#my otps when it comes to this crowd:

[coffeetank]

Writing ROMANTIC TENSION!

When you're writing romance, you need to have TENSION. Your characters need to pull your readers into the story with not just their dialogues, but also their chemistry. What is tension, you ask? It's quite simple. When two people are attracted to each other, or like each other, or are in love with each other, it causes a certain shift in the air. When these two people come together, they seem to outshine everyone else in the room and make it just about themselves (in a good way ofc). This shift in the air which hooks you into the scene is called tension. The chemistry that your main characters carry, will infact carry the whole story --- if you're writing romance, i.e.

How do you write this romantic tension? Well, as someone who's been writing romance for 4 years now, here's a few things I do to show the chemistry between my characters.

Show, don't tell: This is probably the most common advice you'll ever receive. And spoiler alert: IT IS TRUE. Any scene that includes an emotion will require you to show it, visualise it for the crowd instead of just writing it down. Romance, love, is a sensitive emotion. The readers need to SEE it happening, instead of just reading about it. Eye contact, long stares, switching their gaze from the eyes to the lips & back to the eyes, coming close for a few seconds, banter-turned-flirting are some ways you can show the chemistry.

Intimacy is key: Proximity. Closeness. Coming together. Put your characters in situations where they have to work together. Show their differences/similarities in handling tasks and make them argue or slightly quarrel if there's any differences and show them rejoicing if there's an agreement. Intimacy lies in more than just the body, bring out a quality in your characters, preferably a good one, in your characters when they're together. Make that quality their strong suit that drives them closer.

Words are sexy: Dialogues can create tension better than anything else (in my opinion). Notice how every time your ships/pairings are bantering, one of them ends up saying something sexual or romantic in a frisky way and we end up blushing like crazy? Yep, that's the goal. We absolutely love it when the guy says "oh yeah?" or ends up calling the girl a cute nickname while bantering. Dialogues can reach out to readers in a more personal way because they are the direct interactions between your characters. Make your OTP interact and have fun (pun intended!)

Add restraint: Sometimes, when the characters are almost about to kiss and someone interrupts them, we feel like throwing the book away. But at the same time, we want more because we want to see our characters kiss, or confess, or even get down dirty ;). You have put your characters in each other's close proximities, given them a driving force and added a razzle-dazzle with the dialogues and flirting! Yet, something is missing and the romance feels too....predictable? Put a constraint. This is especially important for slowburns. Personally, I love me a slowburn - it creates higher tension, emphasises on a foundation between characters and makes the kiss/confession/sex even more hot (again, my opinion). I suggest, a hint of a barrier won't do any harm. When you've reached the level of tension where it's normal for your characters to kiss or make-out, your readers are more focused than ever. Adding a restraint will make them crave the romance more and hence, stay hooked into the story. HOWEVER, DON'T STALL THE PROJECT. Just because your characters got interrupted in chapter 7 doesn't mean they can't kiss till chapter 15 or something. If they don't kiss in this chapter, they kiss after maybe 2-3 more chapters. You want to delay the romance only by a tad bit, so that your readers are still interested.

That's all I have for today! I hope these help you guys! - ashlee.

[hmslusitania]

For the OTP Ask:

#21 with Arrowverse: Tommy Merlyn and Oliver Queen.

21. "I don't drink." "Oh really now? When did that start?" Sooooo.... this became basically a deleted scene from season one? I've never written arrowverse fic before, this was honestly very fun! I mean, angsty, ambiguous ending, but fun to write at least!

Be at the party. Be Oliver Queen. Be the idiotic socialite they all still expect you to be.

It’s not quite working the way it should, and Oliver kind of hates that. Most people are buying it, the strangers, the hangers on who’d always wanted to flock to and fill up the Queen and Merlyn parties back in the day. There’s a blonde girl by the bar who’s a little too young to be hanging with this crowd, and she reminds him of Sara with a sharp stabbing sensation right up under his ribs. There’s Laurel, real and here and so understandably mad at him, for dying and for surviving and for every shade in between those two extremes. There’s Thea, definitely too young to be at this or any party, still working on that drug problem he’d tried to curb when Amanda Waller had brought him back to Starling in time for Tommy’s birthday party, years earlier.

They all still see the Ollie they’d lost, the man who’d died the second Robert Queen pulled that trigger.

The memory of his father drags him out of his maudlin thoughts about how well his social camouflage is or isn’t working. He’s got a task, something to accomplish tonight. There’s a reason he’d arranged to have his welcome home party here, right across the street from the offices he’ll need to sneak away into, to cross one more name off the list.

“You look more in need of a drink than any man I’ve ever seen.”

Oliver tears his gaze away from the party, away from the target’s office, and discovers Tommy, standing beside him with a glass in his hand that he’s extending Oliver’s direction.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you at a party with an empty hand,” Oliver says, but he accepts Tommy’s offering. After his time in Russia, after his time with the Bratva, there’s basically nothing the booze in Starling City can do to him. Frankly, considering how he and Tommy had spent their youth, the only reason the Bratva’s vodka had been able to do anything to him at all had been because of his drier time on the island.

“Yeah, I don’t really drink at parties anymore,” Tommy confides.

Oliver takes a sip of the concoction Tommy’s brought him, and raises an eyebrow. “Who are you and what’ve you done with Tommy Merlyn?”

Tommy laughs, just a little, and ducks his head before he scans the crowd. Oliver doesn’t have to follow his gaze to note where his attention pauses: Laurel at the bar, Thea in the crowd, and ever so briefly on the blonde at the counter who reminds him of Sara.

“You don’t want to hear the story,” Tommy assures him. “Promise.”

“No, I think I do,” Oliver says. It’s not… quite right for the Oliver he’d been before all of this, but it’s in keeping with the man he’s trying to be publicly. The Oliver who regrets the decisions he’d made before he’d been lost at sea, the Oliver who’s come back to Starling City to do right by his family and his family legacy.

But there’s a script for stories like this, for reasons why socialites don’t drink at parties. It’s usually something like “I don’t drink white wine anymore, because I had a terrible day entertaining my father’s contacts at the club, and I spent eight entire hours at one table and the waiter kept refilling my glass of chardonnay and now whenever I smell the stuff, I dry heave.”

It’s usually silly problems like that, that don’t have any bearing on Oliver’s life anymore, that he can’t imagine caring about. But from the cloud that passes over Tommy’s face, he’s suddenly driven to remember Hong Kong, to remember escaping Maseo’s guard long enough to call back home, to remember being placed on a roof with a sniper rifle, because Tommy had trekked across the globe to find him on the faintest shred of hope that Ollie might still be alive.

It won’t be stupid socialite reasons, and Tommy confirms that when he steers Oliver closer to the stairs and to a quieter part of the party.

“While you were gone—” Tommy pauses to shudder, and swallow back the idea of the five years Oliver had been dead for all intents and purposes. “—my twenty-fifth, Thea snuck into the party, and she was, uh, I don’t want you to go off the rails about this, but she had a drug dealer, and, I should’ve been keeping a better eye on her. I tried, man, you have to know I did everything I could to be a big brother for her while you were missing, but this guy got into the party anyway, and I’d been drinking enough that it took Laurel intervening to keep Thea out of juvie, and ever since, I might not have been able to keep her out of parties, but I can at least make sure I’m sober enough to keep her out of trouble.”

He doesn’t mention that the drug dealer had died at the party, and Oliver doesn’t blame him. They’re not at a point where they can be totally honest with each other about what they’d been doing with their time in their five years apart, and they’re not at a point yet where Oliver can tell him about the Hood, about the arrows, about the list.

But they don’t have to be at that point for Oliver to know in his bones that Tommy is a good man. A better man than he’ll ever be.

“I know you did,” Oliver says, and lets himself give in to the impulse to throw his empty arm around Tommy’s shoulders and pull him into a hug. “There was never any doubt in my mind that you’d keep an eye on all of them for me.”

“Yeah,” Tommy says, and his voice is a little thick when he responds, but it’s nice when he actually hugs Oliver back. It’s… it’s nicer than Ollie deserves. All of this is, even the open animosity he’s getting from the Lance family. “Yeah, man, you know it was the least I could do, since I — since I couldn’t do anything for you.”

If they were other people, it might be the moment Tommy tells him about following a wild goose chase to Hong Kong, about clinging desperately to the hope that Ollie was still alive, not because he didn’t want to keep an eye on Oliver’s family for him, but because of the simple fact that he missed him.

But they’re not other people, and they’re both maintaining reputations, and Tommy’s reputation might be hiding less of a dark interior than Ollie’s own fakery, but it’s no less of a mask. One of these days, at least for a minute, he wants to sit down with Tommy without a mask to hide behind. He wants — well. He wants a lot of things, and one of those things is that he wants to share the whole truth of himself, the reality of everything from Lian Yu and Hong Kong and his return to Starling and Russia with someone, and Tommy’s the only candidate he’s got. Not just because he couldn’t bear the idea of burdening his mother or Thea with it all, not just because Laurel is rightly not speaking to him, but because Tommy’s… Tommy. He wants to tell Tommy about Shado and Slade and Sara and Ivo and Anatoly and Tatsu and Maseo and Constantine and goddamn Amanda Waller. He wants to tell him about his father, about the list, about whatever the fuck the Undertaking is.

But Tommy is Tommy, and therefore Tommy is a good man, and Ollie—

Well. He’s not Ollie anymore, for one thing. And he’s not a good man anymore either, if he ever was. But maybe, maybe, he can fix his city, and if it costs him his life, well. At least he’ll be content to know that he’s got Tommy, keeping any eye on everyone left who’s still precious to him, including Tommy himself.

“I love you, man,” Tommy murmurs, just quiet enough that it could get lost in the music and noise of the party if Oliver wanted it to.

“I love you too,” Oliver says, and then he has to tear himself out of the embrace he’d started. He has to duck into the stairwell with the excuse of needing to track down a bathroom. He has to find his bow and hood where he’d stashed them.

He’s got a name to cross off.

[anthurak]

5. Has fandom ever ruined a pairing for you?*

What OTPs in your fandom(s) do you just not get?*

Salty Ask game

For ruining a pairing, I could honestly put many if not most hetero ships in RWBY in this category thanks to fandom bullshit, in particular ANY girl/Jaune ship outside of Arkos, and even that’s shaky for me (I have a special loathing for the Jaune/Harem crowd). Though one case I find particularly unfortunate is Ruby/Oscar, a ship that when if first started cropping up in Volume 4, I thought was kind of cute. But by now it’s gotten tied up in theories and headcanons and people clamoring about how it’s going to happen in-show, all while apparently missing some KEY aspects of Oscar’s character. Namely the fact that Oscar, much like Jaune, is a massive SUBVERSION of a main-character archetype, and not an actual main character.

Which means that it feels like every Ruby/Oscar take I see, at best sounds like it’s treating Oscar as some deuteragonist to Ruby at the expense of Penny or even Ruby’s own teammates, and at WORST sounds like it believes Oscar to somehow be the ‘real main character’ of the show.

I think Ruby and Oscar have a very interesting dynamic in the show itself, like how Ruby acts as a mentor to Oscar in the way that Ozpin failed to do for her. Unfortunately, it feels like much of the shipping for these two has completely missed the memo on any of it.

As for a fandom OTP that I just do NOT get, that’s actually rather difficult. As even for the ships I don’t like, I can generally still trace the ‘logic’ of it to the ‘source’ of the appeal for some people. Even if that source is something as simple as "I think it would be hot if these two fucked" or something as banal as “I want to fantasize about having sex with this pretty girl(s) and am too lazy to come up with my own OC to project onto, so I’ll just project onto this character I find ‘relatable’ and awkwardly crowbar into a generic self-insert mold” -gestures to the vast majority of Jaune/girl ships-

That being said, I have always been rather baffled that the Steven Universe fandom effectively mandala-effected itself into believing that Lapidot was ever anything more than a crackship that the creators threw in because they seemingly somehow ran out of ideas of what to do with Lapis.

[gvenevera]

Kuroshitsuji Musical ~ 寄宿学校の秘密 (Secrets of the Boarding School) 2024 ~ VERA’S REVIEW!

Yes you read that right! I’ve had the most fateful chance to watch the very first performance of the newest Kuromyu in Hyogo last Saturday, so I figured I’ll eternalize some of my best memories here.

Before we begin: the LIVE STREAMING is available for the LAST PERFORMANCE, September 29th 2024, HERE! For only 3800 yen, you’ll get to watch it live at home, or watch it later for up to 1 week (October 6th)! Apparently you need a Japanese VPN though, if anyone knows how to navigate the site, please do share.

A few disclaimers from me:

*Anti-shippers DNI. This post barely has any shipping content at all but I don’t like people who harass others over fictional preferences. I’m a shipper, I can’t help being biased for my OTPs.

**Since photos were prohibited in the venue, I’ve included stage pictures featured in official news websites or accounts.

***This is by no means a critical review but merely a fangirl’s ramblings, and I often drew comparisons to the original stage play Kuroshitsuji Musical: Secrets of the Boarding School (2021). For reference, I suggest you watch it first! I intentionally avoided rewatching the 2021 version close to the airing date though, so my memories may not be accurate. Also my Japanese is mediocre so I apologize if there were important dialogues I didn’t catch.

Introduction

I know, sorry for the dilly-dally intro. But I’d like to first stress that ever since I started following Kuroshitsuji in my first year of university (like 9 years ago now lmao), I’ve ALWAYS dreamed to watch the stage musical live in person. When 2024’s performance was announced immediately after the last episode of the anime, I was overjoyed to see that our old cast was coming back.

And it was fate that gave me the opportunity - my scheduled work program this year was set to be in Kyoto AND during September! Needless to say, I had the Kuromyu ticket bought and reserved first, before my confirmation with the Kyoto office or my visa and plane ticket. Priorities, right?

Quick remark on the ticket process: I hit a snag right in the beginning because the ticket reservation website Eplus required a Japanese phone number to sign up. I contacted multiple people (middle school friend whose brother used to work in Japan, another who was quarter-Japanese, several dealer websites with high rate exchanges), until I settled on my roommate’s friend from high school who was currently working there. Many thanks to her and my roommate for the help!

She took care of registration for me - even so the advance sales was a LOTTERY ticket! We fortunately got the lucky draw - I saw many Japanese fans on X who were not so lucky, while others bought in bulk to sell later. Then, I used the online barcode to exchange for a paper ticket when I arrived in Japan on September 1st. That’s when I get to know my seat number - 3rd floor, 2nd row B. A very far position from the stage, but it’s alright because we’re here for the atmosphere anyway!

The performances for the first 2 days were set in Hyogo Performing Arts Center, KOBELCO grand hall. I’ve honestly never been to any kind of music performance (or even concerts) in my life, so I was blown away by the sheer size of the venue.

By 10 AM, the audience was trickling in. I was in awe of the fact that you can tell who was coming in to watch kuromyu - beautiful women dressed in black-and-white tones, many even sporting gothic lolita bows and dresses to keep up with the Victorian England theme. In fact, it felt like the whole of Ikebukuro were gathered here in this very building!

We were ushered into the hall entrance at 11 AM and let me tell you, the crowd was suffocating! In front of the theater, there was a goods section for Kuromyu merch. I’m so glad I took the time to queue up because it seems some of the merch were starting to sell out by the second day. The booth clerk looked perplex to see a non-Japanese customer here though. Here’s how the line looked like, and this was still early before most of the audiences got in:

(We’re not supposed to take any photos but I saw the warning signs too late…Here’s a view from where I was sitting on the third floor.)

I realized then as we were settling in that some ladies around me had binoculars!! Well how was I supposed to know you could bring those here, instead of trying to find those fancy opera glasses!?! Ah well, I was lucky that I’d recently had my prescription glasses updated and the seat to my left was vacant, so I could lean in to see the center better.

The Performance

While it is true that you can barely see the actors’ faces from the balcony seats, it was the grandness of the performance itself that blew me away. For the first time I could see the stage in all its entirety, all the actors dancing in synchronization, and the special effects…oh it had improved A LOT from 3 years prior!

The stage sets for Weston may look a tad “crowded” in the still photo, as compared to the original where they used white backgrounds but in reality, it blended in so prettily with the flashing stage lights. The middle section was a rotating floor and one of my memorable scenes was where Ciel and Sebastian were discussing their plans while crossing the rotating stage, to give the illusion of “strolling across the school grounds.” Sounds like a simple trick but if looked amazing from above.

On to the story itself - the execution actually barely changed from the 2021 rendition, which for me, was a relief! Now I know, some would argue a rerun should add in different elements, because who would want to see the same thing twice right? From past experiences with Kuromyu, the reruns tend to be hit or miss - different actors, different song remixes, voice changes, and so on. For this performance, I could barely tell that the cast (apart from Ciel, Sebastian and Undertaker) were all new members. Everyone got into character flawlessly!

The story of course followed the entirety of the Public School Arc. The script and choreography was almost identical to the 2021 stage musical version. If you would remember, this Kuroshitsuji arc was the first to be portrayed on stage before the anime adaptation - same as previously, they seemed to take inspiration from the manga only rather than the anime.

Some key moments from the play:

The opening sequence was again a recap of the previous arcs - Jack the Ripper (Lycoris that Blazed the Earth), Book of Circus (Noah’s Ark Circus), Book of the Atlantic (Tango on the Campania). I’ve always loved this part because you could tell they slipped in iconic themes from the past musicals.

Perfect Black: the main theme, and my favorite from this stage! I’m so happy to have heard it live! *swoons* Thank god they didn’t do anything weird to remix it. The whole cast dancing together was beautiful! However I thought 2021 did it better with the dramatic light focus on Sebastian during the chorus drop.

Ciel’s Earl of Phantomhive outfit was changed from the glittery blue suit to a blue-green checkered coat this year. (I’d have bought his Earl photoshoot set if I knew it beforehand) Yana-sensei later tweeted that she was the one to re-design it, to better match Eito. Then Eito Konishi himself replied, saying he was honored to play as Ciel Phantomhive, to which Yana-sensei praised his singing and called him “Eito-bocchan” …boy was he fanboying hard over that. He’s one of us!!

Arrival at Weston: I don’t have a comment on the P4 in particular, they were all straightforward from the manga. I think I like Redmond’s character the most here, he looked very pretty with the side-ponytail and while he was a show-off still, he wasn’t as annoying or arrogant as I somehow expected.

A notable interaction: Violet forcing Greenhill to pose for him at the swan gazebo. Greenhill’s actor really looked strained trying to keep an upside down bridge pose (Edward was supporting his back, but kept getting distracted). When he broke the pose and got up, Violet hit him over the head with his sketchbook so hard that the thump echoed through the hall.

As for the Prefect’s Fags: Edward and Cheslock were giving off some suspiciously gay rivals-to-lovers vibes over here. Which I kinda vibed with, I hope they kept the energy into the Blue Cult Arc!

One important thing: they kept the ALL the Fag lines! Which in Japanese accent also kinda sounded like them repeatedly calling each other “Fućk”. Oh how I wish the anime had kept those!

Soma Asman Kadar: now this guy deserves an ovation just for himself. Not only did he kill the role, he was also the funniest! Soma’s song was greatly improved and lengthened with catchier music and dancing - when his troupe “arrived” at Weston, he even dragged Ciel and Clayton to join in. I can’t do it justice, you have GOT to see those two English gentlemen crack the Indian dance moves! His pestering of Maurice Cole was hilarious and he kept exasperating Ciel out of his character, their chemistry was wonderful. I really didn’t expect to get hooked by Soma in this arc out of all people! Too bad Agni wasn’t here.

Maurice Cole’s miniarc - Flawless. Sometimes I wonder if he was an easy character to play just because his character trait is so extremely over-the-top lol.

The library kabedon scene and sebaciel burning Purple House scene didn’t exist. Another scene cut off from the last musical was where Clayton and the Blue House kids were congratulating Ciel on his fag duties and Sebastian took the chance to blend in with them. Sadly that was one of my favorite adlibs.

Ciel’s dream sequence: this was originally in the 2021 musical. After a talk with Macmillain made him revisit his past trauma, Ciel “dreamed” of the cultists, and Sebastian’s close call with Undertaker in BotA. I actually forgot about this part when I watched it in theater - the highlight was sebaciel reenacting the scene in BotA where they reached for each other, the enactment surprisingly gave me the impression of Ciel’s “worry” over Sebastian’s “vulnerability” here. Unlike the 2021 version though, Undertaker didn’t pull Ciel into a bridal carry or referenced the R!Ciel wake-up scene as clearly.

The second half after the break was the long-awaited Cricket Match. Like the previous version, there was no scene of Ciel jumping into Master Michaelis’ arms, but I think they just couldn’t fit that one into the sequence. The cricket songs were mostly the same as the original - with an improvement being them cutting out Red House’s random beauty pageant contest. It actually felt like the cricket match went by faster this time, which was a win in my book. I’ve heard people complain of Kuromyu 2021 being a “Prince of Cricket” musical, hence the bad reviews back then.

The laxative meat pie scene was hilarious. From Sebastian faking it as a student complete with Red House’s uniform, to the team’s diarrhea horrors. Redmond stole the show again, as he was going to help Harcourt in the middle of the field, but tragedy struck which made him deadpan: “Oh. Someone get Harcourt.” Then immediately left the stage lol. The Blue House kids lifted Harcourt out.

The Green vs Purple house battle was the same as last time. I always felt bad to see Cheslock being the only Purple kid doing his best because without any support member cast while Violet was sitting in the grass. But this time, he gave Cheslock a tree sculpture of his bust as a good-job reward! Good for them.

Lastly Green vs Blue. They incorporated the rotating stage again in the last batting when Greenhill accidentally hit Ciel. The end of the match cut straight to the Thames Boat Ride, then they did the Blue House cheering scene after. Sebastian finally got to do his signature bridal carry, awww.

Midnight tea party: the setting was even more beautiful than last time. Undertaker letting his hair fall from his hat was iconic as usual. I was impressed with Master Agares’ fight scenes because his actor looked quite older than his 2021 predecessor. I always liked how they did Derrick Arden’s death in the musical, it felt more anguished from the P4 POV while in the anime, it just felt like a gruesome horror scene.

Final musical number was Ciel-Sebastian-Undertaker chorus during their fight in the garden. Music and choreography seemed to be similar, EXCEPT they somehow changed the iconic “Your life is my priority” scene!!! 2021’s version had me hold my breath as Sebastian had his arm possessively hooked around Ciel and took off his glove with his teeth (seriously, you have to see it yourself). This time they had Sebastian and Ciel reenact the scene on the highest stage instead of front and center, and I didn’t feel as much suspense nor was there any glove-removal from what I could see. It was also a weird placement because they were so far away, and Undertaker should’ve been the one on the top as he did his goodbye pose holding the moon.

We end the story with Sebastian recapping the aftermath with Weston’s students, and finally sebaciel’s conversation back at the manor. Again, Ciel reiterates that Sebastian is the only one who could never lie nor betray his trust. Perfect Black came on as an outro, and I got chills when Sebastian ended the last verse on a raised note!

The curtain call was the experience I’d waited for. Somehow I only realized just then that the actors would do the full call during their finale performance, which was what we got to see in the recordings! That day, after the cast bowed twice, the exit announcement immediately came on but guess what? The audience, including myself, kept clapping all the way through the announcement, it went for so long that the cast actually came out to take another bow! As they returned on stage, most of us also stood up for a standing ovation - according to twitter this doesn’t seem to be a regular occurrence outside of the finale. It felt like a truly wholesome “welcome back” for the troupe and for Kuromyu, especially after the rather harsh criticisms from the previous stage (due to major cast and style changes, even I took a while to bring myself to watch it) and the long break due to the COVID years.

Overall summary

Kuroshitsuji Musical 2024 was a faithful rerun of its predecessor. They succeeded with the musical numbers, new cast, overall adaptation of the story. The settings, props and special effects were wonderfully upgraded. The original cast carried the show: Eito Konishi’s singing felt greatly improved and I thought he carried himself as more mature than his last performance as Ciel. Sebastian’s Toshiki Tateishi had a mesmerizing voice the more I listened to him, he never went out of breath even while dancing or fighting - truly vocals fit for the troupe leader. Kandai Ueda did well as his own Undertaker too, even with Undertaker’s peculiar accent.

My few complaints: I felt like the P4 cast (bar Redmond) could do to have more distinction in their tones and movements. It felt hard to distinguish who was talking at times. The performance seemed to have a faster pacing this time around, and you get less absorbed in certain conversations between the characters, so I wished they’d added in slow scenes here and there. And of course I miss the signature sebaciel moments that I’ve mentioned - granted, this manga arc had always been my least favored because of the lack of sebaciel interactions anyway! So I’d say they did the best with the source material.

While I enjoyed seeing my favorite production performed live with the music blasting through my eardrums, it was the atmosphere that truly made the experience for me. Sitting in the 4-storeys grand hall full of some 2000 Kuroshitsuji fans really pulled me back in time, especially during the standing ovation. I’m so happy to see my favorite series so loved after all these years. I’m sure Yana-sensei could feel it too.

I wish a successful performance for the cast going forward to Tokyo, and hopeful for many more musicals to come!

[wexhappyxfew]

Also! 29 on OTP dialogue for Annie and Brady?

HI JAMIEEEE!!! thank you so much for this other prompt as well!!! sorry it took a bit to get to! :) i must say, this idea swirled in my head for a bit and then, when i felt things in writing were finally going the way i wanted them to, i felt ready to post this!! thank you again!!!! :D

a little while longer

(a/n): for the annie x brady girlies, with a mix of angst and fluff all at once!!! to say the least, these two have my whole heart and just !!!!!! there was an anon awhile back talking about brady freaking out if he ever saw annie injured or wounded in the slightest way - and well....here ya go! prompt: don't lie to me. i was there.

The soup was probably the best thing she could've had in that moment - despite what little warmth this place provided, the soup was sure to give her enough strength to keep her going. She'd been up most of the night with a nasty, wheezing cough, her nose running and her throat sore as all get-out. Now, with her stomach feeling sour, nose run red from the amount of times she'd wiped it, she felt like she'd been drug behind a truck and tried standing again. But, for now, this little bowl of soup was making her incredibly happy.

Annie looked up and towards where Brady was, sat taking up spoonful after spoonful of soup himself, getting every last bit her possibly could. She had to admit, she was worried about him more often than not - because he spent the majority of his time worrying about her, especially in the past few days. So seeing him eat his fill and focus on himself, settled her for the time being.

"Guys. Guys!" yelling started down the hallway, along with a banging all along the wooden walls of this sad excuse for barracks. Annie met Buck's eyes from beside her at the table and watched as everyone in the tiny bunk room looked towards the doorway to find Benny DeMarco racing in, eyes wide and bloodshot as he made an attempt to catch his breath.

"What is it, Benny?" Bucky said, pushing up from where he leaned against a bunk, forgetting about his soup and focused on the rather frantic nature of Benny there in front of them. Benny took a minute to catch his breath and then pointed outside.

"They got a new group comin' in. Margie may be in that group. We gotta go look." he said quickly, before disappearing again out the door. Annie watched that now-empty doorway and slowly turned to meet Kennedy and Bessie's eyes - there was something unspoken between the three of them that the boys hadn't entirely clued into or focused on. But coming in as a woman was one thing; having survived that level of interrogation was another.

Margie had to.

She had to be in that group.

She was more hopeful than half of them combined.

"Let's go." Annie said, moving to her feet, buttoning her coat and wrapped that scarf around her neck, "C'mon." She was the first out the door, hurrying down the hall, a few echoing footsteps behind her as she pushed outside and attempted to seek out Benny in the crowd. She caught sight of his beanie, and began, rather slowly, moving through the open area towards the gates.

As she got closer, she watched, as if in shaky, frantic real-time capture, as Benny moved along the fence, yelling out, over and over again, before tearing around the edge of the wiring and disappearing into the crowd.

Annie felt her face grow cold and stoic, her shoulders pressed high, her chin pointed up. Her heart pounded as she turned around the edge of the gate and found Benny there on the ground, pulling a rather fragile looking, collapsed, corpse of Margie Harlowe on the ground, her face bloodied, her clothing practically hanging off of her form, and her one shoulder looking twisted in all the wrong places. Then, standing over them, was whom she could only assume as one of the German soldiers who had been begrudgingly dragging Margie along.

This was one of her girls, her flight engineer; bright, sunny Margie, with that beautiful blonde hair that was now all haphazard angles around her shoulders, bright blue eyes that were red and filled with tears and beautiful rosy cheeks that were scarred and bloodied.

Annie slowly looked up at the German who stood silent and still, overtop where Margie was half alive in Benny's arms, her cries weak and pained, Benny's comfort only doing so much to erase the pain of reality.

Annie couldn't take it anymore.

She took three, wide steps forward right into the German's face, without much thought for her own self and stared up at him, her body rigid, her eyes narrowed.

"She's already half-dead," Annie practically spat out, "did you really have to drag her in the dirt like a dying dog!" Any sort of celebration and welcoming immediately went quiet as people turned to look at the female lieutenant who was currently losing it on one of the Germans. Annie's throat tightened.

"How can you just stand there!" Annie managed out again, but she knew she had messed up long before she even had opened her mouth. She should've stayed with her soup, let Benny handle all this. But she couldn't. This was one of her girls, this was Margie Harlowe.

Without warning, the German had grabbed her by the shoulders and swung her around him right into the dirt, her body hitting the ground with a rough whimper, her eyes closing at the pain shooting through her body.

"Annie, don't," came Margie's quiet cry.

"Don't touch her." Benny said, his voice drowned out by the sudden kick of the German's booted foot into Annie's side. She curled into a ball with a strangled cry, tears squeaking out of her eyes, her body begging for some sort of reprieve that wasn't this.

When the German had stepped away, angrily spitting down on her, she heard yelling and a commotion somewhere behind her, which was enough to make her sit up, weakly at that, looking past Benny and Margie in his arms and a few stragglers hanging about.

There, just past them, was Brady, screaming and yelling, being held back by Bucky and Murphy as best as they could hold him, Brady's eyes dead set on the German officer who walked away casually and calmly. Annie turned her quivering eyes to Brady again and watched as he broke free of the bodies holding him back and stomped across the open bit of land, taking his hands on the front of the Germans uniform and slamming him against the rusty wiring, yelling, over and over.

"Don't you dare fucking touch her again!" Brady yelled, his voice sounding like a wild animal's, guttural and raw, as the German yelled back, "Don't lie to me. I was there! I saw you hit her! Don't touch her again!" It didn't take long for the German officer to yell something in German, before swinging at Brady, sending him to the ground.

The brawl turned into a power struggle, the German kicking and punching Brady there on the ground, Brady all but weakened and defenseless. Finally, the two were separated and bodies were left behind and the few groupings that had been out were left behind by the Germans, only watched by guards in the towers. Annie watched as Bucky helped Brady to his feet, Brady struggling to find his footing, before ignoring any possible help, as he ambled over to Annie.

"Annie." he managed out, his voice sounding weak as he collapsed on the ground beside her, his hands reaching forward - he was always reaching for her, they always were with one another - and placing themselves against her cheeks, his thumbs rubbing in circles, "He should've never have hit you. I swear to fucking-"

"John." Annie whispered, slowly bringing her hands to his own cheeks, "You've gotta calm down."

"Not when they hit you, Annie. He did it because he-"

"John." she managed out again, "I'm okay. It's…..Margie." Brady watched her and some sort of realization seemed to hit him. He knew how important the women of Silver Bullets were to her, beyond anything, beyond even herself.

Slowly, the two looked over to Margie there, wrapped in Benny's arms, those tears running down her bloodied cheeks, grasping onto Benny like it was her lifeline. Annie managed to pull herself to her feet, Brady beside her, their hands linking to one another for some sort of support, before she fell to the ground in front of Benny and Margie, her hands shaking as she reached forward. Margie flinched at Annie's touch, her eyes immediately welling with tears - what could they have done to you?

"Hey, Margie, it's me." Annie whispered, reaching her hand forward and softly cupping the girl's cheek, brushing her thumb over her pink, wounded skin, "You're okay." Margie looked up at her with those water-filled blue eyes and let out a croaky cry, reaching up a free hand to lay gently against Annie's hand and nodded.

"I can't believe….I found…you all." Margie managed out, "Benny saw me first……I didn't want anyone to get hurt." Benny let out a quiet, wet laugh, as if holding in any tears he was trying not to shed. Annie looked to Brady, whose face had grown soft and gentle. Brady watched Annie, his face full of love and adoration, that same look she'd gotten the privilege of seeing anytime he watched her.

"You didn't have to go beat up any Germans, Brady." Margie managed out, her hand still grasping Annie's tightly, "You're too kind." The three of them laughed again at Margie's words, before Annie's eyes filled with tears and Margie seemed to notice.

"Don't cry, Bradshaw, I'm still here." Margie said softly, "Look at me."

"I thought you were dead," Annie managed out, her throat filled with emotion, "I should've looked for you….tried to get you to safety-"

"Don't go saying that, Bradshaw," Margie managed out, before letting out a wet, rattling cough, "I got to see Brady beat up a German for a bit. It was worth it."

"I promise it felt just as good as it looked." Brady said quietly.

"Don't give yourself that much credit." Benny offered and the group fell into small bits of laughter again.

By the time they'd gotten Margie up and in the comforting arms of Benny and Bucky who had come racing over like a bat out of hell, Annie had turned to Brady, looking at him bathed in cold sunshine, his face more stressed and sunken in these days, but still the Brady from that first day on base. They watched one another and she smiled slightly, reaching up to run a finger beside the cut near his eyebrow.

"Let me help you dress that," she whispered quietly, her hand cradling his cheek, as he watched her, "thank you for doing that." Brady clenched his jaw.

"He shouldn't have even touched you."

"I shouldn't have gotten in his face. I shouldn't have said a word-"

"You did the right thing, Annie, I know that. They gotta have a little humanity in this place."

"There's barely an ounce of that here." she whispered, voice sorrowful and sad. Brady watched her, before bringing up a hand to clasp around her one against his cheek. For a second, it looked like Brady was going to say something else, but he bit his tongue and continued to watch her instead.

"Does your chest hurt?" he whispered to her, "I'll help you wrap it. I'll scrounge some bandage."

"Only a little," she whispered back, "I'm more worried about your chest. He hit you pretty hard." Brady smiled softly at her and stepped forward, cradling her face in his hands, his beautiful eyes on her own.

"Let me take care of you." he whispered to her, "Let me hold you, just a little while longer." Annie stared up at him and flitted her eyes across his face and lips, before settling on that scar again.

"Only if you let me wrap up your chest." she whispered back to him.

"Only if I can wrap yours." he said back. She stared at him and then smiled softly, nodding, "Is it tender?"

"I'll be okay." she whispered, "You know that."

"I know." Brady whispered, "Sometimes I just….." Annie watched him, her big eyes holding him in her gaze, watching as he watched her back, their emotions hitting a head.

"What?" Annie asked quietly, her voice hidden it felt by the sweeping winds this place had. Brady couldn't get his eyes off her it felt, and like it were the most delicate thing in the world, he pulled her into his arms, probably the warmest hug she'd had since arriving here, and stayed like that. Her heart raced in his embrace and as he pulled back, she looked up into his face right in front of her and licked her lips. The corner of his mouth lifted upwards and she felt her body shiver. Something pulled her closer, she wanted to be closer than they already had been.

"Hey!" Brady and Annie seemed to bounce apart, and they turned to find Bucky walking closer, all smug, hands in his pockets, "We're gonna get Margie comfortable."

"Right." Annie said, stepping back and smoothing out her normally, crumpled clothes, catching Brady's eyes for a second and then pushing her hair behind her ears, "Let's go." She hurried away, towards where Benny was still walking with Margie, as Bucky came to Brady's side. Brady stared at Bucky, who smirked and clapped his shoulder.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing," Bucky said, "quite the dragon slayer though, huh."

"Shut up."

"You tell her yet?"

"Shut up, Bucky."

[soulofamy]

For the OTP meme and the ship...AngelScales!

8- Write about one member of your ship giving the other a compliment. 

Soft OTP prompt

The streets of Sun Do were as busy and bustling as ever as Outworlders prepared for the new season to arrive. While many found it to be a hassle, navigating around such a crowded marketplace, Ashrah found that this was her favorite time to be there. It gave her a more diverse opportunity to people-watch. The more she observed, the easier it would be to adapt to becoming human when she eventually shed the remainder of her demonic vestiges. She was lucky that Syzoth had time to himself that afternoon. There is no one she would rather people-watch with. The two paced the streets together, and Ashrah watched with curiosity as people entered and exited stores.

Her attention turned to Syzoth. "So...what exactly does it take to prepare for the windy season?" Ashrah inquired.

Syzoth glanced at her before looking back at the path. "First and foremost, people look for tools to prepare their farms. During the windy season, the wind blows in seeds from the mountain which could become good crops if they land in soil that has been prepared correctly," he explained. "The wind also causes the temperature to drop, so people want to buy clothing and fabrics to keep themselves warm. And then of course, there are many foods and traditions that people partake in during the windy season that they want to prepare for."

Ashrah listened with fascination. Such a serene concept would have been unfathomable to her when she lived in the Netherrealm. "What sorts of food and traditions?" she asked further.

"I can't say that I am entirely sure about what they are for Edenians," he responded. "However, in Zikandur, during the windy season we moved to the lower levels of our underground province to escape the cold. There were certain animals that only lived that far down. I suppose you could consider eating those as one of our traditions."

Ashrah nodded understandingly and opened her mouth to ask further questions. The sound of a child's voice silenced her.

"Please, Mother?" a young girl in old clothes that appeared to be too big for her asked her mother. She was clutching what appeared to be a plush doll to her chest.

Her mother gave her an apologetic look and lowered herself down to her daughter's level. "Sweetheart, you know we don't have the money. Just wait until after the windy season, Father's crops will be ready to sell," she tried to reason. "We can come back for it."

Ashrah frowned at the sight before turning to look at Syzoth. To her surprise, he was no longer standing beside her. Her gaze wandered around to locate him, then landed on him as he spoke to the street vendor. Ashrah watched curiously as she saw Syzoth hand the man a few coins, then walk over to the impovershed mother and child. They both looked at him without a word. Syzoth smiled down at the girl.

"The doll is yours, little one. Consider it a gift from Empress Mileena."

Ashrah's heart warmed as she saw a grin blossom on the girl's face. After the girl's mother thanked him, he paced back over to rejoin Ashrah.

"What were you about to say?" Syzoth asked, trying to resume their prior conversation.

"You are the kindest man in all the realms," Ashrah said with a smile as she reached to hold his hand. "Very few would do for that child what you just did."

Syzoth's eyes drifted to the side. He pressed his lips together to supress a smile as his cheeks grew emerald. "It was my pleasure."

[bradshawsbaby]

Ooh, I love those spring OTP prompts! I'd love to see 17 (caught in a sudden rainstorm) with the darling Bradshaws!

As a sidenote, I hope you're not being too hard on yourself about not having motivation! You're a lovely person regardless of whether you're writing and it brightens my day to see you on my dash every time you come across it!!

Thank you for sending in a prompt! I really enjoyed writing this one! ♥️ I decided to set it before the Bradshaws are married!

I really appreciate your kind words! Thank you so much! 💕

“Is it supposed to rain?” you asked curiously, gazing up at the charcoal sky, a few hazy stars twinkling overhead behind a light thicket of clouds.

“I don’t think so,” Bradley replied, his arm tightening around your shoulders as the two of you strolled along the street. There was a slight chill in the evening air, and your boyfriend had gallantly draped his jacket around your shoulders as soon as you’d stepped out of the restaurant. “Why?”

“I don’t know,” you shrugged, snuggling up against his side. “Just sort of feels like rain.”

Bradley chuckled at that, grinning down at you. “The Navy’s really rubbing off on you, honey. You’re starting to sound like a regular sailor,” he teased.

Laughing, you nudged him playfully and slipped an arm around his waist. “That’s what happens when you’re dating the best of the best,” you told him with a wink.

You could practically see his chest puff out with pride, and you knew the tips of his ears were turning pink, though it was hard to see in the quickly fading light.

“Do you have to get home just yet?” Bradley asked in a low voice, brushing a soft kiss across your temple that made you shiver pleasantly.

“Nope,” you murmured in response, shaking your head and smiling to yourself as Bradley lowered his arm from around your shoulders so that he could lace your fingers together.

“Good,” he beamed, squeezing your hand as the two of you walked, no destination in mind.

Bradley had gotten out of work early, and today was your day off from The Hard Deck, so the two of you had decided to make the most of it and go out for dinner. You knew soon enough the night would have to end—Bradley had to be up early the next morning for some training exercises—but you were willing to linger for as long as you possibly could.

Just as you opened your mouth to comment on what a surprisingly cool night it was, you felt a raindrop splatter suddenly against your cheek.

Bradley must have felt the drops, too, because his brow furrowed as he looked up at the sky. “Looks like you were onto something, honey,” he murmured as a few more angry drops fell in quick succession.

“Told you it felt like rain,” you smirked jokingly, just as a clap of thunder boomed nearby and the rain began falling in earnest, heavy sheets that seemed to be coming down sideways.

Reaching for the jacket he had draped over your shoulders, Bradley lifted it to cover your head, seeking out the nearest shelter. “Up ahead!” he called out, pointing towards what appeared to be a bar, if the neon Bud Light sign in the window was any indication.

The two of you raced as quickly as your feet would carry you, out of breath and laughing like fools by the time you finally burst through the door, already half drenched.

“Too bad you didn’t have that sixth sense before we left,” Bradley laughed, brushing stray raindrops out of your hair. “We could have brought an umbrella.”

You giggled as the hostess appeared, asking if the two of you wanted a table.

“We’ll just sit at the bar, thanks,” Bradley told her politely, resting his hand on the small of your back as he steered you through the crowd and made sure you got a seat.

“I feel like we’re cheating on Penny,” you teased, ordering two beers for you and your boyfriend.

“She’ll understand. She wouldn’t want us getting pneumonia,” Bradley winked.

You giggled when you realized there were a few stubborn raindrops clinging to his mustache, and reached out to brush them away with your fingers.

Bradley grinned and was about to say something in response when his eyes suddenly snagged on something just over your shoulder. “Oh my God,” he breathed out, his expression morphing into one of stunned recognition.

“What is it?” you asked, gazing over your shoulder. You didn’t see anything beyond a large crowd of people trying to get out of the rain and an old piano.

“I’ve been here before,” Bradley said slowly, his gaze still fixed on the point just beyond you.

“Oh, really?” you replied, not quite sure why the realization had garnered such a reaction from him. “Recently?”

Bradley shook his head, reaching into his pocket for his wallet and rummaging around for a second before he pulled out an old photograph, bent in one corner. “With my parents,” he said softly.

Your eyes widened as you took the photograph from him. Sure enough, it was the same bar. Over thirty years ago, sure, but the place hadn’t changed one bit. The piano was even still in the same spot. You recognized Bradley’s parents immediately, Goose at the piano with a huge, goofy grin plastered on his face while Carole sat perched atop his lap, laughing. Sitting on top of the piano, with rosy cheeks and the most adorable little cowboy hat, was none other than your sweet Bradley. And standing beside the Bradshaws—

“Is that Mav?” you gaped, amazed at just how young your boyfriend’s godfather looked in this picture. It really put into perspective just how young Bradley’s father had been when he lost his life.

“Yeah,” Bradley nodded, smiling as he gazed down at the picture. “That was the last time we were all together,” he told you, throat tightening slightly. “I can’t believe—I mean, of all the places—”

Smiling tenderly, you pressed the photo into his hand and kissed him softly. “I’m really glad we ended up here tonight,” you whispered, nuzzling his nose.

“Me, too, honey,” he said, dropping a kiss on the tip of your nose. “Thank God for the rain.”

Spring OTP Prompts 🌧️

[tessa-liam]

Smoke and Mirrors

9-Hidden in Plain Sight 

Book: The Royal Romance Finale, AU

Series Premise: Hidden in the shadows, poised to challenge the status quo are enemies of the state. The loyalties and honesty of family and friends will be tested. ‘Keep your friends close, your enemies closer’. 

Smoke and Mirrors Masterlist 

Main Pairing: Liam Rys x F!MC Riley Brooks-Rys, OTP ‘LiRi’ 

2nd Pairings: Leo Rys x Amalas, Drake Walker x F!OC Delaney Leigh, Olivia Nevrakis x M!OC Alex Cossoy 

*Most characters belong to Pixelberry.

*Not Beta’d, please excuse all errors 

Rating: M🔞*Series Warnings:  NSFW material, sexual innuendo, adult language/swearing/drinking/gun violence. Not recommended for anyone under 18 years of age. 

Category: Alternate Universe/on-going series/angst/fluff 

Words: 2394 

Chapter Summary: It’s the evening of the Celebration Ball and the big reveal of the Royal twins. Lena is interrogated by Interpol. Liam and Leo discuss a potential threat to the kingdom. 

Smoke and Mirrors

9- Hidden in Plain Sight 

Music Inspiration: Sway, Michael Buble; Claire De Lune, London Symphony Orchestra; Late Night Talking, Harry Styles 

A/N2: My submission for @choicesseptemberchallenge2023, @midnightmelodiz , Day 6 – Dreams, Day dream, “I’m in love with you?” 

A/N1: My submission for @choicesflashfics @jerzwriter Week #49, Prompt 1- “You take my breath away every time I see you.” 

The King’s chamber was illuminated only by the soft light of the full moon where the King and Queen lay together. Riley was fast asleep, her head resting on Liam’s chest, her very pregnant belly snuggled safely against his side. Liam looked over at his sleeping wife, his heart swelling with love for her and their sons. In three short weeks, his family will grow to five; that time coming very quickly now.

Cordonian Royal Palace

He lay awake; sleep eluding him again for another night. Mentally organizing his schedule for the upcoming month, his thoughts eventually returned to that conversation with Drake that they had on the beach the day before. His confession...

‘Watching you with Brooks, all these years... I want that too.’ 

‘Pretending to be happy is pretty damn exhausting.’ 

Sighing, Liam was pleasantly surprised when he heard a soft voice. 

No one else would have caught it, but Liam did. He ‘read between the lines’ of what Drake had said, like he was remembering a bad dream. Did Drake just admit that he still had feelings for his wife? Were those feelings that he had years ago still present and relevant to him? 

“How long have you been awake?” Riley whispered. 

He kissed her forehead and placed his hand on her baby bump. Stroking her belly, he could feel the soft kicks under his palm.

“Not long, love” he murmerred.

“What are you thinking about?” Liam hesitated before answering. 

Riley turning her head to look up at him, “you think too much sometimes.” 

“A conversation that I had. I am not quite sure if it was real or if it was a daydream.” Liam kept his answer opaque on purpose, not wanting to divulge too much detail to her. 

Liam chuckled, “Are you complaining?” 

“Never,” she replied, yawning. “I love you,” she added sleepily. 

His body relaxed, as he closed his eyes, “I love you more.” he murmured, tightening his arm around her protectively. 

Cordonian Palace Ballroom 

The Ballroom was filled with guests awaiting the King’s announcement scheduled for later in the evening. 

Royalty from neighboring kingdoms, nobility, politicians, and ambassadors from allied countries came from long and short distances to partake in the black-tie festivities. Music filled the air as waitstaff circulated amongst the crowd with glasses of wine and flutes of champagne. 

“I’m glad you decided to attend this event with me,” Olivia said smiling at Alex. 

“I must be honest with you, Livvie. I usually attend these functions as the enforcer. I am not used to wearing a ‘monkey suit’,” Alex smirked. He seemed to be comfortable among all the guests, nonetheless. 

Olivia grinned back at her partner, but her smile quickly faded when she spotted Amalas and Leo huddled together on the other side of the dance floor. They appeared to be deep in conversation and were not paying any attention to their surroundings.  

Alex noticed Olivia’s expression change. “Everything okay?” he asked with concern. She nodded, trying to force the smile back onto her lips. 

“I thought that Leo was coming on his own tonight.” 

“Liv, that doesn’t mean that he can't talk to anyone once he gets here,” Alex rebutted. Olivia sighed loudly and continued to watch the couple from afar. 

A waiter approached, carrying a tray of hors d’oeuvres. Alex accepted a small sampling as Olivia continued to study the couple without saying another word. Alex shook his head; he knew what was bothering her.   He also wished, he was mistaken.

As the orchestra began to play the first few notes of the Cordonian national anthem, the press began to gather around the dais waiting for the King to enter the ballroom. 

The King’s guard fell into strategic positions when the herald announced the arrival of the Royal family. 

Liam strode up to the lectern that was atop the dais wearing his full military regalia. Riley, walking with Eleanor, joined him and stood next to his side. Regina and Leo stood close by next to the dais. 

The crowd hushed in anticipation. Clearing his throat once before speaking, Liam began, “Good evening, everyone,” he proclaimed. 

“It is my pleasure and honor to welcome you all here tonight. I know many have been waiting patiently for the queen and I to make an official announcement concerning our ‘additions’ to the Royal family.”  Liam turned to wink at Riley.

The ballroom attendees erupted in whoops and cheers. 

Liam acknowledged his delighted guests with a broad smile and waited a few minutes for the accolades to subside. Continuing with, “thank you, thank you!” 

“Ladies and gentlemen, I am delighted to have my princess here to help me....” Liam turned and beamed, chuckling as Ellie clapped her hands with a peal of laughter as her uncle Leo scooped her up and joined his brother. 

“Well, Ellie, what do you think?” Leo asked, smirking at Liam. 

“Daddy, look.” Ellie exclaimed and pointed to a bevy of blue balloons filled with helium that were being released behind the crowd overtop the dance floor. 

“Everyone, our twin boys, our princes, are expected to arrive at the end of this month.” Liam lifted Riley’s hand tenderly to kiss. 

Riley joined Liam as he took her hands and led her to stand beside him at the lectern.  

Thrilled at the excitement, Liam continued once the audience returned their attention back to him.

Liam waited for the crowd to settle down after the announcement. 

The applause was deafening as everyone celebrated. 

After posing for pictures by the press, Liam led Riley to the dance floor as the orchestra began to play the beginning notes of ‘Clair de Lune’. As they danced, it felt like time stood still; as guests formed a circle around them, Liam kissed Riley’s hand and placed it atop his chest over his heart as they swayed together in time to the music.  

“It must have something to do with the love of my life in my arms,” Liam simpered. 

“How is it, that.... Liam,” as she smoothed down his lapels, “you take my breath away every time I see you.” 

“Always the charmer, Your Majesty." Riley whispered, kissing his lips sweetly. 

*** 

Drake held Delaney close to his chest as they watched the King and Queen move together in the center of the dance floor. 

“They look so perfect together,” Delaney sighed. Her voice was laced with envy. 

“Don’t worry, you’ll find someone special someday.” Drake answered sarcastically. 

Delaney laughed. “That’s so easy for you to say.” Slapping his arm.

Drake grinned, “you'are damn straight, Leigh. When I first met you, I had no idea what my future would hold. You showed me things that I had only dreamed of having with someone. … and I have treasured every minute of your love.”  

 Growling, he leaned over and kissed her fiercely on the lips. Just as Riley and Liam walked past them. Delaney noticed the look on Drake’s face when he locked eyes with Riley. It gave her an uneasy feeling. He seemed to be lost in thought.  

Smiling playfully at him, Delaney asked in jest, “I’m in love with you too?"  

She frowned. “Something wrong?” 

His eyes shifted away from Riley, and he shook his head. 

“No, nothing at all.”  

But he didn’t fool her. Delaney, now was positive that her concerns were justified, stepped back. 

“Good evening, you two.” Riley beamed as she turned towards Delaney and Drake.  

“You two are getting married! Congratulations...I am so happy for you both.” Riley put her arm around her shoulder for a side hug.

“Thank you so much,” Delaney replied, hugging Riley in return. 

“Yes, congratulations you two,” Liam reached over to kiss Delaney’s cheek. 

“I am impressed, Walker.” Riley snickered as she hugged her friend.  

“Wow, settling down and saying goodbye to the bachelor life.” Liam smirked, shaking Drake's hand.

“Who would have thought,” Riley chuckled. 

“Yeah, yeah, Brooks, get your shots in now.” Drake responded, not making eye contact. 

Interrogation Room A, Interpol Headquarters, Lyon, France 

Lena sat back on her chair with her hands folded in her lap. She was flanked by two men in dark suits. One of the men was a middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair. His name was detective Lefebvre, and he had been assigned by Inspector Ryerson to investigate her case. The other man was the head of Psychiatrics and was assigned to conduct an evaluation of her psychological state by King Liam Rys of Cordonia. 

Across the table, sat Lena’s legal defense attorney, assigned to represent her by the Royal estate of Vallenheim. 

Detective Lefebvre cleared his throat. 

“Miss Runarsdottir, I understand you are familiar with the Cordonian Royal family?” 

Lena nodded. “Yes, I have met King Constantine Rys, my father. My stepmother, Queen Sigrid, raised me when my mother Eleanor Rys was murdered. I know of but never met my brother Liam or my stepbrother Leo.” 

“And what do you know about them?” he asked. 

Lena’s mouth went dry. She felt like she was trapped in a nightmare. 

“I don’t have any other information about them,” she lied. 

“Do you mean to tell me that you knew nothing about your brothers even though you were caught outside the buildings they were in this past summer?” 

Lena stared at him unflinching. 

“How did you know where to go?” he asked again. 

“I’m sorry, I can't help you.”  

Lefebvre slammed his fist against the table, making Lena jump in surprise. 

“Don't play with me. You’re either lying or delusional.” 

Lena bit her lip. She sat stoically and kept her emotions hidden. 

“I am not playing around. I have no information.” 

Feeling frustrated, Detective Lefebvre changed his strategy. 

“Miss Runarsdottir, who is Bastien Lykel? 

“Who?” 

“Bastien Lykel,” he repeated. 

Lena’s face paled. “I don’t know anyone named Bastien.” 

“Are you sure?” he pressed. 

“We have CCTV evidence of your conversation with him in the holding cells at the Cordonian Palace.” 

“I-I-” she stammered. 

“You were seen talking to him at least three times before you escaped those holding cells in Cordonia. Is that correct?” 

Again, Lena sat in silence. 

“Choose wisely, Miss Runarsdottir, and answer my questions. What is the nature of your relationship with Bastien Lykel?” 

Lena’s breathing quickened and her hands began to shake. If she told the truth, she was dead.

“Let the records show that Miss Runarsdottir is not cooperative.” 

Cordonian Ballroom 

Leo was speaking to Rashad at the bar when Liam approached after having a debate with an American ambassador. 

“Hey Li, I see you survived your conversation with Smithfield.” Leo smirked as Liam ordered a scotch and shot it back quickly. 

“Barkeep, another round for my brother and I’ll take the same.”  

“Why, thank you Leo.” Liam clapped his back. 

“Where is your beautiful Queen?” 

“Riley is upstairs with Ellie. Being so close to her due date, she needs to be off her feet to rest from tonight’s festivities. She is exhausted.” 

Leo nodded. “Totally understandable, but Li, why are you still down here?” 

“Because I need to talk with you and apologize about the other day.” Liam responded. 

“No apologies needed.  I was being an asshole and you called me out.” Leo grinned. 

“Well, I overreacted. You pressed a nerve when you mentioned father.” 

Leo smirked, “good, because I agree with you and I believe you are ‘right on the money’.  

Liam chuckled, shaking his head. 

“Again, that’s what makes you the better King,” Leo winked 

“I do have information for you." Leo continued. "Amalas gave me an update on Interpol’s case on Lena and Bastien.” 

‘Liam winces slightly at the mention of Lena, but he does not interrupt.’ 

“Lena is being uncooperative when questioned by the detectives. Nice touch, by the way, for assigning a psychiatrist to oversee her testimony.” 

“Well, it’s the least I could do knowing what father did to her, and her future.” 

“’Amalas has uncovered a few suspicious ‘coincidences’, but nothing damning enough’ to help shed light as to what her motives are.” 

“So far, the information that he divulged on the estate of Vallenheim has been verified as true. It was uncovered that he has affiliations with members of the Vallenheim royal guard.” 

“Has there been any progress on Bastien’s involvement?” Liam inquired.

“Director Ryerson has scheduled an official update for Monday morning with me. Apparently, Interpol has uncovered a black ledger. It was 'hidden in plain sight'." 

“Care to join me, Leo?” 

Leo responded, “I will be here.” 

📌 @ao719 @txemrn @queenmiarys @sfb123 @twinkleallnight @alj4890 @differenttyphoonwerewolf @harleybeaumont @busywoman @karahalloway @kingliam2019 @imjusthereforliam @lovingchoices14 @kyra75 @tinkie1973 @emkay512 @malblk21 @kristinamae093 @jared2612 @irisk12 @thesvnsins @walkerdrakewalker 📌

[scarlettaagni]

I'm assuming you reblogged the 'send me a character' thing with intent, so I will ask about. Cyclonus! please : 3

ye ye! I guess I'll refer to G1 (cartoon) Cyclonus by large

favorite thing about them: the most nuanced bitch this side of the cartoon! Decepticons constantly pull themselves down by only looking out for themselves and being conniving little shits to each other instead of only their enemies (and that's the point) but here you have a complete inversion, a Decepticon (second-in-command, no less) who is LOYAL. not only loyal, but selfless, by their standards?? nothing matters to Cyclonus beyond Galvatron, the Decepticon cause, and combat. he should be a force of nature but is rendered inert by an incapable leader because he just wants to follow. He's a warrior first and foremost but he gets to basically be in charge and isn't dumb muscle, e.g. he knows psychology (or at least how to work a crowd). Cyclonus is one year old and yet feels like he personally met Roman gladiators or something, he's great. A character of visible, textual multitudes in the G1 cartoon, which was notoriously allergic to nuance

least favorite thing about them: bro, the character assassination, like in Headmasters anime or the comics. I know by and large the Decepticons are dumb as hell, but I get like personally offended when chars are just dumbed the hell down for the sake of a joke or to facilitate the plot. If you have to do that, just pick more-fitting character or come up with a justification, fr. you'd think watching G1 five times in a row would inoculate me to this, but no. (for the record, his weird amplified cowardice I'm counting as stupidity) This doesn't apply to like, gag manga, that's the whole point of them

least favorite thing about them pt 2: that last answer felt like cheating so I guess while I like both demon and final designs, I hate how held back his final design is! I joke about the Unicronian legs being fine af, but he had curvier legs and they took them away. His neck is blank and featureless, so is his face. He looks fine this way, but there were so many interesting details they could have kept even when making him look more uniform with previous character designs. I guess I can thank AKOM for once, for letting us see his old design in motion lol

favorite (serious) line: damn. if I gotta pick? I guess for characterization: [out of breath] "It has been too long since I had an opponent that was worthy of my FULL attention..." or alternatively, "Galvatron...!" said like Roger C. Carmel is crying in the sound booth purely just for the line delivery

favorite (silly) line: "Everybody's gotta be somewhere..." [casually waltzes past a guy Scourge just roundhoused through a screen]

brOTP: I used to joke that Cyclonus and Scourge are at most drinking buddies to me, and I learned that's literally how they met in IDW

OTP: G1? CycMags. The rituals are intricate. It's about the symmetry. Two second-in-commands, more competent than their not-up-to-the-task leaders, the Soldier and the Warrior. They pointedly unname each other. They get petty when they're in the same space together. Cyclonus saved Ultra Magnus' life so that he could end it himself. He's sure he'll win but is perfectly open to Magnus ending him. Cyclonus views him as an equal, and despite the attempts on each other's lives, that is what makes it healthier than...

NOTP: Cyclonus/Galvatron. he's down so bad but it's obviously one-sided. he can do MUCH better, he just doesn't want to. Cyclonus won't consider any other options...... unless

random headcanon: he's prone to parroting. if someone uses a particular word or phrase, he'll use it in a sentence soon after, and phrased exactly the same way too. then it just becomes part of Cyclonus' vocabulary forever. which is how you get a guy who uses words like "vanquish" and "insolent" also saying things like "wimps" and "losers"

unpopular opinion: I'm so not with the silly ear interpretation of his horns. It's cute, and I'll make some jokey references to it, or have characters refer to them as such (derisively) but I'm insistent that they're horns. He's based off a demon, the Unicronians are clearly made in Unicron's image, they're horns. I'm a bigger fan of the wings swiveling up and down

song i associate with them: this is more of a song for all the Unicronians as a group, but I just like this one

favorite picture of them: there's some silly ones I already shared but I might as well pick one he looks really good in

in short: I like the him a normal, healthy amount

[smolwritingchick]

I'm curious to know what jungkook and the rest of the members would be like, whilst jennie is pregnant. Would they be very overprotective or just let her be?

This is SO cute! 🥰

Jungkook will be the most overprotective. Always wanting to carry stuff for her and do everything for her. If she asks for anything at all even if it’s in the middle of the night for ice cream or a weird craving he’ll immediately grab it. I was thinking avocados will begin to be one of her number one cravings. Wanting it with everything she eats. As she is closer to her due date he’ll be following her everywhere trying to see if she’s ok. If the media tries to bombard them he will get upset along with the rest of the members as they protect her.

Jin: Shockingly Jennie will think Smarties are nasty during her pregnancy so she won’t be eating them again until after she gives birth. I see Jin always on snack duty and food, paying close attention to what she craves. I see him being pretty overprotective too. Also I remember an ask about the boys’ moms giving her recipes that helped during their pregnancies. So I see Jin learning how to make them and cooking for her.

Jungkook: there will be times Jen will tell him she’s fine and can grab something or carry something. And with her occasional mood swings she will get annoyed with him and the others, telling them to chill. I also see Jungkook giving her the best massages and making sure she’s extremely comfortable when sitting or in bed.

J-Hope: I see him also being very overprotective. He’s always been like her guardian angel ever since he noticed her allergic reaction to pineapple. So he will totally always be asking if she’s all right. I was thinking when she gets heartburn for the first time he’d immediately have her eat bananas to help soothe it. And will ask if she ate a banana today just in case the heartburn comes back

RM: he’ll let her be. And also will do research to help her with her pregnancy. He’d also tell the guys to give her her space if he notices her getting moody from their constant overprotection or from her hormones. He’ll be pretty observant on her moods and know just what to say or do to keep her at ease. I also see him helping Jungkook relax whenever he feels on edge about Jennie and her aches or pains during the pregnancy

Jimin: I also see him being more chill. He’ll be attentive to her like the others but won’t act so overprotective. Him and Taehyung will be freaking out and excited to see their OTP becoming parents. He’ll be helping her with the nursery and everything. I do see him and another member bickering over baby clothes or what should be in the nursery

Taehyung: I see him being more chill and leaving her be, too. Of course he’ll be there for her but knows she’ll be fine with everyone else and himself checking on her. He’ll always get so giddy feeling the baby bump and trying to talk to her stomach.

Suga: I feel like he’ll also leave her be. He knows his precious smartie is in good hands with him and everyone else but he won’t be too overprotective. he will make sure she has breathing room. I also see him getting very emotional feeling the babies kick for the first time when she happily asks him if he wants to feel. And telling the guys to let her breathe when the overprotective members are crowding around her to see if she’s ok.

With her hormones going crazy there will be times she’ll want them all to leave her alone. Overall if anyone tries to overstep their boundaries with Jen and her baby bump like trying to touch her stomach without asking, they’ll definitely get upset and call them out on it. I’ll do my best to make the pregnancy chapters whenever I get there fluffy af ❤️

[damagedintellect]

Kenny McCormick x reader

💌 As Long As I can Remember: Chapter 2  💌  

Summary:  You moved to south park in the 4th grade. You weren't expecting what came next. After seven years of friendship you were about to make a move but what happens when Cartman's OTP gets in the way of what you desire most.

Notes:  Overall Kenny x reader but also some Craig x reader, I wrote this over a decade ago but I'm feeling nostolgic, this was written for a friend a long time ago

💌 Word count: 1,841 💌  <= Previous | Chapter 3 =>

It has been a few months since you moved in and you've found the move to have gone better than expected. On your way to class you stop in the middle of the hallway making everyone crash into you. “What the fuck (y/n)” Cartman yelled at you while fixing his hat.

“Yeah why’d you stop?” Stan said picking up the book he was holding in his hand. You point to the poster as you read it out loud “Talent show this Friday, the winner will receive $100 cash. Hey we should enter!” Your eyes had a sparkle in them. “What’s the point Jimmy’s just going to win it anyways.” Stan and everyone nodded in agreement. 

You pout. “Aww come on guys why do you doubt me.”

Everyone started walking again while Cartman began laughing “What are you talking about? You don’t have talent, there is no way a dumb bitch like you could beat Jimmy.”

You stopped in your tracks and frown. You thought Cartman was finally warming up to you. Kyle, Kenny and Stan took to your side “Shut up fata-”

You cut him off “Oh YOU WANNA BET!!!” You had fire in your eyes which meant that you were not to be taken lightly in this state in fact you actually caused Kenny and Stan to take a step back. At this point you accumulated quite the crowd because you yelled louder than you should have. Glancing around you noticed Craig, Clyde, and Jimmy. Cartman pulls Jimmy into the circle

“Well then I bet Jimmy will win the talent show” Jimmy smiles but looks very confused “And, what happens if he wins?” You stand with your arms crossed you could handle anything he could dish out.

“If he wins you have to," He looked around the circle thinking of the worst thing he could make you do. "Be my personal slave for 1 month.” He smirked as you hear everyone around gasp.

You take this opportunity to glance back at Craig and Clyde who were leaving the scene as you spoke “And if I win, you have to be my personal slave for 1 month.”

You and Cartman glared at each other before both of you said “Deal!” Before you knew it Cartman grabbed Jimmy and dragged him to class. You did the same and grabbed Kenny and Kyle who then grabbed Stan because well you only have two hands.

"(Y/n) are you really sure about this? Jimmy hasn’t lost a talent show in, um ever?!” Kyle looked at you concerned while you were opening the door to the classroom. Cartman and Jimmy were already in their seats you cleared your throat and spoke making sure to direct your comment more to Cartman than at Kyle “Oh you’ll see just meet me around the back of the court yard during recess.” You grinned and looked over at Cartman who has an "I’m going to spy on you to formulate an evil plan to make sure I win." Look on his face which makes you giggle and grin. You feel like you are enjoying yourself way too much. Someone nudged your arm and your eyes met with Kenny’s beautiful crystal blue eyes, you’re so jealous of his eyes. “mmffmf mfmf” which meant ‘Why did you let Cartman know, you do know he’s going to spy on you now right?’

“You’ll see at recess” you replied as you waited for recess to come.

Recess came around relatively fast, mostly because it was all you could think about. Just as you said you met behind the courtyard. You could also see Cartman’s hat and a pair of binoculars behind a bush. Which meant your plan was going great so far. “Okay guys now that we’re all here I can talk about what I am going to do for the talent show.” Stan looked over at the bush where Cartman was ‘secretly’ spying on you from “Uh are you sur-”

“Yes, I want to demonstrate what I can do” You wiggled your eyebrows to try to tell them that this is exactly what you wanted to do.

Stan and Kyle looked confused but Kenny had a feeling you would explain it later. You started singing and everyone’s eyes widened. Singing had always been a big part of your upbringing and you were excited to show it off to your new friends. You could hear a faint “Well shit.” coming from the bushes. Sure you wanted to flex on the competition but you didn't want to give all your tricks away. As soon as you finished the song Kyle and Stan were still in shock but Kenny was standing and applauding you like no tomorrow. Stan still had his jaw on the ground while Kyle finally snapped out of it. “WHY THE HELL DIDN’T YOU TELL US YOU COULD SING SOONER!!!”

You giggled trying to act clueless “Well no one asked me.” You shrugged your shoulders “(y/n) you could totally beat Jimmy!” Stan said and you smiled as you started to walk back to the others being sure to walk pass Cartman’s bush when you say “That’s the plan unless, someone sings my song before me. I think I would actually die if that happened.”

___

Cartman had been spying on you after gaining the information that you would be showing off what you would be doing for the talent show. "No one even noticed that I was in the bush next to them, hehe, how stupid are they." He thought to himself. Although he was caught off guard when you started singing and “well Shit” you were like an angel. An angel sent from hell that was going to his my money if he didn't so something about it. Also make him a slave but that was secondary to the money he bet against you. You and the others walked pass the bush again not noticing Cartman when you denoted more information.

“That’s the plan, unless someone sings my song before me. That would be so embarrassing I think I'd actually die.” Your words really spoke to Cartman as you walked away. It would be completely humiliating for two people to sing the same song and that would probably crush your chances of winning for sure. All He had to do is steal your song and then you would have no chance. Only as a failsafe of course he did still have faith in Jimmy even if he’s been acting a little weird all day.

(Jimmy POV)

 "B-BButters what do you do when your penis gets hard…"

[Yeah this part basically follows the episode 'Erection Day' so I’m not going to bother writing it out.]

(Let’s get back to your POV)

After school got out you all walked home together at one point Kyle just stops walking, tilting his head to the side “Uh Kenny? Isn’t your house the other way?” It was true on a normal day this is where the other would have said his goodbye but today was special. You laughed at that before answering “I need Kenny’s help picking a song for the talent show.” Muffled laughter erupted from Kenny while Stan and Kyle exchanged confused glances. They both went into Kyle’s house leaving you and Kenny with your laughing fit. Once you set foot in the house the two of you were on a mission.

“Okay Kenny my laptop is upstairs in my room. I’ll go make some snacks because I’m hungry, but just go look up the perfect song that would get someone detention for a week.” Kenny nods and gives you a thumbs up before running upstairs.

Meanwhile at Kyle's house Stan couldn't shake the weird feeling from earlier. “What do you think they were laughing at?”

Kyle looked up from his homework to see Stan watching T.V. instead of doing his, like he promised. “Who knows, but wasn’t the reason you came over to do your homework.” Kyle said slightly irritated that his best friend gave up so easily on his homework.

“It’s not my fault that it’s boring.” Stan whined flopping on the floor. He looked out the window but the curtains to your house were closed.

___

After 7 soda’s, 3 arguments and a few bags of chips later and you think you've finally settled on the masterpiece. You had burned the CD and were marveling at it. “Kenny, it’s done. We’re geniuses.”

“It’s beautiful” He pretended to wipe fake tears from his eyes as you start laughing  “So now all we have to do is make sure that Cartman takes this.” You grin looking down at the CD.  It had 2 versions of the "pretend song", on vocals and off vocals. You just need to entice Cartman to steal this and hope that he doesn't realize this is not actually the song. Kenny looked over at your clock than back to you standing up. “Well now that we’re done, I think I should be going home now.”

You take your eyes off the CD and look at the clock, holy shit! It was already 6 o’clock. “Yeah, sorry I kept you for so long.” You say scratching the back of your neck. You enjoyed Kenny’s company so much you didn’t even notice the time. You kind of wished he could stay a little longer, with your mom gone all the time it gets a little lonely during the night.

“Nah it’s okay. I didn’t really want to go home anyways” Kenny looked down and his once bright eyes turned grim and ashy. That reminds you that Kenny never really talks about his home life much. With that expression on his face, you feel bad. Kyle and Stan mentioned it a few times and it only makes your heart clench more.

Kenny sighed and close the door to your house. He really didn’t want to go home but he could just stay at yours forever. No matter how uneventful last night was he had to go home. Kenny would rather not go home for the after math but then again maybe the situation has dissipated by now. Karen must be scared without and that was the only reason he needed to go. “Yeah I should go home” He thought to himself.

Although he did want to stay with you a little longer. It’s kind of nice being around someone who enjoys his company. Not that Stan and Kyle don't enjoy his company but they are super best friends, they have each other. He kind of wanted to have that kind of connection for himself.

Opening the door Kenny ducks, dodging an empty beer bottle that cracked on the pavement behind him. As predicted his parents were at it again, yelling and screaming. Taking a deep breath he closes his eyes swiftly navigating the battle field being sure to dodge anything thrown his way. He only opened his eyes when he knew he was in front of Karen’s door. Opening it he finally pulls back his hood.

“Karen I’m home.”

[purlturtle]

Bering/Wells of course for the ship ask meme!!

oh boy 😅

Thank you for asking! First off, yes, I ship them, of course I ship them, I don't ship anyone the way I ship them. They are my true OTP, my One True Pairing; no other ship, not even any other couple I named in the context of this ask, comes anywhere near.

Like, with other couples it's usually a "I like them together, they make sense together, but I can also ship them with someone else if/when I think that other person also makes sense."

Not so with these two. No one but each other for these two, in my mind. Like yes, they might have had previous relationships; canon tells us that Myka had Sam and I honor that. But present and future, only ever Helena for her, or no one.

And canon is silent on whether Helena had any more serious relationships than what Wooly called "charmed the men of London" - I tend towards no, in my headcanon, or at most she fell in love with someone in her late teens or early twenties and it didn't work out (maybe because that someone was also a woman, and/or didn't return Helena's feelings), and that was it. She got her heart broken and decided to not give it to anyone else I can see her have dalliances mostly based on mutual sexual attraction, because she does speak of many lovers, but I don't think there were serious relationships among them, not even with whoever was Christina's father - she never mentions him, after all.

And I can see her approach Myka the same way, at first. Just a dalliance, and a means to an end. And then her heart is like "no but I *like* this one," and runs away from her and towards Myka, and she has no hope of stopping it, blasted thing.

And Myka? Oh her heart is all over the place. She guards it well, too, that's clear from the very beginning of the show, right? That is a big part of her characterization. And okay, yes, she's become friends with Pete, and has grown fond of Claudia, and Leena, and hell even grumpy Artie who's technically her boss. But she knows how badly losing someone hurts, and she never ever wants to feel that again.

And Helena is a bad guy, after all! Even if she's also the author (or ideas-giver) of Myka's favorite books. Even if she's also this beautiful, competent woman. Even if she's flirting with Myka, trying to connect with her, build rapport - I'm sure Myka is seeing that. I'm sure everything within her tells her to stay guarded!

But she can't help it either. Can't help her heart running towards this person, who yanks her up into the skies and infuriates her and who is so, so lonely - who if not Myka understands loneliness in the middle of a crowd?

When I watched For The Team for the first time, I got whammied.

I can't call it anything else; I never FELT anything else. I have never before, in no other show, or movie, or book, encountered a couple that I *shipped* - I didn't even know the word! (I wasn't socialized in fandom, that's what I call it; at most I knew that Trekkies existed and considered myself one of them, but it was only ever a solitary experience, and so I had no vocabulary; I just knew that these two suddenly had all my feels and daydreams in a chokehold.)

And it hasn't stopped. Hasn't even waned. The show's been off the air for ten years now and still, *still*, these two occupy my brain to a worrisome degree. Whenever I see a romantic storyline, I look at it for Bering and Wells AU potential. I spawn WIPs and story ideas at an alarming rate. And I don't see that ever changing, and I'm glad about it.

I love them, your honor.

(I also love this beautiful little fandom, but that's another essay!)

(ship ask meme)

[st-danger]

Phantom/Aeon, gimme that bug

How I feel about this character

Adoration. Pure, unadulterated adoration. He's got big younger sibling energy in the "teasing and causing problems" kind of way, and brings a levity to the group that the others don't. Are all of them fun in their own way? Of course.

Does Aeon just have a little more of a playful, carefree edge?

I think so.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Dew- I don't think there was any bad blood between them, ever. I think they connected from the get go, and that Dew really enjoys the energy and playful nature. They're both really good at interacting with the crowd, and I think Dew revels in the idea of getting the chance to be a corrupting, dirty influence in any way he can.

Swiss- affectionate towards him on stage, and just like Dew, can't resist a little troublemaker. They're both very "fun" focused, and Aeon's carefree, down to try anything twice with zero shame is something Swiss is unable to resist.

Ifrit- Just for the sole reason I want to write him dangerously seducing Aeon and giving him the most overwhelming, borderline scary experience of his unnatural life.

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Mountain. They're both playful and a little goofy, but I think it would be more of a teasing, sibling kind of energy.

My unpopular opinion about this character

This is my opinion only, so don't come after me- I struggle to see the appeal of what seems to be fairly widespread infantilization of his character. Even outside of agere, which is something I am not comfortable with and so do not engage with, I think that while he may be a little naive about life on Earth, and has a lot to explore and figure out, he's not a child. He's certainly not innocent- they all came from Hell, and none of them are innocent. Pinning him as an inexperienced little child does his character a disservice by ignoring the part that he's still an infernal, supernatural creature, and removes a lot of agency from him when he is a capable, curious, and sneaky critter.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

Give me more interaction with Dew. I love that Rain and Swiss have their bits with him, but I want to see more, personal interaction between the two.

[seamsterspell]

hi i have a question can you give me some levihan headcanons as a couple in modern au?

OMG anon so sorry for not responding to you sooner! I had to sort out my thoughts first because modern AU is not something that comes naturally to me. But anyway, after doing some meditation, I managed to put my incomprehensible thoughts into words…  A little too much maybe… I hope you don’t mind 2.5k words of pure nonsense hc from my silly brain.

P. S I know you asked for an established relationship, but I just could not help but also write about how they met (yeah, I’m a sucker for meet cute and imagining my OTP falling in love in various universes).

Anyway, enjoy this long ass headcanon of Levihan’s friends-to-lovers modern au with a sprinkle of university au and a dash of sports romance genre!

Levi and Hange first meet each other at university. Hange is in her 2nd semester (studying Biology) and has an academic scholarship while Levi is in his 8th semester (studying finance) and has an athletic scholarship (yeah, they are THE couple).

One day a fire alarm suddenly goes off in their university building, and so Hange alongside other students on the seventh floor immediately go toward the emergency exit to evacuate.

Hange is oddly calm during the whole ordeal, but she unfortunately gets stuck in the middle of a panicking crowd. She tries to escape the chaos, but her attempt sadly causes her ankle to twist because apparently, someone has just stepped on her shoe.

Hange does not scream because she is too shocked to even let out any words. It does not even hurt, at least not until she shelters herself on one of the corners of the emergency stairs, that’s when she realises how impossible it might be for her to save herself in time.

Levi—whose class is on the eighth floor—is one of those people who acted way too calmly during dangerous situations. He waits calmly near the emergency exit’s door until he can see that the crowds have settled down.

When he finally “escapes” he notices a girl who is limping as she descends the stairs very slowly.  She is holding a shoe in her hand while she tries to not put any pressure on the sole of her bare foot.

Levi approaches her as he understands her condition. Without thinking, he offers to give her a piggyback ride. Hange refuses but he insists. He tells her that he doesn’t want to be responsible for someone’s death.

Therefore, Hange has no choice but to agree and she is quite impressed that he manages to walk down the stairs while carrying her without breaking any sweat.  

When she sees her face earlier, she thinks that his face is familiar, but she can’t put her finger on it until he brings her to the university’s clinic. She hears one of the nurses call him “Ackerman”. That is when Hange realises that he is a professional athlete who won an Olympic gold medal in tennis at the young age of 20.

Just like that, the pain in her ankle suddenly disappears as her demeanour is quickly replaced by a more excited face. She tells him that she has watched his match on TV several times and she thinks he is so cool.  

Levi has heard many people praising him that he can quickly recognise the difference between people who say it just to earn his attention and the people who say it genuinely because they like his play, and he instantly knows that Hange is the latter.

However, before Hange can thank him, Levi is told to leave by a nurse because some more people—who pass out due to the shock—begin to fill the clinic.

He later regrets the fact that he did not even ask for her name.

To his surprise though, a few days later, Levi finds Hange waiting in front of his class. She says she wants to thank him for saving her. She gives him a brochure of a medical museum that belongs to the university, and she invites him to come, saying that she will be his museum guide.

Despite Levi knowing that her offer is sort of an odd way of showing “gratitude”, he accepts it without even thinking about it.

During their museum “date”, Hange excitedly walks him through almost all the collections in the museum. She seems to know everything and so Levi is convinced that she must have eaten an encyclopaedia for breakfast that day.

Levi does not really care about science but the way her eyes sparkle in passion every time she speaks does make him reconsider his earlier judgment about museums and science. They are much more interesting than what he remembers from high school.

After their museum “date” he suddenly asks whether she wants to come to watch him play next week. Usually, his mother will come to watch but she can’t that day because she must chaperone his seven-year-old cousin on a field trip.

Hange answers yes without skipping a beat, and so Levi ends up asking for her phone number so he can give her the ticket for the match.

Hange can’t take her eyes off him during the match, and she is practically swooned by him by the end of it.

Truthfully though, they are already attracted to each other right from their first meeting, but Hange believes that she just admires him for his talent as an athlete. Meanwhile, Levi—despite being aware from the get-go that he likes her—believes that she isn’t interested in him (idiots in love, you know the drill)

YET, despite it all, they gradually start to become even closer to each other. They text each other every day and they will often have lunch at the canteen together when they can. Then, somehow along the way, they just became inseparable.

Their favourite place to be together is the library! Levi will work on his thesis while Hange works on her assignments, papers, or studying for many of the academic competitions that she participates in. However, he quickly found out that she is actually quite distracting even when she is not saying anything.

Hange will come to watch Levi every time he has a practice match nearby and then they will grab a dinner together after that. She has come too many times that the coach and some other athletes recognise and befriend her.

Before he knows it, glancing in her direction before he starts his match has become his routine. Something that he keeps doing for years to come.

Levi will wait for her class to be over then he will walk her to the bus stop. He will wait until her bus is gone from his sight.

Sadly, their little “hangouts” don’t last long though since he graduates a few months later.

It is during his graduation that she meets Kuchel for the first time! Hange introduces herself as Levi’s friend but of course, mother knows best. Since Kuchel comes alone, there is still another seat for Levi’s family in the auditorium, so she invites Hange to accompany her throughout the whole ceremony.

Levi is surprised when he spots his mother sitting with Hange, but he can’t hide his joy when he notices how much her mother likes Hange.

When the ceremony is finished, Kuchel goes to ask someone to take a photo of the three of them together. She also takes a photo of both Hange and Levi together. If you look closely at their photo, you can see Levi being subtly flustered in all of their pictures.

After that, Kuchel invites Hange to come for dinner someday at their house, which Hange complies gladly. And so, a few weeks later Hange comes for dinner at the Ackerman’s house and that is when she meets Levi’s uncle, Kenny.

She is shocked to see Kenny there because Levi’s uncle is none other than a guy who almost “killed” her in high school. The story goes like this: 15-year-old Hange was riding her bike one day right after school when Kenny’s car suddenly struck her from behind. Fortunately, she only suffered minor injuries and he was responsible enough to pay for the medical bills as well as saying, “Yeah, I guess I’m sorry,” to her parents.

Levi realises that he is also at the same hospital right at the same time as Hange because he was asked by Kenny to bring the wallet that he had left at home—something that Kenny eventually used to pay for Hange’s medical bills. They could have met back then, but he is glad that they met much later in life.

Kenny also recognises her as the girl that he almost killed but he jokingly remarks that it is just a work of fate that she gets to meet her boyfriend’s uncle way before the two of them officially meet.

They both deny the “boyfriend” claim, but it is during that moment that Hange realises her true feelings. Like she goes, “OMG do I want to be him to be my boyfriend?!!!! OH SHIT I GUESS I DO!”

After that, she becomes shy around him out of the blue which confuses Levi. He begins to think that his connection to Kenny might have bothered her. Levi, desperately not wanting her to hate him, invites her to an arcade.

Hange obviously has a lot of fun there. She is smiling and laughing, she is glowing with pure happiness that makes Levi come to a realisation that he would be so grateful if he could see her smile every day for the rest of his life.

During their walk home, Hange can’t stop thanking him for her wonderful day at the arcade. But Levi is still slightly worried that she might still hold some grudges against his uncle, but before he can ask about it, Hange cuts him with a question, “Hey, do you want to go out?”

Levi definitely does not see that one coming. It is so out of the blue and it shocks him so greatly to the point that he almost walks into a streetlamp.

But of course, he wants to, duh! So yeah, they officially became a couple after that.

Hange invites Levi to meet her parents not too long after that and well it’s quite easy for their parents to accept him when they can see how happy their daughter is when he is around her.

Hange’s father, who has a hobby of collecting antique cameras, is the one who introduces Levi to photography. He even gives Levi one of his old cameras for him to try, and it does not take long before his camera is full of Hange’s pictures.

Regarding their relationship, since they become busier with their own stuff (Hange with uni and Levi with his professional tennis career), they do not really go out together as often as before. However, they try to always make time to be with each other during important moments. For example: Hange rarely skips watching Levi’s match, be it from the arena or the live streaming. Likewise, Levi seldom misses any exhibition or competition that Hange participates in. He even reads all the articles that Hange had written for many journals.

Generally, they like to keep their relationship private. They are the kind of chill couple who rarely show PDA. But I do think Hange might hug him occasionally when she’s happy (maybe when they haven’t seen each other for a while).

Hange moves into Levi’s apartment after she graduates from uni. However, long before that, she has had plenty of sleepovers there. She has already left some of her stuff in Levi’s apartment, so she does not really pack much when she eventually moves in.

Hange works as a botanist at a pharmaceutical company, and she is considering taking a master’s degree in the near future.

She has a much more flexible—albeit packed—work schedule while Levi has a much more rigid schedule as he has to train six days a week at the gym with his coach. As a result, they begin to have less time together.

However, they understand that they don’t need to meet often. They have deep trust in each other, so their relationship is pretty much secure and low maintenance. Though out of the two, Levi is the one who tends to miss her presence the most.

Hange is the one who overshares, and Levi is the one who will gladly listen to anything that she has to say about.

Hange is also the touchy one! They will be sitting next to each other on the couch watching TV, and in the next few minutes, Hange has already put her head on his shoulder and squeezed his hand.

The first thing that he notices after she moves in is the fact that he will have to listen to Hange and be touched by Hange 24/7 until he dies. But somehow it does not bother him at all. In fact, all he can think about is, “Ok, I guess this is my life now,” with a smile on his face.

Levi enjoys cleaning Hange’s stuff! Hange will sometimes go to work with her laptop and shoes suddenly spotless and shining. However, his ultimate favourite thing to clean is her glasses because he gets to see her beautiful eyes HAHA.

Hange has a hobby of gardening so their apartment is quickly filled up with many potted plants (each one has a name!). She also makes a mini garden on their balcony.

Most of the day, Levi is the first one to wake up since he has to go to train early at the gym, but he always has the time to prepare breakfast for both Hange and him before he leaves. Hange usually wakes up right before Levi leaves, and she will always kiss him on the cheek as a good luck charm.

When Hange has to work in her lab, she tends to work until late in the night so Levi will come to pick her up if he can.

Despite their busy schedules, they always try to at least have dinner together every day. Sometimes when Hange works from home, she will either make a dinner or order something for both of them.

They also try to have lunch or dinner with their whole family (Kuchel and Hange’s parents) every month or every two months. Mostly at their place but sometimes at Kuchel’s house or the Zoë’s house.

They rarely argue. If they do, it is mostly out of their love and care for each other. Levi will sometimes get so worried for Hange that Hange starts to feel that he becomes too micromanaging of her while Hange will sometimes get too engrossed in her work that Levi feels forgotten by her.

Their argument won’t last more than a day though since being away from each other is much more miserable than being together. I feel like they care more about each other than they care about their own ego.

I like to imagine Hange as this one post on Reddit about “I have the biggest crush on my husband.” I mean, that’s so Hange-coded LMAO. I mean, despite having been in a relationship for so long with Levi, she still acts like she just discovered her feelings for him (blushing, nervous, buzzing heart, being shy when she sees him up close, being excited for their date, etc.).

Levi is definitely a lot softer around her! His voice is lower, his frown is absent, and he likes to affectionally touch her hair. This has become so apparent that people like to point it out to him, which he denies!

They will have a super simple and quick wedding! They just wear their best clothes as they register their marriage. Then they invite their closest friends and families to a dinner at a restaurant.

There is no proposal. Hange just casually brings it up one morning to Levi, “Hey, I think we should get married. What do you think?”

It's a good thing that Levi has not yet drunk his tea when she asks that or else the tea could have choked his throat to death.

When they marry, they retain their last name since both of them have prominent careers.

Would they have children? Yeah I like to think they would HAHA

SO YEAH! That’s all that I can think about! Sorry that this has become way too long… I hope you like it Anon! Sorry if you found any typos or mistakes.

Also, thank you so much for sending me this ask! I actually had a lot of fun making (and daydreaming) about levihan in modern AU!

[seraphfighter]

Hey! 3 for the OTP prompts! ❤️❤️❤️

3. Write about your ship holding hands in a tense moment.

Listen, I do not know how this turned into a 1.6k-word piece, but it did. For some context, this is set in my modern au, because in the canon au Val would simply not put up with this, the badass merc that she is. (and you can blame @glitchinginthegarden for the idea)

To anyone reading, be advised: This fic has references to past abuse and features a man being creepy and scummy in general.

The night air feels refreshing after being in the stuffy bar all night. 

V retreats to the entrance of the alleyway next to the bar's main doors. Leaning back against the brick wall, she pulls out her pack of cigarettes and places one between her lips to light it. She takes a deep drag and exhales, the smoke billowing out in front of her. God, she’s worn out. Nights with Judy are fun but she can only handle being crowded against a bunch of drunk people for so long. It’s not her scene. 

Checking the time, V pulls her phone out of her pocket. 10:03 PM. Johnny should be here soon. He’d agreed to pick her up coming back from a late night at the studio. Shockingly, he didn’t whine about her lack of a car this time. Probably because she’s sleeping over at his place. She’d been planning on it anyway and she wasn’t going to hop on her bike after a couple of drinks, even though she doesn’t feel the effects of the alcohol. 

She occupies her time by scrolling through her feed on her phone while she smokes. Hearing footsteps to her right, she doesn’t think anything of it until a deep voice asks, “Got a spare cig?” 

V glances up at the man coming to a stop by her side. Already, she’s annoyed. She has no interest in talking to a random stranger. Hoping he’ll take the cigarette and leave her alone, she pulls out her pack and passes him one. “Thanks,” the man says, mustering what appears to be his best attempt at a charming grin as he uses his own lighter to light it. 

She doesn’t respond and returns her attention to her phone. But as her luck has it, the man doesn’t leave and keeps speaking, “What are you doing out here all by yourself?” 

Fuck, she knows where he’s going with this. “Not interested,” she responds flatly, not bothering to look up from her phone. 

“Aw, c’mon. Don’t be like that. I’m just saying a pretty woman shouldn’t be out here by yourself like this.” Out of her peripherals, she sees him move a step closer. She moves a step back. 

Unease begins to curl in her gut. She shuts her phone’s screen off but keeps it in her hand with a tight grip as she turns her attention to the man. “I said, I’m not interested.” 

The man blatantly drags his eyes over her body and she fights back a shudder. A picture of false innocence, he tilts his head. “I’m just trying to be friendly here. Night City’s dangerous you know, it’s not safe for a woman as beautiful as you to be here alone. Something bad could happen.” 

God, you can’t be a woman and go anywhere without being harassed anymore. V throws her cigarette down on the ground and uses her boot to smother it with more force than necessary. “I can handle myself, thanks.” She’ll just wait inside the bar for Johnny. Hoping that this will be the end of the conversation, V moves to step past him, but the man is faster, blocking her path. He approaches her and it’s not until she backs up that realizes he’s got her cornered against the wall. 

Her heart leaps into her throat. Fuck, fuck. She glances to the side to see if there’s anyone within sight, but they’re alone. 

“Let me at least walk you inside, then. I’ll buy you a drink.” When he speaks, she can smell the bourbon on his breath. Markus. Backed into the corner of their room. Her palms are clammy.

She feels like she’s going to be sick. 

“What? So you can spike it? Fuck off.” She tries to move past him but again, he blocks her. 

The man’s not that much taller than her but she feels small beneath his stare. “Where are you going? We’re just having a friendly conversation.” He flicks the last of his cigarette to the side and braces his hand against the wall above her. 

She could knee him in the balls and make a run for it. V’s fast and the man is clearly drunk. It’d be easy to outrun him, right? Why doesn’t she have her pocket knife on her? She should know better than to not carry it. 

“Choom, back the fuck off right now.” She’s proud of how steady her voice sounds. 

“Or what?” 

The screech of tires against the asphalt of the parking lot echoes down the alleyway. Before she can process it, the man is being hauled back and away from her. The man stumbles away and then Johnny’s in front of her, his back to her. With a hard shove, he has the offending man crashing into the opposite wall. Johnny spares a glance at her, his face contorted in an anger she’s not used to seeing on him, before he advances on the man. 

“The fuck did you think you were doin’, huh? She told you to back the fuck off!” His voice is a loud angry growl, akin to some of his vocals in his songs. 

The man holds his hands up. He looks terrified, the confidence he was exuding with her long gone. “I-I didn’t mean anything by it man!”

“Cut the bullshit!” Johnny barks. “Didn’t mean anythin’ by it? So you think it’s okay to harass my girl when she tells you to back the fuck off?!” 

V hates how hearing Johnny refer to her as his girl makes her feel all fuzzy inside, even in this situation. 

“I didn’t know! She didn’t say she had a boyfriend!” 

Pathetic. This man is pathetic. V steps forward but still keeps herself behind Johnny. “ It doesn’t matter, I told you I wasn’t interested. It’s the same fucking principal,” she snaps. 

Johnny’s fists clench down at his sides. “Well? You aren’t fuckin’ deaf! You still think it’s okay?  I should teach you a lesson right now, you piece of shit. Maybe then you’ll get it through your thick skull to leave women alone.” 

“I’m sorry!” The man almost looks close to tears. 

In the parking lot and near the entrance to the alleyway, people are starting to gather. Their yelling is drawing a crowd. V sees more than a few phones with the cameras facing them. They need to get out of her before Johnny’s recognized. 

V grasps his hand, forcing his fist to unclench so she can weave her fingers through his. She doesn’t know if it’s his hand trembling or hers. Johnny looks over at her and beneath the anger, she can see concern for her. 

“Johnny, he’s not worth it.” Subtly, she flicks her eyes over to the crowd gathering and he turns his head to glance. She keeps her voice pitched low, “We need to get out of here.” 

Oblivious, the man keeps babbling. “I won’t do it again, I promise!” 

“Shut the fuck up!” Johnny snarls at him. 

“Johnny.” She tugs on his hand, more insistent this time. “Let’s go.” 

He wants to fight her on it, she can tell, but ultimately he steps back. He turns to leave but not before growling to the man, “Get out of here. I better not see your fuckin’ face again or I’ll bash your skull in.” 

Hearing a few murmurs of Johnny’s name, V keeps her head low and turned away as they retreat from the alley, still not used to the public attention. Johnny, as usual, is unbothered. He keeps his head held straight and high as they make the short walk to the Porsche. As soon as they're sat inside, he peels out of the parking lot, gripping her hand tightly where it rests on the center console. 

The farther they get from the bar, the more adrenaline V feels fade out of her body. The glass of the window is cool against her forehead as she rests against it. She closes her eyes and focuses on her breathing until her heart rate slows and there’s no longer bile climbing up her throat. 

She doesn’t notice Johnny pulling over until they're stopped along the side of an unbusy street. Lifting her head from the window, she turns to ask Johnny what he’s doing, but he doesn’t give her a chance before his free hand cradles the side of her face and his lips are on hers. V exhales through her nose and melts into it, languidly kissing him until he pulls away. His eyes dart over her face. 

“You alright, sweetheart?” He asks quietly and tucks her hair behind her ear. 

“Yeah.” When her voice comes out shaky, she clears her throat and tries again, “Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little shaken up is all.” She tightens her grip on his hand as she pauses for a moment, gnawing on the inside of her lip. She debates on continuing. “Memories and all that, y’know.” 

Understanding fills Johnny’s features. “Shoulda let me beat the fucker up,” he mutters darkly. “Teach him a lesson.” 

“The last thing we need right now is you getting a criminal offense. You know that.” She smiles wryly. “The media would have a hay day with it, though.” 

He scoffs, “The media’s published worst things about me. Still doesn’t make it right, what he did. What either of them did.” 

She blinks past the threat of tears. Dropping her head to his shoulder, she breathes in the familiar smell of tobacco and cyprus. “I know.” Johnny pets the back of her head, toying with her hair and if he notices a few tears soak into the fabric of his jacket, he doesn’t say anything. “Can we just go home, get some greasy takeout, drink too much, and watch a shitty movie?” 

Home. She doesn’t even care she called his place that. In her heart, it is home. 

He presses a kiss to her temple. “Course we can, Val.”

[scham-wcan]

1 8 20 26 30 42 50

Tell me about your girls

Hey thanks for the asks! Going to do both WR and CW cause I miss all my girls equally

Who would end a heated argument by defending their actions with ‘because I love you!’ ? I really think its a Schnee move not going to lie, because I can see the Schnees earlier on in relationships being the kind of people who have a far easier time performing love through actions much less through words. So its something which is blurted in frustration far less than something passionately offered, especially if its an argument about the actions of the other. Like Cinder being all horrible to herself or Ruby valuing a mission more than herself.

8. What happens if one of them gets sick? CW: Winter is the worst at actually being sick, well they both kind of are, but she'll be the one to dismiss everything of a symptom as just being a cold. She could be 90 degrees and still just say she has a stuffy nose and she's fine to continue on as normal. Cinder is pretty close to the same except she will make every one aware of how much this illness is doing to her temper with just glares alone. The other is usually the one of the pair to finally convince their other half to just lay down with some medication and calm. Not a lot of babying I feel as much as just very concerned and frustrated that they're failing to take care of themselves. WR: Weiss gets bed ridden sick if she ever does otherwise she's a lot like her sister in that she can still think she can do anything. And by bed ridden I mean Ruby is by her side forcing her to rest because no you should not be doing so much when you're that pale and can't retain fluids. Ruby is by her side a lot regardless, probably even getting her to her work on the days where the illnesses are not that bad; bonus if she sticks around the whole day to make sure Weiss is drinking still. Ruby likely doesn't get ill a whole lot because of her metabolism but when she does its so gross, lots of tissues, moaning, and gurgling the whole way through that makes Weiss forced to play the nurse--though she isn't declining she gets to perform her love through action in the biggest way this time.

20. Choose one song that perfectly describes their relationship. I already gotchu boo

26. What are their vices? CW: I think Cinder and Winter both smoke, it was much more Winter's thing initially from the army and Atlas, but when Cinder is around the taste of cigarettes on Winter's tongue just eventually makes it way into Cinder's and the pack isn't that far behind. For Winter it was a way to destress without losing her faculties like drinking, and for Cinder it was something which got her to be around Winter more often especially during the early post war. Where a better place to get away from the bigger crowds than a smoke on the terrace with just the two of them?

WR: Ruby I tend to think of having the procrastinator's vice, its not that she devalues or doesn't want to do things its just she purposefully stuffs her schedules and workload so that every thing is coming down on her while she is doing other things. So to avoid the stress and horrid nature of having so much going on she's more likely to ignore and reorient herself into some other project or thing where she can get quick gratification from the success. Weiss I think is a little more all over the place, she's smoked once because Winter did, hated the taste, doesn't drink often, but she works a ton to the point where her free time is just an extended work period. Would be the kind of person to put 'my greatest weakness is I work too much' on a resume.

30. Your OTP gets to pick out each other’s outfits; what is each wearing? CW: Winter is making Cinder wear something regal and refined, probably is very much red and gold, looks more like a Duke or Duchess than anything. It isn't something Cinder will complain about but the layers aren't helping. Cinder probably either has Winter finally just wear something which doesn't have a button up or collar on a casual day, or is also wanting Winter to feel some value in herself in a show off sort of way. Open backed dress or cut and polished suit both are on the table. Lots of silvers and royal blue.

WR: Weiss I think would value Ruby wanting to be comfortable but she wants to see Ruby in something more refined than that hoodie and slacks sort of getup. Probably leans more on the polished vest and suit side of things, maybe a little bit of grunge or alt influence in there too with some jewellery and accessories. Just knows to stay away from heels. Ruby though is practically begging Weiss to stop being a fashionista for one day, just wear the jean jacket or hoodie and some normal pants or skirt. Not every outfit needs heels and put the pound of jewellery down, just some good comfy clothes.

42. What’s their favorite type of weather to enjoy together? (getting snowed in together, watching thunderstorms, etc.) CW: Weirdly I think Cinder and Winter's preferred weather is probably the snow. It gives them a lot of excuses to put the world on pause and its not nearly as violent as lightning and thunder. The cold is not much of an issue for either of them but the look of wind whipping snowflakes all around is something so wonderful to see in the background as a day of working from home turns into tea and coffee and some reprieve.

WR: The sun is their mainstay, rain is too draining and the snow and cold is too reminiscent of their time in Argus or Atlas alone. The sun though, bright spring mornings and warm summer days on Patch or Vale is a thing of simpler times and can just be a subtle reminder that they made it to the other side of it all after the fact. It also helps that the warmth allows them to just take it easy for once, and Weiss blood pressure can be reduced without worrying about Ruby taking her out into the snow or rain again.

50. who’s more likely to do something out of spite? CW: Oh Cinder for sure, most often I think spite is her way of reaffirming she is not about to be told around to do something or what have you. Especially in the case of its like post fight or argument, Cinder is off in the apartment blaring music loud and blending nothing because she needs to make sure the appliances work while Winter is bitterly typing away on work.

WR: Weiss, yeah Weiss would be the one to make a point of doing things because "Who else is going to?" and making it a whole passive aggressive thing. Like loudly making a show of 'clearing space' and its just her organizing Ruby's workbench mid project instead of her cluttered workspace.