#But that's a distraction from the main point

[ari-ana-bel-la]

Hello! If you’re still accepting requests, would you write about Lando and his daughter and he always dresses them in matching outfits since she was a baby? Thanks!

Matching Outfits

The sun had just started rising over the circuit, casting a golden hue over the paddock. The usual buzz was already beginning to build: mechanics setting up, team members running around with coffees in hand, and media beginning to trickle in. But that morning, one figure stood out more than anyone else.

Lando walked into the paddock with a soft smile on his face, one hand pushing a sleek black stroller, the other adjusting the hood of his pastel pink hoodie. A matching pink baby bow peeked from under the stroller's blanket. Only a few people noticed at first, but the moment word got around, the drivers started appearing from every corner.

"Mate," Carlos said, jogging up beside him, wiping his hands on a napkin. "Is this the debut I think it is?"

Lando grinned. "Yep. She's finally here."

He carefully peeled back the stroller's blanket, revealing a tiny sleeping Yn, dressed in a pink onesie with a mini Quadrant logo embroidered on the chest and an oversized bow that nearly swallowed her forehead.

Carlos face melted. "No way. No actual way. She looks like a little cupcake. Look at her!"

Lando chuckled. "She drooled on the last outfit, so we had to switch to the emergency one. This is version 2.0."

Oscar appeared next, eyebrows raised. "You actually did it. The matching outfits thing."

Lando looked mock-offended. "You doubted me?"

"No, no! I expected it. I just didn’t expect it to be this cute."

Yn stirred slightly in the stroller, a tiny fist poking out from under the blanket. The drivers leaned in instinctively.

"She’s so small," murmured Charles, crouching beside the stroller.

"She’s three months. That’s still pocket-size," Lando whispered proudly. "Her main activities include eating, napping, and making me late because I get too distracted dressing her."

"How many outfits do you have for her?" George asked, peering down with a soft smile.

"Too many. But not enough," Lando answered with zero guilt. "I ordered custom onesies in every color hoodie I own. And I have more on the way."

Carlos snorted. "So what you're saying is you’ve created a fashion dynasty."

Lando smirked. "I’m building an empire."

The next race weekend, it was green.

Lando strutted into the paddock in a sage green hoodie with matching joggers. Yn sat contentedly in a baby carrier strapped to his chest, wearing a tiny green romper with little frog socks and a matching headband.

"You planned this," Alex said, pointing.

"Of course I did."

"You realize she has no idea what she's wearing, right?"

"Doesn’t matter," Lando grinned. "She’ll thank me when she’s older and sees the pictures."

"Or she’ll roll her eyes."

"Even better."

Yn, completely oblivious to the conversation, giggled and tried to gum Lando’s hoodie string.

"Hey, hey, no eating daddy’s hoodie," he cooed, lifting her tiny hand to kiss it. She squealed in return.

Pierre walked over, holding a coffee. "Alright, what’s the color this weekend?"

"Green," George answered, pointing at the duo. "Obviously."

Pierre leaned in, eyes widening as he looked at Yn. "Every week she gets cuter. It’s unfair."

Lando smiled. "It’s the power of good accessories."

By the third race, it was orange. Not just any orange, McLaren papaya orange.

Yn wore a handmade onesie in the team’s signature color, soft and breathable, with a tiny patch on the sleeve that read: Daddy’s #1 Fan. She even had socks with little steering wheels on them.

As Lando entered the motorhome, carrying her on his hip, the whole team melted.

"She’s our good luck charm," one of the mechanics said.

"She needs a team badge," added another.

"Already on it," Lando said, producing a tiny laminated card from his pocket. "She’s officially honorary team baby."

Yn responded by sneezing loudly and then blowing a raspberry.

"She speaks!" Carlos shouted, pretending to fall back in mock awe.

"Her first words will probably be ‘downforce,’" Charles joked.

"Or ‘Daddy stop matching me,’" Oscar added.

Lando rolled his eyes but couldn’t hide the smile. "You’re all jealous."

That night in the hotel, Lando sat cross-legged on the bed, baby monitor on one side, tiny piles of pastel onesies spread out before him.

"Okay," he muttered, holding up two outfits. "Tomorrow’s color theme. Sunshine yellow or lilac?"

Yn, lying in her bassinet and gnawing on a teething ring, offered no comment.

"Right. Lilac it is. You are such a smart baby, darling."

Each morning became a little ritual. Lando would wake up, feed her, change her, and then pull out their matching outfits for the day. The more he did it, the more he fell in love with the little moment of connection they shared, even if she couldn’t understand it yet.

Every cuddle, every gummy smile, every sleepy coo made the long nights and early mornings worth it.

And every weekend, more of the paddock caught on.

Seb came by once just to bring a knitted cardigan for Yn in Ferrari red.

"Not subtle," Lando said.

"She needs options," Seb replied with a wink.

Even Kimi gave her a tiny pair of racing gloves. "Too big now. She’ll grow."

"Thanks, Ice Man," Lando said, genuinely touched.

"Bwoah, don’t call me that."

During a rainy weekend, Lando dressed them both in little waterproof jackets in pastel purple. Yn had tiny boots (more decorative than functional), and Lando kept her tucked against his chest as they walked through the paddock.

Media snapped photos, but Lando was always careful, always keeping her face tucked safely away.

He didn’t want the world to have her. Not yet. Not fully.

Yn was his world. His quiet, peaceful world in the middle of racing chaos.

Every night, before bed, he whispered the same thing into her tiny ear:

"You’re my whole universe, little star."

She’d gurgle back, a tiny hand wrapping around his finger.

And that was all he needed.

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♥︎♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Authors Note: Hey loves. I hope you enjoyed reading this story. My requests are always open for you!

-💚🐍

[sasquapossum]

BTW this applies beyond fiction. I only write essays, but I often have to forego some phrase or passage that I love because it distracts from the main point. It's OK, though; I can save it for some other essay some other day. Again with programming. Sometimes that really cool algorithm that you worked so hard on just isn't the right one for the situation, and you'll have to wait for another opportunity to use it. Even in the physical world, with crafts, sometimes a piece or material just isn't right for now but can be saved for later. Nothing is ever lost. Maybe its moment just hasn't come yet.

For the last goddamn time...

"Kill your darlings" means "if something is holding you back, get rid of it, even if it sounds pretty."

That's it! That's all it means! It means if you're stuck and stalled out on your story and you could fix the whole block by removing something but you're avoiding removing that thing because it's good, you remove that thing. That's the darling.

It does NOT mean

That you have to get rid of your self-indulgent writing

That you should delete something just because you like it (?wtf?)

That you need to kill off characters (??? what)

That you have to pare your story down to the absolute bare bones

That you have to delete anything whatsoever if you don't want to

The POINT is that you STOP FEELING GUILTY for throwing out good writing that isn't SERVING THE STORY.

The POINT is that you don't get so HUNG UP on the details that you lose sight of the BIG PICTURE.

Good grief....

[lover-of-mine]

Okay, so, let's entertain the idea the ryliver stuff is one big distraction and Ryan is leaving for whatever reason that has twitter's panties in a twist. Ryliver did stuff together when Eddie was introduced, which makes sense, since Ryan was just getting to the cast, Eddie was written in to be Buck's partner in the field, but when they realized the people were shipping buddie, the show stopped letting them do stuff together for official purposes. They didn't even allow the 2 of them to stand next to each other after 2a ended. There was NOTHING in an official capacity to promote the show with Oliver and Ryan (tsunami? nothing. well? nothing. shooting? nothing. will reveal? nothing. eddie's breakdown? nothing) until the ET tv spot for s6. They got like 15 seconds of classical ryliver flirting in. Then nothing until the space between 703 and 704. They did a bunch of tv spots talking about the show. Then nothing until now, even though there were a lot of moments where it would make sense, Buck's coming out scene, Chris leaving, Eddie leaving. Why? Because they know queerbaiting is a marketing tactic. And they know that if they don't let Oliver and Ryan out together, they are mostly safe from the accusations. I think they are toeing the line, but for all we know they are terrified of the allegations, to the point that Oliver has fought with people on the internet about it before. Using ryliver will always feel like they are teasing buddie. That's a fact. So they are careful with how they use the two of them together. But using them right now without an actual follow-through in the show would kill the show. Everyone is pissed. They killed Bobby, and not only did they kill him, they leaked Bobby dead and buried alive before it aired and Bobby is still dead. They have 1 (one) trick up their sleeve to retain their current audience and draw in a new type of audience for s9. And that's buddie. Buddie is a one-of-a-kind ship because they would be the first queer slow burn in a procedural where neither of them was introduced as queer. This would be history in the making. Especially because they have an actual foundation with everything that happened to them. BUT this only works if the audience doesn't feel like it's them trying to cover their asses for a bad writing decision. So if they use ryliver as a distraction now without actual explicit follow-through on the show, I don't mean a kiss or getting together, in this case, a feeling realization would be enough since Eddie is still straight for all we know, they are in for a whole summer of people accusing them of queerbaiting to turn down the heat about Bobby's death, and with a reason. Because Oliver and Ryan aren't doing a few tv spots talking about filming in the middle of the ocean, they are doing thirst tweets with Buzzfeed and a 10-minute segment on ET where they interview each other that's marketed as "We're spilling the tea with Hollywood's favorite couples and biggest stars." I'm sorry, Oliver and Ryan are not "biggest stars", they're not even breaking top 3 on the main cast of the show, or an irl couple. Doing what they are doing now if nothing happens for buddie on the show is pouring gasoline into a pr crisis. They're already on fire over the Bobby stuff, using ryliver to be "oh they are brothers hihi" in current climate, will make people not watch s9. And they can't afford that because buddie is the one thing they can pull out of their sleeves to have any hope of a viewing anywhere near the one it had this season. If nothing happens, then s7 and 8 suddenly becomes a masterclass in queerbaiting. They literally can't afford that because this show is expensive as fuck to make for them to shoot themselves in the head twice in a row. So either something is happening or we are watching the show commit suicide.

[caraetdeul]

Your Heart Was Glass

Choi Seungcheol x gn!reader

You fucked up the very best thing that happened in your life so far with your choices. But maybe a second chance in love could finally be the way for you to forgive yourself and move on.

TW: angst. Full on angst but with hurt/comfort. Slight swearing but not too graphic.

A/n: its been months since the last one and writer's block has been a biatch. Apparently, I only needed the pressure of procrastinating my academic works in order to have enough energy to overcome my damn writer's block. So good news, I finally have a new fic. Bad news, I only have a few hours before the deadline of my esquisse. Either way, thank you once again for waiting for me and I hope you enjoy reading, caratdeuls!

Btw, this fic is another pov for the Mastermind fic for Wonwoo but you don't have to read that in order to truly enjoy this one. This is also inspired by Taylor Swift's Champagne Problems so reading this while listening to it would be the full experience. Love u guys (⁠~⁠￣⁠³⁠￣⁠)⁠~

~Main Masterlist~ ~Wonwoo Mastermind fic~

The invitation was possibly the most shocking thing you’ve ever received. Which is big considering that you just got promoted earlier that same day.

You were still buzzing from the impromptu party your company friends had with you the moment your eyes caught on to the pristine white envelope at your front porch, your name elegantly written on it. Curiosity getting the best of you, you didn’t even get to open your front door before you cautiously opened the envelope. You remembered the way you immediately sobered up as you scanned the contents of the obnoxiously navy blue colored card.

You have been invited to the wedding of Jeon Wonwoo and… well, fuck.

That was a month ago.

Now, dressed in the most depressing color choice of blue that you have in the back of your closet, you quietly nursed the champagne glass as you sat at the farthest table in the hall from the front. It wasn’t a choice. It was just a plain coincidence that you were assigned to that specific table. Either that, or the plain ignorance of what that table means is something that you decided will be your motto from now on.

You honestly don’t know what got into you. Sure, being invited to an important event for someone that you were once acquainted with should’ve been an easy decision. But how does one do that when the “acquaintance” was someone you promised to marry someday and is now marrying someone else?

Your answer was to attend the goddamn wedding.

The whole ceremony was beautiful. You never thought that a random day would be so perfect for the couple to get married, but today’s event made you believe otherwise. At one point, you thought that maybe becoming their wedding organizer wouldn’t be so bad, given how everything was executed without any fuss. Getting paid and having a great wedding in your portfolio is definitely a plus in your books.

On the other hand, you absolutely hate how everything is so perfect. The chairs were so comfortable, you were tempted to break a leg or two. The aisle was so beautifully ornamented with flowers on each side, you were desperate to have allergies just to avoid looking at them ever again. Even the playlist was so flawlessly picked that the thought of ripping your ears out would be the lesser evil of the two. Everything was too exquisite, quintessential at worst. And you were just a bitter person who was invited to their ex’s wedding because he’s too nice for his own good.

You were too distracted by the sensory overdrive you experienced just from entering the venue that you didn’t even notice the ceremony starting. The moment the doors opened and the bride started walking down the aisle, suddenly it was quiet. Too quiet. From then on, not even the hushed reprimands of the mother beside you as she tried her best to quiet down her kid’s tantrum were enough to distract you from the fact that he was officially the one that got away.

The different hues of the bright lights on the dancefloor were not enough to wash out the glow of the small table where the married couple sat. You don’t know if it's the amount of refills for your champagne that you’ve requested so far from the waiter, desperate to be drunk enough to get through the whole reception, but there’s a definite glow that surrounds the two. Looking around, you realized that it wasn’t from the spotlight that was shining down towards the table. It wasn’t even from the warm candlelights that surrounded them. It was the couple itself. It was Wonwoo’s bright smile. It was the bride’s shining eyes. It was his hand over her hand. It was the beautiful rings that sealed their lives.

It was them. Not you. Not yours. Them.

Taking a huge gulp from your glass in a desperate attempt to replace the bitter taste in your tongue, you didn’t notice the concerned glance from the person sitting at the table beside you, nor the way Wonwoo sat straight up to get a better look at you.

“You should probably be drinking water right about now.”

Whipping your head in the direction of the voice, you watched as a guy sat on the empty seat beside you with a glass of water in his outstretched hand.

You huffed, “Didn’t anyone ever tell you that you should mind your own business?”

He chuckled, placing the glass down on the table, “And didn’t anyone ever tell you that champagne is something to be enjoyed leisurely and not drunk like a shot?”

“Still doesn’t give you the right to demand something from me.”

“Sue me, then.” He shrugged, leaning back on the seat with his hands clasped on his lap. You narrowed your eyes at him, trying to determine whether or not he was joking. But all you saw was the determined yet casual look on his face, daring you to actually do something about it.

Shooting a glance at the glass of water he had tried to give you earlier, you pursed your lips in confusion. Looking back at him, you rolled your eyes at the smug look on his face as if he could hear the actual debate you were having inside your head.

You crossed your arms, still trying your best to look resistant against his concern, “How do I know you didn’t spike that drink?”

“And why would I do that?” he replied, his eyebrows raising in disbelief and slight amusement.

“Oh, I don’t know,” you mused. “Maybe because you’re a handsome stranger who randomly sat down on a chair beside me and is forcing me to drink a seemingly suspicious glass of water?”

He paused for a bit, letting your words sink in, when that godawful smirk of his returned. “So, I’m handsome?”

You looked at him incredulously, “That’s the only thing you got from all of that?”

He only chuckled in response, standing up straight and reaching out for the glass of water. He then faced you properly before taking a sip in the most dramatic way possible. You scoffed at his actions, but you can’t help the feeling of relief that washed over you from the reassurance that it gave you. You just never know with anyone, truly.

Placing the half-empty glass back on the table, he raised an eyebrow at you before asking, “Is that good enough for you?”

You fiddled with the rim of the glass before giving a smirk of your own, “No, not really.”

He frowned, “What—no? What do you mean ‘no’? What else do you want from me?”

You shrugged, “A name would be nice.”

“Oh.”

You snorted, “Yeah, oh.”

He chuckled as well, scratching his neck and silently praying that you wouldn’t notice the embarrassed flush on his face, “Well, that was quite rude of me.” He immediately straightened up and stretched his hand in your direction, “I’m Choi Seungcheol, but you can call me Cheol. It was nice meeting you…?”

You smiled at him, taking his hand for a shake and replying with your name. You amusedly watched him mutter your name under his breath as if testing the way it felt from his lips. Should any accusations get out about how your heart skipped just from that, you will always deny them from here on out.

“Now that that’s out of the way,” he began, the look on his face still trying to be as casual as possible, but the hint of concern shone through once again, “Can I ask you now why you’re drinking yourself to death in a joyous event like this?”

Your smile faltered, looking back down at the table where the glass of water was still half empty. You sighed as you realized that the little bubble of calm you’d created was now punctured by reality crashing down on you. You took a glimpse at the front of the venue. Listening to what’s happening around you, it now only registered to you that the bride was giving her speech on the stage as Wonwoo watched her from their table. She said something about meeting him in front of a movie theater or something, but that wasn’t what caught your attention. It was the fact that Wonwoo wasn’t actually watching her. Instead, he was gazing at her. Staring at her as if she were the only person in the room right now. And with a heavy heart, you realized that you were once the recipient of that look. Now, you’re sitting at the very back of a lively event, sulking because of your own decisions.

Your face probably wasn’t hard to read at the time because Seungcheol didn’t even try to interrupt your silence after his question. For him, your reaction was all he needed to know that maybe you weren’t just another guest of the event.

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to,” Seungcheol insisted, still observing the way you somehow looked even smaller than before.

“No, I—It’s okay,” you sighed, finally deciding to drink the water before replying again, “I’m more concerned over whether or not telling someone who is a part of this wedding about my situation will just make me look like a damn pity party.”

He pursed his lips, trying his best to gauge the conversation. “If it’ll make you feel any better, I’m not an actual guest. I only handle the catering part of the wedding.”

“It does, actually,” you chuckled. You looked back at him, only to watch him look around the venue as if he were trying to find something. The determination on his face made you scrunch your eyebrows in confusion. Your eyes cautiously roamed the place as you tried to identify whatever he was trying to look for, when he suddenly stood up, a hand stretched out to you once again.

“Come on. I want to show you something.”

You studied his face for any sign of where this would lead to but the persistent look in his eyes betrayed nothing. Glancing back at the married couple, you decided that whatever Seungcheol has planned is definitely a better alternative than your decision to silently brood in a corner for the whole evening. Taking his hand, you stood up and followed him out to a door on the other side of the venue that was hidden from plain sight, but not without making a detour to the catering table to take a bottle of wine and two glasses. Perks of being with the head of the catering company, you guessed.

Settling down on a bench just outside the hall, you silently appreciated the view of the garden it gave you. You then ignored the slight pang in your heart at the thought that this would’ve been a nice venue for your wedding. If only you answered yes.

A glass of wine suddenly invaded your vision. You glanced back at him, taking the wine with a whispered thank you. He only nodded back with a small smile before turning to pour his own. Somehow, a silent agreement to try your best not to disturb the serenity of the place was exchanged between the two of you within seconds of being here. Because here, away from the bustle of the reception, with its music turning into a muffled background noise, it was the most peaceful you've ever felt since you received the invitation.

“He was probably the best thing that ever happened to me and I ruined it without even saying a damn word.”

You felt his gaze beside you, but you were determined to keep your head straight on. The fear of being judged by a stranger was both a humiliating and grounding thought. But with Seungcheol, somehow that wasn’t the case. It then dawned on you that it didn’t matter if he judged you for your decisions and left you by yourself once again. It mattered more to you that you gain enough strength to tell him the whole truth, ugliest parts and all. Whether that’s because of his annoying tendencies to be the most stubborn person you’ve ever met, or the fact that you’re slowly feeling the amount of alcohol you’ve drunk so far. Either way, not an ounce of hesitation to bare your heart was present tonight.

You hummed, taking a sip before beginning your story, “Our relationship was one for the books. It was everything a person could’ve hoped for and more. Our group of friends was always sharing how jealous they were of us. Both of our families were also in love with the idea of having a happily ever after ending for us. Even I was thanking the heavens and the earth for letting me have someone like him as a big part of my life. As for Wonwoo, there was no doubt in my mind that he was thinking the same things as well. The only thing that surprised me was how far those thoughts brought him.”

You can’t help but smile a bit at the memories, swallowing down the bitterness that the reminiscing gives you. “It was good. Everything was good. But that wasn’t the case when it was just the two of us. It was never a secret that I had troubles when it comes to my brain. I’d list it down for you, but it would take the whole night, and honestly, it’s not your burden to carry.”

“I have time.”

You laughed, “No, you don’t.”

“Okay, no, I don’t,” he admitted with a small, breathless laugh, “but I’ll make time for you.”

You turned to him in silent shock, your eyes softening at the thought. You smiled genuinely this time, “That’s unnecessary, but thank you.”

Seungcheol smiled back, only replying with a reassuring nod.

“I remembered the day it all went down as if it were yesterday,” you began, “We were on a date at the time. He insisted on having it on a random Tuesday night, and I remembered being so confused when he suggested it. But because he was so determined to do it, I decided to just accept it and move on. It was only when we were finishing up our date that I realized why.”

You took a deep breath, bracing yourself for the next part of the story. “We were driving home, or at least I thought we were driving home, when he suddenly took a right turn at the intersection, which is opposite of the way back to our apartment. Wonwoo was so secretive about it that he wouldn’t budge at all from anything I’ve thrown his way. It was about a few more minutes of driving that was filled with my persistent whining over why he wasn’t saying anything else besides the amused smirk on his face when we finally reached our destination.”

Memories of the park that was decorated with a candlelit walkway and lanterns hanging on the branches of the biggest willow tree you’ve ever seen immediately flooded your brain. “It was beautiful,” you confessed breathlessly, “He took me under that willow tree and I was too distracted by the beauty of it all that I didn’t immediately notice how he was already on his knees with a ring on his hand.”

You heard a sharp intake of breath from Seungcheol. You chose to ignore it in favor of continuing the story while you still have the will to do it.

“I wasn’t ready,” you exhaled deeply, a tear you didn’t know was forming finally escaping down your cheek. “I was never ready.”

You wiped your cheek and gulped down whatever was left of your wine in a desperate attempt to keep your tears at bay. “I didn’t know what to say. And foolish little me, I left him all alone that day. Waking up the next day to multiple calls and messages from everyone was not what I expected. I mean, sure, at some point they would’ve called, but I didn’t expect the news to immediately reach them. What I didn’t know at the time was that all of our families and friends were with us in the park. That’s when I learned that that random Tuesday wasn’t so random after all, as it was the only day he could get everyone available to witness the proposal. And even after all of that, only one message struck me and it was from his cousin. He called me a burden full of champagne problems.”

You took a shaky breath when you felt a hand over your own. It was only then that you realized how firm your grip was on your dress. You tried to relax your fingers, taking his hand in an effort to calm yourself down.

“Since then, I haven’t heard from him. That was up until last month when the invitation for his wedding arrived on my doorstep,” you smiled bitterly. “Even now, he’s still the nicest and most forgiving person I’ve ever met.”

“Are you planning on talking to him at all tonight?”

You shook your head, “When tonight came, I honestly had no idea why I decided to go through with attending the wedding. But now that I think about it, I think it’s my way of finally telling myself that he’s in good hands and it’s time for me to officially move on from our past.”

Seungcheol slowly nodded in response, fully understanding your stance on it. It was silent for a while, the music from the hall still filling the air despite being muffled by the door. You glanced over at Seungcheol, observing the way his eyebrow raised every so often and the way the corner of his lips would twitch as if he were deep in thought. And maybe he was, but that doesn’t stop you from unconsciously admiring his side profile.

He was handsome. That was one thing you could never deny, even if you tried. A handsome being that you just laid bare yourself to. At this point, you didn’t know if it was such a wise thing to do. But before you could fully immerse yourself in your overthinking thoughts, Seungcheol cleared his throat before facing you again.

“My favorite color is red.”

You blinked once. Twice.

A loud laugh suddenly came out of you and suddenly, the night wasn’t as heavy as it was before. Suddenly, the moon was shining over the garden with a multitude of stars brightly decorating the night sky. Suddenly, the ache in your heart wasn’t as painful anymore.

Not one of you noticed the silhouette that was quietly observing you from the other side of the door, a smile on his face as he realized that you’re now in good hands. He then immediately went back to his bride, his heart light with love and acceptance.

Taglist: @moonwonuu @belladaises @porridgesblog @sasaapportela @allys-reads @clownprincehoeshi @yoonzzziino @gyuguys

[lvrrinnie]

T.I.E.S headcanons because I read too many fics about them and now I’m hyperfixated.

Just to establish some things before we start this, my headcanons for them are the following: Etho is an arctic fox, Impulse is a demon, Tango as blaze hybrid and Skizz as an angel. I don't know if these are the most popular headcanons for them, but personally I love them in this combo. Now let's get into this. 

It took them months to learn how to be somehow quiet around Etho since he has a very sensitive hearing (Skizz had an especially hard time, with his loud personality). At the beginning, they wonder what made Etho so jumpy every time they were all together in the same room, and why his fox ears were always hidden in his hair. Later, Tango was the one to realise that maybe, just maybe, they were a bit too loud, and that happened when Tango watched Etho absolutely jumping out of his skin by the sound of Skizz’s voice that was on the other side of his base. 

Impulse is the only one that used to be able to carry Tango when they needed to fly from one point to another. His skin being partially immune to the hot temperature that Tango’s body has; the only downside to it was that the skin on Impulse’s hands would be sensitive for a day or two after, which made Tango feel bad, so he locked himself into his workshop and created a contraption that let him fly. (Steampunk elytra for the win here.)

Both Etho and Impulse help Skizz with the preening. Their sharp claws/ nails are perfect for the task, especially in the places where Skizz cannot reach at all. We won’t talk about the time when Tango insisted on helping Skizz with the preening just to end up almost burning a few of his feathers, all because he sneezed.

Skizz made them all matching necklaces and bracelets with his feathers as a way of knowing where his friends are, and offering them protection when he’s not with them. (When damaged, the feather creates a shield around the person for five to ten seconds.)

Before officially joining them, Etho would leave ‘offerings’ in front of their bases. Small rabbits, random shiny things, leather, whatever he deemed important, or he thought the three men would need. One time, after taking a nap under the sun, Tango woke up with a weird-shaped leaf on the tip of his nose. Even to this day, he does not know how a maple leaf managed to find its way into a cherry blossom biome; and Etho still denies that it was him. 

For someone who is supposed to be their main healer, Skizz is extremely clumsy, ending up with more wounds and bruises than the other three combined. Impulse is always nagging him, telling him to be more careful, yet Skizz just laughs it off saying that it's nothing. 

After meeting Skizz, Impulse had a small complex about his wings. He kept them tucked as much as he could, due to the fact that his bony, flesh-covered wings looked, in his opinion, ugly compared to the massive, fluffy white wings Skizz was proudly showing. It took meeting Tango, who was in total awe of them, for Impulse to get over that small complex. And maybe some heart-to-heart conversations with Skizz, but Impulse doesn't want to think about the anger the angel was carrying once he found out about why he was hiding his wings. 

A very silly one, but they once used a sleeping tango to roast marshmallows. That's it. 

Bringing redstone inside the house is strictly prohibited. Not since Tango almost blew the house up by messing up his noodles while being sleep deprived, and also distracted by the way Etho’s tail was just moving at a very rapid rate, almost in indignation, while Skizz was lecturing him about working too much. 

Both Skizz and Impluse use their wings as blankets for the other two, while Tango makes sure to let himself run a bit hotter than normal, just to make sure none of his friends are cold if they are sleeping outside. 

Etho likes to curl up while sleeping/napping, so the other three made a habit of curling around him as well, no matter what.

This makes me wanna write a fantasy T.I.E.S fic so goddamn bad, you guys have no idea. Maybe I would do that after exam season is over, and I will finally have some time to breathe.

[lucydixon]

hehe which of our three main LOC boys would get the most jealous when they hear you sweet talk and kiss on your pet? especially before y’all are together and they have a raging crush/hard-on for you, and here you are kissin’ and coo’ing at this goblin of a cat or a lump of a dog when he’s sitting right there gripping the couch cushion in aggressive yearning

Oh, I love asks like this! I think that all three of them would be all jealous and brooding if they saw you loving up on a pet. Let's set the scene. You've got a one-eyed cat that looks like you found it inside a garbage bin. You love it more than anything on earth. You're hanging out with one of the boys and have to stop at your apartment to grab something. He's been pining after you for weeks, but is too nervous to do anything about it. It's the first time that the two of you are hanging out alone, and although it isn't a date, he's excited by the prospect of being in your apartment with just the two of you.

Faust would be the least jealous. He still would be, but the other two would be worse.

That being said, when he sees the creature in your arms being doted on like a small child, he wouldn't be able to hide the look of disbelief on his face.

Here he was, desperate to touch you, but too afraid to confess his feelings, and you were over there kissing the cat's fluffy cheeks instead of his. I think that this could be a turning point for the two of you. He'd sit on the couch and make soft huffing sounds while he watched you flit about with the damn thing in your arms, still cooing at it softly. He'd find himself wishing he were a cat if it meant you'd love up on him like that. You'd very likely notice the obvious pouting and ask him if he was jealous of the cat with a teasing smile. His cheeks would warm, and he'd stumble over his words, trying to defensively claim that no, he is not jealous of the cat. You'd be able to see right through the lie and might tell him that it would be okay if he was.

From there, you and Faust would talk about your feelings and get a little closer. I think he'd grow to love the scraggly cat if you started dating.

Pelle wouldn't be jealous so much as he'd be startled.

As soon as he sees the scrappy little ball of fur, he'd recoil, grateful that your back was turned so you didn't see the blatant look of disgust on his face.

He'd known that you had a cat and had to remind himself of the multitude of times you'd brought it up in the time he'd known you. But a lot of the time, he'd get distracted by your pretty eyes or wandering thoughts the second you started talking about it.

You'd be patting the wretched thing on the head and speaking to it as if it were a baby or something. He'd watch you scoop it up in your arms while it purred like a lawnmower, kissing it on the nose gently before cuddling up to it. You might introduce him to the cat, very much aware of his distaste for the species, and chuckle softly at the poorly concealed look of horror. You'd gesture for him to sit on the couch while you looked for whatever it was you'd stopped in for, still carrying the cat and muttering to it lovingly while he watched. Pelle would be immediately plotting to get rid of your beloved pet. He wouldn't actually do anything to it. You'd never forgive him if he did, and he knows that, but he'd still spend the five minutes he had to wait for you brooding.

Øystein would absolutely be the most jealous.

I don't think he'd be able to hide the annoyed look on his face while you cradle the cat in your arms, scratching behind its ears and gazing down at it lovingly. He'd know that you loved the cat and that it wasn't going anywhere, but that wouldn't stop him from giving it the stink eye as he walked past the two of you towards the couch.

I could see him just blatantly glaring at the cat while you rummage through drawers and shelves, muttering under his breath about how it had better stop looking at him over your shoulder.

If anyone is gripping onto the couch cushions with white knuckles, it's Øystein. Nobody yearns quite as intensely as he does. He would feel a genuine sense of rivalry with the one-eyed animal, which he would never admit, but would force a smile whenever you looked over at him.

I could see him groaning about all the cat hair on the couch sticking to his black clothes on his way out, shooting a pointed look at the cat on his way to the door when you finally found whatever you'd stopped in for.

I think the cat would pick up on his hostile energy and glare right back. It might even take a swipe at him or hiss if he got too close.

If the two of you got together, the mutual distaste between Øystein and the cat would be constant. They'd eventually learn to tolerate each other, but he'd always be jealous of the way you doted on the one-eyed monster who liked to steal his pillow when he got up in the middle of the night.

Dividers made by @saradika-graphics

[eastgaysian]

'is gortash brown actually based on some features of his appearance if you squint' you guys are . So close to cracking the code on how deeply fundamentally hostile the fantasy of dungeons and dragons is to people of color

[hotvampireadjacent]

LMFAO Fox News bitching that Tim walz visited China repeatedly. American politics is insane. Not that they particularly need American tourists, but China is beautiful and not to mention the….. I would argue the most delicious food in the world. And this is coming from a Mexican I love Mexican food a lot.

[waitineedaname]

i have a student conference in a couple weeks that i should be preparing my presentation for, but what am i doing instead? sitting down to outline my svsss gender essay

[wildsaltair]

husband? husband???

[trans-yllz]

posts that I technically agree with on like a moral level but that have been pumped full of so much needlessly flowery language that I can tell op has posted it to flex their Superior Vocabulary and are probably one of the most insufferable people on earth

[multishipper-baby]

hope this isnt weird but i've been having fun reading your eakwynn takes and i've become very interested in your vision for them !! so i also wanted to ask (if you haven't been asked this before): how are they when it comes to physical intimacy? what about verbal intimacy? which one does each of them prefer? (it can be something else that's not physical or verbal too)

Never feel bad for giving me more excuses to ramble about eakwynn. Getting asked about them is like opening Christmas presents to me!

Anyway- they're both very physical people. Eak cannot go one episode without pulling Towntrap around, and Owynn canonically both hugs Springtrap and fantasizes about hugging Fox, two guys he just met. Once they get comfortable with each other there is never a moment when they're not touching in some way. Not necessarily in the "making out literally everywhere" type of touching some teen couples have, but rather in a subtle way- like they're always holding hands or locking arms or leaning against each other in some way, but they save the more affectionate stuff like hugging or kissing for when they're alone. But yeah they very much prefer this one.

Verbal intimacy is more... Complicated. Since their relationship started out being antagonistic, they're both initially unwilling to open up to each other too much. Trying to get Owynn to talk about his feelings is already like pulling teeth without the whole messiness that came before their relationship, and Owynn's unwillingness to be honest with him made Eak respond in kind, which meant they were pretty stuck for a while. They kind of relied a lot on non verbal communication early on, because giving someone a gift or a hug in place of an apology was much easier for Owynn than actually saying the words "I'm sorry" out loud, but that can only get them so far, you know?

I think the main issue would be that there's an imbalance in how they see verbal intimacy: Owynn has been so closed off from everyone that to him, he's actually being too open with Eak! He's told Eak things about himself he's never told anyone else ever!! Meanwhile, Eak has two best friends that know basically everything about his life, so he notices really easily how often Owynn will want to avoid certain subjects, or evade difficult conversations, or bottle up his feelings- and it kind of pisses him off that Owynn is so insistent on pursuing him but still keeps him at arms length. It's very much like, dude, if you're so afraid of being vulnerable around me why are you even dating me!!!

It's kind of why I've always imagined eakwynn as the sort of ship where they break up and then later get back together, or they only last if they start dating later on rather than during the show or directly after it- I think Owynn is the type of guy who needs some time to mature and grow by himself before he can be a good partner. Get a job, experience more in life, make some friends hopefully. Eak is a patient guy, but he's not trusting enough to lower his defenses if he thinks Owynn isn't going to do the same for him, and he doesn't have enough emotional intelligence to make up for Owynn's utter lack of one. So better for him to wait until Owynn is at least somewhat capable of communicating to work on things lol. But they do work on things eventually!

But uhhhh yeah they're very good on the physical side, very not good on the verbal side 👍🏻

[ciderjacks]

argh. This comic writing is taking me way longer than usual. I keep editing things and it doesn’t feel right.

[robo-dino-puppies]

eyyyy look who tried to do some modding in veilguard :D

I love that Rook gets to wear this coat with the feathers but I hated the leather high-collared studded whatever-the-hell shirt thing that was going on underneath. so I tried to swap it with the "civilian" version but keep the feathers :D

the coat and pants clip like hell on my shortass elf, but still! (actually I checked and it clips on the civilians who wear it too... so that's not a me problem lmao)

anyway to elaborate: initially I tried to edit the textures to get rid of the weird shirt thing BUT the chevron stitched pieces are part of the model (BOOOOO) so despite changing their color/texture I couldn't get rid of them entirely. then I saw that swapping armor/character parts was a thing? …that I don't really understand, honestly, but there's a tutorial and I can follow steps. anyway, some civilians in Treviso wear the same coat with this low-cut shirt underneath except no feathers, and I wanted that BUT WITH THE FEATHERS. so. I did it! YAY GO ME!!! not super thrilled with the pants but I like the civilians' boots better too.

here was my initial check to see what it did to npcs that share the outfit:

and checking the color-changed version next to a civilian npc

coat and feather colors achieved! now to do the shirt and pants.

to elaborate more: so in the Rook and Ivenci versions, there are three meshes (? correct term idk?) that combine to make the whole ensemble: feathers, coat, and undershirt-belt-arms-pants-boots. can't just make the undershirt invisible bc there's no torso under there lol and it would also get rid of the arms and legs. in the civilian outfit there are two meshes: coat-and-belt and undershirt-torso-arms-pants-boots.

but like. they're basically the same? so I thought I should just be able to leave the feathers in place and replace the coat and undershirt! which worked! (after uhhhhhh several fails. yes I can follow a tutorial; that doesn't mean I can follow it on the first try because using the frosty editor feels approximately like me walking blindfolded through a convenience store knocking things off shelves. or something. idk what the hell I'm doing lol)

I hate wearing the same outfit as Ivenci tho. seriously considering putting Ivenci in something else and giving the random civilian npcs Ivenci's fit lmao. or just dress the civilians in some other civilian outfit? I wonder if I can do that...

[arolesbianism]

Mental health shit is kicking my ass but at least I have my silly guys

[teh-nos]

my two longest sylki fics have no selfcest in them, i feel like a FRAUD.