#what’s their name hmm

[milflewis]

exactly one (1) person has asked for my valtteri/lewis/guanyu thoughts so here you go @hungerpunch <3 it is mainly just the brainrot of what i wrote in fran n kyle’s dms but i hope you like it !!

so like. valewis. they’re a thing. because of course they are. they’re valtteri bottas and lewis hamilton. guanyu sees lewis when he’s over sometimes. slipping into valtteri’s motorhome. chatting with some of the mechanics as he waits for val to finish up. roscoe hanging around, napping on valtteri’s feet during briefings, lewis nowhere in sight. watches val’s eyes follow the man around the paddock. not that he can blame him. guanyu has a hard time not looking at lewis too.

he becomes friends with valtteri who is kind and patient and so fucking funny and doesn’t care when guanyu has a thousand questions and is on a mission to make guanyu a coffee drinker bc he cannot take another year of having a teammate who doesn’t appreciate good brew.

and guanyu isn’t, like, in love in love with him, not really. it’s a crush !! it’s cool. it’s fine. val is just soft and smells really good and hilarious and has the bluest eyes and his alfa romeo shirt sometimes stretches across his shoulders in a way that distracts guanyu for a few seconds everytime he sees it. it’s cool. it’s fine. he’s doing fine.

and with lewis. well. lewis has always been lewis hasn’t he. he’s been in guanyu’s wet dreams longer than pretty much anyone else but cmon, look at him. and he’s so fast and brilliant and loud, louder than anyone else. and he’s done so much that means guanyu’s road in this sport is a little easier and even when it’s not, lewis is there, smiling, in his corner. and knowing lewis? knowing lewis the person? the one that makes valtteri laugh and blush and stutter and remembers guanyu’s mom’s birthday (he had it put into his calender bc “my memory is so shit man, i swear,” he says, laughing, hand tugging at his ear. that, guanyu realises months later, was probably when he should’ve known he was fucked) and messes with mick in way that guanyu knows mick appreciates, doesn’t look at him like he’s expecting someone else, and chats to animals like they’re ppl?? that lewis is even better than what guanyu imagined but like. it’s cool. it’s just a crush !!

and even if it wasn’t. even if guanyu actually liked one of them it doesn’t matter bc they’d never notice him even if they didn’t have each other.

but.

sometimes.

sometimes guanyu wakes up to like 50 messages from lewis all about fashion and design and colours and patterns and he knows other younger drivers, drivers that have been here longer, don’t get this from lewis.

(he remembers a few years ago when lewis first stepped out into the paddock wearing smth bright and colourful and not very macho and the whispers that follow him normally grew deafening and it was all he could think about for weeks. the colour. the style. the defiant set to lewis’s jaw as he smiled, purple draped across his shoulders, hair curly, hands in pockets. lewis’s clothes are so loud that it can be easy, guanyu knows, to remember how vulnerable they make him look. what it costs him to wear them)

and he gives that to guanyu, and doesn’t ever ask for anything in return. sometimes when lewis turns up at the track and he’s wearing smth cool and different and guanyu grins at him. says smth along the lines of oh i like the shape here. the shoulders. the bit of lace. and hopes to god he doesn’t sound as infatuated like he feels. hopes he doesn’t sound like pierre. lewis just. lights up. like he was waiting for guanyu to say smth. like he cared what guanyu thought. like he put these clothes on in the morning, piece by piece covering tattoos and skin and bone, valtteri lying shirtless on the bed, drinking his coffee, and thought of guanyu.

sometimes there’s a quiet moment in the garage and guanyu is tucked away in a corner, doodling, designing his next helmet, making a pinterest board based solely around an interesting fashion trend that he wants to explore, texting the old prema lads scattered across the globe. and valtteri sits down beside him with a book, or a coffee, or his ipad. looking over his own plans for the house he’s building, the one with only one bedroom to avoid having guests over, and they don’t talk. not really. sometimes guanyu asks him smth about clothes and val with his years spent around lewis can normally give him a pretty good opinion or val asks him smth about the design of the house he’s building. and it’s small and quiet and calm and valtteri doesn’t exactly enjoy a lot of ppl. they tire him out, guanyu knows. but. but surely it must mean smth that val comes to him when he’s done with other ppl. surely that means guanyu is more than most.

sometimes. sometimes.

and then !!

val invites him over. to the house with only one bedroom.

the house that val is building for lewis with his little home gym and wide big windows and insulation and perfect state of the art heating. the house that val is building for himself with its sauna and lake nearby and snow all around. the house that val is building for them both with it’s one bed and no neighbours.

and guanyu doesn’t really know what’s going on. doesn’t know where he’ll stay if there’s only one room and val said, he SAID, guanyu heard him, that he doesn’t want guests there. so is guanyu not a guest? but then what is he?

but he says yes bc he can’t not when val is grinning at him, cup in one hand, blushing slightly in that way that he does when he’s nervous but trying not to be.

he texts lewis, like, a week before he’s supposed to be there, asking what hotels are good to stay in nearby. lewis tells him to not be ridiculous. that there’s lots of room with them. and don’t worry about it. we got you. and well. lewis has never lied to him before so.

what if guanyu comes over n lewis shows him his clothes. let’s him try some on.

standing behind him as guanyu looks at himself in the mirror. lewis adjusting the jacket on his shoulders. val is watching them from a chair by the window.

“suits you,” lewis says. eyes crinkling, heat from his smile lingering there. guanyu swallows. “what do u think vb?” lewis grins, voice low and quiet. “go on.” lewis pokes at him. “give him a twirl.”

and guanyu does. the blocky leather of the coat heavy, shifting over his mesh shirt, over lewis’s shirt. his long silk skirt fanning out, air cool against his right thigh where a slit cuts through the material. val smiles at him, smth soft and careful tucked into the corners of his mouth, eyes dipping low and dragging up his body slowly. “yeah,” he says. “looks really good.”

guanyu is supposed to be leaving in a few hours. (he doesn’t have a return flight booked) (he was hoping —)

lewis reaches out a hand, rubbing his thumb along the leather, fingers pressing into guanyu’s palm. “you should keep it,” he says. smile growing smaller, smth that looks suspiciously like nerves tensing along the line of his jaw. he breathes in, shoulders settling. oh, guanyu thinks. oh. he remembers val’s blush when he asked guanyu over in the first place.

do you know, guanyu doesn’t say. how alike you two can be? is this what happens when you spend so much time with a person? when you know them inside out? i want to know you, he doesn’t say. lewis’s eyes flicker down to guanyu’s mouth, staying there for a heartbeat. two. three. five. his hand warm and soft and big around his. guanyu wants to feel them around his waist. lewis looks him in the eye, defiant and bold and beautiful. valtteri is still in his chair. waiting. watching. guanyu chews at his cheek.

“are you,” he asks, not bothering to hide his smile. “trying to buy my affection? bc i think i’m worth at least two valentinos. and definitely,” he says. “more than three diors.” running a hand down his chest, brushing his nipples, mesh catching off the light. lewis grins, rolling his eyes.

valtteri laughs as lewis tugs him closer. so close he can count the freckles along his nose, dotted on the thin skin under his eye, lightly bruised by sleep. “he’s already got you all figured out,” valtteri laughs again, relief curling the edges of the sound. he’s slouching in the chair, tension gone. guanyu is momentarily distracted by the way his legs are spread wide, thighs stretching his sweats. his barefeet are flat on the floor, dusted with fine blond hair. “i’m an open book,” lewis says, hand coming up to hold guanyu’s jaw, fingers splayed along his neck, thumb on his cheek. valtteri laughs again and guanyu feels a little split open at the sound. at the way lewis is looking at him. warm and soft and heavy. “are you going to kiss me or,” he says and lewis rolls his eyes again. “patience my dear padawan,” he half whispers, pretending to frown. bc lewis is nothing if not dorky and kisses him, long and deep and slow. as valtteri sighs long sufferingly behind him.

“always with the star trek,” val says. and guanyu presses up against lewis to distract him from protesting that its star wars, val !! not star trek. cmon you know this !! leaning further into him, all muscle and heat and dense, hand on his stomach. lewis’s sweater is so very soft. lewis grumbles in the back of his throat but melts into him, tilting guanyu’s head back, licking into his mouth until guanyu unfolds before him.

valtteri’s hands are hot against his skin, sneaking up under his shirt, plastering himself against guanyu’s back, caging him in. he presses hot wet open mouthed kisses along guanyu’s neck, humming quietly. lewis pulls away as guanyu’s shirt scrunches under val’s movements.

“oi,” he says. blinking, a little dazed. guanyu feels all shivery at the thought of making lewis hamilton lose his focus. “that shit is expensive. be careful.” guanyu can practically hear valtteri roll his eyes behind him.

“well then. guess we’ll just have to take it off.” guanyu grins. “what a shame.” turning until he’s leaning back against lewis, who spreads his legs a little, planting his feet, hands curling around his waist. valtteri’s fingers are light and ghosting as they push the coat off of guanyu’s shoulders, draping it over the chair nearby. pulling the shirt over guanyu’s head, running a hand through his hair. grinning as guanyu shiver when his fingers get tangled for a moment.

“beautiful,” he says, hands on guanyu’s ribs, and guanyu pulls him in by the laces of his sweatpants, kissing him. valtteri tastes of mint and coffee. lewis’s fingers drawing small circles on his stomach, nose tucked behind his ear. valtteri’s thigh slipping in between his legs. guanyu just holds on and lets them hold him in return

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

The Quest Continues...

(part 1- part 2)

[crowleylesbian]

Name one couples activity that wouldn’t be more fun with your former employee/guy who’s life and love you’ve threatened countless times

[saintarmand]

iwtv is insanity inducing bc every time you google some reference in it you find out theyre doing some 4d chess with the symbolism… like okay playing roosevelt's speech about the us joining ww2 in the background as claudia tells louis shes gonna kill lestat is pretty straightforward, and of course the chess game theyre playing foreshadows how she beats him in the next episode but doesn't "finish the game" ie burn him. and bc claudia later compares lestat to the nazis/hitler, that obviously makes lestat germany and thus claudia is poland and louis is the us/roosevelt in the speech we hear: "I had hoped against hope that some miracle would prevent a devastating war in Europe and bring to an end the invasion of Poland by Germany" etc. BUT THEN you get nerdy and google some of the chess terms lestat uses like the dutch defense and stonewalling which is pretty interesting and then you vaguely remember one of the writers said the scene was based on some famous chess game, and you realize it must be glücksberg vs miguel najdorf which turns out to be literally called the POLISH IMMORTAL. najdorf was polish and glücksberg is some unknown but based on the name likely german. this was najdorf's first famous game, at the beginning of his career when he was only like 19 or something although we dont know the exact details of the game (and ofc you watch a few videos on the polish immortal and they all heavily criticize glücksberg's moves which makes lestat's arrogance even funnier) and ALSO, in 1939 (literally at the same time as the chess scene takes place) najdorf was participating in a chess tournament in buenos aires and since he was not only polish but also jewish, he stayed there rather than return home. his whole family was killed in the holocaust but he lived a long life in argentina. why is this relevant? because BUENOS AIRES which btw lestat also calls "la reina del plata" so you google that and find the 1930 song by carlos gardel and the lyrics are literally— anyway so buenos aires is where lestat planned for them to move to in ep7. perhaps if they had indeed gone to argentina instead of europe… well… perhaps… perhaps…

[cloudwisp]

comm by lummi_hyunx

“You’re mine for the rest of the evening. Any objections?”

[redbean-nom]

Mand'alor and Fett

also a plain color and lineart version

(seriously every generation with a named Fett features at least one of them being the Mand'alor's best friend or family)

[squids-and-waffles7]

no thoughts only hunter adopting a husky

[ ID: A digital illustration of Hunter from The Owl House. He is on the left in his season three design, wearing a wolf shirt. He is smiling with his eyes closed while he holds a husky dog to his left that is wrapped in his arms. The husky is also smiling. The background is a grid pattern with some hearts around the two characters. End ID. ] 

[super-nova5045]

for my freaky saltburn girlies

[zivazivc]

Were Hed and liv actually couple or Floyds just messing with them in the names comic?

Cause I saw you gave Hed a partner + kid in the timeskip

Or did they just break up sometime before the band broke?

they're definitely a couple. if they weren't, liv wouldn't even be in the band. but i realize now that i've never posted any art of just them...

they're basically the easily-annoyed goth chick and her annoying golden retriever boyfriend. somehow their juvenile relationship survived for around 9 years

[daily-hanamura]

[lazycranberrydoodles]

its prosecutor jiang wanyin!!!! oh fuck!!! / gifs + au rambling below the cut / follow for more mdzs x aa crossover stuff :3

all the gifs i made (poses traced off franziska):

hes so similar to franziska when you think about it. theyre both deeply insecure tsundere adoptive younger sibling of successful main characters. who carry whips. something something edgeworth choosing death and wwx actually dying also

his share code is HWFEFF if you wanna use him in a trial! you can't share backgrounds but heres the scenery from the donghua i used.

the easiest way to put custom stuff into objection.lol is to send it in discord and then use the link from opening it in your browser :)

a whole lot of AU stuff

the art im making is for if mdzs was an ace attorney game, playing from WWX's POV to solve various mysteries/cases over the course of the plot. so this scene would be from turnabout goddess, which would loosely cover the dafan mountain mystery.

cases include:

Turnabout Revenge (Mo Manor, quick introductory first case)

Turnabout Goddess (Dafan mountain, the good times flashback)

Turnabout Saber (the man-eating castle (omg hiii nhs))

The Blind Turnabout (Yi City arc)

Turnabout Deviation (the Koi Tower conference, Empathy on NMJ ala turnabout memories or beginnings. opening cutscene is his qi deviation)

The Blood-Soaked Turnabout (second Burial Mounds siege, flashbacks: Xuanwu, Sunshot, YLLZ, Nightless City massacre)

Turnabout Lotus Seeds (testimony about JGY, tree scene, golden core reveal, bathtub scene. opening cutscene could be JGS' death but that would make it canon rather than ambiguous)

Turnabout Confession (Guanyin temple)

the problem with splitting novel!mdzs into turnabouts is that flashbacks are a huge chunk of the book but they don't have mysteries/ cases to solve so they've gotta be lumped together with present day stuff. imo? many of the flashbacks would likely have to be abridged so they could be retold ala DL-6, SL-9, or the fourth grade incident, where characters talk about it over some pieces of art. this is really difficult when theres a metric ton of unspoken, complex, and signifcant history between every character lmao

there's not as much of a problem with the cql timeline but i have not finished it. so.

the opening cutscenes in ace attorney always show the murder and/or the murderer plotting. the first cutscene of the game would be MXY summoning WWX, muttering about getting revenge on his family (it would also be good for him to mention the yllz being dead because that's how the novel starts.) cut to WWX's POV as he wakes up covered in blood and the investigation segment begins.

for investigations of monsters (goddess, saber, etc) the cutscene would be a scene of some poor throwaway cultivator getting their shit wrecked.

it would be cool to make a breakdown for JGY but again I need to review that scene cause I don't know who I'd base him on. maybe Vasquez or Dahlia.

tell me your thoughts!! i'm working off of a mdzs summary/ skimming the novel because i don't remember it too well so if i get anything wrong please yell at me

Jin Ling's sprites & Nie Huaisang's sprites / masterpost

[lilpuffyart]

Frank x Hal content for the, like, 5 other people who also ship them

Something something no one dies AU, Hal gets a body and teaches Frank how to properly play chess

Also wip for Hal ig... I'll change it probably rip

[would-holden-caulfield-like-nge]

One of Gary's possible futures

So this is an idea we came up with on the Bully Discord, and I got a bit possessed.

Imagine: After the events of the game, Gary decides to give up on society entirely. And so he locks himself in his room. He spends his days on early 2010s internet, making uber edgy cartoons on Newgrounds.

I imagine he would be similar to Shadman and Emily Youcis (Alfred's Playhouse). Just spending all his time making stuff that makes it really obvious there is something wrong with him. I really do think he would love being on the internet, because he could spread his gospel to as many people as possible (and maybe get some admirers willing to feed his ego). Though, a lot of his stuff would probably be standard edgy schlock.

Of course, all of this would make him even more mentally ill, which would lead to him spending more time online, leading to a pretty vicious cycle. Even when he wouldn't be animating or talking to people online, he would be writing manifestos, or sometimes, reading the same few books over and over again. All of that on his bed.

If you wanna be optimistic, maybe he could turn things around and eventually become an animator at Nickelodeon or something. But that would require him to re-enter that gosh darn western society, which would be the last thing he'd want. Or maybe Jimmy could come stage an intervention for him, who knows!

Textless version of the first image

Gary's profile picture. Later on, I made the bright green outline bigger, so the picture would read better even when small.

[sinigangrobot]

Artemis Fowl - Alex Rider Crossover #35

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ARCHIVE 🔖

[greyspirehollow]

Bound. For... Science. [Request]

Pairing : Quaestor Valdemar x gn! reader

Fandom : The Arcana visual novel

Warnings : brief depiction of scientific stuff ; fluff

Summary : Could you have imagined that the scary and mysterious Quaestor Valdemar would become the person you see on a daily basis? Probably not. You even have a surprise for them...

They didn't pay much attention to you at first. Nor did you pay much attention to them. If you were honest with yourself, you probably couldn't have seen it coming. Once they started looking into your general direction however, you couldn't be any more nervous. You can't exactly remember how or when it started, but they had crept up on you so many times that you couldn't keep count anymore. Good thing your heart wasn't too jumpy (to their greatest disappointment).

You were minding your own business in the library, devouring a tome written by probably your favorite scientist : the genius who is Wilfried Magnes, an eminent biologist who had just published the third part of his theory on the evolution of species, this volume being dedicated to camouflages. You were so absorbed by the author's words that Valdemar had to clear their throat to get your attention. Your head whipped around at the sound, and you let out a relieved sigh. You were about to speak but they interrupted you : "Come. I would like to show you something..." and with that, they tugged three books out of the library's bookshelf, opening a secret passage. Your eyes widened as they grinned. Oh they were going to have fun scaring the sweet heavens out of you. You reluctantly closed your book, tucked it under your arm and went down with them.

You'd half expected the elevator to just give up and drive you both down to your respective deaths, but it seemed to be holding itself together. And that is the days you reached Valdemar's dungeons. They looked... Undeniably giddy. It was fun to scare mortals after all. And well... You didn't feel... the best. You hesitantly followed them, the strong smell of blood and iron hitting your nostrils, making your nose scrunch and a discreet cough escape you. And they seemed unfazed, inhaling the dungeon's scent blissfully. The more steps you took forward, the less you were sure you'd come out of this alive. You two then reached the main hall, operation tables lined across the walls and seemingly frozen in time since the last time they were used. Your eyebrows knitted in worry, your gaze falling onto Valdemar who had a wide, sharp-toothy grin on full display. "This-" they gestured around "-is *my* haven. The heart of all my works, where lies the remains of the most unspeakable procedures one can think of. Feast your eyes, maybe this is, who knows... the last thing you'll see~" your heart thumped violently against your ribs, and your eyes couldn't look away from- oh, what was that?

Your gaze landed on something behind them, in the faint distance : a shelf, upon which rested various things, but it is the white spot that caught your attention. You gasped, and it is as if all your fears... vanished. Wiped out in a snap of fingers. You excitedly walked over to the shelf, put your book aside, and took the human skull in your hands. "Gods, that's a beautiful specimen!" you exclaimed "how did you manage to extract it- i-it's in perfect condition ! what did you use to clean it? no don't tell me- let me guess- uh hydrogen peroxide* ? or did you clean it by hand?? Who- no wait ; I think it's... it's definitely a man's, and I'd say in their... in their 40's? something? did you-" you interrupted yourself with another gasp as you spotted the wet specimen of a heart sitting on the shelf. You carefully put the skull down "wait wait wait- you do not have a heart contaminated by a dark magical parasite- you do !!! How did you even get your hands on that ?? How did you remove it without getting- no way, you have- NO, stop it-" then your hands reached for a small closed test tube "you do not have a sample of a necromancer's magical decay !!! Where the hell do you even go to get that ?!" you gasped and picked up and examined specimen after specimen, object after object, rambling aloud. Valdemar could only watch with utter confusion as you rummaged excitedly through the shelf, all giddy. But soon, they grinned ; they seemed genuinely excited at the idea of explaining each and every single procedure they went through for each item, and so they went to stand by your side as they started rambling themselves. Your excitement was contagious - mainly because they didn't exactly have anyone else to share their passion with. And so when they started to go on about every recent experiment they'd done you clasped your hands together, looked them in the eyes, and said, determined : "teach me."

And that's when you became Quaestor Valdemar's apprentice. You two would spend most of your time in the dungeons, and at times you would giggle excitedly when performing a dissection with them, or when you found something exciting. Ah, science. Wonderful science. The word got around eventually, when people saw you practically live at the Palace and with your very own labcoat, gloves and apron. Countess Nadia eventually gave you one of the guest rooms to reside in, and that's basically when your new life began. At times, you would conduct experiments of your own in your basement. You did it before you'd met Valdemar, but now that you had a person to show your work to, one can say you'd become productive. You had obviously endlessly rambled about Magnes' theories of evolution to them, and they happily reflected upon it with you. The Quaestor had even brought up a few names they knew, and well, despite being somewhat outdated (and for some proven wrong and so put a little on the side in scientific history), and when I mean outdated I do mean dating at least a millenia back, you had heard of or read about some. Sometimes you would pester them with tons of questions about the scientific breakthroughs and theories of their own epoch, and they did reluctantly reply to some of them, despite your unquenchable thirst for every piece of knowledge you could get your hands on (the mind of a great scientist).

You loved the time you spent with them. But there was one thing you were particularly excited about... You hadn't told them yet. You'd simply mentioned how it would be nice to go for a simple walk in the streets of Vesuvia, enjoy the sunlight and the fresh air -because as much as you liked the dungeons and your basement, you didn't exactly appreciate the smell down there, unlike them- and to your surprise, they'd agreed. You'd reserved your places in advance, thankfully, because you knew that despite being relatively niche still, it was nonetheless booked by all the other scientists of the city. And of neighboring cities. And countries. Now that you thought about it- the scientific field was a rather closed circle, but people really came from everywhere. Anyways. As D-day approached, you couldn't help but feel both excited and anxious. Valdemar seemed to have noticed : you were talking a lot faster than usual, and your movements were a bit less organized than they usually were. You'd always dismissed it, saying it was only 'seasonal'. Not sure how you could prove that to them, but they didn't question you further. When the day finally came, you were absolutely restless. You laid there in your bed, it was probably... 3 AM. And you were successively falling asleep and waking up by periods of thirty minutes. Gods, this was torture... You tried tiring your eyes by reading Magnes, and... It worked, actually. You sighed as you finally managed to sleep through a few more hours before sunrise.

But once you did wake up for good... Oh you were worse than a grasshoper. You couldn't even focus on the experiment with Valdemar- you couldn't even stay sitting for more than two seconds. When the clock struck noon, you agitated even more, insisting that you and them go on that walk in Vesuvia NOW. They initially resisted, but their patience ran thinner and thinner with your insistence. "fine, FINE ! We'll go on that stupid walk!" they said, irritated. If you were honest with yourself, you would've dragged them by the horns if they'd continued to refuse. They sighed, annoyed, as you gripped their arm and pulled them out of the dungeon. Valdemar knew something was up. No human -especially not you- was so excited about a walk in the streets. You were definitely up to something, and they didn't like the fact that they didn't know what it was. But your (nearly feral) eagerness did ease a bit of their concern : it was entertaining to see you so jumpy. You'd not talked about anything scientific on the way to your... surprise. You were afraid that you might accidentally spill the beans. And you wanted it to remain the most surprise it could be. You both walked the busy streets of Vesuvia, the sun hitting your labcoats, reminding you that they were actually a clear color, nearly white, making you squint your eyes every time you glanced at Valdemar. Now that they thought about it... They weren't exactly used to the outdoors. They haven't been recently, anyway. It was nice to feel the warm sun on the skin of their face again... They allowed themselves a small smile behind their mask.

After what felt like endless turns, you smiled with undeniable joy as you both reached your destination. You walked a few steps ahead of them and cheerfully announced : "Tadaaa ! Welcome to the Third Edition of Vesuvia's annual Scientific Exhibition !!", with a wide and toothy smile. Valdemar's eyes widened slightly. They'd never heard of this event before... They looked at the building which hosted it, and the crowd of what were definitely scientists -or at least curious souls- lined up at the entrance, the sun hitting the bright red of the laid out carpet and the banners on the walls, embroided with the event's symbol. You excitedly waited for their reaction. They smiled and looked back at you "ooh, so that's what you were all jumpy about..." you chuckled, slightly embarrassed "I really wanted it to be a surprise..." you said sheepishly. They hummed : "well, that is definitely a pleasant surprise... Shall we go in?" You nodded eagerly as you went to wait in line with them. They struck conversation as you both waited :

"What does... what happens there, if I may ask?

-Well, it is an event that allows scientists of all backgrounds to come and show off either their discoveries or their handiwork. There are also often books and manuals being sold, as well as materials and products -ouh, I could definitely use a few brand new scalpels- but there can also be specimens. Last year I've seen reconstruction of animal skeletons, things like that.

-My, that is most interesting... *they replied, their eyes sparkling with interest* I do hope this will be a fruitful experience.

-Oh, it most definitely will!

-How come I have not been informed of such event? You said it was annual?

-Well, it's still very niche, and not many people outside the scientific field know about it.

-But the Countess must've known, no? Third edition- meaning this is the third year they're doing this. Ooh, or maybe it was put on hold during the years of the Plague... Meaning it was Lucio who-... Hm. He most definitely wouldn't have told me. He must've said yes for the event to be hosted without even giving it proper attention. Tsk.

*you chuckled*

-Well, now we're here, and I'm pretty sure the Countess will give the exhibition a bit more care and attention from now on..."

You both arrived at the reception, and the man behind the desk looked up to both of you "Ah, greetings, Misters.. Misses...?"

"Doctor." you both replied at the same time, on a nearly identical tone. The receptionist raised an eyebrow and blinked, before reading over his list "hm.. Ah yes ! I do have two Doctors : Dr. Y/N and Dr. Valdemar?" you beamed "that is us!" the receptionist nodded and handed you a quill "I'm just going to need you both yo sign here..." and you both did. The man bid you a good visit and you both walked into the building, excited to see what would the exhibition hold for your curious eyes. Valdemar had noticed the little paper at the entrance, and decided to tease you about it : "You didn't take the couple's discount?" you briefly froze in your tracks and stammered "wh- uhm I didnt- I ju- uh... Should I have?" They laughed "No, I just thought maybe you could've spared a little bit of money... Those places were expensive, no?" your cheeks reddened and you frowned "don't worry about that- Let us enjoy science!!" They nodded and followed you through the building.

And the event did NOT disappoint. You went from person to person, lingering on some more interesting than others. you bought supplies, both for the dungeons and for your own little experiments at home, and you and Valdemar spent a copious amount of time with a surgeon, Dr. Milestone, who had successfully extracted a whole human nervous system, which was on full display under a glass protection for you to admire. Both of you swarmed him with questions, undoubtedly interested. Maybe you had even... Intimidated him somewhat. If it weren't for the exhibition's most interesting part, you would probably have spent a lot more time with him. You both walked into a separate room, which was basically a small amphitheater, and when you sat down, an auction began. There were various specimens -live or dead- being sold, but you hadn't managed to get your hands on any, despite the juicy offer of an amnesic brain and two hundred coins for a complete collection of the tools of the late scientist Oscar McArthy, a reference in the world of science... But that was a very little loss compared to the amazing afternoon you spent with Quaestor Valdemar. And they seemed to be thinking the same thing. However, around 5PM, you'd lost them in the crowd. Unable to catch a glimpse of them, you went and waited by the entrance, thinking it would be the most logical thing to do. They appeared again around half an hour later, and before you could scold them, they apologized, and you weren't so upset anymore.

Eventually, you both returned to the Palace around the evening. You didn't head straight for the dungeons however... Your legs felt weak and all the excitement, all the attention and focus you gave the exhibition had drained you. You let yourself slump down onto the couch of one of the drawing rooms with a groan, already feeling your eyelids begin to weight and threaten to close. Valdemar only chuckled at the sight "Can I at least sit down, too?" you briefly sat up "oh- yes, sure.. sorry" and made room for them. But as soon as they sat down, they grabbed a pillow, placed it on their lap and patted it gently. Your eyes widened at the invitation, and before you could wonder why they'd even done that, they said : "it's the least I can do for such a wonderful afternoon.". You didn't need to be told twice. Your head slumped down on the pillow on their lap and your eyes closed with a comfortable sigh.

It's not before they were sure that you were knocked out asleep that they started gently running their fingers through your hair...

*nota bene : I am in no way a scientist, so I may give inaccurate depictions of certain elements in the story.

Bonus !!______________________________

The following day, around breakfast, Valdemar came up to you : "I didn't have time to give you that yesterday - you were pretty tired." they handed you your copy of Magnes' theory on camouflage and you raised an eyebrow "what do you mean? I hadn't lost it..." you opened it and your eyes nearly popped out of your sockets- there, on the first page, was a handwritten dedication :

"Y/N, may your thirst for science and knowledge never quench"

-W. Magnes

"you.... when did you ...?" your voice squeaked as you stood up from your seat. Valdemar only smiled smugly. "He was surrounded by quite the crowd... We didn't even notice him, near the auction room. But I did manage to capture his attention briefly." You didn't even question how they'd gotten the book -since you were pretty sure you'd left it at the Palace- or the fact you missed the chance to see your favorite scientist, you were nearly crying, this was just so sweet of them to do-

You nearly knocked them off their feet with the force of your hug "oooowhhh, Valdemar !!" you squeaked out "there there, it's nothing." they said, patting your back, seemingly amused "I could kiss you-" you said. "ah- maybe not for such a futile favor?" the replied, a little embarrassed. You didn't care, but if they didn't want to be kissed, you wouldn't kiss. But you wouldn't let go of them either.

"Y/N, will you let me go now, it's roughly been three hours-"

[roachie-paradise]

almost 3 am and mental illness won