#they've been through a lot and need the refreshment

[cherries-with-sweets]

Falling into the hobby trap of thinking I'm not doing it enough to say its a real hobby.

And then I realized that I'm growing peas, potatoes, beets, strawberries and tomatoes on my small balcony. In addition to a red currant bush, several herbs and various flowers. In addition to my indoor plants.

Maybe, just maybe I'm already gardening pretty hard for someone without a garden.

[fatuismooches]

Silly thought: What if the Traveller accidentally kidnaps Dottore's lover?

This will happen way before they meet them. The Traveller somehow, is able to sneak into the main lab of the Doctor and finds his test-subjects. Of course being the hero that they are, releases them and offers them refuge in the Teapot (I'm still pissed that the Teapot is hardly mentioned in main story quests it could be a Trojan horse but nooo)

They come across this 'test-subject' who has heavy security for some reason. Determined to not leave anyone behind, they break through the defences to get to the hapless 'civilian.'

The Traveller gets there and takes away the 'test-subject', the Traveller hopes that they wake up once they are in the Teapot.

[Dottore's spouse wakes up from their refreshing nap and finds themself in a completely different place with a lot of strangers. Why are Dottore's test-subjects out? Actually - where even are they?!

And Dottore returns to an empty lab 😋 rip to the Traveller. Dottore is going to rip Teyvat from the ground up and he wouldn't find his spouse until the Traveller makes the connection.]

The Traveler thought that they had prepared to the fullest, heading into Dottore's lab. Carefully scoping it out, even managing to get their hands on the mapped layout somehow, observing the patterns and schedules of the guards and agents who seemed to be placed everywhere... general sneaky stuff, that wasn't nearly as easy as it sounded as this had to do with the Doctor after all. Nothing was ever simple when it came to the Harbinger, but despite all odds, they got lucky, only because the segments were no more and they chose a day Dottore himself was not there (that was also painstakingly planned). Of course, once the Traveler successfully completed their mission and freed all those poor souls, they felt rather good about themselves. Any plan of the Doctor's thwarted was always a good thing.

When the Traveler comes across such someone so highly tucked away, they automatically assume the worst! You must be an invaluable test subject who provides him great research but through immeasurable pain (just look how tired you were)... one that he can't keep his eye off! What a terrible fate you've been subjected to, one at the hands of the mad Doctor! Worry not, the Traveler will save you (not)!

...However, the blond failed to obtain information on a very, very important factor - the little-known soft spot of Dottore.

Now poor you, expecting to wake up to a familiar ceiling and maybe even your husband's embrace, but instead the sky above is more blinding than anything you've witnessed in years. And there's a strange bird floating spirit thing. AND the infamous Traveler and Paimon are worrying over your well-being... even more so when you start getting overwhelmed knowing you're far, far away from Dottore.

Now of course, test subjects are just test subjects and although losing them was a waste, he could always procure some more. You, however, was a completely different story. Needless to say, the agents are quite scared to go near the Harbinger as they've rarely seen him in his state - absolutely silently seething. The only way to salvage the situation is that the Traveler just needs to hope a hair hasn't been touched on your pretty head.

(Cue the freak out between Paimon and them once they realize the truth. Even still, the Traveler is semi-convinced you might be brainwashed or something - the whole Akasha terminal thing in Sumeru was enough proof. They're a bit reluctant to hand you over but seeing the way you bolt toward the Doctor was enough to convince them...)

[pilfappreciator]

Part 1 | Part 2

WAKE UP BABES!! DINNER IS SERVED!!!

Bruce/Brandi x Reader: part 2

Includes: GN! Reader, Vacay Lovers, polyamory, relationship headcanons, slight Bruce Jr. slander

💜 These two took things slow when they were wooing you, you better BELIEVE they're gonna do the same once you've actually been bagged

🧡 I MEAN DON'T GET ME WRONG!! They're not any less passionate about you or anything, but like... c'mon. They're middle-aged, run a full time business and are married with kids. They've got a lot on their hands already so chances are they're not immediatly urging you to move in with them or just straight up sign marriage documents (sorry to disappoint u_u)

💜 But like I said: this doesn't mean they're not good lovers

🧡 In fact I'd say in my entirely unbiased opinion that they'd make fantastic lovers! Wonderful! Superb, even!

💜 So naturally, once you find yourself added to the relationship? Expect all that supportive energy thrown your way too lol

🧡 No matter what endeavor you choose to pursue, rest easy knowing you'll have your own personal cheerleaders having your back at all times. You got a hobby you're really into? SAY LESS BABES!! Gift-giving is Brandi's love language so you bet your ass she's buying you everything you could possibly need. Wanna pursue some form of higher education, maybe get some fancy degree? BOOM, you've just signed yourself up for study sessions with Bruce

💜 (I mean like... he might not be much help if you're studying for something shmancy like law or medicine, but he will happily hold and read out flashcards for you :3)

🧡 Or maybe you just wanna help out around Vacay Island which? Yes hello they would love that??

💜 Running a business is no easy feat so the couple definitely welcome the extra set of hands (paws??). If you're more social and outgoing then chances are you're out on the front lines with Bruce, taking orders for food, welcoming guests and getting them settled in, leading activites like volleyball or the weekly shuffleboard tournament, etc.

🧡 Obviously if you'd rather remain behind the scenes, you're more than welcome to join Brandi on her end of things. Making food, booking guests into their rooms, keeping track of all the finances, etc.

💜 Maybe you're crap with spreadsheets and numbers and just wanna like... keep her company while she works at her desk? Grab her some refreshments every now and then?? Maybe even offer a shoulder massage once you've noticed she's been hunched over for too long???

🧡 I swear this woman will cherish you forever

💜 Whether you're another troll like Bruce or a fellow Vacationer like Brandi, the way you spend time with either of these two can differ

🧡 If you're on the smaller side? Bruce just enjoys getting to hold your hand while walking alongside you on the beach. The man spends pretty much all his time around literal giants and it can get a little overwhelming sometimes, so he can definitely appreciate having someone around who's more on his level (hehe). Brandi on the other hand just thinks your small size is cute! Hands down one of her favorite things is when either you or Bruce (OR BOTH) just like? Casually hitch a ride on her shoulder?? Or she'll hold you both in the palm of of her hand and just go "omigosh it's totally like holding a couple of grapes haha :D"

💜 Reader POV: Ah yes. Me, my boyfriend, and our giant girlfriend/wife

🧡 On the flipside, if you're closer to Brandi's size? This woman is taking every available opportunity to take full advantage of the fact. She's laying kisses all over your face, running her fingers through your hair, cuddling with you after a long day of work, etc etc. Technically speaking she COULD (and DOES) do all this regardless of how big/small you are... but at the same time it's just soooo much easier when she doesn't have to constantly watch herself so she doesn't accidentally crush you ://

💜 Meanwhile Bruce is just like "if either of you DO crush me... you won't hear any complaints from my end, just sayin"

🧡 Man is horrendously down bad 😳

💜 Last post i was like OUTINGS WITH BRANDI, but this post?? SURFING LESSONS WITH BRUCE! This man will not rest until you know how to ride a wave, okay, he is DEDICATED. Once you've gotten good enough, expect regular invites to the beach so you two can hit the ocean asdjahdslak

🧡 I like to think that even while running a business and family, Bruce and Brandi are still perfectly capable of maintaining a healthy love life— both with each other and you. Partly because they're just that in love but also cuz they don't let ANYTHING get in the way of weekly date nights (yeah that's right, plural)

💜 Bruce, on the phone: "Hey honey, me and (____) are outside the resturaunt. Where are you?"

"Oh, I'll probably be a few minutes. Bruce Jr. just set off a firework in the kitchen, you know how he is. But you two should go get us a table while you're waiting!"

"Alright, we'll see you later, love you :)"

"I love you guys more~"

🧡 And then Bruce just... hangs up and leads you inside the resturaunt, meanwhile you're just?? Very concerned????

💜 Dates with these two are pretty casual ngl. Neither feel the need for extravagant displays of love, so chances are the three of you are just spending some quality time together. Chillin at home without the kids, cooking/baking food together, watching reality TV

💜 (Tbh there's probably some trollverse version of The Bachelor/Bachelorett and lemme tell you that these two EAT THAT SHIT UP)

🧡 Of course if you wanna go out somewhere fancy then no worries!! Your girl Brandi knows the downlow on all the hottest spots in town and Bruce likely has enough connections to get you three reservations at even the fanciest restaurants

💜 Simply ask and these two will find a way to get it done <33

🧡 LOTS OF FAMILY OUTINGS WITH THE VACAY LOVERS HOUSEHOLD!!!

💜 At some point in the relationship Bruce will approach you and go "Hey, our son Benni has a dance recital tomorrow, did you wanna come?" and the second you say yes is the second you offically become a permanent member of the family. You are joining their monthly family camping trips. You are helping Brandi make cupcakes for school soccer games. You and Bruce are sitting down with the kids for homework help

🧡 Hopefully you've got good memory cuz you're gonna need to memorize 13 different fast food orders whenever the kids drag you to Bergen King askdhalslk

💜 Speaking of the little shits

🧡 You thought you were spending a lot of time with them BEFORE you were smoochin their parents?? Well congrats because the second you start becoming a permanent member at the dinner table, expect to have all 13 of them constantly hanging off you

💜 Maybe one of them needs your help practicing a new move they've learned from their martial arts class, maybe another wants someone to listen as they info dump about their latest hyperfixation, or maybe they just need help kickstarting their underground fireworks selling business

🧡 Cough cough (Bruce Jr) cough cough

ASJKJDHALJSKD THIS WAS SO MUCH FUN, I LOVE THESE TWO SO MUCH!! There were a for more headcanons i wanted to touch upon but the post was getting long lol. Definitely plan on doing more for them tho so no worries uwu

but i mean like if you guys got prompts/questions then go ahead, my asks are open 👀👉👈

[hometoursandotherstuff]

I don't know about this 1931 home in Rancho Palas Verdes, CA. 5bds, 5ba, 4,040 sq ft, asking $2.5m. But, look at this:

The listing says: ***Recent conditions have changed and land movement has swept through much of the area. The owner has fought back, having "helical" piers recently installed. The piers appear to be working and the house shows very few affects of the movement. As further insurance to save the home for posterity, engineering plans have been developed for putting the home on steel beams and are available to use should the piers not suffice. The home is offered for a fraction of its pre-movement value. So, does the new owner have to pay for these steel beams? Take a look inside.

Entrance foyer. It's been in the same family for 60 yrs., and now they're selling it "at a fraction" of it's worth. How much would it be?

I don't know what to think about this. The sitting room has a great fireplace, some built-ins, but they painted the wood paneling white.

Here's a hall with doors to the garden and a skylight ceiling.

Large home office with a great garden view and doors to the patio.

Family room with glass walls and patio access.

I don't know, the house looks like it needs a refresh, in addition to the steel beams. The dining room is very large and has doors to both patios.

It's cute that you enter the kitchen thru an opening in the cabinetry, like a little archway. It looks like every room has doors to the patio that surrounds the house. This is a no-nonsense kitchen with professional appliances.

Entrance to the primary bedroom.

It has a nice fireplace, and those doors to the patio.

Then in the bath, there's a newer shower and a vintage tub. From the tub you can see the ditch outside.

So many doors in this place. I guess b/c they've been digging trenches or the earth's been shifting, the house needs a power wash.

Looks like this bedroom is reached by those stairs. The bed appears to be blocking doors to a closet or something.

This oddly shifting lot measures 1.14 acres.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/85-Vanderlip-Dr-Rancho-Palos-Verdes-CA-90275/21356627_zpid/

[phantomoftheorpheum]

School Spirits Season 2 (episodes 1-3) liveblog/thoughts

**Spoilers for School Spirits Seasons 1 and 2x01-2x03

note: so last season I wrote up a lot of really detailed timeline stuff as I watched, and I don't think I'm going to do that this season, because 1. it's not a murder mystery anymore and 2. since a lot of the "mystery" elements of last season didn't tie back to Maddie at all, I can't expect all the little details to necessarily come together for the main plot. There are a couple of loose threads from that which I will keep an eye out for (honestly, I think they're just accidental loose threads), but my approach this season is more just ~vibes~

2x01

ROFL I completely forget Xavier got hit by a car at the end of season 1, like it completely slipped my mind. I possibly should have done a rewatch leading up to this, but I didn't and I'm here now, so I'm gonna go with it. I am watching the recap, though.

First question remains the same- what does Mr. Martin want? He tells Janet "the only way out is to go back in" and tells her that she needs to "go in deeper" which she does not want to do. He later tells Maddie that he wishes he had never pursued "this," though we know we can't trust him, so who knows if he actually has regrets or not. However, the fact that he runs from Maddie (and vanishes to who knows where?) suggests to me that he is genuinely afraid of something. If he were completely in control, I don't see why he would run away, what are the ghosts going to do him? Kill him?

Okay, Simon, my boy, please think clearly. Maddie literally gave you information that would have been impossible for you to have otherwise. The only reason you even found out Claire was involved in the blackmail was because of this stuff.

Lots of setup, some refreshers for the start of the season, fairly standard for a season opener. The budget feels higher already.

Unsurprisingly, it looks like Janet's past is going to play a big role in the season. Her dad seems like he sucks. I guess my immediate question is- are we getting all this backstory because it's emotionally relevant to Janet's storyline, or are we getting all this backstory because there's going to be a big plot element around it? When Janet goes to the graveyard, we see her grandmother's and her father's grave. Are those characters still in play as ghosts?

So far it does seem like the ghost characters are going to get the majority of the emotional weight. Rhonda, Charley, and Wally all already feel like they've been set up for some character development, while Nicole, Claire, and Xavier (until the end) don't have particularly clear set up for anything. Simon and Maddie have always been central, so no surprises there.

Okay, tbh, I did not think the car hitting Xavier looked that bad, but I'm going to assume he suffered a head injury or like that thing where if you get hit really hard at just the wrong moment it stops your heart, or something like that until told otherwise, because otherwise I can't figure out why he literally died for a minute.

So, my big question for the end of episode 1 is- how will this tie Xavier to the ghost world? Will he be able to see ghosts now? (I can see them not wanting to do this because Simon being the only person who can see Maddie is portrayed so heavily as a special bond, but also linking Xavier to the supernatural seems like the obvious reason they would kill him briefly, so....) Maybe it's just to get him onboard with everything because Claire is clearly not going to buy this story and Nicole seems pretty skeptical, too. I guess I'll just have to keep watching to find out.

Also seems important to mention that Janet is clearly pretty messed up from both what she's been through (and possibly her life before her death) and she appears to have been locked in a basement for like a year and I didn't miss all of that, I just don't have much commentary for it other than- I can't blame her.

2x02

Okay, so far it does feel like Xavier's brush with death is mainly to get him to be more open to everything, but I think it would be cool if he has some sort of lingering supernatural effects of the experience. Having a character die and then be brought back feels like the sort of thing that majorly changes them. If this weren't a supernatural story, I would assume that would be emotional/metaphorical change, but this show is about ghosts, so I'm kind of expecting something more than that.

I hate to say it, because I adore Wally and I hate love triangles, but it's making me itchy to watch all the Simon/Maddie/Wally scenes where Wally very clearly feels threatened. It's not there for no reason.

New additions to the cast, Yuri and Quinn. I wonder why Yuri never thought it was odd that Janet could make permanent stuff? Does he also have that skill? Because if not, surely he would notice that his stuff resets and (at least some) hers doesn't? I do like Yuri so far, though. I'm about halfway through the ep, don't feel like I know much about Quinn yet.

So we now know Janet's dad definitely sucked a lot. With that confirmed, and with the scene of Janet hiding under the stairs (as Maddie) with the person going up and down, do we think that's her father's ghost? (It wouldn't surprise me at all if Janet sees ghosts even though she's technically alive now). And... How did he die? did she (or her grandmother) kill him?

Xavier, my dude, I know I was tough on you last season, but cheating on Maddie does not mean you deserved to be hit and killed by a car.

Mr. Martin is engaged? (well, was) Interesting.

I hope someone realizes how triggering the Mr. Martin & Janet stuff clearly is for Rhonda. Obviously (so far) in the flashbacks we aren't getting the impression that it's an exact reflection of Rhonda's experiences, but close enough.

Okay, I wasn't expecting the Wally conflict to directly come up so soon, but I hope this at least means that we'll get some happy-go-lucky glimpses of him this season because it's one of my favorite elements of his character and (as Maddie basically called out) it's been very lowkey recently. I understand why he's upset/struggling, I like the layers, I just hope that's not the only side we see of him this season.

Alright, they just said Xaiver has a concussion. I'm no MD, but I did do some sports medicine training (unfortunately saw my fair share of concussions, including a couple that required ambulances, paramedics, and a trip to the hospital) and I do not think if you actually almost died of a head injury that anyone would let you back in school like the next day, even if you aren't expected in class. The lights alone would be problematic. But that's probably just me nitpicking.

So what you're telling me is Yuri saw a ghost with extra abilities and he was just like "eh 🤷‍♂️"? honestly, kinda valid. I'm glad Charley is addressing that.

I just had a thought that probably won't happen, but could be interesting, since Simon & Xavier are headed to the house that Janet is burning down, is it possible that Xavier will see Janet (Maddie) as Janet and not as Maddie? That would be an interesting effect of his death that's different from Simon's ability to talk to Maddie's ghost. I don't know how it would be helpful, but it could be cool.

Also was I right and Janet's father's ghost was actually there, or was she just imagining/remembering him? Clearly we don't know the extent of her abilities, or how the other ghosts factor in, but considering Janet's love of science and all the documentation, it would follow that she was running different experiments and she needed a bunch of different test subjects to do so. The big question being- what negative effects did she know/assume this had on them, because if it didn't have any, there would be no reason to hide it and they might do it voluntarily (they have very little to lose). Is it just that she was actively keeping them from crossing over? It seems like it would be something worse than that.

Mr. Martin is afraid of something "bigger," so clocked that. I do have an idea of what the red light means from the trailer, so not going to pretend to be super confused or speculate a lot, but not gonna explicitly say here because in case people haven't seen the trailer that addresses this.

2x03

So... do we think Claire is going to get an actual storyline, or?

Ah, there's some Wally lightness I was looking for.

Just got to the scene with Nicole's brother who I do not believe existed last season & I could be wrong, but he very much feels like a character that's been introduced to provide Claire with a new love interest and I am questioning if this would have absolutely anything to do with the central plot.

Janet's quite possibly a genius, but also she managed to leave her bag in a bathroom and lose all the money she stole, so brains aren't everything. I can't even laugh at her because I left my purse in a public bathroom a few months ago and didn't realize until I had driven an hour and half away and then had to drive an hour and half back (luckily it had been turned in) and then an hour and half the other way again.

I didn't realize I wanted more Xavier & Simon detective squad scenes until just now, but I do. I think they're really funny together, the actors bounce really well off of each other.

Okay, wait, wait, I immediately take back what I said about Nicole's brother because Janet's just been offered a ride to a college, and they just told us five minutes ago that Diego is in college, so what are the odds on "Diego sees his sister's missing best friend"? High, I'm guessing.

Well. That happened a lot faster than I was expecting it to, but okay. lol.

Can someone explain to me how the hell is Mr. Anderson is not in jail?? Stealing that much money is definitely a felony.

I can't tell if we're setting Nicole and Xavier up for a legit romance or just absolute horror and hilarity, like right now I could honestly see it going either way.

I just had to pause for like ten minutes from the secondhand embarrassment of the Wally/Janet scene. I know that's not the important part of that, but omg.

I don't understand how everyone else thought what Rhonda relayed about the party made Janet look bad instead of Mr. Martin. She literally says "no more experiments" and it seems like she wanted to give back the objects taken from the other ghosts, and I don't really get why Rhonda had to spell that out for everyone, like exercise some common sense my guys. I'm not saying that I fully buy that Mr. Martin is the ultimate evil (the man is scared of something) or that Janet is the ultimate good (setting aside the whole "stealing Maddie's body" thing, she was willing to kill Xavier with a car, so not a paragon of good morals, but still), just that I don't get what they missed about Rhonda's story to see Janet as the bad guy there.

I'm back to "Diego exists as a character solely for Claire" even though they technically used him for the plot briefly.

How did five of you lose Janet? She was literally right there.

So is it (the "hellscapes" so to speak) like a "you have to confront your death before you can move past it" kinda thing, or??

Unexpected MVP dynamic Simon & Xavier! But also Xavier should not be driving either and the girls really should have dropped both him and Simon off.

I'm not sure where Janet falls on a morality scale, but approaching Maddie's mom is rough if she doesn't intend to try to give Maddie's body back, because she has been through enough and like... oof.

It took me several hours to get through these episodes because this show has the misfortune of being on the most buggy streaming platform of all time, so my brain is tired at this point. I'll start a new post if I have any additional thoughts.

[rascalentertainments]

Wish Granted 🌟👩🏾🎶 (Wish Reimagined)

Chapter 6: Welcome to Rosas (Part 2)

Chapter 5

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

"Don't be shy now." Magnifico insisted.

Flazino faked a laugh badly. "Whaaaat? No, no, no. They're nobody! I mean, they're obviously somebody, but they've been here before!" he stood in front of them to block the king's view.

Magnifico raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? I don't believe I've seen them around town before." He looked over Flazino's shoulder and noticed the girl in purple looked rather familiar to him.

"Oh yeah, yeah! They're from the far side of Rosas, you don't make a lot of trips there…" Flazino blurted on, making up this story as he went along.

As the apprentice continued, Star had sensed something was off about the king. He didn't seem to have a joyful vibe despite the smile on his face. And what was up with his staff?

The starboy's thoughts halted when he felt something tighten around his arm. He looked to his right and saw Asha's expression had changed. She wasn't happy to see the King at all. She looked as if she was hiding her fear, but Star could see it in her eyes. Asha was terrified of Magnifico.

She saw Flazino use a hand signal behind his back to tell them go, quickly.

"Star, we need to go. Right now." she whispered to him.

Star wanted to keep looking around town, but the fear in her eyes made him change his mind. "All right." He responded. For the first time, he was taking this seriously. He picked up Valentino, who was slightly shaking.

They quietly backed away, careful not to make a noise to alert the king.

"…So they were just passing by. They're probably gone by now!" Flazino raised his voice slightly in hopes the two of them had finally left.

The king's eyes looked up and the two leaving, his suspicions were confirmed.

"Ah, I see. What a shame. I'll have to meet them later on." Magnifico shook his head in pretend disappointment. "I came down see how some of my loyal subjects are doing. You know, really get to know everyone. Speaking of which, I have something in mind for you."

"Um…me, sir?" Flazino asked raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, I've realized that I've neglected my duties as your teacher. Its time that you had more…advanced training." he said with a smile as green fire emitted from his hand.

"Y-you're actually going to train me? I mean, advance my training?" The boy had been waiting for this moment for years, but…the Hamlet mattered more. "Sir, I don't know how to say this, but-" he started as he rubbed his arm.

"No need to thank me, Figaro!" Magnifico exclaimed as he put an arm around the teen and laughed.

"It's Flazino…" He muttered, but the king continued on like his apprentice hadn't even spoken.

"You can thank my darling wife Amaya for that once she returns! She caught on to that and insisted I take extra care of you for our next lesson!" the king explained as they headed back to the castle.

"Uh, sure. But can we make it a short lesson? I really have other duties to take care of." Flazino said as he threw blue powder behind his shoulder while the king wasn't looking. The smoke traveled from his hand and slithered on the ground like a snake and traveled through the crowd.

•◌•◌•★•◌•◌••◌•◌•★•◌•◌••◌•◌•★•◌•◌••◌•◌•★•◌•◌••◌•◌•★•◌

We end up going all the way back to the Hamlet, with the people already out doing their morning routines.

Sabino slept a little later than normal since the incident last night and needed the extra rest. Now that he felt refreshed, he took a deep breath, and was ready for a new day.

The old man hadn't seen Asha yet, but assumed she was already out finding inspiration for sketches. So he went out by himself. Sabino greets a few of the neighbors, one of which was leading some of the livestock to the nearby river.

Sabino waves to the man with a smile and continues towards the water well, but he over hears a conversation.

"I'm telling you, one of the squirrels said 'Good morning' to me!" A man told his wife who putting out the laundry. She rolled her eyes. "Next you'll be telling me a bear when asked for a pot of honey."

"THAT HAPPENED TOO!" the husband exclaimed.

Sabino hoped the guy wasn't going senile at such a young age, not even he heard something like that. He walked over to his usual spot at the well and noticed it felt different when he got there. He felt a hint of such joy from that spot, just like he did last night.

The camera shows beneath his feet there's a very faint glow from the leftover stardust. "What in the…?" He started, but was interrupted by Sakina's call.

"Sabino! Have you seen Asha? I've been looking for her all morning, but I haven't seen her. Valentino is missing too." Her voice had a slight panic in it.

The man grabbed her hand gently. "Now, now. Don't worry, I'm sure she's around here. Perhaps she went a little further in the forest than usual. You know how she tries to find new things here."

"Actually, she left here last night." A kid's voice chimed in.

The two of them looked around for the speaker, but no-one was near. "Down here!" The voice spoke again.

Sabino and Sakina looked down and saw a small grey rabbit looking back at them. It waved its little paw at them and said "Hi there!"

"…."

"Sakina, I fear that I'm finally losing my mind." Sabino said, still in shock of the talking rabbit.

"….We might both be losing it, saba." Sakina responded, the same as Sabino.

The rabbit laughed. He hopped onto the well so they could see him better. "Last night Asha was singing to the star in the sky, and it then came down, turned into a guy, and made us all talk! Then he sang a song too and then he said he wanted to help her save the kingdom, and then he turned into a horse and they ran off to a place called Rosas. It sounds fun!"

The two of them stared at the rabbit for a few moments. Then Sakina fainted.

"Is she okay?" The rabbit asked, concerned.

"Well….I guess she took my request rather quickly." Sabino laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh dear…."

Cutting back to Asha and Star, they continued in the opposite direction. Asha finally breathed after they were far away enough. "That was too close. If he knew who we were…" her voice trailed off, not wanting think about what could've happened next.

She took out her sketchbook and started flipping through pages. "Looks like talking to Flazino won't work. They might be onto us already."

"So then, what do we do now?" Star asked, slightly distracted by the passerbys.

"Luckily I wrote down a little map here based on how Flaz described this place to me. I just hope its accurate enough..." She hoped.

The three of them slowly continued, with Star and Valentino following Asha closely. The little goat kept watch in case a guard or Sabor was near. A quick shot from the rooftops showed something moving quickly across the screen.

We quickly cut to a shot at feet level where the smoke is quickly catching up to the trio, sliding between several people.

Goingg back to the trio, Asha studied her map. "First, we'll need to get to the back of the castle somehow."

Behind her, Star quickly moved out of the way of a woman pushing a wheelbarrow full of stacks of flour. "Whoops! Sorry about that, buddy! Coming through with a delivery!" she had quite a chipper voice and whistled while she worked.

"Wow, she seems happy!" Star noted.

Asha continued looking through her book. "There should be a secret entrance somewhere around here, but we'll have to go further and try to circle around so we don't alert any guards."

Someone tapped Star on the shoulder. He turned and saw a girl holding a few daffodils in her hands. She looked a bit shy as she avoided making eye contact with him. "Um, I'd like to ask for you for a favor." she spoke in a soft, whisper-like tone. "Since you were kind enough to take the last of the flowers I couldn't sell, would you mind giving these to a boy named Safi?"

Star took the flowers and gave them a sniff. "Aw, sure! By the way who-" he looked up and the girl seemed to vanish into thin air.

"No need to be bashful! I don't mind doing it!" Star yelled, hoping that wherever she was, she heard him.

Asha quickly ran back to Star. "What are you doing?! Do you want to get us caught?" she grabbed his hand and pulled him along.

Before they proceeded further, a tall lanky blonde stepped in front of them. "Hey, you guys must be new around here! How about I give you a free show? The name's Dairo, by the way." He offered as he pulled a few colored balls from his pockets. He began to juggle them effortlessly in the air.

Asha had completely ignored him. Star on other hand... "Yeah, sure!" Valentino groaned and tried to push him away from the stranger.

"All right, prepare to be amazed!" The tall teen started to increase the amount of balls from 4 to 7 and was slowly walking backwards. "How you like this?"

Star had sparkles in his eyes. "IS THIS EARTH MAGIC?! I LOVE IT!"

"Hehe! Well, I'd like to think so- Whoawhoawhoa! Yaaah-hoo-hoo-hooey!!!"

Dario had stepped on a empty glass battle on the ground and was rapidly going backwards, still juggling the balls. He eventually went so far backwards he ended up falling into a barrel of water. "I'm okay!" he assured the concerned bystanders and gave a thumbs up.

Asha sighed as she let go of Star's hand. "What a dope. I can't wait to get out of this place. No one minds their own business." she grumbled.

"You know, I get what you've told me about that guy stealing wishes. But….is it really that bad?" Star asked in sincerity.

Asha looked at Star in surprise. "What?"

"I mean aside from a few of them looking sleepy a lot, this place looks great! And you're surrounded by tons of people and try something new all the time!"

Asha scoffed. "You can't be serious! My family had to run away from this place because of him!" She slightly raised her voice. "Don't be fooled by all this. That man and his wife are pure evil, and the sooner we take them down, the better."

Star didn't quite understand, but he went along anyway. "Sorry. I guess I was just thinking that this was better than where I was before now."

"How could this be better than being in space where you had the freedom to go where you wanted?" Asha argued.

"Because....at least I'm not alone like I was up there..." Star hesitated. His smile faltered as his eyes casted downwards. We see the glow in his hair completely faded.

Valentino looked up in concern. "Baaaah?"

Asha''s expression softened. She never thought about how Star felt up there. She just assumed he was just as happy in space as he is on Earth. But bringing it up seemed to bother him. Now she understood why he was so excited in the city. Seeing him down like this...it really bothered her.

She stepped a bit closer and reached a hand out to his face. He looked up to her, with widened eyes.

(Thanks to @ishadow246 for this little doodle, it was perfect for this! Just pretend he has a hood here, K? 😅)

"I'm sorry, I-" she started, but then a small cloud of blue smoke appeared in front of her face.

Both of them jumped and exclaimed in fear, Valentino hid behind Star's legs.

(imagine this, but blue)

"Sorry about that, Asha. Magnifico is practically breathing down my neck right now." The smoke had two cartoonish eyes and a mouth, while the voice coming out was Flazino's. "Glad I learned this communication spell last month. I guess he did teach me one useful thing." The voice sounded a bit like he was in a large room with an echo.

"Could've waited a few more minutes, but all right..." Star mumbled.

"Does this mean you can actually help us? I did draw out a map, but I'm not sure if its totally accurate." Asha said as she showed the blue cloud the pages of her book.

It took a brief look and smiled. "Actually, its pretty spot on, nice going! But it'll be a different story once you're inside. The king keeps the wishes in a room at the top of the castle."

The smoke then floated up as it took a look of the path leading to the castle. The coast looked mostly clear, with only a few guards around.

"I'll take you there, but you'll have to be quick. Mags has been acting strange since that big light last night, and he might be getting suspicious." he warned them.

Star and Asha shared a knowing glance. "You think he's talking about me?" He whispered to her.

The two of them quickly followed the blue ball down a path that led away from the town square. They could see the castle getting closer into view. The camera then cuts to a faraway shot where we see something large moving quickly across the rooftops.

"When we get inside, you'll have to be quiet, the guards doubled since last night." Flazino continued. "Once you're in his study, there's a big door that leads to the Wish Chamber, but you can't open it unless-"

The voice was cut off by a large animal that pounced onto the blue cloud. It came down so quickly, the three of them barely had time to react.

The lynx held the ball in his paw and began to squeeze it. "Sabor! No, no, no, bad kitty! Bad-" POOF!

The smoke ball disappeared and nothing but blue ash was left in his paws. The lynx slowly turned his head towards Star and Asha with devilish grin.

It flashes back to Flazino who's eyes were glowing blue until the connection was gone. "Nonono, that's not good. Not good." he started to panic as he began to look for the ingredients in the lab to make another spell.

"Is something troubling you?" Magnifico asked from behind him. His staff was beginning the glow, just like his eyes. "Perhaps you lost touch with someone?" He teased as he pointed his staff at Flazino's back.

The boy was too afraid to look back, but he knew the man had an evil grin.

Jumping right back outside, from around the corner, Amaya elegantly stepped into view. "Well, well, if it isn't the brave little girl and boy, or should I say starboy?" she let out a small chuckle.

The two of them took a step back in horror, with Valentino still hiding behind them.

"How-how did you...?" Asha couldn't even finish. They were so far ahead of her. How did she find them?!

She spread her arms as if she was inviting them in for a hug. "I see you made it quite far. But I'm afraid your journey stops here. Welcome to Rosas, my dears!" The queen's eyes glow green as she finishes.

Star could only said one thing. "Oh shtars-"

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

FINAL THOUGHTS

Wow, its been a loooong time, hasn't it? Looks like most of the fandom was on break and working on their rewrites at the same time, lol. There were times I felt like the dog that was left alone for a few hours and I just went crazy by going into all my friends AUs and then my own stuff. I think was actually shorter than planned.

But yeah, at long last we got Chapter 6! I'll admit this was a little harder to write this one. One because I haven't had a lot of time to sit down and write, and two I've had a ton of art to make on the side when I can. So now more of my characters can get some art! Now for this one, I had A LOT going on, mostly because there's so much I want to tell, and this story will probably be about 20 chapters or less. That's usually the length of my stories, even in non-fan work, so strap in.

So not only did we get the rest of teens (which will fully assemble later on) more of a focus later after Star has his first confrontation with Mags here. We also get more of Flazino, who's got his own storyline at this rate, lol. As you can see he can perform a bit if magic himself, but only small doses. (really playing into the double agent thing now, I'm really surprised how quickly he got fans)

His entire mood between chapters 5 & 6 (I'm sure he's fine…):

(George here is pretty much the base of WG!Flazino so it fits)

And I had to gave you a sprinkling of ship teasing with Asha and Star. I say sprinkle because the ship's gonna get stronger in the next chapters. Chapter 7 will be LONG, and we need a point where Asha can sleep, she's just been going nonstop and might end up like Flazino if she's not careful.

I'll give you some details on what's coming next: Dahlia and the teens will all come back in Chapter 7, and we'll see how she knows Asha. Our first magic battle between Star and Mags who finally meet, that traitor amongst us scene from the original film, Flaz needing therapy and of course SHIPPING!!

As for things outside this chapter, I'm posting a DTIYS challenge finally, so I hope you'll like to join it!

Thanks for reading!

@signed-sapphire @oh-shtars @annymation @chillwildwave

@uva124 @ishadow246 @tumblingdownthefoxden @your-ne1ghbor

@mythartist21 @gracebethartacc @emptyblog7 @spectator-zee

@lazytitans-world @emillyverse @flicklikesstuff @kenihewa

@snackara @wings-of-sapphire @natsuki208

[bayleavesfromthevine]

some kn8 ramblings (with a side order of manga spoilers)

i love that (as far as we know) kafka and mina's tragic backstory is "dead cat." we know nothing of their parents, homes, or friends from after the kaiju attack, only that mina's cat died. (obviously, the series isn't over yet, so this could be totally disproven at any point, but bear with me lol.)

i actually find that really refreshing. yes, it's so heartbreaking to lose a pet, but it's not the typical trope of a character's power level correlating to how traumatized they are (ex: family massacres, everyone they've ever loved ending up dead, backstabbing, torture, etc etc). their traumas are grounded in very realistic and relatable circumstances, and i think that goes to show that a character doesn't need these extreme reasons to want to do good and fight the scary monster. mina's cat died in a kaiju attack and she wants to make sure that no one else has to lose their best friend/ball of floof to a kaiju ever again. that is enough of a reason and a noble one at that.

soshiro, as another example, has a complicated relationship with his family, but they aren't dead or rogue. he's not seeking revenge on them, but rather they did not support him when it mattered and made him feel inferior - that is a traumatizing environment to grow up in, and unsupportive parents & sibling favoritism are also SO grounded in reality.

it really makes these characters feel real, and i think it's a powerful thing for a reader who maybe doesn't have the best relationship with their parents/siblings like soshiro, or who has lost a beloved pet like mina, or who doesn't have natural-born talent in a specific field like kafka, to see these characters take those experiences, work through them, find a support system, and overcome them.

(side note: i LOVE to see that soshiro actually went no contact with his brother for past behaviors! that sets such a powerful example to readers that it's okay to cut out people who have made you feel like shit!!)

of course, there are other characters like narumi and reno who have heavier backstories, but i love that their experiences don't automatically turn them into the brooding emo characters who think only of killing kaiju and seeking revenge with zero intentions to form friendships with the people around them.

it's just really nice to see. i feel like in stories that have a large cast, it's easy for a character's backstory to completely shape their personality, rather than being shaped by a multitude of experiences - good and bad - gained throughout life. (in cases like reno and kikoru, we see them grow as people & change their outlooks due to their positive experiences with kafka and the rest of the defense force. that doesn't override their past experiences, but adds layers to who they are overall.)

i see kn8 getting criticized a lot for lacking in depth or themes - and i do think there is a conversation to be had about locating the series' central theme and whether or not it's been clearly communicated (and whether or not that even matters) - but i also think part of that criticism stems from having a fantastical premise (that maybe SHOULD have a little more death, but that's another conversation entirely lol) with deeply grounded characters, a contrast we don't see too much of - especially from series in the battle shonen & shonen-adjacent genres (thinking about shows like naruto, aot, jjk, demon slayer, hell's paradise, etc).

basically, i find it refreshing that kn8 isn't over-traumatizing its characters despite the fact that the premise would allow it lol

[ashistired37]

Yes the nap was refreshing. Let's talk about what I think is going on with Erin!

So. Spoilers for 2-2-32!

sorry most of this is based on speculation but that's the fun of this! If you disagree or think there's something I missed I will very gladly read through it! I love theories even if they aren't mine feel free to share yours <3

Okay so I literally wrote a draft of my theory the night before so I'll summarise it.

Basically I think what's going on with Erin- atleast subconsciously is tied to the backstory theory I cooked up.

I think his soul was either very prone to elemental corruption or the elements were just too much for him to control.

I think maybe using one element like we've mostly seen him do was alright but using it for too long would cause problems. So using them would usually lead to him being bedridden or sick in some way.

Because of this he probably felt powerless in a way. Sure he could use all the elements but he can't do anything meaningful with them without injuring himself (or others depending on how out of control his powers were before the magic tats/seals)

I mean obviously he felt helpless when it comes to helping Tess. He was a child what could he say to his father to get through to him? We don't know much about his parents but from what we know his father was definitely a douche. We know Erin and Tess seem to like/respect their mother and she was probably a Soul mage but that's about it

I think the line about holding him back just meant Tess would TRY to stop him from overworking himself which probably came before the seals. Maybe he kept trying to make his magic work despite knowing how much of a toll it takes or even after he got the tattoos he probably wanted to feel useful now that he could actually use his powers safely. He had to.

This is why I think he's a good person to parallel Kendal. They're both trying to justify their existence by doing.

Kendal with saving Vash.

And Erin by solving problems.

Is it fair to him to assume he can do all that? No. This whole thing really reminds me of the first episode of I think justice league?

I know it was a DC animated show- where in the first episode they assign superman to protect the whole world and when people protest saying he doesn't have enough hands for that he reassures them he will take care of it.

Erin's kinda like Superman in this case- oh wow I never thought I'd say that. But you understand why I draw the comparison. They're both insanely powerful and taking on way more than they can in these instances.

Now I know I mostly used 2-2-30 and 31 but I had to use them so we can get to the 32 stuff.

Him saying no one can help him and that it always comes back yo him to carry the weight because nobody can catch him if he falls as hubouris it sounds it's also. Really fucking sad.

I think he probably had a lot of instances where people expected him to fix things because of how much power he has (probably his father or even fellow students of The academy but that's just a guess) so he internalised it.

"But Atlas didn't you say he probably feels like this because he feels the need to justify his existence so he doesn't feel as helpless?" yes. Because I think it's both. Things mixed together to create the awful storm that is Erin mc hubris pants.

On another tragic note he's been one of the core members for so long. Since like chapter 4-5. This guy has fought with atleast Alinua and Kendal for AWHILE now. He knows they can help but the one thing they can't help him get rid of or solve?

The dragon.

He's right. He's absolutely right but that's only if you think about directly helping. By directly getting rid of it. If you think about helping him more indirectly so he can get the help he needs? They've been doing that since they met him!

Obviously he's not thinking completely rationally if he was more level headed he could probably acknowledge this but I NEEDED to mention this.

I might add to this sometime but I am exhausted I'll see you after ANOTHER nap

[rosefires20]

No one knows just how happy I am Niki and Tubbo joined the QSMP and the characters they have already started to take on.

Phil being gone this week has really given them a chance to prove themselves and their role as Chayanne and Tallulahs godparents. Nikis been very busy lately but Tubbos been on almost every single day since he joined.

Tallulah and Chayanne are two of the most closed off eggs in terms of how often they just hang out on the server. Usually, they log on, do quests with Phil, chill for a bit, and then go back to sleep with occasional times of hanging out with other QSMP members.

Q!Tubbo, since he's been on the most, has allowed for the most Chayanne and Tallulah content outside of Phil doing their quests. Tubbos already given all the eggs blankets permission to just show up and hang out which Tallulah and Chayanne have taken up quite a bit.

I absolutely adore how q!Tubbo treats the eggs. He cares for them so much even though he can't completely protect them and isn't their direct parent. He is instantly trying to include them in his projects when they show up and always chatting with them which is really cool. It's an interesting dynamic to see since everyone's had an egg of their own since just about the start.

Q!Tubbo has similar mannerisms to both q!Wilbur and q!Phil since they are close friends and deemed family by q!Phil. He treats Tallulah and Chayanne very similarly to how q!Wilbur and q!Phil treat them which is something I think both of them needed from a non-parent individual. They both been dealing with the absence of a father this whole time so I'm sure new faces are refreshing to see. There's no expectations or previous understandings that the other islanders have about them.

Q!Tubbo has made sure to take care of them so well. He always pauses to make sure their tasks are done and that they are doing something they want to do or help with. Q!Tubbo also uses nicknames a lot which I love. He calls Chayanne, Chay. Tallulah, sweetie and both of them poultry queen/king/prince which is adorable.

I really want to know Tallulah and Chayannes thoughts on q!Tubbo since they've spoken about how they don't feel the most comfortable being openly themselves around the other QSMP islanders. Tallulah hasn't completely opened up to q!Tubbo and started sassing him like she does q!Phil but I'm sure it's refreshing to have someone new like q!Tubbo focus his attention on her and her brother when they around, making sure they read all the signs, and keep track of them all the time.

It's just such a refreshing dynamic to see for two characters that have been going through it so much lately.

I also just love q!Tubbo in general because he fits right in. He's constantly involving everyone if they want to join. He's also someone who is challenging the Federation constantly in a way not everyone else can because they have the eggs. He's abosultely on Cucuruchos shit list for his shenanigans and he's already started poking holes in the story that the Federation has laid out.

[droumack]

since you asked why I might have multiple hits on a work but no kudos/comment for every hit:

oftentimes I need multiple sittings to finish a work, and while I'm working my way through, it'll be refreshing in my browser, and presumably driving up the hit counter. It's not feasible for me to leave a comment every time I have to put the fic down, primarily because I'm putting it down because I ran out of time to read some more. I do leave a comment/kudos once I've finished the whole thing!

Also for authors where I read a ton of their works, I try to find their discord/Tumblr/etc and interact with them there, which for multi-chapter works means I stop leaving as many comments on the work. Personally, I find having a conversation on a chapter update easier on social media over AO3, and until this very moment hadn't thought about doubling back to AO3 to leave an additional comment there if I've already spoken with the author elsewhere. For your fics, I think I've been alternating between AO3 and your Tumblr asks, but I can switch to AO3 only if you'd prefer?

I explained this in another post so i'll keep it brief here - i very much appreciate the explanation of hits, but that's not the issue i have exception with, it's the not leaving kudos at all. that's all! and it doesn't sound like you're guilty of that, so thank you <3 and thank you for taking the time to explain this

as for the way you engage with an author, it's totally your comfort level. i've given you all a lot of ways to reach me (comment section, tumblr, discord) because i genuinely love to hear your ideas and riff with you and engage with you in a way that can't necessarily happen in an AO3 comment section!

THAT SAID, it is my AO3 inbox that makes me the happiest to see the number tick up, mostly because I think it's a place dedicated to discourse on the fic itself. on tumblr, when i see i've got an ask, it kinda could be anything - someone prompting me, someone asking a question, someone feeling horny about jo getting split in half by nate, etc.

and SOMETIMES, yes, people pop by my tumblr inbox to say "I LOVED THE UPDATE!!!" and that makes me just as happy as an AO3 comment. but---and don't ask me why, it might be psychological---an ao3 comment just hits different in my brain than the other ways people praise the fic.

AND IT'S NOT THAT I FEEL ENTITLED TO COMMENTS!!!! That feels important for me to say, I do not think I deserve a hundred million comments on all my fics, or even ten. Seriously, only leave comments if you enjoy the work!!! that's important!!!! authors are not owed comments unless they've created a work you feel genuine affection for.

idk, this was rambley, but other writers, LMK if you agree that ao3 comments hit different or if i'm just an insane person with my wires crossed

[ladylooch]

I was re-reading the part when David and Mack went to the pizzeria, the day he kissed her for the first time. I thought how sweet it would be now with little Nicky—David taking them to the same place after a match. They remember the old days while their baby makes funny sounds because he wants to taste a slice of pizza

The Friday night dinner rush is running over the family pizzeria that Mack and David have been frequenting since their first date. But as regulars, their drinks are continuously refreshed and their meal order was put in the minute they walked in the door. The staff all stops by at various points through the evening, saying hi to the couple as well as swooning over Nicky who is in prime, Gerber baby fashion tonight.

"Those cheeks!"

"His eyes!"

"How does his hair stay that swooped and styled!?"

Sure, he looks like that now, but when he woke up from his afternoon nap it was static central station. Black hair stuck out from his head like a dying dandelion.

"He does look very cute tonight." Mack sighs to her husband as the latest waitress rushes off at the sound of the kitchen bell dinging. "Looks just like you. That's why he is a babe magnet." David snorts, then shakes his head at his wife. He only cares about one babe and it's the one in the booth across from him who gave him the baby they're admiring.

A yawn stretches David's lips apart and he blinks through the tears that form in his eyes from it.

"Tired?"

"Mmmm, yeah." He answers her, collecting her hand on the table top. He hopes their pizza comes soon. Daddy can't hang these days. The team is currently in the grinding days of the season between games 40-60. Simple hockey is what they're trying to play and for David it means a lot more hits and blocking shots. He has a massive bruise on his thigh to ice again later.

"We can take our food to go?" Mack offers, shaking the scrunchie toy book she brought for Nicky as he starts to fuss. He grabs it, flipping through the fabric pages before bringing it to his mouth to suck on.

"It's alright, honey. I like being here with you. Brings me back."

"To a better life?" She jokes.

"No. I was actually just thinking about how lonely it used to be to come here by myself. I'd sit at the bar and watch whatever game was on and keep my head down, hoping no one would notice me. Nothing like it is tonight with you."

"You're so soft when you're tired." Mack grins smugly at him. Their pizza appears as their mutual laughter dies down. It's their regular - pepperoni pizza with fresh basil. For Nicky, they got a kids cheese pizza.

David grabs a slice for Nicky, moving it to a separate plate so it can cool off for him. Nicky eyes the food, much more curious about it since they've been working solid foods into his diet.

"Bah!" He yells, pointing his drool coated finger at it.

"It's too hot." David says simply. "I'll let you know."

Mack and David both eat a bite of pizza, chatting through the next few days since David has two back to back home games at MSG. They also order two more drinks, then ask for the check and boxes so they can sneak out as fast as possible tonight. Looks and whispers about David's presence have started and he wants to be able to make an escape if needed.

"We can probably let him suck on it?" Mack murmurs as David contemplates cutting the slice.

"Sounds good to me." David picks up the slice of cheese pizza and brings it to Nicky's lips. He curls his lips inward, resisting for a moment then slowly opens his mouth. He laps at the very end of it, then starts to bounce excitedly in his seat.

"We got a winner!" Mack giggles as Nicky throws his toy book to the floor. He lets out a delightful squeak then leans forward, taking more pizza into his mouth.

For the next ten minutes, they watch in awe as their baby enjoys his first slice of pizza. Another milestone moment that has the two parents smitten with the little boy who is their whole world.

"He is so cool." David murmurs after another pass of the pizza to Nicky. He has mostly been swallowing the sauce, but it has still been a fun experience.

"I love that we can bring him places like this now. Everything has more meaning, getting to share it with him."

"So right, honey." David muses, eyes sparkling with joy as he watches Nicky closely with the latest nibble. After that bite, Nicky pushes at the pizza slice. "All done?" His little fist comes up, rubbing at his eye before he starts to whine.

"Oh boy." Mack murmurs. Nicky reaches his pudgy hands out for her as he starts to cry.

Mack and David spend the rest of dinner worrying about if they overfed him the pizza. Or if he is having a reaction to something. And everything else that new-ish parents worry about with the baby they love so much it hurts. They hurry to get Nicky home, saying brief goodbyes to the staff and running out with full, to-go boxes of pizza.

Turns out, Nicky was just tired. He passes out with his pacifier in the stroller on the brief walk home. He grumbles and cries as David changes his diaper and gets him into his giraffe footie pajamas. With daddy's big hand stroking up and down his back in the rocking chair, he is lulled back to sleep quickly. Mack comes in to say goodnight with a soft forehead kiss, then Nicky Carlson is tucked away for the night, safe in his baby dreams.

"I never would have imagined this night for us." Mack admits to her husband as she crawls into bed later. David looks up from his book. "Us, with a baby, rushing home because he seemed a little off..." David nods, but says nothing, going back to reading the pages in front of him. "What?" Mack pauses. "Did you?"

"Yeah." He smiles sideways at her. "Since the first night I took you there, I've seen you as part of my future. Nicky is the cherry on top." Mack curls her lips into a press for a moment, then braces her weight with a hand on his thigh to kiss him.

"I love you. Thank you for not giving up on me."

"I'll never give up, baby." He says simply. "I love you."

Mack flips over onto her side, turning out her bedside lamp and tucking her hand under her pillow. David puts a secure hand on her hip as he continues on in his book.

Sometime later, after Mack falls asleep, David ear marks his page then sets the book off to the side. His lamp turns off and he takes one last peek at Nicky sleeping safely on the monitor before he joins his wife in a slumber of his own.

[trashlie]

Love and Deepspace Thoughts

I promised some thoughts about Love and Deepspace and we're a week into the game and I think I can finally ramble about it for a while. I've been immensely enjoying myself and screaming daily with my friends lol and I think I've been able to formulate my thoughts pretty well! Idk how many people actually wanna read this, but I always love to have a record of my thoughts - especially something this early in game, because knowing papergames, there's going to be so much angst, so many twists and turns, and I'm already seeing a lot of threads of how things could play out and I like to be able to look back and see how wrong I was lol.

I play on the North American server and have completed chapter 7, so this will be full of spoilers for story content, as well as a lot of spoilers for anecdotes, tender moments, and some of the myth stuff - I'll try to denote where I'll mention certain spoilers in case you're trying avoid certain things, but it'd be impossible to write all of my sincere thoughts and capture all of what I really love and am looking forward to without spoilers, unfortunately.

Below will have a lot of thoughts on the current LIs as well as speculation about the 2 coming LIs, as well as their dynamics, and further speculation on where I think - or maybe just would like to see - the story could be going. To be clear, I have not cleared all anecdotes or myths, as I'm trying to savor things and good lord I cannot pull all those cards; a lot of this is compilation between my experiences as well as @poisonheart and further things I've read and discussed in the server. I will also be approaching this as a longtime player of MLQC, papergames' other otome game, because I cannot help but see the comparisons between the game and sing the praises of where I feel like they've grown and refined, but I don't think you'll need to have played MLQC to read this - you can honestly just ignore those bits lol >A<

What I can outright, sans spoilers, say is that I'm really enjoying Love and Deepspace so much and I think that it's come at a really good time for me, personally, as a MLQC player, because there's so much in game that's been completed and we're basically going through the motions doing our dailies, waiting for our new chapter events or participating in the occasional events (if you aren't hoarding resources for SP wish tree events) so it feels SO refreshing to dive into a new game that takes place in the same universe/world but have so much new stuff to uncover, so much new lore, new characters to meet and get to know. In MLQC I have a very clear favorite, but so far in LADS, I find that while I think I might have a favorite, I really enjoy all three LIs so much and I don't feel bad when I pull someone else's card, because it means I get to gobble all the lore! I don't feel like "UUUGGHH THIS GUY" when we get to X's chapter route. Perhaps it's just that LADS really caters to specific tropes and cliches in a way that I enjoy, but I feel so much like they've done these characters great justice! This goes for the MC, too, who doesn't feel at all like a cookie cutter MC meant to be a stand in for our own self-insert, but rather has a lot of personality of her own, is feisty and discerning.

Also, I gotta give a lot of props to the character customization features. I understand why people are upset that you can only change your hair and hair color in the photobooth function, but we rarely see MC out of that feature - so much of the game is in first person POV - and the times that we do see her, she's seen from the back, so maintaining the same hair for all characters allows them to keep something they can use for her stand in in such scenarios. But the customization is legit nuts! You can do so much with it, I spent so long tweaking mine the day before the game launched! I want to make side accounts I will never play just to play with that function lol

But let's get into the good stuff!

I really cannot sing the praises for the LIs enough, and that's going to be the bulk of what I'll talk about, because even this early in game, there's so much nuance to the LIs in both their characters as well as their dynamics with MC. Everyone brings a little something different to the table, and with what little we know of the upcoming LIs, I think even if for some reason the current LIs don't work for people, maybe the new ones might? But personally, I am so invested in all three of them! While I think I have a definite ranking in favor forming, it's not like it means I dislike any of them at all, and I'm always so eager to learn more!

One thing I'd like to mention before getting into it is that I love the inclusion of the myth cards, and though they are treated as alternate universes, I think it's more like they are previous or parallel timelines, but I'll try to get into that a little more as I talk about the characters!

From what I can see so far, I think Rafayel is one of the more popular fans with the North American/English-speaking fanbase - and it's not hard to see why! He's sassy, provides good comedy, he's fun to bully, and he's really pouty. I had a feeling he would be my favorite from the get go, just because I tend to have a thing for really pathetic men lmao and I have SUCH a fondness for him. I said I think I have a ranking forming, but it feels WRONG to rank them because that's how much I really like them, but if I had to, Rafayel's #2 position is really, REALLY close to #1! But the thing is, it's not just because of all of those traits above. I'd argue that he's one of the characters who has a lot of iceberg depth, as in there's a lot of depth to him that may get ignored or glossed over because of the sass and brattiness that accompanies, or even masks, it. As poisonheart puts it, the comedy hides the pain - and Rafayel comes with a LOT of pain! There's a delicious complexity to him where he is one part needy and clingy, but also one part resentful and hurt. MC made a promise that she doesn't recall - whether it was in this life or another - and you really get the sense that Rafayel wants to settle the score, but at the same time his feelings get in the way of those bitter, hurt feelings, and I really enjoy this complexity a lot! I think it elevates all of the sassiness, gives it a purpose and meaning.

Take his Nightly Stroll Bond: on the one hand it comes across as comedic and even manipulative -and it is! But when you get into it, you understand why. That's not to say if I think there's justification for manipulation because that's not what I'm here for; I'm just here for a good time and a good time I'm having. But when Rafayel says "It's been 800 years!" I don't think that's an exaggeration - he just isn't talking about just the day that he waited. Is faking an injury/illness and checking himself into a hospital overkill? Sure lol but that's what makes him so delightful to me. There's all of this hurt and unaddressed resentment, but as much as that, there's all of these feelings! Because even though he's hurt, he CARES about MC, SO MUCH. That's the problem! It would be easier if he didn't care, but he does. He's so needy, so clingy, he wants her attention because he's waited for so long while she was off, having forgotten him, living a life that abandoned and left him behind while he waited and waited and listen ;~; my stinky fish man I'm so sorry I cannot wait for her to learn the truth. I want to know SO BADLY what happened! When did they meet, anyway? He makes a comment on the homescreen when he's sulking lol about "See you in three months... three minutes, landlubber"

HOW LONG DID HE WAIT FOR HER IF ONE MINUTE IS ONE MONTH TO HIM?!

And listen, idk what anyone else thinks, but the end of chapter 7 had me in my FEELINGS, with the way he tried to leave her at the bottom of the ocean - but he couldn't, because of their promise, because he's unable to go back on it, because even though she forgot all about him and their promise and went about her life without a memory of him, he can't do that. It's the hurt! It's the resentment! It's the confliction between his feelings, because it seems like they take up equal space - his hunger for her attention, for what feels like she was so fickle to give and take away, the way she meant so much to him and he feels like it wasn't the same ;A;

(I've contemplated how possible it is that they met when she was younger, before she was attacked in the Wanderer incident 14 years ago, and if that could somehow have affected her memory, but I feel like it must be something greater, because seeing the fish glow in his heart means the vow they made was binding, so something strong must've caused her to forget. But that's also why I've contemplated if this was in another life? I'm less sure about this, because in Rafayel's second anecdote, he crosses paths with MC at university, though of course she doesn't recognize or recall him, and he specifically recognizes her voice. "Though her voice has matured, her pronunciation, enunciation, the rhythm of her speech, and even the emphasis in her sentences... Every word strikes like a drumbeat, awakening long-buried memories in his mind" It feels more likely that it happened while they were younger. Also I feel like this passage really encompasses her significance, that he can recall these details, to recognize them after so much time ;~; stinky fish you make my heart ache ;~;)

I appreciate so much that they've given Rafayel so much depth, that under the comedy of his pathetic, sulky exterior is so much reason for it, that there's an undercurrent of resentment and something dark - after all, we haven't actually uncovered what happened with the painting and Raymond. We saw the mermaid skeleton in his house - was Rafayel seeking revenge for his people?

But Rafayel also shows tremendous emotional sensitivity, in ways that sometimes catch me off guard. I distinctly remember lol sitting in shock after 4-3, and the text from Rafayel that pops up asking MC if she got the thing, telling her about how he asked a seagull to send a white seallshell why hasn't it arrived yet lol and I remember going "NOT NOW RAFAYEL READ THE ROOM ;~;" and then he goes on, telling her "if you draw on it and put it into the ocean the sea will carry the feelings you poured into the drawing to the soul you yearn for" and I just started SOBBING lol ;~; It was just so.... poignant but so simple. He didn't say I'm sorry for your loss or my condolences or anything like that - it was his own chaotic, weird method, but it was sincere. Likewise, he shows that similar sincerity in Ocean At Night, despite initially dismissing paper lanterns as silly human traditions - a lantern will be blown out why would you put all your hope in something so fleeting - coming around to using his own flame, that will never go out, to light a lantern for MC with the prayer that her hopes will never go out. ;~; Listen, I cried. I was TENDER my heart was soggy ;~;

And while I know people love a good pathetic man and enjoy chaotic sass and the fact that we really, truly NEVER know where his plots are going to go lmao - always an adventure with him - I hope they appreciate that depth and don't disavow the darker elements of him that give reason to those core elements of him. Rafayel is a character that carries his hurt and bitterness on his sleeve, rather than hiding it or shoving it away, and I really look forward to exploring it and all the messiness it has to offer, and how it will play out for MC.

On the very far end of the spectrum is Zayne. He's the character I expected to not be too fond of, so I was so pleasantly surprised as we got to know him to find myself proven wrong! I expected him to be... hm... I guess colder? More prickly? Than he turns out to be? And, admittedly, he is still rather aloof and cold on the surface, but I think it helps that he and MC have that history and that we are introduced very early to them through the A Frozen Promise Bond. It made it readily apparent that Zayne was not a cold and aloof person because he was too lofty or something but rather... it just seemed like maybe he'd been someone more awkward when he was younger, someone who didn't know how to connect very well with the daughter of this family friend, but he still tried. The snow seal took me out, you guys ;~; I never moved on from that!!!!!!

Despite seeming so cold, there's a certain kind of warmth to Zayne, just under the surface. He shows his care and concern in the ways he knows best, as MC's PCP, caring about her well being and health, but their Tender Moments are a collection of wonderful moments showing them growing closer, getting to know each other better as people, as friends and equals. For the record, Starry Nocturne hurt me so much, but it did two things I thought were so important. a. It showed that he was not infallible, which I think is very important, because often characters are written in their roles as geniuses who never fail, or else accomplish the impossible, and to see him lose a patient, while painful to read, made him so human but also b. It gave him that moment of vulnerability with MC where he could lean on her. It's so, SO important! for a MI to be able to lean on the MC, I feel, for them to be those equals, for him to be able to be vulnerable with her, but especially so for a character like Zayne who feels very reserved and closed off.

MC makes statements about feeling like there's distance between her and Zayne, especially when they first come back into each others' lives for the first time, so getting to indulge in these little Tender Moments of them taking little steps towards each other, closing that gap between them, is so satisfying! Having that history gives them a dynamic unlike Rafayel or Xavier's with her, because she has her memories of their childhood, of who he was when they were younger, and who they are now, and can compare the warmth of him opening up, of the chuckles and laughter she elicits from him. They also have this kind of flirtship I really enjoy - something very coy, not in an uwu so shy way just.... very coy, both dancing around the bush, before one of them calls it what it is - I thought the A Heartfelt Paradise Tender Moment a really good example of this!

It's so easy to read Zayne as being cold and aloof, but he really does have so much warmth, he just isn't good at showing it. He doesn't wear things on his sleeves like Rafayel or MC. But good LORD when he's in private....!!!!!!! The Business Trip Memoria TOOK. ME. OUT!!!!!! This is the game launch and they're already throwing this at us?! It was, to me, such a mature kind of date to give us? Two people who have had to grow used to each other's absence in their lives, and continue having to make space for those absences, as both are busy people - Zayne, a dedicated cardiac surgeon and MC a hunter - and what it means to grow used to the absence and to miss each other. But listen - when MC got in his lap?! She was touching his mouth? His face?! "What did you want me to do, in front of all those people?" he asked her? SIR?!

HELLO?! Girl. Listen.

I had to fan myself alfjkkfkjafjkafkjaf lmao

I looooooove them for that element of normalcy - for the people who have important careers and lives that they have to attend to, but still find the room for each other in their lives. The implication that Zayne rushed his way through school, took on grueling workloads and lacked a social life amongst classmates much older than him, not because he loved learning or even because he was so dedicated to his career - but because it was his way back to MC, so that he could return to stand in front of her? GOD. HOW DO YOU MOVE ON FROM THAT? HOW DO YOU HANDLE THAT? Knowing that he did it all so that he could stand in front of you again? HOWLING pls LISTEN.

Zayne may feel cold on the surface, but he is SO warm, he cares so much. And not just about MC, either. Thank God, too, because I'm not huge on the "Cold man only cares about the woman he loves" type, but Zayne cares so much about his patients, and making sure they feel seen, cared about? His first anecdote had me crying about seniors in hospitals with no relatives to accompany them to their examinations ;~; What a man.

I haven't had a chance to dig into his myth yet, which is a shame, but his third anecdote DID destroy me. I'm not even exaggerating, I was sobbing in my bedroom - and the worst part is I knew it would be painful going in and I still wasn't braced for impact enough! I mean, frankly, both his second and third hurt but nothing like the third! Parallel universe Zayne in a grim reaper role where he must kill humans turning into Wanderers - so very opposite the surgeon version of him who does everything he can to save people, both of them living parallel lives to each other, experiencing each others' lives through their dreams/nightmares. THIS HAS ME SCREAMING!!!!!

So much of MLQC has a lot to do with timelines - parallel worlds, some alternate universes, a whole timeline that's technically the same timeline reset but also still moving forward...... lol I can't help but think about where all of this fits in to LADS. Even though the Myth storylines are taken as alternate universes.... I think they're part of everyone's stories. We see echos of them. I haven't finished Rafayel's but even little moments, like making a break for it and having to run to escape attention echos a scene of Rafayel and the Princess MC making a mad dash in the market alley to escape the palace guards. It feels especially true for Xavier and MC, which I'll get to. But especially with Zayne - whose myth, again, I haven't been able to dig into, but seems to pose him as a sort of god, a forseer - we have two very different timelines/events now: his myth/Philos story and his parallel Grim Reaper self. How many timelines/parallel universes are we playing with, I wonder....?

I really want to revisit this in the future when I do get to dig into his myth, because I can see how Rafayel and Xavier's myths tie into their identities and their dynamics with MC, but I don't know yet how any of that works for Zayne and MC! I'm so intrigued, I can't wait!!!!

And finally, Xavier. God, I should have known lol in retrospect I should have realized Xavier would be my weak spot but listen..... sometimes I gotta lie to myself lol I love everything about him, the seemingly gentle eepy man who is also simultaneously a walking weapon of mass destruction but also so easily stumped by a UFO machine lol. Much like Rafayel, I'm especially fond of him because of the depth and dynamics, but also, honestly, much like Rafayel, he just checks all the boxes. Poisonheart puts it best when she says Xavier is the perfect middle-ground of the two - he's not as sassy as Rafayel is, but he'll still roast MC, he's very grounded and comes off a little aloof sometimes, but he doesn't seem nearly as aloof as Zayne, and he's also really unintentionally funny! He plays the middle-ground of them SO well. And where Zayne was working hard in order to show up in front of MC again and Rafayel has a score to settle but also so much neediness, it feels like Xavier has a LOT of karma to make up for.

Now, I personally don't have his myth cards, but poisonheart does, so everything I know I've experienced via her and all of our hours of screaming lol and the thing that really gets me the most about Xavier and MC is like..... okay it's the way he's clearly this really incredibly strong guy, but he plays the submissive prey role so well? lol He begs if she tells her to, he doesn't resist, he indulges her, he plays along - but when the mood strikes, he'll pull the dominant switch and flip the table and alkfjlFKJKAFJ ALKJFAF LAKJFAKFKJFAJ AFLKJD GODDDDDDDD IT GETS TO MEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Xavier has that sense of like.... everything for MC, right? Like he's making up for a lifetime. There's implications that maybe he's been searching through space and time for her, trying to find her, that they've lost and each other countless times before - or rather, she's lost him - and his Shooting Stars myth supports this. Sometimes it's really subtle, sometimes it stands out so much I'm in agony. She remarks so often how he feels so distant, like he's as out of reach and mysterious as a star. She has nightmares about him disappearing and he is incredibly reassuring about staying, about not leaving. And maybe I'm reading into it, but he even talks about her hanging on tight, like maybe if she's strong enough, she can keep him from ever being taken away, keep them from being separated this time.

He's also the one who feels like he's actually endured all the years. Rather than separate timelines or parallel worlds it feels like Xavier has actually traveled through space and time, like he's the same Xavier from the myth himself, which makes him talking about the loneliness of stars so much worse. How long has he been alone, searching for her? ;~;

But their dynamic just really gets to me - it's those echos, the way MC subconsciously acts on them, and how indulgent Xavier is towards her. It's the playful teasing and the gentleness and how he plays so submissive and docile but when the mood strikes he can switch it up and catch her (and me!!!) off guard. It's the way he texts LMAO never writing out you or one lmao (which is marginally better than Rafayel's COMPLETE LACK OF PUNCTUATION LMAO ALFKAJFKJAFKJAFKJAFJK) It's the way he has that innocent baby face and could absolutely get away with murder.

Initially I had contemplated if it was possible he is actually a star and while maybe that isn't true I am still not certain he's human - at least he's not from our world (especially if he really is the very Xavier from the myth) but I still like to think of him as one, because he wears the star motif so well and likens himself to one so often. Also, look, I am a SUCKER for a star motif. I was doomed from the start lol.

There's just something about the agony and TRAGEDY in their past, in the echos, the subconscious fears, and the sheer indulgence!!!!! It's MC telling Xavier he might be her enemy later and the distress it caused him, prompting him to share his access privileges with her to earn her trust ;A; It's the way he's apparently spent DECADES, at the VERY LEAST, on our earth AND HE'S A TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE COOK lmaoooooooo it's the stupid little lines he says because he's not as overtly clingy and pouty as Rafayel but an armful of plushies is a dreadful thing because then he doesn't have a free hand to hold MC's hand !!!!!!! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BE NORMAL ABOUT THIS?! WHINES

I could write a whole essay about Xavier and I'm restraining myself and attempting to be really, really normal about him okay?

But yeah for him it's that depth of like... the guilt and agony he carries - because not only does leaving her hurt him, but it hurts himself, too. That unbearable loneliness, the endless wait, hoping, wondering, unsure of when, or if, he'll find her again, but refusing to give up - and when he does, endeavoring to make up for it. Like, as it is, there's something about strong men being submissive that is so lakkjfkafkjfkjaf alfjakfaf but it's the way Xavier does it with MC that is soooooo INDULGENT, so VERY "for you, because it's you" that makes me want to chew my keyboard and howl at the moon and every time he reassures her he won't leave I feel dread but also I want it to be true.

I know how papergames operates. I know Xavier may mean it, but I also know.... ;A;

And to think, this is all JUST THE LAUNCH STUFF! We haven't even passed chapter 8 yet lmao We don't even have all our LIs! We've (maybe?) yet to meet our antagonist? WHICH I'M EXCITED ABOUT BTW

Listen.

I have some thoughts and I'll try to keep them short (yknow, for me) because this is already long and rambly and maybe I can just expand on this later but: Sylus and Caleb are confirmed as LIs right? But are they the same person or not??????

If Sylus = Caleb it gives us a LOT of potential for exploring some really complex, grey morality. I mean, no matter what, Sylus is going to bring grey morality lol but especially if it turns out Caleb is actually secretly the leader of Onychinus, because it brings that whole "Who is this person I thought I knew?" and more so because Onychinus is poised as an enemy to the Hunter's Association.

But something Papergames has done in MLQC and I fully expect them to do here is explore grey morality, not only in Onychinus, but the Hunter's Association. Xavier's Tender Moments Garden of Secrets brings up the implication that some Wanderers are, in fact, intelligent, and while it's rare, it can occur. And with parallel world Grim Reaper Zayne having to kill people before they turn into Wanderers it begs the question of this world: can that happen here, too? And it gets into the moral conundrums. That's not to say the Hunter's Association are bad for killing Wanderers and protecting people but it starts to bring up questions, because in Grim Reaper Zayne's world, this is being covered up. What about this world? There's also the question of what is Onychinus even doing? I fully expect to find that whatever their objective is, it will be a question of the greater good and if the ends justify the means and the such.

Ultimately, an antagonist LI has to be sympathetic in some fashion, because how else are they going to write the story for them lol. Like they can certainly have Bond/Memoria/Tender Moments that are more about the combative element of their relationship meeting the chemistry that draws them to each other, but at any rate, there has to be something that draws them to each other and makes them care, right? So therefore, he can't be entirely bad, or at least MC has to be able to empathize with him and his objective, or the cause of it or something like that.

If Caleb = Sylus, that might be more achievable because of their history, but obviously that isn't a requirement, and that can also make it more complex, because again, that whole "this person I thought I knew".

I think there's a possibility for that overlap partly because we already have a LI with a history with MC - but to be fair, Zayne's history with MC is very different than Caleb's and has a different dynamic, so even if they didn't give him the villain route, it would still play out very differently and give them a significantly different enough dynamic that I don't think it would be a big issue.

If he's not Sylus, then there's still a lot of avenues to explore with Caleb. They've already implied that Caleb wants to take care of MC, wants her to lean on him and let him play that role for him, to stop being so strong in front of him, and I think that could very well affect his story and what has lead to his "death". Being in the airforce makes me wonder if it's possible that the military is associated in any way with Onychinus - after all, didn't he say that he does top secret work involving the deepspace tunnel, and isn't Onychinus interested in that? It wouldn't be the first time a government agency was written as being corrupt lol (and again there could be a lot gray morality here where Onychinus isn't necessarily inherently bad). Caleb could have gotten involved simply by his job.

There's the revenge angle, if he, too, was an experiment subject (which would make sense because why did Granny take him in as well?) and wanting to get back at? the people who experimented on them. Or wanting to be more involved? A spy case? SO many possibilities and I'm really excited to see where it all goes!

I think regardless of how Caleb is reintroduced to the story, I imagine there's going to be some kind of conflict - his "death" and then reappearance.... did he know that was going to happen? was it planned? was he involved? I don't think they'll bring him back and yay! now she has a family member back but I think there will be some kind of strife to work through, some good ol angst that really plays with the dynamic of feeling hurt and betrayed but wanting to return to the old times that can never be returned to, wanting to seek refuge in someone who maybe doesn't exist anymore, being drawn to someone you cared so much about and feeling so conflicted about it alfkjkfjkjafjkaf kj

I JUST HAVE SO MANY FEELINGS!!!!!!!!!!

This is such a rambling mess so kudos to anyone who made it this far. Maybe I'll manage to write some more bitesized thoughts later @___@

[midnightsun-if]

Suppose this more down the line, but, what would RO’s reaction be to finding a engagement ring hidden in MC things?

Koda: A small frown furrows his brow at the sight of the box, expression one of deep confusion; something that only grows when he opens it and sees the beautiful ring that lays within it. Why would MC keep this hidden? With a gentle hold, Koda takes the box and places it carefully onto the dresser. He knows that you wouldn't be back until later, which meant he could go to the store a pick you up a jewelry box. It'll be a lot better than keeping his things in a drawer.

Scarlett: The late autumn chill, and subsequent pricks of icy needles piercing her skin, is what led her to your closet; in search of an old sweatshirt that'd fight off the weather, at least for the moment. She didn't mean to stumble across the unassuming box, but she instantly buries it under another sweater before taking a step back. Just pretend you didn't see anything. It's clear this was meant to stay hidden, she orders herself, hand smoothing down the material of her newly acquired sweatshirt. It's probably nothing.

Cyrus/Cyra: With a shocked gasp, they instantly tuck the box back into the place they had found it-- shame welling within their chest at finding something you had clearly wanted to keep hidden, but a soft smile comes unbidden to their lips regardless. They know what the ring meant, or could mean, which meant that they had to step up and show their flame that they reciprocated the feeling. They just had to figure out the best time to gift their love the feather they've been hiding for the last few months.

Quinn: Warmth spreads across their chest at the sight of it, even if they're well aware this is something they definitely should not have seen yet. With careful hands, Quinn lightly places the box back into its hiding place and takes a small step back. They wouldn't say anything about what they found... Not yet at least. They just wanted to bask in the happiness the moment brought them a bit longer.

Caden: A small frown furrows their brow, clearly not understanding what it is that they found. They, of course, understood the significance of rings, at least in some small way, but this alluded them. "Are they worried someone might steal it?" They muse softly, running their finger lightly over the smooth velvet of the box. "Maybe I could get them a lock box?" Part of them is well aware they're being purposefully obtuse, but the other part of themself feels the need to hide from what this could possibly mean.

Sloane: Their eyes narrow into slits at the sight of the box, tucked neatly behind the pack of their last carton, and a deep sigh escapes them, the need to facepalm overwhelming. "I'm surrounded by idiots," they mutter, tucking their cigarettes into their leather jacket, before placing the items back in front of the box. "Who hides something there?" However, even as their exasperation rushes through them, they couldn't help the small smile that comes to their lips at what the box could mean.

Blake: A wide grin stretches across their lips at the sight of it, the beautiful ring already being delicately held in the palm of their hand. "Great taste, angel." The feel of the cool metal against their skin is refreshing, something they never knew they wanted until now. Flexing their hand, marveling at the way the ring glints in the light, their earlier grin softens into a smile. "Looks like I have a new favorite accessory."

Reginald/Regina: "What's this?" They tilt their head, observing the box before a small gasp escapes them at the sight of the beautiful ring the lays within. It hadn't been something they meant to discover, having simply been on the search for the book they had leant you weeks before, but they couldn't deny the discovery of this wasn't better than finding their book. Anything would be when it comes to potentially spending forever by your side.

[dgcatanisiri]

I've seen it said on occasion that it was a refreshing change to have the Inquisitor be unable to persuade and change the minds of the characters around them, that the characters felt "more real" that a brief conversation shouldn't change their entire worldview.

This is bull.

First of all, no one asked for their entire worldview to change, just that they GIVE a little - argue with Vivienne about the merits of mage freedom, be able to point out that fear is learned as much as anything, that the fear of mages has been taught because mages are not allowed to be part of the world that the common folk experience, or even that her view of magic is not shared BECAUSE it comes from so lofty a position in society, as she is a First Enchanter, leader of the Loyalists, mistress to the head of the Council of Heralds. Or, here's one of my personal favorites, the vote to break away from the Circles may have passed by a narrow margin, but it still PASSED, and if Fiona had refused to accept that, she'd have faced a hundred minor revolts instead of a singular organized one, which would have meant that the few who went around, burniating the countryside, would be seen as representative of them all, while have an organized structure to the rebellion allowed them the ability to disavow bad actors.

It's asking Sera to acknowledge that there's more nuance than her definitions of the world offer, or countering to Cassandra that, particularly if she intends to take a position of top authority in the Chantry, she needs to be able to look beyond its dogma and realize that to those who follow a separate faith, the Chant of Light is a herald of death, an omen of doom, because it refuses to allow any who follow a separate faith. It's telling Solas that the Dalish have been forced to build their history from tattered scraps, and rather than condemn them for what they lack, he should acknowledge and appreciate what they've recovered with no more than a vague notion of what the original picture looked like.

Y'know, it's asking to be able to actually ARGUE with these characters, rather than be lectured to by them about how THEIR views are the only proper way to view things, even if those views fly in the face of our experiences as the players, or even just how we roleplay a singular character. BioWare tries to talk up a stance of grey morality and a desire for the answers to be more than black and white, yet here in Inquisition, you ONLY get their stance, and, if you don't agree with it, you are dismissed - which also causes a lot of problems with something like the approval metric, where if you DON'T agree with a character, you'll never manage to unlock their full content - I am generally rolling a male Qunari Inquisitor, and yet I have, in over a dozen characters, only ONCE managed to obtain the rooftop cookies scene with Sera. If you don't get these scenes of character development, then you don't get to have a full view of a character.

And then there's the second and bigger issue - With most of the characters being various flavors of Andrastrian, with most if not all of them buying in to the narrative of the Inquisitor as the Herald of Andraste, a position that is borderline messianic within their religion, why do they NOT listen to the words that the Inquisitor says? If Skyhold becomes a place of pilgrimage as Cassandra notes in the arrival at Skyhold scene, if the Inquisitor is a voice of authority in Thedas like everything the game tells us, why SHOULDN'T their words carry weight, especially with the people closest to them? Why is the Inquisitor NOT persuasive to the people who know them when they believe through much of the game that they have been touched by a divine figure?

It doesn't make sense for the Inquisitor to lack in persuasive ability when the whole game is about how they have become a powerful voice and figure within the world.

So, no. It is NOT a good thing that the characters effectively brush off any attempt that the Inquisitor makes to argue with their stances.

[mashiraostail]

I hope school is going well for you! I'm almost done with my first year of my master's program, so I feel the pain of Zoom U! (Not so) secretly seeking comfort in your wonderful fics and headcanons - especially with my husbands Gang Orca and Aizawa <3 Request perhaps when you have the time/desire: the husbands, adding based on your preference, spending time with their loved one once they've finished a hard project or got a break from school, etc. Lots of Love!

yesss ! i recently completed my m.ed and got into my phd program so i feel this and wanting to celebrate and enjoy time with loved ones is epic

Shota Aizawa

"I'm gonna put my head through a wall." You flip through your mail again, "seriously, still nothing." You'd be obsessively refreshing your browser as well, hoping for an acceptance letter, at this point a rejection would be fine too.

"What's wrong honey?" Aizawa looked up from his paperwork. "What are you looking for?"

"My letter? From the university?" You're almost annoyed at him for asking, maybe he was playing dumb. "I can't really start my break without hearing back...I'm too on edge."

"You just finished your graduate degree, take a load off." He laughs, "school isn't going anywhere."

"I can't until I know I'm all set, I need to plan for the future Shota." You rub your face, "I'm so frustrated. I just want to know."

"Oh, hey now that you mention it I think you got some mail from them, it came at a weird time. Big envelope...I think it's in the kitchen."

"WHAT?" You shriek and jolt up, "go get it!"

"Why me?"

"I'm scared! I haven't seen anything online, what if they rejected me?"

"I'm sure they didn't." He gets up anyway and brings the manilla folder in for you. "Want me to open it?" You nod meekly. He opens it painstakingly slow, you watch his every move, analyze his face for a hint of the outcome.

"What does it say." Your stomach lurches when he sighs.

"Jeeze..." He makes a nervous face and you can feel your eyes watering.

"What, Shota, please tell me..." You're pulling on your shirt hem nervously.

"I'm barely gonna see you anymore." he turns the paper around, but he's smiling. You practically launch yourself at him and he accepts it with just as much gusto.

"I knew you made it honey." You feel his nose by your scalp, his breath is warm and inviting, you wrap your arms tighter around him.

"I'm so relieved." You feel like crying, you're so thankful the pit in your stomach is gone, all you feel is excitement for what's to come.

Shota laughs a little, "you take it all in stride." He pulls away a little and brushes your hair back, "you've been doing so great lately. I'm proud, but I'm not surprised."

"Thank you for all your help." You look at him and the unmistakable fondness in his eyes made your chest warm, you swore you're the only person to ever see it.

He makes a small noise, like kissing his teeth but softer, "don't look at me like that, I didn't help that much." He tosses the folder onto the nearest table and you tumble down onto the couch, his paperwork long forgotten. "Let's have dinner, whatever you want."

You gasp excitedly, "whatever I want?"

"Yeah.." He laughs a little, it comes from his chest and wraps you up like a blanket, "whatever you want. I can cook, we can order out, we can go out, the world is your oyster." He's grinning, "and money's no object, you earned it."

"I wanna stay in with you, let's watch that movie that I've been looking at. We should order out. And can we eat in bed?"

"Yes, yes and yes." You feel his lips on your temple, "I can't say no to you right now."

You're practically vibrating with excitement, Shota was always playfully mean, he enjoyed your constant whining for his affection for him to be so unabashedly affectionate and kind is a rare treat.

"I'll order the food, we can have a shower together," he tries and fails to stifle his laughter at the way your eyes light up, "and we can get into pajamas and watch that movie." You're nodding, thrilled, beyond thrilled.

"Let me know if there's anything else you want."

There wasn't, it was honestly perfect. You order your favorite food and get to cuddle up comfortably in bed with a good movie and even better company

Kugo Sakamata

Lately it feels like Kugo only sees you crouched over your laptop, typing furiously at your keyboard. Occasionally you'll groan and rub your eyes, or mutter something to yourself. You mentioned that you were finishing your thesis, that you were swamped. He tried not to get in your way, to bring you snacks and drinks and to check up on you when you were writing and editing for long hours.

Currently he is doing his own work, at his desk. It's late, you'd been working all night since dinner. He thinks he should check on you, maybe you'd gone to bed. He hopes you had, he disliked the idea of you staying up so late to work, especially when you worked so much during the day. He helped you when he could, proof reading, giving you ideas, and offering you support when you needed, he wished he could do more.

As he considered this his door opened and there you were, laptop in hand.

"Kugo I think I finished!" You look thrilled, he feels thrilled for you.

"My love that's wonderful news, can I see it?" He's glad to watch you bound over to him, and he easily sets his own work aside for you. You show him, though he's sure it would take him a while to get through it all he looks through the beginnings of it.

"You can have a copy when I print it all out to send in." You're beaming, it sends a million arrows straight through his chest.

"I'm thrilled to see you so happy, you have no idea." He sets your laptop down on top of his paperwork, "come here to me."

Of course you go, his hands wrap around your arms as you slide onto his lap. "I'm glad to be done." You feel his hands on your lower back, yours rest on his chest.

"Selfishly, I'm glad you're done too." You feel his thumbs running long strokes over your skin where your shirt rode up under his palms, "when was the last time we went to bed together?"

"I know.." You lament, "i'm sorry I've worked so much."

"No," he tsks, "don't be sorry. I'm proud of all the work you did. I'm glad to have you to myself now."

"Kugo.." You laugh, a bit nervously.

"How do you want to celebrate?" He asks, "I know it's late, but we should do something."

"I just want to spend time with you."

"I can arrange that." He laughs, it's a bubbling sort of warm sound, like a rolling boil. "I'll stay home tomorrow."

"No!" You gasp, "Kugo your job is very important!"

"I know, but I've missed you. I want to talk about all the work you've done. I'd like to have you for the day, if it's alright? We can have breakfast and do whatever you like all day. I'll give you whatever you like."

"You'd really do that? I feel like I'm stealing you."

"You don't have to worry about that. You stole me a while ago." His hand comes up to your face, his palm is smooth over your cheek, his finger brushes the shell of your ear, "you'll stay with me tomorrow, wont you?"

"Of course.." You flush a little, the warmth had started in your stomach and radiated up to your cheeks, "what should we do to celebrate until then..."

"Well why don't you tell me."

[weirdthinkingdragon]

Yandere Druid

I'm not very knowledgeable when it comes to druids (or anything really DnD yet), so if it's wrong or not possible I'm sorry.

yandere druid x gn reader

warnings: threats, party deaths, a bit darker than I usually go with yanderes

not proofread

Thinking about a yandere druid who uses their ability to shift into animals to stay on you so you can't ever leave them.

He just kinda clung onto your party when you and your party were resting at a tavern for a while. None of you really thought anything about it, and were fine with it from a druid possibly being useful.

Gradually however, you and your party start to notice how... unnerving he tends to be. Of course with him being a druid he could just be talking to bugs or something. You and your party know next to nothing about them so that's the best guess. But the whisperings and mumblings at night kept especially you up a lot. Mostly from always ending up stuck closest to him. You could never sneak up and try to hear what he was talking with the possible bugs or something about. He always seemed to know and stop mumbling by the time you got close enough.

Eventually it came that the party wanted him out of the group. They couldn't stand it any longer. He was creepy, but that seemed a bit far. But you really can't go against a group of people, and have a priority of them from being the leader.

Just to be decent though, you tell them one final night, and drop him off at the nearest tavern in the morning. They begrudgingly accepted your term.

---------------

In the morning it was quiet. Too quiet. Usually the rattling of armor could be heard as two of them always get up insanely early to do practice exercises.

You sit up and look around. They're all still sleeping. A stinging pain is on your right leg. Removing your blanket shows what seems to be a bite wound with two prominent holes. Shit, isn't that a venomous snake bite???

The sound of coming footsteps made you look to see the druid running back towards your camp. A pouch is in his hand. He pulls out one with a deep purple liquid and passes it to you.

"It's a vial to make you immune to the venom until it gets through your system! Now hurry, drink it!" He seems out of breath, but how did he get the potions so soon? With how manic he was there was a feeling you shouldn't drink it. You look doubtfully at the vial while he opens the mouth of one of the other party members and pours a different colored one into their mouth.

He looks back at you with a glare.

"drink it!!" His sound of urgency makes you comply without another second thought about it.

It takes only a few moments for the pain to reside. You also suddenly feel really... refreshed? What all else was in there? That wasn't just to help the venom, you're sure of it. A bad feeling sinks deep in your body.

The giant smile that quickly grew on his face made it all the worse.

"What was in that??"

He walks right up to you and keeps a hand on your right shoulder, as if fearing you'd run. "Well, it can't be undone now, so I'll tell you! I basically just gave you the lives of the other party members. They didn't deserve it anyways~"

He what!?

"Why!?"

"They were so annoying, trying to push me away from you. Have you noticed they've been trying to get me out of here from the start?"

A bit, but you genuinely thought they just needed to warm up to him.

He yanks your body close to his. "Your lifespan will be so much longer now too!"

You try to squirm away and run for it. His strength is surprisingly strong as he tightens his grip like a constrictor.

"Ah, ah, ah! don't try to get away now~ I finally have you all alone. And I'm not letting this sweet victory go so soon." He leans to be right by your ear. "And if you even dare trying to leave me, I've got many ways to make sure you'd never be able to even walk again."

That was a threat that you could tell he'd really act up on.

He claps his hands together. "Oh! also you can leave this stuff behind. I already got better stuff waiting at the inn I signed us up in for a couple days, and got us better equipment! That way you can be more comfortable as we get to finally have time to get to know each other more without pests in the way."

You're still thinking of ways to get out of this and run from him.

"oh, and one more thing. Just so you don't dare get any ideas of leaving me, I'm going to be on you and guide you the way there."

You don't like snakes anymore.

Before you can wrap your head around that, he shifts into a medium-sized venomous snake and coils up from your feet to be around your neck, wrapping loosely around it. It's the same venomous snake you said was gorgeous before and asked him to turn into before so you could safely feel the scales of it and see the colors very up close.

He tightens when you go to grab him. Not enough to strangle you, but the threat is there loud and clear.