#HIS DEVELOPMENT IS SO IMPORTANT TO THIS GAME I SWEAR it's everything

[slmckle]

CHARLIE CONFESSING ON VALENTINE’S DAY

warnings: none? fluff, fem!reader kinda implied?

———— DECEMBER 11TH, 2024. ————

you worked at the game store, and charlie was a regular. you were fairly new, so when charlie saw you, he knew you weren’t there before.

he walked around the store, grabbing the essentials for his d&d game, or whatever, and he walks up to the counter. he places his items on the counter and smiled at you.

"hi! you're new!" he says with clear excitement. you look at him and return the energy, just trying to be friendly.

"i am! hi!" you say, grabbing his items and scanning them. he looks at you, eager to start a conversation. "so.. how do you like it so far?"

you sigh and purse your lips. "eh, its alright. its a job, thats for sure!"

he frowns slightly and tilts his head a bit. “ah, that’s no good!” he says.

you finish scanning his items and tell him his total, leaning over the counter a bit. “your total is 23.75 today, sir. will that be cash, or card?” you ask.

he answers with card, and pulls out a basic card. “you can just put it in the scanner there.” you say.

he does as told, and you say your goodbyes. “he was kinda cute.” your coworker, sam, says. he was also new, so he’d never seen him either.

“oh my god, shut up, sam!” you say, rolling your eyes before disappearing into the back of the store.

———— JANUARY 13TH, 2025. ————

charlie had came in the store many times since then, and you guys had gotten to know each other. you had exchanged numbers, and hung out a few times. you would consider him one of your closest friends, as would he. you had slowly developed a tiny crush on him, but would never admit it to anyone.

you don’t see him walking into the store, but the ring of the bell that was hung above the door let you know someone was there.

you finish stocking the shelf you were working on, and turn around. you smile when you see charlie and you walk over to the counter to assist him.

“hi, charlie! what can i do for you today?” you ask nicely. he smiles and speaks. “well, i was wondering when you got off, and if you wanted to hangout.” you smile and lean on the glass counter.

“i get off in about thirty minutes, if you wanna wait until then.” you say, looking at him and admiring the way he leans on the counter as well, almost mirroring you.

“yeah, i can wait!” he nods, leaning off of the counter and drumming his fingers on the glass. you push off the counter and walk back over to the shelves, making sure everything was in order.

you bend down to straighten out one of the cane cases that some grimey little kid probably messed up, but you swear you can feel a set of eyes on you…

FEBRUARY 14TH, 2025. VALENTINE’S DAY!

time skip, about a month later, and it was valentine’s day. you and charlie have gone on a few more hangouts dates , but he hasn’t asked you yet.

you’re sitting behind the counter and the game store, daydreaming when you hear the bell from the door signaling that someone has walked it. but this time, it’s charlie!

a grin spreads across charlie's face as he spots you behind the counter, his heart fluttering in his chest at the sight of you. he approaches the counter, trying to act nonchalant but failing miserably as excitement bubbles over.

"heyyyyyyy." he says, leaning against the counter with a wide smile.

"hiii, charlie!" you say with a smile, tilting your head as you look at him.

his grin widens even more at the sound of you saying his name, his heart fluttering once again. he leans forwards, his eyes twinkling as he gazes at you.

"you have no idea how good it is to see you right now." he says. "oh yeah? whys that?" you ask, curiosity evident in your voice.

he taps his fingers against the countertop, his smile turning into a mischievous grin. "well, maybe because you're my best friend."

he pauses for a moment, studying your expression.

"and also because I have a very important question to ask you." he says, sitting up from the counter and brushing off his shirt and straightening his glasses.

"well, what is soooo important?" you tease, also sitting up from the counter, not missing the way his hands look while he straightens his glasses.

he takes another step forward, peering over the edge of the counter to get a better look at you.

"todays valentine's day, right?" he asks.

"mhm!" you say, trying to not sound too excited at the fact he might finally be asking you. 'but what if he asks me for advice for another girl..? no, he wouldnt do that.' you say in your head, ignoring the thoughts and focusing more on the conversation at hand.

he leans even closer, his heart racing in his chest.

"well…what are your plans for after work?"

he tries to make his question sound as casual as possible, although inside he's practically exploding with nerves.

“hmm, i don’t think i have anything planned, why?” you say, tapping your chin and looking up, trying not to smile as you act all oblivious.

he lets out a small sigh of relief at your response, his heart still thumping way too fast for his own liking. though he cant help but smile at your little act.

"good. that's um…"

he pauses, trying to form the words in his head.

"that's good. because I was wondering…if you maybe want to…go out? On a date? For Valentine's Day?" he asks nervously, and probably too fast.

"oh yeah? why should i?" you ask, grinning.

a cheeky smile appears on his face, loving the way you banter.

"well, let's see…"

he pretends to think for a moment, scratching his chin before listing on his fingers.

"because I'm charming, and i’ve also got some chocolate and flowers in my car. does that sweeten the deal, sweetheart?”

"hmmm.. i suppose it does!' you say with a smile, your eyes sparkling and catching charlie slightly off guard. he clears his throat and gains some composure before speaking, his heart feeling like it's going to burst with how excited he is right now.

"great."

he glances around the store, noticing a couple of lingering customers nearby. he lowers his voice.

"can I tell you something?" he whispers. "hm?" you ask curiously, lowering your vouce to match his.

he leans in close, so only you can hear him, his voice dropping low and quiet, tinged with excitement and a hint of nervousness.

"i've actually got one other surprise for you…" he says.

you look at him, your face lighting up as you question him. "really? what is it?"

he glances around once more, making sure no one is listening in on their conversation. once he’s assured the coast is clear, he turns back to you, a devilish grin on his face.

"you're going to have to come outside to see it, though. it's in my trunk."

"hmm, ill bite." you say, walking out from around the counter to meet him.

He lets out a soft chuckle at your response, his grin widening.

"awesome."

he steps back towards the store exit, holding the door open for you.

"ladies first."

he watches you pass him, his heart fluttering as he takes in the curve of your hips in the jeans that you’re wearing. he has to mentally remind himself to breathe as he follows you outside, the crisp air sending a shiver down his spine.

he leads you over to his car, parked out on the far side of the parking lot. he fishes the keys out of his pocket and unlocks the trunk, before motioning you forwards with a wave of his hand.

"come on, close your eyes."

he watches you as you close your eyes, your expression a mixture of curiosity and excitement. he can see the way your cheeks are flushed with anticipation, and he can't help but think it's one of the prettiest things he’s ever seen. he opens the trunk, removing a small bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates, placing them off to the side before carefully removing a small, wrapped box from beneath a neatly folded blanket and placed it on top.

he makes sure everythings in place before walking over to you, grabbing your hands of of your eyes softly.

"okay, you can open your eyes now." he watches you open your eyes, a hint of nervousness creeping up on him. he’s biting his lip, hoping you’ll like the surprise he’s got for you, because he’s been thinking about it for a while now, almost a little shy to see your reaction.

“charlie…” you gasp, looking into his trunk, seeing the chocolate and roses, the small wrapped box, a small purple stuffed frog, and a bunch of little trinkets he hoped youd like.

he stands back, his heart pounding in his chest as he watches you look over the trinkets he's carefully picked out, his cheeks becoming warm with nervousness. every little gasp and look of wonder that appears on your face makes his heart skip a beat, and he can't help but be a little shy as you inspect the necklace. He rubs the back of his neck, a little sheepish.

"i, um.. i thought you might like some of these things…"

he watches as you pick up the stuffed animal, a small purple frog with large sparkly eyes. he remembers picking it out specifically because he thought the color would look nice against your hair, and the eyes reminded him of yours.

“oh, charlie..” you gasped, looking over all the trinkets that just scream ‘you.’

a shy, lopsided grin appears on his face as you hold up the little frog stuffed animal, the sight of you admiring it making his heart flutter. he rubs the back of his neck again, feeling butterflies in his stomach as he watches you look over the things he got for you.

"i um, i really hope you like it…"

“i love it… this is the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me..”

his cheeks turn a deep shade of pink at your words, his heart skipping a beat as joy floods through his veins. he can’t help but feel a little embarrassed, but also incredibly happy that he managed to impress you. he takes a step closer, his gaze fixed on yours.

"you really like it? i, um, i was kind of nervous about picking stuff out for you. i wanted to get things that you would actually enjoy. and i remembered you saying you liked some of this stuff, so i got it.."

“oh, i’m gonna cherish her for the rest of my life.” you say, admiring the purple frog.

a warm, genuine smile spreads across his face as he hears your words. the way you speak about the little stuffed animal with such love and affection makes his heart flutter, and he almost forgets about the necklace he got you.

he remembers the necklace, and exclaims quietly. he grabs the small, wrapped box and hands it to you. you smile and take the box, shaking your head as you look up at him. "charlie, you really didn't have to..!" you protest lightheartedly, still beginning to open the box as he watches you.

"i wanted to, baby." he says, the pet name rolling off his tongue smoothly as he watches you open the box.

you open it to reveal the most gorgeous necklace youve ever seen. its a silver chain, that has a diamond in the middle of it, that would hang down on your chest.

you feel your cheeks heating and tears stinging your eyes as you admire the necklace. you look up at him, mouth agape. hes got a small smile on his face, cheeks red as well.

"do you like it...?" he asks, stuffing his hands in his pockets nervously.

"i love it, charlie..." you say, taking the necklace out of the box and looking at him, holding it infront of him.

“put it on me?” you ask. he nods and takes the necklace from you as you turn around and pull your hair up.

he drapes the necklace over your chest, and clasps it in the back, letting his fingers softly trace over your skin, sending goosebumps down your arm.

you turn around to look at him, smiling as the necklace sparkles on your chest. before he could say anything, your arms were wrapped around his torso.

he’s a little surprised as your arms wrap around him, but he instantly melts into your touch, his heart practically skipping a beat. he wraps his arms around you in return, pulling you close to him, holding you tightly. he buries his face in your hair, inhaling deeply, the scent of your shampoo and perfume making his head spin. he lets out a soft sigh of contentment, his body relaxing as he relishes the feeling of having you so close to him. it feels so right.

"sooo, are you gonna ask me the question?" you ask, tilting your head up to look at him. he quirks an eyebrow, smirking at your question. "what exactly am i asking you?" he teases.

"dont play stupid, charlie." you warn. he chuckles and looks into your eyes. "will you be my girlfriend?" he asks, looking at you sincerely.

you hum before answering, your chest feeling warm. "of course, charlie." you say.

he doesn’t even wait for you to finish your sentence. the moment your words leave your mouth, he leans in and kisses you. his touch is soft and tender, his lips gently pressed against yours.

there’s a slight tremor in his hand, his fingers trembling against your face. he’s so damn thankful and lucky to have you right now.

he kisses you gently, his lips moving softly and slowly against yours. he can’t help but moan softly against your mouth, the sound a subtle expression of how much he’s been wanting to do this.

his fingers are still tracing your jawline, his touch trembling ever so slightly, but he’s suddenly very aware of how perfect it feels to kiss you, and he’s suddenly very aware that this isn’t going to be one, single kiss.

his other hand rests on your hip, his touch firm and steady, pulling you even closer to him, like he can’t get enough of your closeness. he breaks the kiss for barely a second before his lips are back on yours, more insistent this time, his other hand moving to your face, cupping your cheek as he kisses you again, and again, and again… over and over..

"hhmph- charlie!" you protest playfully, softly smacking his arm. he laughs softly at your protests, puling away to admire your face. "what?"

"i cant breathe!" "so?" "charlie!"

the end! blahhhhhh. my first time writing charlie hope u enjoyed ily

[ateez-himari]

Hi bb!!!!! How are you? Happy new year even tho I'm reallyyyy late but it the thought that counts😺I wanna say thank you to the person who sent that ask cause gawd damn was that hot🙏🙏🙏

I obviously had some questions and I'll be limiting my questions to a maximum of 3 in each ask cause I really don't wanna tire you out especially after seeing that you started the year with a 6am shift, you deserve rest from both work and uni

1-Yk how some couples have the person who kind of leads in the relationship, like always takes the first step and ensures that their partner is always safe and well? I was wondering who takes on that role between minari or if they both depend on eachother when they need it

2-what was the teasers reaction to the couple photo shoot, plus did her brothers and oppas react to it as well?(yoongi is planning murder during his military enlistment)

3-do you think that hima would be a great cast member for squid game? I honestly think her personality would fit in really well and obviously she'd take on a persona but still

I love you so much bb🫵💓!! please take care, and feel free to answer whenever you want, your health is more important. May 2025 treat you well💞💞

Hi sweet!! 🥰 Happy late new year to you too! It was honestly hehe the lean absolutely ended me 🤭 Nooo don't limit your questions, I like having a bunch of them at once! It honestly gets my brain working better since that way I can 'bulk think' and just brainstorm everything at once!

Fun story about this morning before I answer; I woke up at 1am thinking it was 5am so I got up, turned on my light and almost started getting ready until my brain registered that I saw a 1 and not a 5...so I went back to bed. I swear I didn't even know what planet I was on, my body was on autopilot and I barely registered that I was out of bed-

• They both depend on one another but on different levels; one thing that's important to remember when it comes to their relationship is the fact that Himari had to be very mature for the rest of her childhood and couldn't really rely on anyone - Hanzo was shutting down, Yoongi needed to be saved, their parents worked a lot and Geum Jae was already out living his own life. While she has no problem being the shoulder for Mingi to lean on whenever he needs to, he knows that while she may not realize it she still needs a lot of support along with someone to look out for her health

Ex (coming hopefully soon); Himari developed a habit of not caring much for her health and was actively coughing up blood while producing 'Golden' (she was straining her voice too much which caused her to develop laryngitis - which made her cough for extended periods of time)

• Hongjoong and Seonghwa will forever see Hima as their little baby so they were shocked once the photos came out, they had to look twice to realize that the woman with Mingi was indeed his girlfriend (they would have beat him up if she wasn't). Yunho literally had their maknae sitting on his lap kissing him while they were filming 'Where We Fall' so he wasn't as phased as the others. Yeosang did NOT want to look - no one told him that the photos were going to be spicy so when he saw them for the first time he nearly threw his phone. San just saw two fine ass people posing with each other half naked, no one knows if he even registered it was his friends-. Wooyoung was the one that sent them to the group chat and was hyping them up so much, asking them when the next shoot would be. Jongho covered her with a blanket but did compliment how well the two posed together

Hanzo was in his sister's messages pointing out that while she chastises him for not wearing shirts in his Instagram posts she posts half naked with her boyfriend ?? Pure irony smh. He did say she looked pretty (he always does after every single photo shoot). Yoongi was absolutely fuming especially when other people serving with him that are fans of k-pop started talking about it - he wasn't mad because she was half naked, he doesn't care about that...but how dare someone touch his little baby sister like that ? Geum Jae kind of had a typical dad reaction where he was like; "oh you guys look good together...but didn't they have enough budget for clothes ?"

G-Dragon and T.O.P came across the pictures because they follow her personal account and neither knew how to react to it. There's more than a decade of difference between them, and while G-Dragon is toying with the idea of becoming her second mentor, T.O.P doesn't know her that well yet so it was slightly awkward for them. Taemin absolutely loves Himari and Mingi's relationship but had a similar reaction to Yoongi's in the sense that he was almost offended that someone would even think of posing with her this way. Stray Kids blew up the group chat with texts like; "himari wtf ??" "what kind of magazine is this-" "why is he GRIPPING your ass"

• I think she'd be amazing! For 'Where We Fall' there was a lot of panic, fear, sadness, etc., which fits perfectly into the emotions actors have to play in Squid Game. Plus she's an idol so she's athletic, which is great for the games!

I love you more sweet 🫵🩷!! I'm taking good care of myself don't you worry! I'm unfortunately still sick (I got really sick 2 years ago and my immune system's been kind of shitty ever since) but I've been sweating it out. I hope you take care of yourself as well especially as uni starts up again, I hope you take time to rest and let's make 2025 a great year!! 😘

[writerblue275]

(Best)FWB!Ezreal Headcanons (18+)

Inspiration: This was one of the of ideas that got me to start this account lol. I’m also in the process of writing a fic based on this idea and it would be so much easier to just reference this post in the header rather than explain everything in the prose.

Champion: Ezreal (like Pilty!Ezreal/Explorer!Ezreal)

Genre: Headcanon

Category: TINIEST amount of angst but primarily FLUFF and SMUT - I mean what were you expecting. We're talking about best friends with benefits here. Typically the benefits are of an adult nature. 18+ ONLY. MINORS DO NOT INTERACT.

Length: This is a looooong one, friends. In my defense, I'm using this headcanon as world-building/background information for at least 1 future fic (It's quickly turning into multiple parts lmao).

Gender: Fem!Reader/reader who is fem presenting? Ahhhh even my non-binary ass doesn't know how to describe this...mention of dresses and stuff.

TW: Adult themes. Friends with benefits, reference to adult activities and kinks. For example: semi-public petting or Dom/sub dynamics. Slight mention of what (probably) happened to his parents and the emotional fallout of that. Mention of alcohol (always drink responsibly y’all). Swearing (as per usual).

Important context: I know game Ez’s age is a bit debated, though generally agreed on somewhere in early to early-mid-20s. For adult Ez in this, let’s say he’s like 23-24? Also Indiana Jones exists in this universe because DAMNIT I WANT TO CALL HIM INDIANA JONES AS A NICKNAME.

SFW

Your father is a history professor at the academy who knows/works with Ezreal’s uncle, Professor Lymere, and who often collaborated with Ez’s parents before they disappeared. Archeology and history go hand-in-hand, after all.

These collaborations led to you and Ezreal being together often as kids since you were around the same age, and a close friendship developed.

To the point of casual physical affection (hugs, hand holding, occasional cuddles) and silly nicknames for each other. He calls you princess, you call him…idiot mostly. (Jk…kinda.) You’ve called him Indiana Jones for forever since he was just as fascinated about archeology/artifacts as his parents.

You have called him an idiot many times though, especially when he’s been extremely rash and reckless.

At various points in your friendship, people have seen the two of you and assumed you had to be dating. It’s hysterical to both of you.

“Me dating Ezreal?! Nah, he’s just my best friend.”

“(Y/N)?? Absolutely not. We’re just best friends.”

You’re one of the few people who can humble Ezreal, a specialty of yours since early on in your friendship.

You: *In your father’s office studying while he teaches a lecture to one of his classes in a nearby lecture hall*

Ez: *Runs into the office, breathlessly laughing as he leans against the now closed door, holding a toupee*

You: *Eyebrows raise* Whatcha got there, Ez?

Ez: *grins* One of the campus warden’s toupees!

You: *Stares at him for a second and sighs* You’re a moron….*goes back to studying*

After his parents’ disappearance, you were understandably worried for Ezreal. You watched as your best friend struggled through the stages of grief, and even worse, stalled before he could get to the acceptance stage of what most likely happened.

You were always there to listen when he needed an ear. Even more importantly you tried to serve as a voice of reason once Ez started planning his own expedition to find the final resting place of Ne’Zuk.

You never said anything to completely dissuade him, because you wanted him to follow his heart and his dreams, but you couldn’t help but worry. With what likely happened to his parents, you were utterly terrified he wouldn’t come back, especially considering his stubbornness, his recklessness, and his age. Losing your best friend was a thought you just couldn’t stomach.

Only you knew about his plan to sneak onto a supply ship bound for Nashramae. You sent him off in the middle of the night with a giant hug and a “Be safe, Indiana Jones. You better come back alive…Write when you can…”

After a second he pulled back from the hug, gave you a signature Ez smirk, and said, “You know me well enough to know I’ll be fine, princess…”

Once he did set off, you had to convincingly act as though you didn’t know where he went. It was difficult, especially seeing how distraught his uncle was once he read Ez’s note, but your loyalty was to your friend.

It was torment waiting for any sort of news. Ez wasn’t exactly going to the most populated areas.

Thankfully, he did eventually return, excited to show off his new gauntlet, using it often to flash behind you and scare you.

“Ez, I swear if you keep scaring me, I cannot be held responsible for any damage to your stupid handsome face.”

*Smirk* “Handsome eh?”

“…Shut up…f-forget I said anything…the last thing you need is an inflated ego.”

But he didn’t forget.

Over the years as he gained notoriety and fame from his adventures, you were one of the few people who didn’t treat him any differently from how you had in the past.

As much as his ego craved the validation and fame, hoping they’d be enough to draw his parents back (god damn this man needs HELLA therapy), having someone who just treated him as Ezreal, not as the prodigal explorer, was really nice…

Once he was a little older, when he started getting invites to parties and banquets to talk about his adventures, you became his go-to date.

As he told you, “It’s just easier than dealing with the rabid fans. Also you’re good-looking, and I need someone with me that helps make me look good.”

That earned him a sarcastic eye roll and “Thanks, I guess?” from you.

With the fame and scale of his adventures, Ez collected a decent amount of wealth on top of what his family already had. As thanks for being his go-to plus-one, he’d always take care of the cost of your clothes and accessories for these events, sometimes even buying outfits for you himself; things that he thought would look good on you. He has shockingly good taste and understands your sense of style very well. (SUGAR DADDY FRIEND EZ, ANYONE?)

It was about a year and a half ago that things in your friendship changed. He’d been gone almost 3-months chasing a particularly legendary relic rumored to be surrounded by an incredible number of traps that were said to be impassable.

“Impassable” is Ez’s specialty, as you know.

Of course, his exuberant return made him a popular invite to all the parties. Everyone wanted to hear the tales of Piltover’s prodigal explorer.

You were just fucking relieved to have your best friend home, alive, and in one piece.

NSFW

It was after one of these fancy parties when things popped off. There’d been an open bar during the dancing portion of the evening. Both of you were tipsy. Both of you were giggly. Ez gave you a piggy back ride home since you decided to kick off your incredibly uncomfortable heels the second you stepped outside. (What a gentleman.)

Once you arrived at your apartment, you invited him to stay the night as he always did since it was so late. Of course he agreed, grabbing the extra set of comfy clothes he stashed there for such situations and going to change while you prepared the couch for your usual post-event chats, setting up, pillows, blankets, snacks, and water.

As he came out of the hallway to the living room where you were, you could feel his gaze glued to you as you bent down to prep some things*

You: *blushing a little and not looking up at him* “Yes?”

Ez: *smirks* I thought that dress would look incredible on you, and I was right….you look even sexier than usual…

You looked up at him with wide eyes, your cheeks DEFINITELY pinker as your mind took a second to register what he said* “You thought about how I’d look in this? W-wait…you think I’m sexy?”

He just grinned and shrugged his shoulders. “Of course I did and of course I do. I’ve told you before that you’re good looking. Do you remember when you accidentally blurted out that I was handsome? Do you still think I am?”

You weren’t sure if it was the alcohol or your curiosity about the direction of this conversation that had you saying, “Yes I do. I’ve thought that for a long time. But, I don’t understand why that matters? You’re my best friend, Ezreal, and to be honest, dating you sounds like a nightmare. I already worry enough about you when you’re on your expeditions. Adding deeper feelings into that sounds like a one-way express ticket to driving myself insane.”

Ez chuckled, “Who said anything about dating or deeper feelings? Feelings are the last thing I need in my life (again THERAPY, MY GUY). But, the way I see it, I’m physically attracted to you, you’re physically attracted to me, neither of us want feelings involved beyond what our friendship is now….that sounds like an arrangement that is mutually beneficial…”

You straightened up and folded your arms together as you contemplate his words. “So like a…friends with benefits sort of thing?”

Ez grinned. “More like best friends with benefits, but yes. I have needs. I’m assuming based on the fact that you’re currently not seeing anyone either that you also have needs. We’ve helped each other out with problems many times….why not help each other with this one?”

Ok, but why was he making so much sense??

He was also right. You’d been going through a hell of a dry spell as of late. And hey, when it comes to people, you trust Ezreal more than anyone else. You’d also be lying to yourself if you said you didn’t find him extremely attractive. All of these reasons pinged around your mind until finally…

“Yes…ok…yes….tonight can serve as a test of sorts…but I’m not finalizing anything until tomorrow morning when both of us are stone cold sober. I have conditions, but they don’t apply at the moment. Got it?”

His response was an frantic nod and an eager “Got it,” as he stepped closer and reached for your waist to pull you to him.

Your response was to turn around and move your hair to the side. “Ah ah ah. First help me with my zipper…then show me what you can do, pretty boy…”

And BOY DID HE. Quite honestly he blew your mind (and your back out 😉). But we’ll get to that later on.

The important conversation happened the next morning after you two woke up tangled with each other.

Ez sat up and stretched, and you couldn’t help it as you sleepily reached over and gently ran your fingers along his abs.

He gave you a sleepy smirk and eyebrow raise before murmuring, “Already want another round, princess?”

This resulted in you pinching him before you also pulled yourself up, not even caring that he was baldly admiring you as you stretched. “I tentatively agree to this arrangement, Ez, but I want to talk about limits/conditions. Let’s talk as we get breakfast ready…”

Your conditions: 1. While this arrangement is in place, he’s not sleeping with anyone else and that includes on expeditions. You don’t want the chance for any sort of disease. 2. If either of you falls for another person, the arrangement needs to end (obviously you two would talk about it so the other knows what’s going on). 3. This can’t fuck up your friendship. Even if things physically end, your friendship needs to remain intact. You don’t want to lose your best friend. 4. No falling in love with each other.

Ez easily agreed to your terms and laid out his own: 1. He’ll see you when he gets home from expeditions and while he’s in Piltover. 2. If he’s not sleeping with anyone else, he hopes you won’t either. 3. He wants you to take care of yourself mentally (a bit ironic), physically, and emotionally, especially while he’s gone. (He won’t admit it, but when he’s on his explorations, he thinks/worries about you often and wonders if you’re doing alright.) 4. He wants to continue to buy you gifts and clothes, and he also wants to start including lingerie in said gifts if you tell him your sizes and style preferences.

The last one surprised you. “Lingerie? Why? That seems pretty intimate for fuck buddies. I certainly don’t expect such gifts from you.”

He was unfazed, instead just grinning and chuckling at the surprise on your face. “Believe it or not, it’s almost more for me than you. Undressing you will be like unwrapping my own present.”

Strangely enough you couldn’t find any fault with that logic.

You agreed to all his terms, and the two of you did a little hand shake to finalize things. A strangely small gesture to seal a massive change in your friendship.

(*Clears throat*) And now for the important part…

Definitely NSFW - AKA How is Ez as a FWB?

With an ego like his, you might think Ez is a selfish lover.

And you know what, maybe to start he is, but you shut that shit down IMMEDIATELY. Remember, you’re one of the only ones who can humble this man.

Once you make it clear that this arrangement will not be one-sided in pleasure if he wants it to continue, he makes sure to act RIGHT.

Like he really makes sure to blow your back out every single time (hell yeah go you).

A large part of his initial “selfishness” is hesitance. You two have known each other forever, but certainly not in this way. You telling him off? Honestly it reminds him that this is still you, his best friend, who he knows better than just about anyone. He is just learning about another side of you.

That is a confidence boost to him and banishes any insecurities he has.

(Unlike Heartsteel Ez who I see very primarily as a sub) Ez is a true switch maybe even leaning a little dom.

Whatever you need him to be, he can be.

Ezreal can be VERY PLAYFUL. Your normal friendship is filled with laughter and teasing, and your friendship in the bedroom is no different.

That doesn’t mean he can’t be serious though, he absolutely can be.

He’s the extremely teasing type, expertly working you up with just a couple touches in public or private and then making you wait.

For example, at those fancy dinners you go to with him? If anyone bothers to look under the tablecloth they'll see his hand on you, thumb tracing shapes into the fabric of your dress high up on your thigh, while he casually recounts the harrowing details of his adventures.

There you are, just sitting there trying to keep a straight face and not blush. He does it often enough you think you’d be used to it by now but NOPE.

You’re really glad no one expects you to tell any stories at those things because every time his hand creeps onto your thigh, your brain short circuits a little bit. Trying to tell a story or hold more than a passing conversation would be incredibly difficult.

And he KNOWS IT TOO. Once he’s not speaking, he always looks over at you and gives you a little smirk.

And if you do the same to him when he’s not telling stories? He will not stop leaning over and softly complaining in your ear.

You take great pleasure in whispering in his ear, “Can’t handle what you dish out? This is what you get, you teasing fuck.” (Or something similar lol.) Then you pass everything off as normal with a very quick, friendly, and casual kiss on the cheek which makes HIS brain short circuit a little bit.

Very touchy and LOUD in bed, especially when you’re on top. To the point you have had to cover his mouth with your hand and threaten to STOP riding him if he doesn’t get himself together and be quieter. He knows damn well how thin apartment walls in Piltover are.

Eventually you just gag him with something, because let’s be honest, it’s an empty threat. You definitely DON’T want to stop and he’s well aware of that.

When he’s on top though, Ez intentionally will do things that cause your sounds to get louder, making no attempts to quiet you. Instead he just smirks down at you and whispers in your ear, “Is that all you’ve got, princess? I know you can get louder than that…don’t hold back for me…”

Don’t be afraid to mark him. Feeling your nails dig into his shoulders/back or feeling you mark his collarbone with hickeys drives him absolutely wild.

Very very VERY good at dirty talk. His wit and sass translate extremely well to more intimate contexts. And when you dirty talk right back at him? He loves it when you’re just as playful as he is. His favorite is when you murmur something filthy in his ear and follow it up with a playful little nip somewhere.

Loves tying you up and loves being tied up, as well as using blindfolds.

Not the most attentive with aftercare, but hey, your arrangement isn’t romantic so you don’t mind. He at least stays the night/for breakfast and cuddles you which is honestly more than you thought he’d do.

It might be a bit inconsistent concerning WHEN you see Ezreal since who knows when he’ll come back from his expeditions, but whenever he is in Piltover, the two of you certainly have a good time. Besides, it’s good to know your best friend is home safe…at least until he sets off on another adventure.

Thank you for reading!! Omg I had so much fun with this one. And I’m already enjoying writing the associated fic. It was literally just supposed to be a one-shot and now there’s absolutely going to be multiple parts, so keep an eye out for that!

[witchthewriter]

𝐁𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐉𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐭'𝐬 𝐬/𝐨 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞

⤷ gender neutral, ambiguous race, and any size reader. Requests are open, thank you for reading!    

a/n: I’m on that goddamn Ted Lasso train binches. Please don’t let me be the only one that is in love with ... everyone. Also - this is the ONLY team I will ever care about. 

Warnings: sWEARINGS hehe, mentions of family abuse, childhood trauma

ᴹᵃˢᵗᵉʳˡᶤˢᵗ      

ESTP

Slytherin

Chaotic Neutral

The Hanged Man

Leo Sun, Pisces Moon, Gemini Rising

𝑺𝑭𝑾🌿  

・Was he a prick when you first knew him? Fuck yes. But did he grow and become a better man? HELL FUCKING YES.

・You knew Jamie from your school years, he was always the prick, the jock who would tease anyone just so no one would see the hurt he endured

・You used to stand up to him all the time - putting him in his place

・The funny thing was, that later in your life, your brother was chosen for the Richmond team

・And you were forced to go to every game by your mother, and see your former bully play on the same team as your brother 

・It was such a weird situation, and yet you tried to make the best of it. 

・Somehow you became incredibly close friends with Keeley. She saw you trying to find the locker room, to wish your brother good luck. And you became fast friends. 

・Your relationship with Keeley became really important, and once you found out about her and Jamie (after they split up), you were shocked.

  “But, but you’re so - you!” 

“What are you talkin’ about?” 

   “You’re so ... gorgeous, and funny and open-minded...the complete opposite of Jamie!” 

・She just shook her head with a sad smile, “there’s a lot about him that people don’t see. Or understand.” 

・Keeley actually became one of your biggest shippers

・It was a slowburn romance. A lot of stolen glances, baseless insults and light-hearted complaining about the other. 

・Everyone could see it but the two of you

・And you both denied your feelings over and over and over again

・Even Coach Lasso could see it, and it wasn’t until Roy told Jamie to stop being suck a twat, that Jamie realised his feelings 

・Keeley gave her blessing, because you’d never go breach your friendship over a guy 

・When you started going out, Jamie did everything he could to impress you - take you on the most expensive dates to restaurants; one of his ideas was to take you to Disneyland but Keeley said ... that was overdoing it a bit. (She said maybe after a year of dating you’d be comfortable with that idea)

・You were hesitant with the relationship because you didn’t want an immature partner. But although he can be childish at times, he really developed as a person. 

・He’s accountable for his actions - and actually went and apologised to everyone he bullied at school

・You made him watch the Prince of Egypt and he response throughout was “woahh babe, babe what-” “um...why aren’t more people talking about this?” 

・And he basically cried throughout the movie, especially at the end. And then he asked what happens to them after they escape and you’re like ... “babe c’mon. It’s - they’ve literally written...”

・Calls you “babe,” “sexy,” “sweetcheeks” 

・Actually really likes the show Outlander, like ... a lot. To the point that he binge watched it and wanted to dress up as Jamie Fraser for Halloween

・You go to all his games (I mean...your brother is on the same team, so really two birds one stone, right?)

・He always spots you in the crowd (easily done - you sit where Rebecca, Keeley and Higgins do) and when he does, he blows you a kiss. It’s always good luck when you catch it and place it on your heart 

𝑹𝒆𝒍𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒔    

”I love you, wholeheartedly.” x “You shouldn’t, I don’t deserve it.”

Tough on the Outside, Soft on the Inside  x The Top 

Malewife x Girl/Guy/Theyboss

𝑹𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝑷𝒍𝒐𝒕 𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆  

Enemies to Lovers 

Second-Chance At Love

Late Love Realisation

𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒆 𝑺𝒐𝒏𝒈:    

Supersoaker by Kings of Leon

[all-pacas]

rushing to be the first person who says ‘house’ for thr ask game

SHOCKING

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most)

this is not going to shock a single person. but it's the goddamn australian. he's like 90% blorbo and 10% i want to make him suffer. i joke sometimes about having a character type and the venn diagram of that type and chase is a circle. parental trauma. fawn response. apathy/distraction/cheerful facade covering a deep well not of sadness but of nothingness. silly guys who don't take things very seriously until it matters. i could go on. it's awful. i stood no chance. i also really like the dichotomy (in characters and this asshole) of "comes off as a little dim, is actually super smart and capable when necessary," it's not like the main thing but it helps. i love that he keeps failing up in life, pure nepobaby trajectory, but every year he also gets a little more miserable. i love that no one has ever loved him. i love that he gets a six month marriage and, while cameron is not blameless, he also does a lot of the work to screw it up on his own. awful. i even love (to hate) his horrific little outfits.

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped)

hmmmm. you know what. i'm going to go real left field here and say taub. not that i'd define it as cuteness aggression exactly. but to me he's like a perfect little dash of salt and pepper in a scene. he improves every scene, he usually has a fun line, he's rarely my favorite part of the show but i always enjoy his presence in it. you know what one scene in s6 where foreman and 13 are fighting, and house tells "everyone who hasn't slept with thirteen" to leave the room. chase is basically a chase-shaped hole in the wall he is gone before house finishes talking, but taub just sits there deadass for a solid minute. that's what i mean when i say he improves everything. incredible, flawless joke.

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave)

foreman to me. i don't understand why, in myself and in others. he's like. he's literally the main character of the team. he gets insane focus and character growth and arcs and development and he's so good. and yet no one talks about him. i don't talk about him. i can only gesture to him like -- look at this man!! he's so great!!! -- and then i have nothing. however i need to state for the record that he is great and i love him and also love to see him struggle and suffer and be a little bitch

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week)

nurse brenda why did they ever get rid of you. star of s1. whenever she appears on sceen, hatred in her heart, i'm just blushing and giggling. love her in kids when foreman is trying to act all important and she sends him to the back of the line. love her giving the gang the sideeye in the euthanasia episode. i bet every single one of the team has gone "well, it makes sense she hates them, but she respects me" and been proven wrong. perfect background character

i'm also going to throw thirteen in here, not because she's all that obscure but she falls into the same foreman character slot of "i adore her and think she's very fun" for me, but i talk about her slightly more and think about her slightly less

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave)

i feel like half the characters on house are this tbh. however i'm going to give this award to cameron, my other favorite child, because i swear half the reason i love her so much is that the rest of you don't understand her. like i do. i can and i will just yell about this for hours. hate how fandom treats cameron, either by just straight bashing her or by completely rewriting her and erasing half her traits to make her your nice OC who you can put in situations. i do think she has done many things wrong in her life, i think she is unkind and selfish and sometimes hypocritical, and i do not think these traits need to be smoothed or addressed or erased. i think she is super nice and sweet and lowkey depressed and highkey a control freak. i love how weird and horny she is. i love how normal she thinks she is. i bet, even though she is a scientist and knows better, she lowkey also believes crystals can heal her

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason)

both cameron and chase are this for me. chase needs it less because he keeps fucking up his own life and then staring at the mess with tears in his eyes, so there's less of a challenge, however i think cameron benefits from torment and situations because she's such a freak. because she's so fun. it's building character. it's exciting. she always reacts in insane and yet fascinating ways to stress and challenge and self-awareness and i want her to do it more.

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell)

all of them. house. none of them. chase

[contentloadingandstuff]

Fluff Headcanons - Spooky gaming with the genshin characters!

A/N: The fluff version of the Halloween special, and a bit of a new format. I hope you enjoy!

C/W: Modern AU, swearing, game-typical violence.

Alhaitham

This year, Alhaitham wanted something less conventional. Something that would really engage his mind with interesting commentary about society and the world at large, but still retain some of that spooky vibe. 

Cruelty Squad easily caught his attention with its assaulting graphics and interesting premise. It clearly begged for attention, and he was willing to humor it. 

It was precisely what he was looking for, and what an answer it was. Alhaitham had no trouble adjusting to a more corporate mindset.

Alhaitham: The super AI emerges from an extremely pornographic ultra hyper suck and fuck…

Kaveh: Um… What? What are you talking about?

Alhaitham: You don't understand, Kaveh. Everything that surrounds us? It's Gorbino's Quest. The Gorbino's Quest... of life.

Ganyu

The poor little cinnamon roll isn't that much of a horror fan. Violence and death generally unsettles her, but Ganyu still wants to feel some of that holiday spirit. 

After a lengthy deliberation, Ganyu chose Little Nightmares. The graphics are quite pleasing to the eye, it is horror, but not so horrible and violent. At least that's what she heard.

Ganyu: Oh, look! It's a Nome, right? And it's offering me food… How nice of it! Um… Oh n-no! Why would you d-do that?!

Amber

The great outdoors with a horror theme? Count her in!

Amber made sure to avoid spoilers to have the full, unprecedented The Forest experience. The landscape is so serene and peaceful… The freedom of movement, the sounds of nature and the survival elements are so fun and relaxing!

True, there are some hostile people on the island, but they seem harmless enough.

Until the night falls…

Amber: Wait… What's that? That doesn't look human… Did it just birth out… Ew… Yikes! It's coming at me! 

Suffice to say, Amber stuck around until more or less the moment when you have to chop up bodies and make effigies out of the parts.

Beidou

Alcohol, hard rock and murdering demons with big guns is how Beidou plays on Halloween, so she'll gladly hop on Doom Eternal.

There's nothing better than impaling a snake demon's head with its own broken arm, right as the beat drops. 

Beidou: Life has enough undefeatable horrors. Let's just have some fun tonight!

Ningguang

The old ones are the good ones! Ningguang doesn't play a lot of video games, but she did like a few titles back in her younger days. 

On this special occasion, Ningguang got a box of her old possessions to dig through, and found the original Dungeon Keeper on CD. 

Everything is just as she remembered it was. 

Ningguang: Oh, these imps… They are the perfect workers, aren't they? They don't eat, sleep, need vacation, have a social life, and they work harder when you slap them. Ah, if only I had them as my subordinates…

Keqing: *narrows eyes*

Kokomi

Another fan of the retro side of games, Kokomi enjoys a good tactical challenge - developing the ability to conjure small scale plans is as important as improving the grand ones.

Her pick is Myth II: Soulblighter. It’s a brutal, unforgiving RTS with a distinctively dark atmosphere - just perfect for the season at hand.

Even when Halloween comes to a close, Kokomi will find it hard to drop the game. The insanity that is Legendary is quite addictive indeed…

Kokomi: You here… You here… And now the crescendo!

Game: “Move here move there…”

Game: “Catch!”

Game: *explosion*

Game: “Casualty.”

Kokomi: Oh. Change of plans, I guess…

Yae Miko

Upon hearing of the wonderful possibilities for tormenting the other party, Miko didn't hesitate to bring out the Mora for Dead By Daylight and all of its DLC. 

Though it was quite fun at first, the ugly nature of the game soon surfaced. As none of her friends were brave enough to delve into this swamp, she was forced to join up with random people, who frequently threw the games. 

Such a combination was enough to make even such an ancient and wise kitsune lose her absolute cool.

Ei: Why are you crouching behind that tree, Miko?

Miko: The killer has caught one of my teammates, and I will release them by ambushing them with a flashlight! 

Miko: Come on… Now! You didn't expect that, did y- What?? Lightborn?! Again?! Who even plays it nowadays?! Oh, you daft, blind motherf-

Ei: Miko!

Miko: Oh… Hm. Sorry. I got a little carried away. But that's sooo unfair, isn't it? Why would they add a perk that cancels a whole mechanic? I can't believeitthegameissokillersided…

Xiangling

Xiangling absolutely didn't look forward to Halloween, especially with Hu Tao around. She just can't take horror, at all, of any kind, ever. Especially jumpscares.

She still couldn't believe that she agreed to play a horror game, let alone one suggested by the director. The one and only Five Nights At Freddy's at that.

Much to Hu Tao's amusement, she didn't even make it past Night 1. Xiangling was thoroughly spooked, and after being jumpscared once she completely refused to keep playing. 

Seeing Xiangling so terrified made Guoba very upset, and Hu Tao quickly apologized to avoid being roasted by the angry god. 

Hu Tao: So he killed the kids, but then! Their souls escaped their robot prisons and made an old spring lock suit crush him to death! WoOoo~

Xiangling: Ah! Hu Tao! No more! 

Guoba: Nane na! Grr…

Hu Tao: Oh, don't fret little Guoba! I'm just joking!

Zhongli

Morax always had trouble catching up with the latest cultural and technological trends of the humans. Sure, he can use a computer more than well enough, but he finds third and first person video games confusing. The gameplay is most often too fast and rapidly changing for him to be up to speed with it, let alone enjoy it. 

Throughout all of his exponentially long life, nobody was as persistent in including him in the festivities as Hu Tao. She tried to convince Zhongli to play something horror-related, but he was assertive. So, the director decided to find a game that would suit his liking - an indie title. 

Her pick fell on Water Womb World - it's simple mechanically, is quite disturbing and has an interesting concept. 

Much to her surprise, Zhongli thoroughly enjoyed his fifteen minutes with the game, even if he didn't find it very scary.

Zhongli: Ah, I agree with the message of this title. The blind belief in deities can lead to fanaticism, which breeds regress rather than progress. I do think that a more healthy and critical approach to Rex Lapis' rule would be beneficial to our current day society. Especially that the age of gods draws to an end…

Hu Tao: Aiya! Do you have to turn everything into a lecture, Zhongli? You're not my grandpa, are you?

Hu Tao

An avid enjoyer of the spookfest, Hu Tao decided to pick something hitting closer to home this year - Mortuary Assistant.

The gameplay loop feels great! Just like in her line of work, just without the smell. She's having the time of her life preparing the corpse for burial. And hunting the demon. That's also quite cool!

Hu Tao: *hums while wheeling the corpse into the crematory* 

Game: "Are you sure?"

Hu Tao: Yup! I know your tricks more than well. Aiyaya, you could try something more interesting next round! Furnace time~

Game: *sounds of fire and demonic screaming*

Hu Tao: Toodle-oo~

Bennet, Noelle, Fischl, Razor

A few weeks before Halloween, Bennett mentioned a game night, since he couldn't be there in person. Noelle, diligent as ever, picked this up as a cue to start looking for something. 

Luckily for her, Phasmophobia was on a large and affordable discount, so after proposing the idea and organizing a money pool, they all got to proving the existence of ghosts.

Lisa lent Razor her personal computer for the night, on condition that she could take a little peek every now and then at their session without interrupting - and what an amusement it was, as none of them are especially acquainted with horror.

Noelle: "The ghost responds only to people who are alone." Somebody has to go in to talk to it… 

Razor: Razor won't go! Ghost scary!

Bennett: I would go, but with my luck, the ghost will eat me right away…

Fischl: Hmph! Although yes, I, Fischl, The Prinzessin Der Verurteilung and the founder of The Immernatchreich possess the courage to face demons and spawns of darkness alike, I…

Everyone: So you'll go then?

Amy: Um… N-no! You m-misunderstood!

Furina

The Great-And-Grand Archon of Fontaine played and saw every horror game and movie, and never once got scared. Or that's what she claims, at least.

That's why Focalors decided to prove her excellence with a true, dark challenge she could easily overcome, thus proving her gaming capabilities for all to see!

In hindsight, Darkest Dungeon wasn't the best of choices she could have made… It did amuse Monsieur Neuvilette, however. 

Neuvillette: I think you should retreat. Your heroes are close to dying. 

Furina: I appreciate your advice, my dear Iudex, but your worries are misplaced! My Crusader will deal a critical hit, thus ending the pig-man's miserable opposition, and granting us treasure galore! Watch and marvel at my skill!

Game: "A singular strike!"

Furina: Ahaha, see? I told you it would be fine~ Wait… It's not dead yet…?

Game: "Mortality - clarified in a single strike!"

Furina: Um…

Game: "There can be no hope in this hell, no hope at all…"

Game: "And now the true test - hold fast, or expire."

Game: "Those who cover injury find it in no short supply."

Game: "As life ebbs, terrible vistas of emptiness reveal themselves."

Furina: Ret- T-tactical withdrawal! 

Game: "Cornered, trapped, forced to fight on!"

Game: "This is no place for the weak, or the foolhardy."

Game: "More blood soaks the soil, feeding the evil therein."

Game: "Perched at the very precipice of oblivion."

Game: "More dust, more ashes, more disappointment."

Game: "Another life wasted in the pursuit of glory and gold."

Game: "Wounds to be tended. Lessons to be learned."

Neuvillette: Lady Furina, if only you had-

Furina: Silence.

Shenhe

Shenhe never gets scared. The most terrible of monsters or existential terrors are no match for her training and resolve, no matter how unexpected they might be. She might not get scared, but she can get startled, right?

Who else would pose that question but Hu Tao, the mistress of horrors herself? It was always her objective to get some sort of reaction out of the adepti disciple, no matter how insignificant and small it might be. Many things were attempted - scary movies, troubling situations, body horror, cosmic horror, existential horror… But none of them ever worked. Shenhe remained stalwart.

Out of desperation, Hu Tao was forced to reach for the ultimate weapon. The bane of those unprepared. The myth. The legend. The game.

The Scary Maze Game. 

After plugging in an old spare monitor, she invited Shenhe to “test her precision”, and stepped a few safe meters back. 

The monitor ended up skewered with her polearm, but Shenhe did yelp - much to her delight. 

Not all was fun and games though, as Hu Tao got the mother of all lectures from Cloud Retainer. Something about Shenhe’s red ropes breaking, but the director didn’t pay much attention, and just nodded along.

Hu Tao: Heya, Shenhe… You don’t mind the little scare I gave you back on Halloween night, do you…?

Shenhe: Oh? Well, as much as I was upset during the moment, I must admit it was quite… cathartic. I never experienced anything like that. I do not hold any grudge towards you. Actually… Thank you for that, director Hu Tao.

Hu Tao: Phew! And I was here thinking I’ll share the fate of that display!

🎃Happy Halloween!🎃

[tenaciousjalapeno]

Testing the Cat Lady, Part 5

5/?

Pairing: LA Buggy the Clown x Reader

Summary: You've done a thorough job of getting on Buggy's nerves during the tour of the town, but he still wants to show you a good time. All goes well until dinner turns into a mess.

Warnings: language, mild violence, no use of Y/N

Word Count: 2200

While in a clothing shop, you quickly realize just how important it was to Buggy that he maintain a good image to the townspeople. Right in the middle of the store, a silent argument raged between you two. Your face saying, “Get ready, captain. I’ll bankrupt you,” and his returning with, “I know where you sleep.” Sounds like a problem for future-you. Skimming the store, your eyes land on a beautiful suede coat. From years of training on your mother’s part, you had developed a good eye for expensive, well, everything. Clothes, accessories, home decor. The whole shebang. As soon as you lay eyes on it, you know that it’s going to be the priciest thing in the shop. Maybe even in town.

“Excuse me,” you say to the shopkeeper, pointing in the direction of the coat. “Could I try that coat on? The suede one.” The woman’s eyes light up as she hastily agrees and heads to bring the coat over for you. Flashing a shit-eating grin Buggy’s way, you swear you see his eye twitching. Returning with the coat in hand, the shopkeeper helps you slide into the jacket.

“Oh, what a lovely fit!” she exclaims. “It’s like it was made for you!” You turn in front of a floor length mirror, assessing how it hugs your body and moves with you. Whether she means it or is just looking to make a sale, you have to admit that she’s right. It looks fantastic, if you do say so yourself. After a few moments, you decide that you’ll take the coat, much to the shopkeeper’s delight.

“Hey, doll,” Buggy butts in, “isn’t it a little warm to be buying that? Wouldn’t want you to get sick from the heat.” Try as he might to sound genuinely concerned, you weren’t fooled. The clown was trying to get out of his earlier agreement. Had it not been for his comment about sausages, you might’ve actually considered giving in and forgoing the coat. But he made his bed, and now he has to lay in it. A deal’s a deal.

“Oh, darling,” you respond with a honeyed tone, throwing his earlier pet name for you back in his face. This time you’re sure of it; his eye is twitching. “You don’t have to worry about that. I’ll save it for chilly days. Besides, didn’t you just say that you’d treat me to anything?” Your fake boyfriend looks between you and the shopkeeper who’s now waiting at the counter. The choice has to be made: his reputation or his berries?

Finally, his face sets into a wide, forced grin as he leans forward to hover over you. He’s going for intimidation, making it clear that you’ll regret this some way or another. You can’t say whether or not he hit the mark, it definitely stirs something in you. “Of course. Nothing is too good for my sweetheart.” He straightens up and heads toward the counter, giving you a small shove on his way past. “I hate you,” he whispers.

“Suck my ass,” you whisper back.

Several minutes later, you hum happily as you lead Buggy out of the shop. Both of you held up your ends of the bargain, scoring you a new coat on his berry. “I should put you on bathroom duty next month.”

“Probably, but you won’t.” You twirl around to face him, chuckling. It’s a risky little game to play, telling him what he can or can’t, will or won’t do, but seeing as he’s been lenient with you so far, rolling the dice seems low stakes this time around. As unpredictable and sporadic as he is, more often than not, his threats towards you are empty.

“Oh, really? You think looking cute will get you special treatment?” He scowls as he trudges forward, scoping out nearby places that you might enjoy. Despite how deeply annoying he finds you right now, he still wants to show you a good time. Besides, the more he escorts you through the town, the more convincing it will be that you two are actually in a relationship. Or at least that’s what he’s telling himself.

“Maybe.” He rolls his eyes at your cheeky attitude. You’re right, but he’d sooner eat gravel than admit it. Finally, a pub and line of shops and entertainment comes into view. Perfect for keeping you interested enough to shut up, he hopes.

“Come on, shithead,” he says, putting his hand on your lower back and steering you toward a bookstore. The gentle manhandling sends a thrill up your spine that doesn’t stop until it’s wrapped around your brain, making you short circuit. After a few seconds, you snap back to earth and shake whatever that was from your head. What is with me today, you wonder, but quickly conclude that all this time out at sea is beginning to mess with your head.

Several hours and another 10 thousand berries later, you find yourself in the pub with Buggy and a few other crew members that you’d bumped into along the way. The food will take a while, but in the meantime, the crew takes no time downing several beers each. Except for you, that is.

“You look ridiculous,” Buggy states, eyeing your colorful, fruity drink. You’re on your second one already, your first being pink with a bendy straw, and this one being red and blue topped with a little umbrella. Almost reminds you of your captain.

“What,” you ask, defensively, “It tastes good. And there’s plenty of beer and whisky on the ship, so I’m gonna treat myself to something tasty while I have the chance.” He looks at you, unimpressed.

“I’m treating you, you little leech. And slow down on those. I already have to be your personal wallet; I don’t want to be a babysitter too.” You brush him off as you sip the last of your drink. There’s not even a hint of the taste of alcohol, so you don’t know what he’s making a fuss over.

Third drink ordered and halfway gone, he rolls his eyes at you once more. The food came at the same time as your drink, so he’s hoping to gods that the food sitting in your stomach will soak up some of the alcohol. Those hopes are crushed, however, when you get up to use the restroom and nearly fall on top of him. “See, this is exactly what I was talking about,” he whines, steadying you. “Just because it tastes good, doesn’t mean it won’t get you piss-drunk.”

You giggle at the frustrated man before you. “Aw, Cap’n, I’m just a bit tipsy is all.” The slurred words do nothing to convince him. In that moment, he decides that he’s cutting you off and never letting you drink again. “Good time” be damned because there was no way he was carrying an overgrown toddler back to the ship.

“Yeah, whatever, just go use the bathroom then we’ll head back and get you to bed.” He waves you off, and you turn toward the restroom. No qualms were had with that. After the long day out, you were ready to start winding down. The date outing had been a lot more fun than you’d originally anticipated. Being spoiled by your captain, or blackmailing him depending on who you asked, was nice and all, but what really made your day was simply getting to spend uninterrupted time with him for once. Despite how much of an ass he was, you had still come to consider him a friend. The fact that you’d only get to see him for maybe an hour a day if you were lucky never felt like enough. The domestic life you’d previously settled into was nice – peaceful, even – but something about Buggy made you feel alive. It took you back to your days as a traveler, which was probably why you had such an easy time adjusting to life aboard the Big Top.

Due to your inebriated state, every ounce of your brain power goes toward getting to the bathroom in a straight line without tripping over your own feet. All focus set on watching your step, you don’t notice a man walking in your direction. Your shoulders hit each other, causing the man to spill the drink he’d been carrying onto himself. You immediately start to apologize, but he cuts you off. “Watch where the fuck you’re going,” he yells, grabbing you by your collar. In an instant, his aggression sobers you and makes your body freeze in panic. “What, are you too stupid to talk?” Within seconds of hearing the man’s booming voice, Buggy’s detached arm flies over and smacks his hands off of you. Another few seconds later, the rest of the captain appears in front of you, acting as a shield from the angry patron. The man’s eyes go wide, trying to process what he just witnessed.

Buggy looms over the man. Barely able to suppress his rage, he growls in a low voice, “Don’t. Touch. My. Crew.” The aura emanating off of him is terrifying. Of all the times you’d seen him angry and violent, even the day that you’d first met him, nothing came close to his current state. Never before had you heard him speak with such abhorrence. Glancing over to your fellow crewmates, even they seemed alarmed. It wasn’t until now that you realized the three of you had the attention of the entire pub.

Stupidly, the man, not wanting to hurt his pride with so many eyes on him, straightens up and points his anger at your captain. “Mind your own business, asshole. Keep your big, ugly nose out of- UGH!” Buggy watches in stunned silence as the man hits the ground. He was about to put the man into an early grave only to have you beat him to the punch – literally. As soon as the man is down, you drop to your knees above him, pounding your fists clumsily against his face.

Between strikes, you shout out angrily at him, “Don’t! Talk! About! The captain! Like! That!” Fueled by fury, you probably could have kept going until his face was caved in. However, a cackling Buggy pulls you off of the man, holding you like a feisty kitten who’s pissed to be picked up. Trying to wriggle free, you now yell at your captain. “I’m not done yet! Let me go!”

“Nope, that’s enough, killer,” Buggy laughs, throwing you over his shoulder. He turns his attention to the bartender, who seems undisturbed by the kerfuffle, and sets enough berries to cover the tab and a hefty tip on the counter. “Sorry about the trouble.”

“Don’t be,” the bartender says nonchalantly, ignoring the groans of the man still laid on the floor. “That guy blew in a few days ago and has been causing problems ever since. Thanks, Captain.” Several more people thank Buggy as he heads out the door, waving his hand behind him. Fresh air fills your lungs and finally brings you back to your senses.

“You done?” Buggy asks. You’re still disgruntled, but your anger has simmered down a little. Taking only a few moments to mull it over, you hum a response, urging him to put you down. He lightly sets you back on your feet, looking down at you with an amused smile. “I knew you had some tricks up your sleeve, but I didn’t know you could fight.”

“Barely. He made me mad is all.” Buggy chuckles as he begins to make his way back to the ship, you following suit. Both of you walk in comfortable silence, him maintaining a soft smile all the while. Upon reaching the deck of the ship, he turns to you.

“Thanks, by the way. It’s nice to know my sweetheart has my back.” He wholeheartedly means it, but can’t get the words out without twisting it into some sort of joke. For half his life, he’d had to take care of himself. The times where he could count on someone else to stick their neck out for him were far and few between. Trying to express his gratitude any other way felt too vulnerable, especially considering how few times he’d had to do it in his adult life.

You roll your eyes at him. You want to quip back with something snarky, but something about his body language holds you back. Tension held in his shoulders and avoidance of direct eye contact all but scream that he’s uncomfortable uttering the words. A small smile falls upon your face. “Anytime, Captain,” you say. He relaxes at the response, but you don’t want to drag out the conversation and make him feel any more awkward. “I’m going to hang out on deck for a little while and enjoy the fresh air.”

He nods and heads towards the lower deck. “Sounds good. See you tomorrow, doll.” As he disappears, Mango strides past him, making his way over to you as you sit down and kick your feet up on a barrel. You greet him with some head scritches before sharing with him the highlights of your day, together enjoying the warm breeze and starlit sky.

[miya-eulik]

Hi there. Here is the new chapter of my fanfiction. This time with a picture again and because I don't have enough to do...cough...I have...cough....I have decided to draw a deck of cards for this fanfiction. I'll post the cards when I don't have a picture for the chapter. I based the cards heavily on the cards shown in the fourth episode when Husk told his story. I thought it was fitting. I already have a relative idea of who will be on which card, but feel free to post your suggestions. Some of the characters I have planned for this haven't shown up yet or won't become important until later on in the story, so I can't promise I'll be able to account for everything. So, here's Angel's card. Of course, he's the queen of hearts:

Husk is the King of Diamonds, by the way, that's non-negotiable.

Royal flush straight into your heart

Chapters: 22/???

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Relationships: Angel Dust/Husk (Hazbin Hotel), Angel Dust & Husk (Hazbin Hotel), Angel Dust & Cherri Bomb (Hazbin Hotel), Angel Dust & Fat Nuggets (Hazbin Hotel), Fat Nuggets & Husk (Hazbin Hotel)

Characters: Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel), Husk (Hazbin Hotel), Valentino (Hazbin Hotel), Original Hazbin Hotel Character(s), Fat Nuggets (Hazbin Hotel), Cherri Bomb (Hazbin Hotel), Arackniss (Hazbin Hotel)

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Pre-Cano, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Overlord Husk (Hazbin Hotel), Canon-typical swearing, casino - Freeform, Gambling, Angel Dust Being Angel Dust (Hazbin Hotel), Valentino Being a Jerk (Hazbin Hotel), Slow Burn, Power Dynamics, Demonic Contracts, Drug Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Self-Destructive Behavior, Miscommunication, Drug Addiction, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Canon-Typical Violence, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Italian Mafia, Arackniss is homophobic, Homophobia, but we condemn it strongly

Summery: Husk is an overlord with thousands of souls under his fine-cut claws and millions on his bank account, content with his life and his success. Angel Dust is a successful porn star pretending to be content with his life as well, despite his abusive boss who keeps a tight grip on his leash. The birth of Hazbin Hotel is still a long way in the future and so these two never should have crossed paths…until Valentino comes up with the stupid idea to bet Angel's soul in a pocker game, despite the latter's objections. In a game against Husk. Neither of them know yet how this new development will change both their lives and bring something unknown and wonderful into their lives. Love.

Chapter Summery: Now it's time for Angel to finally tell his story.

[colibrie]

So I

I read the Rise x Star Wars crossover

AAAASJDHSHWWHDJSHHSDJCYYAHQNEDIXUSHSNSUXYXUAMABEVEYAYSUXXJSJSNSJAKAOAKSJSHGCYDHANSBDV

Everything hurts 👍

I LOVE the way you write. The descriptions of everything from Leo's numbness, to Donnie's memories of the temple, to Mikey's real life healthy way of processing emotions, to Leo's face man persona, to Donnie's box, to Raph being Raph and taking the blame, to Krang's perspective... ALL SO GOOD. I love the connection between the twins through the force. Absolutely immaculate.

I can't WAIT to see where this goes. Inquisitors vs Jedi is inherently angsty because of the bond once shared, but you've somehow managed to make it even more painful. Incredible!

@trilobitepunch 's art also adds so much. The style matches up with the writing perfectly, and the angles are so awesome. I especially love the use of shadows from Don and Raph's helmets. And the way Krang is drawn??? Terrifying. Absolutely accurate to Star Wars style.

I'm excited to see where this will go! The brothers working their way back together as Krang breaks Raph and Donnie down further and further... I of course hope that there will be a happy ending but I now from my own writing experience that the paths to happy endings are paved with miles of angst.

I just have some questions! Are you planning for April to make an appearance? When did Donnie build 5HE-DN and does Krang know?

Anyway, thanks so much for writing this wonderful story! I eagerly await further updates, but be sure to take your time and take care of yourself! Sorry it took so long for me to get around to it

*Takes deep, professional breath*

TXJXKTKTXXKTTKXXKTXKYGKXDDTKSKTXGKXKGXKGMGXKTURSTXKKTXSURFKYSTJXYKXKTSJTKTDTDKDKTOMIGOSHOMIGOSHOMIGOSHTHAANKYOUUUUUUUUUUUU!

This made my night! Especially because I just got done devouring your writing (which has me utterly emotionally wrecked. Sincere thanks for that btw!)

I am happy you've found so much to enjoy. As my first foray into the Rise fandom, it's been tricky at times trying to blend all the parts together into a cohesive unit. But I love writing description, and in tinkering with descriptions I feel like I've slowly gotten a better grasp on who these boys are. Shockly, (likely to absolutely no one) Leo and Mikey are the easiest for me to write. Donnie is the most difficult, but lucky for me I have my own brilliant genius!

Trilo is INCREDIBLE to work with. There have been times where I have been struggling to put a scene into words, and she returns with a page or a picture or a paragraph that just instantly helps things to click. I swear, it's magic! Her command of shadows, expressions, and body language are astounding, and there have been several scenes that tripled in length because her art inspired me so much.

We've built out much of how this story will unfold, and as a fellow angst lover (and self proclaimed angst fairy), I can confirm that there is a light at the end, but the path to reach it will push all four of them to the limit.

To answer your questions:

We debated whether or not to include April. We both love her character, but we ultimately decided that we wanted to keep the cast small so we could keep the focus on the boys.

5HL-DN is the fifth in a series of droids designed by Donnie. The first one was built when he was a still a child. He is by far the most sophisticated, and the one with the most developed personality. As for the circumstances around how 5HL-DN came to be.... spoilers. I promise you'll find out.

Yes, Krang knows about 5HL-DN, but he doesn't see him as particularly important. To Krang, droids are tools. Weak and easily expendable. He's aware that Donnie built 5HL-DN and he considers Donnie's investment in 5HL-DN to be a foolish weakness, but Raph is a much better and more effective tool to hurt Donnie with so Krang mostly ignores 5HL-DN. Plus, he has his utility in keeping Krangs favorite toy in the game....

This story is a joy to write, and I'm so glad my words can do justice for @trilobitepunch 's amazing art work. This au is a labor of love on both our parts and seeing it come together to get this kind of reaction is one of the greatest feelings. We are working on the next installments as we speak, so I hope you'll enjoy those as well! In the mean time, if you or anyone else has any other questions, feel free to ask!

[geekgemsspooksandtoons]

"AVP Nirvana" draft number 2. Again, it's a mess, and I'll never finish it. I think this is the one my friend liked better. And this one is simpler. This still has the details like taking place 15 years after Aliens, with the added inclusion or well, the character of Sera. I've had this draft since September 12th, 2024. Like the last draft, I accept any criticism concerning the story. And I'll be happy to answer any questions.

I do question if I'll use these story details again. Because if I did another draft. Ellen Ripley would've been clearly the main human protagonist. With the story being more about adding to the themes of Aliens. But this time if I were to write that story. It would've been about Ripley finding a kinship or so with Azrael (Who was original named "Lucifer" in this version) because like Newt, both had felt the same tragedy concerning the Alien. With the developing idea of Ripley and Azrael developing a sibling like relationship. And Sera essentially being an "Anti-Ripley" or a dark parallel to what Ripley could've become.

I was really trying to do deeper with the AVP story instead of, "Alien monsters fighting each other" and keeping the themes of both franchises into a natural way. Yet I'll admit, the development of Sera...I swear, she could've been in her own thing. But I was strangely Hellbent on keeping her in this story. And I was really trying to do something "New" instead of the usual tropes an AVP story would usually do. Which is why I didn't adapt any of the games or comics. But I did take a lot of elements from AVP 2 2001. Again, it's been so long since I've written this.

I'll just say I didn't like how I was treating Ripley as like "Luke Skywalker" or making her this "MacGuffin" in this. Which again, if I did another draft. She would've been the main character. I was strangely focused more on introducing new characters in case this ever got a sequel. I genuinely don't like these drafts. Even though I still love the concept of Nirvana and Sera.

Taking place in a post Aliens world. Weyland-Yutani is essentially broken. With the reveal of what happened at Hadley's Hope on LV-426 and the leaks concerning cover ups of the Nostromo and many other incidents. Due to Ellen Ripley, Michael Bishop and many important people in the company are murdered by angry mobs. With the world's governments now watching the company and others much closely.

During this, Sera Laurent reveals she is a descendent of Peter Weyland and Meredith Vickers. A Weyland-Yutani executive who before this was trying to make the company a better place and helping her own colony become an independent planet. Because of this, she becomes the heir to the company of everything and tries to make Weyland-Yutani better. And the colony now known as Nirvana becomes an independent planet. Where Evelyn will live on as her main home instead of Earth. Because Nirvana is the closest thing to Earth. No need to terraform the planet, the air is already clean. And has similar weather to Earth. Sometimes it being hot, and sometimes it raining a lot.

15 years have passed since Aliens. A world where the Alien is public knowledge. While the "Retro Futurism" is still there. Technology has gotten better due to Weyland-Yutani with its new leader Sera trying to make things better. Better healthy environments, better work conditions, and so on. In a way, it seems like a blend of the "Retro Futurism" of the first two Alien movies and Prometheus and Covenant. For Ellen Ripley and everything she's done. She has mainly gone into hiding. Now on the most wanted list for the "Terrorist attack" on Weyland-Yutani main HQ on Earth. But Sera Laurent makes no ill comments on her. Which has confused people.

Gabriel Roby is a young man who lives with his girlfriend Shelby and her younger sister Flora. Being a trashman and sadly never finished Army Ranger graduation. Gabriel has been trying to make ends meet as Flora and Shelby's mother had died a year before. They now live on a station that is nearby the planet Nirvana. A place Gabriel doesn't have enough money as of now to get to yet. Due to an incident resulting in getting fired. With his relationship with Shelby on the verge of being broken and knowing he has to do something. He finds out about a signal from Ellen Ripley from the planet Nirvana. Knowing she is on the most wanted list. Gabriel makes the decision (Especially having a lengthily discussion with Shelby) to go down to Nirvana, find Ripley, turn her in, and they are set for life.

During this. Another person or thing finds out about the signal from far away. This thing is sent to find the "StarBeast Killer" whether they are ordered to or of their own choice.

Gabriel steals a ship to land on the planet, bringing along Shelby and Flora to the planet. At first, the plant with the main city is absolutely beautiful to look at. But as they get closer. They realize the city is mostly empty. And looking more akin to a war-torn area. Especially with elements of acid burns in the area. They do not know an invisible stalker is following them. They soon meet up with a group of Colonial Marines. But they are more so "Covert ops" ones than the usual ones. They confirm that a Xenomorph infestination has happened on the planet.

Soon, the family in a scene similar that of the Flying Dutchman's first appearance in Pirates 2. The Aliens finally reveal themselves. Particularly Adam, the Alpha of the outbreak. Many Marines are killed. And soon Lucifer, the Predator who has come to Nirvana reveals himself. Resulting in the first fight between Lucifer and Adam. During this thing. Before Lucifer meets Adam. Lucifer saves Shelby from being raped by a Marine.

Soon, the family is saved by Ellen Ripley. Who's revealed she's been living on the planet for the past 15 years. And the outbreak only happened for a month or two or maybe more. That all communications and transports have been destroyed.

And soon, they are able to get to a "Fortress" or the heavily protected HQ/Penthouse building owned by Sera Laurent. The founder of Nirvana. Who says an old derelict ship was found and someone released an egg. She seems very kind and very motherly. But soon they realize, and I guess maybe Lucifer getting captured somehow as he is trying to find and kill Ripley. He plays a recording against her that she and only a few others heard on the Sulaco. Similar to how Prince gets captured in AVP 2 2001. But the group realizes Sera isn't fully who she is.

Gabe and Shelby find out communications have been working fine. And Flora finding a USB drive saying "Order: 937" on it. And it showcases something very concerning to where Ripley is horrified by seeing that order again.

They confront Sera who is in a massive filled with a bunch of video screens and tests going on. There's footage of the Aliens being able to change their normal legs to digitigrade legs back and forth whenever they want to. There is footage around the city showcasing the multiple hives and Aliens in there. Including footage of Adam and Warriors patrolling the city or chilling out. Along with what appears to be illegal combat androids patrolling the area, making sure the cameras are okay and that there are no survivors. There is even footage of the Queen in "Eden", a beautiful garden filled with Alien eggs. Another shocker is there is Predator technology there. Including what seems to be a live Predator in a cryotube. And it's facehugged. And then they find Lucifer, unmasked, who's still awake, and they've been studying him.

There is even what appears to be pictures and footage of an old resting place that was found. A resting place for a creature similar to Lucifer and images of the derelict ship Sera had mentioned.

It is revealed Sera had made a new version of "Order: 937" and her goal was to bring a Predator to the planet. But also, she is the one responsible for infecting her entire city. One egg was found on the derelict ship while every egg was destroyed. There was even the corpse of a queen onboard. But it's not for profit. During this, Ripley tries stabbing Sera in the heart. But Sera survives and showcases white blood. Revealing she is not a human being, but an android.

Sera reveals after certain tragedies. Not being able to bear a child and getting an uncurable cancer in 2189. And she now believes the Aliens are essentially her children. She made sure Adam "The First StarBeast of Nirvana" was not killed or found by civilians as he started eggmoprhing people and a queen was soon born. And the reason the Aliens will never hurt her is not just because she's an android. She has added strands of the dead queen from the derelict ship into her android body. Which confuses the Aliens, but they somewhat see her as a "Mother" but not really.

She's been studying the Aliens this entire time. How they've become smarter the longer they live, they are able to change their legs from normal to digitaladge if they want. And Adam seems to keep his dome head to showcase he is the "Alpha" of the entire outbreak. Nirvana has essentially become their home world. And Sera never planned to control them. She admits they can never be weaponized. That they are a force of nature. This woman hates it when people calls the Aliens "Bugs" or "Ants" to the point she will secretly have a Marine who says that be thrown out into the infected city or she will kill the person themselves and no one can stop her because they knew she will kill them too if they try to fight back. Like, her grabbing a Pulse Rifle to kill someone calling an Alien a "Bug" and she just gives the Pulse Rifle back to a combat android. She also hates the term "Bug hunt".

Sera believes that humanity are the "Bugs/Ants" not the StarBeasts. Due to how fragile and easily they could be killed. And her tragedy made her think that. How her fear made her put her memories into an android body and realized she could've been more than what she was originally. And discovering that last egg was essentially her feeling that she could be a mother. She fully believes she's a "Seraphim" in her own bastardized version of Heaven. With Adam being the "Alpha" of the Aliens in the city. And the queen being "Eve". And Lucifer is...Lucifer. And during this, it's revealed Lucifer is a "Disgraced Prince" because despite how he is. He did not confirm fully to the "Code" because at some point. He realized his species is so irredeemable. This is why he was banished to a planet for 15 years. He saw Ripley on LV-426, he got a pack of Youngbloods killed in a hunt that was not authorized. He saw Ripley kill the queen and all that. They learn that he recorded the whole thing with his bio mask. He was on the Sulaco. And he was sent to Nirvana to kill Ripley as a way to restore his honor. With other clan members to make sure he's goes through with it. To kill the "StarBeast Killer". He takes her skull and spine as a trophy; Lucifer will be welcomed back into his clan. Which is "The Lost Tribe" from Predator 2.

Keep in mind. The people Lucifer has been usually killing have been Marines that have fully sided or know what Sera has done. And in a way, I guess the near raping of Shelby forced him to finally act because he somehow understands what rape is. Either this guy has seen the dark side of humanity on Earth, or anything else. And it was discovered "The First Hunter" Kaail. The "Alpha Predator" was here thousands of years ago, they destroyed the derelict ship and most of the eggs. Believing the "StarBeast" was truly something that needed to be fully destroyed. That learning about their origin is meaningless (Dude straight up said fuck learning about their origin FUCKING KILL ALL OF THEM) and even using them was insane. Because their first conflict was when a few of his clan took eggs from the derelict ship on Nirvana, an army of "Abominations" nearly wiped out their race before they were able to kill them all. Because of this, they went back to Nirvana to destroy all of the eggs in that ship. But they missed one that was kept secret. And they were unaware of the ship on LV-426. And there have been some planets with other ships that haven't been found by humanity yet. His final resting place was on this planet, and his story along with his species was written there. I'm guessing this is why Sera views the Predator race as "Demons". "The Demons Who Make Trophies of Men". She has the old OWLF files from Predator 2 as well. She knows about the incidents in 1987, 1997 and the legend of Naru in the late 1700's (Essentially, the events of Prey) and any other reports and legends concerning the Yautja.

While she can agree with the species that the origin of the StarBeast is meaningless. But the way they view them is so different. Sera viewing them as her offspring. While the Yautja may view them as the "Ultimate Prey" they are considered a threat so big, that all of them must die.

Yet if they are successful in capturing their tech, she could use it to help herself or...whatever. Anyway, this woman straight up sacrificed thousands of men, women and children to be harvested so that her "Children" can be born. She is essentially a dark mirror to what Ripley could've become. And what Gabriel and Shelby could become if trauma took them over. She gave up her lack of care for humanity and deemed the Aliens as her true family because she felt her body failed her. Sera even offers Gabriel and Shelby to join her as part of her family. Meaning she wants them to put their memories into android bodies like her, including Flora. But knowing of the horrors she has done; they try to escape. And during this, Lucifer escapes because of Gabriel. But Shelby and Flora are captured as Gabriel and Ripley escape. You have Lucifer dropping on and taking down a Marine dropship akin to Prince in AVP 2 2001...by literally riding on it.

Lucifer finds the two that escaped but attempts to kill Ripley. But realizes it's not worth it. Why even bother? This woman hasn't done anything to him. And we have Gabriel killing his first Alien. But even as it's injured (It lost the bottom half of its body), it's still moving. And Gabriel just stabs it repeatedly with Lucifer's staff. Even when it's dead. He is just stabbing it multiple times, enraged. He believes his family is going to die because of his fault. That bringing them here was his idea. Even with Gabriel straight up asking the Predator if he knows anything about messing everything up. Even while he's trying to push the creature, but Lucifer just stands there, not moving. The Yautja plays recordings of Shelby singing the lullaby to Flora, and even the time Gabe, Shelby and Flora were playing in the snow. And other recordings. This inspires Gabriel to try to save them. And seeing himself in the young man. Lucifer gives him one of his Plasma Pistols but converting it into somewhat of a rifle for him. In case if he ever needs to use it. Lucifer even calls him in his own words "Human Youngblood".

The StarBeast Killer. The Disgraced Prince. The Army Ranger. All three go to the penthouse building to save Shelby and Flora. And hopefully to find a way off of the planet. And possibly kill Sera.

While Gabriel and Ripley are killing Aliens. Lucifer is essentially killing these Marines. Imagine the Batfleck warehouse fight scene. But it's a Predator killing a bunch of Marines. And even some Aliens.

During this whole thing, the Aliens (Led by Adam) find a way into the building during the whole chaos.

Soon, Shelby and Flora are saved. And finding a possible way off the planet.

[zoneofsmites]

OC Speech Mannerisms

tagged by @heartbreakincident on my main (thank u, love u, this seems very fun)

Taggging @vin-ill, @aurrieattorney, @autumnfangirler, @cigarettesandinevitablebetrayal, and @froggods in return!

Using this as an exercise to further develop my mournwatch Rook!

Subject: Acheron 'Rook' Ingellvar

NO. OF SPOKEN LANGUAGES: 1 / 2 / 3+ There is no nevarran language it seems, so he only speaks the trade-tongue. I think he recently started teaching himself Qunlat, but it's a difficult language.

TONE OF VOICE: high / average / deep This is mostly because both masc rook voices sound pretty deep already.

ACCENT: Yes / No Nevarran accent 100%. even if the in-game voices for Rook are just american and british. i can live my dreams.

DEMEANOUR: confident / shy / approachable / hostile / other Acheron tries to come off as approachable, but his general size, qunari-nature, and death hyper fixation autism makes his energy appear way more intimidating than he's intending it to be.

POSTURE: slumped / straight / stiff / relaxed Straight AND slumped? yes. if he's around strangers he starts slumping to seem less intimidating as he's tall for even qunari standards. otherwise he was thought proper manners so he stands straight otherwise.

HABITS: head tilting / swaying / fidgeting / stuttering / gesturing / arm crossing / strokes chin / er, um, or other interjections / plays with hair or clothing / hands at hips (but he is fidgeting with his pants/robes there) / inconsistent eye contact / maintains eye contact (TOO much. he's overcompensating for not wanting to look in your eyes) / frequent pausing (he was thought to think before he speaks and he takes that literally, but he's quiet during the pausing) / stands close / stands at a distance

COMPLEXITY

VOCABULARY: ⬤⬤⬤⬤〇

EMOTION: ⬤⬤〇〇〇

SENTENCE STRUCTURE: ⬤⬤⬤〇〇

PROFANITY

FREQUENCY: ⬤⬤〇〇〇 "it's impolite to swear, little Acheron. It's important to be polite." -his necromancer caretakers

CREATIVITY (in regards to profanity): ⬤⬤⬤⬤〇 It's creative because he was toeing the line of what his tutors considered to be swears.

BOLD ALL THAT APPLY: arse. ass. asshole. bastard. bitch. bloody. bugger. bollocks. chicken shit. crap. cunt. dick. frick. fuck. horseshit. motherfucker. piss. prick. screw. shit. shitass. son of a bitch. twat. wanker. pussy. (basically everything that isn't as egregious of a swear + add in some 'Maker's breath' here and there)

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

DO PEOPLE HAVE A HARD TIME HEARING OR UNDERSTANDING YOUR CHARACTER? - almost always / frequently / rarely / never (Was thought to speaks clearly and loud enough for those relevant to understand.)

DOES YOUR CHARACTER'S INTENDED POINT COME ACROSS EASILY WHEN THEY SPEAK? - almost always / frequently / sometimes / rarely / never. (im gonna say sometimes because I think he might become a bit... rambly and disjointed in his thoughts.)

WOULD YOUR CHARACTER INITIATE CONVERSATIONS? - almost always / frequently / sometimes / never. (mostly if he needs something, but he's content in silence and lets people approach him)

WOULD YOUR CHARACTER BE THE ONE TO END CONVERSATIONS? - almost always / frequently / sometimes / rarely / never.

WOULD YOUR CHARACTER USE 'WHOM' IN A SENTENCE? - yes / no / only ironically

YOUR CHARACTER WANTS TO MAKE A COUNTERPOINT. WHAT WORD DO THEY USE? - but / though / although / however / perhaps / mayhaps.

HOW DOES YOUR CHARACTER END CONVERSATIONS? - walk away / ask if that's everything / say that's everything / give a proper goodbye / tell their company they're done here / remain quiet / they don't.

WHAT SOCIAL CLASS WOULD OTHERS ASSUME YOUR CHARACTER BELONGS TO, HEARING THEM SPEAK? - upper / middle / lower. (he was thought to sound proper, so his vocabulary + polite way of speech comes across real posh sometimes)

IN WHAT WAYS DOES THE WAY YOUR CHARACTER SPEAK STAND OUT TO OTHERS? - accent / vocabulary / tone / level / politeness / brusqueness / it doesn't. (the accent mostly because he's a qunari so its odd enough that even nevarran native's outside the Mournwatch might raise an eyebrow)

[ayupimqueen]

My sleepy rant about my fallout ocs i did instead of studying

Warning this is long af but I’m an idiot who likes uploading random stuff nobody reads

Time for a small rant about my ocs their stories and my love for the fallout universe everyone, I cant keep the thoughts on my head so yeah sorry

I think the reason I’ve started to grow so fond of fallout lately is because I find a lot more hope in it than in my life now.

I mean Fallout 3 is a really personal game to me because of some family issues that happened (and are still going on) when I first played the game (we’ll come back to this in a bit).

And now watching the world fcking rot before my eyes and not being able to do anything because despite what people think the reality is that a single person can’t change the world unless the people with money say so

And now when I play this games I just like to feel that maybe I still have a future despite what happens, because now I feel that it’s too late to save the world.

And I see the stories of the characters I created for this world, and how I’ve given each one of them a part of my life.

And then i noticed a pattern of you say.

All of my character (except for one), despite of what happens, have a happy ending related to something I want or that has happened to me:

Lets start with the odd one out: hope who just dies at the end.

Hope is probably my saddest character EVER (she’s suffered even more than my Minecraft oc and I used to think that was impossible) her dad leaves her, she is exiled from the vault, gets hated on by everyone, has the worst luck ever and feels alone always, then thers a bit of a break when she gets a friend but then she finds his dad and everything goes downhill to the point that even tho she has people with her she just feels alone.

I wont go deep on her story because i want to write it.

I’ll just say that from a certain point she knows she is going to d ie somehow, her friends try to stop it but she still dies, and for worse she dies because she wasn’t important to the brotherhood. She gave everything to everyone and people took advantage of her.

Her name is close to my deadname, and I based bits of her story and personality from how I felt at the time when I first played the game and even her looks are based off of me irl but in a “preattier” way that I used to want. So I guess she is a way of showing the shittier part of my life and how it’s kind of the part of me that I want to get rid off.

Then we have the other side of the coin: Reina

They started as an self insert oc that escalated into a bigger character that made me actually develop the other ocs

They are the contrary to Hope, mostly because they are based of my personality, issues and objectives that I have now. Also their looks are closer to both the persona I use online and what I wished I looked irl now. Their name is also just my chosen name but in Spanish and I chose a cool last name lmao. And she is from center Mexico because fuck yeah it’s my country lmao

Reina also has many issues, as their backstory is the exaggerated version of my mommy issues, but instead of a regular mom- genderless offspring thing i go trough Its a Evil selfish ahole rich mom vs rebel “daughter” who is neglected and abused. But the thing I like to focus on while thinking of their story, and the thing that is closer to my actual life, is her search for love.

They were raised by neglecting parents that litterary saw them as a “economic opportunity”, marring them to a narcissistic guy and shattering al their dreams.

Then they forget all of that thanks to the power of the script and amnesia trope and they get to meet Hancock, who ends up loving them and have character growth and all that jazz. (I’m writing the fic I swear I just don’t get to concentrate)

In the end Reina gets to be happy, as they represent the me I am today, while Hope dies as she is one of my most horrible moments. Both being an exaggerated version of what I lived because I’m a sucker for angst and hurt/confort stories.

Then is the sexy af middle ground i call Rose Garza.

She is a bit of a miscellaneous character, i made her from the north of Mexico because I lived there as a child and her design was just me creating a character based on some of the things I consider attractive and her personality is like the silly part of me.

The sad part of her strory isn’t based of something that happened to me or similar but something that works more for her character.

The one issue I gave her based on me is that she wants to have friends but she is either abandoned forgotten or legged out.

She also has the thing of finding a loved one but in a different people only like her for her looks way, but that doesn’t happen to me so yeah.

She is the silly one of the group I guess.

I can’t rant on Venus and Mars yet because I haven’t finished the first two games and I don’t even have the final name for my fallout 74 oc( they are totally hailing mothman tho lmao)

So yeah that my rant, im sleep deprived so sorry you all have to deal withe the parasites in my head lmao

[mammomlette]

SOLMARE WHEN I CATCH YOU SOLMARE. STOP THIS MADNESS AND LISTEN

solmare I swear if you make mammon have ONE more intimate moment with MC only to be interrupted by the usual perps (Lucifer, Levi and Luke) (damn Ls) I will explode. ESPECIALLY if it ends with mammon going “AAA evil brothers😡angry chiwawa🤣anyway I gotta skiddadle!” And running away. Every time that happens an angel loses its wings

Tell me why you give mammon character development in a scene, we have a deep chat, you can smooch him or whatever, and the whole 2-lesson-arc has been leading up to this moment of vulnerability and hopefully character development only to make him run away and lose literally everything that this mini-arc taught him. Surely. SURELY there is a point in time between making a pact with him and like idk the end of season 3 when mammon realises his relationship (platonic, romantic, whatever it is for your MC) with MC is more important than Grimm to him. Not entirely, because that’s a core part of his character, just a point where he realises “hm I’m going to TRY paying Levi back so he stops interrupting me! And try calm down for lucifer so I can spend more time with MC instead of hanging from the ceiling!” Right? RIGHT??!!!?!

We see time and time AGAIN how much he cares for MC (feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, but he’s one of the only 2 brothers who hasn’t directly/intentionally endangered MC and I THINK he was the only one who seemed distraught at their death??? Last one is probs wrong) but he still finds a way to abandon MC every time someone’s shouts “MAMMONNNN” or starts chasing him. Like, bro. I get you’re a wimp with crippling debt but the LEAST you could do is drag MC with you so that they don’t get in trouble instead since he clearly cares for them😞🙏

And him running away being for comedic purposes isn’t even a valid reason for it to happen because there are funny ways for him to NOT just abandon us. 1) he could hide instead. There is a scene I believe is in season 2(?) where he’s in his room with MC, Levi storms in and they hide in his car. Not sure if they made a funny thing out of hiding in a car, but that scene led to Levi saying that he couldn’t smell mammon and meme on calling him a blood hound. Idk about you but I for one certainly har-har’d at that. Plus, hiding would be a nice change of pace from mammons usual running away. Option 2) Mammon could drag us with him??? I don’t play events or devilgram because I’m too lazy and poor for that but I’m like 99% sure that in the main story of OG game, mammon does NOT bring us with him any time he’s running away, which is weird because he’s always yelling that we should be with him cause he’s “our first” (his words not mine obv) but I don’t remember any scenes that he brings us with him when he needs to leave?? I would LOVE to be wrong on that part so please correct me if I’m wrong but I sadly don’t think I am. Option 3) Picture this: mammon gets spooked, screeches because he’s a wuss, he runs away (whether it be from a person, witch, whatever is after him) only to realise: “Wait! I left my favourite person behind! Whoops!” And he runs back and grabs MC (Maybe by the sleeve like a toddler, maybe by the hair, maybe he even princess carries them because yes) that’s it. That’s the whole thing. Mammon drags/carries MC after forgetting them. You could even expand on that and have him apologise for it, or get all flustered and deny he forgot MC, or act all proud like he saved MC as if he isn’t the reason MC is in danger or was left behind in the first place MMMITS SO GOOD SOLMARE FEED ME

All I’m asking is for solmare to PLEASE let us have a long, well-written and intimate moment with mammon that isn’t interrupted, or if it is he TAKES US WITH HIM or COMES RIGHT BACK FOR US when he runs away. I beg

PS this isn’t proof read any imperfections are just part of the masterpiece or smthn. Ty for coming to my ted talk

[wordsandrobots]

Today has not been the productive writing day I hoped for, mostly because I massively overstimulated myself gaming yesterday and the storm made it even harder to sleep.

This is especially galling as I'm about two paras short of finishing the thing I was trying to write. Ah well. I'll get it done this week, probably.

(I actually managed decent progress in the fiction department last week, sketching out a couple of important bits of dialogue for later in Akatsuki's Big Adventure and getting to the halfway mark of the next (short) chapter. I just hate the feeling my brain has turned to tapioca.)

(Oh, what the hell, I'm starting to get into the swing of the main characters' dynamic so here's a sneak peak, as a means of reminding myself that I can in fact do this.)

“Hi! Sorry to bother you.” Subtly as I can, I nudge Jaén, whispering, “Hat.”

She rolls her eyes but obligingly takes it off.

The receptionist blinks. “Oh. Aren't you…?”

“Yeah, I'm afraid we're in kind of a pickle.” Helpless and harmless is probably where I want to pitch this. “Miss Jayanaleen got into a small accident just now and we really need to treat her ankle right away. Do you have a first-aid kit we could maybe borrow? Sorry, it's pretty urgent. Can't have her missing the big fight tomorrow, you know?”

I wonder if he's a fan. He certainly brightens up fast. “Yes, of course! You should sit down – please, just over here. I'll be right back.”

“I don't know what's worst,” Jaén complains as we take a seat, “you blowing up my reputation by telling someone I have 'small accidents' or that you said it was 'a pickle'.”

“Well, it is. And everyone gets into accidents, and most people want to help out afterwards. It's human nature.”

“No, human nature just grated my leg on a wall. You're acting like…”

Unable to help myself, I lean my elbows on the table and grin. “Like what?”

“Like I don't know what but I'm beginning to think you can turn it on and off whenever you want.”

“It's the ancient and mysterious art of being nice to people. You've been playing the big bad meanie too long, you probably forgot how it works.”

“Meanie? Fuck, that's worse than pickle. How the hell did I get stuck baby-sitting a weirdo who goes to lap-dancing clubs for medical help and talks like…”

“You still can't work out how to end that sentence, can you?”

“You're real lucky you promised me decent food tonight, you know that?”

-------

[Note: the hat in question is a beanie at present but this may change on account of official Gundam developments. Again, I swear I wrote all of this before G-Quacks was announced.]

[This scene does in fact take place in the entrance room to a lap-dancing club. The receptionist is a very nice young man called Tomas who, while lacking in the shirt department, has provided me with an excellent way of arranging an upcoming scene that will spark everything going completely off the rails. Thank you, Tomas!]

[Akatsuki's current opinion of Jaén: you are very scary but fortunately I was raised to see the humanity in scary people and also to very effectively gauge how much shit I can get away with.

Jaén's current opinion on Akatsuki: stop making me laugh, I have a public image to uphold.]

[morgana-ren]

Hi Morgana :)) hope you're having a good day. So I stumbled upon this video and the discourse in the comments https://youtube.com/shorts/cbtSWTjXvZQ?si=8g19VZHJUNI-5niU

And quite frankly got curious as I didn't get to play much of an early access Astarion but I do remember how his attitude at the tiefling/goblin party seems a lil different from early access to launch as well as his noble to charlatan change. So I thought that I could ask the Lore Mommy do you think he was changed that much and or how these changes shifted your perspective on his character. Because personally I do view him as a decadent and somewhat hedonistic as Ascended and those traits do show in his Spawn persona as well.

So just curious about your thoughts on this:))

Okay, I ended up fucking rambling and getting off topic here. This is too long for comfort. I'm sorry I just ended up blabbing, I swear that wasn't the intention lmao. I ended up looking into the comments at aforementioned discourse and it just reminded me of shit, so please forgive me. I tend to r a m b l e with a fuckin capital R. I'm talking in a more general sense and not at anyone in particular, most especially not you, so please don't think that. It's just my observations at large. I love questions like this and I hope this doesn't make you roll your eyes.

So, I got the EA version of the game when it was still fairly early. It was Patch 2, if I recall. It was interesting watching the group develop and grow as the writers and developers decided some things fit more than others because sometimes the patches were so drastically different than the last. Wyll actually got an entire rewrite between the EA and the full release. All of the characters we had went through changes (except Karlach and Halsin because they weren't there but they were likely tweaked behind the scenes.) A lot of Astarion's concept was already written, but his character was absolutely tweaked. The art book and a lot of the released designs are very early. We had them as of patch 2 where he was drastically different. In the beginning, they very much were going more for the stereotypical 'evil' follower. You could play as a good character and he would still like you, but he was very much geared for more debauchery-based playthroughs. It's also important to note that we really didn't get to demo everything. We only got the first act, and some of the more shallow aspects of it.

The thing about Baldur's Gate 3 is it is written so well because no character is good or evil. They are rounded, genuine characters with stories and lives and opinions of their own. You can dislike them, but you have to acknowledge they aren't written to be banal stereotypes. Astarion was a bit more of an evil clusterfuck in EA, but even then, there was a deep pain inside of him, and he was using his callousness and lack of giving a shit as a defense. Even then you knew something was very wrong. He mentioned Cazador because you ran into the Gur hunter, and you knew he was kept as a spawn against his will and was tortureda and had a very dubious past, but a lot of the character development wasn't in the EA-- because they didn't originally intend for it to be there.

But that doesn't fully change his character like some of the comments and other videos and posts I see seem to suggest. It seems like a lot of people have an egregious misunderstanding of his arc-- especially on tiktok and youtube shorts where the audience is younger and more prone to projection and group-thinking, echo-chambery line of thought.

Here's the rundown from what I remember deducing with EA combined with my personal playthroughs now that the game has released:

Astarion was absolutely a shithead before he was taken and turned. We don't know about his childhood, mostly because he doesn't know or remember, but I can say with certainty that he didn't become a dickhead after Cazador. Being taken made him worse, but he absolutely was an asshole before he was taken. He probably wasn't the traumatized, terrified young man he is now, but he was probably a real shit-kicker. He was on the winding path to darkness and they make this clear.

(His childhood was not touched on in the EA at all. All you knew is magistrate, vampire, gur killed him, Cazador, slave, and his dickish, libertine attitude.)

He is a noble though. This much we knew. He is privileged. Elite. He took without caring and doled out where he saw fit. He was your stereotypical rich boy-- or that's the vibe he gives off. He doesn't give off 'I earned my way into power' like Gortash does. He gives off 'I was born into privilege and I'm making it everyone else's problem.' He's educated and very savvy with language in a way that those of higher education access learn to be. He is well spoken and snubs his nose at 'lessers' in a way you see the wealthy do so casually. He was likely living a life of luxury and emerging into his own life in an Elon Musk-esque sort of evil powergrab. He might've always been a pesky little troublemaker, but he very much has 'I'm rich and I don't care about you' vibes, even beneath all of the trauma. This did not develop from Cazador. This was preexisting.

He was young. He was impulsive and dumb. He never had a chance to emotionally mature. It's entirely possible that, had he been left alone, he might've blossomed into a better person. But do not be mistaken, he was a bad person. Honestly, it's more possible to me that he would have just become another corrupt patriar with the city in his coin purse. Either way, fate played him a different hand than the one his birth had decided on.

You are told that he is a magistrate back in the city, which is true. When you play his origin story, you get options relating to it and it's actually been referred to a lot since the EA. He absolutely was some form of up and rising politician seeking power. A man with high ideas of himself, libertine proclivities, a self-centered attitude, and very much not a good person. Probably not horrible or sadistic for fun to the degree he is now, but definitely spiraling that way with the path he was on. The seeds had been planted already before any of his trauma happened.

I assume he wasn't quite important enough that his death would cause an uproar, but probably an impudent little upstart with his eyes on high political power just getting his bearings in the political world with help from mommy and daddy. The kind of petty asshole who abuses any authority he gets and doesn't care who or what gets in his way because he has some shit to prove and a life to live, everyone else be damned. That kind of person. He had ideas and ambitions, and is probably very open to corruption from the get-go. The kind of politician that dies in the street and people go "Hmm. Shame." and move on because they weren't anything special or grand. Just another corrupt asshole getting what they deserved. Another rich daddy's boy brought to the knife by the populace.

He was mourned. Someone missed him. But it wasn't the people of Baldur's Gate. That's for sure. He was forgotten before he became a true problem. Killed and stemmed. Just. Another. Cruel politician. Just another bastard with a big head. Just another.

In short, he definitely made some enemies and had drawn the wrong sort of attention during his time as a magistrate. Being the peacocking, lovely, arrogant young man he is, I bet he'd managed to make more people unbelievably pissed off than any sort of admiration, which normally for the rich isn't a problem, but... when it is, it really is, as you can see.

Even in the EA, he is very open with you tells you that the Gur, likely unhappy with a recent ruling he made, jumped him and murdered him in the street and you can let him kill the hunter. Thing is, Gur are not a violent people. If they attacked him like that, he did something to warrant it. It had to have been pretty nasty for it to have that consequence. The main difference is in the EA (later, of course, but still) you can find out that it was not Cazador that sent the Gur hunter. In fact, it was someone different entirely. I think it was someone named Maiden Fel or something. I do not remember. They likely switched it up. It was not the Gur looking of their own volition originally, but neither was it Cazador. But the EA was also slightly disjointed and broken so it's hard to tell what was canon at the time.

Astarion, in his shitty early days, isn't shy about his slight racism. He seems to dislike everything that isn't human or elven. It's entirely possible he had racial/cultural biases against the Gur and ended up pulling a ruling that was extremely unfair. It would be fair for them to seek retaliation.

This is never officially elaborated on as far as I know, but I do honestly believe that Cazador was almost more coincidence than anything. He saw a young, beautiful boy and went "Hmm... useful." He smelled blood in the water and saw someone that wouldn't be missed and offered them eternal life, knowing this silver-haired young man would be foolish enough to grasp it. He probably reeked of privilege. He would take it with open arms and without asking why or what for because that is what he was used to. Privileged people do not ask. They take. Cazador knew this.

(The point of me running through his past is to point out that not everything can be blamed on his trauma. He was at least kind of a bastard before this ever happened. And both EA and release have the similar trauma background almost identically.)

As we know, Astarion died that night. In the street. In a puddle of his own blood. He was scraped off the cobblestone and thrown into the cemetary, where he emerged the next night to his new life-- to Cazador. He didn't die. Astarion the Magistrate died. But Astarion, the stuck up, pompous, selfish asshole very much did not. In fact, that very same noble was forced to swallow a taste of his own medicine-- and it was a bitter fucking pill.

It made him worse. Trauma doesn't always make you soft and sweet. Sometimes, trauma makes you hard and cruel and angry and spiteful. Sometimes it doesn't make you apologetic; it makes you venomous. It makes you a spitting cobra rather than a loyal, empathetic puppy.

(Notice all I say about projection) Honestly, for me, it's nice to see that representation. Because my trama did not make me kind. It made me hurt. And it made me angry. And it twisted my mind into ways of thinking that I do not like. And you almost never see that. You see a lot of people who are kind and soft and gentle, but you don't often see those of us that were ripped apart and never managed to sew back together right. We do not bend and break our back and twist our tongues for others. Sometimes we are hurtful and mean and things that people paint as evil. Sometimes you grow claws rather than thick skin. Sometimes you grow fangs rather than a bigger heart.

So, more in line with the actual question, they very much did change up his arc. He was meant to be much more manipulative and shitty. It was datamined in the original script, I believe. That much was confirmed way earlier in the early access. But more or less, they went 'Hey, maybe we shouldn't write such a vapid dumbass character because it doesn't fit with the theme of 'complexity' we're working with here. Maybe we should make him more rounded. Maybe we should make him a person.' His story had been mostly mapped, but his character hadn't quite yet. And I'm glad they did.

Having him be a vacuous, shitty stereotype would have been a massive disappointment, especially in a game that is so deep.

Here's the bit though:

It is a CONSTANT throughout the game, EA and release; Astarion very much is an asshole. He is throughout the entire game. He can get better, but he's a dick. No two ways around it. His trauma didn't make him terrible, he very much already was a selfish person who ended up getting stunted. He learned to lie and manipulate to survive, but he wasn't a sweet boy when this happened to him. He was a 'bad' person who had something horrible happen to him that opened up his body and made him defensive and cruel, because he believes the world is cruel and indifferent to suffering, which goes in line with his earlier pre-kidnap thinking of 'Who cares?' It made him bitter for sure, but he already had those ways of thinking. He didn't care who he hurt. He didn't care about anyone. That's the entire bit with 'libertines' and the elite. He was already bad; it made him worse.

He was a fucking jackass. But notice I don't say evil.

He is not a character that empathizes or sympathizes well. He doesn't care what others are going through unless you teach him to, and even then, he is still learning. He is capable of trying if you steer him there. But in general? He rejoices in cruelty, being a general nuisance, being selfish, being power hungry, and being self serving. These are not solely trauma traits. These are not all defense mechanisms, though they can be. Astarion is a rounded character that is complex but right now is not the stereotypical 'uwu sad baby' shit that people love to do to him either. They made him relatable. Gave him tragedy. And people love to latch on to that to paint us as these pathetic babies incapable of our own thoughts who need to be coddled and babied and defended.

From EA, they made him more rounded. They made him less cartoonishly gimmicky. He's still a very selfish jerkoff, but he is scared, and vulnerable, and they made a point to emphasize that. He is not just evil hot vampire. He is scared, vulnerable, rude, pompous, arrogant, selfish, terrified, traumatized, angry, subdued--

and the list goes on. He is a person. He is a relatable person. But these traits he respects in the beginning? Selfishness? Greed? Self-serving? These are traits he admired before that were amplified by his trauma. These are traits that we condemn as a human race, but we still hone and harbor. These are things we have and we see and we experience day to day.

And that is why it is so easy to judge him and condemn him and try to paint him in black or white and call him banal morality labels like 'good' or 'evil.' It's part of why we have these arguments over his EA versus now. Because you see these good/bad things and immediately need to justify your love or hatred for him and defend or condemn him because you hear them and go "No! Wrong! I know he's selfish but he's not evil and--" and all of those other posts we love. People struggle with nuance. That is why it is so easy for people to make these videos defending their views. They grab keywords and examples and go "See!" and show little tiny snippets instead of an entire person. Hell, we do it in real life too. We point out one facet of someone's life and judge and condemn them based upon it. With Astarion, we see so much more, but even then, people still struggle.

People have real experiences with these values. People have personal feelings and judgments based on those things. They feel a need to analyze it, but most people do not know how. They cannot say "No, I just don't like him" or "Yeah, I enjoy him" and leave it at that. Similar to how I'm ripping this open right now. And I'm not condemning anyone. Clearly I'm going on a tangent right now over it. It's fun to do. But people feel like it's necessary. Like they have to.

In those comments, someone points out that media literacy is dead, and I'm inclined to agree. Everything is black and white and must be tucked into neat little boxes that are easy for people to digest. A bad character is a bad mean evil irredeemable character. A good character is a good character that behaves good and does things we expect from good people. Humans are no longer humans. They are not complex. They are not nuanced. They are one dimensional creatures to be judged and executed. That is why people struggle so hard with games this well written. Because it is not that simple. It is not in real life and it is not in the game.

Also in the comments here, it seems like everyone is arguing over a nonissue. It seems to stem from the fact that there's a lot of discourse over liking a bad character. People feel like his newer design is 'justified' and even though he is 'a jerk,' he is not 'irredeemable.' The entire thing is asinine.

No one deserves redemption. That is the fucking point of redemption. That is the entire whole ass point. Someone who does not deserve it working to redeem themselves. If you deserve redemption, you don't need it. If you need it, you do not deserve it. People forget that.

I see this a lot. People demonizing others who enjoy complex or more nuanced characters that are not wholly good. People saying characters are irredeemable and terrible and if you like them, you're a bad person. If you like villains, you clearly relate and you're a bad person. If you like this person, you're just like them and must be condoning their actions.

It's so fucking stupid. I see it with books too. People jump on protagonists because they think the term 'protagonist' means hero, and people conflate the two. I could go on a whole (new) tangent about this, but the point is people are incapable of processing that now, because we've really muddied the waters with morality and we use shame rather than critical thinking. We operate off of gut instincts like 'disgust' and 'hatred' and instead of thinking about shit, we just shove it away and condemn, condemn, condemn.

A natural consequence of this is people jump like dogs to twist that character they love or hate into a victim or something beyond their actual story. They will jump through hoops. They will do whatever it takes to avoid the stigma of being a 'bad person' in the eyes of some internet tiktok teen with a billion followers or some tumblr mom because they have been raised to believe that makes them a bad person and they will deserve the ostrasizing they get. They will be bullied and driven from the internet and sent anons until they go into fucking hiding. It's not okay to just enjoy something anymore. You have to justify it to some asshole. You have to break it open and twist it and defend it or burn it. You can't just exist.

People project. And holy fuck, have they projected on Astarion. It's another natural consequence of having such an incredible, well written character. People see themselves in him. In fact, people see themselves in him so much that they inadvertently take away his agency again in an ironic twist because people with similar feelings or experiences feel like they 'get' him better and therefore have more say over a fictional character than the character himself, the person who wrote him and the man who brought him to life.

My point with all of this nonsensical and unrelated bullshit rambling is that I loved Astarion in the EA and I love him more now. I would have loved him if they left him 'evil' but kept him rounded. His ascended ending is him falling deeply into his worst instincts for control coupled with his entitlement and need for safety. His spawn ending is him relenting and accepting and trying to be better within reason. He will always be Astarion. But he can make efforts to be better-- or worse. But he is always Astarion, and Astarion is decadent, and a bit of a jerk, and a stuffy noble elite with standards. He will always be like that. He will always be Astarion. He probably does better there with someone to babysit like Tav, but even a single spawn Astarion made great strides and effort.

I think we take that for granted a lot. We get people all up in their feelings and lashing out at people who like one ending or the other. We have people calling other people horrible people for trusting Astarion in the end of his spawn ending instead of coddling him and taking his fuckin' free will away again. We have people throwing food like kids in a cafeteria and it feels like no one slows the fuck down and wonders why they feel that way.

I like Astarion because he's an incredible character. I like him more in the release because he's more developed. He feels real. He feels like me. (See, projection.) I get it. People are not always pure good or pure evil. These are words we made up because we're an idiot little species that needs to categorize, same as why we name shapes and traits. But I liked him evil too. I just liked him. He just interested me. I always liked him.

He feels better in the release. More fleshed out. Less foreboding and more understandable. He's not Viconia from BG2 who is basically just there to be an evil temptress for 'hehe evil' characters. But guess what? It's totally fine if you wanna engage with him that way! If you don't like him, or you don't want to bother with making him better, you don't have to. If that's all you want to do, then hell yeah, baby.

At the end of the day, he is a model we can use to dissect ourselves. He can help us understand how we view complex issues. But it gets frustrating when people highjack it with an absolutely egregious misunderstanding of the story. Like things are so simple, you know?

In the EA, he was cool. He was really cool. But we didn't know much about him other than 'hehe evil.' We didn't know much about anything, and man, did we like to theorize. I can remember doing it years and years ago before the fuckin' game came out. But ultimately, it was always a projection of ourselves. What we wanted. What we saw.

They made him a more fleshed out being. They filled in the blanks. He is an arrogant fucking asshole, and he is rude, and entitled, and pompous, and cruel, and self serving and greedy and all of that 'evil' shit, but he is also human. He is capable of deep and profound love. He is capable of caring. He is capable of so much. He can be selfless and loving and caring and gentle. He can be genuine and honest. These traits do not define him unless he chooses to cling to them-- and he only does if he does not learn. And when he doesn't learn? He loses himself and fills his destiny of being the wretched, terrible perpetuator of abuse both on the populace and you. And that was the point. That happens when you lose yourself and give in to fear. It can happen to all of us. And sometimes it does.

But it really also isn't that deep, in the same breath. If you like the ascended ending which is a bit more in line with his original origins, so what? It's a cool ending. It's neato. It still has a clear and blatant message, but it's a fucking video game. Do what you like. If you think it's hot? So what? If you just enjoy the goddamned doomed narrative? So?

Not everything has to be a trial of who you are as a person. Not everything is that deep. Sometimes the answer is as simple as 'shit is cool' and it ends there. If other people look deeper into it, that sounds like a 'them' problem. That's their need to justify. That's their desire. Both EA and release are fantastic. Some folks have preferences. I liked both.

He's my boy. I love him for who he is and what he has done for me. And I'm grateful I got to see his development. I'm grateful I get a well written story with incredible characters. If people think he's wholly evil or good, that's their sack of beans, my dude.

[drift-compatible-poll]

Preliminary Round: Kuroko no Basuke

Kuroko Tetsuya and Kagami Taiga vs Kuroko Tetsuya, Kagami Taiga and Aomine Daiki vs Midorima Shintarou and Takao Kazunari

Propaganda for Tetsuya and Taiga: "Kuroko’s play style depends on being the “shadow” supporting someone’s “light”, and Kagami is that light. They start with a natural synchronicity and help each other grow as basketball players."

Propaganda for Tetsuya, Taiga and Daiki: "i know that my mutual submitted a long essay about them already but here are some other cool bug facts about them!! - they have this song together: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhpQYlQ2sAQ&pp=ygUha3Vyb2tvIG5vIGJhc2tldCBicmVha2luZyB0aHJvdWdo - kuroko and kagami want to save aomine... kagami even sings it in the song... - kagami and aomine are similar in love for basketball, basketball positions, shoe size, etc. - aomine and kagami do a basketball dunk together to win a very important game - as teammates, kuroko and kagami's plays compliment each other-- as the shadow and light of their team, they're necessary for their team's victories - they say they get along with each other most on their team (kagami and kuroko) - likewise, aomine and kuroko said that they got along with each other the most in their middle school teams - for kagami and kuroko, in the final game, kuroko trusted kagami so much, he knew what kagami would do-- which helped them defeat a guy who could see the future"

Propaganda for Shintarou and Kazunari: "of course these two didnt start out as friends. in fact! back in middle school, midorima's team completely crushed takao's team! like many other opponents who have to go up against any member of the generation of miracles, takao seriously considered quitting the sport after being dominated by the GoM. however, takao stuck with it, continuing to practice basketball, swearing that he would one day defeat the generation of miracles! until one of their members, midorima, just happened to go to the same school as him! this kind of sparks a one-sided rivalry, takao wanting to prove his worth to a member of the generation of miracles. midorima has no opinion on this. however, as the two continue to train together, midorima does praise takao's dedication to improving himself in basketball. midorima deeply respects those who "do everything humanly possible" to achieve their goals, a trait takao strongly exhibits. as such, the two begin to work (and hang out) much more, building a pretty solid friendship!

to be specific of how in sync they are, the two have a special move they developed together! this involves midorima's ability to make a basket from anywhere on the court, combined with takao's incredible ability to accurately pass to his teammates! its dubbed as the "sky direct three point shot" which basically involves midorima jumping in the air, doing the motion of doing a three pointer, and takao passing the ball INTO MIDORIMA'S HANDS right before he shoots! this effectively gives midorima an instantaneous shot, virtually unblockable! and the series does emphasize that the two practiced quite a bit to get this move to work! but the results speak for themselves, as its probably one of the strongest moves in the entire series!!"