rooster knew that the words following that weren't the ones you wanted to hear.

"But?"

"Maybe that's not a place for a girl," Slider stated, grabbing your hand between his. Your eyes quickly lose the emotion Bradley had previously noticed in them, as if it had never existed.

"You don't think I can make it?"

"I didn't say that"

Whatever explanation Slider planned to give died on his lips when you ran away from the house.

Bradley found himself feeling the fear that tightened around his heart. He never thought you were incapable of being an aviator. In fact, he knew that you would be an amazing one. If anything, he thought that you would be very limited in the back seat position. You were made to be in control, to be in the front seat, and to feel the adrenaline while twirling around in the sky. He could imagine your smile while doing it; you had it in your blood.

However, the fear of you having an accident just like his father and losing you forever—that was a feeling he couldn't shake off. Fear makes us do a lot of things that we shouldn't. And walking into Iceman's office to beg him to pull your papers was one of the things he shouldn’t have done.

"You want me to do what?" He repeated, wanting to make sure that he had heard Bradley asking him to betray his goddaughter.

"I can't risk losing her, Tom." Bradley begged, tears in his eyes, "it's the only thing I have left. She can’t be a backseater."

Iceman sighed, knowing that whatever his decision, he would lose one of his kids. "Bradley, I know you think you don't have anyone left but you have to look around and see all the people who love you and care fo-"

"She's like the stars." Bradley breathed, not wanting to go as far as having to confess his feelings. “Dad was the moon, and Mom was the sun. Y/n is like the stars, Tom. She lights up the dark night I’ve been living since my mom died, and I can’t lose that light. She’s always guiding me to follow the right path. Just like Polaris, always pointing to the north. She’s my Polaris.”

“Pull her papers, and you will extinguish her light, son.”

“It’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

“You love her” concluded Iceman, eyes staring into Bradlye’s ones, reading his soul like an open book.

“I love her. And I’m so scared to lose someone else I love, Ice,” he choked up, all his feelings coming to the surface as he allowed himself to be vulnerable for the first time in months. He tried to be brave for months, hiding his emotions and not wanting to be a burden for anyone.

Ice walked around the table to give Bradley a hug. The mask that the young man had been wearing since the funeral had fallen at last. He was just a boy who had been raised by the most loving woman he had ever met and was now learning to navigate in this world without her.

“Let me give you some advice, Bradley. If you love someone, you have to trust that they make the right choices and support them”

“Even this one?” Bradley mumbled while looking at the floor. He was too embarrassed to look at Iceman with his tear-stained face.

“Especially this one, son,” the older man claimed, patting the younger man’s shoulder. “Now, go out there and forget about pulling Y/n’s papers. If she gets accepted or no, only time will tell”

“You wanted to pull my papers?”

The voice that once brought him back to life, so filled with pain and love at the thought of losing him, was then quiet, cold, and numb. She begged him to stay with him for months only for him to betray her in this way. How could he? What made him believe that he had anything to say in the matter?

“Y/n, listen, it’s not what you think...” Bradley muttered, afraid he had lost her in the effort to hold onto the last remaining source of light in his life.

“Not what I think? There’s no other possible explanation, Bradshaw”

Bradshaw. Not Bradley. Bradshaw. His long name had never felt like an insult, but right now it felt like a bullet straight through his heart. Did she just hear the last part of the conversation?

“Y/n, please, listen to me”

"Don't ever talk to me again.”

And then she turned around and left, while Bradley fell to his knees. Iceman stood there, knowing that it didn’t matter if he tried to explain what happened in that room—Bradley really tried to pull Y/n’s papers. He thought about it, and he wanted to do it. The damage was done the second he asked for it. Only time could make you forgive him, if you ever decided to. If not, well, there wasn’t anything he could do.

Only time could tell.

“You only heard part of the conversation, Thena,” Bradley says, sitting down next to you. His hands are itching to touch you, but he knows he can’t.

“I heard Iceman saying that you needed to forget about pulling my papers, Roos”

“But you never heard why I asked him to do it” he insists. He wants you to know. If you are about to start a serious relationship, he wants all the secrets out in the open.

You move your body, facing him, your eyes hinting at both fear and curiosity at the same time. “Tell me”

“I was afraid of losing you in an accident, just like I lost my father. You wanted to be a backseater like your dad. When you’re in the back, you can’t control the aircraft; you are at someone else’s mercy. You not being in control of your own aircraft scared the shit out of me, grouchy. You were the only thing I had left,” he finally confesses, his lips pressed in a thin line, worried that his answer will make you more angry.

“I understand that you were scared, but it wasn’t your decision,” you say, sighing and moving your hand slightly in his direction.

“Iceman made me realize that. He made it clear that I could only support your decision to join the Navy.

“So you… you didn’t want to pull my papers anymore?”

"Not after hearing Ice say that. He had convinced me that when we love someone, we have to trust that they make the best decisions”

You whisper, "You never tried to explain yourself, nugget," as your hand, which had been painfully edging toward Rooster's during the conversation, now tentatively touches his.

“How could I? Was there any possible way that you would have forgiven me for what I tried to do?” he whispers back, as if this conversation was supposed to be kept a secret from the rest of the world. Nobody knows what Rooster did, everyone thinks that you two just fell apart, no longer being the two kids that gravitated towards each other.

“No, not really”

“But I was there with you, every step of the way, after I got out of college. And then we met again at Top Gun”

"And we bickered like children," you laugh, your hand now completely encircling his.

"It's what we've always done, fly girl."

You nod, slowly closing that chapter of your life. You know that deep down, a part of you will always remember that he tried to put an end to your career before it had even begun. There’s no possible way that you can forget that. You forgave him years ago, but you will never forget. It doesn’t matter that his choices were based on fear. The damage was done, and the scar was there, invisible to the human eye, but marked in your soul.

Rooster lifts your hand to his lips, softly kissing your knuckles. “Will you be able to forgive me?”

“I already did, Roos. I love you too much to stay mad at you”

“Did you say you love me?” Rooster asks, his face heating up and reddening like Rudolph’s nose.

“... I thought it was obvious”

“I m-mean it was 15 years ago, but I didn’t know you loved me now,” he stutters, suddenly feeling like a teenager in front of his crush.

“Oh, nugget, don’t go shy on me now,” you joke, poking his cheek.

“Don’t tease me!” he whines, making you laugh. “I love you too, dumbass”

You can’t understand how you’re able to laugh after Solo and his obsessive behavior, but it feels good to shake that feeling away. Tomorrow you will go to the police station and report him, putting an end to his crazy activities.

Tonight, however, you are spending quality time with the man you love.

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boobachu · 24 days

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Actually went to find that post, and aunno if this is is, but SP is right

I kinda forget that the switch is a shitty console, so the "just slap a video on" bandaid wouldn't've worked.

So the two options are A) Pngtuber shit or B) Sink a lot of costs into making it good.

Personally I still think a shitty filter over some Sonic Rush-ass sprites woulda looked better than what we got but it is what it is.

So yeah, this is less "the devs are lazy" and much more "The Nintendo Switch is a piece of shit" and "The higher ups of Nintendo are even bigger pieces of shit"

I think the reason why this is being scrutinized so much is that it's just a death by a thousand cuts.

No Gamepad

Lag kills built into the game because...

NSO has no servers, it's all peer to peer Hamachi bullshit

Return of the Mammalians had a lackluster story

and even worse worldbuilding

All the multiplayer maps are significantly worse than the prior two games save for the four newest ones

The promise of a theme of "Chaos" was an empty one

Deep Cut being so overlooked

They have three boss fights and no real lore

Heck they're the only one of the three idols to not have a signature "final fight" song.

Unless you count Calamari 3mix, which c'mon

Weapons are so poorly balanced

Cheapies greatly overshadow many weapons that are worthless

The lag exacerbates this problem

The game kinda boils down to "charge some bullshit specials to break the stalemate" instead of "flank and have skills"

No one squidbags anymore

No one parties anymore

Tricolor started out hard to get if all three teams didn't have similar ranks

The fix for this ruins the magic of tricolor

Tricolor has civil wars now

Conch clashes, splashbangs and other splatfest fixes were made right at the end of the lifespan

Many splatfests had lame options

The DLC cost $5 more, had a worse story, worse gameplay, worse level design, worse level asthetics, and no character augmentations like in Octo Expansion

The two hubs you get really are only worth it if Splatoon 3 is your first game

Matchmaking is trash and has only gotten worse in part because the game sucks so hard, most people have abandoned it

Then the final splatfest announcement is so fucking lackluster. Like maybe if the rest of that stuff didn't happen I'd agree that the argument is just "bitches bitching for no reason" but I mean.

Calling Splatoon fans "entitled" for expecting more out of a $85 game with $35 a year internet? C'mon.

Maybe the Nintendo Torment NExus or whatever the next console is will actually be good, but it really feels like Nintendo's going broke if all their games are this awful.

#Splatoon 3 #rant #splatfest

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theanticool · 1 year

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Seeing as the PFL/Bellator rumors are being openly talked about by fighters involved with both promotions, guess it’s time to wildly speculate.

I’ve seen some positive sentiment around PFL’s rumored buying of Bellator MMA. A lot of it stemming from how Bellator has been run since the Viacom/Coker takeover. That’s 100% fair. Bellator went from a place that developed its own talent, to a side show, to a place talent the UFC didn’t want anymore went, and is only now enjoying an influx of homegrown talent (at a reduced rate tbh). The hiring of Big John on commentary is baffling, as he’s terrible at it. Viewership fell off the map as they moved off Spike/Paramount TV. Cards are full of slow grind fest or mismatches. So I get the idea of Bellator going away being a potential positive.

What I don’t get is the enthusiasm around PFL being the ones to buy them out. PFL has many of the same problems. Cards laden with mismatches because of their odd seasonal format necessitates highly paid talent advance out the first round. A bizarre desire to be a PPV company without any fighters who appeal to a casual audience. No promotional ability. Like, they can’t sell out the goddamn Hulu theater! I was in the Hulu Theater for Serrano-Cruz and Glory and both times they were packed. That’s how little name recognition PFL has, despite years on ESPN. That’s the other thing, their deal with ESPN is up soon. It wasn’t much but that was a significant amount of the actual revenue PFL generated. Outside of VC and Saudi money, PFL has been a fire pit for cash. They’re trying to expand to all these places: Europe, Africa, South America, the Middle East, etc. They’re paying $10 million+ for a Francis Ngannou fight in 2024. Where is all that money coming from? They don’t have a TV deal. They don’t sell PPVs. They barely move tickets. I doubt they’ve sold 100 PFL t-shirts.

Not to mention, PFL is the same organization who’s former matchmaker had to be quit because he was the ACTING MANAGER for many of the fighters on roster. Lord knows how much influence Ali Abdelaziz still has in the office.

I understand that Bellator and PFL needed to make changes. They could not both keep limping along pretending they were viable alternatives to the UFC. But all of a sudden, we’re going from three “big” North American promotions to two. That means fighters are going to lose their jobs. That means you have less options on what to watch. That means fighters’ (little) leverage at the bargaining table is being cut. It means that one of the biggest media companies in the world decided a secondary MMA promotion to the UFC was not a viable investment in a landscape where sports are the things drawing eyeballs to the TV.

Like I always say, I’m hoping for the best. But buying Bellator does not address the #1 issue facing any of these promoters - you have to draw people to the product. No one but us and a handful of other sickos watched Bellator religiously. They won’t care that PFL has Johnny Eblen on roster now. You have to build stars. Maybe instead of spending 8-9 figures to buy a company with like no name value, you buy Kayla Harrison or OAM a publicist?

#pfl #Bellator #rumors #mma

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payattentiontothescreen · 5 months

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Bridgerton Rewatch S1E1 - Diamond of the First Water (Part 2)

Here's part 2 of the S1E1 Rewatch

Something I noticed is that Eloise has a lot of sympathy for Daphne when it comes to the whole Berbrooke thing. She tries to stay with Daphne when he’s the only one who calls on her. In general, they’re a lot closer here than they are once Berbrooke is out of the picture.

Thinking back on it and watching the show again, Pen is the only one who could have ever been Lady Whistledown. Given the derision and abuse she’s been through by the entire ton, especially her own mother, she’s a teenager who’s lashing out. She’s an afterthought to everyone except Colin and Eloise.

Speaking of Colin and Penelope, he has always thought highly of her. When he’s leaving the Featheringtons after calling on Marina, Pen is the only one he says goodbye to. He doesn’t even bid Marina farewell; it’s just Pen.

Daphne and Eloise have very similar views on their place in the world. Daphne does not like that marriage is her only option. She has just made her peace with it.

Lady Whistledown’s dig at Marina’s “pretty little slippered feet” was so obviously Pen, I don’t know how anyone thought it wasn’t her.

The Queen’s dismissal of Daphne is a good early indicator of how much she cares about LWD’s opinion.

I need more Violet/Lady Danbury scheming. They’re both so clever, the matchmaking worked wonders.

This next note says “Anthony shut the fuck up challenge.” Again, no idea what that’s in reference to but it’s applicable to any scene he’s in.

So they plant a Cressida/Colin dynamic really early on of her wanting to be with him. Not much on this here, I’m just looking forward to seeing how that plays out in season 3.

What drives me crazy is that Colin DOES NOT LET GO OF PEN’S HAND when the music stops. They aren’t dancing anymore but Colin is still holding Pen’s hand. Idiots in love at its finest.

Not gonna lie, those lights are sick.

Season 1 Anthony has 2 modes: pompous idiot or callous asshole. He manages to be both when he tells Daphne that he promised her to Berbrooke.

Quick Marina sidebar - first, I couldn’t imagine just having to bleed through on my period. That sounds like hell. Second, it would never happen but I would love if Marina slapped Lady F back. Full on “They Call Me Mr. Tibbs!” action.

Back to Daphne, we’re at the attempted assault scene. Something that I noticed this time around is that Berbrooke is pissed at Daphne because, to him, she thinks she’s better than him. The thing is, she is technically higher class than he is. He comes from a barony; she’s the daughter of a viscount. In a purely hierarchical sense, she is better than him. She comes from a better family. And I know that there’s the gender politics involved here but I’m choosing to ignore them because they are stupid.

I’ve watched this show several times. Daphne punching Berbrooke in the face will always be satisfying as fuck.

I’d like to take this bullet point to say that Simon is iconic. His dialogue is so well-written. Love it.

End of episode thoughts: This is a really well-done pilot. It marries romance, drama, and comedy amazingly. I’m looking forward to seeing what else I find on a closer inspection of the series.

Thanks for going on this journey with me. S1E2 will be up tomorrow? Maybe? It depends on how busy I am with grad school.

Have a great day!

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a-small-batch-of-dragons · 1 year

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Crushed

Hiii, I always love your fics, you always write my blorbo so well. Just— Hngh they're all such good bois. Anyways, please don't feel rushed about getting to this request, but I would love to see your take on a fic where the other sides try to matchmake (either subtly or not, dealer's choice!) Virgil with someone of your choice :D preferably with hurt/comf sprinkled in with all the shenanigans that they can get into when they try and push Virgil and Other Side together :'D thanks sm! – anon

Read on Ao3 Part 1

Warnings: none!

Pairings: prinxiety, perceived anxceit but not really

Word Count: 3349

Takes place in an AU where the Sides' roles are switched: Logan is Morality, Roman is Anxiety, Virgil and Patton are Creativity, Remus is Deceit, Janus is Logic.

Roman sees Janus kiss Virgil on the cheek. Oh, well, that means that they must be in love, right?

If only he knew that Janus isn't the side that Virgil's actually crushing on…

Roman fiddles with his hands as the meeting goes on. This one's about what to do this weekend and he's not sure any of them sound like good ideas. Going to the new pop-up store by themselves seems like trouble; what if they get overwhelmed and then none of their friends know how to come yet them? And the new restaurant might be worse, what if they don't like their food and then they have to tell the waitstaff that? They're just doing their job, it's not their fault if Thomas doesn't like the food! And what if Thomas's car gets a flat on the way there? They don't know that area, they don't know how far the nearest place is going to be, what if they can't drive home and they have to be out there for hours and hours and hours?

It was better just to stay home.

"Roman?"

Roman jumps as a hand comes to rest on his shoulder. He looks up to see Logan watching him, concerned.

"Are you quite alright?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

"Bullshit!" Remus waggles his fingers in a wave when Roman glares at him. "You're freaking out, aren't you?"

"Don't be unkind," Janus scolds, giving Remus a gentle push to the shoulder. "I'm sure if Roman is upset about something, he would tell us."

"That's also bullshit."

Patton rolls his eyes, scoffing at the two of them beginning to squabble, looking back at Logan. "All I'm saying is I don't think we should be going out there! That place has no standards of health clearly available, they don't even have vegan options, and who knows what that horrid chicken logo is actually from? We're much better off going somewhere safe and reasonable, that's probably what Roman is so upset about, right?"

"Uh—I—"

"Thomas isn't vegan," Janus says smoothly, "the restaurant wouldn't be open if it hadn't passed its health and safety inspections, and the logo is irrelevant."

"Excuse you?" Patton draws himself up. "The logo is a reflection of the restaurant's values! If they're going to blatantly display something so vulgar, I don't think that's a place that's very family friendly!"

"You say that as if it's a negative," Remus huffs, "I don't want to eat around a bunch of screaming kids. And what's with the whole 'vulgar' thing? It's a chicken holding a platter."

"Wearing nothing but underwear!"

"It's a bikini."

"Exactly!"

"There is nothing wrong with a cartoon depiction of an animal in a bathing suit," Logan says with infinite patience, his hand still on Roman's shoulder, "now, are there any other objections?"

Patton fumes and grumbles for a moment. Roman bites his lip. He doesn't actually want to make Patton upset anymore and it seems like everyone else has already agreed…

"Roman?"

"Um—"

"Don't lie," Remus says, "I'll know."

Oh. Oh, god, everyone's looking at him, oh, no—

"Hey."

Roman turns to look at Virgil, who had previously been quiet. He leans forward, propping his weight on his elbows.

"What's bothering you, Princey?"

"I—um—it's just we've never been here before. We don't—we don't know the area, we don't know how to get there, we don't even know if we'll like the food."

Virgil nods. "Okay. Well, Joan is the one who recommended the place, and we know Joan knows our taste in food. It's close enough to the bus that if something really bad happens, we can still get home. And we'll have J—" he gestures to Janus who nods— "on directions, so we know we won't get lost."

"All true," Janus adds quietly, "thank you for speaking up, Roman, did that help?"

"Y-yeah." Well, now I feel like an idiot for being so upset.

"Then it's settled." Logan pats his shoulder once more. "I am excited to try this place."

"Me too!"

As the conversation winds to a close and the others start to sink out, Roman finds himself watching Janus and Virgil. The two of them have their heads together, speaking quietly. There's an intimacy to the way their shoulders keep brushing, the way they keep smiling, even the way they trade off the ends of their questions. Part of him thinks he shouldn't be watching this, this is clearly a private moment, but he can't stop.

His eyes widen when he sees Janus lean in to kiss Virgil's cheek.

With a squeak and a scramble, he sinks out too, appearing back in his room and curling up into a ball. Janus kissed Virgil. Janus kissed Virgil. Oh my god, Janus just kissed Virgil.

He definitely wasn't supposed to see that. Wait, did that mean they were—together? Maybe it was a secret? Or maybe they were just in the beginning stages of being together, or maybe one of them was waiting to ask the other out? Was that why they both wanted to go to the restaurant? Was it their date?

He puts his chin on his knees. It had felt really nice when Virgil asked him what was wrong. He should try and make Virgil feel nice too.

…yeah. Yeah, he can help Virgil with Janus.

***

"Logan?"

Logan turns as Virgil jogs over to him, adjusting his glasses. "Yes?"

"Is Roman okay?"

"I've not seen much of him lately, which is a little worrying, but…yes, I would presume so." He frowns. "Why, do you think something's wrong?"

"He's avoiding me, I think."

"Avoiding you?"

"Yeah, he keeps saying no to things we planned a while ago, and he won't really look at me during the meetings anymore. I tried to ask him if he was alright and he just got really red and mumbled something before he left."

"Well, that is worrying. Is there anything else in common, or that you've noticed?"

"…he keeps suggesting I hang out with J."

"Janus? Perhaps he knows that you two have been wanting to work together for a while."

"Maybe."

"Look," Logan says, resting his hand on Virgil's shoulder, "you know Roman thinks the world of you. I'm sure if you spoke to him about what's troubling you, he would understand."

Virgil sighs. "God, I hope so."

***

No, no, no, no, this is all wrong, this is very wrong, oh, no, I messed up—

Roman forces a smile to his face as Virgil finishes talking, looking at him in that way that makes him feel special. "So…yeah, Princey. Are we—are we good?"

"Yeah, we're good!" Virgil blinks at the force of his shout. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to yell, it's just—yeah. Yeah, we're good."

"Are you gonna…stop avoiding me?"

"I didn't mean to avoid you—okay, maybe," he concedes when Virgil raises an eyebrow, "but—I thought you'd—well, I mean—I just thought—"

"You can say it, it's okay."

"I thought you'd rather spend more time with Janus."

Virgil frowns. "Janus? Why?"

"W-well, you…you…um," Roman mumbles, twisting his fingers together, "I didn't…I know I've tried to hog a lot of your free time in the past and I'm not really good at the stuff you—that you enjoy doing with people and…Janus is?"

Understanding crosses Virgil's face and he chuckles. "Yeah, he's pretty great, huh?"

"Mhm." Don't let him see that, don't let him see that, just be happy for them, just be happy for them. "I just…I just want the two of you to be happy."

"That's really sweet of you, Princey," Virgil says, reaching out and lightly tapping the tip of his nose, "but I like hanging out with you too, okay?"

"O-okay."

"Wanna sit next to me for movie night again?"

"Yes," Roman says way too quickly, "I mean, yeah, yeah, sure, if that's…something you want too."

Virgil chuckles. "Yeah, that sounds good. See you then?"

"Y-yeah."

Virgil ruffles his hair and heads out of his room, leaving Roman to wait until the door is properly shut to fall on the bed, bury his face in a pillow, and groan.

It was hard enough when Virgil came and asked him softly if they could talk, it was hard enough to hear him be all concerned over Roman, but then he had to listen to Virgil say that Janus was great in that soft and fond voice and then ask him to sit next to him at movie night—

Oh, why is this so hard?

He just needs to stop freaking out about it. He can still be Virgil's friend and help Virgil get with Janus. He can do this. This is what he wants. This will make everyone happy.

…right?

***

It's one of those days, Virgil's in a playful mood, and yes, he is about to make that everyone's problem.

A few of them know better, rolling their eyes and making themselves scarce or proudly displaying the fact that it rolls right off of them. He caught Janus texting a group chat saying that he's in a mood, best steer clear if you don't want any part of it, and chuckled to himself as he made his way back upstairs.

As if that would do anything to deter him.

He's about to go and track down Remus when he walks past the den and pauses. A smile crawls across his face when he sees Roman there, curled up on the couch, writing in his notebook.

Perfect.

He approaches slowly, giving Roman more than enough time to look up and flee—or at least try—but he doesn't, buried in his notebook until Virgil reaches the corner of the couch. Then he startles, glancing up and curling a little tighter.

"Hi."

"Hello, sweetheart."

Bingo. Roman turns pink, ears flushing red as he blinks up at Virgil. He shuffles a little bit, glancing away before looking back up. "Did—did you need something?"

Virgil hums, tilting his head and just gazing at him. Then he smiles. "May I join you?"

"Um, yeah—yeah, sure, go ahead."

"Thanks, sweetheart."

Another muffled noise as Virgil walks over. Roman shifts, clearly expecting Virgil to sit next to him on the couch—tempting, but not quite what he's going for—and visibly startles like a little kitten when he takes a seat on the coffee table, right in front of him.

He makes himself comfortable, elbows on his legs, and tilts his head as if he's surprised by Roman's confusion.

"Hi, cutie."

He doesn't bother to hide his smirk as Roman looks away, fruitlessly flipping pages in his notebook until the flush subsides a tiny bit. He rests his chin on his hand and just stares, loving the way Roman keeps pointedly not looking at him and trying to sneak glances only to find out that Virgil's still just watching him.

"What," he blurts out eventually, ears back to blushing roses again, "do you want something?"

"Maybe I just want to spend time with you."

Roman looks up, disbelief written all over his features, only for it to dissolve right back into a downright adorable fluster when he winks.

"Aww, come on," he coos when Roman tries to hide his face in the notebook, "don't hide from me, sweetheart, you're too cute."

"I am not!"

Trap laid and baited, Roman steps neatly into it as Virgil leans forward. "Of course you are, Princey. That's why you're hiding your little red face. It's so I can't see how cute it is and tease you about it."

A truly wonderful smattering of flustered noises leaves him and Virgil chuckles.

"Don't worry, cutie, I won't hold it against you."

"Oh my god, what do you want?"

"Don't pout, cutie, I told you. I want to spend time with you." He laughs as Roman glares at him—or tries to, because it keeps going back to that pouty face and he covers it with his hands. "You hiding a smile under there?"

"No," he lies, pulling his leg up to hide it. Thankfully Remus doesn't catch it.

"This isn't proving me wrong, you know, about how cute you are."

Roman peeks one eye out to glare at him but he twiddles his fingers in a wave and oops, he's all flustered again.

"Aww, you're too easy, cutie."

"What do you want?"

"If you keep asking me that, sweetheart, you'll make me think you like hearing how much I want to spend time with you," he chuckles, "but I'll be nice."

"This is you being nice?"

"I did want you to do something for me," he continues, watching as Roman slowly looks up, face sobering as he calms down, sitting up on the couch, "hm?"

"What is it?"

Oh, you poor thing…He holds eye contact, shifting closer, until his face is right up next to Roman's. He lowers his voice to a rumble and smirks.

"Blush for me, Princey."

The poor dear does as bid, turning bright red in shock. He chuckles and tilts his head.

"Isn't that precious," he murmurs, "I wonder…if I ask you to squee for me, would you do that too?"

Roman splutters and Virgil's smile widens, leaning up to whisper in his ear.

"Squee, cutie," he whispers, "squee for me, Princey."

Roman covers his face, pulling himself up to curl into a little ball, letting out the most adorable little squeal he's ever heard.

"Maybe I should save that as your ringtone," he teases, before humming when Roman doesn't move at all, "don't get all shy on me now, cutie."

He doesn't react and Virgil frowns.

"Don't make me come and get you," he warns, before tugging on Roman's sleeve, "alright, you asked for it."

Sure enough, Roman yelps when one of Virgil's hands slides over his tummy and around to his side, hands flying down in an attempt to stop it. But by the time he realizes it's a trap, Virgil's settled on the couch next to him and pulled his legs into his lap, reaching out to cradle his face.

"There you are, cutie," he murmurs, "aren't you precious?"

Roman's eyes are wide and brimming with tears, sparkling in the light. Virgil hums and coos, bringing him closer and ruffling his hair.

"Hey, hey," he says softly as Roman tries to pull away and hide again, "don't run away from me. None of that, little dragon, you're adorable. No, no, shh-shh-shh, you are."

He brushes a thumb underneath Roman's eye to catch the tears that do manage to escape.

"Don't let all those mean voices tell you otherwise," he scolds gently, "do I need to shut them up for you?"

His hands twitch and clutch at Virgil's sleeve and he smiles, brushing a thumb over the other cheek.

"Aww, it's okay, little dragon," he coos, letting Roman wrap his arms around him, "it's okay. Was I being too mean and teasy?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, I can't help it, you're so cute."

"Stop," Roman whines, lightly pushing at his chest, still pouting, "why aren't you doing this to Janus?"

Virgil frowns. "Okay, what's up with you thinking about me and Janus? This is the second time we've had to talk about this."

"You know!"

"I don't know, Roman, that's why I'm asking."

Roman lets out a frustrated noise, his hands flapping. "You know! You two—you're—you're—!"

"We're what?"

"I saw him kiss you!"

"You saw what?" When the fuck did Janus kiss me? Why don't I remember that?

"A-after the meeting about the restaurant, you two were talking and I didn't mean to eavesdrop, really, I didn't, I didn't know it was going to be such a private moment but I did and I saw—I saw him kiss you and I thought—I just thought—"

"Whoa, whoa, easy," Virgil says before Roman works himself up, rubbing his back, "you saw J kiss me on the cheek, yeah?"

"I'm sorry—"

"I'm not mad at you, Princey, look at me—" he cups Roman's little pouty face in his hands— "I'm not mad, okay? J kisses everybody on the cheek, he does it to Remus, he does it to Logan, he even does it to Patton when Patton lets him get close enough."

"He doesn't do it to me."

"Because he doesn't know if you're comfy with it, little dragon, that's all." Roman's face screws up into this frustrated little pout and goddamnit, it should be illegal to be this adorable. "Hey, you thought I had a crush on Janus, right? Or that Janus had a crush on me?"

His chest twinges when Roman looks up at him with those big sad eyes and he has to reach out and cuddle him.

"We're just friends," he murmurs, "I promise, little dragon, we're just friends. It's okay."

"…know that now."

"You just trying to help get us together, hm?" He feels Roman nod. "That's really sweet of you, little dragon."

"Sorry."

"Don't be sorry, you were trying to look out for us, that's okay." Roman mumbles something. "What's that?"

"Was trying to look out for you."

"For me?"

Roman refuses to let him pull back, instead burying his chin into his shoulder. "You're always so nice to me. So I wanted…I thought…"

Oh. "You wanted to be nice to me too?"

"Mhm."

Fuck. Fuck, he's too cute. He's too cute, this should be outlawed, how am I supposed to deal with him being so fucking cute?

Before he can think better of it, he kisses Roman's shoulder.

Roman goes still.

"V-Virgil?"

"Yeah, little dragon?"

"Did you just—did you just…kiss me?"

"Yeah, I did," Virgil says softly, "was that okay?"

"Are—are we still just friends?"

"Do you want to be?" When Roman goes quiet, he carefully shifts them so he can see Roman's face. "Do you want to be just friends, Roman, or do you want more?"

"M-more is an option?"

"Yeah, sweetheart, more's an option, but we don't have to talk about it right now," he says quickly when the poor thing looks like he's about to explode, "we can do this later when you've cried a bit of this out, okay?"

"C-can we still cuddle?"

"Of course we can, Princey, c'mere." Roman tucks himself right back into Virgil's arms and he hums, nuzzling the crook of Roman's neck. "It's all gonna be okay, sweetheart, I promise."

"Don't," Roman croaks out, "don't give me hope."

"But I'm Hopes and Dreams, baby, that's my job. Okay, okay, that was mean, I'm sorry, I'll stop, I'm done, I promise."

"Virgil!"

"I know, I know. I'm finished, I swear." He gives Roman a proper squeeze to make up for it. "Just—I'm not giving you false hope, little dragon. We can talk about this, I promise."

"You better stay right here until we do," Roman orders in his little pouty voice, "or else I'll never forgive you."

"I won't move," he vows, lying down so Roman's on top of him, "see? You got me, little dragon."

"You're my horde now. No moving."

"No moving," he agrees, letting Roman shift until he's more comfortable, "you got it."

It takes a little longer than he'd like, but eventually Roman sags into him, lying down and letting himself actually breathe. Virgil keeps running his hands up and down, up and down, trying to coax him to sleep if he needs it. He's worn the poor thing out, he knows, and he only feels a little bad about it.

Okay, that's not true; he feels bad about making poor Roman worry and fret, he doesn't really feel bad for flustering him that much.

He's too adorable.

After a moment, though, he feels Roman tense again and he's about to soothe it away, say it's alright, he's not going anywhere, when he feels a little kiss on the side of his shoulder. He grins.

Yeah, they're gonna be just fine.

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#fic #sanders sides #roman sanders #virgil sanders #remus sanders #sympathetic remus #janus sanders #deceit sanders #sympathetic deceit #patton sanders #logan sanders #dragonbabbles

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jeongyunhoed · 4 months

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As seen on my FF.net Also seen on my Ao3

Following the events of fifth year, a new adventure awaits for Norah Lee. Boys, exams, school events, common room parties, and old foes outside of Hogwarts. Even battling pensieve guardians was easier than this.

Main Pair: OC/? Genre: Adventure/Angst/Fluff (it's a little of everything, tbh)

KEEP IN MIND: Characters are aged up (even if the story's got them in sixth year) to make it more appropriate. Time period is leaning towards the modern day so in case you might find anachronisms in the dialogue or references, this is why. This may also be quite a lengthy fic too.

BE WARNED: Social anxiety, mentions of blood and injury, grief, drinking, kissing but nothing more than that, death (this is Hogwarts Legacy, after all)

P.P.S: An interaction with my Hufflepuff boy Caleb below! Also, something that I've long thought of writing here, I have finally written. Also shout out to @ellivenollivander for the Amit love hour on discord!

Masterlist

Chapter 15

It was in recent days since the trip to the Overlook mine that Norah realized how close the Hufflepuff common room party was. Everyone in their year seemed to anticipate what Professor Ronen had up his sleeve as an assignment again. Perhaps another matchmaking activity disguised as another lesson. One could never tell with Professor Ronen.

Sebastian and Amit were on board with researching, using the books Norah and Ominis retrieved from the mine. It wasn't long before the three of them were huddled in the Astronomy tower, poring over each page for any relevant details as to how Isidora managed to hone her magic. Henry had also offered to lend a hand, especially after Natty accidentally let it slip about her special ability. Not many in the school knew about it, except the teachers and a select few students. Of course, Professor Black couldn't be bothered to learn the details as all he cared about was that wizardkind won that battle.

"I would've loved to get Bragbor's journals, I'm sure there are other details we can take from there," Amit said, showing Norah some parts that had to do with what she saw from the pensieve. As another way to finally get Sebastian to stop searching for a cure for Anne, Norah told him everything she saw, including the memories from the Keepers. It stemmed from a heated conversation following Sebastian's attempt to get her to do something.

"Are you sure you're doing this for Anne? Or are you doing this for yourself?" Norah questioned him that day. "Sebastian, being reckless will only secure your place in Azkaban. It's time you trusted Anne when she says not to go looking for a cure anymore. She's accepted her fate, all we can do really is what your uncle said. Keep her comfortable."

The words that came out of her mouth then reminded her of the story Madam Kogawa told her about her time preparing to join the Toyohashi Tengu. Her friend's fate was not hers to decide. It resonated with Professor Rackham's comments to Isidora when she was a student. Her father's pain was not hers to take. It would be the same for Sebastian, no matter how much he wanted to.

Upon Amit's comment, Norah stared at him, realizing the answer. "Oh my god, Amit, you're right! You're a genius!" She said.

"Wouldn't those pages be in Gobbledegook?" Henry raised a brow as he looked up from the book he was reading.

"I can read Gobbledegook, Henry," Amit looked proud. "I can teach you sometime if you want."

Henry looked impressed. "That's actually a brilliant idea. I'd love to know how to speak another language."

"Don't you speak French too?" Sebastian was curious.

The blonde smiled. "I do. I grew up in France, and then by my 11th birthday, we moved to England. In case you don't already know, Beauxbatons only accepts girls."

Sebastian, Amit, and Norah looked amused. "You could've gone to Durmstrang," Sebastian teased.

"Ah, that was an option, but this was closer to home," Henry said coolly. "I would've turned out very differently if I went to Durmstrang."

Norah chuckled, and they continued looking through several pages. "But Amit is right though, knowing that Bragbor kept journals even after he was obliviated by the Keepers, he would've documented his process. It's likely he only revealed what he had to do to contain the strands of emotion, but there must be something included in there too, maybe things Isidora told him."

"Hang on, what exactly are you going after all of this for?" Sebastian was confused. "Didn't you just contain that magic not too long ago?"

Norah nodded. "Yes. Professor Rackham told me that there's no other thing to be done with that, until we can learn how to destroy it."

Her words raised a look of concern from the two Ravenclaws. Even Sebastian looked alarmed. "Destroy it?" The three boys said.

"Yeah. For me to learn how to do that, I'll need to find out all the information I can about what Isidora did, what Bragbor did. The risks outweigh the possibilities of the good that could do. It needs to be destroyed so there won't be a secret to keep anymore."

They nodded in understanding. "Norah, this might take a lot of time," Sebastian said gently. "Speaking from experience, that is."

"I know that, but it's never too late to start learning about it," Norah assured him. "I just hope I can find the time in the midst of the NEWTs."

An owl suddenly flew inside, dropping a letter in front of Norah. "Is that from your 'Nick'?" Sebastian raised a brow, as the girl seemed to be unfazed with the presence of the envelope. "The secret summoning is long over, why is he trying to- Is he courting you?"

The question made Henry snort, Norah finally looking up from the pages of the book on her lap. She reached for the envelope, noticing the familiar handwriting and opened it, reading the letter. Her expression fell upon reading it, just as Ominis finally found them.

"I have been looking everywhere for you all-" Ominis stopped when he sensed something about Norah. "What's wrong? Norah?"

Norah stood up, making the three other boys look up at her. "I'm being called to go to Professor Black's office by Professor Weasley," She said.

"For what? Is it related to your rare ability?" Henry asked curiously.

Norah shrugged. "Well, studying these might have to wait, unless the three of you plan on doing that while I'm away."

"We can deal with this later, it's best that we study this whenever you're around so we can make sense of it," Henry suggested, with Amit and Sebastian nodding.

"Norah," Ominis said softly, making her turn around, her cheeks suddenly heating up when she realized he was standing behind her. "Would you like me to come with you? If we were caught in that mine again, I can come up with something, twist the story a bit."

She nodded. "Yeah, that might be best, I think, thank you, Ominis. You have more sway with him than I do. But if he happens to punish me, then so be it," She said, while that feeling of dread was beginning to creep in.

Her mind was racing with thoughts of what might they want to tell her. Did she get caught sneaking into the Overlook mine? Was she found out for snooping Horklump Hollow, which had now become Ashwinder territory? Or perhaps it had to do with that duel with Carrow, when she was cursed into bleeding? Or did it have to do with defeating Ranrok and his loyalists, along with those Ashwinders? Did she do something that Professor Black didn't particularly like? Did they find out the actual events at the Feldcroft catacomb? She wasn't sure.

Yet, as they climbed up the staircase leading to the statue that opened another set of stairs to the Headmaster's Office, Norah was trying to ground herself. She was there, now, walking with Ominis, preparing herself for what might happen while she was in there.

With Ominis.

Even with his generally stoic expression, Norah could also see a hint of concern play across his face. She wanted to say something, but she felt like it needed to be said after what might happen in there. It was going to be alright, wasn't it? She told herself as they slowly emerged in the room.

There Professor Black stood, by the steps in front of his desk, along with Professor Weasley. Across from them, was a shorter man, holding a giant camera, with a woman holding a notepad and a quill with a levitated inkpot in front of her. But next to Professor Black, was another man, a much older gentleman with a white beard an a discerning face.

"Ah, here she is now," Professor Weasley said. "With Mr. Gaunt, who has been one of her friends since attending Hogwarts."

"Stand over here, Ms. Lee," Professor Black gestured for her to come over, to the space next to him, putting her in between the two men.

"H-have I done something wrong?" Norah managed to speak. She wanted to ask if she was to be brought to Azkaban, yet the words failed her.

The older gentleman broke into a smile. "Merlin no, but it's an honor to meet you at last, Ms. Lee. I am Faris Spavin, the Minister for Magic," He held out his hand, and she shook it.

"It-it's very nice to meet you, Minister," She stammered, seeing Ominis look just as surprised.

"I wanted to wait a bit for the Wizengamot to confirm the previous year's achievements before I present you with something," Faris turned around, picking up a small rectangular velvet box. "As minister for magic, it is my solemn privilege and honor to present you an award for your outstanding bravery in last year's goblin uprising. Ms. Lee, I present you, the Order of Merlin, First Class."

He opened the box to reveal a gold medal, with a green ribbon. In the middle of the medal was an engraved "M." Professor Weasley and Professor Black beamed with pride, as the photographer nearby took a photo of them.

"A fellow Slytherin too, as you can see," Professor Black chimed in, beaming as the photographers took another photo.

"Ms. Lee, some words?" The woman holding the notepad suddenly asked.

Norah looked like she had been caught off-guard, overwhelmed with the sudden attention. "I-uh, I am honored to receive this achievement," She said. "I could not have done what I did last year without the guidance of my teachers here, in Hogwarts. They have all taught me well, as well as my friends. I think they also deserve to be recognized."

"You are also the youngest recipient of the Order of Merlin, First Class, so it's even more of an honor, Ms. Lee," Spavin added.

Ominis slowly stepped to the side, his heart swelling in his chest as he was proud of the recognition Norah had received. She deserved all the praise and recognition she was getting, while he was also amused at how nervous she sounded when speaking to the reporter. He wasn't too fond of the fact that Professor Black would definitely go bragging about how a student under his tenure as headmaster became the recipient of such an award.

Still, he didn't want that to cloud the feeling he had, hearing Norah try and answer questions as best as she could, while not disclosing her rare ability just yet. He could tell Norah's nervous and awkward smile as flash upon flash upon flash of the camera took their photos.

"You must be Ms. Lee's friend," the reporter suddenly approached him. Ominis could tell that she was looking at him in a way that seemed to suggest otherwise. "Gaunt, is it?"

"Y-yes, I am Ominis Gaunt," He replied, and his response was met with a furious scratching of a quill.

"Well, well, the company Ms. Lee keeps is quite prominent. Anything you want to say about her? I'm gathering some testimonies from people in her circle. If you could also kindly tell me who else she's friends with, it would help me a lot."

Ominis tilted his head towards Norah's direction, a smile creeping up on his face. "She's a very good friend of mine, and I rarely say that. She's been through a lot, yet she still manages to be there for everyone around her. Norah always denies being brilliant, but she is. Beautiful too."

The reporter seemed to raise a brow at the last comment. "Oh, is Mr. Gaunt...romantically involved with Ms. Lee?" She asked.

"No," Ominis replied right away, cheeks heating up. "No-no we're not."

At the back of his mind, no matter how much he reminded himself that things can never be between them, he wished they were.

The news of Norah receiving the award spread like wildfire in the school, mostly out of the portraits chattering amongst themselves and Professor Black's house-elf, Scrope. Issues of the evening edition of the Daily Prophet immediately came in, with her photo on the front page. She tried to ignore the comments congratulating her for the award, many of whom were from their own house table.

Norah kept herself preoccupied with the book in front of her while she ate, as she had a long essay on Ancient Runes due two days away. "Merlin, after everything that's happened last year, I should be fluent in runeish by now, or at least be able to read them," She mumbled, in between bites of chicken.

"She helped retrieve bubotuber pus for me last year, you know," She heard the Hufflepuff Sacharissa Tugwood, say to her friends as they approached their table.

"Merlin, the stories they come up with just to say they know you," Sebastian muttered.

"That actually happened," Norah revealed. "I was on my way to Dogweed and Deathcap to get some more chomping cabbages when she called me. I had to fight another troll to get some of the bubotubers but I managed to get them all."

Sebastian looked at her incredulously, while Ominis also seemed to stare at her. "Bloody hell, she says that like it's a walk in the park," He said. "Why did she need those bubotubers in the first place?"

"She apparently needed them for her pimple cream or something," Norah replied, turning another page of her book.

"That's almost as ridiculous as Professor Black telling me that dittany and bubotuber pus made a good mustache paste," Ominis said, making Norah chuckle. "Of all things, mustache paste?"

Norah laughed. "I had to say something, didn't I? It's bad enough I nearly outed Garreth for asking me to get those billywig stings."

The three of them exchanged knowing looks. Norah reached for the copy in front of Sebastian and looked into the article. She noticed the things that were said about her, some from Professor Weasley, from Ominis, from Amit, from Natty, even from Sebastian. Amit's quote seemed to be the most endearing.

"Norah Lee is not only a brilliant witch, she is also very kind, very courageous, and very clever. Even that isn't enough to describe a dear friend of mine. I would compare her to a comet. You only meet someone like Norah once in a lifetime, and when you do, you can be sure that your memories with her are special."

She smiled to herself, before looking back at what Ominis said. It definitely sounded like him, and she knew the reporter approached him while they were having photos taken. "I think I'll mail this to my parents. I wonder what they'll say," she said, folding the paper and placing it in her bag.

"I'm pretty sure they're going to be proud," Sebastian said, his expression softening when she closed her book and put it back in her bag as well. "Are you heading to the Owlery?"

"Yeah, I'm going to write to them," Norah smiled, glancing at Ominis, who had an amused expression on his face. "Fingers crossed their windows are open enough to receive some owls," She chuckled, hurrying out of the Great Hall.

As she opened the doors to the entrance hall, she was seemingly met with a flurry of papers, including some books that fell to the floor. "Shit," She muttered, hurrying to pick up the papers and the books, belonging to the sixth year Hufflepuff Caleb Revri. "I'm sorry about that, let me help you," She said.

"I'm so sorry- It's okay, I can pick them up," Caleb looked just as flustered as they gathered his belongings, some of which he managed to summon before it flew further to the corner.

If there was someone who could be misunderstood with their looks, it would be Caleb. Sporting an undercut with a head of dark brown curls, Caleb had eyebrow slits and several piercings on his ears, including one dangling earring. When they weren't wearing their uniforms, Caleb was often dressed in black, even sporting black fingerless gloves, and a red short-sleeved shirt with suspenders. If no one knew him, they would probably think he was some dark wizard or an Ashwinder at the very least. Yet, as Norah knew, Caleb was actually quite the opposite.

"It's fine, Caleb, I bumped into you, I have to help you," Norah summoned the rest of the books and papers, in time to stack each one on top of the other. Caleb offered a shy smile. "Just be careful on your way in," She said, handing them back to him.

"I will," He chuckled. "You're quite the hero, my parents couldn't be more surprised knowing that I'm in the same year as you," He added, gesturing to one of the papers, which had her photo.

Norah shook her head. "I'm surprised I even received it at all."

"Nonsense, you deserved it. With everything people say about you?" Caleb assured her. "Well, I have to go have dinner now, thank you for helping me."

"Not a problem at all," Norah smiled, walking off toward the direction of the grounds. She passed a few other students, including an unamused Henry, who, as one of the Ravenclaw prefects, had already begun his rounds. It wasn't surprising that Henry was a prefect at all.

"And where are you going, Lee?" He teased.

"Owlery, I'm not sure my parents received the news, but I hope they will," She replied.

Henry nodded. "Don't stay out too late, I might have to reprimand you," He teased again, shaking his head as he laughed to himself.

"You know," Norah turned around, walking backwards. "I wouldn't be surprised if you became Head Boy next year."

Henry laughed. "I'm not counting on it!" He called out.

#hogwarts legacy #hogwarts legacy mc #norah henry adele caleb #sebastian sallow #ominis gaunt #garreth weasley #leander prewett #amit thakkar #imelda reyes #poppy sweeting #natsai onai

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cryptar · 2 years

Text

[KARLNAPITY FIC RECS]

Be My Teenage Dream Tonight

Sapnap-Centric, Glee Club AU with a love triangle that's got me frothing at the mouth, with a pinch of coming out and found family, also pyroduo my beloved.

A Hunch And A Prayer

Oneshot, Sapnap's an assassin posing as a bodyguard for his victim, Quackity, but he can't bring himself to kill him, Karl is after both of their heads

When The Sunlight Dies

Sapnap POV, dream team, adventure, fluff, angst, knights, gods, a royal-fucking-coup, seriously, believe me when I say this is one of my all-time favourite fics.

This Light From All Eclipse

Quackity finds himself stranded on an island in the middle of a storm, with only the echoes of a mysterious lighthouse keeper to keep him company. The waiting begins.

There Is Not Much Time And Time Is Not Fast Enough For Us Anymore

Karl and Sapnap become a new superhero team and are tasked with capturing Quackity. It should be easy, except life is never quite that simple.

Glue Sticks And Paper Rings

Quackity & Tubbo POV, Quackity has a crush, and Tubbo decides to play matchmaker. Shenanigans ensue.

Strange Trails

Karl POV, Feral boys fantasy adventure/action fic, with dragons! and fairytales! and romance!

Wake Up

Oneshot, Karl POV, Karl thinks he's dreaming, so he tries to wake up.

The Fiancés, And Their Adventure In Adopting Traumatized Teenagers

The fiancés unintentionally adopt three horribly, horribly traumatized kids. Because, uh, that's... what you do when you're planning a wedding?

We Must Have Good Pitch, ‘Cause Baby, You and Me are So In Tune!

The Feral Boys band is looking for a new Lead Guitarist and Rhythm guitarist after a string of bad luck and their high standards. With Sunset Band Fever, a local competition, barely 3 weeks away, can they find the missing links to complete their band?

Come Home With Me

Oneshot, Mute!Karl, Quackity is in Las Nevadas. Karl and Sapnap wait for him to come home.

All This And Love Too

Found Family, Hometwt, Quackity, Karl, and Sapnap are hardly paranormal investigators, but Ranboo is a desperate teenager with a missing best friend and no more options.

Hooray

Author recommendation, frequently writes karlnapity-centric one-shots, one of my favourites being 'silver tongue', wonderful especially if you like horror and more serious fics!

Karlburnapity

Wilbur-Centric, Series, Wilbur Joins the polycule.

Downward Spiral

Karl-Centric, Series, Angst, Amnesia, Read these if you like being sad.

Tuck Me In Your Covers, Bring The Colour Back Into My Face

Quackity struggles with PTSD flashbacks after his complicated relationship with Schlatt and is very adamant that he is actually completely fine and doesn’t need any help from his fiancés at all.

You're Dead.

Sapnap is a monster-hunter who was turned into a vampire, said vampire was quackity, who's married to schlatt, which Karl isn't too happy about, oh, also, dream's possessed by a demon, jsyk.

Becoming Fiancés: Through the Good and the Bad(BoyHalo)

Karl, Sapnap and Quackity all propose to each other, but they need their parent's permission first.

But You And I Will Always Be Back Then

Karl POV, mostly honq-centric, Karl travels pre-Imanburg festival and gives Quackity the love he deserves, also he hugs Tubbo.

The Process Of Reliving

Sapnap-Centric, Sapnap kills the ender dragon, lots of dream team angst.

Zinnia

That fic where Karl is slowly losing his memories, and he, Sapnap and Quackity are trying to find out the secrets behind his time travels while also holding their relationship together, before everything falls apart for the final time.

Into Ice And Snow

Quackity-Centric, Quackity joins the Antarctic Anarchist Commune, and he has wings.

Nowadays

Karl-Centric, time travel, unreality, a really disorientating, incredibly well-written two chapter read, it's like you can fucking feel Karl losing himself.

Out Of The Woods

Karl POV, A new transfer student changes everything, shoving Karl into the woods and possibly ruining his “perfect” life plan.

Between Memories and Brewing Storms

Hometwt, Ranboo collapses beside a house in the rain, Three fiancées take him in, but even as his life brightens, new clouds appear on the horizon.

I Can't Think A Thought Without Wishing You Were Here

Quackity POV, Quackity's a cheerleader with a crush on his best friend; AND said best friends jock boyfriend.

Iridescent Eyes

Oneshot, Crack, Mason and Jack Kernoff hold Karl Jacobs hostage.

#karlnapity #dsmp #mcyt #karl jacobs #quackity #sapnap #quacknap #honq #karlnap #fic rec #dsmp fic rec #fic recommendation #karlnapity fic recommendation #long post #dream smp

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thefirstknife · 2 years

Note

I completely agree with your point. I rarely play pvp and I wanted the helmet from iron banner, so I had to get into the crucible for the first time in years and I would get completely crumb stomped every other game or two. I played to the point where I basically reset my rank when I got the helmet it was demoralizing. Yea sure I'm not the best pvp player but going up against sweats is extremely frustrating when I'm either trying to get better or just playing for a specific armor piece or weapon, and I just get killed repeatedly by the same person or I'm just dead more often than I'm actually alive. If it's frustrating for a casual player, then the sweats should get frustrated too from going up against each other. Just saying

(sorry for slight rant hope your day is going well)

Yep and that's honestly an experience most of us can attest to. It's incredibly frustrating and pushes people away from the Crucible entirely. I genuinely have weeks where I just don't play it, even when I need the pinnacle. I would rather do anything else for the pinnacle. I don't care if I miss that one because I am just not enjoying my time being stuck in spawn.

And the best thing is that like. If you're a pro player, shouldn't you strive to compete with pros? To show off your skill? Because if you're in a lobby with 0.6 kds and you're getting a 37 killstreak, you're not impressive to me? When I want to watch pros, I prefer watching them go against other pros.

I know they say stuff like "but sometimes I want to relax in the Crucible!" Which... Fair! So do I! And I can't! There is no Crucible mode where I can go to relax and play casually because every mode is a sweat fest to me. The fact that you HAVE that option in the first place is already a massive difference. A pro can load into quick play and turn his brain off and stomp casuals. And now suddenly they can't do that anymore. And they think this is some sort of a slight instead of literally just being a FIX. You never should've been able to do that in the first place.

Like, sorry but that's not how pvp in a video game should function. Quick play should be "casual" to everyone, not just to you. Right now when I'm in quick play, I feel like I can compete and I have more interest to give it a go. There's still issues, but most regular players said that SBMM made their games much more even and better to experience. We still have to tryhard in a lot of them, but there's no overwhelming stomps where I'm just stuck and can't leave.

The only way stomps can happen to pros is if the matchmaking messes up and one pro gets 5 casuals on their team while the other team is 6 pros. Which is definitely an issue with matchmaking to talk about! But the idea of putting pros vs pros is not the problem by itself. Again, there's definitely issues because the pro population isn't that high so it has to be mixed with non-pros sometimes, but that's a much deeper issue and a completely different one. SBMM benefits the most people and any SBMM-specific problems (like the weird mix-ups where one team has too many pros while the other doesn't) can be dealt with on their own.

But even then it's like. Okay, sometimes a pro will experience a stomp. Okay. It's already like that to me. You can handle it. I've been told all my life to learn to handle it and to "git gud." So you know. Again, very little sympathy from me towards the gaming community.

#destiny 2 #crucible #ask #like the whole thing with 'we want to not get stomped and we want chill pvp' is SO FUNNY to me because like.#when i say that i'm called a stupid noob who has to git gud #that has been a constant in every game forever. so i really can't be sympathetic to these pros #especially since when they say stuff like that they only want it for themselves #fundamentally i agree with them. stomps are bad. constant sweating is bad. not having chill pvp is bad.#but if this is 'fixed' in their favour sure. THEY won't have it anymore. but the rest of us will #even obvious chill modes like mayhem tend to be populated with sweats who are hardcore meta loadouts #in MAYHEM. bro let me use my silly little supers

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ficreadergirl · 2 years

Text

Drabble 5

"Red one or brown one?" you were asking Kory about which dress yous should choose for the night.

"Does it really matter? You'll look awasome in anything. And boys'll definitely fall in love with you again and again." she chuckled.

"What are you talking about? It's about make him friendzone me forever!"

"Both of them or just Charlie?" she asked. You started to blush.

"Shut up! There's no such a thing like that! We're friends and will stay like that." Really? Wouldn't you want more Y/N?

"Well your face says otherwise but I don't want to be the one make you redder." she chuckled again.

"What're you talking about? I'm not gonna get redder!"

"Yes yes. I'm sure you'll get." she winked at you. What's she talking about? Does she know something about my feelings? Or could that be Jason's? Y/N!! Stop dreaming!!

"What do you mean?" you asked hoping she'll explain it the way you wanna hear.

"My lips are sealed." she said looking all-knowing.

"Really Kory? Whose side you're on?"

"Side? Is there a battle to pick a side?" she answered. Damn! What're you saying girl? Just choose a dress and go to that damn dinner and then... Everything'll go back to the normal...

"You're right. So which one it'll be?"

"Red is good." she winked again.

"Stop that please. Did you know I almost called Dick to act like my boyfriend?"

"Oh dear! Him? He'd try to matchmake you with Charlie if he liked the boy!"

"I know. It was just a moment of my brain wasn't functioning properly."

"Tim would be better than him. Damn we won't be able to see Charlie's face when he spend 2 minutes with him anymore!"

"Right! He'd be better for this job if he'd pickup his damn phone!"

"That'll be better now. Tim would freak him out. You know with all his nerd side and bags under his eyes."

"Yes! He'd be my best option! Maybe I should call him again." What's that? You're running away from Jason like that?? After he accepted to help you, his best friend?? God help me!!

"No!! Tim might be better for the act but Jason's the perfect one, trust me." Kory said.

"You're not so different than Dick y'know?" you said.

"We're not same or not similar Y/N. Don't even try to imply that!!"

"Well, Kory, he's one of a kind y'know." It's my turn girl! How was that huh?

Now it was her turn to embarrass. "Stop it! How the tables turned to me now?"

"I don't know. Maybe they did when it's too obvious from your movements that you like him." you winked now.

"I'm acting pretty normal with him! What are you talking about? Did Dick say anything to make you feel that way?"

It was her turn to ask about if her crush likes him back. You knew they both had something for each other. They both love each other unlike us.

"It's red then." you said deciding not to embarrass her anymore.

"Y-yes. Red is fine." she said.

You wore your dress and make up with help of Kory.

"Jason's about to be here I guess."

She was looking at you. "You're breathtaking Y/N!"

"Are you secretly into me Kory?" you jokingly asked your hot friend.

"I'd be--"

"If you weren't into someone else I know." one last time you winked at her. Both of you laughed at all teasings.

It was 7pm when you both heard the knocking. You went to the door forgetting Kory was at your place. Hope you like to see me like that J.

You opened the door. He was there. Damn boy! What a delightful look! "Hi! You look great Jason."

"You look great too Y/N." She looks awasome! How will I able to forget about tonight when she looks like that? Come at your senses J.

"So... How do we do it?" you asked him.

"I don't know. I've never pretended as someone's boyfriend before." he joked. Did I screw it up? Did my joke offend her?

"Well, Kory's here. She's gonna help us." you said feeling Kory's warm body behind yours.

"Hi Kory." he greeted her gently.

"Wow Jason, what a gentleman you're!" Kory said almost shockingly.

"I mean I didn't expect you to be like that. Didn't mean it bad way. Really. It's just--"

"Angry robin. I know. It's okay Kory. Really." he assured her.

"You're really cute! You'll absolutely be the cutiest couple ever!"

"Kory!!" you said with your all-blushed face.

Did she hint about her feelings about me to Kory? Is Y/N in love with me? Shit!! How this night will end?

"That' just an opinion! Relax both of you! Or you're gotta get to the hospital before dinner." she winked to both of you.

"Uhm... Maybe we should go to the restaurant?" you offered.

"Y-yes. Let's go to the restaurant."

"Yes. We can discuss about our relationship history. Like ow we met, when we started to date and things like that." you said.

"Maybe you could add some honest things in your story." Kory offered. "Like you two were best friends before dating. One bad day made you realize your feelings for each other?"

Both of you remembered that night. Jason's desicion on getting in to your apartment from your bedroom window. Without giving you a call. You both blushed again.

She definitely told something to them. Why don't you feel the same way Y/N? If you did then...

"Thank you for everything Kory. We would love to discuss about that but we're about to be late. Let's go Jason."

"Sure."

When you both went out your apartment you saw the giant car.

"Uhm, Jason what's that?"

"It's our car." he said all-smilingly.

"Our what?"

"I thought you wouldn't be comfortable with my bike so I rented this car for tonight."

"Wow! You're... thoughtful." Is she smiling? Did she like it? She likes considerate ones. Of course. Who wouldn't?

He opened front door for you. "Thank you." you could say only before your voice started to drop. He's gonna be amazing boyfriend for his lover. It shouldn't break my heart damn it!

You gave directions and you were in the place after 10 min.

You went in the diner with holding hands.

"That'd be more convincing, huh?" you said. He nodded trying not to show you his blushed cheeks.

"It looks like nice place. Did you choose here?"

"Yes. I feel calm here. And tonight I need that feeling."

"Why didn't you ever bring me here?"

"Well... It's--"

"Y/N!! You're here!!" Dick shouted like everyone in the diner had to know you were there.

"Hey Dick--"

"With Jason?? OMG!! You're finally a thing now!!"

"Dick-head, shut up!!" Jason said.

"Why?? You were simping over her behind closed doors!! I'm so--"

And it happened. Dick felt to the ground hard with Jason's puch. You were speechless.

"Why don't you just shut up?"

"Jason!! What just happened?"

"Yes Jay! What was that?" Dick asked too. He was shocked by his brother's reaction.

"I..." Damn it Dick! Why are you here? Why are you saying things like that? In front of her?

"Hi guys!" Charlie greeted the shocked group with a smile. His smile turned into confusion. "Uhm... What's happening Y/N?"

What I'm gonna tell him now? "Well..." while you were still trying to process what just happened Jason and Dick came to your help.

"It's nothing! She didn't expect my b-brother to come eat with us too." Jason said with shouldering Dick.

Dick was smiling like he wasn't punched by Jason now. "Yes! I'm Dick!"

"Hey! I kind of know you, y'know. You're one of Bruce Wayne's boy, right?"

"Yes! We both are actually." Dick said with looking at Jason warmly.

What was that? He's being a brother to me now? Grayson, you're bes-- Good person!

"Wow! Y/N! You're dating one of the Wayne boys? Man, your dad helped me to graduate. If it wasn't him I couldn't be the man I'm now."

What's that? Did he forget about all I-like-Y/N shit? Was this boyfriend act pointless?

When you were freaking out if Charlie'd come near you, your fears died quickly when you realized that Charlie and Dick were in a deep conversation.

You turned Jason and said "So... It was pointless to drag you here tonight. I'm sorry."

She's not bringing up punch thing. She doesn't wanna know about my feelings for her. If she ever know she'll have to... Jason felt huge pain in his heart. Stop feeling Jason. Let her go her way. It's right thing to do.

"Jason? You listening?"

"I'm sorry about tonight. I didn't think Dick would show up and..." he was looking at you to find a hint about a reaction for Dick's words.

"Jason can we talk?"

"We're talking already."

"Uhm... In private."

"Sure." It's over. She's gonna say she only ever saw you as a friend and what you did? Felt in love... I just lost my best friend stupid heart! It's all your fault!

You both stepped out of restaurant. Weather was cold. Like really cold you almost wanted to go back inside.

"Jason--"

"Y/N... I'm sorry about Dick. He was lying. I swear I didn't do whatever he said." But you did stupid boy. If you really wouldn't be so stupid to talk about her with Dick everything could go back to normal. What've you done?

"I might be in love with you." you said in one blow.

What did she say? Damn my imagination! Did she just say... she's... in love?

He thinks you're an idiot. God! Why am I like that? Did I just lose him? Talk to me boy! Damn it!

"I'm sorry if--"

That was the best interruption you ever felt. He's kissing me right? I'm not imagining this? We're kissing! Shit! He's kissing me!!

His hands were caressing your cheeks. It was warm. His lips were warm. His hands were warm. Everything around you started to feel warm. I'm burning. God, it's so good! I'm burning in the middle of fall.

Kiss was sweet. Wasn't spiciest kiss ever. It was just sweet. But it was everything good in the world. Everything purely good in this chaos pit.

I'm kissing the woman of my life. Why did I wait that long? God it's so good. She's so warm. She's awasome. Her lips taste like sweetiest dessert ever.

After you parted both of you were still feeling same warm wave around you.

"Jason..."

"Tell me the truth, am I the reason you guys finally become a thing?" Dick was leaning restaurant's front door. "Well then. I can forgive you punching me brother."

You all laughed at that. You felt your right hand got warmer. You didn't even look at it. You knew Jason was holding your hand like he must to as breathing.

"Are you clingy-kind of boyfriend?" you asked teasingly.

"Well after waiting for that moment to come at least months no one can seperate me from you." he teased back.

"Then drinks are on me!! Yay!!" Dick said.

Y/N’s thoughts and Jason’s thoughts…

Drabble 4

Drabble 3

Drabble 2

Drabble 1

#jason todd x reader #jason todd x y/n #red hood x reader #red hood x y/n #finally I made them a thing #🤭#🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳#special guests #kory anders #starfire #dick grayson #nightwing #dickkory #it's too long #😳#sorry

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aurelim · 1 year

Note

It always makes me so happy when I see someone sharing my opinions about not liking ROs getting together or with "NPCs" if not romanced! I HATE it. It's one of the tropes I hate the most in IF and visual novels. Of course, I have nothing against people who like it, cause tastes! But it makes me very uneasy unless it's something the player can actively influence. I'm fine with it if it happens only if the MC matchmakes actively, and wouldn't happen "passively" on a playthrough in which the MC doesn't push for it to happen.

If it's "mandatory" it stresses me out. I don't even think it's "jealousy" per se for me though! More like... Well most of the time when I play a game, I will ONLY have one single "canon playthrough", and that means I will only ever romance one of the ROs. Sometimes I'm truly interested in more than one, but I always struggle with forcing myself to romancing another one, since I feel like "betraying" the first RO and "cheating" on them. It feels pretty awful (and because of my canon playthrough thing, I can't make multiple MCs either, or I will feel like I'm "robbing my first MC out of their story"). In very rare instances I manage to force myself to romance more than one character, but the guilt is always strong. And well, if this cheating on the ROs makes me uneasy, the RO "cheating on the MC" too makes it 100 times worse. It both manages to strenghten my guilt, and also makes me feel uneasy in regard to that romance happening with the RO and another character.

Not only that, but there is another aspect - realism is not what I'm looking for when reading IF or VNs. I LIKE the fact the MC is actually the MAIN character, the one the story revolves around. I love how "special" the romances feel if well written, how "made for each other" the MC and their RO may feel. But if the RO can just end up with someone else on another path, and "bypass" all the struggle and highs and lows they went through with the MC and just be just as happy with someone else... well, it's disheartening, because suddenly the romance with the MC doesn't mean much anymore, and is in a way "inferior" to that other romance.

Anyway, sorry for the rant! Long story short, I'm happy you share my feelings!

Oh haha I'm glad you can relate!

The way I play IFs, I usually self-insert. Rare when so many use their own MCs, but I just like seeing my name used in the game LOL. I think I can understand if you feel like you are cheating on your first chosen RO if you go for another. But personally I do not get attached that way. What I do is save, see what the romance option is like, reload the old save and then continue playing. Or I use the back button if available.

I try not to get too attached to a character. That can be hard if the character is well-written. In A Tale of Crowns I could not imagine romancing anyone other than X. Although I tried A and also loved that route too. My heart was all in for X despite this. Don't feel like you're cheating! At the end of the day, IFs are games with insanely good writing and especially if it is a demo you can always replay again! Then again, if the demo is long it may feel like a chore to go back. I've certainly done demos where I wanted to try another route but didn't since that would mean I'd have to restart to the beginning.

I read arguments about how romancing an RO makes it feel special when MC and RO go through a journey of self-discovery. Arguably one of the best things about romance in a game, right? Everyone loves to see that. But for some, if a RO falls in love with someone else and appears to have no self-discovery like MC and them did in a romance route, then it is disheartening.

I don't think of it as disheartening or inferior. Maybe there is problems in the background that the MC does not know about. The RO appears happier with this someone else but there may be underlying problems. There is no such thing as a perfect, happy relationship. In fact, if the MC and RO go through struggles then it is the sign of a healthy relationship! Whatever is going on with the RO and that someone else--that "perfect" relationship will soon show its flaws. From there they would have to work it out.

As you can see, I have written a response that matches your rant. Hope this makes you feel less bad about yourself!

(also i see you have made at least three asks to me and at this point with this subject now up I have to know--which RO from ATOL are you going to romance????)

#if ros #been answering asks like this for a while #have i really started a controversial topic??#i hope this doesnt offend anyone

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random2908 · 2 years

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My two sisters and I are probably never going to marry, probably never going to have kids. Pretty sure my little sister is just all the way aroace. Middle sister and I are somewhere on the gray scale where we don’t identify as ace or aro, but sex and finding a romantic relationship are like down around like #10 on our life priority list. For most allo people it seems like one or both of those is typically in their top 3, and for plenty of people it’s #1.

People talk about Millennials not have kids, generational deviance due to despair, whatever. And it’s like... wow, I don’t think of myself as having or leaning on role models much, but my sisters and I are so lucky this was role-modeled so much for us as kids.

Like. Two of our mother’s siblings never married. They’re both in long-term relationships, but no marriage, no kids, and they’re in their 80s now. Two of our grandparents’ cousins--the two they were closest to--weren’t even in long-term relationships (and were still alive and participating in family stuff in our childhood memories). My grandmother had an aunt who never had romantic relationships--also still alive when I was very young, she lived past 100--and my grandfather had THREE uncles who so far as I know were never in serious relationships, although none of them lived past 40 so even my mom never met them. There were an additional two great-uncles of my grandfather, great-great uncles of my grandmother (my grandparents were distant-ish cousins) whose father died before they were old enough to have an arranged marriage and they decided that gave them the liberty to never be in relationships--one of them lived to be pretty old, like into his 70s, old enough that my grandparents knew him. That’s not getting into the occasional lesbian cousin across the generations (presumably there were gay male cousins and uncles too, but they weren’t out back in the day).

That’s my mom’s side. About half my relatives on my mom’s side never had kids. About half of those were never in serious romantic relationships. It’s common in my family.

On my dad’s side it was rarer, because arranged marriage lasted into my grandparents’ generation and was still universal in my great-grandparents’ generation. But my dad’s favorite great-aunt had been married off to an American in her early 20s, and he died just a few years later (possibly as a US soldier in WWII? I’m not really sure). But not before she got American citizenship, and then she was like, she was an American citizen--what did she even need marriage for anymore? She lived long enough that I remember her, vaguely. Only one of her siblings--only one person in my great-grandparents’ generation--had anything resembling a love match, which is to say one of my dad’s great-aunts married a doctor who was stuck in the same relocation camp as her because it seemed like a pragmatic choice, but she didn’t have parents or a matchmaker to pick him out for her so she did it herself.

That was my dad’s idea of what a love match looked like: he married literally the only Jewish woman in his doctoral program, because he needed to marry and have kids, and that was the option on the table, and at least they laughed at some of the same jokes and really that’s good enough.

My sisters and I were poisoned by American movies, according to my dad. We thought “falling in love” was a thing, and it’s mostly not, he said, and we needed to get over it. Grow up--find someone you can get along with emotionally and financially (because most divorces are over money), someone who will laugh at some of the same jokes and someone you can survive a road trip with without hating them; get married; start procreating. My sisters and I said no, mostly quietly, occasionally out loud in my case because I’d rather have a fight most of the time. Whether or not we believe falling in love is a thing, we weren’t doing that.

But it’s ok. Because on my mother’s side, the American side, the side where arranged marriages ended in the 1880s, this is normal. It’s normal in a big family for only one or two siblings to marry--and our baby brother is married and planning to have kids, it’s not like it’s none of us. It’s not about being a Millennial with Millennial values at all. It’s that the wider message of our family said it was ok to do this, this was a choice available to us. So we took that choice.

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kyokkou · 2 years

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💘 who would hikaru be with if kiku weren't an option, and vice verse?

♫ FOREVER LOVE ♪ | accepting

“Well, actually, this has-- it almost happened before. He was not always an option... this is a little embarrassing...”

Hikaru has to compose himself before continuing, but he still looks ashamed of himself for even looking fondly upon something that happened so far in the past.

“My health was a little shaky after the beginning of the Edo period-- I was not sickly but I think all of the fighting really took a toll on me. I was well cared for by Rena, and it was... this is not about her, you know. I doubt she even has those memories anymore-- no, nevermind! It is far from important anymore, because that was even further back.”

“I met Tsukioka-san through her. They are still friends today, somehow. Fate is really interesting in that way... but I think the intention was not to be matchmaker, but to... get me out of my home more often. Their family were merchants from then and made quite a fortune, which they still attain today. Megumi... is no different today than she was then. Very outgoing. She made me uncomfortable at first, it was just improper to behave the way she did, but...”

“I really did hate to see her get arranged to someone else. It was very much like losing her to old age, contact between us ceased before I could say anything.”

“I have a reputation as a cheater, you know. It’s outdated by now, but I think I’d only pick one person if I couldn’t have Hikaru. It’s none of the usual suspects, either-- not Kiriko, not Reiji’s sister or his ex, and certainly not England. That would just be a complete disaster, like our alliance was. And I’m too good to chase my own aircraft around, though I can at least be assured loyalty from them.”

He says nothing of Kiriko, who he knows had no mutual interest in him-- or if she did, she was too good at hiding it. Either way, he has too much respect for her to criticize her for it, and Kiku doesn’t want to admit that it would never work for very remote cultural reasons.

“In any case, my answer is easy. It’d be Rena, because it was her after the war. Hikaru was not an option for me during that time, but she was after her untimely demise landed her in the same place I was stuck. Not that I would like to go through that time again, but the ten years I spent with her were at least comfortable, and if I was forced to pick someone other than Hikaru... I could live with this arrangement. She’s a lot like Hikaru-- she always has been. I don’t know who decided to tie her to us, but it’s a perfect match.”

“Things are the way they should be now, though. She’s going to grow up well and marry someone who will not outlive her, and we’ll meet again in the next life. Maybe there’s another timeline that has kept Hikaru from me, but this one is thankfully not it.”

#✺ 「そんな風にも考えていたの。」 || answers;#anonymous #[ OH THIS WAS SO FUN I FINALLY GOT TO REVEAL HIKARU'S HUMAN LOVE INTEREST IS RENA'S BFF ]#[ SURPRISE EVERYONE also reminder that rena was 27 when the war ended / she died ]#[ her death is kind of triggering tho so. just assume from that what happened if you don't know i don't want to upset anyone ]#[ megumi's parents started their merchant career in the edo period and amassed a lot of wealth through that ]#[ they own a (fictional) chain of department stores in this setting and she's still outgoing and boisterous ]#[ also normally megumi ends up marrying rena's older brother naoto LMFAO ]#[ rena: what the fuck megumi he's an asshole ;( | megumi: well of course he is. he's your brother. i think he's gorgeous tho! ]#[ i love them i love them i love them !!!!!! ]

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articianne · 2 years

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Where should I start if i want to get I to the fire emblem series?

this is going to be a pretty biased answer, so... im sorry in advance! this is also a long one, so I'm putting them under a cut.

u have a fair number of options here. All of the ones I'm recommending released in the last decade, mostly because games older than that are NOT friendly to new players due to their difficulty. once u get used to the combat, then 100% some of the older games are fantastic to get into.

ill put them in order of my recommendation, including the new release of engage! i have vastly different reasons for why i may recommend each one.

1) awakening

this one is the beginning of the more "social" games, i.e. the horny chess stuff (cough dating sim). i think this one is the one that's recommended as a "Start Here!" game the most, and for good reason! i absolutely love it for what it is, and it has a good balance of combat, story, and the matchmaking stuff. i recommend this first to anyone who heard of fire emblem's social mechanics and, as a result, wants to dive in. it also has lore that goes back to the very beginning of fire emblem to FE 1. not much, but it does. from here, u can go back and do older games, or keep going and play the newer ones. Either way u'll be happy with the gameplay choices they added in the last decade or u'll enjoy harder combat from before then. this is my 2nd or 3rd favorite FE game!!

2) engage

i am really surprised i'm able to say this game considering it just came out, but it honestly is a really good place to start, unless downgrading in graphics is a big issue. i honestly have nearly no issues with this one—granted I'm not done with it but it's got a bit of romance for the protag, a tone in the story similar to 80% of the other games, REALLY FUN COMBAT, and somehow literally every other protag in the series without spoiling things for other games.

it is also VERY cheesy, maybe even more than normal, and the plot is fairly predictable (as far as I can tell). but cheese is a mainstay in FE games. if that's not up ur alley, prepare to either cringe or relish in anime. i fucking love it lmao

the only complaint i have, and this is literally my only complaint so i am truly nitpicking, is that for some reason like 20% of the girls in this game have vtuber hair that goes down to their ankles, and i don't know why. I don't know why this was a style choice, or if there's a plot reason, or whatever, but a lot of them have it. I don't even have a problem with "toothpaste pepsi mc" anymore. m!Alear is WILDLY endearing to me, but f!Alear's hair is so fucking long. i just. How.

3) shadows of valentia

im probably an outlier in recommending this, but i swear i have a good reason. this is the newest "classic" game because it's a remake of FE 2—i.e. if u don't care about matchmaking or having the protag marry someone of ur choosing, or if u simply wanna get a taste for the older style of games first before going to the games with more stuff to do, then i recommend this one. The story is fantastic, it's fully voice acted with some of THE BEST acting (and also music) I've honestly ever heard. but i am definitely biased since this is my favorite FE game and one of my fav games of all time. however, it really is just combat and story, with a few spare support conversations between characters for the sake of stat boosts (all the romance is canon within the story—can't change a bit about that).

4) three houses

this is the last one out of the "play this first" i'll recommend, because ill be honest, I'm not a fan of 3h's gameplay. I do like many of the characters, I think the serious tone of the game is great, but the gameplay really soured a lot of it for me. There's a calendar system that steamrolls the story so ur mostly just there for the ride as the hours clock by. As well as that, many of the combat skills that other games share with each other aren't a thing in this one, so combat mechanics can be a hard shift going from this game to anything else.

that being said, this is a great place to start if u want a game that will introduce u to the strategy mechanic that also isn't campy, cheesy, filled with anime tropes, whatever. the game is serious, with different routes and loads of choices for matchmaking galore. the only caveat is literally no other game in the franchise is like this. many of the other games are about light & dark and our friends make us strong and My Whole Personality Is About This One Thing. which i personally LOVE. but if that isn't for u, i would start with 3h, get used to the gameplay, warm up to the idea of campiness. and if u still think it's not for u, then great, u played 3 houses and probably enjoyed it a lot and u can wait until a new game comes out that may match the tone.

hope this helped!

#reply #anon

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