#Don't Turn Their Entire Development Into Romance

[arkiwii]

For me part of it is that I've been playing since global launch, and rhine fam was part of what got me playing, and I've never seen anyone take the divorced jokes seriously even since then (in contrast to doc and kal, where like 80+% were taking it seriously for years)

you can only trust me for word because I don't want to call out anyone, but I have seen fanfictions or art pieces that seriously despicted them divorced (there's some on ao3). and if they're not divorced, they're at least exes. it's a very common headcanon, and I mean it. not saying people really believe it's canon, but at least, they want to imagine it is. as a heads up, it's not wrong, people think whatever they want! I was just bringing the point that it gave a less interesting side to her relationship to make them into bitter exes, imo. it makes it look like "Silence is mad at Saria because Saria betrayed her, and now she's acting really awful towards her, which Saria simply accepts". that's a simplification of their relationship. it's not necessarily wrong, but it's not the real message.

Silence doesn't hate Saria. she can't help being mad at her because she's mad at herself. when she looks at Saria, she sees someone who failed to protect them, and most than all, she realized that she was putting her hopes unti Saria. she's mad at herself because she is weak, because she was depending on anyone stronger than her to do the right things, and had expectations for them. she realized that Saria is just a person, so is everyone, and if she wants to achieve something, she has to do it herself.

as for Saria, she's not just accepting Silence's hate. she thinks that she deserves it, that she really failed. she's the shield If Rhine Lab, she promised that she would protect anyone, and she failed. because she pushed herself to carry this burden, because she unconsciously doesn't trust that the people she's protecting can protect themselves. Silence, Ifrit, they don't need Saria to fight for them. they need her to fight with them.

what really makes them really interesting to me is that it's when they finally open up and show their true selves, they realize that they can work together and that their flaws perfectly complete each other. Silence does not fall in love with Saria the director of Rhine Lab who is strong and hot and perfect looking, but with Saria who is a broken person who needs to love herself and be shown that she can be loved. Saria does not fall in love with Silence the weak and innocent girl who relies on her, but with Silence the woman who learned to fight for her ideals, and who saw the pain inflicted to those close to her, promising herself to never let it happen.

OK I WENT RANTY IN THERE BUT tl;dr in my personal opinion, bringing a romance in their time before Lone Trail doesn't change anything to her development, and it can be very well handled, I'm sure, but all the cases I have seen are just an excuse for spicy exes stuff "I loved you but you betrayed me" and turn their relationship into just "lovers who are still in love but misunderstanding happened", y'know

[notmeowse]

That AMA marks the end of Dragon Age.

In my opinion.

I'll start by saying that I have played all 3 of the previous games repeatedly, I've loved the series for 15 years, more than half my life. These games inspired me to become a writer and they've shaped a lot of my tastes and interests in shows and writing -- to say they were formative is kind of an understatement. Don't want to go on and on about how much I loved them, that's not the point here.

I didn't care for Veilguard for pretty much all of the reasons people have already discussed at length on Reddit and Tumblr. The writing is comprehensively bad, the romances are easily the worst Bioware has written by pure virtue of having the most cookie-cutter pacing and shallow characterization I've seen across their games, the lore has been shafted in every direction, and the nuanced storytelling and roleplay I came to expect from the series has been taken out back and shot in the head.

All, apparently, in the name of a "clean slate". It seems to me that, rather than familiarizing himself with the existing lore of the game he took the creative reins on, Epler clearly had a vision for Dragon Age (or perhaps a different IP entirely) in his head that he decided to transplant into the game (and possibly Trick? But they've said so little beyond defending their work that I can hardly theorize what direction they were coming from). That being a sanitized, wildly self-contradicting, morally absolute shitshow focused on distancing itself from the previous games as much as possible. Now, I know it's unrealistic to blame one person entirely, and I don't blame him entirely. Corinne was there. Trick was there.

But if it wasn't already evident from the numerous interviews Epler's given on the game as well as his participation in the Q&A's (while the actual lead writer of the game has been completely absent in not just the marketing, but in most fan-related interaction pre and post-launch outside of BSKY), this AMA seems to have confirmed, more than anything else, that Epler doesn't understand the game nor does he understand its audience. Neither does Corinne Busche, who despite being Game Director for only the last two years of development, has been answering lore questions a) like she has any fucking clue and b) like she thinks Dragon Age is a cozy-gamer IP, meant to appeal to people that want uplifting stories with uncontroversial characters, morally upright heroes, and unquestionably evil villains.

So as of today's AMA, I think I've finally had enough. We're just outright retconning the lore in Reddit AMA's now, I guess. Among other things. I'll provide a few examples, just so we're all on the same page.

This was part of Epler's response to why Solas didn't have his cult following in the game (insert "We Kind of Forgot" meme here):

Solas' experience leading the rebellion against the Evanuris turned him against the idea of being a leader. You see it in the memories - the entire experience of being in charge ate at him and, ultimately, convinced him he needed to do this on his own. And his own motivations were very different from the motivations of those who wanted to follow him - he had no real regard for their lives or their goals. So at some point between Trespasser and DATV, he severed that connection with his 'followers' and went back to being a lone wolf.

The fact that this (the not caring bit) directly contradicts the writing in the actual game is absolutely INSANE to me, moreso than the lack of Solas's spy network (which he apparently carried with him for 10 years only to conveniently drop right before the ritual? Because he clearly had them research Rook?). But in regards to the not caring -- here's a line from Solas's memory of killing Mythal in Veilguard, which. I'll get to Mythal in a minute:

Why should I not tear down the Veil, and bring back immortality to all the elven people? They deserve it!

Which is it? Does Solas care about the people he's saving (the venn diagram of people he's saving vs. the people following him is surely a circle, i.e. elves) or not? Does he even care about the spirits trapped behind the Veil anymore or is it just convenient to abandon them and have him only care about elves, now? What happened to saving The People? What happened to him not identifying as an elf in his conversations with a Dalish Inquisitor? And what the absolute fuck happened to him wanting to bring back the magical marvels (that the ancient elves did in fact achieve) that were greater than anything we see in Thedas today? Here's what Epler has to say about elven magic, now:

I do agree that the elves have had their place in the sun at this point. [...] The thing about the Evanuris is that, ultimately, they were able to take a very specific type of magic and shape it into doing what they wanted. But even their understanding of magic was only skin deep [...] Even the magic that Tevinter wields, the magic of the Southern mages, is different from what the Evanuris used. The magic of the Evanuris is powerful but it's sterile, and it's constrained. So while the Evanuris have made magic work in a way that's more predictable and understandable, it's not the only kind of magic out there, and even then, I'd say they understood it at a very surface level. People were confidently describing how the natural world worked back in the 16th century. Very few of them were right.

First of all, Tevinter has been stated in previous games to have clumsily adapted ancient elven magic for their own, but they did adapt it. To the point where even Solas is surprised that Corypheus achieved effective immortality -- by binding himself to a dragon the same way the Evanuris did. So, cool, more contradicting the lore here. "They understood it at a very surface level" you mean when all of the magic of the Fade wasn't locked behind the Veil? You mean when magic flowed freely through the world? What do you mean, Surface Fucking Level? The entire point of the Dalish elf culture is what they lost; this wasn't the ancient elves thinking the sun revolved around the earth, the Veil was their fucking Library of Alexandria burning. Oh my god. I still cannot believe he said this.

And how have the elves had their day in the sun? I'm sorry, was Arlathan not given to... the Veil Jumpers? Instead of the Dalish? What happened to all the Dalish clans in the south, who had no infrastructure when the world was apparently blighted to hell? I guess they're just gone now! They've had their day! The story of the Dalish and the Evanuris is over (also confirmed in this AMA), and it apparently ends with the final snuff of the candle that is their culture. Congratulations, Chantry, you've won! Only took two genocides and a double blight, but we're done with the Dalish now! We get your mind-numbingly superficial factions instead!

What happened to Mythal, by the way? What happened to "She was betrayed as I was betrayed, as the world was betrayed! Mythal clawed and crawled her way through the ages to me, and I will see her avenged!" What happened to the reckoning that will shake the very heavens? John's answer to this:

People grow and change over time. Mythal's essence - and in particular, the fragment of her spirit that Morrigan carries, that she got from Flemeth - is not the same Mythal who he knew millennia ago. Centuries of living in this world and being around the kinds of people Flemeth found herself around - the Hero of Ferelden, Hawke, the Inquisitor - changed her views, and made her realize her own culpability in turning Solas into the kind of person he is now.

Oh, right, okay. So she was pissed for like a thousand years, got her big speech about the impending "reckoning" out 10 years ago, and then she just chilled out because the last 3 heroes were neat people. What a fucking joke. And yes, here is the confirmation that the Evanuris story is over --

The story of the Evanuris is done - the gods are dead (or imprisoned) and Thedas is in a state of flux and uncertainty. I imagine that whatever happens next is going to be a surprise to everyone, including the people of Thedas."

So I guess Mythal's reckoning is never coming. One of the most fascinating characters in the series, shrouded in mystery for those first 3 games, PROMISING US a blaze of glory, only to fizzle out in this one. Again, and I can't emphasize this enough, for Epler's clean fucking slate. And we've not just tied up her story, but also the Veil and the Blight:

When Solas bound himself (or, depending on your ending, was forcibly bound) to the Veil, it severed the connection that the Blight had to the waking world. The reality is that the Veil has been leaking ever since the Magisters first entered the Black City, and the dreams of the Titans gave it its terrible and awesome power. Now that the Veil is fully repaired, the Blight lacks that motive force, and being so close to the epicenter of that change has stripped the Blight in Minrathous of its vitality. It's calcified now - dead - and Bellara/Neve no longer suffer its effects. If they'd been anywhere else, further from that epicenter, it would've likely been different and they still would be looking for a cure.

So the Veil is permanently fixed now because our half-dead Dread Wolf bound himself to it (a decision I still don't understand) and that somehow fixed every single hole ever poked in it. Fully repaired. No more holes, no more "Veil is thin here" because tons of people died in the same spot, nope, we're washing our hands and leaving it (and the spirits) behind us because we've wrapped up both the series-long Veil storyline and the blight storyline in a big red bow.

And Epler tells us Solas not only bound himself to the Veil but fixed it entirely in one fell swoop, no ritual required, just a little slice to the hand. Again, all in the name of a clean slate, so any future installments or media centered around Thedas can turn away from this story.

Then there's this. What we can expect from future installments, I freaking guess. The aforementioned roleplay getting taken out back and shot:

Q: "What lead you to the decision to step away from active conversations with the companions as in previous Bioware games, where you can initiate them at any moment and ask exhaustive questions?"

John: "For us, because of tech limitations, it became a choice between exhaustive investigate conversations, or letting the companions move more freely around the Lighthouse. With the kind of experience we were going for, one where seeing the team grow around you is paramount, we felt that seeing them interact in common spaces (and in each other's rooms) made more sense."

Literally confirmed that they chose companions moving freely about the cabin over ... interacting with them outside the handful of cutscenes we got. Who in their right mind would think this was a good call in a Dragon Age game? A series that quite literally prides itself on complex character interactions and storytelling? So they could... sit in different places? Are you kidding me?

They don't see an issue with the game's reception. They don't have any interest in addressing or responding to criticism. They're either happy with their choices or EA's got a gun pointed at their heads, I'm honestly not sure anymore. I used to believe the latter was true, but looking at both Epler's and Busche's responses today, I'm inclined to believe the former.

So I think that's it for the series. Not that I thought it was going to get another game after this, but on the absolute off chance it did, what would be the point? The best stories were ruined. Anything left they have to tell is going to read a lot like Veilguard -- superficial, morally absolute, flagrantly disrespectful to the lore, and delivered in a very poorly written package.

[kateksmallcuteowl]

June 26: Soulmates/Soulmate Marks AU

Your mark shows how old will your soulmate be when you fall in love with them. (Meaning both romantically and sexually)

For an event by @bagginshieldweek24

More headcanons after the cut. Seriously, there’s a lot, as I developed a whole idea but had no time to write a fic because of exams.

— Dwarfs come of age in around 80 y.o., having a soulmate from another race is a very rare occurrence; throughout the history of Middle-earth, there have been at most a dozen such cases, so most dwarves are unaware of this possibility. Having a mark with a number younger than the age of majority is a lifelong shame, essentially an admission of pedophilia. Unfortunately, this happens more often than having a soulmate from another race.

— Thorin spent his entire adult life, from the moment the mark appeared, wearing an extra layer of bandages under his bracers to prevent anyone from seeing the number. Fortunately, among dwarves, it is not considered inappropriate to hide the marks, as many value their privacy.

— The mark and thoughts about it were the reason why Thorin often appeared especially gloomy when the topic of romance came up.

— He truly tried to compensate for his "defectiveness" with his virtues.

— Of course, Thorin is a virgin.

— Bilbo, on the other hand, didn't think much about this; hobbits don't see anything wrong with living without their soulmate or seeing their soulmate as a friend. They are generally a loving people and don't worry about the concept of "the one and only."

— Although the topic of soulmates is considered highly romantic in hobbit literature, Bilbo was somewhat disappointed when he realized he would likely never meet his soulmate. (Hobbits are also unaware of inter-racial soulmates.)

— I tried to make young Bilbo look more like Frodo, so here he has smaller curls and a different style of shirt.

— Thorin and Bilbo both hid their marks, so when they felt an attraction to each other, especially after the Carrock, both were initially upset, thinking they weren't soulmates. Thorin, of course, was much more upset.

— During the two weeks they stayed with Beorn (yes, I'm mixing the movie and the book, what are you going to do about it? Slow burn needs time to be slow), they managed to reach the point of kissing near the river or something like that. But when Bilbo tried to unlace Thorin's tunic, Thorin stopped him and said that, unlike hobbits, for dwarves, sexual interaction is a very serious step in emotional attachment. It wouldn't be fair not to tell Bilbo what kind of monster he was getting involved with, because after seeing what Thorin had to show him, Bilbo might not even want to look him in the eye. Bilbo was honestly frustrated. (It is implied that Thorin used some term characteristic of a pedo... ahem)

— With a terrifyingly serious face, Thorin unwrapped the bandages on his wrist, and Bilbo, with a sinking heart, prepared to see a number like 5 or 12. Instead, there was a very respectable and completely normal age. Thorin turned away, not wanting to see the disappointment in the hobbit's eyes. Bilbo spent a few seconds calculating how long dwarves live and how old Thorin actually was.

— Thorin thought Bilbo wanted to shame him for having the audacity to enter into a relationship at such an age, knowing his soulmate's extremely young age. With closed eyes, he forced out that he was 195 and knew how disgusting he was because of it.

— Instead of a slap or something worse, which Thorin wouldn't have opposed, thinking any normal person had the right to treat him like that after seeing it, Bilbo reached for his own wrist and, with suspicious enthusiasm, pulled off the leather bracelet he had worn since the Shire. On the pale skin was clearly marked Thorin's age, written in dark ink with characteristic dwarvish notches.

— Some time passed in silence as they both realized that such a coincidence simply couldn't be.

— They were in for a very pleasant evening away from the company🌚🌝

— Later, when the entire company gathered by the fire, Bilbo and Thorin would come to them, holding hands, the hobbit nearly glowing with happiness in front, and a red-to-the-tips-of-his-ears Thorin slightly behind. This would be the first time anyone in the company saw Thorin without bandages, and if not for the matching age on Bilbo's wrist, now also not hidden by a bracelet, they wouldn't have believed Thorin could be normal with such a number on his skin.

— And the dwarves would realize how young Bilbo was by their standards.

— Truly, the ways of the Valar are mysterious.

— At the very end of the night, Fili would nudge Kili with his elbow and hint that since their uncle had an inter-racial mark, he might not be so angry and yell when he finds out that his brother has a four-digit number on his wrist.

[tinyyoruichi]

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 ?

featuring : gn!reader + Zoro, Mihawk and Ace

warning : none

masterlist

Roronoa Zoro

His heart suddenly beats more rapidly whenever he sees you smiling, laughing, or even doing the most random thing. On top of that, Sanji's overly complimentary remarks towards you make him want to reach for his swords. No, this can't be. He's stared death down a thousand times, cut through countless enemies. Yet, this new feeling blooming for you – it's terrifying.

Zoro coming to terms with his feelings for you? Buckle up, because it's going to be a hilarious journey. Denial will be his middle name for a while, trust me. This dense swordsman will be in for a wild ride before he finally connects the dots.

Thanks to Nami's interrogation skills (and a little sake), the whole crew knows Zoro has a thing for you. Now, expect endless teasing from Luffy and Usopp, who'll probably try to spill the beans before a certain mosshead gives them his best glare.

Zoro finally figuring out his feelings for you? Great! Now comes the real test: talking to you about them. Because let's be honest, under that tough-guy act, he is probably a nervous wreck, sweating bullets at the thought of rejection.

Zoro's not exactly the Romeo type. So expect a confession that's straightforward, maybe a bit awkward – but heartfelt nonetheless. If you feel the same, a weight will lift from his shoulders. But if not, he'll respect your decision and try to keep things smooth between you.

Dracule Mihawk

Don't be fooled by Mihawk's stoic facade – because he is quite aware of his feelings for you. Years have honed his instincts, and unlike his pupil, he has no time (and he is too old) for childish denial. His emotions are clear, even if unspoken.

That man has a very calculating mind. He'll dissect every interaction, every glance, searching for a sign that you love him as mush as he loves you. Despite his solitary nature, his mind might already be constructing a future by your side – a future dependent on your response.

Mihawk is probably one of the few men in One Piece who are very romantic (Oda told me so). His brand of romance is subtle yet charming. Imagine leisurely strolls through his gardens or watching the sunset with a glass of wine by his side. A subtle offer of his arm, a hint of a blush from you – that might be all the encouragement he needs to take things a step further.

Once confident your feelings mirror his own, Mihawk will approach things in an (VERY) old-fashioned way. Be prepared for a carefully crafted dinner invitation, where he can formally request the honor of courting you. His pride lies in being a gentleman, and rushing into things is simply not his style. He prefers to court you slowly and respectfully, allowing your relationship to develop naturally.

After a series of thoughtful dates, Mihawk will finally take the next step and ask you to be his partner (Perona and Zoro might have placed a bet on the timeline, of course). Like everything he does, Mihawk will approach this new chapter with utmost seriousness. Your well-being will always be his top priority.

Portgas D. Ace

Ace isn't the denial type. The ache when you're gone, the quiet competition with Marco and Izo for your laughter – these are the clues that tip him off. Ace falling for you? It's written all over his flustered face. He stutters and turns red like a tomato when speaking to you unexpectedly.

The entire crew is a nuisance and teases him constantly about his love for you. They have grilled him mercilessly – “When will you confess?” they ask, convinced you feel the same.

Denial ? Once again, not Ace's style. But baring his heart, admitting his love for you ? That's a terrifying vulnerability he fears more than anything. On top of that, I believe he is also afraid of losing your friendship by making things awkward if you don't feel the same about him.

Thankfully, Marco, ever the voice of reason, is there to guide this lovestruck dummy. And honestly, this old man is tired of watching you two pining from afar. A stern talk from Marco might be just what Ace needs to understand that silence could lead to a missed opportunity for a great relationship.

Ace's confession? A masterpiece in the making, at least in his head. Daily mirror pep talks and a meticulously planned romantic gesture – that's how he plans to declare his love. Just imagine the blushing, the stammering, the potential for minor explosions (caused by Ace's nervousness, of course).

Dinner over, Ace reaches for something hidden in his pocket. His nervousness is palpable, a sheen of sweat forming on his brow. But then, with a determined glint in his eye, he throws caution (and the letter) to the wind, ready to confess his true feelings directly from the heart.

[nerdycheol]

I Loathe You Forever? - I

❤️‍🔥Pairing: real estate developer!jungkook x architect!f reader

❤️‍🔥Genre: Enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn romance, comedic misunderstandings, professional rivalry, personal growth, future smut

❤️‍🔥wc: 7.5k

‼️JOIN THE TAGLIST by sending an ask or replying under this post‼️(those who asked to be added to taglist will be added for every part of this series)

taglist:@justanarchiveforfics@lovingkoalaface@itstoastsworld@yooniepot@junniesoleilkth@dna-black-and-blue@whothefuckisthishoe@sweet-nothings111@taiwan0618@miniesjams32@mochibites00brokebitch-101@stvrlighytt@amarawayne@minimoninini@somehowukook@134340-kr@madussthoughts@ali99eel @haley-17-coup

note: ahhh finally here!! sorry for the delay guys. writers block took over me. also, i don't have much knowledge in the field of architecture, all i that have written is based on the little searching i did. so forgive me if anything is wrong. anyways enjoy. Hope you like it.

(TAGLIST OPEN)

Chapter 1: The Nemesis

You adjusted your blazer, brushing invisible lint off your sleeve as you stepped into the sleek, glass-walled conference room. The sunlight streaming through the high-rise windows gleamed on the polished table, emphasizing the grandeur of the setting. You exhaled slowly, forcing down the irritation bubbling within you. This wasn’t your first time being summoned to a high-stakes negotiation meeting, but today was different. He would be there.

Jeon Jungkook.

Just thinking his name made your jaw tighten. He exuded an air of confidence so thick it bordered on arrogance, his smirk practically a trademark of his existence. You’d crossed paths with him multiple times—at architecture expos, during bidding wars for projects, and once in a particularly heated argument that ended with him walking away smugly as you seethed in silence.

"Good morning," you greeted the group already seated at the table, keeping your tone polite but professional.

The client’s representatives nodded, but your gaze instinctively shifted to the far end of the room, where Jungkook leaned casually against the wall, scrolling through his phone. He looked effortlessly put together, as usual. His tailored suit fit him like a glove, and his dark hair fell just slightly over his forehead, giving him an air of both charm and menace.

"Ah, look who decided to join us," he drawled, not even bothering to look up. "I thought you might’ve bailed when you heard I was attending."

Your fingers tightened around the strap of your briefcase, but you forced a smile. "And miss the chance to outshine you? Never."

That made him glance up, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smirk. "Outshine me? That’s ambitious."

"Ambition is the backbone of success," you replied coolly, taking your seat across from him.

The room fell into a tense silence as everyone seemed to sense the undercurrent of hostility between you two. It was no secret that you and Jungkook didn’t get along, and while some found your rivalry entertaining, others probably wished you’d sort it out—or, at the very least, keep it out of professional spaces.

The meeting began with formal introductions and a presentation about the project—a groundbreaking, sustainable luxury housing complex that was bound to make waves in the industry. You took meticulous notes, occasionally glancing at Jungkook. He was annoyingly composed, nodding at key points and even asking insightful questions that made you begrudgingly respect him.

When it was your turn to speak, you rose confidently, presenting your ideas with the passion and precision you were known for. You could feel his gaze on you the entire time, but you didn’t falter. Not until he interrupted.

"That’s an interesting take," he said, his voice smooth but laced with condescension. "But don’t you think the budget constraints would make your design unrealistic?"

You turned to him, narrowing your eyes. "Not if the materials are sourced correctly. I’ve already identified suppliers who can meet both cost and quality requirements."

He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "And if they fail to deliver?"

"They won’t," you snapped. "Because unlike you, I don’t make baseless promises. I do my research."

A low murmur spread through the room, and you caught the amused glint in the client’s eyes. Jungkook, however, didn’t seem fazed. He simply tilted his head, as if weighing your words, before letting out a soft chuckle.

"Touché," he said, and for a brief moment, you thought you saw something other than mockery in his expression—something closer to respect.

The rest of the meeting continued in a similarly tense fashion, with the two of you subtly (and sometimes not-so-subtly) undermining each other. By the time it ended, you were mentally exhausted but determined not to let it show.

As you packed your things, Jungkook approached, hands casually tucked into his pockets.

"Not bad today," he said, his tone almost casual. "For someone who’s always playing catch-up."

You clenched your jaw, refusing to rise to the bait. "Funny. I was just about to say the same to you."

His smirk widened. "You know, if you put half as much energy into working with me as you do fighting me, we might actually accomplish something impressive."

You stepped closer, meeting his gaze with unwavering determination. "I’d rather quit this project than work with you."

"Careful," he murmured, his voice low but teasing. "Words like that have a way of coming back to haunt you."

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving you standing there, seething and utterly annoyed. You didn’t know what frustrated you more—his smug attitude or the fact that he always seemed to have the last word.

//

The afternoon sun poured into the cafeteria, warming the modern space with its open design and glass walls. You sat with your friends at a corner table, trying to shake off the lingering annoyance from the morning meeting. A tray of food sat in front of you, mostly untouched, as you poked at the pasta with your fork.

“Are you okay?” Jisoo asked, her brows furrowed with concern. “You’ve been unusually quiet since the meeting.”

“I’m fine,” you muttered, though your scowl gave you away. “Just tired of certain people.”

“Certain smug people?” Yuna chimed in knowingly, grinning as she sipped her iced coffee.

You gave her a pointed look but didn’t respond, focusing instead on rearranging your food into neat sections.

The conversation was interrupted by a familiar voice that made you freeze.

“Well, isn’t this a lovely group,” Jungkook drawled as he approached your table, a casual, almost predatory smile on his face.

Your friends looked up in surprise, while you mentally cursed the universe for your terrible luck.

“Hello,” he said smoothly, his tone polite but carrying just enough of that signature Jungkook smugness to set your teeth on edge. “How are you all? Having a good meal?”

“Hi, Jungkook,” Jisoo replied, her tone warm as she smiled at him.

“Yes, thank you,” Yuna added politely.

You, however, stayed silent, your fingers tightening around your fork.

Jungkook’s gaze shifted to you, and his smile widened. “No witty remarks today? I’m almost disappointed.”

You forced a tight smile. “I’m saving my energy for people who deserve it.”

He chuckled, clearly enjoying himself. “Well, don’t let me ruin your lunch. Have a good meal.”

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving your table in a sudden hush.

Jisoo broke the silence first, looking after him with a thoughtful expression. “He’s so polite. Why do you hate him so much?”

“Polite?” you repeated, your voice shooting up an octave. “He’s cunning! A fox in a rabbit’s clothing. He only cares about himself, always looking for ways to outshine everyone and make them feel small.”

Yuna snorted, trying to stifle her laughter. “A fox? Really?”

“Yes!” you said, throwing your hands up in exasperation. “He’s smug, manipulative, and—” You paused, groaning loudly. “Ugh! I’ve lost my appetite.”

Jisoo and Yuna exchanged amused glances before Jisoo said, “You should eat. You’ll need energy to fight against the ‘fox.’”

Yuna grinned, nudging your tray closer to you. “Come on. It’s fuel for the battle.”

You huffed, reluctantly taking a small bite of pasta as they laughed at your expense. Despite your annoyance, you couldn’t help but smile faintly at their teasing.

Little did you know, Jungkook had overheard just enough of your outburst to find it endlessly entertaining.

The next few weeks passed in a blur of meetings, phone calls, and emails, all of which included one consistent, infuriating factor: Jeon Jungkook. It seemed as though he had made it his personal mission to counter every idea you presented, every proposal you crafted, and every small victory you claimed. It wasn’t just work—it was war.

At first, you thought you could ignore him. His sarcastic remarks, his polished smile, his irritating habit of leaning back in his chair during meetings like he owned the world. But the more you tried to focus on your work, the more he found ways to disrupt your peace.

It was on a particularly stressful Wednesday afternoon, during yet another project meeting, that he pushed you too far.

“While I appreciate the effort,” Jungkook said, his tone dripping with false politeness, “don’t you think your design is a little… ambitious? We’re trying to appeal to practicality here, not fantasy.”

You inhaled sharply, gripping the edge of the conference table. “Ambitious is exactly what this project needs, Jungkook. Unlike some people, I don’t believe in settling for mediocrity.”

The room went silent, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife. The other team members exchanged wary glances, clearly uncomfortable with the escalating hostility.

Jungkook’s eyes sparkled with amusement, as if he lived for these moments. “Mediocrity, huh?” he said, leaning forward slightly. “And here I thought practicality was just another word for success.”

Before you could retort, the project manager—an older, no-nonsense woman named Mrs. Kang—cleared her throat loudly.

“Enough,” she said firmly, her sharp gaze darting between the two of you. “We’re here to collaborate, not tear each other apart. If you two can’t keep your personal rivalry out of this project, I’ll find someone who can.”

The reprimand stung, but you swallowed your pride and nodded. Jungkook, to his credit, looked slightly chastised, though his smirk didn’t entirely disappear.

After the meeting, you stayed behind to gather your notes, hoping to avoid any further interaction with him. Your friends, Jisoo and Yuna, had lingered as well, partly out of curiosity and partly because they seemed to have made it their mission to witness every interaction between you and Jungkook.

“Well, that was intense,” Yuna remarked, leaning against the table with a sly grin. “You almost had him there.”

“Almost?” you said, raising an eyebrow as you shoved papers into your bag. “I’d say I held my ground pretty well.”

“You did,” Jisoo said with a supportive nod, though her expression was tinged with concern. “But maybe tone it down a little next time? Mrs. Kang looked like she was ready to throw her clipboard at you both.”

Before you could respond, a familiar voice cut through the conversation.

“You know,” Jungkook said casually as he approached, standing beside your group with his trademark smirk, “I think Mrs. Kang likes you better when you’re not scowling.”

Yuna stifled a laugh, while Jisoo’s eyes widened slightly. You straightened up, glaring at him. “And I think the rest of us like you better when you’re not talking.”

He laughed, the sound warm and unguarded, catching you—and apparently your friends—off guard. Jisoo blinked in surprise, and Yuna looked between the two of you with barely concealed amusement.

“Relax,” Jungkook said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. “I’m just messing with you.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” you asked dryly, slinging your bag over your shoulder.

“Maybe,” he said, his expression softening slightly. “You’re not as bad as you think, you know. When you’re not trying to annihilate me, that is.”

His words left you momentarily speechless. Before you could think of a reply, he turned to Yuna and Jisoo, giving them a polite nod. “Ladies,” he said, before walking away, leaving you with a strange mix of frustration and confusion.

As soon as he was out of earshot, Yuna grinned mischievously. “Did he just compliment you? I think he’s warming up to you.”

“Warming up?” you repeated, incredulous. “I think he’s just finding new ways to mess with me.”

Jisoo tilted her head thoughtfully. “Or maybe he’s just… not that bad?”

You shot her a look. “Not you too.”

Yuna laughed, slinging an arm around your shoulders. “Come on, let’s grab coffee. You’re going to need the caffeine to deal with him tomorrow.”

Despite your annoyance, you allowed them to steer you toward the cafeteria, their teasing chatter providing a welcome distraction from the lingering echo of Jungkook’s unexpected words.

//

Later that evening, you sat cross-legged on your small couch, biting absentmindedly into a biscuit as you stared at the project plans displayed on your laptop screen. Despite your best efforts, the words and numbers blurred together, your mind circling back to Jungkook’s parting comment.

“You’re not as bad as you think.”

You sighed, chewing a little more aggressively than necessary. What did he even mean by that? And why did it bother me so much?

A muffled noise from the other side of the wall pulled you from your thoughts. You froze mid-bite, tilting your head toward the sound. It was faint but persistent, a combination of shuffling and the occasional thud.

“Is someone finally moving in?” you murmured, brushing the crumbs off your hands. “I hope it’s someone nice.”

Clapping your hands to remove the last traces of dust, you stood and stretched. “I should sleep now,” you muttered, shutting your laptop and heading to your bedroom.

//

The next morning was a blessed weekend, and you decided to hit the gym for a workout. The familiar buzz of people and the clang of weights greeted you as you stepped inside, ready to lose yourself in the rhythm of exercise. 

 After a quick warm-up, you moved onto the treadmill, your earbuds blasting your favorite playlist.

Just as you settled into a comfortable rhythm, you heard a familiar voice cut through the music.

“Good morning.”

Your eyes widened as you turned to see Jungkook, his smug grin in full effect, standing a few feet away in athletic gear.

“What are you doing here?” you asked, pulling out one earbud. “You don’t go here.”

“I do now,” he replied casually, holding up a water bottle as if it were proof of his membership.

You scowled. “Great. I used to only see your face on weekdays, and now you’ve ruined my weekends too.”

He smirked. “Happy to be of service.”

Muttering under your breath, you turned your attention back to the treadmill, determined to ignore him. Unfortunately, his presence lingered in the back of your mind throughout your workout.

After finishing at the gym, you returned to your apartment building, sweat-soaked but feeling lighter. That relief disappeared the moment you spotted Jungkook standing outside his door—the apartment next to yours. He was fiddling with his keys when you approached.

“Are you stalking me?” you huffed, crossing your arms.

He looked up, eyebrows raised. “What are you talking about? This is my house.” He motioned toward the door beside yours.

You froze. “You’re the new neighbor?!”

His lips twitched with amusement. “Surprise.”

Throwing your hands in the air, you muttered, “Did a black cat cross my path or something?”

He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. “Why blame the cat? Sounds like your luck.”

“Ugh! Whatever. Just don’t talk to me,” you snapped, storming into your apartment and slamming the door shut.

//

The next morning, your alarm blared, jolting you awake. “Crap, I’m late!” you exclaimed, scrambling out of bed. You threw on clothes, grabbed your bag, and dashed out the door.

In the parking lot, you stopped short. Your car tire was completely flat.

“What the hell? I’m already late!” you groaned, kicking the deflated tire. As if on cue, a car honked behind you. Turning, you saw Jungkook’s car idling nearby. He rolled down the window, smirking as usual.

“What happened? Flat tire?” he asked.

“No, I just thought I’d admire the pavement,” you snapped.

He chuckled. “Get in. I’ll drop you off.”

“Forget it. I’ll just take the bus or something.”

“You’re already late,” he pointed out. “Waiting for a bus will make you even later. Just get in. We’re going to the same place, anyway.”

Reluctantly, you sighed. “Just my luck,” you muttered, climbing into the passenger seat.

As you settled in, he leaned over, his hand brushing past yours to grab the seatbelt. You stiffened, your breath hitching at the unexpected closeness.

“What are you doing?!” you exclaimed, leaning away.

“You forgot to wear your seatbelt,” he said nonchalantly, buckling it for you. His proximity made your cheeks warm.

Clearing your throat, you said, “Just drive.”

The ride was suffocatingly quiet, save for the occasional hum of the engine and the faint melody of a radio station playing in the background. You stared out the window, counting streetlights, while Jungkook drove with a maddening calm, as though he wasn’t the reason your morning was already spiraling out of control.

When you finally reached the office, you spotted Jisoo and Yuna near the entrance. They waved, each holding a coffee cup.

“There you are!” Jisoo said, handing you your usual order. “But why are you two coming together? Did you guys make up?” She nodded toward Jungkook, who was parking his car.

You scoffed. “You think? It feels like I woke up on the wrong side of the bed today.”

Yuna grinned. “You sure it’s just today?”

Rolling your eyes, you took a sip of coffee, ignoring their teasing. From across the lot, Jungkook caught your eye and winked, making you groan inwardly.

It’s going to be a long day.

The following week, the project’s momentum picked up, and with it came the next challenge: site inspections. The project’s location, an expansive plot of land nestled just outside the bustling city, was to host a blend of eco-friendly architecture and luxury living. It was a brilliant concept, one you were proud to contribute to.

But, of course, Jungkook had to be there.

You arrived at the site early, your boots crunching against the damp gravel as you stepped out of your car. The sky was a murky gray that promised rain at any moment.  The workers were setting up survey equipment, and Mrs. Kang was speaking to the lead engineer near the makeshift office trailer.

You greeted her briefly before diving into your inspection. Walking the perimeter, you visualized how the landscape would transform: sleek, energy-efficient homes nestled seamlessly into the natural terrain. You smiled to yourself, already drafting ideas in your head.

That brief moment of peace was shattered when a familiar voice cut through the air.

“Careful not to trip over your own ambition.”

You turned, already annoyed, to find Jungkook strolling toward you, hands in his pockets, an insufferable grin on his face. He looked out of place in the rugged setting, his polished shoes and tailored jacket a stark contrast to your practical attire.

“Do you have anything useful to say, or are you just here to be a nuisance?” you shot back.

“I’m here to inspect the site,” he replied smoothly, stopping a few feet away from you. “Same as you. Unless you’d prefer I stay out of your way?”

“That would be ideal,” you muttered, turning back to your notes.

“Noted,” he said, though he made no move to leave. Instead, he stood beside you, his gaze scanning the horizon. “You’re imagining it, aren’t you? How it’ll all look once it’s built.”

You hesitated, caught off guard by his observation. “Of course. Aren’t you?”

He shrugged. “I prefer to deal in realities, not fantasies.”

You scoffed, scribbling a note on your pad. “That’s the problem with you. You don’t dream big enough.”

“And that’s the problem with you,” he countered, his tone light but pointed. “You dream so big, you forget about the details that make it all possible.”

His words stung more than you cared to admit, but you refused to let him see it quickly masking your reaction with a smirk. “And yet, somehow, I always manage to make my dreams a reality. Maybe you should take notes.”

Jungkook chuckled softly, his gaze flicking to you. “I don’t need to take notes, ___.” He leaned slightly closer, the warmth of his presence unsettling in the cool morning air. “I just need to make sure you don’t overlook the cracks in your perfect vision.”

Before the conversation could escalate further, Mrs. Kang approached, clipboard in hand. “Enough flirting, you two,” she said dryly, startling you both.

You gaped at her, heat rushing to your face. “Flirting? We’re not—”

“Whatever it is, keep it professional,” she interrupted, cutting you off. “We’ve got a lot to cover today, and I need both of you on the same page.” You marched ahead, eager to put distance between yourself and the aggravating man.

The briefing began, with Mrs. Kang detailing the challenges of incorporating the sustainable design into the natural landscape without compromising the luxury aspect. It was an intricate balance, one you knew was crucial to the project’s success.

As she spoke, you noticed Jungkook occasionally glancing in your direction, as if gauging your reaction. You ignored him, focusing instead on contributing ideas to address potential construction delays. Yet, every time you spoke, Jungkook would counter with his own points—some valid, others seemingly designed to provoke you.

It was a delicate dance, the two of you weaving between collaboration and combativeness, and everyone present could feel the tension simmering beneath the surface.

Once the meeting concluded, the group split off to survey different areas of the site. Unfortunately, Mrs. Kang assigned you and Jungkook to the same section.

“Great,” you muttered under your breath as you grabbed your gear.

Jungkook caught up to you, a teasing smile playing on his lips. “Looks like we’re stuck together. Try not to lose your temper, yeah?”

“Try not to test my patience,” you snapped back, quickening your pace.

The two of you navigated the uneven terrain in tense silence, the only sounds being the crunch of gravel underfoot and the distant hum of machinery. Despite the irritation simmering within you, you couldn’t help but notice the way Jungkook’s sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, taking in every detail.

“This area’s going to be a challenge,” he said finally, breaking the silence. “The slope’s too steep for a traditional foundation.”

You nodded reluctantly, scribbling in your notebook. “We’ll have to design a tiered structure. It’ll cost more, but it’ll integrate better with the environment.”

“Agreed,” he said, surprising you with his lack of sarcasm.

For a brief moment, the hostility between you eased, replaced by a shared understanding of the task at hand. It was... unsettling, this glimpse of a Jungkook who wasn’t insufferable.

But the truce didn’t last long.

As you crouched to examine a patch of soil near the slope, Jungkook crouched beside you, his proximity making you acutely aware of his presence.

“Don’t fall,” he said, his tone laced with mock concern.

You shot him a glare. “I think I can manage.”

He smirked. “Just checking. I’d hate to see you take a tumble—though I’m sure you’d land gracefully.”

Your lips twitched despite yourself, but you refused to let him see you smile. “If you’re done with the commentary, maybe you could focus on the work?”

“Always focused,” he replied with a casual shrug, leaning back on his heels .

The two of you worked in relative silence after that, occasionally exchanging remarks but mostly staying out of each other’s way. Still, you couldn’t deny the odd sense of balance you felt. As much as Jungkook annoyed you, there was no denying that he challenged you—and, in some ways, made you better.

By the time the day ended, the sun was dipping low on the horizon, casting the site in golden light.

“Well,” Jungkook said as you packed up your things. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

You raised an eyebrow. “If by ‘not so bad,’ you mean tolerable, then sure.”

He chuckled, slinging his bag over his shoulder. “Careful, ___. You might start liking me.”

You scoffed, brushing past him. “Won’t you like that?”

The site inspection lasted longer than expected, with Mrs. Kang pointing out areas of concern and requesting alternative solutions. You focused on the discussion, ignoring the occasional pointed remarks Jungkook threw your way. By the time the meeting wrapped up, the sun was dipping low on the horizon, casting a golden glow over the site.

“Good work today,” Mrs. Kang said, giving both of you a nod before heading to her car.

You exhaled, relieved to be done for the day. Gathering your things, you made your way back to your car, eager to leave Jungkook and his infuriating smirk behind.

But, of course, he was right behind you.

“Heading out already?” he asked casually.

You shot him a sideways glance. “Unlike some people, I don’t loiter for no reason.”

He chuckled, pulling his keys from his pocket. “Maybe I just enjoy the view.”

You paused, caught off guard by his words. When you turned to look at him, he was already walking toward his car, his expression unreadable.

What was that supposed to mean?

Shaking your head, you climbed into your car and drove away, determined not to dwell on the strange moment.

But as you lay in bed that night, replaying the day’s events in your mind, you couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to Jungkook than the infuriating façade he so carefully maintained.

//

The following days were a whirlwind of preparations for the next phase of the project. Meetings turned into late nights at the office, and the constant pressure made it difficult to think about anything—or anyone—else. Yet, somehow, Jungkook always found a way to intrude on your thoughts. Whether it was his annoying quips during meetings or the rare moments when he actually offered useful insights, he was impossible to ignore.

And then there were those chance encounters in the hallway of your apartment complex. At times, you'd walk back to your unit after a long day, only to find him leaning casually against the wall outside his door, scrolling through his phone or adjusting his jacket. The sight of him, always so effortlessly put together, would grind your nerves in the most infuriating way.

You hated that.

And yet…

There was something oddly grounding about his presence. Something that kept you on your toes, pushing you to be better, sharper, more determined.

Not that you’d ever admit it to him.

//

The unexpected moments of civility between you and Jungkook were becoming annoyingly frequent, leaving you with a strange, unsettled feeling. No matter how much you tried to resist, there was something undeniably magnetic about the way he pushed you—both in your work and under your skin. The snarky remarks, the constant tension, and those rare moments when you actually managed to work together were beginning to blur the line between pure irritation and... something you refused to acknowledge.

The project was demanding enough without having to navigate your complicated feelings toward the man who seemed to have an uncanny ability to get under your skin.

The following week, you found yourself once again working late in the office, trying to meet the growing deadlines for the project. The building was quiet, the hum of the fluorescent lights filling the space. As the clock ticked closer to midnight, you couldn’t help but notice the familiar presence of Jungkook leaning against the doorframe.

“Still here?” he asked, his voice breaking the silence.

You glanced up, your tired eyes narrowing at him. “What do you want now?”

He grinned, his expression mischievous. “I was just about to ask you the same thing. Aren’t you tired of working yourself to the bone?”

You rolled your eyes, closing the contract in front of you. “I have deadlines, unlike some people.”

Jungkook pushed off from the doorframe, walking further into the room. “Yeah, well, some of us know how to balance work and... other things.”

You raised an eyebrow, sensing that this conversation was going somewhere you didn’t want it to go. “Other things? Like what?”

He paused, then leaned against the desk, his eyes locking with yours. “Like... not taking everything so seriously.”

You swallowed, a flicker of something strange stirring in your chest. “I take my work seriously, Jungkook. Unlike some people, I don’t waste my time.”

There it was again—the challenge in his eyes, the unspoken understanding between you. For a moment, neither of you spoke. The air in the room felt charged, thick with an unspoken tension. Finally, he broke the silence.

“You know, you’re not as bad as you pretend to be,” he said, his tone almost contemplative.

You blinked, caught off guard by the statement. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He shrugged. “Just an observation. You’ve got a lot of potential. But sometimes you’re too busy fighting to see it.”

Your heart skipped a beat, the unexpected compliment catching you off guard. You opened your mouth to respond, but the words escaped you. Instead, you focused on the papers in front of you, trying to divert the conversation back to something you could control.

“Stop,” you muttered, not wanting to hear anymore. “We’re not friends. Don’t pretend we are.”

Jungkook’s smile faltered, but only for a second. “I wasn’t pretending,” he replied, his voice quieter now.

You looked up to find him staring at you, the usual smirk replaced by something far more serious. But before you could say anything, he turned and walked toward the door.

“Goodnight, ___,” he said softly, pausing at the threshold. “Try to get some rest.”

You didn’t reply, instead watching as he left the room, the door clicking shut behind him. You sat there for a moment, the weight of his words lingering in the air. It was the first time in a long while that you found yourself wondering if Jungkook was more than just the annoyingly handsome man you had to deal with.

The following day, you arrived at the office early, determined to get ahead. You had a meeting with Mr. Kim in an hour, and you wanted to make sure every detail of your presentation was perfect.

The quiet hum of the office greeted you as you set up in the conference room, spreading out your notes and adjusting the slides on the projector.

You were so absorbed in your work that you didn’t notice Jungkook standing in the doorway until he cleared his throat.

“Early bird,” he remarked, stepping inside.

You glanced up, surprised to see him. He was holding a folder, his expression unusually neutral.

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping in? Or is this your way of keeping up with me?” you asked, arching an eyebrow.

Jungkook smirked. “If I wanted to keep up with you, I’d have to slow down first.”

Your jaw clenched, but before you could retort, he held up the folder.

“Relax,” he said, his tone almost teasing. “I’m here for Mr. Kim’s meeting too.”

“You?” you asked, incredulous. “I thought you weren’t involved in this project anymore.”

“Things change,” he replied cryptically, taking a seat at the table.

You stared at him for a moment, suspicion creeping in. But there was no time to dwell on it—Mr. Kim walked in moments later, his presence commanding immediate attention.

//

The meeting was tense. Mr. Kim scrutinized every detail of your proposal, his sharp gaze cutting through your explanations. Jungkook, to your irritation, chimed in more than once, pointing out areas that could be “streamlined” or “revised.”

At one point, Mr. Kim leaned back in his chair, his expression thoughtful.

“You both clearly have strong opinions,” he said, looking between you and Jungkook. “But I need a cohesive vision. If we combine both your ideas I believe the results would be better, don’t you think?” he asked Mrs. Kang, his tone calm but pointed.

Mrs. Kang nodded in agreement, her expression firm as she turned to you and Jungkook. “You’ll work together on this and present a joint proposal by the end of the week. I expect nothing less than a refined, cohesive vision.”

Your heart sank. A joint proposal?

You chanced a glance at Jungkook, who maintained a neutral expression, his features unreadable as if he had expected this outcome all along. He gave a small nod, his voice steady and calm as he replied, “Understood.”

You forced a smile, masking your frustration. “Of course.”

As the meeting adjourned, you gathered your notes, avoiding Jungkook’s gaze. But as you turned to leave, he fell into step beside you.

“This should be fun,” he said dryly.

“Fun?” you shot back, your voice low. “If by fun you mean unbearable, then sure.”

Jungkook chuckled, his tone lighter than expected. “Come on, we’ve worked together before. This won’t be so bad.”

You stopped walking, turning to face him. “That’s because you weren’t actively trying to sabotage me before.”

His expression softened, the humor fading. “I’m not trying to sabotage you.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” you muttered, brushing past him.

But his next words stopped you in your tracks.

“For what it’s worth,” he said quietly, “I think your idea has merit. It just needs refining.”

You turned to look at him, surprised by the unexpected compliment. He met your gaze evenly, no trace of sarcasm in his tone.

“Thanks,” you said, the word awkward but genuine.

He nodded, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth. “Don’t mention it. Literally.”

You couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped you, though you quickly stifled it.

“See you at 3,” you said, turning on your heel before he could see the faint smile tugging at your lips.

As you walked away, you couldn’t shake the feeling that Jungkook was more than the rival you’d always seen him as.

The day passed in a haze of back-to-back meetings and endless emails. By the time three o’clock rolled around, you were already dreading the joint session with Jungkook.

The conference room felt a little too big when you walked in. Jungkook was already there, leaning back in his chair with his laptop open. He glanced up as you entered, and for once, his expression was unreadable.

“Ready to collaborate?” he asked, his tone suspiciously light.

You set your notebook down, ignoring his attempt at humor. “Let’s just get this over with.”

Jungkook chuckled softly, closing his laptop. “You always make it sound like working with me is a death sentence.”

You didn’t respond, choosing instead to spread out your notes and connect your laptop to the projector. Jungkook watched you in silence, which only made the tension in the room thicker.

Once everything was set up, you cleared your throat. “We need to streamline the sections on resource allocation and timeline management. Mr. Kim was clear about that.”

Jungkook nodded, leaning forward. “Agreed. But we also need to address scalability. Your plan is solid, but it doesn’t leave much room for growth.”

You narrowed your eyes at him. “It’s a proposal, Jungkook, not a five-year strategy. The goal is to secure approval for the immediate next steps.”

“And if the immediate next steps aren’t sustainable?” he countered.

The back-and-forth continued, each of you stubbornly defending your perspectives. It wasn’t until nearly an hour later that the conversation took a slightly different turn.

“You’re not listening,” you said, exasperated. “I’m not saying scalability doesn’t matter, but—”

“I’m listening,” Jungkook interrupted, his tone calm. “I just don’t agree with you.”

You let out a frustrated sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose. “Fine. Then what’s your brilliant solution?”

He leaned back in his chair, his expression thoughtful. “We split the sections. I’ll handle scalability and resource optimization. You take the timeline and project scope. We’ll merge it once we’re done.”

It wasn’t a bad idea, but admitting that felt like handing him a victory. “Fine,” you said grudgingly.

Jungkook smirked. “You’re welcome.”

“Don’t push it,” you muttered, turning back to your laptop.

The next few days passed in a blur of work. True to his word, Jungkook focused on his assigned sections, and you had to admit—begrudgingly—that his suggestions were solid. But working with him still wasn’t without its challenges.

"Your timeline’s too aggressive," he said one evening as the two of you reviewed the merged proposal.

You shot him a glare. "It’s realistic."

"It’s unrealistic if you expect people to work 12-hour days," he replied, leaning back in his chair. "Not everyone’s a workaholic like you."

"Maybe if everyone were, we’d get things done faster," you shot back.

Jungkook laughed, the sound catching you off guard. "You’re impossible, you know that?"

You crossed your arms, but there was no malice behind your glare. "And you’re insufferable. So, I guess we’re even."

For a moment, the tension eased. You caught a faint trace of a smile on Jungkook’s face, and it was… disarming. But before you could dwell on it, he cleared his throat, his expression turning serious.

"We’ll need to present this together. Have you thought about how we’ll divide the slides?"

You nodded, grateful for the shift in focus. "I’ll take the opening and scope overview. You can cover scalability and resource planning."

"Deal," he said, extending his hand.

You hesitated for a moment before shaking it. His grip was firm, his hand warm.

"Let’s try not to kill each other during the presentation," you said dryly.

"No promises," he replied, a teasing glint in his eyes.

The morning of the presentation, you found yourself nervously adjusting your blazer in the mirror. It wasn’t because of Jungkook—that would be ridiculous. But as the two of you stood side by side in the conference room, presenting to Mr. Kim and the board, you couldn’t help but notice how seamlessly you worked together.

Jungkook’s delivery was polished, his points sharp and persuasive. When it was your turn, he didn’t interrupt or overshadow you.

When the presentation ended, Mr. Kim smiled, nodding with approval. "Excellent work. I’m ready to move forward with the proposal. Thank you all for your hard work. Let's aim to have the implementation ready by next week."

As the board members filed out, you felt a small surge of relief.

"You did good," Jungkook said quietly, his voice low enough for only you to hear.

You glanced at him, surprised. His expression was uncharacteristically genuine.

"You too," you replied softly.

For once, there was no snarky retort, no sharp edge to his words. Just a quiet acknowledgment that maybe—just maybe—you made a good team.

_________________________________________________________________________

It was a quiet morning when Mrs.Kang summoned you and Jungkook to his office. Her expression was unreadable, which immediately put you on edge. Jungkook, as always, looked irritatingly calm, his hands casually tucked into the pockets of his perfectly tailored suit.

“I have good news,” Mrs. Kang began, gesturing for the two of you to take a seat. “A significant proposal has come in from a high-profile client based in Las Vegas.”

You exchanged a glance with Jungkook, your curiosity piqued.

“The client is considering investing in a long-term partnership with our firm, but they’ve requested a dedicated team to oversee the preliminary project.”

Jungkook leaned forward. “What kind of project?”

“A comprehensive legal framework for their expanding business operations,” she explained. “It’s a multi-faceted endeavor, involving contracts, compliance, and regulatory assessments. They need everything done efficiently, and they’re willing to pay generously for it.”

You nodded slowly, already anticipating the workload. “And who’s handling it?”

Mrs. Kang’s gaze flicked between the two of you. “You are.”

Your stomach dropped. “Together?”

“Yes,” she said firmly. “The client specifically requested for our best workers, and after your stellar performance in the last project, it’s clear that’s you two. This is a major opportunity for the firm, and I trust you’ll make it a success.”

Jungkook’s lips quirked into a small, smug smile. “Sounds like a challenge.”

You shot him a glare before turning back to Mrs. Kang. “How long will we be in Las Vegas?”

“Until the project is completed. The initial timeline is four weeks, but it could be extended  depending on the client’s requirements.”

Four weeks. Four weeks of working with Jungkook. You weren’t sure if you should laugh or cry.

“When do we leave?” Jungkook asked, his tone calm and professional.

“Tomorrow morning,” Mrs. Kang said, sliding two plane tickets across the desk. “I expect regular updates. And remember, this project could define the trajectory of your careers.”

As you left her office, you couldn’t shake the sinking feeling in your chest.

“Guess we’re going to Vegas,” Jungkook said as the two of you walked back to your desks.

You didn’t dignify him with a response.

//

The next morning, you found yourself at the airport, juggling your carry-on bag, laptop case, and an iced coffee you barely had time to grab.By the time you reached the airport the next morning, you were already exhausted. It wasn’t even 7 AM, but Jungkook was waiting at the gate, scrolling through his phone like he didn’t have a care in the world. His effortlessly polished outfit—a simple black hoodie and dark jeans—looked like something out of a casual photoshoot.

You, on the other hand, were fighting a losing battle with your overstuffed carry-on bag and a coffee cup that kept threatening to spill.

“Morning,” he greeted, barely looking up.

“Morning,” you mumbled back, though your tone suggested it was anything but good.

As you plopped into the seat next to him, you struggled to balance your coffee on the armrest while rummaging through your bag for your boarding pass. Jungkook glanced over, clearly amused by your chaotic energy.

“Are you planning on staying there or what?” he quipped, nodding at your bag.

“It’s called being prepared,” you shot back. “Not that you’d know anything about that.”

He smirked. “I packed in twenty minutes, and I guarantee I have everything I need.”

“Congratulations,” you said dryly. “Do you want a medal?” 

He smirked, clearly unbothered.

When boarding was announced, you couldn’t hide your irritation when you saw that your seats were together. The last thing you wanted was to sit next to Jungkook for the duration of the flight. But of course, you didn’t have much choice. There was no way you were going to fight him over something so trivial, even if the idea of being stuck next to him for hours made your skin crawl.

As the plane took off, you tried to focus on the city shrinking beneath you, but you couldn’t ignore how Jungkook had leaned over, practically pressing against your side as he peered out the window.

"Can't you stay put?" you muttered, your irritation rising.

He smirked without looking at you. "Not everyone can sit still for hours like you."

You shot him a glare, but he was already lost in the view outside, and there was nothing more to say. Silence settled between you, the quiet only interrupted by the hum of the plane.

“Vegas,” he mused, breaking the silence. “I hope you packed something that isn’t boring lawyer attire.”

You turned to glare at him. “And what exactly do you think I should’ve packed? A sequined dress and feather boa?”

He grinned. “Not a bad idea. It’d definitely make things more interesting.”

You crossed your arms. “For your information, I have plenty of stylish clothes. Not that it’s any of your business.”

“Sure you do,” he said with a teasing lilt. “But Vegas is a little more… exciting.”

“You can’t even see half the things in my suitcase, so stop assuming,” you snapped, your tone sharper than you intended.

“Relax, I’m kidding.” He leaned back in his seat, looking entirely too pleased with himself. “You’re so easy to wind up.”

You rolled your eyes, trying to ignore him, but then Jungkook started fiddling with the instruction sheet that was in front of him, crinkling it loudly. The constant rustling made it hard to concentrate, and you were starting to lose patience.

“Seriously?” you asked, finally glancing over at him.

He didn’t look up from the pamphlet. “What?”

“Can you stop with that?” you said, irritation creeping into your voice. “It’s like you're trying to annoy me on purpose.”

He raised an eyebrow, looking at you briefly. “I’m just reading it.”

“You’re not reading it, you’re crumpling it,” you retorted. “Could you, for once, just sit still?”

He shrugged, still flicking through the paper. "What if something happens? I need to make sure you're okay. You’ve got no one here but me."

You snapped, "That’s why we have flight attendants to help us."

He raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smirk. "True. But I can’t say I trust them as much as I trust myself to look out for you."

You groaned, leaning back in your seat, hoping he'd get the hint and stop, but the crinkling continued, and you were about to lose it.

“Seriously,” you muttered. “You’re exhausting.”

“Guess you’re stuck with me for the next few weeks,” he said, completely unbothered by your frustration.

The playful banter continued for the rest of the flight, with Jungkook finding every opportunity to tease you about your organizational skills—or lack thereof. By the time the plane landed in Las Vegas, you were equal parts annoyed and amused, though you’d never admit the latter.

As you walked off the plane, Jungkook glanced over at you, a smug look on his face.

"Ready for Vegas?" he asked, his grin wide and teasing.

You shot him a look, trying to suppress the rolling annoyance that surged through you. Of course he’d ask that now. “As ready as I’ll ever be. Just try not to get in my way.”

He raised an eyebrow, the playful smirk still in place. “No promises,” he replied, leaning in a little closer, clearly enjoying your irritation. A small sigh escaped your lips as you looked away. Why does he always have to be so... impossible to ignore?

[amnestria-the-elf]

So we're all just supposed to be fucking grateful that Larian gave us "new Wyll content" (evil ending for a man who is canonically incorruptible, what the fuck) and simultaneously broke him again (giving low approval greetings to a romanced PC, what the fuck).

I... I just... the simultaneous feelings of rage and utter hopelessness are overwhelming.

Listen, if you've read any of my posts you know I have a pretty clear "Don't yuck anyone's yum" policy. If you think an evil Wyll ending is interesting, fine. But here's why it falls flat for me.

First, like I said above, Wyll is canonically incorruptible. It's literally the entire basis of his character. He is a man who was coerced into making an infernal contract to save a city and had to pay a horrible price for doing so, then spent seven fucking years alone in the wilderness doing his damned best to protect the people of the Sword Coast, while all along telling his horrible, abusive patron to just fuck off already.

Now, could you argue that during the events of the game, Wyll develops a taste for evil? Sure. There are plenty of opportunities for his villain origin story to unfold. But they never do. His moral compass never wavers. Turned into a devil? He feels shame, because it's an outward sign that he was doing things for Mizora that were morally wrong, and he didn't see it before. His approval rating for the PC shoots through the roof if you save Karlach, a sure indicator of his true moral compass. His father kidnapped? Fuck that noise, we're gonna save him. Rescue Zariel's "asset"? Ugh, fine, but don't get distracted from the real reason we're here. His father gets tadpoled? Oh hells no, we're gonna take down these assholes and save the godsdamned world. His father accuses him of being an agent of a devil and is super pissy about it? "Everything I did, I did for the people of the Sword Coast."

For fuck's sake, he will leave the party if the PC gets too evil, even knowing it means he'll probably turn into a mindflayer immediately. Even if he's romancing the PC. Unwavering moral compass. So giving him an evil ending without also going back and changing everything about his character just feels like lazy writing to me.

Which brings me to the second reason all of this rubs the wrong way. Wyll deserves so much more content. More romanced greetings, more reactions to other characters' choices, a final boss battle that is actually about him, a default ending that actually makes fucking sense (I have another post cooking about the Avernus ending, so I will leave it for now.)

And please, spare me your "But Wyll was rewritten after early access" bullshit. That's Larian's problem. They chose to listen to feedback and do a late-stage rewrite. They then chose to implement it poorly and never fucking fix it. Other characters, who already have far more content than Wyll, have had even more added over the course of the seven released patches. Wyll, on the other hand, has been sitting around completely ignored until now when we get this evil ending.

Many have rightfully pointed out the inherent racism steeped in all of this. I want Larian to be better. But as Maya Angelou said, "When someone shows you who they are, believe them." I already didn't have much hope about Patch 7 for Wyll, but this... honestly, this is worse than him just being ignored again.

The thing that kills me the most is that this is just going to be more fodder for the fandom to completely mischaracterize Wyll, for those who already haven't bothered to think critically about his character at all to just be like, oh, cool, Wyll is evil now. Nope. You've completely missed the point.

I'm just... so tired. I've worked very hard to put this little bubble of Wyll enthusiasts around me (hi friends I love you all!) so that I can hold on to some shred of sanity in this fandom. The world needs heroes of color. Just let Wyll be the hero in peace.

[the-badger-mole]

You know what really irked me, even as a kid watching ATLA? Any time Aang vented about his crush on Katara to anyone, they would pat his head and assure him she would come around eventually. Some even implied since he's the Avatar, she basically has to. No one ever told Aang to maybe respect Katara's boundaries and choices, and not see friendship as a stepping stone to being her boyfriend. That bothered me then, and it bothers me even more now.

It should bother EVERYONE! One of the things I hate about Kataang- the MAIN thing I hate about Kataang- is how little Katara matters in the relationship. She is Aang's prize. Whatever she might actually want for herself is irrelevant. I hate how little care was given into Katara's side of this relationship. It was so poorly developed that when pressed, the only examples of Katara's feelings being more than friendship are that last scene in "The Fortuneteller", which has Katara literally only considering Aang for half a second because someone outside of herself pointing out that he was a powerful bender, and then never mentioning it again, or that scene in "The Headband", which has Katara giving Aang bedroom eyes FROM HIS PERSPECTIVE, but again, not talking about it or giving him any actual signal that she wants to pursue something with him. I'm convinced the only reason those scenes exist is because Bryke were just aware enough of how romance should be structured that they knew that Katara should have some sort of participation in the romance. Too bad they didn't care enough about her feelings to actually center her feelings.

Meanwhile, Aang's feelings get explored, discussed (with everyone EXCEPT Katara) and validated. We can't NOT know how he feels. The reason all those people reassuring Aang that he'll get Katara is so insidious is because Aang never considers her feelings. He can't even fathom her turning him down. It never crosses his mind that her answer might be no. That she has the right to say no. So when she says no in EIP (and it was a no. If👏🏿 it's👏🏿 not👏🏿 a👏🏿 yes, 👏🏿it's👏🏿 a 👏🏿no👏🏿), Aang can't respect that boundary. He stomps over that boundary because he's the Avatar, and he wants her, so of COURSE she's not going to turn him down. She can't say no to him. And Bryke agree with him! They don't ever address how messed up it was for Aang to kiss Katara without her consent TWICE, and they don't ever address Katara's feelings. Instead they make it so the only charitable explanation for why Katara's feelings changed between EIP and the finale is that she feels like she owes Aang.

She is not romantically interested in Aang until the moment she sees him on stage being hailed as tH3 r3@L h3R0!!!11!!! He was the Avatar she'd been hoping for. He ended the war. He wanted her. Bryke, instead of giving Katara moments of having Aang support her, give emotional validation, or even just helping her with chores without being a baby about it, ignored developing Katara's feelings altogether-ignored the fact that Zuko was right there giving her in like 5 episodes what Ang never gave her in the entire series- in favor of presenting her as a literal prize for their boy.

[a-driftamongopenstars]

i just want to say a few words about this "only 3 choices kept from DAI" thing.

we shouldn't be okay with it. yes, at some point the game does need to grow out of where it is, not every single choice can be addressed, but that's the thing. no one is asking for it. to throw away an entire game's worth of choices in a sequel that follows directly after a massive cliffhanger is just disrespectful to player's time and emotional investment. whatever the team is saying to try and defend this choice is not working. we don't need 100 cameos and no, "bringing back a character always leads to something bad happening to them" is just not true.

it's been 10 years in development. how in this whole time does it not come up who the divine is. who drank from the well. inquisition turned the tides of nations, it's a fact, how is it that the only thing that matters is who you romanced, and whether or not you want to save solas. this is asinine.

I know Bioware did it before (see: leliana). but it's like, one or two things. not the entirety of a very long game.

people's disappointment is absolutely justified. it's normal to feel upset that your choices of a massive scale don't matter in a game directly affected by said choices.

[edelgarfield]

i love shadowgast, i think their journey together learning how to be better people & healing is beautiful.

but nothing annoys me more than when Caleb gets all the credit for Essek's redemption arc, or when Essek's relationship with Caleb is automatically placed on a pedestal above his friendship with the rest of the Mighty Nein.

because it is straight up untrue. it wasn't even Caleb that did most of the legwork reaching out to Essek, it was Jester. Yes, their magic lessons, and Caleb's understanding went a long way towards showing Essek that he could change, but Jester was the one who consistently and repeatedly reached out to him. I am of the firm belief that without Jester, the Mighty Nein would never have gotten past Essek's initial standoffishness.

And furthermore, Caleb was Essek's friend first. I don't think it's ever been confirmed, but IMO most of Essek's initial attraction to Caleb was 1) academic 2) performative, and any genuine physical or romantic attraction didn't start developing until post-reveal. I'm not even convinced Essek was romantically interested in Caleb, or at least able to identify it as such, by the END of the campaign. Essek values Caleb primarily as a friend and any romance on top of that is a bonus.

Essek's relationship with Caleb is not inherently more important than his friendship with the rest of the Mighty Nein just because they're dating. He loves all of them, and expresses that multiple times at the end of CR2. It was their friendship that changed him, not his interest in Caleb. Caleb values the Mighty Nein's friendship more than whatever budding romance he had with Essek. Essek's entire life doesn't, nor should it revolve around Caleb! Caleb is an important part, yes, but he values and needs the love he receives from the rest of the Mighty Nein just as much.

As someone who's aro/ace-spectrum and has little to no interest in romance, every time I see Essek's relationship to the Mighty Nein reduced to his relationship with Caleb, it feels like a slap in the face. It validates my deepest fear that I'm just an accessory in my friends' lives, and that no matter how much I love them or what I do for them, I'm inevitably going to be discarded when someone they want to date comes along.

People will watch 500+ hours of a show that emphasizes over and over the importance of friendship and platonic love then turn around and reduce it to romance alone.

[cherryblooom]

Enchanted — OP81 [introduction]

Summary: After being forced of moving mid-year of school, the least thing you expected was getting a crush in a cute boy who loves karting and actually being corresponded. I mean, you have always wanted to have a romance like the books but forgot all the struggles and challenges that comes with it.

Pairing: Teen!Oscar Piastri x Teen!Reader

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Warnings: period shaming, bullying, reader has some questionable thoughts and self-contempt, animal abuse (no details). mostly narration.

Author note: This is my very first work ever, please be nice and reblog if you liked it!

Everything felt very surreal. You can feel your eyes stinging, fighting not to let out those tears that you had been holding in since before you left the house.

There wasn't much traffic, but you weren't sure if that was a good thing or if you just wanted to delay the impossible. You knew it was necessary but couldn't help feeling guilty for your parents for having to move across the country and leave everything they knew behind. Your father had lived his entire life working and building his company from scratch and thanks to endless nights, you and your mother were just beginning to see the fruits of his hard work, of course, before all the shitshow happened. Your parents had done everything they could to make you understand that their anger was not your fault and not directed towards you, it was actually the opposite, but you couldn't help feeling resentful and like a freaking failure.

You played with the apps on your phone in a failed attempt to distract yourself but couldn't help to grimace when you opened the Instagram app and saw your now private profile. You followed some famous people but you only had 10 followers as all the others were deleted by your mother.

''I'm sorry for making you move and leave everything behind. Dad, the company...''

''Honey, no. Stop it!'' your father replied after lowering the volume of the radio while your mother, who was in the passenger seat next to him, turned around with a look of concern. ''We already talked about it, you're not guilty of what happened and we're not angry at you. We should have protected you and been there for you but we realized it too late but I promise you that we are going to leave all this in the past and although you don't want to believe it now, we love you and we always will.'' She was right, you couldn't believe her. Your mind was going down a somewhat dark path and you were sure that if your mother had even the slightest idea of what was going on in your head, she wouldn't hesitate to send you to a psychologist. ''Plus, you will love the new house! It has a beautiful patio and a pool where you can practice in case you want to join the swimming team at your new school.’’ She told you slightly excited, trying to pass on the feeling to you but you didn't have the heart to tell her that it wouldn't be possible, so you just nodded and looked out the window again.

You could feel your mother's gaze on you, perhaps waiting for an answer or even a smile but you didn't have the energy to do it or even fake it.

You had become what they call a ''bookworm''. Despite having access to technology and internet, you had developed a great love and appreciation for physical books and the smell of a new book excited you more than what is perhaps ''normal'' but thanks to the fact that apparently not many people shared the sentiment, the library was empty most of the time (at least the one located in the junior wing of the school, you didn't know about the one in the senior wing, but you have heard that it has like three floors and a private cafeteria).

You were reading one of your favorite books again and even though you practically knew the story by heart, you couldn’t stop laughing and feeling your heart flutter at the thought of how it would feel to be loved like that. Would you ever be able to find someone who would love and admire you just for being you? Just for existing? You had a love/hate thing for romance books. You read about how the characters were loved, cared for, how they could let go and turn their brains off to just…be. Exist. You knew you had just turned 14 and that according to your parents and the logical part of your brain, you have a whole life waiting ahead of you, but you can’t imagine that someone could love you like that. You couldn’t even make friends, how the hell are you going out to dates? No idea, but you didn’t want to think about it and fall down that rabbit hole. You turned the page, excited as you were only about 10 pages away from your favorite part but decided to leave it for later to read in the comfort of your room.

The alarm distracted you from your book and with it, you knew that you only had 10 minutes left of lunch (you weren't a big fan of the cafeteria, lots of people and noise so the library was always a good choice) and that you had to go to the biology lab, not forgetting to stop by your locker to look for the essay that you have to hand in today. When you reached for your backpack, you felt a strange tug in your stomach that you didn't know how to describe, you had never felt anything like it before, so you were quite confused, but you ignored it since you knew you didn't have much time left.

Then you saw him. A boy your age was entering the library but you turned around facing away from him, so he was unable see you. You barely saw him for a few seconds but boy, was he cute. Is this what you always read about? You didn't even know the boy's name, but you noticed his short brown hair, his rosy cheeks and how tall he was. Was this your first crush? It’s dumb! You watched him for a few seconds but apparently that was enough to make you fantasize what it would be like to talk to him or what his name would be, if he was nice or a jerk like the rest of the boys in your class (which would be a bummer). All of the other girls in your class have no problem talking to boys or making friends in general but here you are, covering your face with your hair so the cute boy you saw for two seconds doesn’t notice your presence.

You walked out of the library with your coat hanging on your backpack, it wasn’t cold so you didn’t need it at the moment. You had 5 minutes before Biology started so you headed to your locker and you always walked close to the walls, that way you drew as little attention as possible. Apparently, old habits die hard. Up until now, you had done a pretty good job of being a regular girl and not drawing attention to yourself. The girls in your class dangerously reminded you of the girl responsible for you having to move and change schools mid-year and the boys in your class are jerks, is the best way you can describe them. There was no way you wanted to run into any of them. You wake up, go to school, go home, do your homework and then go to bed. Same routine, every day. You watched on social media as your other classmates went out, had fun, went to the mall, bought makeup and clothes, posted photos and videos in groups, laughing, and as much as you wished you didn't care, you felt envious. Why can't you be like that? Why do you have to be the little weirdo who always goes unnoticed, and no one pays attention to?

You had to take one more turn to get to your locker when you heard giggles behind you. You turned your head slightly and saw two boys who were a grade above pointing at you and laughing; your chest started to hurt and you felt like there wasn't enough air to breathe. Anxiety, you felt anxious. You ran to your locker as the laughter intensified behind you and you just knew that you were the reason for it. Suddenly, you felt that same tug at the bottom of your belly.

''Oh no, no, no, please don't...'' you whispered almost on the verge of tears. You felt something hit your head and then fall to the ground. You wanted to die when you looked down and saw a sanitary pad that someone had thrown at your head which made the laughter louder.

''Oh no, the weirdo is bleeding out! I hope she has another skirt because yikes.''

''Hey! You're staining the floor, how fucking disgusting!''

''If I was the janitor, I'd make her clean it up. How disgusting.''

''Hey, honestly, how did you not notice? Didn't you feel your vagina wet or smelly or shit? Fuck, I have to get my book, but my locker is next to hers, imagine if it smells. That will be so gross!''

''In case you prefer to put things inside rather than a pad, weirdo'' Someone had thrown two tampons at your head, one of which had gotten tangled in your curls. At this point, you were already sobbing, not being able to hold back the tears and humiliated, all the while you were still turning your back on everyone with the locker open, with fear and shame eating you away.

Suddenly, you felt someone's presence which brought you out of the little dazed status.

''Honey, come on, I'm going to take you to the infirmary. Come on, you're okay, let's go.'' You could tell by the softness of the voice that it was a woman. She was the school's duty nurse. Apparently, someone was kind enough to call her while the others were scoffing. You let yourself be guide towards the infirmary and could distantly hear the nurse demanding them to stop laughing. At this point, you didn't care anymore, you just wanted to get to your bed and cry, that's all.

5 Months Later

You were in the south courtyard of the school, the farthest of all, with your third sketchbook finishing what would be your second attempt at drawing your mother. It would soon be her birthday and although you had already bought her a gift at the mall, you wanted to give her something that only you could do. Besides, she was the number 1 fan of your drawings and she bragged to her friends that her daughter was a great artist. Sometimes it embarrassed you but at the same time you felt good knowing that you had someone on your side, supporting you. With each stroke, you felt your confidence increase and, you had even opened an Instagram’s account for your drawings, and you felt good knowing that there were people who recognized your talent and encouraged you to continue learning, even if they were strangers. Maybe you were not totally alone.

You felt stuck. You couldn’t draw the hands, and with each attempt you only felt like you were screwing up more. Before you got more frustrated, you decided to take a break and continue in the comfort of your bed after eating. When you were about to start packing your things, your notebook fell open right on the last page that always made you blush. The boy from the library, who you now know also plays on the school soccer team (not that you’re stalking him at all) was looking back at you in an unfinished drawing in your sketchbook. You had only seen him passing by the halls and you couldn’t admit out loud that you unconsciously tried to match your schedule with his, like when he had his sports class. Oscar, that was his name, and you knew it thanks to the fact that he was apparently the star in the games and his name was always shouted by the people in the audience. Apart from seeing him in sports class, you didn't get the chance to see him much since he was in a grade above yours.

It was Tuesday, 3:40 PM according to the alarm you had set. School had ended 10 minutes ago but the alarm reminded you that in 5 minutes the soccer practice, Oscar's soccer practice, would start. Pathetic? Yes, but it wasn't a crime to want to appreciate your crush from afar, right?

Before you could leave the courtyard, you saw out of the corner of your eye a cardboard box which was dirty and you swore that it moved for a second. It looked like trash, but it couldn't be since the school has a zero-tolerance policy regarding that and you can literally end up suspended for throwing trash outside the trash bin. They were really strict about that. You approached it with some caution and jumped a little in shock when you saw that it did move and that it wasn't part of your imagination. Your heart stopped when you heard a small sound...a kitten? You approached more confidently, and your heart skipped a beat when you saw that the box didn't have any holes in it and was in fact sealed with many pieces of tape.

In a hurry, you threw your backpack on the floor and took out your scissors to cut the tape. You could feel the adrenaline and fear of what you might find inside if it turned out to be exactly what you thought but still, you carefully but firmly cut the tape. If they turned out to be kittens, you were going to start crying. You took a deep breath and opened it, feeling your eyes water. There were 4 kittens that looked like they couldn't be more than a few weeks old. One was completely white; another was almost completely black but with a few white spots while the last two were a combination of orange and white. One of the orange kittens, unlike its siblings, wasn't meowing and was just lying there barely breathing. You felt your heart break. They looked cold and hungry, so tiny and defenseless. You have always been a cat person, kittens being your weak point. Quickly, you grabbed your backpack, hooking it on your shoulders so you could carry the box without dropping it and you couldn’t run but did your best to walk fast. When you got to the school gate, you called your mom to come pick you up telling her about the box you found and that you wanted to take them to the vet. Your mom knew there was no way you were going to leave them abandoned after finding them so after 10 minutes you were already on your way to the vet with four beautiful kittens with you.

---------

Your Instagram account dedicated to your drawings has gained 1,000 followers, which was a great achievement for you, but you decided to take that opportunity to post that you had 3 kittens up for adoption. It destroyed you knowing that you couldn't keep the 4 kittens, but your parents had already let you keep Cotton (cliche because the kitten was completely white, you knew it, but you didn't care).

You were appalled while looking at your notifications. Oscar. Yes, that Oscar was messaging you and after checking a little more you realized that he had been following you for a while and you hadn't even noticed. You could feel your cheeks turning red, but you took a breath and remembered that he was only doing that because he wanted to adopt a kitten, you were of zero importance.

my_cherryblossom

Liked by Oscar_piastri and 57 others

A few weeks ago I found a box sealed with tape that contained 4 kittens inside. It's obvious that the intention of whoever put them there was for them not to survive but I found them just in time. Sadly, I can only keep one, which is why I am giving up the other 3 for adoption! They are so cute and playful.

If you're interested, write me.

P.S. These kittens are my life so if you give me weird vibes, I won't give you one lol

view all 10 comments

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

Radio Check: As mentioned above, this is just the first part of what I hope will be a series telling Oscar x Reade's story. If you'd like to be tagged, let me know! Please Reblog and like!

[negrowhat]

BL Things that Disappointed Me in 2024

I couldn't let this year end without telling y'all about the things that truly let me down this year. Things that brought down my viewing pleasure.

Dr. Plakao from Wandee Goodday. Specifically that he didn't really get some type of real storyline outside of helping Wandee with his troubles. I wanted to see more of his dating and romantic life. We finally got a taste of some Ace representation and we only got crumbs. I just wanted more of his romance with Blue. I did. I really did.

Third from Century of Love. WTF was he even there for? All he did was get attacked by San and then turned around and sheltered the man and helped him lie to his own friend. Did my boy even get a happy ending? I just felt like he was a waste of a good character.

RyuAtomZen from The Rebound. Because we all saw how the series was selling us on a poly situation between Ryu, Atom, and Zen. The chemistry between the three was great and it was clear that their "love triangle" wasn't even a triangle just 3 points in a circle. All the pieces were there. We saw Zen spend time with Ryu and Atom. We saw Atom spend time with Ryu and Zen. And we saw Ryu spend time with Atom and Zen. They practically all slept together throughout the series and Granny was ready to adopt Atom and Ryu. IT WAS RIGHT THERE and the poly relationship wouldn't have been the craziest thing to come from that series let's be fucking real. Let me move on because I'm ranting now lol.

ViMook from Love Sea. Oh they pissed me off and it was really because they dragged on whatever cat and mouse manipulation game ViMook had going on until the very end. There was plenty of time for them to do all that and move on to being actual girlfriends or at least dating before the series ended. Like I loved them together but their entire storyline was not the fucking vibe. Here's to hoping we get more of Chanya and Aya in 2025.

'Khun Dad' from SunsetxVibes. I'm not even going to get into how disappointed I was with the series overall (I don't have the time) but I will talk about how fucking YUCKY it was for Salin to CHOOSE to call Sun 'Khun Dad' throughout the series. This is the ONLY time I've ever been disgusted by a daddy kink because why in THE FUCK would you want to call your man 'Khun Dad'? It was without a doubt the WORST thing about that series. Gag-o-rama.

Tonkla from 4 Minutes. I was upset that he died. He was the only one whose death was not justifiable to me. There were worse people in that series who lived. He could've run away. He could've fled the country with Korn (or not). It was possible. I have strong feelings about Tongkla not surviving after everything he went through.

TattooAran and HopeSave from Jack and Joker. All I'm saying is that as long as those eps were we should've gotten more development with the 2 other side couples. HopeSave were an established couple and we didn't even get a kiss between them?? And why did they make TattooAran so fucking lowkey?? Why did we get played with MarkProm AGAIN??? A beautiful love story could've flowered between them because the material was all there and we got NOTHING. I'm pressed.

Not seeing Mick in the maid costume in Every You, Every Me. A maid costume was mentioned, even teased, so where the fuck was it? Why didn't I see Blue in the maid costume??? They could've given us a taste. Mick would look so amazing in a maid costume.

[katyusha454]

I think I've found the most tragic ship in BG3 and I need to rant about it

I've seen a decent number of people discuss and write about Dark Justiciar Shadowheart, but they always focus on what she's like post-game when she's fully committed to Shar. Which is a fine thing to focus on! Especially when you're writing smut where she's a mean domme. Post-game DJ Shadowheart is a fascinating character. But I feel like people neglect to consider what she's like during the transition phase of Act 3, where she's become Shar's Chosen but hasn't yet Done The Thing that caps off her personal questline. And there is SO MUCH potential for angst and drama during that time frame.

IMO the most important aspect of this stage of her development is that she is not evil yet. She simply made a single bad decision and now she feels like she's in too deep to do anything but double down on it. She's spent her whole life trying to "fake it 'till you make it" and she's only just now starting to transition out of that and into sincere belief. All the misgivings and insecurities she's shared with you are still there, just buried deeper. That desire to love others and do good hasn't yet been completely stamped out. In my Dark Justiciar Origin run, I try to do good things whenever possible as long as I can find a way to rationalize it as benefiting Shar. (but I still ended up saying enough evil-sounding things to make Minthara incredibly horny for me)

So where does Karlach fit in?

Well, turns out when you play as Origin Shadowheart, Shar doesn't make you break up with your partner. In fact, Shar says absolutely nothing to you about your romantic situation. This is really weird if you're romancing anyone other than Karlach, but I think it makes perfect sense for Shar to tolerate a relationship with Karlach for the time being. It's the ideal opportunity for Shar to prove a point. Karlach is dying, and no matter what Shadowheart does, this relationship is going to end in painful loss. Shar wants Shadowheart to fall in love with Karlach only to have that love abruptly ripped away from her. It perfectly demonstrates everything Shar believes about love: that it's fleeting and will always hurt you in the long run. Better to just avoid it entirely so you don't get hurt.

And Shadowheart knows all this. She's studied Sharran scripture extensively, after all. She knows that Shar is trying to teach her a lesson, she knows that the longer the relationship lasts and the more emotionally intimate it gets, the more the end is going to hurt. So why doesn't she break it off? Partly it's because she loves Karlach and doesn't want to end things; she's probably in denial at least a little bit. But I think it's also partly because she's a bit of a masochist. She thinks she deserves to suffer because she knows, at least subconsciously, that she's still not a very good Sharran. She can see the loss coming and she hopes the experience will bring her closer to Shar.

You'd think Karlach would be unwilling to put up with DJ Shadowheart's fanatical bullshit, but personally I think Karlach would stick it out for a whole mess of reasons. Number one, she can still see the good in Shadowheart and she refuses to give up on her partner. She's clinging tightly to the hope that Shadowheart can still be redeemed, even though she probably understands that it's a long shot at best.

Number two, she blames herself. When you play as Tav/Durge or another Origin, Shadowheart will have a conversation with you before deciding what to do in the Shadowfell. But if you play as Shadowheart, none of your companions says a word to you. In the context of this ship, I choose to interpret that as Karlach being too trusting. She's seen the good in Shadowheart, after all. She's so certain Shadowheart will do the right thing that she doesn't think she needs to speak up. It's not until too late that she realizes what Shadowheart needed was for someone to say "hey, are you sure about this?" So now she feels she needs to make up for that failure somehow by continuing to try and nudge Shadowheart in the right direction even though it seems impossible.

And number three, Karlach's just plain lonely. As fucked-up as this relationship is, she's still getting companionship and intimacy, and she doesn't think she has time to cultivate a new relationship if she breaks up with Shadowheart. She wants someone to be with her and hold her hand at the end, even if that someone is a brainwashed cultist.

In sum, both of them know that their relationship is extremely unhealthy; that it's hurting them now and will hurt them more in the future. But they both refuse to end it for their own reasons. And good gods, the ANGST. ARE YOU FEELING IT NOW, MISTER KRABS?

[back2bluesidex]

Hard Luck - JJK & KTH (18+) - Prologue

◆ Pairing: CEO Jungkook X Fem employee Reader X Legal advisor Taehyung. 

◆ Summary: You have a good face, a nice body, a fat amount saved in your secondary bank account, a stable job that you love, loving friends and family, you are good in bed. You have almost everything other than a good luck in love. Sleeping around with random dudes don’t feel enough when your friends are getting married and having kids. If you are being honest, you have started getting bored of this prolonged singlehood already. 

Your last light of hope fades away when your work crush, aka the hot guy from the legal department, Kim Taehyung (with whom you might or might not have slept once, okay! twice!), asks you to set him up with your work best friend (who, apparently, is the most asked out woman of the company). But what you don’t know is that the CEO of the company has taken a liking to you and has set out on a mission of winning your heart. 

But wait… Taehyung might have started developing feelings for you in the process of receiving your help!!!

◆ Chapter Summary: First time is a turn-of-events. Second time is... what?

◆ Theme: Romance, drama, light angst, my poor attempt of humor, fluff and eventual smut. office romance au. co-workers to lovers au.

◆ Warnings: implied smut, drinking. NSFW!!!

◆ Word count: 700

◆ Minors and karens are not allowed in this blog

◆ Taglist is open (till 3rd July, 12 am edt). So, you can comment down if you want to be tagged (only if you have your age mentioned in your bio). you can also dm me if you don't want to make your age public.

Series Masterlist | Masterlist | Patreon (Early access available for Patreon members)

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When the first time it happened - both of you were drunk. 

Much to your dismay, it was one of those cliched turn-of-events that you hate with your full chest. 

Not that you didn’t know who Kim Taehyung is but still company gatherings are basically incomplete without “I am x from x department. Looking forward to working with you.” 

So you smiled at him politely, when he approached you, all while trying not to appear too flushed as the rich timbre of his voice grazed the back of your neck.

If he saw heat creeping up to the tip of your ears, he didn’t say anything. 

And then everything happened in a flash. At one moment he was offering to drop you home saying that he had called in a designated driver and the next moment, he was pushing your body against your bedroom door, kissing you as if he had waited the entire evening just for this. 

“I wanted to do this! All evening!” Taehyung confirmed, grunting when your tongue trespassed into his mouth. His words were tangled, you understood those nonetheless. 

“You wanted to kiss me all evening? You didn’t even know who I was.” you teased him as you hand did an exceptional job in undoing his necktie and removing his button-up within a few seconds. 

His hand roamed all over your body as if he didn’t know where to start from. 

“Umm.. So what? I knew your face. We have seen each other a couple of times in the elevator, cafeteria, once in a meeting too!” Taehyung replied upon scratching his memory, his hands finally started unzipping your dress, “it is a part of why I approached you today.” 

You knew you should never feel giddy during these kinds of situations. He could, very well, be saying those things only to get inside your pants. But the little flutter in your stomach was beyond your control. 

Taehyung is, after all, known as the most handsome man in the company and he is completely deserving of that title. 

He is all about dark hair, siren eyes, tall and towering weight, lopsided smiles that can turn into full boxy ones if you match his vibe. 

You won’t be exaggerating if you say that he is the most good looking human you have ever witnessed in your life. And a man as handsome as him saying that he intentionally approached you, strokes your ego for sure. 

When he left your apartment the next morning after he made sure that you had his number saved in your phone as “taetae”, your heart was gone alongside him.

As a result, the second time comes more naturally. And this time none of you have a drop of alcohol in your system, which means you have to take the full responsibility for your actions. 

Taehyung hands mold against your smaller frame so naturally that it surprises you. It’s impossible to hold someone so intimately after having sex just once. 

But he does it. 

He holds you, kisses you, presses your body on his as if he means it all. You give him access without thinking much. 

“Never thought a harmless coffee invitation would turn out this way.” Taehyung mumbles as he nips on the skin of your throat. You moan his name as sweetly as possible. 

“You sure, you didn’t plan for this?” oh! You love to tease him. 

“You caught me.” he bemoans as his fingers unbutton your shirt hastily. 

Then you don’t say anything and let him do his thing. 

He takes you to his bedroom, lays you down on his immaculately made bed and makes love to you. 

Yes. it was not just fucking but he actually makes love to you. 

It was more vanilla than anything you have ever experienced before and you like it this way. Soft moans and groans fill his lavender scented bedroom. 

Taehyung spills into the condom much before you are even close. So, goes down on his knees and eats you out and in turn makes you cum. 

Very few men that bedded you were this considerate. 

Hence, that flutter in your heart is back. 

Things can’t go wrong if you take it slow right? 

(Unbeknownst to you… things are going to go very wrong.) 

Permanent Taglist:

@phenomenalgirl9 @variety-is-the-joy-of-life @chimchimmarie @coffeedepressionsoup @meowstake @vonvi-blog @nochuel @chimmisbae @i-have-no-life-charlie @mikrokookiee @jjk174 @lallataegi

Series Taglist:

@sugaslittlekookies @parapiop7 @kvstjwonnie @futuristicenemychaos @bunnys00bin @survivalistghost @queenv1997 @lachimolalajeon @oopscoop @lilacaquaprincess @latinapoetbts @merrygo14

[the-teufort-nine]

My TF2 Fic Rec List [ Fanfics I've Read That You Should Too]

*cracks knuckles* right, let's get started! X Reader fics are not included bc I already did a list of them for an ask. Mind the tags and ratings, as always. I'll add to this as I collect more, but its decently long as is

Symbol Key:

** = Incomplete

~~ = Personal favourite

++ = Under 10k

SpeedingBullet:

~~Running Blind by TheTriggeredHappy

(( Scout's eyes are badly damaged in battle and for some reason, Medic's gun can't fix him. Until they figure out how to heal Scout, he needs someone to look after him and keep him safe.

Sniper is given the job.

[3rd person limited, Scout's POV, some character development done on a whim] ))

The SpeedingBullet fanfic. If you like Scout X Sniper, and you haven't read this one yet, I don't know what to tell you. You are severely missing out on not only a great romance story, but also fantastic team dynamics. Also has an available Podfic!

++From a Hospital Bed by SlightlyLessThanAnon

(( Jeremy wakes up in the hospital, his brain struggling the find coherent thoughts as the world churns around him, in and out of consciousness.

He finds the team may care about him a little more than he thought they did. ))

Short but sweet. More whole team fluff than strictly SpeedingBullet. Very cute.

~~Golden Brown, as well as its sister fic, Take Me Out by Ali_Ker (Alina_Kerrin)

(( After seeing his co-worker in a new light, Scout is faced with unknown feelings and a new, distracting perspective on things. ))

This lovely author can be found here under the handle @alikerao3

Grouped these two together because they are they same story, but told from the perspectives of Scout and Sniper respectively. Definitely a bit of a heavier read, especially for anyone who has dealt with Catholic guilt or internalized homophobia, but my God is it worth it. Don't just read one thinking it isn't worth it to read the other fic. Read both. Also, check out the song that inspired the title.

~~Going Through The Motions by AussieBookworm

(( Working under RED can be repetitive at times - but nothing like this. After a curse is fired his way, Scout is forced to live through the same day over and over and over again. It should be easy for someone as perfect as Scout to break the curse, right? As long as he doesn't have to confront the things he's been feeling towards Sniper it should be a piece of cake! ))

Possibly my absolute favourite TF2 fic right now. Scout gets character development out the ass, Demo has a prominent, important role, and there's a plot twist so good it had me tweaking out. TW for Suicide as a method used to get out of a time loop. Absolutely incredible, and it needs more love.

Gills and Gunpowder by popkeeki

(( Monsters are becoming increasingly rare. Between getting pushed to the periphery of society or being targeted by traffickers, life is hard when you are not (entirely) human. Like many others, Scout tries to keep his true form a secret. It has never really been a problem. That is, until a nosy teammate catches him mid-swim. ))

SpeedingBullet Mermaid AU!! Good luck finding a fic with this premise that also reaches this level of quality.

**~~Pet by Anonymous

(( Sniper's terrified of losing the one person he has in his life. It turns out there's a convenient solution to that: just make sure he has no way out, and the rest will follow.

Scout wakes up in a van he knows all too well, loopy and hungover, and Sniper's waiting for him.

*

Or: Learning to live with claustrophobia in small spaces Or: Making the best of assisted living Or: You can’t outrun a fucking bullet ))

Are you like me? Do you enjoy Scout whump and Yandere!/Possessive Sniper? SpyDad? Do you want more of it in your life? If the answer is yes, than Pet is for you! No NSFW, just pure, delicious kidnapping and one-sided love.

General Fanfic Recommendations:

++Something's Up With Respawn by Camelot_taurus, Old Works (HarveyDangerfield)

(( Respawn starts to glitch, and the Administrator sets Engineer to work fixing it.

It doesn't take long for him to find out exactly what's going ))

Super funny, weird little oneshot. Basically, Respawn starts glitching and producing fucked up, Paperjam Dipper-esque clones of the Mercs.

++Mask Off by MatryoshkaDoll413

(( Scout is sick. Really sick. 'If we can't get this fever under control it's the hospital or the morgue' sick, and Respawn can't help him this time. They'd already tried that. He's gotten so delirious he's fighting Medic every second he's awake, not really lucid enough to remember so much as his own name, much less that of any of the team. Medic is ready to put him under full sedation and try and work things out from there, but Spy has an idea. ))

Wholesome SpyDad fic. Spy actually acts like a dad for once, for his sick little bunny.

~~++Scout, Respond by MatryoshkaDoll413

(( Scout wakes up in a dark, unknown place, with rocks bearing down on him and a spotty recollection as to how he ended up there in the first place. The only thing that keeps him sane is the voice of his team in his ear, telling him to talk, to breath, and, more than anything, to stay awake. ))

Scout gets trapped beneath a collapsed building, and receives comfort from his team over his headset while they race to dig him out. Super cute, definitely a must read, and I've done so more than once.

pick it all up (and start again) by bugbee

(( The clues had always been there, he had just never wanted to see them. Maybe neither of them had, instead content to deny the truth before their eyes for the rest of their days because it was better than confronting the alternative. Except Scout had died, and Spy wasn’t able to keep on pretending for his last moments. A part of Jeremy was glad for it, despite the simmering rage and betrayal and hurt. So when he tried to look God in the eye and tell Him that Tom Jones was his father… He couldn’t. Not really.

(Scout discusses his parentage with God, and stays dead for a little while longer. Well. A lot longer. On the plus side, he gets to attend his own funeral reception.) ))

An alternate take on Scout's death from the comics. Very Scout centric, obviously, and ends happily.

~~A Little Bird Told Me… by the_soup_specter

(( Medic learns a secret— something personal, powerful, big enough to cause a rift in the team of mercenaries that could tear two of them apart. And for once in his life… he’s not sure how to proceed.

With no better ideas, Medic decides to ask his fellow mercenaries for advice. But as dueling viewpoints begin to pile up, will he be able to make a decision before the team is changed forever? ))

Medic learns Spy is Scout's dad, and spills the beans. Everything turns out ok, but man the aftermath initially ain't pretty.

~~seven times he has to explain (and one time he doesn’t have to) by conner_is_alive

(( the trans scout obsession has me in a vice

also if i don’t vent my trans sadness i will literally rip a government building down brick by brick lmao ))

The fic that made me a trans Scout believer. If you're on the fence about that headcanon, maybe give this fic a read.

**~~Kith And Kin by BOREDGrace23

(( Mick never thought much of the BLU team. They were just clones, after all. Designed to be their opponents in a meaningless war.

That's why when he woke up, his vision blurry, his brain blistering from a headache like he'd just woken up from a hangover, and several burning questions about what had happened, he thought it was strange that they hadn't killed him already.

//

Or, BLU are clones and RED are decidedly not. They’re then forced to work together when their teams disappear. ))

If you like Emesis Blue, or horror in general, go read Kith And Kin. And when you finish, go give @boredgrace23 some love for such an incredible fic.

**++Der Junge by UpInFlamesWriting

(( Everyone on the team knows that Scout & Medic do not get along. They're like Sniper & Spy, except less bloodthirsty about it. Medic scares Scout, & Scout doesn't give Medic a reason to like him. When the two of them start being more than friendly all of a sudden, the team starts to worry, especially when it becomes obvious that Medic & Scout are keeping secrets from them. Scout & Medic are not about to tell the rest of the team that they are a pair of transsexual men, especially when Medic agrees to help Scout in his transition. For all the weirdness that goes on in the base, the world is not kind to queer people, & they aim to keep the reason behind their friendship a secret, even if it kills them. ))

Trans Scout and Trans Medic solidarity fic. I need more of this.

Eight Mercenaries and A Toddler by ChaosandMayhem

(( When Respawn malfunctions and their annoying Scout is turned into something far more precocious, it'll take all of the RED team's wits and patience to look after him. At the same time, Engineer must find a way to turn Scout back into an adult before the BLUs-or anyone else-realizes what's happened. No pairings, just a bunch of exhausted trained killers and one hyperactive child. ))

An Ancient Text from 2012 and the only FF.Net fic on this list, EMaAT is a classic for me. Lot's of Spy backstory, if memory serves. Quotes from this live rent free in my mind.

PracticalEspionage:

++Under the Lake by Her_AngelEyes

(( Engineer goes fishing. Hilarity ensues. ))

Don't let the description fool you. This is a non-con/mind break fic. If you like darkfic stuff, than this is for you~

[preciouslittle-bhaalbabe]

Thoughts about Ascended Astarion! (This is a long one, and I'm not trying to change anyones opinion, just highlighting the fact that the player is in complete control of the situation at all times. This game is about choices.) First off, I don't usually prefer to ascend him. But I love all versions of Astarion. His character is so well written and all of his arcs deserve praise and attention no matter what your personal opinion of them are. The devs did an incredible job. If any parts of his arc (ascended or spawn) make you uncomfortable, then romancing him isn't for you. If the dynamic between AA and your character makes you feel scared or upset, don't ascend him. That dynamic is supposed to be 100% consentual. He's a tough nut to crack and his story can be very triggering. I myself broke down a few times hearing him talk about what he went through. There are other companions with lovely character development that you can choose. When people go "ugh he's ruined I didn't want this" My dear, with all due respect. This is the dark fantasy romance option. Emphasis on the fantasy. You didn’t get his approval by being nice. It's not like he's the only option. You chose to romance the vampire. The game warns you of what exactly you're about to do multiple times. You willingly help him murder thousands of people for freedom. A vampire who was a literal slave for longer than he was even alive for just got a MASSIVE amount of power. Were you expecting he was gonna just be a good guy now? He has had NOTHING for so long. His entire life trajectory changed within moments. He’s still figuring himself out. You as the player are still completely in charge. He owes everything to you and he knows that. You can walk away at literally any point. He asks you to kneel and obey to establish trust and a dynamic. To confirm this is what you want. YOU CAN SAY NO. Then, he gets right down on the floor with you. He's either gentle or rough based on your choice. If you don't like the vibe just break up with him at that point like he literally lets you do. Or, even just reload the save. But just remember. "That's what you want, isn't it?". When Astarion ascends, Neil says it best. His mask is off and he's allowed to be at his most terrible with no fear. He doesn't have to perform or be aloof as a distraction from the pain anymore. He was never good aligned. But now, he has the power and ability to give himself and his favourite person the life he thinks they wanted. Otherwise why would you ascend him? His love language becomes acts of service and gifts. He ADORES tav to almost obsession. He's always doting on them and calling them his. The ritual only amplifies that. "but what about what he says if you convince him not to go through with it?"

He’s not lying. He knows tav saved him from himself. It is technically the “good” ending. But that’s not what matters here. The ascension is for characters who are not good aligned. It is for characters that are just as much of a power hungry monster as ascended Astarion is. They want to be a monarch that rules the world over. It’s a role playing thing. Is it wrong? That’s for you to decide for yourself. Not others.

"but what about karlach? He's a massive jackass to her when he ascends" ...Yes. He's not a good guy. Karlach is basically the goodest character in the game. It won't work. And if you do break up with him, he lashes out and says some extremely hurtful things. Because you just broke his heart. It's a perfectly normal response from someone being completely blindsided. He thought you wanted this. You said you wanted this. After everything you both did you get here, he feels betrayed. Not even to mention ascended Astarion does not make you just a regular spawn. You quite literally become his vampire spouse. He thanks you for putting your trust in him. Then eventually you become a true vampire with time. He wants to make sure tav doesn't go insane after being turned. If you wanna learn more about vampire spouses in DnD I highly reccomend doing some google searches. It's fascinating. Is ascending him the right thing to do? No, but it's not "wrong". The game doesn't work that way. Is keeping him a spawn the right thing to do? Maybe, if your character thinks it is. Either route has their sets of pros and cons. It's up to you which ones you think work for your playthrough.

I almost always convince him not to go through with the ritual. But ascended Astarion + durge is a power couple and the vibes are immaculate for evil runs. Just have fun with the game! The devs made all these character arcs for you to explore! Thanks for reading <3

[kairos99]

I've seen a few posts talking about how it doesn't make sense for romance to be added into the game because the characters are in the middle of an armed conflict and that they don't have time for that kind of thing, or that they're too traumatized to fall in love. I'd like to explain why I disagree with this position. Let me clarify though that this isn't me saying everyone should romance one of the Hex members. If that's not your thing then by all means, don't romance anyone, you're completely within your right not to. What I'm disagreeing with is that it doesn't make sense for romance to exist in this game and setting whatsoever.

The reason I disagree is that, put simply, humans aren't machines. We're not a set of directives that disregard anything that doesn't align with them. We're animals that have a lot going on at any given moment. We're driven by several purposes, some of which clash with each other. This creates tension, which is something storytellers have exploited in the name of creating stories about the human condition for millenia. Without it, stories are empty, sterile.

Here's an example:

You're fighting two factions that want to wipe out an entire city in order to save innocent lives. You've been doing it in a loop for a very long time, but that doesn't matter because saving civilians comes first. Eventually a powerful new ally from the future appears and helps you and your team change your fates and succeed in holding back both factions from overtaking the city. You're pleased and hope to continue working with this new person to keep on making sure no more civilians are killed.

Does this story sound compelling to you? Maybe a little bit, but it's missing something, don't you think? A little bit more flavor, a little bit of a spark.

Let's try that again:

You've been at war for as long as you can remember. You're tired, stuck on a loop that has no ending in sight, but you have to keep going for the sake of your companions and doing what's right. Enter a new person, a new variable in a sea of sameness. They're not just from the future, they have extraordinary powers that allow them to do extraordinary things, and they seem to be on your side. And they prove it by saving you and your companions from a terrible demise. You start to believe things might turn for the better, you allow yourself to hope for a better future. You wake up from your combat-induced slumber and you feel your attention drifting from the misery that blanketed your existence to things you'd neglected in the name of the common good, including your need for connection and belonging. Including your companions, who still struggle to see themselves as a team. Including your new teammate, who's interesting and merciful and just as starving for connection as you are. You're awake now, and you're going act like it.

Much better, don't you think? Does this story sound more unbelievable because the character has other needs beyond their main objective of saving their city? On the contrary, I think it gets closer to the human experience than the previous story. Your character, a random Hex member, gets interested in the new person, the Drifter, after being saved by them and the situation in the city gets under control, and thus reaches out to them and develops a relationship with them. And they do it because they finally have the space of mind to do it. And not just the Drifter, they also learn to nurture the bonds they have with the other Hex members, as is seen in the text messages when you rank up the syndicate.

What I'm trying to say is, it makes sense for the Hex members to get close to the Drifter, storywise. Hell, "love triumphs over indifference" is a major plot point! That's why it doesn't make sense to me when someone says the Hex doesn't have time for romance. It's like saying the Hex doesn't have time for friendship, or any relationship for that matter, and that goes against what the game's trying to tell you.

As for the characters being too traumatized to fall in love? I'm nowhere near qualified to be speaking about trauma, but what little I know is that traumatized people don't want to be defined by their experiences. They fight day and night to live fulfilling lives, and saying they can't fall in love because they're traumatized sounds downright disrespectful to me. Maybe trauma has permanently changed the way some of them relate to others, but this doesn't mean no traumatized person can ever fall in love as a rule. Everyone's experience is different, and we shouldn't generalize what a group of people are going to be like anyway.

This applies to other mental health conditions as well. Depressed people fall in love. Anxious people fall in love. People that worry about making ends meet fall in love. People that are burnt out fall in love. People at any point in their lives fall in love. There's always something else going on, whether that's something minor like a pending homework assignment or something major like a neverending war, but people still have time to feel all kinds of feelings in the meantime, including romantic love!

That's my take on things. Thanks for reading this far! If you disagree with what I'm saying here, feel free to leave a comment. It's healthy to consider other points of view. :)